[Vivian's Older Sister]

Chapter 24: Vivian's Sister

The bag of the female mage named Vivian had been emptied out. She looked pitifully at Du Wei, nervously kneading the cloth pouch in her hands. It was visibly flat and empty now, with nothing left inside.

"Th-th-this is a-all I h-have..." Vivian stammered. She truly could not produce anything else.

Beside them, Solskja was practically dying to grab Du Wei by the throat and make him hurry up and agree!

A mid-grade Water Orchid Diamond, a large bag of magic potions that restored magical power, a whole handful of high-grade Magic Beast cores... and more than a dozen magic scrolls inscribed with intermediate spells!

These things were enough to make any advanced mage on the continent go green with envy! Mages were famously wealthy, but even so, such a vast fortune was exceedingly rare.

If they did not agree now, what if some unforeseen complication arose? An eighth-level mage was not someone to be trifled with!

This girl might look foolish and honest, but if they truly angered her and a fight broke out, with the strength of an eighth-level mage, she could probably wipe out every one of them without much trouble.

Yet this girl seemed utterly devoid of any awareness that she was one of the strong. If she were even a little unreasonable, one advanced spell would be enough to finish off their battered, defeated group.

Even if this girl was a fool... bullying a grand mage like this might still bring trouble later.

Thank the heavens, just as Solskja was about to lose his mind, Du Wei finally nodded. He even maintained a calm expression. "Honored Mage, I can feel your sincerity. I believe my subordinates are all very satisfied with the terms you have offered."

As he spoke, Du Wei gave a meaningful look. Solskja, as if a great weight had been lifted from him, let out a breath and hurried over, practically snatching those "compensation items" from the female mage's hands. His eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as he swiftly stuffed the magical materials into a large bag he carried with him, clutching it tightly. An expression like that of a miser appeared on his face... Under these circumstances, if anyone dared set their sights on the bag in his hands, the mage would surely fight them to the death!

"Th-th-then, c-can you l-let Chirp Chirp go..." Vivian looked pleadingly at Du Wei. Those innocent, wide eyes and that flawless, angelic face made it truly hard for anyone to keep making things difficult for a girl like her.

"Oh, although my subordinates are very satisfied with the terms of your compensation... I personally have one small additional condition." Du Wei spoke without changing expression.

"B-but I d-don't have anyth—" The female mage panicked. She quickly turned out her pockets and shook them vigorously, demonstrating that she had been stripped utterly bare.

"No, no, I am not asking for material compensation from you." Du Wei finally revealed his sinister intent. "You are an eighth-level mage, correct? Grand mages are extraordinarily rare in the Empire, especially someone like you... I have never heard of a young lady so young possessing a grand mage badge. Oh, please do not misunderstand. What I mean is... I am personally very curious about magic and possess an exceptionally deep interest in it. I greatly admire the brilliant and magnificent culture of magic, and I have spent considerable effort studying this field of knowledge. You see, I even hired a mage to serve as my magical consultant."

Du Wei raised a hand and pointed at Solskja beside him, whose ten fingers were clenched tightly around the bag and who wore the look of a miser guarding his fortune.

Then Du Wei deliberately sighed and shook his head. "But unfortunately, as you can see, although my magical consultant teaches me with great dedication, his standards are truly limited. It is difficult for me to gain any further knowledge from him. So, to meet you here today—a grand mage of the eighth level—is an incomparably great honor for me... Oh, although I was frightened by your pet, out of respect for such an outstanding mage as yourself, of course I will not fuss over such a trifling matter."

Poor, innocent Vivian felt as though her mind could no longer keep up. To her, this young noble had been truly frightening just moments ago. He had wickedly extorted away all her possessions... But who told her that she was the one in the wrong? Vivian had not failed to consider using magic to snatch Chirp Chirp back, but from childhood, she had been taught to obey the fairness and kindness in her heart, to treat others kindly. Besides, as an innocent little girl who had scarcely ever left home before, it was truly difficult for evil thoughts to arise in her heart.

That was why she had obediently handed over all her possessions, unaware that if she had only hardened her heart, a single spell could have solved the problem.

That little noble had truly been frightening before. Yet in the blink of an eye, he spoke of his extraordinary yearning for magic and his tireless spirit of study... Especially the way he spoke—so earnest, with eyes and tone equally sincere.

And he had even said he would "not hold it against her for frightening him." Oh, gods, what a merciful person he was... The excessively simple-minded female mage immediately forgot that this fellow had just extorted all her possessions. She stammered, "Th-th-thank you for your g-g-g-generosity."

"No, no, I have not finished speaking." Du Wei sighed. "Unfortunately, all this time, I have prayed to meet a powerful mage who could offer a little guidance to a lost lamb like myself on the path of magic... And now, I have finally met you... I wonder, kind Mage, would you be willing to offer a little instruction to someone who sincerely wishes to learn magic?"

"...Huh?" The female mage felt as if something was wrong somewhere, but looking at Du Wei's earnest gaze, she could not for the moment remember exactly what it was.

