Expectations

Chapter 13 -13- Expectations

Several thousand years?

That was impossible. Several thousand years ago, the Origin Civilization had only just begun to emerge. How could there have been any Mutated Creatures...

Ivette frowned slightly but did not dwell on the matter. "...Why did you enter the Remnant Abyss?"

"I was forced in by the Demon race... They invaded the Eastern Continent, and I got separated from my family... While I was running, an aurora appeared in the sky. Then I saw the Remnant Abyss and ran into it..."

As she recalled those painful memories, the girl's Heart's Language revealed sorrow devoid of any falsehood, like dandelion seeds scattered by the wind.

Moreover, deception was exceedingly difficult through mental communication. After carefully reading her thoughts, Ivette had basically confirmed that the girl had not lied thus far.

Demon race... Eastern Continent... It seemed the world on the other side did not have humans as its only race...

Mutated Creatures could travel to the other side through the Remnant Abyss, yet its history stretched back several thousand years...

Could it be that multiple planets had been destroyed by the same apocalypse? Was that why the Aurora Belt could connect more than one apocalyptic world?

Or were the timelines different? Could one travel through time by crossing the Remnant Abyss?

Or, more simply, was it a parallel universe theory?

Speaking of which, could I return to Earth through the Remnant Abyss...

There were too many possibilities, and she could not help falling into thought, saying nothing further.

Meanwhile, seeing that the "Evil God" had stopped speaking, the little blonde hesitated before suddenly dropping to her knees again. Bowing her head with utmost respect, she said, "Um... Lord Evil God, I have a request!"

"I am not the Evil God you speak of, and this is not the Land of Finale from your world's myths."

And why did you interrupt my spell again... Ivette grabbed her arm and helped her back up, shaking her head. "I am merely an ordinary... mage. My name is 'Ivette Rochivia,' though you may also call me Witch."

—A Witch who neither aged nor died of hunger.

"Yes, Lady Witch." The little blonde obediently changed how she addressed her.

Through her grasp of mental activity, Ivette could sense that the little blonde did not truly believe her. She was more doubtful than convinced, so she did not dare call Ivette by her true name.

But that was enough. Ivette thought the girl would see the truth for herself eventually.

"What was it you wanted to ask for just now?"

"I..." The little blonde took a deep breath. "Lady Witch, can you grant me the power to fight the Demon race?"

This probing request carried a delicate hook, and Ivette could not help admiring her cunning—the question appeared to be a plea on the surface, but beneath it was a test of the "Evil God's" attitude.

So she answered directly, "I am not a god. I cannot grant you power, nor can I send you back."

"All right..." The little blonde looked disappointed, but her emotions were actually quite stable. She had clearly expected this.

Then she heard Ivette continue, "But you may live here until the aurora appears again. When that day comes, I can escort you into the Remnant Abyss."

"Really?" The little blonde looked delighted. This time, she truly believed a little more that the beautiful silver-haired, red-eyed older sister before her was not an Evil God, and might even be an angel.

What kind of Evil God was so gentle and patient? She was not creepy at all, and she was so pretty—completely unlike those terrifying things in the church's illustrated books!

But honestly, as long as it did not mean betraying humanity or her homeland, even serving an Evil God did not seem entirely unacceptable, did it? It was better than dying...

"Whether it is true or not, you will find out in time," Ivette said gently. "Now then, can you tell me your name?"

"My name is 'Rosaline,' Lady Witch." This time, the smile on the little blonde's face finally carried a little more sincerity. She seriously gave her full name. "Rosaline Sien!"

After establishing some initial communication and trust with Rosaline, Ivette began learning the new language of that other world—Radiant Tongue—over the following days with the aid of Heart's Language.

According to Rosaline, it was the common language promoted after the humans of the Eastern Continent formed the Pan-Human United Front against the Demon race of the Western Continent. It could basically be used anywhere.

"You are saying that, on the Radiant Continent, the Elf race is the strongest race?" Three months later, Ivette, who had already gained a basic grasp of Radiant Tongue, sat on a stone bench by the manor lake and asked Rosaline about that other world.

The Radiant Continent was the Eastern Continent, where humans, elves, beastmen, and other races of that other world lived.

The corresponding Western Continent was also called the Demon Abyss Continent, where the Demon race lived.

"That seems to be the case. I heard Father mention that elves were often the backbone of the frontline fortresses... Even the kingdom's armies would often be placed under their command..." Rosaline tried her best to remember.

