Novel Finding My Freedom In Another World

Chapter 14

Spoiler

Day 22 since Rena woke up in this world.

"Uwaaaah!!" She woke up suddenly.

Her body didn't feel hurt anymore, but her head did. Last night, she got a vivid nightmare after drinking all those memory potions.

She touched her head with both arms. "Good, my head is still here."

Since she woke up a little early, the sun just rose in the east. She didn't want to sleep again, so she get off the bed and walked to the balcony. When the door was opened,
the chilly yet refreshing morning air greeted her. Inhaling a deep breath, she closed her eyes and clapped both of her hands toward the sun, feeling gratitude of the new day. After breathing in and out the fresh air steadily for sometime, she is fully awoken now. The pain in her head had also gone.

"Ah, what a beautiful morning! I'm glad I woke up early!" She opened her arms wide, welcoming the gentle morning breeze touching her skin and blowing through her hair.

Saola's residence was located on the hill, facing the sea. From the balcony, she could see many beach sand colored buildings down there, the minaret from afar chanting a prayer, the line of ships that docked at the port, and the sunrise reflected on the surface of the sea, made the sea glittering in golden. It was amazing view nonetheless.

"I wish I could have more days like this from now on." She sincerely wish it.

After spending half an hour, savoring the view in front of her and doing some stretching, Rena returned to the room. She was about to go outside when an old maid came bringing her clothes and washing bowl. Rena refused the maid's help and prefer doing it herself, so the maid went to get her breakfast.

When she finished changing clothes, the maid had returned, bringing her food. It was a porridge made from corn, they called it Maiz here.

"Umm, is Lady Saola awoke yet?" Rena asked the maid.

"Lady Saola didn't return last night. She often sleeps at her workshop when she is working on her projects." The maid said.

Hearing this, she was worried that Saola was mad and didn't return home purposely. If it's like this, she would ask Frei later to take her to her shop.

"I see. Thank you for telling me this." Rena smiled at the maid.

"Also, could you do me a little favor? Can you help me fix my hair?"

She showed the maid how she wanted it to be. Rena could cut the front part but she couldn't do the back part without help. Earlier, she checked her appearance on the mirror, her hair now was indeed short, but not that short, it was just above the shoulder. They were really trying hard to spare her some hair, but it was a choppy messy cut.

The maid was a little nervous, but she complied to her request. When it's done, Rena was quiet satisfied with the result. She had a bang now, the hair on the side of her face was longer than the hair on the back, framing her face. She thanked the maid, and the maid said she was glad to be able to help, smiling back at her. She then left since she had chores to do.

A short while later, Jean knocked the door, visiting her. Rena wondered what would happen if she didn't open it, she didn't want to open it, she really didn't want to open it, she... opened it.

"Good morning. Oh."

The guy greeted her casually like they were friends and walked to the room without asking her permission. His expression showed a little surprised looking at the change of her hair, but didn't make any comment about it. Apparently, he was more curious about the effect of the potions last night.

"Did you sleep well last night?"

"Yeah, I slept well thanks to you." She smiled, suppressing her sarcastic tone.

"Did you remember something when you were sleeping?"

"No, not really."

(Yeah, I remembered all the bad memories I tried to seal in the corner most of my memories.)

"It's unfortunate you couldn't recall anything. Perhaps you never lost your memory in the first place?" His sharp eyes watching her.

"No, no... I definitely lost my memory. Thank you for your concern though." The corner of her mouth twitched, she forced a smile with a vein popped on her forehead.

"Then, how's your body?" He asked again.

"Ah, about that, I'm feeling great. I don't feel any pain and my skin is fully recovered now." For this matter, she genuinely thankful toward Jean.

"This is faster than I expected." He lowered her gaze, putting his hand on the chin. After thinking for a few seconds, he spoke, "Let me see it."

"Eh? Uhm, sure.."

She rolled up her sleeve, showing her skin to Jean, but he frowned. In a natural calm tone, like he was the doctor and she was his patient, he said,

"Can you open your clothes?"

"What?!!" She shouted.

"I want to see your skin."

She thought this guy was asking for the impossible. She didn't want to open her clothes in front of him, no, she wasn't worried about going to That direction, but she didn't think him as a medical practitioner, and he's definitely not one either.

"No! Isn't it fine if it's just hand?"

"I want to see if it's fully healed."

"Still a NO!"

"Why are you so stubborn? I just want to check your condition." He furrowed his eyebrows, annoyed.

"Why are you so persistent?! You can see my skin just fine, here!" She raised her arm on shoulder level.

Jean gave up, shaking his head.

"I don't understand you. I was the one who was treating you all this time, I have seen your body."

"This and that are different! And I was unconscious at that time!"

"So it's fine when unconscious." He muttered, a sharp glint appeared from his eyes.

(Crap!)

If it's this guy, he might struck her unconscious for real.

"Y-you, you better not doing something weird! I am grateful that you treated my wound, but, but you still need to respect the patient!" She pointed her finger at Jean, declaring her thought.

"I see..." He said that and the next moment grabbing Rena's hand.

"Stop!! What are you doing?!" She shouted loudly.

"You were the one who said it's fine if it's just hand. Be quiet."

He moved his face closer to Rena's arm, examining its condition. His other hand pinched her skin trying to confirm its firmness. She tensed up, this situation was very awkward for her, but the guy didn't care at all. When she tried to pull her arm, he grabbed it, making her jolted. She could feel the strength holding her arm.

"It did heal perfectly..." He spoke to himself, observing her arm from all angle, checking any visible scar.

"I told you."

"By any chance, are you interested in learning magic?"

She made a dumbfounded expression, an unexpected question was asked nonchalantly.

"Huh? What brought up this?"

But before Jean could answer, Frei had appeared. He was standing at the door, throwing a good gentleman smile.

"Good morning. I thought I heard Rena's voice in the hallway. Really, you guys are progressing too fast. Is Rena your type, Jean?"

"Stop speaking nonsense, Frei."

He withdrew his hands that were holding her arm.

"I just wanted to check her skin condition but she made a big deal out of it."

"Ehh?! You are blaming me?!" She raised her voice, with eyebrows pulled down and eyes glaring at him.

"Hahahaha..." Frei cracked up, but quickly covered his mouth with his hand, a failed attempt in camouflaging it as a cough. "You both made my morning."

Rena looked at Frei's laughing figure, this was the first time Rena saw him laughed. He seemed enjoying teasing Jean.

He walked to the room and approaching her. "That hairstyle suit you. You look cute."

"Rena, give me your hand."

"What?!" She spoke louder than what she intended.

(Not this guy, not that guy, why they wanted my hand?)

"What's wrong?" He didn't understand Rena's apprehension.

"Nothing. Why do you want my hand?" She looked at him suspiciously.

Frei sighed.

"Here, to cheer you up again." He put something on her lap.

It was a silky lavender pouch, tied with dark purple ribbon.

"That's a get well gift from me."

She was taken aback, and felt a little guilty for being too malicious. Looking at her pouch, it seemed like he gave some thought of choosing the colors. It matched with the color of her eyes.

"Thank you... Can I open it?" She looked at him.

"Please do." He smiled.

Rena pulled the ribbon and opened the pouched. A round transparent crystal, like a snow globe was inside. She lifted her hand trying to take it, but the moment the crystal touched her hand, it shone brightly.

*crack* *crack* *crack*

And shattered.

(Ehhhhhh?!!!!!)

Her jaw dropped, she turned speechless.

(Waittt, I only touched it lightly! No way the crystal shattered just because of that. Is this a prank?!)

Rena quickly looked at Frei, checking his expression. The guy didn't seem like pranking her, he stood there, speechless as well, his eyes didn't blink as if he couldn't believe what he saw.

(Gyaaa! I've done something really bad!)

The expensive present he gave her was broken the next second she touched it, perhaps she must do a dogeza right here right now. Jean moved, taking the pouch from Rena's hand. Looking at the content, his eyes widened, for that guy to make such expression it must be a terribly bad situation.

"I'm sorryyyy!!!"

Rena did the dogeza.

Both of the guys ignoring her though, staring each other with serious look.

After a while, Jean broke the silence in the room.

"Frei... I'm taking her."

(Ehhhh?!!!)

Frei who had returned to his compose self said, "Hehe, please take care of her."

(Haahh?!! What's going on here?!!)

Jaw dropped, blank eyes, she froze on the floor with only her head moved left and right, looking at each of them, an appearance which gave a striking resemblance to a bobble head.


---

 

Chapter 15

Spoiler

"Ah, I'm sorry, Rena. There's a little misunderstanding here, I didn't mean it that way."

Frei chuckled a little, seeing her reaction. Right now, they were sitting in the room forming a triangle, trying to discuss the matter. Rena was sitting on the bed while the two guys occupying the seats. Frei sat with his chair turned around, resting his arms on the back of the chair. And Jean casually leaned back on his chair, with legs crossed and arms crossed.

"I was asking Jean if he is interested in teaching you magic since you seem to have an affinity with it."

"Oh..."

"But this guy was really hard to convince, you know... even if he was interested, he still refused."

"...That's because your requests always have a lot of problems to deal with." Jean said.

"But in the end, you agree, right?" He teased Jean.

"So, how is it, Rena? Do you want to learn magic from Jean?" Frei asked her.

"Uhm, yeah, sure I do. But that crystal..." She was still confused.

"Ah, the crystal ball is just a tool to check your latent power."

"I still broke it though..." She lowered her head.

"Please don't worry about it, I can get you another one if you want."

Jean furrowed his eyebrows. Rena didn't know, but the material for making a crystal ball is rare. The crystal must not contain any impurity and able to contain a lot of magical power. Magical institutions or guilds usually have them, but not many could own it personally. Naturally, the price to buy one was high. And it was unheard of for someone to be able to break it, just by touching it.

"Can I still have it please?" She said.

"Why?" He asked.

"As I thought, I still felt bad breaking it, but I don't want to throw it away."

Since it was the first gift she received in this world, it carried a meaning for her.

"Hee... You still want to treasure a broken item?"

"W-what? Is that weird?"

"No, I don't know that you are a hoarder."

"I'm not!" She stood up abruptly. "What made you think that way?!"

Frei buried his face in his arms, trying to hold a laugh, but his shoulder was shaking. When he lifted his face, he spoke with expression still carrying a trace of a laugh.

"And also..." Frei spoke again.

"About this matter, please keep it as a secret."

"Eh, why?" She looked at him with a puzzled look.

"Because you aren't registered." Jean was the one who answered her question.

"Registered?" She turned her head to him.

Jean stood and turned around, he lifted the back of his hair, showing his nape. A tattoo could be seen on his skin. It was a shield decorated with sun and bird, wrapped with a laurel wreath.

"This is The Valia Kingdom's Crest." He said.

"This means I'm acknowledged as a magician from Valia Kingdom. Generally, Magicians received privileges everywhere, but when they were outside their country, they must be careful using their magic. Even one small mistake could lead to a diplomatic problem between two countries or in the worst possible case, a war."

(That's scary...)

Jean continued speaking, "In each kingdom, there is a law where citizens must report to the office when they have a magician in their family. Those who born with the potential to be a magician aren't many. Out of one hundred births, probably there is only one. Because they are possessing a power greater than a normal human, they are recognized as an asset to the kingdom. Even when they come from a commoner background, as soon as they are identified as a magician, they will be taken under the protection of the kingdom. The unreported cases are almost non-existent since having a magician in the family is seen as a prestige and the family concerned is also being rewarded. Usually, magicians are identified during childhood when the magic power starts to manifest."

"So, your situation right now, where you have passed the coming of age and still unregistered is unusual. If it were found out, there are two possibilities for you. One, you will be forcefully taken and investigated by the kingdom. Two, you will be suspected as a spy and be killed."

(That's really scary!)

"I promise I'll keep my mouth shut!" Rena shouted.

