Chapter 71
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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Chapter 71
"How does it taste? Better now, isn't it?"
"Much better! It's like you cast a spell on it!"
"Haha. Well, I am a mage, after all."
Ahin chuckled warmly at Lucian's praise. I opened my mouth to speak to him.
"Thank you for taking care of us."
"Not at all. As an adult, it's only natural I show this much consideration to a child."
Ahin shook his head and sprinkled a generous amount of spices over his own portion of food.
"So the two of you will be staying with us until the subjugation is complete?"
"Yes, that's right. His Majesty said he'd pay us triple our usual salary while we're with the Subjugation Unit. He also promised rapid promotion...."
"Hey, why are you saying such unnecessary things?"
Melissa jabbed Ahin in the ribs.
She then spoke to me with an embarrassed expression.
"It's just that there's hazard pay involved, you see."
"Well, it's certainly not ordinary work."
I nodded in agreement with Melissa's words.
"Still, we only need to cast wind magic from behind, so it's less dangerous compared to you two."
"Are you both wind mages?"
"That's correct."
In the Empire, magic was divided into four categories: water, fire, lightning, and wind.
"Only wind mages can levitate people in the air."
"Wait, Melissa. We've lifted objects before, but we've never actually lifted a person."
"Do you want to shut your mouth?"
Melissa slapped Ahin's mouth, then glanced at me nervously.
"You've never lifted a person before...?"
It made sense. Lucian and I needed their help to fly through the sky.
I would fly through the air to locate where monsters were hiding, and Lucian would purify them from above.
This was the subjugation method I had devised.
Flying would allow us to find monsters quickly without having to enter the forest, and we could also avoid monster attacks.
'But they've never lifted a person before?'
I instinctively grasped Lucian's hand tightly. My eyes, fixed on Melissa and Ahin, were filled with anxiety.
"There's no need to worry. We've just never lifted a person, but we've lifted objects far heavier and more dangerous than that over a hundred times."
"Still..."
Ahin added urgently. But it wasn't enough to calm my anxiety.
"Lucella, really, don't worry. Even if he seems like this, Ahin was the top of his Academy class. When it comes to magic, he's never failed."
It was Melissa who reassured me.
"He's the one who developed the acceleration magical device. Without Ahin, it would have taken two more days to reach the Monster Forest."
"Is that so?"
I belatedly pressed my hand to my racing heart.
I thought he was just clumsy since he couldn't even slice a vegetable properly, but I was wrong.
"An acceleration magical device? What's that?"
Lucian abruptly interjected into our conversation.
"It's a magical device that enables rapid travel over long distances. We developed it using the principles of wind magic. All the knights' horses and carriage wheels are equipped with these devices as well."
"Why not just use teleportation and whoosh away? That would be way more convenient, wouldn't it?"
At Lucian's words, Ahin's eyes lit up.
"It seems you're unfamiliar with it, but teleportation isn't ordinary magic. It's an incredibly advanced spell. Moreover, to transport this many people and all our supplies...."
"So you're saying it's impossible?"
"It's not that it's impossible! It just requires enormous amounts of time, money, and effort. Besides, to open a teleportation gate, we'd need electric mages...."
"I don't understand any of this."
Lucian, his face scrunched up in confusion, suddenly threw himself into my arms.
"I wanted to become a mage, but I'm changing my mind. It's too complicated."
That's one career aspiration crossed off the list as of today.
At my added comment, Ahin's expression grew wounded.
"Not at all—it's not complicated in the slightest. If you start with basic magical theory, it naturally becomes...."
It was just as the excited Ahin was leaning toward Lucian.
A single shadow suddenly appeared, wedging itself between Ahin and me.
"Have you finished your meal?"
It was Claude.
Claude, having inserted himself between Ahin and me, naturally pulled up a chair and sat down.
"Now that you've finished eating, I'd like to share the Subjugation Unit's schedule for tomorrow onward."
"Yes, we've just finished."
