Spoiler Pure White Elizabeth

I hate this kind of story actually, but the way Elizabeth talk isn't child or kid vibes, so somehow it helps me accept it. And after I think again, it's okay for a magician, I mean they lived more than they are young. They lived hundred years, so Ashuelot & Elizabeth's gap age doesn't really matter.

Personally when I was 16-18, when I liked someone older than 20, I think I liked wrong person, but after I enter 20, when I like 25-30, I don't think I like wrong person because both 20-30 is on mature age. So, I mean, maybe it's the same like Ashuelot & Elizabeth. They lived hundred years, Ashuelot doesn't think Elizabeth as kid anymore & Elizabeth doesn't think Ashuelot as her parents or anything like that, moreover from the start, Elizabeth didn't see him as a father/parent.

 

After 577 chapters, It's completed, the ending is as expected

Spoiler: novel ending

Happy ending for Asherot and Elizabeth, I think they got married, but it shouldn't matter, they are together and happy
No mention of them having kids.

 

Thank you so much, last time I checked on this novel a few months ago, was that this wasn't complete but now it finally is done.

 

Thank you kindly! Any side stories forthcoming? Just curious how she fixed the big points any nutshell of it? Was also curious about the vitality thing that was mentioned way at the start of the story - everything all good in that department?

 

Not that I know.

I don't really know, they were talking about teaching some kids...or something like that, tbh, I just wanted to know the ending, and I know it's a happy ending between MC and MC, I dropped the manwha on chapter 33, and I don't really remember much about it, except that he was immortal and they were multiple timelines.

I guess...
I know it's a happy ending, either she became immortal too, or he became mortal, they are happy and together.
I'm sorry, but I don't have the guts and the time to read 577 chapters, maybe one day someone who has read those 577 chapters will decide to give more accurate spoilers

 

If I remember correctly, it was a beneficial marriage for both parties. Enoch truly loved Elizabeth, however Elizabeth had an unrequited love for Ashelotte which never came to fruitation in 1st TL. This is the same for Enoch with his feelings for Elizabeth, however he continued to love her so much that he did everything he could for her. You could say their marriage was for the greater good as Elizabeth was one of the guardians of the world.

The book is 100% objective as 1st TL Elizabeth had also read the contents and approved of it. Ofc, I know that he could've added some at the end after she read it, but Enoch truly loves her so much that he wouldn't dare betray her trust.

Enoch comes from the imperial family who has a blessed ability to pass down their memories to whomever they choose, usually their heir to the throne. However, in order to comply with Elizabeth's request in 1st TL Enoch used that ability for her. Enoch from the 2nd TL/current TL is still in love with Elizabeth (albeit like you said 1st TL Elizabeth tho) as he sends Elizabeth the ring he had gifted her in 1st TL engraved with "to whom I love" however in 2nd TL he engraves it with "for Elizabeth Lily, again". Enoch in the 2nd TL is also a wizard as his imperial blessings were stripped from him.

 

Gee...I feel sorry for Enoch
Thanks for the spoilers!

 

thank you

 

I tried to edit mtl-ed chapters. Sorry for any mistakes.

Spoiler: Episode 1 (Chapter 1)

Chapter 1

The heroine wants to change the story


One day Elizabeth realized.

She was a character in the book.

No, it's not accurate to say this.

She realized that she had been reborn by accident. She became a character in a novel that she saw in previous life.

《The Story of the Continent of Belfera》, a novel about the life story of Enoch, the crown prince of the Alpenia Empire, defeating dragon and saving the continent with his colleagues.

She was the heroine of this novel.

Elizabeth Lily.

A genius wizard and a lover of the main character.

A woman who later marries the protagonist and becomes the empress of the Alpenia Empire.

She was a perfect character, like a woman the main character loved passionately, but she couldn't be happy at all.

Why?

It was because Elizabeth, the heroine, was unhappy all along until she met Enoch and was saved.

According to the description in the book, she was ‘living because she couldn't die’. That's how terrible it was.

And now Elizabeth is 10 years old.

It was an age when she hadn't met the main character yet.

***

Of course, her life has not been unhappy since birth.

She was born in a small town on the outskirts of the Alpenia Empire.

Her parents were poor peasants and she was a third daughter, but she was not unhappy.

It has been a good harvest ever since she was born, so there was no end to food. Thanks to it, she never noticed that she was the third child.

The older brother and sister liked Elizabeth very much because there was a big age difference between them.

So her life would have been rather happy if it had gone as it was.

It was one winter night before Elizabeth's seventh birthday that her fate began to roll on the apparently unhappy side.

Intruders stormed the village through the chilly winter wind.

"Catch them! Catch everything you can use as a sacrifice!"

"The demon god is protecting us!"

The invaders shouted so, burning the village and capturing the villagers who were trying to escape.

Her sister and brother, who were hiding together in the barn, whispered in Elizabeth's ear in a trembling voice.

'They're cultists.’

Elizabeth also knew about the cultists.

Fanatics who worship demon god and offer sacrifices to resurrect him.

Demons that appear in the stories that the forest keeper sometimes tells to scare the children.

The difference from the story is that the real cultists were much more cruel.

They killed all adults except for children to be sacrificed to the demon god. Even the rebellious children died on the spot because it was difficult to use them as sacrifices.

In the process, Elizabeth lost her brother. As soon as her sister was brought in because of her age, she was the first to be sacrificed.

But Elizabeth had no time to grieve. Because her turn didn't seem too far off either.

After three or four friends were taken away, soon after came her turn.

Elizabeth, tied on a dark red altar soaked in blood from young children, was half lost and cried and begged.

Help me, please.

I don't want to die.

However, the cultists and the headmaster ignored her earnest plea and held a knife to her neck.

'Please, please! Anyone's fine. Help me!'

Elizabeth, terrified, prayed earnestly.

Then, there was a presence in response to prayer.

[Grrrrrrr]

As if waiting for Elizabeth’s plea, ‘it’ appeared in front of the blood-stained altar.

A monster from another dimension who invaded this world a long time ago to destroy it.

A demon.

It is unknown why it, known to be hostile to humans, answered Elizabeth's call.

'What is it, how can a demon...! Aghh!'

The demon, who suddenly appeared, rushed at the cultists as if trying to protect Elizabeth.

Blood splattered over the altar already covered in thick blood.

'Damn it, bring a weapon!'

After an unexpected commotion.

‘What the hell that girl did……!’

Someone roughly grabbed Elizabeth's neck as she struggled.

She was suffocated. She struggled, but her eyes were dim.

‘It's working! That girl, knock that girl out! I don't know what it is, but she's...'

Even though her eyes were getting dark because she couldn't breathe, she heard someone shout 'that girl has summoned the demon!'

Elizabeth licked her lips and tried to shout.

No, it's not. I didn't do anything. I didn't mean to call the demon.

But Elizabeth's protest never came out of her mouth. The pressure on her breathing was too strong for that.

'I can't breathe...'

Before long, she lost consciousness.

When Elizabeth came to her senses again, she was trapped in a dark cave wearing a necklace enchanted with restraint magic.

The cultists blocked the entrance to the cave and spoke to her, who was terrified.

'The demon god has given a revelation. Your disaster-causing power exists to complete our great cause, so from now on, you must use it only for our god.’

'No..........'

Elizabeth, who was about to answer them, had to roll on the floor screaming the next moment.

It hurt. It felt like her neck was being torn apart.

The cultist said with a mean smile.

'You'd better not talk back useless thoughts. As long as you wear that necklace, you can't say a word of spell except when we want to.'

Elizabeth thought with her tears dripping down out of pain and fear.

What is a spell? What kind of power does she have to torment her like this?

The answer came to her a month later, when the moon rose and the gold ceremony started again.

Elizabeth was once again taken to the place of ceremony.

The altar in the middle of the cave was soaked in blood again this time. It seemed like the sacrificial ceremony had already been completed before bringing her.

Did they attack another town? Did they pick up the kids from somewhere and kill them, just like they did in her village?

Fear came rushing in. Elizabeth tried to step back, but she was not allowed by the cultists. They demanded with a glint of madness.

'Now, call the demon in exchange for this offering.’

Unable to speak because of the necklace, Elizabeth shook her head desperately. The cultists were not disappointed by her resistance. Rather, they touched Elizabeth's restraining necklace as if they knew it would be so.

‘Aaaargh!’

A terrible, burning iron came to her brain.

The cultist gripped Elizabeth's head, who crawled on the floor, and whispered in her ears.

‘Call out the demon.’

Despite suffering, Elizabeth shook her head desperately. She can't do that. She couldn't do it.

The cultists did not give up. They ordered to increase the intensity of the pain.

‘Call the demon! Use your power!’

‘Aaaa, Ah! Aaaaa!’

It was scary. It hurt. It was painful. Just before she was distracted by the pain, Elizabeth thought as if she were clinging to it.

Please, anyone, please save me. I don't want to die.

[Grrrrr!]

Then, as if responding to her request, the demon appeared again.

‘It's a demon! He really showed up!'

The excited cultists attacked the demon, who rushed fiercely as if to protect Elizabeth, with a magic tool.

The demon ran ferociously, but he couldn't resist them in the end.

The cultists who took out shiny stones from the body of the fallen demob shouted with joy.

‘It's a magic stone!’

‘With this, money will come rolling in from now on.’

‘The petty sacrifices turned into gold…’

Elizabeth, who was lying on the altar in agony and terror, trembled, unable to comprehend their joy.

Why are they happy killing the demon? What the hell is that stone?

One thing is certain, the cultists do not seem to have any intention of stopping the summoning of the demons.

Unfortunately, she was right. Cultists put Elizabeth in a dark cave, and each month at the full moon they dragged her out to the altar.

Their demands were consistent.

Summon a demon.

It was a terrible pain to wait if she refused.

The first few months were fine though. Because they scared her only with the restraining necklace.

However, things changed after they discovered that the more she gets scared, the more she suffered, the stronger a demon.

Beaten with whip, threatened with sword, set on fire...

They tormented Elizabeth with whatever torture they could do without killing the little child.

The summoned demon always desperately faced the cultists, but never won.

This is because any violent demon quickly weakened when they grabbed Elizabeth's leash and held her in front of him.

The cultists collected the mana stones more and more without difficulty, and each time they were greatly pleased.

‘This mana stone is of higher purity. We can get more than before.’

'If the funds are collected at this rate, the power of the cult will increase significantly.'

‘Until then, that girl will have to hold on.’

They spoke nonchalantly, knowing that Elizabeth, who had fallen to the ground, was conscious.

They said that if they cut off a part of her body, something greater will come out.

Still, it would be difficult if she died right now, so it was better to give medicine... She was not upset or sad even when those words continued. She was too tired for that.

As usual, when she was trapped in a dark cave after finishing summoning, Elizabeth suddenly thought.

‘I want to die.’

Obviously, when she was first brought here, she thought she didn't want to die.

But now she doesn't understand why she thought so.

Why does she have to live when it's so painful and so hard? Can this be called life?

Is life in which you are raised like a livestock, trapped in a narrow, dark cave through pain that may end at any time better than death?

She didn't want to be sick anymore. She didn't want to suffer either. She didn't want to open her eyes in the darkness where there was nothing every day.

She didn't want to tremble when she was going to be called to the altar, or to see dying people or demons.

She decided to die so easily that she couldn't understand why she desperately wanted to live.

It wasn't that hard to die. Because the restraint necklace, which cultists put on her, was designed to inflict terrible pain just by saying words.

‘……I want to die.’

As soon as she opened her mouth and said it, a great pain came.

Elizabeth couldn't hold back her scream and kept saying to herself, as she let out a screeching scream.

I want to die.

I want to die.

Let me die.

Kill me, please.

In the ensuing torment, Elizabeth lost her mind.

When she opened her eyes again, she was in a strange space.

‘Where am I?’

A light that shines by itself. Glass tables and soft chairs. And the marble floor.

It was truly the pinnacle of luxury.

The feel of the chair softer than silk, felt on her back and fingertips, was unfamiliar.

She thought blankly.

‘The place where the lord lived was not so fancy.’

How long had she been sitting like that?

Someone walked over and sat down across from the table. And asked as if it were a given.