Oh, what a kind and lovable person! And her teacher's pet had frightened him earlier... That was her fault, too.

But...

"Y-you want to l-learn m-magic, b-but I-I need to take Chirp Chirp b-back... I-I'm afraid..." The female mage looked troubled.

"No, no, you misunderstand." Du Wei smiled. His expression became even more sincere, and his gaze was warm. "Of course I know that the time of a grand mage is more precious than gold. Your precious time ought to be spent studying the profound truths of magic—how could it be wasted on a vulgar noble like me? So, I am not asking for much. Just a little appropriate guidance. You see, I already have a mage serving as my consultant. Though his strength is limited, he can at least answer most of my questions. What I need now is some more 'advanced' knowledge, such as..." Du Wei's eyes shifted, and he smiled faintly. "For example, a few more advanced magical incantations."

Solskja was dumbstruck!

He had not expected Du Wei's appetite to be so enormous!

If magical materials were the wealth and property of mages... then magical incantations were a mage's very life!

Every mage spent their entire life researching magical incantations. They would absolutely never casually teach the results of their research—the incantations they had developed—to anyone!

All magical books in the Empire recorded only basic magical knowledge. Not even half a line of an actual incantation would ever be passed down!

Any magical incantation, even the very lowest-grade one, could only be personally taught by a mage to their disciple!

The reason an advanced mage was stronger than a low-level mage, aside from magical power and sensory perception... was most importantly their command of profound magical incantations!

Even when using the same magical incantation, low-level and advanced mages could differ in subtle yet crucial ways within the spell itself! Through the fruits of their research, advanced mages could shorten their incantations, cutting out expendable syllables! This increased the speed at which they cast magic, allowing them to gain the advantage in battle.

And then there were the advanced incantations that low-level mages had not mastered.

A low-level mage like Solskja had only mastered a few of the most basic incantations. If he wished to learn advanced magic, he could only take some advanced mage as his teacher.

He had never expected Du Wei's appetite to be so huge—he wanted to obtain magical incantations from this girl's mouth! These were secrets that mages would absolutely never pass on to outsiders.

This girl might be excessively innocent, but she was not an idiot after all... Otherwise, how could a fool possibly cultivate herself to the level of an eighth-level mage?

Upon hearing Du Wei's demand, even innocent Vivian's expression became somewhat unpleasant. She repeatedly shook her little head. "Ah, n-no, no, no... A-absolutely n-not. M-my teacher t-told me, i-incantations c-can't be t-told to others!"

"But this Fear Illusion Demon is your teacher's pet, isn't it? Your teacher must also have told you not to let it out, right?" Du Wei now looked like an instigator luring an underage child into crime.

"..." The female mage was left speechless.

"I am right, am I not? Your teacher must have told you to take good care of this thing, yet you still violated that instruction. Your teacher must have told you not to let it run out, and you broke that rule too. Now I am merely asking for the tiniest little thing... and only because I helped you capture this little creature... You saw it yourself. We suffered quite a bit to catch it. I myself was greatly frightened. Now, to make up for your earlier mistake, should you not offer me some compensation?"

Vivian might be a genius, but her genius was probably limited to her talent for learning magic. In other respects, this little girl was clearly rather... lacking. Du Wei's string of logic and arguments nearly spun her dizzy.

Her mind wrestled back and forth for a long time between fulfilling her teacher's command to watch over the pet and fulfilling her teacher's command not to pass on incantations... In the end, she finally began to cry.

The innocent girl shed tears again, sobbing, "A-alright... B-but I-I can only t-teach you o-one."

"Oh, you said o-one." As Du Wei spoke, he quickly raised one finger after another. "Oh, then let me count. That makes four in total, right?"

"N-no, that's not right!!" The female mage panicked and protested loudly. "N-no, not f-four, it's o-o-o-o-one..."

The more anxious she became, the more she could not finish saying the word "one." And as she kept saying "one," Du Wei swiftly raised one finger after another. Every time the female mage's mouth produced another "one," Du Wei immediately raised another finger.

In the end, Vivian grew so anxious she nearly bit through her tongue. Seeing Du Wei raise all ten fingers, and fearing he would start holding up his toes if he kept counting, the female mage had a flash of inspiration and cried out, "Stop, stop, stop, stop!!"

Seeing the adorable little girl's face flushed bright red, Du Wei did not dare truly push her too far. After a round of haggling, the two sides finally settled on "six" magic spells.

The female mage put up a fierce argument over such a losing deal... but she simply was not as sharp-tongued as Du Wei. Her eloquence had never been much to begin with, her mind was somewhat simple, and more importantly, she stuttered. How could she possibly outargue Du Wei?

Left with no choice, the female mage could only secretly wipe away tears.

Oh, honored Teacher, please forgive poor Vivian for disobeying your orders... I only did it to retrieve your beloved pet. I broke your second command in order to fulfill your first... so, was that right or wrong?