Jean sighed inwardly. If it's just his decision, he could make Rena be registered as a Valia Kingdom's magician without a problem, but he knew Frei wouldn't let him do that. He didn't know what he was planning to do with her, but for now, hiding her would not be a bad idea.
If it were to find out that another purple eyes wizard had appeared, all the kingdoms would try to get her. Teaching Rena's secretly put Jean under a risk, still, he couldn't help it, he wanted to observe him. When one great magician appeared, they always brought change in the history of humankind, be good or bad. Jean too, had made some breakthrough with his researches and inventions.

"Hmm..." She thought for a while, her eyes staring above her head.

"If it's like that, why do you want me to learn magic?" She tilted her head.

"I'll be fine if I don't learn it, right?"

There was a silence before Jean started to speak again.

"Sure, if you only have a minimum amount of magic power. Since you can break the crystal ball, it shows that you have a huge amount of magic power inside you. If you don't learn how to control it, someday it'll become a catastrophe."

"I, I see... So that's why the crystal ball was broken..."

She hung her head down. She didn't want to be a catastrophe, but she didn't want to be killed either. Frei who had stood from the chair approached Rena and rubbed her hair.

"Don't think too much. You should be excited you can learn magic now."

"....Thank you." Rena said it softly.

"Work hard for me, okay?" He whispered in her ear.

"Un, I will." She nodded, completely ignoring the way he said it, with a low seductive tone.

He grinned a little, watching her flat reaction to his words.

"Ok, the problem is settled now. So, Rena, I have another news for you, it's great that you are fully recovered now, with this we can depart on schedule. Tomorrow, we'll leave Haffa Kingdom."

"Eh?" Rena looked up at Frei's face.

"I told you I'm from Ardia Kingdom before."

"We're going back. Jean and another person will be coming with us tomorrow."

"Ah, but first, we need to stop at Valia Kingdom. Jean came here suddenly, they must be panicking right now." Frei took a glance at Jean, with a naughty grin on his face.

"Is Valia close from here?" Rena asked.

"A week by a ship under ideal conditions." He answered.

She thought something was odd. "Jean isn't supposed to be here, is it?"

Frei nodded, "I asked him to come to save you."

"Then, how come he could arrive that fast?"

"Teleport." Jean said.

Rena turned her head at Jean's direction. "Teleport? Then couldn't you just teleport back there?"

(Teleport sounds convenient.)

"It's a magic that consumed a lot of magical power, the greater the distance the more energy required to cast it, you could die if your magical power depleted during the trip. Second, a precise coordinate location is needed, you must have a good geographical knowledge, worst case, you'll be stuck in inter-dimension space forever. Third, there's a possibility you could split your body when performing the magic, if you split your body, you are dead. If it's not for an urgent matter, it would be advisable to use the conventional way of traveling."

(That sounds inconvenient...)

After hearing his explanation, she thought magic was complicated. It made her worry if she could master any spell at all.

"Don't worry that much, I'm sure you can do it someday." Frei cheered her up.

"You just need to learn step by step first. Be more confident in yourself. Remember, you have great potential."

"Yes!" She said enthusiastically, appreciating the words of support coming from him.

Since the world she came from didn't use magic, being given an opportunity to learn magic in this world, she was excited. Rena had already imagined doing a lot of stuff that she only read or watched.

"Then, when will we start?"

"We can start now if you want."

"Wait." Frei interjected. "I promised Saola to take Rena to her shop today."

"Ehh?" Rena looked at Frei.

She remembered earlier she was going to ask a favor from Frei, to take her visiting Saola at her shop. She was surprised that Saola also wanted her to go there.

"Well, she wanted you to do her a favor." Frei smiled.

*Ba-dump*

Rena felt a terrible premonition.

(Th-that smile! Something is going to happen!!)

She couldn't refuse here, she wanted to meet Saola as well. But she couldn't just ignore this uncomfortable feeling.

"Uuh... uuh." Rena looked at Jean with pleading expression.

"Tomorrow, we're going to depart from Tawarr, we won't have much time to study. I'll teach you some basics while we're on the ship, then you can start practicing after we arrived at Valia."

"Enjoy your time for now." Jean turned around and waved a goodbye, walking away.

"Oh, you're not coming?" Frei asked.

"Not interested." Jean said.

Rena watched Jean's figure disappear behind the door. Of course, relying on Jean to help was a mistake. In the end, she decided it was better to go along with Frei. Frei's mischievous act was nothing, compared to the ordeal of facing Jean.

Now, there's only Frei and Rena in the room. They looked at each other. One with a happy smile on his face, one with a nervous smile on her face.

"What are you planning?" Her big purple eyes trying to find any hint on his face.

"Hmm? Why are you suspecting me? I don't plan anything." He said, putting an innocent look on his face. Then he wrapped his hand around her waist, she wriggled, trying to get free, but he firmly held her, making her walked following his footsteps.

"C'mon, let's go. Saola's waiting for us."

"Let go! I could walk by myself!"

He ignored her words. "Ah... Almost forget, I have a little surprise waiting for you."

She gave him a suspicious look, with her hands holding his hand wrapped around her waist, trying to push him away.

"I swear it's something good." He smiled.

Frei led her outside, when he opened the door, Rena saw Sebastian standing next to the carriage. There was another person with him, a young girl with brown hair. When she heard the footsteps from inside the house, she turned around.

"Ooh... That's..."

"Do you remember her?" Frei said.

Yes, Rena remembered that girl.


---

 

Chapter 16

Spoiler

After that night, Rena had wanted to know what happened to the girl. But, she never thought that she would meet the girl in front of Saola's residence with Sebastian accompanying her. It was because this girl was part of the group who kidnapped her.

They stared at each other before Rena initiated the conversation.

"Hi, how are you?" She showed a friendly smile to her.

"Idiot."

"Huh?"

"I'm fine but how about yourself?! Doing something careless like that, don't you have a survival instinct?? It's all thanks to you that I'm saved..." Mirra hung her head down.

"...Thank you." The words still could be heard even when she said it weakly.

Although she didn't know what had happened this girl must have it tough, that much she could understand. A hint of sorrow could be felt from her voice.

Following her instinct, Rena approached her and wrapped her arms around her petite body, giving her a warm hug.

"It's good that you are safe. I'm happy." She said.

Mirra startled, she didn't move, she didn't hold her back. But the lock inside of her finally broke, and she couldn't hold it anymore, feeling her embrace, the warmth she hadn't felt for years, tears started flowing from her eyes. Rena rubbed Mirra's back gently trying to comfort her. When she had calmed down, Rena let go of her.

"Are you alright?"

"...Mm." Mirra only gave an ambiguous reply.

"I think we haven't introduced each other, right?"

"My name is Rena... Ouch!" She was pinched.

"...Serena." Rena corrected herself while grumbling in her heart.

(This guy didn't let go stuff like this easily, huh.)

"You are Mirra, right?"

"Mm." She nodded.

"Nice to meet you, Mirra! But if I may know, why are you here?"

Mirra gave a difficult expression, she didn't say a single thing. Her hands clenched a little, before she lowered her gaze, avoiding Rena's curious look.

Watching the girl, Frei spoke, "About that, it's a long talk. Let's talk about it in the carriage, okay? Saola is also waiting."

Rena followed his suggestion since it was the only option. Frei instructed Sebastian to help the girls got on the carriage. After all the passengers were inside, Sebastian went to the coach seat and drove the carriage.

Inside, Frei who was sitting next to Rena, was the one who opened the talk again.

"So Rena, long story short, Mirra doesn't have anyone to take care or her anymore, her family members are long dead and after the village was burned to ash, she didn't have any place to stay."

"I haven't told you about this, but when you were unconscious, she protected you from the bad guy, she also helped carrying you back here. When I found out that she didn't have anywhere else to go, I decided to take her with us, with her consent, of course." Frei explained.

Rena watched Mirra's small figure sitting in front of her. She really had been through a lot of sufferings, her heart ached for Mirra.

"It seemed I also owe you thanks too." Rena said to Mirra.

"It's nothing, that's because you saved my life." Mirra looked away, directing her gaze outside the window.

"By the way, what happened to that guy?" Rena remembered about the guy who tried to hurt Mirra.

"He's dead, they found his burned body in the village." Frei said. "He was the one who started the fire, causing many deaths, ironically, he was also part of the victims."

Ironic or not, Rena only felt relieved she didn't get bought by that guy.

"Oh..." Rena almost forgot.

"Is Blippe okay? When I was looking for Frei, I met him. That boy was really worry about you."

Mirra's eyes widened but she kept her lips sealed.

"It's too bad but after that fire incident, those villagers got scattered. She still doesn't know his whereabouts." Frei answered her.

Rena frowned, she felt something a little off here. "I see. Then, is it fine for you to go with us? Your friends might be worried about you."

There was a moment of silence before Mirra opened her mouth, "Yes, it's fine. They aren't worried about me anymore."

Rena scratched her heart, not sure what to say. The situation was odd, but she didn't want to pry if the other person unwilling to speak about it. Facing the fact, she would be acquainted with Mirra now. She didn't know what kind of person this girl yet, but she didn't feel that she was bad. She wanted to be her friend.

"Then, let's be a friend from now on." She smiled at her.

Her face facing the window was supported by her hand. With only her eyes moved, looking at Rena from the corner of her hazel eyes, she said, "We'll see."

(So cool...)

"Good luck, I'll leave her with you."

"Leave her with me?"

"Since both of you are alone, isn't it fine to work together? I'm sure both of you can benefit from that, especially you."

"What do you mean by that?" She knitted her eyebrows.

He only gave her a meaningful smile.

Looking at his expression, she somehow got an idea of what he meant. She certainly could learn from the girl who had experienced the worse of the world.

She was someone who never led a life of suffering, hunger, or danger. It wasn't a perfect life, but it was better than the life of most people in this world. Would they be jealous if they knew the kind of lifestyle she had before? Only thinking what kind of food she wanted to eat from many available choices, picking a place to hang out with her friends, working diligently in her part-time jobs so she could have fun traveling around the world, she could sleep all day in the weekends if she wanted to, or she could choose to entertain herself with her hobby. Even a princess in the castle couldn't live a life full of freedom like that.

She missed her old life.

Suddenly, the face of her friends, her father, and her dead grandmother appeared in her mind.

(You never know what you have until you lose it, eh...)

She smiled bitterly.

---

They got off from the carriage in front of Saola's Garment Shop. They were standing in front of the door when Frei spoke to her, "Just think of this as a little favor of what she had done for you, 'kay?"

"What's exactly the content of that favor?" Rena couldn't help but wary.

He only smiled while guiding the girls to the entrance door. Before pushing the door, he stopped and turned around, whispering in her ear. "I said I was gonna give you a punishment before."

She turned blue.

He opened the door and shouted, "Saola, we've come!"

Her shop still looked the same as the last time Rena visited here. The odd mannequins dressed in weird costumes filling the place. Rena looked at Mirra who made a scrunching expression.

"Aaah, I've been waiting for you guys!" Saola rushed over, hearing Frei's voice.

Her appearance looked messy, her platinum blonde hair was tangled and her dress was a little wrinkle, still wearing yesterday's clothes. Rena was concerned.

"Hi, Saola. Are you alright?"

(As I thought, I need to apologize to her.)

"Umm, about yesterday... Aw!" She got pinched in her waist, it felt ticklish.

"Please, don't mention anything about yesterday matter to her." Frei was behind her, speaking in a small voice close to her ear.

"Eh? Why?" Rena spoke slowly that only Frei could hear.

"She had forgotten about it. Unless you want to listen for her hours-long rant, please do."

Rena stole a glance at Frei, he maintained his gentleman smile looking at Saola. She decided to trust his words.

"What are you talking about secretly like that?" Saola moved closer to them.

"Eh, nothing!" Rena quickly reacted.

"Hmm." She looked at Rena closely. "Who cut your hair?"

"I asked your maid to do me a little favor. I hope you don't mind." Rena said.