‘Did you wait?’

She wanted to answer the opponent, but she couldn't say anything. Instead, she freely moved her body and shook her head.

Then someone sitting across from Elizabeth laughed. His face didn't look blurry, but she could see that he was smiling strangely.

‘Can you look at this?’

The other person said so and held out the book.

‘I finally finished it.’

Then, she reached out as if she were in a dream and accepted the book.

On the outside of the book, wrapped in a luxurious leather hardcover, was the somewhat fanciful title of 《The Story of the Continent of Belfera》 in gold leaf.

She has never learned how to write, so why does she read it like it's natural?

Feeling a strange sense of incompatibility, Elizabeth touched the cover of the book.

The person sitting opposite her said with a smile.

‘Go ahead and read it. I wrote it for you, so I want you to look at it first.’

Elizabeth nodded and opened the book.

Then, all of a sudden, the darkness came.

‘What?’

Only then Elizabeth, who was blinking absent-mindedly, realized that she was dreaming.

As soon as she opened the book, she woke up from a dream and opened her eyes.

She didn't die. And she was still lying in a cave without a single light.

Elizabeth laughed at the rush of emptiness. What the hell has she done?

‘The necklace... only gives me pain that won't kill me.’

She was despondent to think that she could not even die. She closed her eyes again in a lump.

‘…...Oh?’

And she realized that there was a small change in her.

‘……I remember the contents of the book.'

Spoiler: Episode 2

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, which had been closed in exhaustion.

The book handed over by the other person in the dream, the contents of a book called 《The Story of the Continent of Belfera》 were in her head.

What is even more surprising is that once she realized it, she began to vividly recall the contents of the book she had never read before.

If she sets her mind, she can read each page in detail as if there was a real book in front of her.

'What happened? I… am I crazy or not?’

Elizabeth doubted her head first.

It may be that she has gone crazy after suffering for so long.

She tried not to think about the book.

However, for her who was left alone in her dark cave, the 'book' was the perfect seduction, and when she came to her senses, she had already fallen in love with the 《The Story of the Continent of Belfera》 that was in her head.

Elizabeth reflected on the contents as she was reading the book in her head again for days and days.

《The Story of the Continent of Belfera》 was a very long book.

The protagonist and warrior, Enoch Silas, had to fight for nearly a decade to defeat the transcendent creature called the dragon.

Along the way, he met several colleagues, grew up together or received help.

Since it is a journey of ten years, of course, countless characters appear and disappear in the book. Each one of them even turned out to be a charming character.

'...but I like Elizabeth Lily the most.’

Since it was written from the first-person point of view of the main character Enoch, of course, Elizabeth Lily, the main character's first love and lover, was always described with special care.

Every time she appeared in the book, she was praised for being beautiful and wonderful.

Not only that, but her performance was described with great care.

The performance of 'Elizabeth Lily' was great enough to be worth it.

She couldn't even say that it was an active performance to wipe out the demon corps to help the main character, Enoch.

The appearance of going to the battlefield alone to save the kingdom in crisis or fighting a powerful wizard was a hero himself.

At some point, Elizabeth began to read the book in her head, expecting the appearance of the heroine, ‘Elizabeth Lily’, not the main character Enoch.

She could forget her reality of being locked up in a damp cave only when she remembered the splendid performance of 'Elizabeth Lily', who bears the same name as herself.

While she was reading the book in her head for a long time, she encountered a strange passage about Elizabeth.


....... Elizabeth seemed to have made up her mind. She started telling Ellen about her own past.

"Do I know this man? Of course, he saved me when I was kidnapped and enslaved by a group of cultists. It happened when I was ten."

“No way. Was the wizard with the eyes of truth kidnapped by a group of cultists? Why didn't anyone go to the rescue?”

“At that time, I was neither a great wizard nor a summoner with the eyes of truth, but a peasant’s daughter. Who would come to the cult's den hidden deep in the Great Forest to save some commoner?"

Elizabeth frowned and continued.

“...except for that man.”


The heroine of the story, Elizabeth Lily, talked about her past as if it were her own story.

It was a flash of realization.

'...It doesn't make sense.’

At first, she denied it. However, the more she read the content of the book repeatedly, the more strangely certain she became.

That certainty that everything written in this book will be true.

Elizabeth moaned, trying to recall her dream.

'The man I saw in my dream... wrote the book to show me.’

She’s not sure, but in her dreams she was not a child like now, but a much bigger adult.

Even though she was sitting in a large chair, her feet touched the floor, and her hand holding the book was as big as that of an adult.

‘If I was the one who received the book, then what am I here?’

Who was herself in the dream? Why is the heroine of the book she received in her dream the same as herself?

'...did I become the character of the book I once read? Is that possible?’

Elizabeth was half-suspicious, but she still hoped she was right.

Because she wants to be the heroine? Because she needs to be sure she’s special?

No.

‘If I were the real heroine...’

If this is really the world in the book.

And if she's Elizabeth Lily.

‘That man’ will come to her rescue.

***

“Come, slave!”

The iron gate blocking the cave opened violently. And without fail one of the cultists came in and took Elizabeth away.

All the way her arm was being pulled violently, and it hurt, but Elizabeth held back and looked around.

As expected, the place was in chaos. Everyone was running around among the shadows created by the torch.

Elizabeth's heart began to pound with excitement at a sight she had never seen before.

He really came.

Before meeting the main character Enoch, he is the only person who came to rescue Elizabeth when she was young.

One of the supporting actors in 《The Story of the Continent of Belfera》, and the wizard who was said to be the strongest in the story.

‘Asheroth is here……!’

“How the hell did he find out? I knew he was a monster, but…”

The cultist murmured over and over, as if impatient, and made fun of his slow steps.

Elizabeth, who was much smaller than him, was almost dragged along. She was taken to an artificial cave they called a sanctuary.

The cave had a smooth floor and ceiling, and the rows of torches were so wide that it could not illuminate the ceiling and the edges.

There was only one thing in that large space.

Blood-stained stone altar.

Where cultists perform ceremonies.

‘Calm down.’

Elizabeth whispered in her mind as if she were casting a spell on herself.

‘I am Elizabeth Lily. Just be patient and he'll come and save me.’

She made up her mind, but when she looked at the altar, she couldn't help but feel the tension in her body.

She hated this place. What terrible abuses have been suffered here under the pretext of summoning demons.

When she stopped unconsciously and faltered, the eyes of the cultist who had dragged Elizabeth became fierce.

"What are you waiting for when you're a slave girl?"

The cultist dragged her and threw her in front of the headmaster who was standing in front of the altar.

Then the headmaster angrily shouted at his subordinates.

"Can't you handle it carefully!"

It wasn't meant for Elizabeth. He forced Elizabeth, who couldn't even moan properly for fear that the necklace would work, to get up.

Then, he manipulated the necklace to ease the conditions for the magic to activate, and then continued to growl.

“Summon a demon right now. Hurry! The sacrifices have been made, so all you have to do is use your power!”

Elizabeth bit her lip.

If she hadn't read the 《The Story of the Continent of Belfera》 that was in her head, she would have done as she was told while trembling.

But now it's different. Elizabeth knew who she was. And she knew that from now on she would no longer have to fear the violence of the headmaster.

Elizabeth spoke with courage.

“Oh, ah, I won’t.”

Elizabeth's speech was slurred because she had suffered and been abused for so long.

Still, it seemed that what she was trying to convey was delivered properly. Because the headmaster got angry and slapped her on the cheek.

“You crazy girl! Don't talk nonsense and summon a demon right now! Will you be able to hear what I say with a knife?!"

“Oh, I hate it! I, I, now... ma, I won't summon a demon!"

Her cheeks throbbed and her head pounded, but Elizabeth uttered all the words she had wanted to say.

“Bad, bad guys! You, you, you all die! I want you to die!”

“This cheeky...!”

The headmaster squeezed Elizabeth's neck tightly and shouted.

“Summon a demon right now! If you don't want to die, summon it now!"

It was painful and she was choking, but Elizabeth kept her eyes closed. She just has to wait a little longer.

“Can’t you hear me? Summon it right now!”

Just a little more.

“Damn it! Before I kill you…… argh!”

He came!

As if responding to the cheers Elizabeth shouted in her heart, the strength that had been squeezing her throat disappeared. She let out a harsh cough and opened her eyes.

The man who had dragged her became a charred stone statue, and the headmaster also had half of his arms burnt.

The headmaster distorted his face like a demon because of pain, but nevertheless, he did not lose his momentum.

He looked at Elizabeth with eyes gleaming with madness.

"Hurry! Come on, demon…”

“I h, I hate it!”

Elizabeth shook her head, and the headmaster burst out in anger.

“Damn slave bitch, till the end!”

He reached out the other hand, not the hand that burned, to catch Elizabeth. But even that didn't reach her in the end.

"Argh!"

A beam of light from over the passage charred the rest of his arm. Then both legs became ashes and disappeared.

“Argh! Argh!”

Elizabeth closed her ears to not hear the cry of the headmaster, who was humming in her ears.

She trembled as she looked at the passage. She really wanted to make sure he was there.

Finally, something caught the edge of her gaze.

There stood a man who seemed to have overshadowed the darkness the torch could not drive away.

Elizabeth held her breath. She forgot the situation she was in. It was inevitable.

'How could a person look like that?'

He was more beautiful than any human Elizabeth had ever seen.

A sharp jawline that looks like it was split at once with a chisel, and features that look like it was sculpted with an awl.

Black hair like a crow's feather and purple eyes.

Smooth, white skin as if the marble was ripped off and rubbed until the most flawless part of it appeared.

He was a man with perfect yet strong beauty, as if only human skin was applied over a statue made of steel.

While Elizabeth lost her gaze as if possessed, the man slowly walked into the cave where the altar was.

Then, without looking at Elizabeth, who was lying on the floor, he went straight to the headmaster.

Elizabeth, who was following him unconsciously, was startled. A red bloodstain was running along his path.

It gave her goosebumps to think that it was all the blood of the cultists in the ruins.

'Oh, no. Ok, it's ok. You're here to save me, Elizabeth Lily. In the future, we'll be colleagues…...'

While Elizabeth plucked up the courage to soothe herself, he stopped in front of the headmaster, still persistently holding his breath. And he spoke calmly.

“Where did you get the magic stones?”

It was an unknown question to Elizabeth, but fortunately the headmaster seemed to know what he was asking.

“The magic stones… is it because of the magic stones? This madman is going all the way here just because of that…”

"Answer."

"You bastard of Axium! Dirty wizard, a resurrected demon god will kill you, agh!"

The headmaster, who had spit out swear words with great vigor, was lying on the floor, making a squeaky noise as his lower abdomen was caught on fire.

The man whispered indifferently, pressing the headmaster with his feet.

"Next time, there will be a hole in the lungs. Answer."

"I'd rather die.... heh! Hick!”

At the same time as the light flashed, a sound as if the wind was falling from the headmaster’s mouth came out. As predicted, he had a hole in his lungs.

The man spoke in a low voice to the headmaster, who began to vomit blood foam.

"Answer."

“Gee… whoa, wait. Help..."

It was the eyeball that burned this time.

The man repeated the same thing as if he was bored to the headmaster, who was trembling without even properly spitting out a scream because his lungs were filled with blood.

"Answer."

The headmaster only then realized what kind of human he was dealing with, but it was too late.

As the reply was delayed due to spitting blood bubbles, the body of the headmaster was burned in several more places after that.

In the end, the headmaster came up with the answer the man wanted.

Losing his lungs and vocal cords, he desperately struggled, but in any case, the headmaster managed to turn the man's gaze to the seated Elizabeth.

Elizabeth, who faced the purple eyes of the inorganic with no emotions, swallowed dry saliva without realizing it.

As the man who had been torturing people horribly turned his eyes to her, it was not strange to be out of her mind because she was scared.

And yet, strangely, it wasn't scary.

No, it was rather palpitating.

It was because when she made eye contact with him, she saw something swaying in him.

Vortex. Or a mass of light. Something to be called that.

She stared at him, to be exact, what was inside him.

‘That, what?’

Spoiler: Episode 3

She had seen such a thing from the demons who used to be summoned from the altar.

