Chapter 23: A Wizard’s Lament part 2
No matter what Lucius thought, Fay was too busy managing Momo in her own way.
After a successful ‘drakan agility’ session on the plateau, Fay felt more confident. She thought that next time, she’d practice taking off from low ground.
After nearly three hours of riding on Momo’s back, she thanked Lucius, her face flushed.
“Thank you, Lucius!”
“For what?”
“For letting me borrow Momo. He’s such a good-natured drakan. He hardly causes any trouble! I read in a book that most drakans have fierce temperaments, though?”
Lucius’s lips curled into a crooked smile.
“What did the book say?”
“Well, it said they’re extremely greedy and constantly plot to betray their masters. And if imprisoned, they’ll ram their heads into the ceiling to escape.”
“Oh… Yeah. Betrayal, huh? That’s quite the issue.”
“And so, in ancient empires, they used to bind drakans with magic chains.”
“Really scary stuff. If a drakan tries to break through the tower’s ceiling with its head, it could be quite a problem, right?”
“Exactly.”
Thump, thump.
As Lucius spoke, his solid palm thudded against Momo’s shoulder blade with each word. To Fay, it looked like a friendly pat, but Momo, who could feel the subtle magic, was in agony.
Honestly, the ancient magic chains used to control drakans seemed more humane (?) than Lucius’s ruthless threats!
“Kueeeek! (I won’t betray you!)”
“Huh? I can’t understand what Momo’s saying.”
As Momo cried out in a voice only Lucius could understand, Fay tilted her head in confusion.
“You’re probably just tired from all that practice. It’ll be fine after you rest.”
Lucius grinned mischievously as he replied.
“Probably. No need to worry.”
“Shall we head back? And don’t worry, Momo won’t ever betray you or run away.”
Fay gazed at Momo with trusting eyes.
“Because Momo is so sweet, right?”
“Well… It’s not so much about sweetness. Even a drakan has basic intelligence. If it wants to survive, it knows how to behave. And besides, its real owner is me.”
Lucius shot a sly smile at Momo. Caught between them, the drakan was the only one truly suffering.
“Kueeeeh… (Please… someone answer me…)”
“Yes!”
“Kueeeh! (Master!)”
“Revert to your original form.”
‘Original form? But this is my original form!’
The drakan shed invisible tears, but reluctantly turned back into a fluffy chick and nestled into Fay’s arms.
Now that Lucius had lifted the seal and partially restored his powers, the warmth of his human mistress’s embrace was his only solace.
— — —
The brief training with Lucius and Momo helped Fay relieve some of the tension before her upcoming mission.
Her water magic was advancing rapidly, surpassing the 6th circle with astonishing speed. However, her proficiency with the other elemental magics was lacking. Her next strongest affinity was for earth, followed by wind, with fire being her weakest.
‘Hmm… Will it work out?’
The time for the Harvest Festival at the imperial palace was approaching.
According to the Crown Prince’s orders, Fay needed to cause an explosion with fire magic without anyone noticing. Could she pull it off?
She could cast the 1-circle Fire Arrow, but it was too obvious since it flies directly from the caster’s hand, making it unsuitable for the mission.
The 3-circle Flare Burst would be perfect for specifying a target for the explosion. But Fay was still struggling with even 2-circle fire magic.
‘What should I do?’
All she had to do was discreetly light the fuse on the explosive the Crown Prince had prepared with her magic. But it wasn’t that simple.
As long as no one saw her, it would be fine. And since the investigation would be handled by the Crown Prince’s people, even if traces of magic were found, they would take care of destroying the evidence.
She couldn’t very well shoot a Fire Arrow from her own hand and boldly declare, ‘Hey, I’m the culprit. Go ahead and arrest me.”
One day, as Fay was deep in thought, Lucius handed her a scroll.
“What’s this?”
“Open it.”
“Huh… Is this?”
What Lucius handed her was a perfectly completed Fire Explosion scroll—a 7th-circle spell.
The difference between being able to use a 7th-circle spell and being able to embed a 7th-circle spell into a scroll was like heaven and earth. Moreover, this was a high-quality item that would dissolve completely after use, leaving no trace.
It was no exaggeration to say it was tailor-made for Fay’s mission.
Lucius smiled to himself, beaming with pride, thinking it was the most impressive smile in the world.
‘Hah, by now she’ll start to realize what kind of being I am, right? I mean, she reads books diligently, if nothing else. The ability to make a scroll! That’s something only high-level wizards can do. Yes, that’s right.’
Fay’s mouth dropped open as she recognized the scroll’s authenticity.
“Oh my gosh… Lucius!”
“Hmph.”
But then, to the dragon’s utter disbelief, Fay said something that left him dumbfounded.
“As expected, Lucius! You even know a wizard who can make something like this? I’m so touched!”
“…What did you just say?”
Lucius was nearly beside himself with frustration, but from Fay’s perspective, it was only natural.
‘Does it never occur to her that I’m the one who made it?’
He had joined the Magic Tower as a 7th-circle mage, but to create a scroll for a 7th-circle spell, you needed to be at least 8th-circle or higher. That was common knowledge in the world of magic.
Currently, Lucius was officially a 7th-circle master. So, of course, it never even crossed Fay’s mind that Lucius could have been the one to make it.
‘D**n it. Why is Fay so slow on the uptake? By now, shouldn’t she realize? Like you said, the only being capable of subduing that ferocious drakan and making him obey… is none other than a dragon, far superior to anyone in this world!’
……
(T/N: I can feel Lucius’ frustration through the screen hahahahaha)