"Heeeh?!! I didn't know Nann has such talent!"

"Serena, you look cute!" Saola praised her.

"Hehe... Thank you." She blushed a little.

And then Saola noticed a small figure who stood behind Frei and Rena.

"Oh... You are from that time, right? Didn't you return to your village?"

They met for a while when Mirra brought Rena to Tawarr.

"Since her village was burned to ash and she doesn't have any relatives. I'm taking her back with me to Ardia, Saola." Frei explained it to Saola.

"Eeeeh, isn't she too young? I didn't know that you like a loli."

Suddenly, the temperature in the room dropped. The chill breeze was blowing from Frei, who gave an icy look and frozen smile to Saola. He approached her who was quivering like a squirrel failed to hibernate during winter.

"Stop twisting the situation, Saola. Don't you have something else to do? I've brought Serena here for you." His tone as calm as a freezing pond, as sharp as an icicle.

"Yes, yes!" She nodded multiple times.

Turning around quickly to Rena. "That's right! Serena, I want you to try something for me. Come with me!"

She grabbed Rena's arms and pulled her away from Mirra and Frei. Rena was panicking.

"Eh? Wh-what? What do you want me to try?"

Mirra and Frei watched those two figures going away, and then she glared at the blonde guy standing next to her.

"I'll kill you if you dare to touch me."

"I swore I don't have the intention that way." Frei sighed, lightly shook his head.

"I only want you to guard her. I've seen what you can do that night. Despite your age and stature, you are pretty skilled, aren't you? I told you, I need someone who can watch her closely and report to me." His gaze staring at the place where Saola and Rena were inside.

"Well, it's not like I don't understand. Purple sis definitely needs someone to watch her, she is reckless and too trusting. I don't mind really, I owe my life to her."

He only listened to what she said, not bothering to correct or deny her words. Actually, the reason he couldn't leave her behind was that she reminded him of himself.

Mirra sneaked a glance at Frei, "You are surprisingly protective, huh."

"Isn't it normal to guard your important property?" Frei said, showing up his usual compose smile.

Meanwhile, in the other part of the shop...

"So, this is your workshop..." Rena's eyes wandered around.

Tens of boxes stacked together, unorganized. Some didn't have a lid on it, so the stuff inside could be seen, animal fur, silver scales, rainbow color horns, and more stuff jumbled together. Colorful rolled fabrics, button, threads, ribbons were scattered on the floor. Sewing patterns, scissors, needles, and other sewing kits were on the table. It looked like a normal designer's workshop, except there was a glowing circle on top of the table.

She blinked a few times, watching the magic seal. "Saola, are you a magician?"

Rena touched the seal, tracing the line with her finger, the circle glowed brighter when she touched it. A little surprised, Rena withdrew her finger.

"Ah, yes. But I can only do basic spells which useful for creating clothes, unlike Jean."

"It's still amazing though."

"Hoho, thank you." Saola said. "Then, can you be my model?"

"Eh?!" Rena turned around quickly, her eyes widened.

"Model? Me? Why?"

"Well, I'm planning to open a new shop in Ardia Kingdom this year. I need someone who will wear my collections." Saola blushed a little.

"But, I'm not the right person to do this kind of stuff..."

"I think you are the perfect person for that! That purple eyes will definitely attract attention! And also, Frei has given me his permission!" Saola's eyes sparkled.

(Frei...)

"Oh, even if you do me a favor, I won't let you do this for free. I'll pay you."

"Ok."

Rena didn't need to think when she heard that last sentence. She was now very motivated, all gone her resistance from earlier. She was reminded that she must earn money to get her freedom back. She didn't understand why Frei called this punishment anymore.

"Yaaay! Thank you, Serena!" Saola hugged her, soft cushions stuffed between them.

"I'll definitely make a stunning outfit for you to wear!" Saola declared happily.

"Thank you too, Saola!" Rena gave her a wide smile.

"Then, let's start taking your measurements first. And after that, can you wear this for me? I'd like to see how it looks on you."

"Yes, ma'am!"

After 15 minutes, Saola came out from her workshop.

"Hehe... Thank you for waiting!"

"How's it?" Frei asked.

"Yeah, Serena agreed to be my model! I'm so happy! Now it's time for her first appearance, aren't you curious?"

"Come here, Serena!" Saola waved her hand, instructing Rena to come out.

But nobody came out.

"Serena?"

Saola pulled her, Rena tried to hide behind the door, she appeared wearing a thin layer of white spaghetti straps dress, cut high above her knees. Wearing a blue garter belt in one of her thighs. Soft colored flowers decorated her hair.

"Taadaa!! How is it? Isn't she cute?" Saola said.

She covered all her front parts and her face beet red, she couldn't lift up her face. She wore something that started with L in her world, a nightdress. Wearing this stuff was definitely the kind of punishment Frei enjoyed. She's completely done in.

"This is a part of my collection series called Magical Dream of The Night, color also available in red, green, blue, and yellow. The basic material was Goliath Spider Silk, but those flowers on her hair, I made from the silk of Argus Pink Giant Silkmoth, so I made the ribbon bow just like the shape of that silkmoth. Also that..."

"That's wonderful Saola." Frei stopped her words.

He chuckled, watching Rena's flustered reaction. "Saola, I'll buy this."

Rena shouted, "No!!" At the same Saola said, "Yaaay! Thank you for the purchase!"

Mirra rolled her eyes, watching the behavior of the adults.

"Oh, I also have some outfits that match Mirra's size. Wanna try it, Mirra?" Saola's made a pleading expression with sparkling eyes.

"Hah, there's no way I would!" Mirra shouted with a disgusted face.

"C'mon, pretty please??"

"No way! Never! You pervert old lady!"

"What?!!!" Saola shouted with a face of raging bull.

"Pervert old lady!"

Suddenly, Mirra regained her spirit and energy, there was no trace of aloofness and sadness anymore. She ran around the shop, trying to escape Saola who chased her with a determined look, wanting her to try her collections.

Frei who was standing next to her watched the two with a relaxed expression, a faint smile appeared on his face. When Rena saw that expression, she thought maybe he did this trying to cheer up Mirra, who knows, she didn't know what he was thinking. She used this opportunity to sneak away quietly, changing her clothes when nobody was paying her attention. She was thankful to Mirra who distracted Saola. Because of her, she didn't need to continue this costume role play.

"Thank you, Mirra!"

---

 

Chapter 17

Spoiler

“C’mon, purple sis, walk faster!”

“Alright! Alright!”

Jean, Frei, and Sebastian had gone earlier with another carriage. Right now, there were only Mirra and Rena. They just got off from the carriage, avoiding people around them, and walking toward the big merchant ship that would take them to a different continent. They had some time before the ship departed since the crews were still busy loading cargo in the ship. They said goodbye to Saola this morning and thank her for the hospitality. The girls promised that they would meet again. They waved goodbye as the carriage left until they couldn’t see her again.

When Rena arrived at the deck, she reminiscent just how five days ago, she stepped into this city with the worst situation in her life. So much had happened these past few days that it suddenly felt like a distance memory. Rena looked at the horizon and a faint smile appeared on her face.

“Purple sis, I need to do something a little bit, if I leave, don’t get off the ship!”

“No, I won’t!” Rena said.

She leaned on the deck, looking Mirra’s figure went away. When she couldn’t see her anymore, Rena closed her eyes, inhaling the breeze which carried the smell of the ocean, hearing the sound of the crashing waves. This time, she could truly appreciate it.

Thinking of what had happened these past few days. She made two important progress, she got a teacher and a job! Although not the kind of teacher or job she expected, she was still excited. She would soon be able to cast magic, it’s a great skill to have! About the job, she felt a little regretful, that it was still far in the future.

“I need to find more jobs…” She muttered.

If she went to the streets, with her purple eyes, she would attract attention right away. So that option was shelved, she didn’t want to get into a problematic situation again. But it was troubling that so far Frei hadn’t asked her to do anything, the guy liked teasing her too much that she was afraid at this rate she would end up going that route. Would she be thrown away after he got bored? If that happened, what would become or her? Would she be so lucky like this time?

She shook her head violently, trying to erase the thought.

(I need to collect money as soon as possible before that happens!)

After some time had passed, Rena started getting bored, without having anything to do except waiting. She moved, going to the other side of the ship where the crews busy loading the cargoes.

“Everyone else has something to do, even Mirra is busy with something. It’s just me who don’t have anything else to do.”

Rena remembered about Jean who had gone earlier with Frei and Sebastian, he didn’t seem to be busy, maybe she could chat with him.

(No no no, not The Evil Queen who tried to give Snow White a poisonous apple.)

She erased that option from her mind.

“Maybe I could check my room in the ship!” She clapped her hands.

She scanned the deck, trying to find the door that will lead her to the cabin below. She was late to notice when her foot stumbled across the rope on the floor.

“Waa!” She almost fell.

But a hand quickly grabbed her.

The person helping her was a guy who looked a little older than her, with his silver hair blowing by the wind, contrasting with his exotic skin and his bright blue eyes. He let go of her arm after she fixed her balance.

“Thank you!”

But he just walked away, not saying any word to her.

She watched his back for a moment and then continued what she was going to do.
Rena went down to the cabin area, walking through the corridor when she saw an old map on the wall. Her footsteps stopped.



“A map of this world!” She got excited.

A golden symbol was stamped on top of the map and a word Terrasia written in red ink. The map showed two giant land masses.

“If I’m not mistaken, they called it West and East Continent.”

She noticed landmarks drawn there, showing the kingdoms in this world, Ardia Kingdom was shown on the southern part of the continent on the left.

“Hmm… one, two, three,…, seven. Hoo, there are seven kingdoms on these two continents.”

“What are you doing?” There was a voice coming from behind her.

Rena flinched, hearing the familiar voice from behind her.

“Nothing much, I’m just looking at the map here.”

“You still don’t remember any?” Jean asked.

“Nope, not at all. What are you doing here?”

“I heard somebody making a noise in front of my room.”

“……”

(Dammit, why of all places it’s in front of his room.)

“If you don’t have anything to do then come to my room. Let’s talk a little.” He opened the door, hinting her to go inside. She peered into the room behind him.

(…I guess it’s worth trying, I can’t avoid him forever.)

“Well, then… Excuse me.”

She entered the cabin, it was bigger than she expected. There were two armchairs and a table near the circular window, and the bed was placed near the wall.

She sat on one of the chairs there. “What should I call you from now on?”

“What do you mean?”

“Since you are going to be my teacher, maybe I could call you Professor Jean, Mr. Jean, Jean… -sensei?” She muttered the last word in a small voice.

He frowned. “Just Jean is fine. It sounds annoying when you call me with any of those.”

(What do you mean annoying?)

A vein popped on her forehead.

Jean pulled a small red book from his pocket and gave it to Rena. The cover read, The Basic Runes.

“What is this?”

“Those are list of Runes for beginner, I want you to memorize them.”

She opened the book and saw a lot of symbols inside. Thanks to the translator magic, she could understand what’s written there.

“Why do I need to memorize these?”

“Just like learning how to read or write, you must learn letters first. Each of these symbols has its own meaning, you could cast a simple magic just by recalling the symbol.”

“Ooh…”

“The more advance spells combine runes together, but you don’t need to know that now.”

“So, how do I cast a spell with this?”

Jean showed her the page where a symbol read as fire was written.

“This is fire, remember this symbol and imagine a small fire.”

She nodded, closing her eyes, following his instructions.

“Feel the warm and gather it on your palm. Now raise your palm, and say fire. It would be easier for beginner to say the name.”

Rena felt the warm gathering in her body, she tried to focus it on her palm, imagining a small fire, and she said, “Fire.”

Something flickered on her palm, and then fire appeared on her hand, like a bonfire.

*swooosh*

“Wha!” She was surprised.

Jean quickly cast a water orb, dropping it on her.