But what was inside of the demons was just a sparkle, and it didn't move so mysteriously.

‘It's really pretty...’

Elizabeth forgot her situation and looked into the vortex inside him for a long time.

‘It's like the Milky Way.’

The village where she lived was built in the middle of a vacant lot that could be seen immediately after passing through the forest.

In the middle of the night, when the lamp lights were turned off, it was all dark, and all she could see was the stars and the moon in the night sky.

Unlike her parents, who had to wake up early in the morning, and her sister and brother, who used to fall asleep early, saying they didn't like the darkness, Elizabeth liked the night. It was because she was somehow excited to see the twinkling stars.

Among them, her favorite was the Milky Way, which can only be seen in early spring.

When she saw blue and white stars coloring the sky as if a river was flowing, her heart was overwhelmed for no reason.

But the vortex shining in the man in front of her was no match for the Milky Way.

It twinkled and shimmered in a more colorful and more complex form. It was like making the night sky small and putting it into the human body.

Was there a description like this in the book? Elizabeth thought and looked at the 'beautiful thing' as if possessed.

Then.

Crunch!

At a moment's gruesome sound, Elizabeth came to her senses.

It was the sound of the headmaster’s neck breaking. The headmaster, who was completely out of breath, fell flat on the floor.

There was no mercy in the hand of the man killing the religious leader, as if he had extracted all the necessary information.

‘I, what...’

Only then did Elizabeth realize what she was doing.

She kept making eye contact with the man. With the man who tortured and burned people.

She hastily averted her gaze. Then she hurriedly rolled her head.

‘Did it seem strange? What if it looked suspicious?'

She was very nervous when she thought she might have made a mistake. In fact, the man didn't take his eyes off Elizabeth as if he felt something strange.

Without looking, Elizabeth could feel his stinging gaze.

Then the man's mouth opened toward Elizabeth.

"Why?"

He looked at Elizabeth and said, as if he didn't care about the headmaster corpse under his feet.

“Why are you here?”

Elizabeth thought, licking her lips.

'What do you mean?'

Is it strange to have a living child here? If not........

'Ugh.'

Her thoughts didn't go the whole way. Because before she knew it, a man was standing right in front of her.

Elizabeth pulled her body back as she unconsciously flinched. No, she tried to pull it back. But the man did not allow her to run away.

He grabbed Elizabeth, stood her up, and spoke as if commanding.

“Raise your head.”

It was forced, but it was not painful, and there was no reason to reject his words, so Elizabeth hesitated and did as she was told.

She felt it from afar, but it was a dizzyingly beautiful face. Except for the vortex that fluctuated in him, it was breathtaking to see.

The most beautiful of it were spotless, transparent, amethyst-like purple eyes. She couldn't take her eyes off them even though she was scared because it didn't contain any emotions.

And it seemed the same to the opponent. His jewel-like purple eyes looked at Elizabeth for a long time, to be precise, into her eyes.

How long had he been looking like that? After a while, he opened his mouth.

“…that’s true.”

At those words, goosebumps ran down Elizabeth's body.

‘The same line as in the book…’

As Elizabeth had told her colleague in the book.

Even there, it was written that ‘he’ said, ‘that’s true’ as soon as he saw Elizabeth's eyes.

'This person... is a real character in the book.'

She looked straight at him, trying not to hear her heart beating like a drum.

Asheroth Bain.

Nicknamed ‘Axium School's Murder Weapon’, or ‘Axium’s Executioner’.

A battle wizard carefully nurtured by the head of the Axium school, one of the seven major magic groups.

Furthermore, he was one of the strongest characters in 《The Story of the Continent of Belfera》.

In fact, he was not very cooperative to be a colleague of the main character.

He was on bad terms with everyone except Enoch, the main character.

How unreliable Asheroth was, when it was revealed that he had saved young Elizabeth from a group of cultists, half of her colleagues shouted, ‘lie!’ and didn't believe it.

It was understandable. Elizabeth in the book also hated Asheroth.

Asheroth was a kind of antagonist, meddling in everything and arguing with Elizabeth in everything she did.

Everyone was surprised that Asheroth was Elizabeth's benefactor.

Colleagues asked Elizabeth, stunned.

You said he was a lifesaver, but why did you hate him?

Elizabeth in the book answered me meekly.

'Because the first meeting was a mess.’

When she first met him, Elizabeth in the book was brainwashed by cultists.

She faithfully followed the headmaster's words to summon demons, and attacked Asheroth using them.

It was, of course, a pointless resistance.

Asheroth was a combat wizard who could even face the army alone. Even if he was in a corner, Elizabeth as a child who did not learn proper magic, was no match for him.

He tried to kill the cultists and the demons, and also tried to kill Elizabeth, the subject of the summoning. This is because even if you didn't know, summoning demons without permission is a felony.

‘But Asheroth did not kill Elizabeth, instead he spared her life.’

He healed Elizabeth, who had lost her mana in the aftermath of the summoning of the demons and was dying, with healing magic, and even took her to the wizards’ guild.

Elizabeth in the book is wary of his favor. She suspected that she was being dragged away to use her like the cultists. Long years of abuse and violence have left her unable to trust anyone.

Fearing, she eventually ran away on her way to the Wizards’ Guild.

Of course, she was caught soon and was treated badly until she arrived at the Wizards’ Guild.

‘That’s why they broke up with a bad relationship in the end.’

But who is here now is not the original Elizabeth in the book.

So she knew why Asheroth had saved her.

'I, Elizabeth Lily... am a wizard with the eyes of truth.'

That's because she's a wizard with a very special talent which might be born once in a century.

The eyes of truth.

It refers to the power to see through the existence of demons and understand their true names.

The true name is the substance and source of the demon, and those who understand the true name can obey the demon without any cost.

At first glance, it seems like an easy way to subdue the demons, but in reality it's not that easy. For convenience, it was called a name, but the true name was a much higher-order and more complex concept.

Therefore, 'understanding' the true name was the same as understanding the essence of the demon.

No matter how good a wizard is, it took decades to understand the true nature of the high-ranking demon, and it was never easy.

However, the wizard with the eyes of truth could understand it just by looking at the demons.

Therefore, it is an ability that a wizard can only covet.

'It's just as rare as it's rare.’

As for how rare it is, even in the 800-year history of wizards since the first wizard, there are fewer than ten 'wizards with the eyes of truth'.

So, even Asheroth Bane of the world could not kill Elizabeth.

Because it's too special and precious talent to kill for being a sinner.

'If it's the same as the book, it's fine. Asheroth can't kill me.'

Recalling that fact, Elizabeth clenched her fists. Then she plucked up her courage and opened mouth.

“I, I…”

She practiced every day, waiting for this moment in the cave. Considering that it would not be a long-term situation, she only picked what she had to say and memorized it over and over again.

‘The cultists kidnapped me. They forced me to summon demons.’

Even if she tells him this much, an Asheroth-like wizard will be able to understand the circumstances behind it. And he’ll take her to the wizards’ guild.

‘All I have to do is make no mistakes.’

Elizabeth in the book makes two mistakes.

One was to run away from Asheroth, and the other was to reject the offer of the Wizards’ Guild.

Elizabeth was a sinner, but she was warmly welcomed, far from being beaten, simply because she had the eyes of truth.

The Wizards’ Guild actively tried to recruit Elizabeth to become a wizard.

They not only offered the condition that she would not be accused of any crime when she became a wizard, but also did not hesitate to tempt her to give her enormous wealth.

But Elizabeth in the book refused to become a wizard until the very end. It was because she wanted to live a normal life.

And an aristocratic couple said they wanted to adopt her in a timely manner. They wanted to take Elizabeth, saying she looked just like their dead daughter.

Despite the guild's persistent persuasion, Elizabeth, who was fed up with her talent, held the couple's hand.

And that was a fatal mistake.

The aristocratic couple, who offered to become adoptive parents, were actually hidden followers of the cult.

To make matters worse, they were much closer to the upper level of the cult than the leader of a small group who first kidnapped Elizabeth.

The couple brainwashed Elizabeth with magic and made her do all kinds of cruel things for cultists. Even then, it was not enough, so they even conducted human experiments.

It took 10 years for Elizabeth to escape from them.

Although she succeeds in avenging them with the help of the main character Enoch, that did not mean that the terrible experience of the past was gone.

‘I don't want to.’

Elizabeth shuddered with fear just imagining it.

She was really sick and tired. She was already exhausted from what she had endured so far.

She knew there was someone who could save her, so she managed to endure it until now, but it was too much.

Elizabeth in the book knew nothing, so she would have to endure and endure under cultists, her adoptive parents. But she wasn't.

She didn't want to be brainwashed and summon demons, or experiment on humans.

‘To do that, I have to follow Asheroth and become a wizard.’

If she chooses the wizards’ guild, not the marquis couple, the guild will protect her and rise as a great wizard.

It was the best option and best plan that she made after thinking about it several times in the cave.

“I, I…”

Elizabeth took a deep breath and opened her mouth.

But, for some reason, she didn't say the next word.

No matter how many times she licked her lips, it was the same.

'Uh?'

It was okay just now. Why? She blinked and soon realized.

‘...too close.’

She was too close to an adult man who was big enough and strong enough to hit her.

She didn't know when she was far away, but because she was close, her body seemed to mistake it for a dangerous situation.

Even though she knew clearly that it would not be like this, her body exposed to long-term abuse did not move as Elizabeth wanted.

‘Uh, why?’

Elizabeth was embarrassed. She thought of all kinds of situations and kept imagining and practicing situations where she would meet Asheroth, but she never thought that her body wouldn't move even with him in front of her nose.

The more she panicked, the more her body hardened.

As she looked down at her body, which was trembling more and more, Elizabeth judged that she couldn’t say anything.

‘I can’t. A little bit, a little far away...'

She looked back at Asheroth and backed away a little. She was about to open her mouth after a very short distance.

But Asheroth took another step as soon as she took a step back, and as the bewildered Elizabeth took two steps back, he took another step.

The faster Elizabeth stepped back, the faster Asheroth approached.

But, fortunately, absurd tagging didn't last long. It was because Elizabeth, who was about to retreat a little further, fell down as if her legs were twisted and pushed away.

‘What, what? What's wrong with you? Did I make you angry?'

Embarrassed, Elizabeth looked up at him with trembling eyes.

There was no expression on Asheroth's face as he looked at Elizabeth who sat down, but the vortex spinning in him was different.

It was shaking violently in confusion.

That's for sure....

‘I think he’s embarrassed.’

The vortex soon calmed down as Elizabeth looked at him with blinking eyes.

Soon he sat down in front of her, and bent one knee with a low sigh.

Then, making eye contact with her, he remained silent for a few more minutes before finally opening his mouth.

"Do you like candy?"

Spoiler: Episode 4

‘What?’

Elizabeth was embarrassed.

‘What... did you just say?’

It’s not don't run away or stay still, but candy?

Candy?

Asheroth opened his mouth again while Elizabeth was worried that she might have heard it wrong.

"If you can't answer, just nod your head. Do you like candy?"

Elizabeth still didn't understand the situation.

Asheroth, who appeared in 《The Story of the Continent of Belfera》, was a very cold-hearted person. He was also a fearsome character.

He appeared a few times, but he was always killing someone or appearing with a corpse.

That kind of person asks a kid if she likes candy?

‘This person… is not Asheroth Bain?’

Not knowing what she was suspicious of, Asheroth took a small pouch out of his arms, thinking that her silence was an affirmation.

It was full of shiny blue candies.

‘That’s...’

As far as Elizabeth knew, there was only one type of blue candy carried by a wizard in this world.

Blue candy.

There is no big difference except that it is much sweeter and melts better than normal candy, but being able to eat quickly was very useful for wizards. The reason is unknown, but it is because eating sweets fills up the mana quickly.

'I heard that blue candy is also used as a substitute for mana potion... So it's precious.'

Why is he showing that to herself?

Elizabeth knew that what was in pouch was just candy, but she felt uneasy, so she alternated between his pouch and hand.

Is he trying to fill her mana with candy and make her do something? Or maybe... Is he frustrated that she can't answer, so he’s trying to torture her like the headmaster?