I pushed my empty bowl to the side. Ahin and Melissa likewise set down their finished bowls as if to say go ahead.
"At this pace, we should arrive at our destination by lunchtime tomorrow at the latest. The magical devices' performance is quite excellent, after all."
"Ahem."
At Claude's compliment, Ahin's body straightened up slightly of its own accord.
"We plan to survey the area around the Monster Forest, and once we've confirmed it's safe, we'll establish a Military Camp near the entrance. After finishing lunch at the camp, we'll begin our terrain survey."
I nodded in understanding, and Claude continued.
"After the terrain survey is complete, we'll identify the monsters' habitats. That's when we'll need Miss Rilprey's and your assistance."
Claude pulled out a map of the Monster Forest—a resource painstakingly completed through years of subjugation efforts.
"Please use magic to lift Miss Rilprey into the sky. She need only point out to us on the map wherever she senses magical energy."
"Understood."
"If you notice any terrain structures that differ from the map, please inform us."
"I will."
I nodded in acknowledgment.
"I ask that you mages proceed with utmost care to ensure Miss Rilprey comes to no harm."
"Yes."
With the briefing concluded, Claude handed us the map. It was so we could familiarize ourselves with the geography during our rest.
"I'll study it carefully."
I set the map aside. The business was finished, which meant we could leave now.
Yet Claude showed no sign of rising from his seat.
"Is there anything else you need?"
"Well...."
Claude's blue eyes rolled slowly through the empty air in a complete circle.
"Is there nothing else you require?"
After a brief pause, his words came out simple.
"No. Nothing. What about Melissa and Ahin?"
The moment I called Ahin's name, Claude's eyes sharpened.
He was naturally sharp-featured, but this time his gaze turned positively piercing.
"I don't need anything."
"Well, I do have something."
Ahin hesitantly raised his hand, gauging Melissa's reaction.
"I'd like something sweet. Do you happen to have any chocolate?"
"Good grief, you're not even a child and you're acting like one."
Melissa scolded Ahin for that.
"Melissa, the kid can hear you."
"Oh!"
At Ahin's words, Melissa hastily covered her mouth in alarm.
"I'm sorry, Lucella. Lucian, just pretend you didn't hear that."
"Then don't do something you need to apologize for in the first place...."
"What?"
"Raising your voice like that isn't good for a child's emotional development. It startles their tender heart."
Ahin was the type to read the room while still saying everything he wanted to say.
It was Claude who stopped the two of them before they could start arguing.
"I'm afraid snacks would be difficult given the nature of this place...."
"Auntie, chocolate would be nice, wouldn't it?"
"It would."
"...It is difficult, but I will do my best to find some."
Claude, who had trailed off for a moment, quickly finished his sentence.
'It seemed like he was about to say something else.'
It must be my imagination.
Claude stood up and left the Military Camp where we were. When he returned shortly after, his hands held several colorful candies.
"I looked around, and these seem to be all the snacks available for palate cleansing."
"Well, that's more than enough to be grateful for."
It was just as Ahin reached out his hand toward the candies.
Claude sidestepped him and turned his body toward Lucian instead.
"Lucian, pick whichever one you'd like."
"Should I go first?"
"Yes."
"But I was taught that superiors always go first in a place like this...."
"It's for the child's welfare. Don't worry and enjoy."
"Hooray!"
Lucian bounded out of my arms and selected a yellow candy—the largest one in the bunch.
"Delicious!"
After tasting it, Lucian bounced in place before nestling back into my embrace, clearly delighted.
"Miss Rilprey, won't you choose one as well?"
"Then would you give me the strawberry flavor?"
"So you prefer strawberry, I see."
"That's right."
Claude smiled gently and offered me a candy. But with Lucian nestled in my arms, I couldn't reach out to take it.
"If you place it in front of me..."
I was about to say I would eat it myself.
But before I could finish speaking, the candy slipped directly into my mouth. Claude had fed it to me himself.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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