*splash*

Her body got wet, but she didn’t care, a bright smile decorated her face, “I… I did it! I really could cast magic!”

“….You still need to know how to control your energy.”

“Yes! I’ll try once again.”

“Wait.” Jean said. “Fire is not good. We’re on the ship right now, I don’t want you to burn it. Let’s try another rune.”

This time, she tried to cast wind. Rena imagined the soft wind breeze, “Wind!”

*wooosh*

A rather strong wind blew in Jean’s room, knocking the furniture.

“I’m sorry!” She said.

“It’s fine. For first attempts, those are quiet a feat. I was surprised you did it easily.”

Jean waved his hand and the furniture returned to its place again.

“What do you mean?” Rena asked.

“The hardest part for the beginner is trying to manifest the magic and channeling their energy into the spell. Say, you imagine a candle fire, it would be a good sign if a spark appeared.”

Jean continued his explanation, “In your case, the opposite happened. It’s like opening a small gate at the dam. The moment it was opened, the water surged, quickly flooding the channel.”

“I see… I’ll work hard to control it then.”

“For now, please don’t try to practice the spell when I’m not around, that would be dangerous.”

“Understood…”

(But I want to practice more…)

“Oh, by the way…” He reached out a box on the table and open it.

“I made another memory potion for you yesterday. Maybe it will work this time.”

Her eyes bulged out hearing that.

He pulled a small container inside the box, the bottle was filled with murky brown liquid which reminded her of… something disgusting.

(Please, giving up on this already!!! Why are you more curious about my memory than me?!)

“No, I refuse!”

At the same time when she said that words, a knock on the door was heard.

“Hi, Jean, is Serena there?”

It was Frei’s voice. She was relieved hearing his voice.

“Yes, she is.” Jean replied.

Frei opened the door and entered the room.

“I saw Mirra and didn’t see you on the deck, so I was wondering where did you go. Why are you wet?”

“Sorry, I was waiting on the deck earlier but there wasn’t anything much to do for me there.” She shook her sleeves out in attempt to dry it. “About this, I’m just practicing a spell with Jean. Why are you looking for me?”

“It’s almost time for the ship to depart, I’m checking if everyone’s on board. Sebastian has returned as well. Sorry to disturb your lesson, but could both of you go to the deck for a while? It’s easier to monitor everyone that way.”

“Yes, we will!”

She quickly stood up from her seat, relieved that she wouldn’t drink another weird potion. Jean who noticed this, glared at her.

On the deck, she saw Sebastian and Mirra were waiting for them, and the guy who helped Rena earlier. She stared at the guy wondering who he might be.

“Rena, you haven’t met him yet, right?” Frei said.

“His name is Senka, he is Sebastian’s adoptive son. He works for me too.”

She smiled at that guy and said, “My name is Serena, nice to meet you, Senka.”

The guy lowered his head a little.

“Sorry, Senka couldn’t talk.” Frei said.

“Oh…”

Rena looked at the guy again. She thought it was a pity that he couldn’t talk. What would his voice sounded like if he could say a word? He turned away gazing at the faraway horizon which was as blue as his eyes, his silence only emphasized his aloofness even more.

“Aww!”

Frei stretched her cheek.

“What a bad habit, staring at another guy in front of me.”

“Stop pinching me! Yours is the bad habit!” She pouted.

“Maybe you need to be reminded of my charm.”

The hand which touched her cheek moved, brushing her hair away from her face, tugging it behind her ear. His finger softly traced the sensitive skin behind her ear. It was slightly ticklish, and the small part of the skin he touched felt burning.

(Stop forcing your ikemen charm on me! I only have one fragile heart here!)

Fortunately, they were on the deck and there was a large space behind her, she stepped back, avoiding him, and moved behind Sebastian.

“I see… You feel safe around Sebastian, eh.”

*cough* *cough*

Sebastian who didn’t want to get into trouble diverted the attention.

“All the passengers are on board now, I will inform Captain Fawkes to start sailing. Please, excuse me.”

He left Rena who were busy dodging Frei’s attacks. The other guys watched them with different expressions on their face, some were grinning, some were surprised, or just like Jean, were indifferent.

And soon, the captain shouted the signal, and the ship unfurled its sails. Bringing Rena to another new place. She watched as the land slowly went smaller and smaller, until its fully gone from the view. Beside her was Mirra, who was still gazing at the direction of her homeland. And at the other side was Frei, cheerfully humming a sailing song.

---
Note: Introduction Arc ends. Next few chapters will be from other characters' pov. I need to reread my noobish works here, hopefully, I could improve it. I feel my writing skill is terrible. >.> Any suggestion?

 

Hmmm the content is a nice read for me. As for the writing skill..... I don't have any concrete suggestions yet on which parts to improve but I do suggest you try to read some works in 3rd person perspective and see how they write and compare it to yours.
I think that would be helpful ^^

 

Yeah, I feel that I'm not wordy enough in writing my story but I guess it's just reflecting my personality. But, I'll keep reading some of the works from other people to help me improve.
Thank you so much for your suggestions!

 

Chapter 18

Spoiler

Chapter 18: Activities On The Ship: Frei

In the biggest cabin in the ship that was filled with only minimum furniture, on top of the bed that was covered with the white satin sheet, a guy was sleeping restlessly. His head moved left and right and beads of sweat fell from his forehead. He started tossing around before finally opening his eyes. For a moment, he kept staring at the ceiling above his head with an empty gaze.

"Freyja..."

The word just slipped from his mouth.

Recently, he kept dreaming about that incident again, although it had been a long time he didn't dream about it. That day when Rena shielded Mirra from the fireball explosion, it reminded him of his past, the day when he lost all which precious for him.

He suddenly filled with anger, looking at her figure laying on the ground motionless, even though he had decided to keep that girl alive just the night before. For Frei, it was the same as failure. Once again, he felt his powerlessness.

Frei covered his eyes with both of his hands. He looked at the magic hourglass next to the bed, he had only been sleeping for two and a half hours, but even in normal condition, he only slept for four-six hours a day. Decided not to go back to sleep, he got off the bed and started exercising early in his room.

"...498, 499, 500."

Frei stopped doing his one hand push up, switching to the other hand and started counting again. He trained in combat arts for self-defense, it was a useful skill when he must go somewhere without Sebastian and Senka following him. Carrying a sword for a merchant would only keep the other parties' guard up, more the trouble than the merit, especially when doing negotiation. That said, it didn't mean he couldn't swing one.

Right after the morning sun had appeared in the east, he heard knocking on the door. Frei knew who was there.

"Come in."

Sebastian entered the room, greeted him and bowed, bringing Frei's usual breakfast.

"Couldn't sleep again?" He asked with a concerned look.

He tried not to make him worry, so he smiled and said, "It's nothing to worry, Sebastian. It will be gone in a few days."

He sat on the chair, Sebastian offered to him.

"What's the schedule today?" He said.

Sebastian stood beside him said, "Checking reports and cargo logistics. A letter from Sir Angelo arrived yesterday before the ship departed."

"Oh?"

"Also, we'll probably need a plan when we arrived at Valia Kingdom, regarding the matter of Sir Jean."

"I'll talk with Jean first about that." Frei said.

Jean had agreed to work with Frei's company and went to Ardia, his reason was that his curiosity toward that girl though. But they knew Valia Kingdom would not let go of him easily, after all, the second son of Marquis Jaunice was the most prominent magician in their kingdom.

Sebastian put the dish in front of him.

"Thank you, Sebastian." Frei said.

This scene was just his usual morning. After finishing his breakfast, Frei went to his office to check reports. He read the logistic reports, accounting report, bills and payments, and other stuff there that he had neglected these past few days. Sebastian was the one who did most of the job here, all Frei did was reading or signing them. He was really grateful to Sebastian, without him, he wouldn't be able to go this far.

After signing all the papers and gave them back to Sebastian, there was only a letter from Linden's Guild Master left.

"What does he want this time?" He opened the letter.

Dear Frei <3

Could you get me Slime Jelly from Valia Kingdom?

Guild Master of Ardia Kingdom's Linden Branch Merchant Guild

Angelo

P.S. I heard a rumor that you bought a chick at Tawarr's Auction House, saving her from the hand of perverted noble. Show her to me next time!

He knew it would be something like this. Angelo was a notable gourmet glutton among his peers. He was especially fond of asking Frei because he never failed to fulfill his requests. Every time he went away for some business trips, he'd request specific food souvenirs to be brought back. One time, he asked for a food that would get spoiled if not eaten right away. Frei must ask the help of nearby Magician Guild to find a magician who could cast an ice spell.

Frei looked at the additional note on the bottom.

(As expected of the Merchant Guild's Guild Master, he was fast with rumors.)

He crumpled the letter then threw it in the trash.

Despite his hobby of inconveniencing people, the troublesome Guild Master had a lot of connections everywhere, and Frei often got recommendations from him. In the end, dealing with his silly requests were just a payback for him.

"Okay, Sebastian. Let's go check the logistics."

Frei got up from his seat, walked out of his office and went to the direction of cargo room, followed by Sebastian. When he closed by, he heard some noises coming from the room.

"What is this?" A familiar woman's voice.

"That one is called Black Teposa, it was currently in high demand in Ardia." The guy with a bright tone in his voice answered.

"You can try one, but please keep it a secret, okay?"

"Really?!" The woman's voice sounded excited.

"Good morning, Vins. Good morning, Rena." Frei greeted them.

Vins, the logistics head, went pale hearing Frei's voice. He snatched the fruit from Rena's hand and quickly put it back to the barrel. They turned around nervously.

"For a logistic head, that was pretty irresponsible, wasn't it?"

"I'm really sorry!! She didn't eat anything yet!" Vins said, his expression resembled a rat cornered by a snake.

He twitched his head slightly to the side, instructed Sebastian to handle the guy. Sebastian signaled the pale face Vins to follow him with his hand, and when the two had gone, Rena and Frei were alone in the room.

She lowered her head, her hands clutching the white and red dress she bought from Saola.

He watched the girl he bought from the Auction House, moving awkwardly with her thoughts lay bare on her face. At first, he only brought her to anger Lord Sennan. He went that day to the Auction House targeting the item that guy was going to buy, it didn't necessarily have to be her. But he ended up hitting a jackpot, finding a raw diamond. Thanks to that, he didn't leave her in that burned village.

As he interacted with her, he noticed this peculiar girl was unusual, in every sense of the word. She possessed unthinkable magic power, but more than that, her actions, behaviors, and way of thinking were different than any other girls he knew.

A little naive for her age, with a good brain and a good character, signs of having been raised in a good family and receiving a good education, but what's funny, she didn't possess any knowledge at all, not even what commoners knew.

Her mannerism was good, her posture was straight, but unlike a noble girl who personified a swan, nor a rich merchant's daughter who personified a cat, the girl behaved like a commoner but unlike a commoner either. And she didn't seem wanting to share her personal life. In short, her existence was a puzzle to solve.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Well, I'm just looking around, trying to find something to do, learning stuff. Maybe I could also be helpful." Showing him her nervous smile.

"In cargo room?" His eyebrow raised.

"I saw yesterday when they were loading cargoes to the ship. I was just interested in the loads."

"Are you aware that there are only men here?"

"It's the same everywhere, Mirra and me are the only females on the ship."

And that's her stubborn answer.

"It's not the same. These are rough men and you were coming alone in such a place."

She lifted her face, looking straight at him with her purple eyes. Her gaze was pure, reflecting the soul inside the body.

"Aren't they your men? Besides they look like nice guys."

He sighed heavily. (Didn't she realize she just being courted earlier?)

Since he was quiet, she started feeling awkward. Her gaze looking left and right, except to his direction. And when she looked down, he thought she would be apologizing, but when she lifted her face up, she said, "Thank you for worrying about me! But after that incident in the village, I always brought my lucky charm with me!"

"Lucky charm?"

Rena took something out from her pocket and showed it to him.

"This is my lucky charm!"