Asheroth quietly looked at her, who was clearly nervous, sighed briefly and muttered.

It was such a small voice that it could not reach Elizabeth, who was paying all her attention to the candy pouch.

“What am I doing......”

He threw the candy into his mouth in front of her as if he had made up his mind.

With the candy in his mouth, he frowned for a while, and immediately took out the second candy and clapped his hand.

She didn't know what it meant, so she just watched, and he, kicking his tongue, moved his hand first.

In the meantime, the candy came into Elizabeth's mouth.

‘I didn't even open my mouth. How?’

The question didn't last long.

The sweetness spread in the mouth and pushed away negative thoughts at once.

‘...it's delicious.’

The candy was incredibly soft and sweet.

When she saw what was described in the book as a cream-melting taste, she thought candy couldn't taste like that, but it was true.

It was a soft sweet taste that seemed to melt at once with cream.

Elizabeth, who had been drunk on the sweetness she felt for the first time in a long time, quickly came to her senses to the gaze of Asheroth, who looked down at her as if observing.

He said nothing, just put out a candy again.

Elizabeth reflexively reached out and received the candy. Asheroth, who confirmed that she had put the second candy in her mouth, asked a question only then.

"Can you speak the official language?"

Elizabeth hesitated. It was still uncomfortable to have a big adult man so close. However, whether the sweetness of the candy suppressed the fear a little, she was not nervous enough to not open her mouth like before.

She patted her lips a few times. Fortunately, the words came out this time.

"I, I can."

Even though she spoke without stuttering as much as possible, some slurred words came out of her mouth.

Asheroth was still expressionless, but Elizabeth saw the vortex inside him tremble slightly.

'He feels bad, I guess.'

Elizabeth tried to look as harmless as possible because she seemed suspicious.

Asheroth continued the question as to whether the effort worked.

"What's your name?"

Elizabeth agonized.

At this point Elizabeth had a name but no surname. Because the peasants had no right to have a surname.

The surname ‘Lily’ was given by Enoch, the main character.

So she just has to give a name.

'But I am Elizabeth. Elizabeth Lily.’

She’s the heroine of this world, this book.

In the dark cave, only that fact protected the heart that was about to collapse.

‘My surname … It'll be okay to tell you in advance.'

She opened her mouth with a firm determination.

"E, Elizabeth. Elizabeth Lily."

"Are you a noble?"

"No. No, not a noble."

She didn't know until she said it. It would seem so suspicious to have a surname but not being a noble, but now she couldn't even say it was a lie.

Fortunately, instead of digging in further, Asheroth passed lightly, saying, "Okay," and continued the question.

"Can you explain why you're here?"

"Uh, some people... Here, brought me. T, to use me as a sacrifice."

Asheroth frowned slightly. Elizabeth looked at him, hesitated and continued.

"Ori, originally, I was a sacrifice, but when I called, de, demon, it was obedient and I became a slave."

"Did you summon a demon?"

Her heart was pounding for a moment. Elizabeth almost shook head reflexively, but she held back.

‘I can't lie.’

Asheroth is a high-ranking wizard. The moment he saw Elizabeth, he would have recognized that she was the subject of summoning.

If she pretends she doesn't know, it can make her even more suspicious.

‘He’s not the kind of person who will look at me as a child. So I have to tell the truth.’

She nodded her head and replied.

“I, I did.”

Asheroth looked at her indifferently and asked again.

“How did you know it was a demon?”

Elizabeth paused for a moment. It was an unexpected question. Hesitatingly, she stammered back.

“Pe, people said, it was a de, demon.”

Asheroth was silently looking at her.

Elizabeth waited silently with her hands clenched. At the same time, she was nervous.

‘Why? Why are you just looking at me? Did I really make a mistake? Did I look suspicious?'

What will happen if it is judged suspicious? Is she really going to be tortured?

'Like a headmaster...'

Just thinking about it made her body tremble.

Stressed by the constant and terrifying imagination, Elizabeth gasped and swallowed harshly as he suddenly rose.

Asheroth continued calmly, indifferent to her astonished response.

“What will you take?”

“Uh, uh, yes?”

“Do you have any personal belongings to take?”

Elizabeth was silent. Then she replied frozen.

“Uh, uh, no.”

"All right. Let's get out.”

Asheroth put his hand on her head. It didn't hurt, but she was nervous because of the sudden contact.

Elizabeth, who was frozen and bowed her head to see if he would put strength in his hands, was surprised and shouted "oh!".

Her hands, which had been dirty with all kinds of filth, suddenly became clean.

Her hair also became lighter. The ragged clothes that had been stained with sweat and blood were also clean. Of course, they were still ragged clothes.

‘Is it purification magic...?’

This magic, which removes all kinds of dirt just by using it, appeared in the book more often than attack magic such as a fireball.

'But why did you use it on me?'

Elizabeth, puzzled, remembered one of the settings of Asheroth, which she did not pay much attention to.

Asheroth Bain had mysophobia.

There were additional settings such as using high-temperature light magic or purification magic because he didn't like blood splatter on his body.

'Because I'm so dirty? Otherwise...'

Even before Elizabeth's thoughts were finished, Asheroth lifted her up. There was no time to panic. The light flashed and the landscape changed in an instant.

The first thing that came into view was the dizzyingly blue full moon. Then she saw tall trees. The smell of the forest also came closer.

Asheroth still held Elizabeth in his arms and whispered softly.

"We'll split up and teleport. So don't go wild."

But his words did not come to an end.

"Ugh!"

Because Elizabeth began to vomit.

***

'It's over. It's really over.'

She felt relieved because she vomited until she was sick, but instead, a life crisis came.

Elizabeth grazed the innocent grass and blamed herself.

‘Crazy! Why are you throwing up here?’

Asheroth placed Elizabeth on the floor as soon as she began to vomit.

He didn't say anything, just stood there silently as she drained everything in her. So she was more afraid.

‘What should I do? What if he leaves me because it's dirty? I can't go to the Wizards’ Guild by myself.’

Elizabeth rolled her eyes gently to read Asheroth's countenance.

Fortunately, the vortex in him was quiet. Nevertheless, the eyes were colder than before. Elizabeth felt uneasy because she couldn't figure out what he was thinking.

‘You don't feel good... are you?’

She vomited on the body of a person who uses ray magic because he doesn't like blood splatter, but if he feels good, it will be even stranger.

Asheroth approached her as she was shivering and tearing grass. He placed his hand on Elizabeth's head and cast one more purification magic.

'Uh?'

When she raised her head in panic, he patted Elizabeth with index finger and said.

"Put your hands out."

What? Is he going to cut her hand? Is he going to cut both of them?

Elizabeth hesitated, but couldn't resist, so she reached out her hand. Then, the water dripped and pooled on them.
"...uh, uh?"
"Drink."

As she looked up, Asheroth said, annoyed.

"It's purified water, so there's no problem if you drink it. Drink. If you don't drink, you'll get dehydrated."

Elizabeth began to drink water after reading the air.

‘It's so sweet and refreshing.’

When the water went into her throat, she could tell that she was thirsty. She swallowed the water in a hurry, but her palms were small, so it ended in two sips. She licked her palm with regret, and the water fell again.

"Th, thank you..."

Hesitant, she raised her head and thanked him, and Asheroth replied bluntly.

"Don't talk, keep drinking."

Asheroth poured water until Elizabeth felt a little full, then removed hand and held her up.

'Are you doing that again?'

Thinking he was using teleportation magic again, Elizabeth pressed her mouth tightly with her hand. She thought she might throw up again.

However, unlike before, the scenery did not change dramatically. Rather, it began to flow slowly.

Elizabeth, who did not understand the situation and only rolled her eyes, soon realized that Asheroth was just walking.

She was bewildered. Why is the wizard just walking? Without realizing it, Elizabeth asked.

“Hey, don’t you use magic? Number, moment, move...”

“I can’t use.”

“W, why?”

"Your mana circles are a mess, so you can't stand disassembly and rebuilding..."

Asheroth, who tried to explain something, shut up for a moment. Then he sighed and said.

"Sleep."

"Oh, I'm not sleepy."

His mood didn't seem so bad, so Elizabeth was a little more courageous.

“I, I can walk. No, it’s heavy, so please drop me down, please.”

“I told you to sleep.”

However, her opinion was quickly dismissed.

‘Can I really sleep? What if it bothers him? What if he throws me away while I'm asleep?’

No, it doesn't seem so. Even in the book, he catches her when she tries to escape and takes her to the Wizards' Guild.

Even so, she didn't expect him to take her this easily.

‘I think it's different from what I thought.’

She thought she would be dragged away in a harsh atmosphere, but this was a very mild treatment.

Besides, somehow she felt relieved when they were together.

'Why...'

Because it's a character in the book?

'Or because of that thing I see now?'

Elizabeth looked again at the swirling vortex of light within Asheroth.

She thought she could only see it through Asheroth's eyes, but when she looked closely, she could see it naturally inside him.

'It's pretty.'

She couldn't take her eyes off of the small Milky Way, as it was swaying. Even when she was watching it, she wanted to keep watching.

Did Elizabeth in the book see this? What would she have thought if she had seen this?

"I told you to sleep.”

Asheroth said, patting her stiffly upright back, as if the constant glimmering bothered her.

'Does this mean... a hug?'

Elizabeth looked around and hugged him around the neck. Asheroth's arms naturally wrapped around her body.

‘It's warm.’

He didn't come here to hit or strangle her. A hand to protect.

His tight hands wrapped around her body, and the tension in her body loosened a bit.

Elizabeth leaned her cheek cautiously on his shoulder. Perhaps because of the purification magic, Asheroth smelled good.

The smell of a person, not blood, moss, or stone walls.

Surrounded by sweet warmth, Elizabeth closed her eyes.

It was not long before sleepiness came.

It was as sweet as candy.

Spoiler: Episode 5

"Ugh..."

Elizabeth frowned. The light kept leaking through the eyes and it stung.

‘Why is there a light in the cave...’

The cultists did not put torches into the cave. It was because the inside was full of bugs, and when the light shined on them, there was a riot.

Elizabeth, who curled up in fear of what to do if a bug bites her, was surprised by the soft texture of the fabric.

Looking back, there was no dampness anywhere she touched. Why?

'Yesterday, I came out of the cave...'

Elizabeth continued her thoughts with a head that was still drowsy.

'After the headmaster called me and told me to summon demons, I refused... and.'

Elizabeth's eyes flashed.

She sprang up and looked around hastily.

The first thing she saw was a light bead floating about her eye level.

'Am I blinded by this?'

It didn't seem like it. The sun was already in the middle of the sky, and the sunlight was leaking through the leaves and pouring down on the tree where she lay.

Elizabeth continued to look around, floundering in the large, warm cloak that wrapped around her.

Tree. Tree. Tree.

All she could see was trees. She couldn't see where the person she had to see had gone.

"A, a, Asheroth?"

Elizabeth uttered a low voice, anxious.

'Did he leave me? There's no way he'll leave me. I'm Elizabeth Lily.'

After calling Asheroth a couple more times, Elizabeth eventually couldn't stand it and rose up.

Then the light bead in front of her came up to her eye level.

It was shaped like a small ball of sunlight gathered together.

'What's this? Is it magic?'

Elizabeth hesitated and touched the bead slightly. The beads of light shone more brightly, and then it threw up a voice.

- Are you awake?

"A, Ash..."

Elizabeth, who was about to call Asheroth, gasped and covered mouth.

'Silly! Asheroth never said his name!’

No matter how crazy she was, what kind of mistake did she make?

If he had been around, she would have already been caught by the time she woke up and started looking for him.

She was relieved to think that she had managed to avoid a fatal mistake.

- Answer me if you're awake. Your words are also conveyed to me.

And fortunately Asheroth didn't seem to notice anything strange. Maybe he thought it was because she didn't know how to use the light bead, but he talked to her again.

Though guilty, Elizabeth stammered and asked question, pretending not to know.

"I, uh, where..."

- Stay where you are.

Before she could ask anything more, his voice cut off.

Silence came again.

Is he nearby? So can she wait?

Elizabeth, anxious, dug into the cloak that enveloped her.

Fortunately, Asheroth returned quickly.