"I am a noble, and you are a mage. We are both people of standing. Since we have made a promise, we cannot casually change it. I suggest that we both swear an oath, one that will last until our agreement has been fulfilled..."

Having said that, without waiting for the female mage to object, Du Wei immediately raised his voice and swore a vicious oath to the great God of Light.

The female mage had no choice but to swear an oath as well. To Du Wei's surprise, while taking it, she even honestly cast a contract spell, signifying that the agreement between them had to be fulfilled.

This little girl might stutter when she spoke, but her speed at chanting spells was astonishing!!

A string of profound, obscure incantations poured from her mouth like beans popping in a pan—swift and clear! Though she spoke at incredible speed, every single syllable was perfectly distinct!

It was difficult to imagine that a girl who chanted spells so astonishingly fast would stutter in ordinary speech.

Worth mentioning was that, even at the very end, poor Vivian had not shown the slightest intention of resisting Du Wei with violence.

Just what kind of teacher could have taught such a frighteningly innocent girl?

The Roland Family's many guards remained silent regarding their young master's extortion of such a pitiable little girl. They had all suffered greatly at the hands of that illusion demon, so although the girl looked innocent and helpless, none of them spoke up for her. The only one who privately disapproved was Knight Robert. After all, he believed in the spirit of chivalry and did not quite approve of Du Wei extorting a little girl. Yet as a vassal, it was not his place to object to his master's actions.

And besides... treating an eighth-level mage this way, was the young master not afraid of inviting trouble?

Knight Robert's worries... soon became reality!

Having agreed to teach Du Wei six magic spells, the female mage had no choice but to travel with Du Wei's group back to Half-Horn City.

After signing that unequal treaty, the female mage began racking her brains over which six spells she should teach Du Wei... preferably some unimportant ones.

Ah, one could not blame such a simple little girl for entertaining such dishonest thoughts. It was simply that... after being extorted by a demon like Du Wei, even a pure angel would learn a little cunning!

She thought about it all the way, yet could not make a final choice. Left with no alternative, she could only remain at Du Wei's side and continue pondering.

Fortunately, Teacher would not return for several more days. As long as she settled this matter within those days, it would be fine... Sigh, she just must not let her sister find her!

If she could resolve this matter, she could return to Teacher's house. The outside world was simply too terrifying. Could it be that everyone outside was as frightening as this young noble?

Oh, merciful gods, poor little Vivian did not mean to slander someone behind his back. May the gods forgive me... But that young noble truly is terrifying.

After I go back this time, I will never come out again!

Sigh, Sister... Sister, she should not find me so quickly, right?

The Magic Beast incident in Half-Horn City could be considered resolved, and the person most relieved was Knight Span. The Magic Beast matter had been settled, and the Roland Family's young master had not suffered any harm.

Though the process had been rather humiliating—dozens of fully armed soldiers had nearly been wiped out by a small Magic Beast... this thing was a great mage's pet, after all! In that case, it was not too shameful.

In his relaxed mood, Span warmly invited Du Wei and the others to stay at the Half-Horn City garrison commander's residence. The environment and accommodations there were far better than at an inn.

Du Wei did not refuse. He also hoped to have a quiet environment where he could properly discuss the matter of delivering on the promised spells with the female mage.

Thus, the group did not enter the city, but instead headed into the local garrison's fortress outside the city.

It was a permanent military stronghold, and the local garrison commander's residence was located there as well. That evening, Knight Span, eager to curry favor with the Roland Family's young master, warmly invited everyone to a lavish feast. He even made the decision on his own to bring up the fine wine the garrison commander had stored in the cellar. (Surely the commander would not blame me for using his treasured wine if he knew it was to entertain an honored guest of the Roland Family.)

The soldiers who had toiled all afternoon, along with the Roland Family guards, could finally catch their breath. Here, they drank to their hearts' content, venting the frustrations of that afternoon's miserable experience.

Du Wei humored Span's pleasantries for a while, then quickly found an excuse to propose returning to rest. In truth, he wanted to check on that female mage.

Span knew that for someone of Du Wei's status to deign to dine with him was already an enormous honor. Naturally, he did not dare urge him to stay, and was just getting to his feet to see him off...

Suddenly, at that very moment, an earth-shaking boom came from outside the hall!!

Beneath the clear night sky, a colossal bolt of lightning suddenly streaked across the heavens! The deafening thunderclap startled everyone so badly that they sobered up several degrees on the spot!!

Then, in an instant, brilliant light burst forth outside the hall! A streak of flame cleaved down from the horizon, striking the flagpole at the camp entrance with perfect accuracy! With a boom, the flagpole turned into a mass of flames and burned to ashes!!

As everyone stared in stunned silence, a cold voice rang out from all directions at once!

The voice seemed to come from far away, yet it also seemed to sound right beside their ears! It belonged to a woman whose tone was cold to the extreme!

"Vivian! My dear little sister, where else do you think you can run? Hand over the Fear Illusion Demon at once!"