There was a rusty chisel on her palm.

Something snapped inside him, he wanted to teach her a lesson so she would understand. Her bright innocent expression lit the burning amber in him. He moved closer to her, blocking her path to escape, and pinned her body with his against the wall. Her expression changed suddenly.

"W-what are you doing?!"

Rena held the chisel tightly, but his hand was a lot stronger and faster than her. He held her wrist, so she couldn't move it.

"Can you still say the same now?"

She glared at him, but she wasn't fighting back. He saw her face turning red, but her gaze carried a resolute look. From this distance, he could smell a faint smell of a spring flower coming from her, not the one of perfume or soap, but her scent.

"You better raise your guard more." Frei let go of her.

"I don't have any idea what you did with that chisel before, but lucky charm just as the name implied, lucky. You might not get so lucky next time." He warned her.

She bit her lips, gazing down, still with a flustered face.

Frei was aware that the girl was trying to resist his approach. She played dumb, ignored him, or sometimes puckered her lips showing her annoyance. That's why he was having fun teasing her many times, her expressions were funny and cute. It was amusing to look at.

But just now, when she glared at him with resolute eyes but all red in the face, something inside him melted. He didn't understand what was that, but he wanted to eat her. So, he stopped before something really happened. If there's something he wouldn't allow himself to do, it was forcing himself physically to someone else. He had seen it and he had lived it.

"So... Did you want to try that Black Teposa?" He tried distracting himself.

"Can I?" She couldn't hide her smile, showing a clear expectation.

He opened the barrel and took one fruit, split it in half and gave it to her.

"Here, try it."

She took half of the fruit from him, her eyes sparkled. "Thank you..."

"It looks like a chocolate pudding..." She muttered in a small voice but Frei heard her.

(What's a chocolate pudding?)

And she ate it. Her cheeks munching the fruit was like a squirrel eating nuts, clearly expressed that she liked it. He couldn't help chuckling a bit.

"Do you like it?" He asked.

"Yeah, I like the mildly sweet taste." She said.

"Ah, there's leftover left on your cheek." Frei moved his hand, wiping her cheek with his finger.

Her body stiffened but she remained calm, "Uhm, thank you."

He smiled. The girl was interesting and adorable, moreover, she would be useful to him. Tasting her was okay, right? She belonged to him anyway.

"May I know what are you doing here as well?" She asked.

"I'm just going to check up the cargo we load yesterday, matching it with the list, and finding a solution if they found any problem. Do you want to take a look around with me?"

"Y-yes!" She answered enthusiastically.

He gave a tour around the place and she kept asking many questions about the goods there. He wondered if he could be more surprised at just how clueless Rena was, it was like she was living in a high tower all her life. She didn't even know the name of common ingredients. Her eyes genuinely conveyed her curiosity, just like little kids trying to learn the world around them.

"Ohh, these are spices!" She shouted.

(Oh? Finally, something she knew?)

She moved around sniffing the spices.

"Whoa, these are cloves, nutmegs, saffron, cardamoms, and many more! Amazing!"

(What is she talking about?)

Her back was facing him, she bent her body scooping one of the spice with her hand.

"I want to cook..." She spoke in an undertone voice, but he could hear what she said.

"You know how to cook?"

"Well, yeah... A little." Startled, her body twitched a little. She got wary.

"Really?" His eyebrow twitched.

Frei got even more curious, this girl who didn't even know the names of the goods, just how would she know how to cook? And then an idea popped into his mind.

"Could you cook for me then? I'll let you use these ingredients."

"Really?" She stared at him with her big purple eyes.

"Yep. But if I don't like it, I'll eat you."

"Ehh?!!"

"You can back down if you are afraid." A mischievous smile spread across his face.

---

Extra: Rena's Interview

Spoiler

Hello, this is Author-san. I got an inspiration to make this page from Ikaze. There are requests to explain about the characters better, so I thought it's better to ask them directly. Today, I call our MC to explain more about herself!

A-san: Can you tell me a little about yourself?

Rena: Hi, my name is Aoki Rena. I'm 22 years old, but my current body is around 16-17 years old. That's only my guess, I don't know when and where I was born, I don't even know the name I have in Terrasia...

A-san: Well, I hope you'll be able to remember it soon. (Lie. I'm the author, I know it won't happen anytime soon.)

Rena: Thank you!

A-san: Can you also describe a little about your appearance? There are requests from the readers about that.

Rena: Uhm, it's weird trying to explain about my own appearance...

A-san: Sorry! A-san wasn't doing a good job about that! Can Rena-chan do that?? Pretty please??

Rena: Ok, I'll try. What do you want to know?

A-san: For starter, how about your hair color and eye color?

Rena: My hair is black. It's short now, but no biggie, it will grow back again. My eye color is just like my predecessor who's called The Amethyst Wizard, it's the color of that gemstone. Oh, btw, it's only the pupil. I got a nightmare where my eyes turned all purple and then it slowly spread into my skin, my hair, my teeth... *shiver*

A-san: You have very vivid imagination, Rena-chan. Next, can you tell me about your height and three sizes?

Rena: Ehh?! Why the sizes too?! No, I don't know about that!

A-san: Lie. Saola measured it for you. I'll give you a gold coin if you say it, how's it?

Rena: ...Fine. My height is 160 cm and my three sizes are 86-58-89 cm.

A-san: Well done, Rena-chan. Is there any notable feature you want to mention?

Rena: Not really, but I'm happy that I don't have any pimple on my face! Banzai!

A-san: Lucky you. How about your voice? Can you describe it?

Rena: Hmm, I'd say it's alto soprano. What do you think, A-san?

A-san: I think you have a sweet breathy voice. It reminds me of Lauren Aquilina's. Next question, what's your favorite food?

Rena: I like... Hmm... That's a hard question. I like too many foods, so I don't have any particular food I like. Trying a new dish is what I like. Nothing too extreme though.

A-san: Then is there any particular food you miss?

Rena: Yeah, I want Takoyaki. A-san, can you send me Takoyaki, please?

A-san: I can't do that, Rena-chan. I haven't had one for a long time either.
Hey, you can make one there, I'm sure it will be popular.

Rena: I won't ask you if I can make one here. Un, I'll try to make one someday! Must make the tool and find the ingredients first.

A-san: Good luck with that! Ok, the next question is coming from Ikaze. Are you aware of Jun's feeling toward you?

Rena: ...What do you mean?

A-san: Don't answer a question with another question, Rena-chan.

Rena: I don't want to guess, A-san. He never told me anything.

A-san: So, if he were to confess, would you accept it?

Rena: Err, there's no point to think about this. This 'what if' will never happen with my current situation.

A-san: Then what type of guy do you like?

Rena: Physically, I don't really care how they look, but they must be clean and neat! It's very important! I just want someone who is sincere and reliable, who can spend a lot of time with me, making a lot of memories together until we're old.

A-san: Those aren't hard requirements to fulfill, but I understand where you are coming from. Basically, the opposite of your father.

Rena: Yeah... Dad is a great person, but I wish we could spend more time together...

A-san: Oh, no. Don't be sad, Rena-chan! We're not done yet here! Awawawa! So, have you ever been in love?

Rena: Yea, I had a boyfriend when I was in 9th grade. Let's not talk about that. Ugh...

A-san: Ok then. Next, do you have any romantic interest in the guys around you right now?

Rena: Huh? Nothing of the sort.

A-san: Really? How about Frei? He has look, money, and a gentleman. You even admitted that he was like the prince character in the otome game. Don't you like him?

Rena: The way you put it make him scarily perfect, it feels unreal. Hmm, I like him, he is nice and easy to talk with. Despite keep teasing me like that, he never crossed the line. But romantically... err, I don't know anything about him? He may be taken already. Even if he's available, at a glance you know he is the type that has many women surrounding him. Catfight is troublesome. Also, he's hard to read. Figuring him out is troublesome too.

A-san: Haha... Then, how about Jean?

Rena: He is troublesome in a different way. All those nightmares... *shiver*

A-san: How about Sebastian?

Rena: Eh? I'm not a fan of the huge age gap... That would be troublesome.

A-san: How about Senka?

Rena: Who? Oh, that guy.

A-san: Hmm... Rena-chan, last question, I just want to make sure, but what's your sexual orientation?

Rena: I'm straight. Why are you asking that?

A-san: You don't seem to have any interest in guys.

Rena: Should I?

A-san: Uh, oh... Well, we hope you will fall in love soon! Because I tagged your story as romance. Good luck on Finding Love In Another World, Rena-chan! Thank you for answering the questions! Bye~

Rena: Huh?! W-wwaaaiittt!!!

 

Chapter 19

Spoiler

Chapter 19: Activities On The Ship: Sebastian

“Please refrain doing something like that next time.”

Sebastian told the ship’s logistic head, Vins.

“Yes, sir! I won’t do it again!” He stood straight, speaking in a loud affirmative tone.

Despite quite young, Vins was a capable man, his track records were also good. It was Sebastian who recommended this position for him. As a single young guy, it couldn’t be helped that he wanted to flirt with girls sometimes. The problem was he picked the wrong girl at the wrong time.

“Alright then. Is there any issue concerning the goods?”

“We brought much fresh produce this time and we need to be careful about their preservation, especially the Crescent fruits.” Vins said.

“Ok, I’ll convey it to Master Frei. Thank you, Vins. Is there anything else?”

“No, sir.”

“Then you may go now. Oh, can you help me find Senka? Tell him to get the item from Johann.”

“Yes, sir!”

Sebastian watched Vins walked away. Now that he had driven away Vins, he wouldn’t return to that room soon enough. Sebastian turned around, coming back to the place he just left before. His master was still inside the room with the girl, pinning the girl on the wall. Oops, he didn’t mean to peak or intrude them. He knew it would become like this when Master Frei told him to lecture Vins, it was good after all to send him away.
Sebastian stood a little further away from the door, waiting faithfully there.
He reminiscence that day, everything went according to the plan. When Lord Sennan’s underling took the girl away, he went back to report it to his master. Sebastian stayed at the inn while his master went to the village. But when he returned, he told Sebastian to use the communication gem, to contact Jean Jaunice right away. As expected, he came right away despite his own circumstances.

When he brought Sir Jaunice to Miss Saola’s residence, for the first time since a long time, he saw a concerned look on the face of the man he had sworn to protect, looking at the unconscious girl laying on the bed. His action that night couldn’t be called successful either. Their initial plan was to gather evidence and to capture Lord Sennan, faking his death, but he ended up killing that guy for real. All the traces that could be a hint now were erased by Haffa kingdom, not because the kingdom was involved in this matter, they just tried to prevent a war on their land.

His trail of thoughts was halted when he heard footsteps. Master Frei and Miss Serena came out, with the latter had a troubled look on her face.

“Sebastian, could you guide Serena to the kitchen? She will cook for me.” He said.

“I also give her access to get anything she wants from here.”

“Yes, sir.” He bowed. “Please follow me, Miss Serena.”

The young girl followed Sebastian obediently.

He took a glance at the young maiden before he turned around, he couldn’t imagine what kind of situation that led to this. Naturally, he knew this was just his master’s whimsical idea. But, it was different than the way he usually treated women.
What did he want with this girl? Why cooking?

It was the task that even Sebastian had a headache with. Not many who knew that his master had a bad eating habit, he rarely joined other people for meals because of this.

“Sebastian, what kind of food does Frei like?” She asked.

“Master Frei likes many different types of fruits.” He answered honestly, giving her some information on what she could serve to him.

She tilted her head in confusion, “Well, everyone likes fruits?”

That was understandable reaction coming from her. But he couldn’t say that Master Frei had a terrible eating habit, he could only explain more.
“His diets consist of fruits, grains, eggs, and bread.”

“H-how about meats and vegetables?!” She had bewildered look on her face.

“Master Frei doesn’t like vegetables and he couldn’t eat meat.”

Her jaw dropped. “Does he have some sort of allergy or believe?”