Her father was Count Sien of the Kingdom of Eton, one of the highest-ranking great nobles. Naturally, she herself possessed the distinguished status of a count's daughter. Otherwise, how could she have known about the Aurora Belt and the Remnant Abyss, much less used that bit of knowledge to escape the Demon race's pursuit?

—Though in the grand scope of the entire Eastern Continent, the Kingdom of Eton was merely one small nation.

"What magic does the Elf race use?" Ivette was rather interested in that.

"Legend says the Elf race can control flowers, grass, and trees... I do not know anything else..." Rosaline said.

Plant magic... The Origin Civilization had also researched that field extensively. If I can find relevant materials, perhaps I can create similar spells... Ivette calculated inwardly. But the Furnace Ring X3 only had forty-four thousand capacity left. Every new spell had to be planned carefully...

Morning light quietly spilled by as they talked, until the sun climbed toward its zenith. When it was time for lunch, Ivette went inside to cook, while Rosaline followed behind to help.

By then, after more than three months of living there, she had gained some understanding of the so-called Land of Finale. She also believed that the Witch Sister with magnificent silver hair before her was no Evil God, but a genuinely good person.

And a gorgeous woman who was both cool and powerful... she added inwardly with a hint of longing.

Lunch consisted of vegetable salad and grilled fish, quite Western in style, though that was mainly due to the limited ingredients.

After the meal, Ivette picked up a copy of Fundamentals of Magitech Engineering and read it in the first-floor living room. Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing her in an angelic soft glow.

However, the quiet reading and studying did not last long. She looked at Rosaline, who was standing nearby and peeking over with an expression that suggested she wanted to speak but could not bring herself to, and asked in confusion, "What is it?"

"Um... Witch Sister, have we not gone exploring in a long time?" Rosaline looked at her expectantly.

"Exploring..." Ivette glanced at her, then lowered her head to the professional textbook she had only recently opened. "Did we not go the day before yesterday?"

"So we rested yesterday." Rosaline fluttered her beautiful big eyes hard, her meaning and coquettishness both exceedingly obvious.

"...Fine." Ivette hesitated for a moment, but still closed the book.

The "exploring" they spoke of was actually Ivette taking Rosaline around Ish City to see the so-called "ancient ruins."

At first, Ivette had merely brought her along when heading out to recover useful supplies because she feared it would be unsafe to leave her alone at the manor.

Unexpectedly, it had given the little girl a taste for it. She shed her first impression of the "terrifying ruin" beyond the manor and instead came to see it as "mysterious and magnificent ancient ruins." Filled with curiosity, she would urge Ivette to go out whenever there was nothing else to do, never growing tired of it.

Well, it was not that I was slacking off and did not want to read. I had no choice but to take care of a child... Ivette hypnotized herself inwardly.

Soon, after leaving the three-story wooden residence that had gradually expanded into a large villa, Ivette took out the Flying Board that had once rendered great service in helping her escape, using it as transportation.

Rosaline stood near the front of the board while Ivette stood behind her. The Flying Board rose soundlessly, carrying them like fish through the steel forest blanketed by lush vegetation.

"Where are we going today?" Rosaline asked happily.

She loved the feeling of darting through the sky like a bird. Especially when Ivette occasionally performed some thrilling maneuver, such as slipping through a narrow gap in a collapsed building, she would cry out in excitement.

"The industrial district outside the city," Ivette replied concisely.

She had reached this conclusion after analyzing a map of the island that she had recently obtained. It clearly marked part of Ish City's outskirts as mechanical factories belonging to Black Tower Pharmaceuticals.

She intended to collect some scrap there and see whether she could recover any relatively intact heavy industrial products, such as Magitech Motorcycles or Rune airships.

To conserve mana, whenever they were attacked on the way by Mutated Creatures capable of flight, Ivette used Frost Bullets against them all.

With only a tiny amount of mana, she could freeze most Mutated Creatures stiff and render them unable to move for a short while. Even if they did not die from the fall, by the time they recovered, Ivette would have already taken Rosaline far away. That naturally put them beyond their aggro range, making things exceptionally easy.

Yet in Rosaline's eyes, even though she had seen this scene several times, it still felt utterly unbelievable.

In her understanding, chanting spells was an indispensable part of a mage's magic. Yet Witch Sister called herself a mage, but could cast a spell with a mere wave of her hand, and one spell could instantly kill a Filth Demon. It completely contradicted everything Rosaline knew.

Even if she was not a god or an angel, she had to be an unfathomably powerful master mage!

In any case, she was far more formidable than the mages of the kingdom or church!

With that thought, a small expectation gradually took shape in the little blonde's heart.

—Since she could not return home anytime soon, could she stay here and learn magic from Witch Sister?