If Brain Damage Had a Color, It Would Be Blue

"Haa... Mayona, I told you not to cast magic buffs on me."

Ruby, who was slumped over the table, yawned and reluctantly lifted himself up, complaining. He really wanted to keep sleeping, but his brain told him he'd slept enough and couldn't sleep any longer. All of this was thanks to the exploitative Archmage.

"You stayed up all night researching anyway, who knows how long you'd sleep. The support magic [Sleep Compression] isn't bad, right?"

Mayona smiled triumphantly. Ruby's irregular sleep schedule wasn't a new thing, but she wasn't one to be outdone. She directly applied her magic power to Ruby's brain to help him rest. Only someone of her level dared to use this kind of mental magic; a lower-level mage could easily cause death by accident.

"You're taking away the joy of sleeping for me."

Ruby really wanted to tell Mayona how wonderful it was for ordinary people to get a good night's sleep after being overworked, but now even that simple pleasure was being denied.

"Who cares about you? I'm your creditor now. Hurry up and make me cakes, one strawberry and one chocolate. Not one less, or else."

Mayona's stomach was already growling. She really wanted to figure out why everything Ruby made was so delicious, and why these desserts didn't interfere with her meals, allowing for four meals a day. Her taste buds had long been conquered by the soft and sweet cakes.

"Hold out your hand."

"Okay."

Mayona obediently offered her right hand to Ruby and watched as he felt her forearm and upper arm.

"You've gained 1500 grams."

"Huh?"

"Before you came to my place, although you were weak, you weren't thin from illness. Your weight and figure were within the standard for a normal woman, but now..."

Ruby looked at Mayona with a look of pity. The branch on his head quietly opened its single eye, and all three eyes stared at her. The room was surprisingly quiet.

"I don't believe you. How can you know just by touching? Do you have superpowers!"

"I don't have a scale because of my personal experience, but Dragon can transform. Want to try?"

Ruby suggested. The reason Dragon called himself the Invisible Blade was because he could transform into various weapon forms. Knowing the internal structure, a simple scale could naturally be made.

"Dragon and I have a grudge. He definitely won't tell you honestly..."

Mayona still refused to admit defeat. Her current state was like someone struggling on the verge of a cliff. Dragon's single eye had curved into an arc, as if he were about to die laughing.

"It doesn't matter if you're an Archmage or the God of Light. Any creature that eats and drinks every day without exercising will gain weight. Think about what you've been doing."

Mayona began to reflect on her recent life. Waking up in the morning, she asked Ruby to cook. At noon, she asked Ruby to cook. In the afternoon, she asked Ruby to make desserts. At night, she asked Ruby to cook. The rest of the time, she lay on the soft sofa reading... Hmm.

What's the difference between this and being a cripple! And isn't this too lazy! How did a dignified Archmage end up in such a state!

Ruby had no idea what Mayona was thinking. He still didn't try to persuade her on what to do and instead went to prepare the meal. It wasn't like he was the one getting fat anyway.

"Then I'll give you a day off. It's, it's not because I care about my weight... Am I really getting fat?"

Mayona stubbornly reached out and touched her lower abdomen, her expression instantly changing. Her usually smooth and flat stomach felt slightly soft. She quickly grabbed Ruby, who hadn't gone far, and asked with a pitiful look.

"So, why are we fishing?"

This resource-rich small mountain was not just for show. Now, Mayona and Ruby were sitting by the shore of a lake, fishing. The lake was neither too big nor too small. If you looked, you could vaguely see small animals drinking water on the opposite bank. The reason Mayona asked this was that she could easily blast the fish out with her magic, making this a time-wasting activity.

"Fish has much less fat than other meats, is rich in protein, can supplement vitamins, and aids in exercise."

Ruby didn't want to bother with Mayona, who always resorted to violence. He went on to explain the benefits of fish, seeing fishing as an enjoyable process.

"Speaking of which, this water is really clear. It's almost as good as the rivers in the capital."

Mayona dipped her hand into the lake water and swirled it around, quite surprised. The water in the capital required countless mages to purify it day and night using purification magic to remove impurities. How could such a small mountain have such water quality?

"Of course. The water here has long met drinking standards. The water we use daily is also imported from here through pipes."

Splash

Just as Ruby was speaking, a huge dark shadow flashed through the clear river. The shadow lingered underwater for a while before suddenly lunging out, attacking Ruby.

"Defense Magic [Magic Barrier]!"

Mayona didn't expect to be attacked. Her body instinctively used magic power to create a hard, transparent barrier, protecting Ruby and herself.

Crack

A grating sound was heard. The attacker had undoubtedly hit the barrier. What came into view was a flattened face, pressed tightly against the barrier, with its mouth and nose contorted. From Mayona's perspective, it was quite disgusting.

"Aqua, I told you not to pounce suddenly."

After the magic barrier dissipated, the attacker fell down. Ruby helplessly put away his fishing rod. The bait tied to the fishing line had indeed disappeared.

"What, what is it! Why is there a magic barrier? Don't you have no magic!"

The attacker named Aqua, propping herself up with her arms, struggled to get up and rubbed her swollen nose, complaining. Judging by her face, she was a beautiful woman with lovely blue eyes and hair. However, she had pale blue fins on her ears. Her bare upper body was only covered by two shells protecting her private parts, and her lower body was a pale blue fishtail.

"You're from the Sea Tribe, a mermaid?"

Mayona, with her extensive knowledge, immediately recognized Aqua's race. Looking closer, she didn't feel disgusted anymore. Besides, her chest wasn't large enough to make her jealous.

"Eek, a woman! Waaah, Ruby, you can't do this! We agreed you'd have children with me. Why is there another woman next to you!"

Aqua only noticed Mayona next to Ruby now. She slapped her fishtail, wriggled over to Ruby, grabbed his clothes with her hands, and burst into tears. Her tears turned into white pearls that fell to the ground, and Ruby picked them up one by one.

"Many things have happened. Mayona, this is Aqua. As you can see, she's a mermaid."

"So the legend that mermaids' tears turn into pearls when they cry on land is true! But don't mermaids live in the Endless Sea? Why are you here?"

Mayona looked curiously at the pearl in Ruby's hand and asked, "We're more than a little far from the Endless Sea. Unless this Mermaid can fly, he'd definitely die somewhere while crossing the continent."

"Good question. One day, a huge tornado suddenly blew up at sea. I thought it was really fun, so I swam into it. When I woke up, I found myself here. He healed my dozen broken bones, eh heh."

"If you'll forgive my bluntness, you didn't heal the Mermaid's broken brain."

Mayona's expression changed subtly after hearing this. The tornadoes in this world weren't natural phenomena, but actual tornadoes—elemental hurricanes stirred up by wind element Dragons when they traveled. Their power was enough to tear apart the tough bodies of Mo Beasts below level six. This Mermaid actually thought it was fun and swam into it? He must be an idiot.

"It's congenital."

PS, please collect and recommend. Recently, there's also a request for book lists. Following the trend, I request book lists!

PS, if Aqua were the heroine, this book would be an idiotic world. Unfortunately, she isn't. It's just that the author was too lazy to think of a name. And speaking of blue, is there a more suitable name?