“No, he doesn’t.”

“Then… The meal you brought to me before, is that how he normally eat?”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“I thought it was weird before, it was too sweet. Is he a kid?! How does he survive until now?!”

Sadly, Sebastian couldn’t answer that question. He also thought it was a miracle his master didn’t have any health problem until now.

“…How about fish?” She asked.

“He didn’t like it as well.”

“Mushrooms?”

Sebastian shook his head.

Miss Serena’s complexion was getting paler every second. Sebastian felt sorry for her. It was unusual for Master Frei to treat women this way, but since he looked happy, Sebastian was glad. That’s all he could ask for.

When they arrived at the kitchen, a big bearded guy was busy chopping vegetables, a pile of ingredients was on the table, and a big cauldron was boiling. He looked up, noticing someone else’s presence in the room.

“Yo, Sebastian! What do you need?” He said with a loud voice.

“Hi, Jack. Master Frei wanted Miss Serena here to cook for him.”

“Heeh, he wants someone to cook for him?!” Jack gawked.

“Girl, are you good at cooking… Oh…” He stopped speaking after looking at her. “You are that rumored girl with purple eyes.”

Sebastian frowned a little. Apparently, some gossips had spread with the ship crews about the girl. He wasn’t really surprised though. This was the first time his master bought a girl, with a big sum of money that they couldn’t even gather for ten years.

“Very well, since it’s the boss’ order then I’ll welcome her here!” Jack said. “Come here, girl! I’m Jack. Who’s your name?”

“Serena. Nice to meet you!” Miss Serena nodded a little and smiled at Jack.

“Then I’ll leave her in your care, Jack. Excuse me.”

Sebastian walked out from the kitchen before he left he took another glance to Miss Serena who was talking to Jack now.

Actually, he was curious about what his master planned to do with her, he hadn’t told him yet. Sebastian knew him well enough that all the women he kept by his side had some sort of use to him. In their hope to bind him, to possess him, or to get his love, they’d do anything for him. By now, it had become a second nature to the young man called Frei, to use his charm and attractive features he inherited from his mother to make men and women to do his bidding.

In his heart, Sebastian felt regretful, remembering the sweet timid boy who was as pure as an angel had long gone. He understood very well that experiences changed people.
When he returned to the office, the lavish room was empty, his master didn’t return to this place. A stack of books from last night was left on the sofa, and some parchments from this morning scattered on the table.
He entered the room and started tidying them. He put the parchments in the drawer. He took the books from the soda, lifting them, placing them back in the bookshelves. From those books, one could tell that Master Frei had a wide range of interests, from political ideology book, astronomy, to popular literature women like.
He carefully put them one by one by alphabetical order when one of the books slipped and fell to the floor. He picked the dark blue cover book up and saw the content at a glance. His hand stopped.
It was a magic book.

If there’s one field of interest that his master didn’t read, it was magic. He couldn’t do magic. He looked at the cover and noticed that his master had swapped the cover with another book. There would be no way of knowing what the title of the magic book was.

He grabbed the book, lifting it from the floor. He looked at the open page once again and this time he froze, his eyes widened before being replaced by a soft expression mixed with a sorrowful gaze, recognizing whose handwriting inside the book.

He traced gently that handwriting. It had been a long time ago, but he still remembered how she drew the circle starting from the right, not from the left, or how she stroked this particular letter. It was still vivid in his memory, her laughs, her lively spirit, her long ginger hair and her baby blue eyes.

His beloved Freyja.

He understood how much effort the young blonde guy put just to get this book. He treasured Freyja just like him, to the point of adopting her name as his new identity. He also knew his master still blamed himself up until this day of what happened to her during that day.

Really, that wasn’t his fault. If he was at fault then Sebastian was also at fault too, for leaving her alone even though it was supposed to be their wedding day in the next few weeks. He went to another kingdom for a short mission, thinking everything would be alright.

For a long time, he only stared at the page on the book. After organizing all his feelings, he closed the book and placed it on the shelves. Sebastian turned his gaze out the window, looking at the vast open sea. He swore to Freyja that no matter what, he would protect the boy she saved with her life.

After done tidying the place, there wasn’t any sign Master Frei would come back to this place soon. So, he decided to use this opportunity to visit Senka. Sebastian quit the office and went to his adoptive son’s cabin.

When he was closed enough to his room, a loud noise could be heard from inside.

“Hey, please pay attention! Aren’t you suppose to teach me?!”

It was Mirra’s voice, the survivor of Kappa Village. Master Frei took her and under Sebastian’s suggestion, they decided to train the girl. She possessed some skills already, so they only needed to sharpen her.

Sebastian knocked the door, “Senka, it’s me.”

Senka opened the door right away. His expression telling Sebastian that he had enough with her.

“Miss Mirra, why are you here? Isn’t still too early for you to practice with Senka?”

“That’s because this guy refused to teach me!” She was pointing her finger at Senka.

“Alright. I’ll have a word or two with him. Could you please leave us for now?”

“Tch! Find then.” Her voice was irritated, but she followed Sebastian’s demand and walked to the door.

*bam!*

She closed the door, leaving Sebastian and Senka in the room.

Senka ignored him. He was naturally an unsocial guy and losing his voice just make it worse. Sebastian picked him, a wild boy who lived in the slums, he managed to survive by himself after his mother poisoned him, attempting a double suicide. The boy survived but unable to speak anymore because of the poison. When Sebastian took him, he refused any treatment they offered to heal his voice. As the one who raised him and trained him, Senka was loyal to him even though he couldn't help showing up his quick temper sometimes.

He faced Senka, “Is it that bad teaching her? She seems very enthusiastic to learn.”

Senka didn’t show any reaction. Sebastian knew Senka didn’t like to get involved with other people, and he was especially bad at dealing with the assertive or aggressive type. Sebastian should be the one who taught her, but he was busy these days. Also, he thought this was a good opportunity to let Senka interacted with other people.

“If she did something that stepped on your privacy and you feel offended, let her know, I taught you how to read and write for that purpose.”

Senka frowned for a second. He seemed not to like the idea.

“I’m sure you understand her situation, she doesn’t have anybody else in this world. Teach her some skills, like I teach you before. As long as she can be useful to others, the world wouldn’t be such a bad place to live with.”

Senka lowered his gaze. For a long time, there wasn’t any reaction from him, but Sebastian kept waiting patiently. In the end, he nodded a little.

Sebastian stared at his adoptive son. He didn’t know if he was ever a good parent to him, their relationship was more of teacher and student. He strictly taught Senka all the fighting techniques he knew; swordsmanship, hand combats, and Senka excelled on all of those. After all, he was special.

“By the way, did Vins came by earlier?”

Senka nodded, then his hands moved signaling that he hadn’t had a chance to take the item.

“Okay, then could you take it now?”

He nodded once again, and with a swift move, left the place.

“Alright, I need to check Miss Serena again if she was doing okay in the kitchen.”

When Sebastian arrived in the kitchen, he found Mirra was also there. But she and Jack had a dumbfounded look plastered on their face. Their gaze switched between the foods on the table and the girl who was moving around in the kitchen, drooling. Sebastian halted for a moment before noticing what’s going on. He then walked into the kitchen, approaching Mirra and Jack. The moment he looked at the food on the kitchen table, his serious expression changed, he was unaware that he stared at the food with open mouth.

That was the most beautiful fruit pie, he had ever seen in his life. The colorful sliced fruits were line up neatly in a circular pattern on the surface, glazed with something shiny, which transformed the fruits like precious gems. The sweet fresh baked aroma permeated from the pie teasing his sense of smell. He swallowed his saliva, he instinctively knew this fruit pie would taste amazing. This masterpiece would even shame the royal palace chefs.

Now mimicking the expression of the other two, he looked at Miss Serena like someone who had been told that a dog could lay eggs. The girl in front of him was still busy cooking something else. The cauldron was bubbling and nearby Miss Serena flipping sticks on the grill. He recognized the silver prawns that now had changed color to red, it was coated with caramelized honey brown. She then returned to the pot, checking the stuff inside.

“Umm… I think it’s done.” She said.

“Oh, Sebastian?” She turned around noticing Sebastian’s presence there.

“I’m almost done with the foods here. Could you call Frei to try it? I want the food to be served when it’s still warm.” She smiled at him.

Sebastian gulped, feeling hungry suddenly. A dark thought appeared on his mind, maybe he should try the food first, excusing it as poison testing. No, Master Frei would know about that. But he wanted to try it.

“…Yes, Miss Serena. I’ll look for Master Frei and tell him to try Miss Serena’s cooking.”

He turned around feeling regretful to leave the kitchen.



—

 

Aaagghhh I want to see his reaction to the fooooooooood

(Is it obvious that I love food?)

 

Fooood foooood there is no sincerer love than the love of food!

Here's a cookie for you~

 

COOOOOOOKKKKKKKKIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEE
THANKSHOYU

 

Chapter 20

Spoiler

Chapter 20: Activities On The Ship: Jean

"Yeah, I have informed Valia Kingdom's Magician Guild about my decision."

"How about your father?"

"He doesn't have anything to do with it."

"This is you, we're talking about."

The black feather pen stopped, his hand pressed the tip against the parchment, leaving a blotch ink. His left eye twitched, annoyed by this silly mistake. Now, he must rewrite the formula again.

"Exactly, this is about me. My decision has nothing to do with them."

Fire came from his hand, burning the parchment.

Frei whistled as Jean’s magic burning the parchment like an instantaneous combustion, acknowledging the handy skill. And then he spoke, "There will be a huge problem when we arrived in Valia."

Jean now gave his full attention to Frei, he would write the formula again later. His eyes moved to his friend who was sitting across the room.

"Just deal with it like you always do."

With his palm on the cheek supporting his head, he threw an exasperated sigh at Jean.

"You are the one who dragged me into this. Do you regret it now?" Jean said.

"On second thought, you’re worth the trouble." Frei said, with one of the corners of his mouth lifted, his sea-green eyes reflecting the light coming through the window.

Jean massaged his forehead. That kind of embarrassing line he casually spoke with an alluring smile had made the maids in his household misunderstood of their relationship. Whenever Frei visited his house, they would secretly gather, hiding behind the wall, whispering excitedly.

To be honest, he disliked Frei when they first met. Even as a boy, he already had that fake smile plastered on his face, never revealing his own thoughts. It was a twist of fate that made them become good friends like this.

Frei moved a little, stretching his body. "So… How was yesterday?"

"What about yesterday?"

"Your lesson with Rena." He smiled as if trying to hide the curiosity in his eyes.

He gave a thought before speaking, "She is a quick learner, I don't know if it's related to her abundant magic power or not, but she mastered a spell easily. With a little practice, I believe she could master basic spells faster than average magicians. Besides, she is very eager to learn."

"Oh, I'm glad then. It's very rare for you to praise someone." Frei chuckled a little.

"Frei, what are you going to do with her?"

He tilted his head. "Hmm?"

Sometimes, Frei reminded him of a cat. He would play with a ball of yarn excitedly and then left the next second. But this time, it might be a ticking bomb he played with.

"I don't plan to snoop around your business, but that girl will be too big of a problem to handle for you someday. If any kingdom realized her existence, they would want to monopolize her, especially the Hisute Empire. What do you want to gain by keeping her?"

A war could break when great political powers wanted to claim her, he was only a merchant, no matter how big his business now, he shouldn’t put his feet on the place where the big cats fought and killed each other.

There was a long silence when the two guys staring at each other.

Finally, Frei opened his mouth, "Even if it's Jean, I can't tell you. Maybe someday?”

"I knew you would say that."

Jean gave up pursuing this matter. Even though they were close, Frei didn't fully trust him or anyone else, except Sebastian. He wondered if that someday would ever come.

Jean never knew what Frei wanted to do with his life. If Frei were serious, he could have achieved more. If he wanted political power, he could marry a noble daughter. Instead, he wasted his time, playing with many flowers, going from places to places. And now, he kept a girl who could destroy everything he had.