It was a bonus that he surprised Elizabeth by appearing without a sound.

When he returned, there was a bowl of steaming soup in his hand. A wooden spoon was also included.

“...that, that, what, what is it?”

When Elizabeth asked in bewilderment, Asheroth held out the bowl instead of answering.

As she took the bowl, Asheroth opened his mouth.

“Eat it.”

It was hard to overcome her instinctive curiosity even though she thought she shouldn't bother him asking this and that.

She asked, holding a bowl of soup that was still warm.

"Oh, wh, where, did it come from? Soup?

"I bought it in a nearby town."

Asheroth replied bluntly, removing the light beads floating in the air.

"I, if you're going to town, I... I can go, too."

She did not have the courage to ask why he left her, so she mumbled a little. Asheroth glanced at her and answered briefly.

“Your mana circles are not normal. You can't stand teleportation magic."

"Ma, mana circles?"

As Elizabeth heard the words, the small vortex inside Asheroth shimmered and shook. It was a small tremor like 'Ouch'.

Asheroth murmured as if in trouble.

"I see. It must be unfamiliar knowledge to you.”

No. Even Elizabeth knows what it is. It also appears in 《The Story of the Continent of Belfera》.

However, it was information that should not be known to the current Elizabeth.

Instead of answering, she only blinked her eyes.

“It wouldn’t hurt to know.”

And he began to explain briefly.

“The soul is made up of 12 rings, each of which is called a 'mana circle'. It can be seen as a kind of spiritual organ that controls vitality, like the organs that make up the body, such as the heart or lungs. Do you know what organs are?”

As soon as she nodded to say she knew, Asheroth said, ‘for a moment’. Then he stopped talking and put his hand on Elizabeth's forehead.

Then, a faint, cold, creeping energy from his fingertips rushed into Elizabeth's body.

'Oh.'

Most of the energy that spread quickly flowed out of the body.

However, the energy flowing near the forehead and heart remained stagnant. Then it started spinning in a circle, a figure eight.

Elizabeth opened her closed eyes wide. When she opened them, she felt a ring still circling her forehead and heart.

It was such a strange sensation, invisible to the eyes.

"Wh, what is this?”

"It's a mana circle. A normal human would have twelve. A wizard should have thirteen, but as you can see, you only have two right now."

Asheroth spoke bluntly.

“Ordinary humans become ill or die when their soul is damaged to this extent. They can't stop the vitality from leaking out."

Elizabeth reflexively swallowed her dry saliva.

"Ha, but ah, I'm not dead... I..."

"Because you’re a wizard."

Asheroth took his hand off Elizabeth's forehead as if he didn't need to see any more.

When the energy that had permeated disappeared, the mana circles, which had been clearly visible, disappeared.

For some reason, Elizabeth let out a sad sigh. Asheroth went on to explain regardless of it.

“Unlike normal human, a wizard’s mana circle can store not only vitality but also mana, and can replace vitality with it. Your mana circle is much more developed than that of a normal human, at a level that could replace your vitality... So you're still alive."

He said that and asked Elizabeth, who was just looking up at him with a blank look.

“Did you understand?”

When Elizabeth did not answer, Asheroth asked again.

“Did you understand mana circle?”

Oh. She has to answer.

The cultists talked freely, but hated when Elizabeth replied. She forgot even the simplest thing that she had to answer when the other person's story was over.

Elizabeth reflected and answered quickly.

"Yes, Yes! I understand.... Ma, what a mana circle is, ah, I see.”

"Okay. Then eat.”

Elizabeth was taken aback by Asheroth's attitude, which seemed to have no further explanation, and hurriedly said.

"B, but!"

Fortunately, he didn't seem to feel much discomfort at Elizabeth's words. Because the vortex in him was silent.

Instead, he stared at Elizabeth as if to speak. She asked, swallowing her breath.

“He, but… i, if the mana circle is broken, why can’t you go with te, teleportation magic?”

“......”

Asheroth remained silent for a moment. Then he murmured, a little startled.

"I see. Is this the outside level?"

Whatever it was, Elizabeth felt that he looked down on her very lowly.

Elizabeth was slightly embarrassed.

'I know everything about mana circles.'

What Elizabeth was curious about was not what the mana circle was.

She just wants to know why he can’t take her because they were broken.

In the The Story of the Continent of Belfera Elizabeth Lily uses magic well even if her mana circles were broken.

Even though she only had one mana circle left, she was able to summon a divine beast.

But Elizabeth's doubts suddenly vanished in front of the mass of light that floated in the air.

A lump of light resembling a human shape circled in the air and stopped in front of Elizabeth.

Seeing that Elizabeth couldn't take her eyes off, Asheroth pointed his finger at the light doll and said.

"This is your body."

Next to the doll, a light bead nearly ten times larger than the body appeared.

"This is the mana used for teleportation."

At the end of Asheroth's words, the light doll and the light bead bumped into each other.

And…

Bang.

A light doll exploded with a little binge. The light powder that had been flying for a while disappeared without a trace.

“This is what happens when more than its capacity is applied to the mana circles.”

Even after Asheroth's words, Elizabeth could not take her eyes off the air where the light doll was.

"Ba, bang..."

"It's actually a bit more terrible."

"Oh, how..."

Elizabeth, who asked reflexively, realized that unlike light dolls, there were blood and organs in the human body.

She shook her head in a hurry.

"Oh, no, no! Y, you don't have to tell me. It's okay!"

"Really?"

The vortex in Asheroth gently shook with regret.

It seems that he wanted to explain what kind of changes the body undergoes when infused with excessive mana.

He was a wizard who didn't know whether he was kind or scary.

"When I teleport, my body be, becomes like that?"

"Okay. Unlike ordinary people, the wizard's mana circles can absorb and store mana, but there are limits. If you take in more mana than your capacity, your body will collapse rapidly.”

Elizabeth Lily in the book didn't.

'...I'm not that great wizard right now, so I can't stand it?'

It was natural, but somehow she felt unfair. She asked, clenching the bowl of soup that had begun to cool.

"C, Can't I get better?"

"When the body recovers, the mana circles naturally recovers. In the current state, it is important to rest and get enough nutrition because you cannot handle the magic of healing. So eat."

Asheroth touched a bowl of cold soup. Then, miraculously, the soup began to steam again. It was a wonderful skill indeed.

"Th, thank you."

Anyway, she understood why Asheroth had to walk through the forest.

Elizabeth began to drink the soup without hesitation.

There were only a few pieces of vegetables, and it was a scarce soup that had not been seasoned, but it was warm, so it felt good when it went into her stomach.

Before long, Elizabeth emptied the bowl.

Meanwhile, Asheroth was staring down at her. It was a burdensome but not unpleasant gaze.

She doesn't know, but it seems he was paying a lot of attention to her.

‘He’s moving around thinking about my body and giving me food…’

Elizabeth asked with relief that her choice was also right.

"Now, what, what do you do?"

Instead of replying, Asheroth hugged her, who had been rolled up in a cloak or something.

Then he silently started walking again.

Elizabeth, who was saying, ‘Oh? Oh?’ hugged his neck and asked again.

"W, well."

"Now sleep."

"Oh, I'm not sleepy."

"Sleep."

Elizabeth mumbled and tried to say something, but he patted her on the head.

It was not painful or threatening, but it was an attitude that made it irrefutable.

Elizabeth reluctantly leaned on his firm shoulder and thought.

‘I thought you'd tell me more.’

It's been a while since she got out of the cave. In other words, it is time to tell Elizabeth something.

'But he doesn't tell me his name, he doesn't tell me where he's going...'

Instead, he gave her something to eat and he took good care of her.

He gave her a similar explanation for what she was asking. It wasn't why he brought her out, it was all about the mana circle.

As a result of observing, Asheroth…

What should she say? He was clumsy at dealing with people.

He’s like a forest keeper.'

She recalled an old man who lived outside the village.

Perhaps because he didn't meet people often, the forest grandfather often embarrassed the children.

Saying only necessary words without saying hello, forgetting important things, not caring about the people he’s with and just walking through the woods and…

A very strong and very dangerous wizard is like a forest keeper who hates people.

Elizabeth, who had been thinking of the two, secretly smiled slightly.

And as she somehow felt her tension melt away, she relaxed and leaned back on Asheroth.

'It's okay though.'

At least now, she's not walking in a damp cave, but in a sunny forest.

That alone made her happy as if she had escaped from a long misfortune.

"Stop rolling your eyes and sleep."

“......”

Indeed, the inability to compromise was like a forest grandfather.

Elizabeth sighed secretly and thought.

‘As expected, Asheroth seems like a strange wizard.’

.....

Spoiler: Episode 6

A few more days passed.

In the meantime, Elizabeth has been moving in Asheroth's arms all the time.

At first she was incredibly burdened. He held her in arms when she slept, when she woke up and even when she ate something.

Asheroth didn't say much, so she was more concerned. But she was afraid to get used to it, and after about three days she was able to change her posture in his arms while sneaking a glance.

The next day, she was able to ask for water while eating a small roast bird that Asheroth caught and baked for her.

After two more days, she got up holding his neck and had enough time to see the surrounding scenery.

The landscape that used to be filled with densely-grown bushes and trees suddenly turned into a sparsely manicured path and branched trees.

It seemed to be moving towards the edge of the forest.

As if to prove it, another day passed, and they arrived in a very small town. Thanks to this, she was able to eat the hot oat porridge, even though it was far away.

When she woke up after sleeping about 10 times, she got out of the forest and moved through a pretty good road.

In the meantime, Elizabeth has been observing Asheroth and got some information about him.

First of all, he was a silent person.

He hardly spoke to Elizabeth first except when he told her to sleep.

Not only was he silent, he had no expression. Whenever she looked up, he always had a blunt face.

All he had to do was frown slightly when they delayed for a while in town because she was suffering from a fever.

Even if she traveled with an automatic doll made of magic, she felt like it would have more diverse expressions and conversations.

'...I can see why Elizabeth in the book ran away.'

She knows from experience. Had she not known the contents of the book, she would have certainly been afraid of Asheroth's attitude.

Even though she knew who he was, she was sometimes confused about what Asheroth was thinking and why he was carrying her.

Still, little by little, she was able to get used to him because Asheroth was quick-witted and kind.

He has a blunt expression on his face and can't communicate well, but he's kind.

'Thanks to Asheroth, I've never felt uncomfortable.'

If she seemed hungry, he gave her something to eat right away. If she was sick, he cared even if she didn't say anything.

When Elizabeth gasped because she was tired, he often used healing magic, even though he added ‘It's not good in the long run, so I shouldn't use it’.

He knew and helped her first when she slept or did chores.

'Even if you don't talk to me first, if I talk to you, you answer me.'

Even if Elizabeth stammered and said clumsy things, he waited until the end and listened, and even if it was a short answer, he answered regularly.

She was so sorry that she worried that he might bother or be mean to her.

She was happy, but at the same time puzzled.

In the book, Asheroth is described as a strong but eccentric wizard that is difficult to deal with. Of course, he was far from a kind wizard who took good care of children.

However, the Asheroth Elizabeth experienced was blunt and strange, but not eccentric.

"Sleep."

‘...He’s a bit stubborn.’

It was amazing that the scenery changed, so she stayed up a little longer than usual, and Asheroth said a word.

Although she had tried several times and failed, she tried a new rebellion.

"Oh, I'm not sleepy."

But Asheroth pressed the back of Elizabeth's head, listening to her, and leaned it on his shoulder.

"Sleep."

She really wanted to protest that she wasn't sleepy, but for some reason, when she hit her head, drowsiness started pouring out.

‘By the way, today… I woke up early in the morning…’

Although she never walked on her own, it was no wonder that she was sleepy because of the time. Suddenly, darkness fell all around.

‘I didn't know I was sleepy either, but how does Asheroth know so quickly?’

Elizabeth felt her eyelids grow heavy and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

And she handed her greetings from a few days ago, starting to take up her courage.

“Ah, good nig… good night.”

She didn't hear the answer.

Because she fell asleep as it is.

***

When she opened her eyes again, she saw several houses in the distance. It looked like a village.

Elizabeth asked in surprise at the completely changed scenery.