*knock* *knock*

"Excuse me, this is Sebastian. I heard Master Frei is here."

That was the voice of Frei's loyal assistant, Sebastian. He was about to stand when Frei signaled him that he would open it. He stood up from the chair and walked toward the door.

"Yes, Sebastian? Did something happen?"

"I apologize for my rudeness, everything is alright. Miss Serena said to inform you that the dish is ready."

"Oh?" Frei sounded happy. "It's a little soon for lunch, but I want to try it. Let’s go, Jean.”

"Huh? Why do I need to go as well?"

"Because it's not good to stay in the room all day. If I don’t take you out, you would hole up all day in this room. Besides, something interesting might happen.”

"Very well." Jean took his offer.

Jean couldn't help but get curious. Sebastian acted unusually, seemed to have something else to say. If something disturbing that sly man, he wanted to know what was the cause.

They quit the room, walking to his office. Sebastian left after informing them he would bring the dish there. Having known Frei for ten years, Jean knew he must scheme something here.

"What are you pulling this time?” He asked.

"Nothing, I just want to eat something.” Frei showed him that cover up smile again.

Jean frowned. He knew his friend eating habit. Someone must starve Frei to death first before he said he wanted to eat.

Also, making that girl worked in the kitchen would only waste her time. Instead of studying magic and developing her magical talent, he wasted her time for his amusement.

“Why would you make that girl cook? Don’t you have a chef already?”

“Well, she said she wanted to cook before.”

“Huh? She knows how to cook?” Jean raised one of his eyebrows.

“About that, I’m curious as well. A few hours ago, I found her wandering in the cargo room below, wanting to know about the goods I sold, so I gave her a little tour. Surprisingly, she didn't know the name of any single goods there."

"It's not surprising. She has amnesia."

"Hee, amnesia...?" Frei gave a side glance at him. “Tell me more about it."

"She told me she has amnesia. That’s it. I don't have anything more to tell."

Actually, Jean wasn't convinced she had amnesia. Her reactions toward the potions he gave her didn't show any sign that the girl lost her memory, but she was as clueless as someone who didn't have any memory.

Since that night when he sensed the magic activated from the communication gem he gave to Frei, Jean couldn’t rest peacefully at night. His thoughts keep racing, thinking to solve the mystery of this purple eyes girl. His researcher's instinct tingled wanting to know the truth.

(If she doesn't have any memory, why would she be interested in other world summoning? Common people don't care about, the theory related to other world summoning...)

(In the first place, all her answers related to her identity were too vague...)

"Jean?" Frei tapped his shoulder.

Jean snapped back to reality. “Eh?”

"Geez, you always forget about your surrounding when busy with your thoughts."

"There is something I couldn't figure it out, it's bothering me." He avoided Frei's gaze.

"I see... Just don't overthink about it, if your hair turned white sooner than your old man, he would shed pitiful tears."

"Shut up."

It became the usual banter between them until they arrived at his office. His office was the display of his success as a merchant, although it was only a small office in the ship. He had a small library and a painting from a famous artist. His wooden desk was made out of one fine giant trunk. The sofa in the middle of the room was made from the highest quality leather and under it lay a carpet with intricate design.

A small table for two placed near the window.

They sat there, waiting for Sebastian to come.

"Frei, you'd only waste her potential, playing this game of yours."

"I swore that I don't force her to do this. She was the one who said she wanted to cook."

"Oh, really?"

With that usual mischievous smile, he said, "We made a little bet though."

A moment later Sebastian knocked the door. When he came in, Serena was following him. Soon enough, her gaze was exploring the room, her head moved a little, matching her gaze. From these past few days he observed her, Serena had curiosity and she listened well. At first, he didn't really care about how he should teaching her, he just wanted to observe her. But, seeing her working hard with her training made him want to teach her more. In the end, he was glad to teach her.

While Sebastian putting the dish on the table, she stood behind him, looking nervous. Staring at the dish she made on the table. Jean looked at the dish in front of him.

(Amnesia? She certainly knows how to cook.)

He was irritated.

Jean didn't like being deceived. Well, nobody did. But telling him a stupid lie that was easily discovered made him extremely annoyed. It felt like she was underestimating his intelligence.

(If you want to lie, lie better. Stick to it!)

Jean looked at Frei, wanting to know his thought, but the other person sitting at the other end was entranced by the dish in front of him.

"Re-Rena..., you make... these?" Frei said in a disbelieved tone, he didn't blink for a long time.

He knew about Frei's weakness. Not only he was very picky with his foods, Frei had a soft spot for sweets. And, in front of them right now was a stunning dessert, worthy to be called a masterpiece.

Jean shook his head, his friend obviously wanted to eat that. Frei had forgotten the mask he supposed to wear, swallowing his saliva. His hand was about to move when Serena snatched the pie.

"No! You must eat the dish first! If you don't eat the dish, I won't give the dessert to you!"

"Huh..." Frei startled.

"Does nobody ever teach you that?"

"But..." He wanted to protest.

"You said you were going to eat my food earlier!"

Jean bit his lips, just now he wanted to laugh. He disguised it by covering his mouth with his hand. It was a rare view to see Frei got scolded. Usually, this guy could smoothly get his way, watching him being completely conquered because of food was really entertaining.

Frei gave in. Listening to what she said, he scooped the soup into the bowl and sipped it, he paused. Without making any comment, he dipped his spoon to get a second.

(Heh, trying to act cool. Just admit it that you like it.)

Jean switched his gaze to the food in front of him. "What's this?"

"It's just... my variation of steamed egg. I found some ingredients in the pantry and Jack let me use it. It was easy to make and kids usually like it!" Her voice carried nervousness but she spoke every word clearly.

Jean dipped his spoon in the cup and ate it. It had a mild flavor and the familiar taste of egg, giving a warm feeling in the heart, its soft silky texture made the food slid easily in the throat. She executed the delicate dish perfectly.

"I like it." He gave her his honest opinion.

"Thank you!" A smile spread on her face, she was relieved.

The next thing on the plate was seafood.

"I don't like a prawn." Frei said suddenly.

"No dessert." She replied curtly.

"......Fine. But if I still don't like it, you know what that means, right?"

"J-just try it!" She shouted.

Frei nibbled at the food and chewed it with a doubtful look. There were a few seconds of silence until he swallowed it.

"It's... sweet..."

"Yeah, I coated the prawns with honey, mixed with some spices, garlic, and a little salt before grilling it. I found kids usually liked it."

Jean was trying hard suppressing his laugh, glancing at sulking expression of Frei who kept being compared with kids, Jean almost forget to try his food. She obviously had learned that Frei was difficult to please with food, like a spoiled-rotten noble kid.

Jean bit the prawn and a melting combination of sweet and savory invading his palette.

"This is delicious." The words spontaneously flew from him.

Jean was impressed by the second dish, at the same time, his suspicion toward the girl became stronger. The perfect blend of spices, the rich deep flavor sipping through the meat, the roasted surface giving special aroma tingling the sense of smell while the meat was still soft and juicy inside, perfect grilling timing. And what surprised him, he never knew honey can be used like this. The caramelized honey was amazing.

(Only a chef who has been exposed to a lot of cuisines and pocketing years of cooking experience could make this kind of dish.)

In this world, where spices were still considered as luxury commodities, only when one worked in the palace that they could get the opportunity to touch many different types ingredients and spices from all over the world, taking an apprenticeship with more experienced chefs, and doing experiments to create a new dish.

One wouldn't know what to do with all of these stuff without a sufficient experience.

(This is the level of Valia's royal palace head chef... No, even compare to royal palace head chef's dish, I think she's better...)

Jean, of course, as a noble had been invited to the parties in the king's palace. Yet, he was astonished by Rena's dish.

Frei quickly finished his plate and without waiting for Sebastian's help, sliced the pie. He didn't say anything, but Jean who was sitting in front of him could see that he blushed a little when he put the pie in his mouth. The guy was trying hard to hide it by lowering his face.

The pie definitely looked stunning, decorated with shining red, blue, green, and yellow fruits. It was a little small for a pie, but since she originally made it only for a single person, it was understandable. Sebastian stepped forward and gave a slice for him. Jean cut the tip with his spoon and then put it in his mouth. The crust made a good sound when he crunched it, the sweet fluffy filling inside mixed with cheese was soft, just a good amount of sugar, also the fruits gave a refreshing feeling, not to make someone's feel heavy when eating it. But what's weird, it was cool.

(Didn't she just finish making it?)

"How did you make this pie?" Jean asked her since Frei was quiet.

"Rather than fruit pie, it's called fruit tart." She said.

"Oh, then how did you make this fruit tart?"

Her face stiffened and she bit her lips. "It's a secret recipe..."

Wrong answer. If he wanted to know it, then she must give him an explanation. But it wasn't a good time to pursue the answer. Just wait, he would definitely ask it again.

He looked at the pie and there was only a slice left, he almost shouted in surprise because Frei had eaten three-quarter of it with incredible speed, and a new slice was on his plate.

And Jean took the last piece, his friend's hand twitched a little when he did that.

"Eating too many sweets isn't good."

Watching Frei's anguished look was fun, the guy could be childish sometimes even if he tried to cover it.

"Uhm, so... how is it?" Serena asked.

"It's wonderful. I'm glad I could taste your dish, Serena. Moreover, I definitely see something interesting." He sneered looking at Frei.

It wasn't only because of Frei who got overturned by his own game. That was certainly amusing in its own right. But Jean was sure now, the girl never lost her memory. It was true that she hadn't any knowledge about magic or everything around her, but at the same time, she carried unusual knowledge within her.

Jean had a theory, a crazy idea, an impossible one, but he couldn't shake it off his mind.

(I must keep observing her, I'll find the truth someday.)

--

Note: I'm tired... zzz.

 

Go sleeeep if you're tired!
FINALLY SAW THE FOOD REACTION HHHHHH
Lol it made me hungry Imma go get some food

Btw, I would like to suggest in writing uhm....

in this part it would be nice if you expressed it in a way that 'shows' "As he placed the food into his mouth his expression warped into surprise. This!? It's sweet! But also... savory? The flavor seeps deep into the meat giving it a special aroma that explodes when you bite into it. Furthermore the meat is not at all hard but soft and juicy!

But what impressed him the most was... the honey. She coated the meat with honey, which gave it a sweet taste but also had the effect of softenning the meat."

^ in that way you can immerse the reader a bit more. You can mix description with the thoughts of a person in a single line to add to the immersion but mostly my point is that you can describe using dialogue/thought of a person. I italicized the "thought" portion.

I hope it helps ;;;; (pls dont let my criticism let you downnnn)

 

Hmm, but don't you think writing an reaction is just not that great. I read few novel regarding food before, it just not entertaining nor appetizing

 

I'll rather Liya focus on cute or love dovey atmosphere of cooking.

 

Ooh, I appreciate your suggestion!! I'm kind of worry actually that nobody criticize me. 'Cause I want to improve but I don't know which part to improve if nobody is saying anything. Too crappy to be criticized?!

This is a good lesson for me. Thanks so much. <3

 

I'll try, although I'm not going to focus the story to just food. It's a way for her to get money.
Thank you for your suggestion as well, I'll remember to put some cuteness when writing the story!

 

Chapter 21

Spoiler

Chapter 21: A Little Busy

He sulked.

After what happened five days ago, Frei asked her to become his personal chef, emphasizing she must make sweets for two snack times every day. But his face when saying those words was like a little boy's pouting. She couldn't say to him that he was somewhat cute acting like that. She bit her lips to hide her satisfied smile.

"Take that!" She said after leaving his office.

It was his own fault for underestimating her. She didn't know the name of the foods here. But, back in the days, besides helping to cut the food cost, cooking her own foods made her able to try many recipes from the internet, so her food repertoire was large. As long as there were similar seasonings, flavors, textures, and tools, she could make any dish she wanted.

Rena was glad that her love for food saved her in the end.

Her schedule was full now. In the morning, she woke up and went to the kitchen right away. She also started giving some lessons to Jack after he said he would pay her. It ended good for her, with one little problem.

Jean persistently asked her about the food she made during their lesson with that nasty brown potion on the table next to him. She was sure he used that to threaten her. Truth to be told, the night before, she was secretly practicing magic from the book he gave. She used the wind and ice magic to hasten the process of making the fruit tart.

"I'll tell you how I made it if you stop giving me all those weird potions!"

He wasn't pleased but he agreed with her condition. Ironically, she didn't know that it's all thanks to those memory potions she gulped that she could easily memorize all the spells in The Basic Runes book. Her memory enhanced now.

Currently, Rena was in Jean's cabin for her magic study. Jean was sitting comfortably in the armchair, reading a book and eating Rena's potato chips while she was standing in the middle of the room. The plan for today was to check her progress in study.

"Can you cast Shield now?" Jean said.

"Yes, I've successfully learned how to keep up the barrier."

"Let me see it."

A ten centimeters rock suddenly appeared from his hand and he threw it at Rena.

She thrust her hand. "Shield!

And a protection barrier appeared. It was the most basic of barrier magic, deflecting physical attack. The rock hit the barrier and rebounded roughly.

"Good reflex there."

"Geez, you surprise me!" Rena shouted.

"That's the point."

Jean crushed the rock with his magic and it turned to sand.

"Ok, this time show me fire, using both of your hands. One is the size of your hand, and one is smaller."

She lifted both of her hands and said, "Fire."

Sparks appeared and then the fire flickered on her palms, one was as big as her hand and the one is the size of candle fire.

"Well done. You have good control of your magic now."

"Yes! Thank you." She nodded.

She lowered her arms and the fire disappear.

"Jean, I have a question." She said, looking at Jean.

His eyes were glued to the book even during the time she was casting a spell.

"Go ahead." He replied.

"My fire can't fly."

"Be more specific."

"You know I was hit by fire magic before. I just realized when casting Fire that I couldn't throw it, I tried throwing it but it was super slow and the fire quickly disappeared."

"So, you are saying you tried throwing fire on the ship?" He said it with a flat dry tone and an uninterested expression, but his words were still sharp enough to intimidate her.

"Eh, no no no! I tried throwing it in the sea! I swear!"

She broke into a sweat. Jean had promised not to force her drinking the weird potions anymore, but she still might get that for punishment. When he learned that Rena was secretly practicing magic after he told her not to do it without his presence, he was angry. He refused to teach her that day. She ended up drinking the brown color potion and got another nightmare. The next morning, she was afraid of going to the toilet.

"That's because basic runes are just to execute simple spells. You can cast Fire to burn woods or lit a candle, but in that form, it would be hard to use it in a fight. There are more specific spells for that. I'm sure you were talking about the fireball."

"Oh, I see. Fireball, huh."

"It was a simple fire type attack spell. I'll teach you once we arrive on Valia."

Rena smiled, despite his harsh remarks and rigid personality, he was a good teacher.

"Thank you!" She said.

She walked to the empty seat in the room and sat down.

"So Jean, what kind of country is Valia Kingdom?"

"It's a country where brawn rules over brains." Jean replied nonchalantly.

She imagined a lot of muscle heads there. "It sounds bad..."

"Not necessarily. The higher-ups are too stupid on scheming things, so if they have problems, things would easily be settled by swords."

"Then how did you settle a conflict? Jean can't use a sword, right?"

"They are not stupid enough to mess with me."

"Haha... Definitely." Rena had learned that the hard way.

"Serena." He suddenly called her.

He raised his face, his ruby eyes piercing at her.

"Do you want to be my assistant? I know it's still too early for you, but you can also learn a lot from it."

She furrowed her eyebrows, couldn't help but getting wary. After all, from her experience, she had been experimented by this guy.

"What do you want me to do?"

"I have several types of research and experiments, for example, creating a warp portal, I can use your abundant magic power here."

"Uhm, can't anybody else help you with it?"

"Creating a warp portal isn't easy, it needs a lot of energy to last long. I was trying to make a trans-continent one which could endure at least a century."

"In short, you want me as a battery?"

"Basically, yes."

Her left eyebrow twitched. Jean was honest for better or worse. But in the end, talking to him was easier because of his straightforward nature.

"What do I get if I help you?" She asked.

"You get access to my research."

"But I don't even know if it would be useful for me or not." She pursed her lips.

"It's an opportunity to gain deeper knowledge in magic." He frowned as if he couldn't understand what's more important than expanding your knowledge about magic.

"You need to learn people have different interest and motivation."

"What do you want then?" He asked.

"...How much is the salary?"

"Huh? Hmm, I could give you one gold coin per month. Is that enough?"

Rena didn't know whether that amount was high or not, she hadn't had a chance to learn the monetary value in this world. Jack gave her twenty silvers for her one week lesson, he took all his savings for that. She reminded herself to do a little research on the market once the ship arrived at Valia.

"You don’t need to reply now, just think about it." He said.

She nodded. "Yes. I'll think about it."

"Ok, Serena, we're done here for today. Do you have any more questions?"

He closed the book he'd been reading and putting it on the table.

"No, not really. But can I borrow some more books?" She asked.

Jean only gave her The Basic Runes book and she'd done with that. She wanted to learn more.

"If you want more books, just borrow it from Frei. I didn't come here bringing my books, you know."

"Oh... Alright then. I'll ask him later." She replied, feeling a little disappointed.

"Then I'll go preparing dinner first."

She was officially Frei's personal chef now, but she also made dinner for Jean. Frei had given her his approval. In this way, she could thank Jean for teaching her.

Rena stood from her chair. Jean was also doing the same. Although it wasn't necessary for him to do this, he was always courteous. They walked to the exit and he opened the door for her.

Rena gave a little smile, "Thank you, Jean. See ya."

"Yeah, see you later." He replied with a nod.

Rena rushed to the kitchen, a blazing red sunset made a beautiful contrast with her long shadow that following her in the corridor.

In these past few days, she had been thinking how to fix Frei's bad eating habit. She talked to Sebastian about it. All her ideas had been tried by Sebastian. After discussing for an hour, she gave up and asked Sebastian if he had a better idea.

"There's one approach we haven't tried but it might work if it's Miss Serena. Nobody had ever done this because they didn't want to get fired." He said back then.

She was going to try it today.

When she arrived in the kitchen, she saw Mirra there. Mirra was sitting on the stool near the kitchen table, watching Jack preparing dinner.

"Hey, Mirra, Jack!" She greeted them.

"Yo, Serena!" Jack replied, his hands were busy slicing meat.

Since getting a lot of advices from Rena, his seasoning skill had improved a lot and he got many positive feedbacks from the crews. He was the sole chef in the ship, so he was happy when Rena joined him in the kitchen.

Hearing her voice, Mirra turned around and said, "Hey, purple sis, what's for dinner?"

Lately, she always came by when Rena was in the kitchen. And then with a cheeky smile, asking for a little share of the food she made. Thanks to that they quickly became friends now.

"It's Gullinbursti Stew." She said.

It was a monster that resembled a pig in this world.

Rena had learned there were two types of animals in this world. They were called monsters but the first category were just beasts and the second category was called magical beasts. It was the same with plants, there were normal plants and magical plants. Ingredients for cooking generally used the first category.

"Can I try it?" Mirra asked.

"Yes, sure. I have a lot today since it was a stew."

She opened the lid and a milky broth could be seen there. She let it simmer all day long, so the flavor would be there. It was normal for her to did all the prep every morning, so cooking won't take much time. She scooped it with a ladle, pour it in the bowl, garnished it with scallions... or whatever they named it here.

Rena gave the bowl to Mirra and add some side dishes for the stew.

"Ummm, yummy! Purple sis, your cooking is the best!"

"Hehe, thanks, Mirra. I'm glad you like it."

She quickly ate the dish like a starving kid. It was surprising that Mirra ate a lot, after this, she would rush to the canteen to get her dinner portion.

"I like this sausage. Can I have some more, pretty please??"

"Waaiitt! I haven't tried it! You will eat my portion, kiddo!" Jack shouted.

"You are big enough already, old man! You need to lessen your portion!" Mirra shouted back.

"Haha, don't worry, Jack. I told you I made a lot."

This was her happy evening, spending time with Mirra and Jack. She slowly getting used to living in this world.

Rena prepared the food she was going to bring for Frei. That guy wanted her to explain every dish she made, so instead Sebastian, she was the one who kept bringing his meals now. She would go to his office and then quickly return to the kitchen to eat together with Jack, right before the dinner rush.

After putting the dish and tableware on the cart, she said, "Okay, Jack. I'll come back again soon. See ya, Mirra."

Both of them replied at the same time, "Okay!"

Rena pushed the cart carefully and went to Frei's office, she inhaled deeply, preparing herself, before knocking the wooden door.

"Excuse me, this is Serena, I'm bringing food for dinner."

"Yes, come in." Frei's voice coming from inside the room.

She was about to open the door, but Sebastian had opened it for her.

"Thank you, Sebastian." She smiled, appreciating the help.

As usual, he had a serious experience. Giving a slight nod, he moved aside to let her entered the room. "You're welcome, Miss Serena."

Frei was sitting on his desk right now, writing something on the parchments. His golden hair reflecting the bright sunlight that came from the window. He stopped writing and put his pen down when Rena approached him.

"Uhm, I'm just going to put the food there if you were busy." She said, pointing at the small table near the window.

"Nah, it's okay. I need a break anyway."

Frei got up from his desk and approached her. His face looked tired, faint dark circles could be seen around his eyes.

"So what's for dinner this time?" Sitting on the chair there.

"I made a stew."

Sebastian took the bowl and put it in front of Frei.

"Oh? What kind of stew is this?" He asked, looking at his bowl.

"Gullinbursti stew." She made a salesman's smile after stealing a glance at Sebastian.

"I'm sure I have told you that I can't eat meat." His showed a displeased expression.

"That isn't meat I put it there. And you ate my shrimp before. Also, the side dishes were potato salad, pickled cucumber, and egg rolls. There are berries and blue apple slices too."

"So what is this?" He frowned, looking at the contents of the stew.

"It's a sausage. The filling was made from pasta and Gullinbursti's blood.

He flinched. "...I'm not eating this."

"Can you try it first?"

"No, I don't want it."

(Stubborn.)

He shoved the bowl to the side and ate the side dishes.

"Oh, I put soft mincemeat in the egg rolls and potato salad. Do you like it?" She said it casually like she forgot to mention it before, but this was intentional.

His eyes widened for a second as she continued speaking.

"The problem is not about the meat, right? You can eat it fine if you don't realize what it is. Sebastian said you could eat it fine when you were a kid."

He didn't reply. The room was silent for a while until he stood up.

"Well, I'm done here. You can take back the dish."

Frei quit the room, leaving Sebastian and Rena there.

---

Note: A little romance next chapter.

 

Do you want to be my assistant

Get access to my research

He frowned as if he couldn't understand....

You don't need to reply now

Do you have any more questions?

All her ideas have been tried by Sebastian


Watch out for your grammar ^^ i pointed out some for you
It's not bad to the point it hurts the eyes though, it's just occasional.

She saw Mirra there.

^ in this case you already told the reader that when Rena arrived at the kitchen she sees Mirra. 'Was' is past tense so it sounds kinda awkward in this sentence.

I hope my checking helpssss

I do also like to read about the food and cooking process but maybe it's because I cook that I look forward to the reactions more. I also think that it would be best to mix both the description and reaction together to make it sound more lifelike. I'm just the kind of person who likes to focus a bit more on the reactions ^^

 

Wheee, thank you so much!! This is awesome.
I checked my grammars many times, but I still missed to correct some. The rest were just beyond my level. >.>

I did a minor editing for ch 21. <3