“H, how long have I been sleeping? Ha, have you been walking all night?"

"It's been a while. I thought your body is feeling a little better, so I just moved using space folding."

“Sp, space folding?”

“It is one of the sub-magic of teleportation. It is one of the techniques for moving in a space in a straight distance, not by disassembling the body, but by connecting space and space…”

Asheroth, who was explaining in a low voice, cut off the story because it was annoying to talk longer.

"There's something like that anyway."

'I'm curious.'

Elizabeth, who was listening with her ears pricked up, was disappointed inside. Still, she didn't want to bother him for no reason, so she calmly leaned on his shoulder.

So they walked a little longer and entered the village.

Elizabeth, who thought it would be a small village with three or four houses just like the one they had stopped by while passing through the forest, was surprised.

It was a fairly large village. There were dozens of houses lined with bricks and decent roofs.

'Uh... was there a village like this near the forest? How far have we come?’

While Elizabeth looked around and wondered, Asheroth entered the building located at the entrance to the village.

It was an old restaurant, and the signboard with a fork and knife was worn out and missing teeth.

Upon entering, the smell of food hit her. It seemed to smell like stew from the kitchen separated by a brick wall that was about the waist of an adult man.

Elizabeth stretched her head and looked around the dining room.

There were no other clerks except for the owner who was stirring the stew in the kitchen, whether it was a place where tourists or villagers were doing business comfortably.

Still, it was well managed. The walls were clean with plaster, and the floor was smooth. The six tables and the chairs attached to them also looked clean and tidy.

Two of the tables were already filled, with four men who appeared to be mercenaries on one table, and two elderly men who appeared to be villagers on the other table.

They glanced at Asheroth as he entered the restaurant and soon turned away as if they were not interested.

Every time she saw the gazes of people who were quickly falling away from Asheroth, she thought it was strange.

'How could you not be interested in Asheroth?'

Elizabeth sneaked a look at Asheroth's face. He was so pretty that she could always admire him.

The vortex that glitters and moves inside his body is probably only visible to her who has the eyes of truth, but anyone can see what's outside.

They can see what Asheroth's face looks like, but why isn't they responding?

‘If I were them, I would have stared at him all the time since he came in.’

Asheroth sat at a nearby table with Elizabeth in his arms, perhaps not bothered by her staring at his face.

"Are you a stranger? I haven't seen you here."

The owner rubbed her hands on the apron and asked when she got out of the kitchen.

Asheroth threw a silver coin as she approached the table and said.

"Something for a child to eat.”

"You don't even answer me?"

The owner grumbled and snatched the silver coin and turned it around. Then she said awkwardly.

“Is this a piece of silver? I can’t go back to my house.”

“I don’t need change.”

The owner's eyes widened for a while at the words, and soon drew a line. It was clear that she thought she grabbed the stick.

"It's not on the menu, but I can make you corn soup."

"Then let's do that, and anything that can be done quickly."

"Is it okay to have spicy stew and grilled chicken? There's no bread. It's only served in the evening."

"I don't care. Do that."

The owner turned around, went to the kitchen, came back, and held out a glass of water. And she winked.

"Water is free. There's a well in my house."

"Yes."

As soon as Asheroth's blunt answer was over, the men sitting far away shouted, "Where is it free?" and "Anyway, reveal the man's face."

"Shut up! Things that don't pay properly!"

The owner disappeared back into the kitchen, throwing words of criticism in a loud voice that would not be beaten by the guests.

Asheroth held the glass of water in Elizabeth's hand without giving any notice to the quarrel between the owner and the men.

Just as she was thirsty, she took a glass and drank a lot of water. It was delicious even if it was worse than what Asheroth made for her.

After waiting for a while, the corn soup boiled with butter, milk, and flour came out. It looked delicious as yellow grains were embedded throughout the soup, perhaps with corn flour and raw corn mixed in.

Elizabeth swallowed without realizing it. The sweet smell of corn suddenly made her hungry.

As she swallowed her saliva, Asheroth said as he pushed a spoon in front of her.

“What are you watching? Eat."

“Ha, but…”

As she hesitated and looked around, Asheroth took the spoon and held it in her hand.

Elizabeth quickly dipped a spoon in the soup, as if she would give it to him if he wanted to.

As soon as she thought of the soup and put it in her mouth, the sweet and soft sweetness spread. Swallowing, the savory aroma of milk and butter followed.

‘Delicious…’

Elizabeth tried not to spill it and carried the soup to her mouth.

By the time the soup bowl was bottomed out, a spicy stew and a grilled chicken dish were served.

Potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, onions, peppers, and very little pork.

The stew smelled spicy, so she hesitated to hold the fork.

On the other hand, the chicken dish, which was grilled closely with olive oil after taking out the intestines, smelled appetizing.

She knew it from the time she entered the entrance of the village, but she was sure when she saw the dish.

'Maybe this isn't... near the border.'

Most of the villages near the border were poor, so it was not easy to get meat.

In order to increase the amount of meat, it is essential to make stew or boiled food. Grilled meat was a precious food that could only be eaten on holidays.

If this is really near the border, it wasn't a dish that would come out naturally like this.

'Where the hell is it? I'm sure there's a place on the way to the Wizards' Guild......'

With a large roast chicken in front of her, Elizabeth recalled the cities depicted in the book.

《The Story of the Continent of Belfera》 is an adventure novel about the protagonist Enoch defeating a dragon with his companions, so the description of the areas or cities he traveled to was quite rich.

However, most of it was information 10 years later, and it was difficult to know where it was right now because it was made up of writing.

'Well... well, I don't know where I am now. There's no way Asheroth is going anywhere weird.'

While she was thinking differently in front of the food, Asheroth asked the owner a question.

"Is there a place to sleep for a day?"

“If you stand on the street and look for a place to sleep, even bitches with husbands would put you to sleep. Why would you pay for a place to sleep?”

Elizabeth gasped at the owner's bold words. On the other hand, Asheroth responded by dismantling a chicken that was skillfully baked with a fork, as if he didn't care much.

"I don't have that taste. I hope it's an inn."

The owner grumbled that he responded to the joke in a very boring way, but she immediately answered.

"Hmm... then you'd better go far away. In another half-day by public wagon along the main road is the trading city."

"Where does the carriage stop?"

"It'll be at the village entrance in about an hour."

He nodded his head to signify that it was done, and the owner moved back into the kitchen without saying anything.

Only Elizabeth, who was listening to the conversation of the two, swept away her nervous heart for no reason.

Like an eccentric wizard, she was worried that Asheroth would use his hands relentlessly toward rude people.

Thinking about it now, even in the 《The Story of the Continent of Belfera》, the people that Asheroth threatened or killed were mostly bad people. He has never been shown to be emotionally involved with any other being.

It's like fighting Elizabeth in a book. It was just a verbal battle.

'Right. Asheroth and Elizabeth were in such a bad relationship, but they never went beyond a quarrel.'

All the other colleagues had a physical encounter with Asheroth once or twice, but it never happened with Elizabeth.

'No? I think she said she couldn't fight in front of colleagues, so she changed the place.’

However, there seemed to be no evidence that the two had a physical fight.

In the first place, Enoch himself, the speaker and main character of the book, was not a person who watched such things closely.

‘Then when the main character Enoch isn't watching, the two…’

Her thoughts, which had been going in the wrong direction, were interrupted by a single word from Asheroth.

"Eat."

With those words, the grilled chicken dish was pulled in front of her.

The chicken on the plate was carefully disassembled into a size just right for eating with a fork.

Before Elizabeth could respond, he poked the chicken with a fork and handed it out.

Isn't this too childish?

Elizabeth blushed and quickly picked up the fork placed next to her.

“I, I, I can eat.”

But instead of withdrawing the fork, Asheroth responded bluntly.

“Okay, eat it.”

The hot steaming chicken was too much of a temptation to refuse. Not only in the cave, but also on the way here she ate mediocre food.

Without realizing it, Elizabeth chewed the meat.

‘Umm…!’

She was amazed at the salty taste that rose up in her mouth as soon as she chewed it.

The skin was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

'The corn soup was delicious, but this one is even better.'

As soon as she finished eating, another piece was stamped on the fork.

After eating one and eating another, half of the chicken disappeared.

Nevertheless, Asheroth did not seem to have much intention of stopping the fork.

If she leaves it alone, he can feed it all. Elizabeth looked at him and said.

“Hey, I’m full now.”

Asheroth stared at Elizabeth. Elizabeth added words as she tried to be as sincere as possible.

“Tr, it, it’s true.”

His answer was a fork with a bigger piece of chicken.

She had to open her mouth and eat it. In one way or another, the chicken tasted good.

......of course, so did the spicy stew.

Spoiler: Episode 7

‘I'm full…’

Elizabeth stroked her bulging belly in Asheroth's arms.

In the end, except for the corn soup, she had to eat everything Asheroth gave her, but it was a satisfying meal anyway.

‘I'm the only one who's full.’

Elizabeth looked at Asheroth for no reason. He didn't eat anything after Elizabeth had finished her meal. He didn't even drink water.

Actually, it's not just today. He had never eaten anything after he met Elizabeth.

Elizabeth was bothered by the fact, but she didn't ask why.

Because she already knew the answer to that question.

‘Asheroth is a battle wizard.’

In this world, 'battle wizard' refers to a wizard who is capable of fighting high-ranking demons alone.

To defeat the high-ranking demon, you had to fight nonstop battle for at least a few weeks, and most battle wizards were able to operate without eating or sleeping for about a month through magical adjustments.

Elisabet in the book also used to work without sleep or rest for nearly two weeks to a month after going through adjustment before a big battle.

'...It's been a while since Asheroth has been with me, hasn't it?'

Elizabeth counted to herself. It wasn't accurate because she woke up, but it must have been more than a week.

‘Since I slept a lot, it might have been longer than that, right?’

Then maybe not long after, the adjustment period of Asheroth will end.

'Then can I eat together with Asheroth?'

It wasn't that she didn't like eating alone. But if possible, she wanted to sit face to face with someone and eat.

Most of the events before being kidnapped by cultists became blurred, but only the pleasant memories of eating with family remained in her heart.

‘I hope that time comes soon.’

Asheroth continued to walk out of town, while she was excited by the expectations.

"Oh, where are you going? E, Weren't you riding a carriage?"

To Elizabeth, who looked around in surprise and wondered, he responded as if saying what she meant.

"Carriage? I told you we're moving folding a space."

“Ha, but, at the restaurant earlier, you asked when the carriage is coming?”

“I asked if we would meet someone on the road. It’s difficult for other people to see ‘folding’.”

“Wh, why?”

"Space folding is a technology that connects space and space using seven dimensions, so while it is connected, the mass is concentrated in the surrounding space..."

Asheroth spoke up to that point, but when he saw Elizabeth's eyes blinking, he stopped talking.

“Anyway, it doesn’t look good.”

'Again.'

He stopped, saying, ‘You don't have to know.’ Elizabeth slightly moved her lips. She wanted to ask, ‘So what's after that?’

'I don't think you hate talking to me.'

Didn't he tell her about mana circle the day after they met? Of course, he explained it moderately at that time, but he answered it anyway.

Seeing that he answered something regularly every time she asked, it didn't seem like he hated talking.

'Then what... am I bothering you?'

Even so, I am curious.

A little boldness grew in Elizabeth's heart, perhaps because she was full.

The slight bond she developed from traveling with him also reinforced it.

'Let's just ask once.'

Is he tired of talking to her? If she gets an answer that she is bothering him, she just has to keep her mouth shut without asking anything.

"Um, well."

Determined and determined, she opened her mouth, trying not to stutter.

"Are y, you uncomfortable t, talking to me?"

"...what?"

"Because wh, when you, talk to me, you al, always don't talk un, until the end."

Elizabeth added quickly, in case he was displeased.

"I, if you d, don't want me to keep a, asking questions... If that's the c, case, I'll stay quiet."

Asheroth's footsteps stopped as he tried to enter the forest next to the road.

And he hugged Elizabeth.

Thanks to that, his expressionless face was at eye level. Asheroth looked at her silently.

Elizabeth reflexively swallowed her breath.

'Too close!'

There was no risk of falling off because she was tightly hugged, but she was embarrassed when his beautiful face, which was not like a human, became too close.

As she hesitated, not knowing what to do, Asheroth snapped.

"It won't be fun."

"Oh, oh, yes?"

The meaning of the words was unknown, so when she asked, Asheroth said again.

“Most of what I say will be uninteresting. It must be difficult to understand, and since there is hardly any proper knowledge of magic, you will not understand 20% of what I'm saying. Still, do you really want to have a useless conversation?"

Although he seemed to have tried to solve it and explain it, it was still puzzling.

“No, I don’t know what you mean.”

When Elizabeth replied cautiously, looking at him in a daze, he kicked his tongue and said.

"I'm asking if you really want to hear something that is not good to know and doesn't make sense. I'm telling you in advance, there's a lot more to hear than you think."

‘Uh... it means, he doesn't want to talk long because I can't understand him anyway?’

No, it doesn’t seem like that.. If it's annoying, he'll tell me to shut up, but he said there's no reason to explain it, right?

‘Then…’

Elizabeth, struggling to interpret his words, asked skeptically and cautiously.

“E, even if I don’t und, understand, do I really w, want to hear it? Th, that…”

She finished the question by swallowing her dry saliva.

"C, can you tell me to the end?"

“……”

Asheroth's eyes narrowed. There was not much change in his expression, but somehow she could vaguely understand his thoughts.

It was only for a brief moment, but the swirling vortex inside of him rumbled very much.

‘I think he's speechless…’

Was she too careless?

But didn't Asheroth said ‘It’s not funny. It's longer than you think.’?

‘Doesn't that mean you're not going to tell me because you're afraid it’ll be uncomfortable and boring?’

She wished she interpreted it very well, but that's all she could think of.

Of course, it is boring and tiring to keep hearing things that you can’t understand even if you hear them. If Elizabeth was an ordinary 10-year-old child, she would appreciate his consideration.

‘But I'm Elizabeth Lily.’

She was the heroine of 《The Story of the Continent of Belfera》 and a future super-strong wizard. Like it or not, she has to get used to magic.

Asheroth said it wasn't funny and she wouldn't understand, but it wasn't true. Elizabeth really wanted to hear what he had to say.

Unlike the future ten years later described in detail in the book, the present is an unknown area. Even the smallest piece of information was important.

Elizabeth opened her mouth again to let him know her own intentions more certainly than not answering him.

"Well, I want to hear, ev, everything."

"......why?"

I thought there would be no answer this time, but Asheroth returned the question. So Elizabeth was more courageous.

"Why, because, well, there, when I was in the cave, oh, no one taught me. Oh, I'd like to know anything, anything."

Elizabeth continued, trying not to look intimidated or servile.

"Oh, you can't?"

Asheroth sighed shallowly and hugged her tightly again.

Then he murmured softly, with Elizabeth leaning on his shoulder.

"There's nothing I can't do."

It was an unwilling tone, but it didn't seem angry.

He stroked Elizabeth's head against his shoulder and murmured to himself.

"You’re not curious about who I am, where I'm going now, but you’re curious about the theory of space folding."

‘Hic, that's true.’

His small recited words made her awake.

It was as Asheroth said. During a few days together, he never said his name. He never said he was on the way to the Wizards’ Guild.

From Asheroth's point of view, he saved a girl with a special talent from cultists.

He did what he had to do, so he didn't have to add an explanation to his actions, and he must have been proud.

However, for Elizabeth, it was a mysterious kidnapping.

Doesn't it seem so? A man suddenly stormed into a den of cultists and killed all the people.

He also brutally tortured the headmaster in front of her.

Then, all of a sudden, he dragged her out saying she should go with him, and he was heading somewhere without telling her destination.

'You'd be scared of that, wouldn't you? You'd be nervous about where you’re going.'

However, Elizabeth, who is not the heroine in the book, did not care a bit.

Far from being anxious, she got along too well. She was even showing strange motivation by asking this and that as if she wanted knowledge about magic.

What will that look like to Asheroth?

'Looks incredibly suspicious.'

Elizabeth swallowed a dry saliva.

‘Is that a lie that you can't use teleportation magic because I'm not feeling well…? You're going round and round to find out who I am, not going to the Wizards’ Guild?'

It's possible. Asheroth is a character who is often emphasized as eccentric in the book. Maybe it was acting that he treated her well so far.

She opened her mouth in a hurry to somehow dilute his suspicions.

"I'm curious about that, too.”

"That?"

"E, Wizard, y, your name."

She was worried about what she would do if he didn't tell her, but Asheroth answered right away as if it were natural.

"Asheroth Bain. You can call me Asheroth."

"Oh, Mr. Asheroth?"

"Without mister."

He patted Elizabeth on the back of the head with his index finger and said.

"I'll tell you in advance, I don't know when we're alone, but don't call me that when we're with people."

"Why? Why?"

"Holland is the land ruled by the rotten Elder Liches of El Bana..."

Asheroth stopped talking again.

Maybe he will say that there's something like that and close his mouth.

Contrary to Elizabeth's worries, he seemed to be thinking about something, and soon began to talk more freely.

“So the wizards in this area that you and I are in right now, Holland, and the group that I'm in are not on good terms with. It's especially bad with me.”

It was an explanation that even young Elizabeth could easily understand.

'I guess you weren't suspicious of me.'

Judging by this kind explanation, it seems that he was just a little puzzled that Elizabeth had been following him without saying a word.

It was such a relief. Elizabeth quickly asked back, afraid that he might change his mind and shut up.

"Why, why, don't you get along?"

"Yeah, I hit the heads of two rotten skulls..."

Asheroth stopped talking once more, not answering what else was going on. He seemed to think about it for a while, and then he continued.

“I have some of the things that these local wizards value the most. I didn’t even pay any compensation, so I have to move as far as possible out of their sight.”

“Oh, okay.”

The 'El Bana' he was talking about was one of the 7 major schools of magic. It was in the 《The Story of the Continent of Belfera》, so Elizabeth knew it too.

'El Bana' is a group of wizards commonly called necromancers, and Holland was the country where their headquarters was located.

'It was Holland… No wonder meat was served in a normal village.'

Holland, a prosperous country ruled by seven immortal wizards called the Elder Lich.

Elizabeth hated this country. To be exact, she hated Holland in the book.

This is because Holland's Elder Liches are villains who were on the side of the dragon and put the main characters' army in crisis.

‘When did Elizabeth and Enoch's army and Holland's army fight?’

It seems it was quite late. Holland suddenly betrayed them when they thought it would be all over if they defeated the dragon.

Like the villains of the hero's story, Elder Liches were very powerful, and description of their appearance was as detailed.

Among them, what impressed her were the two Elder Liches, who persisted until the end.

One had a floating blue fireball and one had a red fireball on his head, but when they fought against Elizabeth, their heads were not visible.

Elizabeth in the book speculated that they had removed their heads to avoid revealing their weaknesses.

But it seems that wasn't the case.

‘I didn't know they had no heads because Asheroth blew them away…’

It was kind of pitiful. The other Elder Liches had heads, so they had facial expressions and could talk, but these two were only doing 'boom' and 'chuck'.

She was worried that much. Asheroth only said they didn't get along, but is that true?

If it is true that he blew up their heads, and even two of them, they would in fact be enemies.

‘Isn't it really dangerous if he gets caught?’

Feeling threatened, Elizabeth looked up at him with an uneasy stare.

"I, if it's dangerous, we, wear a hood. Don't you ha, have to wear it?"

Asheroth stared down at her. He didn't say anything, but it seemed like he was asking 'What?'

Not knowing why, Elizabeth became a little frustrated.

"Oh, Asheroth, uh, face, uh, because it stands out a lot."

She added a word quickly in case he understood it as a strange look.

"I, it's pretty."

Spoiler: Episode 8 (Buying clothes)

Elizabeth waited for an answer with her eyes wide open.

But Asheroth did not answer. Instead, he tapped her on the back of the head with his index finger.

‘Oh? Did you feel bad when I said you were pretty?’

But the vortex inside him didn't shake very much. It didn't look bad.

"It's not like a woman, it's like a face, it's so pretty, it's like a sculpture, Nu, it stands out, so I think it's better to hide it. O, once you see it, you won't forget..."

"......I understand what you're saying, so that's enough.”

Not stopping her by telling to stop, he pressed Elizabeth's head to his shoulder.

It didn't hurt, but she couldn't see. When she floundered and hung on, he finally released his hand.

After that, whenever she tried to say something more, he patted her on the back of head, forcing Elizabeth to fall silent.

‘Strange. The vortex is still.’

Elizabeth was lost in agony.

It wasn't clear whether that visible vortex represented Asheroth's feelings or mood.

It just feels like that.

She saw something similar in demons, but it was like a dot, so she couldn't read any emotion.

‘What should I do if I'm mistaken?’

Suddenly, afraid, Elizabeth asked to confirm.

"Ah, Asheroth, did you feel bad uh, because I said you are pretty?"

"No."

The answer was quick, and the vortex was silent. It's just that Asheroth's steps became much faster than before.

‘Ah.’

The vortex was not silent. It was blinking and sparkling, but she didn't see it because it was too short.

‘Um... What is it? It's not that you’re bothered.’

Is he embarrassed ? It shakes less than when he is dumbfounded.

"That's enough. Sleep."

Asheroth tapped her on the head one more time, perhaps because Elizabeth was staying awake. At the same time, the vortex sparkled.

‘Ah.’

She didn't understand exactly why he kept tapping or pressing her head, but now she knows.

‘It means stop and stay still.'

Elizabeth, who got the answer, decided to stop here. Asheroth cared for her, so now was her turn.

‘Ah, but I want to ask you how to fold space. Can I ask you when you use magic?’

She wondered how to bring it up, but fortunately her troubles were solved very easily.

This is because she fell asleep again while being hugged, and when she opened her eyes again, they arrived at the trading city.

***

She closed and opened her eyes for a moment, and a street full of huge buildings spread out in front of her.

She had already experienced it once in the village, but it was so strange that she had to go through it again, so Elizabeth opened her eyes without realizing it.

As she looked around, people were everywhere.

People who buy and sell things in a noisy way. People who call in in front of a store with bronze or copper signs and windows.

People, people, people who come and go busily.

"Looks like you're awake."

Asheroth muttered a little, as if he had noticed the frantic and busy gaze.

Elizabeth asked, clinging to him unconsciously.

“Hey, where are we?”

“It’s the trading city the restaurant owner said.”

“Al, already?”

"It's easy to fold a half-day distance."

It seems she fell asleep then. Elizabeth murmured with regret.

“Boy, I missed you, space folding magic.”

"You slept so well for that."

At Asheroth's reply, she felt her face burning. Perhaps she really slept well.

'I slept so much.... Even if I'm full.'

As she rustled shyly, Asheroth patted the back of her head lightly.

"Anyway, that's fine. I was going to wake you up."

"Wh, Why?"

"You can't walk around in those rags forever."

"W, rags?"

When Elizabeth, who did not understand the meaning of the words, asked a question, he responded as if she was asking something obvious.

"I'm going to buy you some clothes."

At the mention of clothes, she looked down at the clothes she was wearing.

What she was wearing was rough, worn-out clothes that looked like they had been cut out of a sack of cloth. It was so bad that rags was a polite expression.

She has no shoes, so small feets with scratches and wounds are also exposed.

‘Come to think of it, I'm not even wearing underwear…’

Elizabeth, who was continuing her thoughts, suddenly became embarrassed. Oh, my God, why did she forget?

She buried her head in Asheroth's arms and begged urgently.

“Well then, come on, let’s go. Oh, to buy clothes!”

Whether she was ashamed or not, Asheroth did not respond.

He said he was going to buy clothes, but he swiped past the clothing stores that lined the street and entered a narrower alley. It was strange.

Unlike the boulevard, the roads in the back alleys were intricately tangled.

Elizabeth asked embarrassedly as she saw the landscape becoming increasingly deserted and harsh.

“Ah, Asheroth, oh, weren’t you going to buy clothes?”

“We’re almost there.”

Asheroth answered that and walked for another long time.

After passing through an old and dark alley, he eventually stopped walking in front of an old one-story building where someone would live.

Strangely, there were no doors or windows in the building.

Instead, a picture of 13 elaborate cogs tangled was painted on the wall.

‘This is…’

Elizabeth knew what this painting meant. Because she saw it in the book. She only read the description, but it was so similar to the description that she couldn't not know.

Debarim.

This is the symbol of one of the 7 major magic schools, the mado engineers.

'Why a symbol of Debarim here? Holland is the realm of necromancers, isn't it?'

While she was wondering, Asheroth took the card out of his arms and put it against the wall as if he were familiar with it.

Then like a lie a door appeared from the wall where there was nothing. It was a huge black door twice the height of a man.

Asheroth opened the door with wide-eyed Elizabeth in his arms. The attitude was familiar.

All of a sudden, her eyes brightened up, and Elizabeth closed them without realizing. When she opened them again, she forgot to ask what it was. Instead, exclamations burst out.

It was amazing that the door suddenly appeared, but the view inside the door was even more amazing.

It was a space so high that the end could not be seen. A huge space made of marble.

From the first floor to the top floor, there was a square hole in the middle.

And there, a gigantic golden crystal similar to the height of the building was floating, emitting a faint light.

Surprised by the overwhelming sight, Elizabeth realized while looking up at the crystal blankly.

‘That's... mana stone, right?'

The size of mana stones that could be obtained from the demons varied widely. But even so, how could such a large mana stone exist?

The mana stones collected from demons the size of a calf summoned by Elizabeth were only the size of a baby's fingernail.

As she watched, overwhelmed by the huge spinning mana stone, Asheroth handed the card to the woman standing at the entrance.

Wearing a neat white shirt, black pants, and a black vest, the woman smiled after checking his card.

"You belong to the Elegald Wizards’ Union. It's a big deal to see a union wizard in Holland."

"Is there a problem?"

"No way. Debarim always welcomes all wizards. Thank you for visiting the Holland branch of the Mado Department Store. What can I show you?"

The woman returned the card in a friendly reply. Asheroth answered, pointing to Elizabeth in his arms.

“Travel clothes suitable for child.”

As soon as the words fell, the employee of the Mado Department Store led the two into the large room with quick and systematic gestures and sat them on a fluffy sofa.

Elizabeth didn't even have time to look around the gorgeous room. Immediately, three kinds of fruit juice, milk with honey, cakes and cookies flew through the air and filled the table.

While Elizabeth was wondering if she could eat a delicious dessert just by looking at it, people suddenly flocked this time.

They put Elizabeth upright, pointed tape measure to and fro around her body, and tucked her feet into a strange frame.

After turning her around and touching her here and there about two times, they rushed out all at once.

Elizabeth, who was left alone with Asheroth again, stumbled and sat down on the sofa. She was so distracted that her soul was completely drained.

"Oh, I'm dizzy."

He patted the back of her head lightly instead of answering. She felt a little refreshed because it seemed to say good job.

After a short break, Elizabeth glanced at the closed door.

Seeing that it was quiet, there seemed to be no people coming in for a while. It was good for her, so Elizabeth sat close to Asheroth and said.

"Hey, you know, Ashe... no, wizard."

When she remembered that she should not call his name in the presence of the people, Elizabeth changed it.

Instead of answering her, as he had always done, his gaze came down as if asking why.

Elizabeth glanced back at the door and asked cautiously, not knowing who would come.

"Oh, do you have to buy clothes here? F, There must be an old clothing store out somewhere."

She had never been to the city, but she remembered that her parents often bought old clothes when they went shopping.

Children grow up quickly and change clothes often, so it was common to buy old clothes and wear them.

If it is called a trading city, it will be a huge, so there must be a store that only sells old clothes. It was enough to buy anything there if you needed a child's clothes.

“An old clothes store?”

But Asheroth responded as if what the hell was that.

Just in case, he didn't seem to know the existence of an old clothing store.

Elizabeth smiled awkwardly, a little embarrassed.

That's possible. The book also said that wizards lack common sense in strange corners.

‘That's why you came here.’

A membership-based magic tool vendor run by magic engineers of the Debarim school, Mado Department Store.

‘It's kind of weird to call it the Mado Department Store, but…..’

In the book, there was no such thing as the Mado Department Store hidden in the back alley.

The Mado department store, described in 《The Story of the Continent of Belfera》, was a symbol of the Debarim school, which is only built in the capital of the country that formally interacts with the Mado Engineering's interest group, the Mado Patent Office.

It was common to build it very splendidly so that it could be seen from a distance.

It was a large building with more than five floors.

In the Alphenia Empire, the country of the main character Enoch, it was a whopping ten stories high, and the entire outer wall was white, so it was said that it was visible from the entrance of the capital.

‘But… I don’t know, but I think it’s bigger than the one in the capital of the Empire.’

That fact somehow struck her.

Why isn't this big Mado department store depicted in the novel?

Since it's Enoch's first-person novel, what the main character doesn't know isn't recorded?

Or because it's not important?

But this wasn't so important information to check right now.

‘The important information right now is that….. everything they sell here is expensive.’

Of course, even the smallest items sold at the Mado department store were all magic tools. It was bound to be extremely expensive.

The child's clothes sold here will be a work of art, not just clothes.

Even though it was not her money, it was a waste to spend a lot of money on clothes that she wouldn't wear in a few days.

She explained with the strength of her mission and courage.

"Oh, the old clothing store is a place where I, dig and sell clothes that others wear. Oh, children's clothes are, they usually buy it there."

So she tried to convey that it was enough to buy outside, but Asheroth murmured to himself.

"You're definitely not a noble."

"Wha, what?"

"Never mind, I didn't say it to you."

Then he tapped her forehead with index finger and said.

"I don't know why you're suddenly talking about old clothes, but it's better to wear proper clothes in the future."

"Ha, but..."

"That's enough. Put it on."

Elizabeth was forced to shut up in a determined reply that would not allow further objections. Even if she insisted more, it seemed that he wouldn't even listen.

Elizabeth didn't speak, and the place was silent.

Fortunately, the door opened again and the staff returned before the atmosphere became awkward.

For a moment, Elizabeth was relieved, but then she was exhausted by the hanger that the employees pushed in. An endless procession of clothes and accessories. All the clothes she'd seen in her life combined wouldn't be as many.

She quickly looked back at Asheroth and asked questions with her eyes.

‘Do I have to try them all on?’

It was silence and a vortex that glittered in him as if to say yes.

It was a straightforward answer.

Spoiler: Episode 9

The hanger came rushing in like a wave. It came in and came in, and in the end, it filled half the room that seemed to be wide and empty.

'How much is this all?'

Elizabeth looked blankly at the clothes.

In the book, Elizabeth Lily and the main character Enoch went to the Mado Department Store together and bought this and that.

Enoch, who was obsessed with Elizabeth, tried to buy her everything he could see, but Elizabeth, who did not enjoy much luxury, received only a suit of clothes and a ring.

He only bought two things, but the price of one battleship came out.

‘It was cool when I read it…’

It was described that Elizabeth in the book didn't seem to hate it either. How can she hate the prince who loves her and spends a lot of money to give her a present?

She thought it would be nice to get a present.

When she actually came to the Mado Department Store and saw the overflowing clothes, she was dizzy.

While Elizabeth was at a loss, a clerk who met them at the entrance popped out of the air.

The clerk wrinkled once at the startled Elizabeth and gave her a casual, business smile.

“Sorry for being late, sir. I needed time to adjust the children's travel clothes in the store to fit the lady.”

As she clapped her hands, the pink dress fluttered itself out of the hanger and floated in the air.

"It's pretty, isn't it? It's the best girl's suit right now."

The clerk waited for the dress to turn round and round and explained with a pleased face.

"In contrast to its cute appearance, it's not only a breathable fabric that doesn't wrinkle easily, but also has various protective magic. Once you recharge it with mana, the purification magic automatically activates once a day."

Asheroth glanced at Elizabeth. There was a very explicit meaning to pretend not to know.

‘How about that?’

He is obviously asking that.

‘What do I do?’

Elizabeth looked at the dress thinking hard. She didn't understand everything the clerk said, but the clothes she showed her were pretty anyway. However, if there is anything...

"Ex, is it expensive?"

When asked while looking around, the clerk replied with a smile that still seemed to be drawn.

"We're offering it at a reasonable price."

However, in the book, you could buy half a battleship with one piece of clothing sold at the Mado Department Store.

As Elizabeth hesitated, Asheroth patted her on the head and said bluntly.

“There is nothing to worry about. I don’t know about the head office, but I can buy a whole Holland branch."

Unlike Elizabeth, who was struggling to calculate how much it was, the clerk just smiled.

"Oh, what a heart-throbbing remark! I'd be more than happy if you could actually buy it all."

"Enough of your nonsense."

Asheroth interrupted the clerk and saw Elizabeth again. It was a firm look, as if to hurry up and choose. Forced to give up resistance, she looked at the dress again.

The lace was unbelievably luxurious for children who were big, and the color of the fabric was not a cheap pink with spots, but a smooth and vivid pink.

'...but it doesn't look like travel clothes.’

Didn't Asheroth say that? It's no good getting caught because he doesn't get along with Holland's necromancers.

If she walks around wearing something like that, it'll be a loud announcement that they’re here. It's a gorgeous dress that even strangers will look at least once.

‘Even if I have to buy clothes here, that's not it.’

Elizabeth shook her head determinedly. Asheroth spoke in an indifferent tone as her nod ended.

"She says no."

"Oh, you're a very demanding lady."

The clerk smiled and clapped her hands again. Then a brown top with a white lace collar and leather shorts appeared.

"How about this? It's a comfortable top and shorts. The top is a breathable fabric. The bottoms are made of Salamander leather. Full-length leather pants are burdensome for children, but shorts are no problem!"

As she beckoned, this time white stockings and shorts-colored leather boots popped up.

"And if you match the set of stockings and boots, it's twice as cute and twice as protective."

The clerk squinted her eyes, and Asheroth's eyes turned to Elizabeth again.

Elizabeth looked carefully at the clothes.

'Well…. It has some lace.’

Still, compared to the previous pink dress, it's definitely less noticeable. She also liked how comfortable the pants looked.

She nodded her head. Asheroth also nodded his head. The clerk smiled broadly.

“It’s a winning bid! Next, I will show you the cape.”

'What? Isn't that the end?'

Elizabeth, who was trying to sweep her chest thinking this would be the end, looked at the clerk and Asheroth alternately in embarrassment.

Asheroth nodded his head again, as if for granted, and the clerk excitedly took the beige cape from another hanger.

"You're lucky. The latest products from the North Wind Workshop just came in. In addition to protective and temperature-controlling magic, this new cape has cognitive impairment magic. Just use the cape and it's automatically activated! It is safe to meet a kidnapper on the street!"

The clerk's smile deepened as Asheroth nodded in the sense of permission before Elizabeth could react anything.

"Well thought out. So next, let's look at the belt. If you have the same series of gloves and hats, you can use attack magic...."

‘Wait. Wait.’

Elizabeth pulled his sleeve to stop.

But Asheroth replied without looking back.

"Buy."

Without a word, gloves and belts were sold.

The clerk quickly released a new product as if the excitement began to rise in earnest.

"Then it's finally time for Debarim's masterpiece, the most innovative and groundbreaking, dimensional compression backpack!"

This time it was a backpack.

“What you are seeing is a 5x5 dimensional backpack that can be miniaturized and worn on a belt. Let me tell you the best thing about it…”

The clerk exclaimed, showing the surface of the backpack with an exaggerated hand gesture.

“It’s so cute with floral embroidery on the outside!”

It was an introduction of the product that seemed to be the best advantage, but Asheroth nodded to buy it.

"Well, shall we look at the next product?"

‘There's more!’

Elizabeth groaned and pulled Asheroth's sleeve harder, but to no avail.

Unfortunately, shopping was just beginning.

***

The list of things that Asheroth bought was as follows.

Two shirts. Two pants. A cape coat, a pair of boots. A pair of sandals. A pair of pajamas.

Two belts and gloves. Hat. A dimensional backpack (with floral print) that looks like a small belt-mounted backpack, but actually holds enough items to fill a room.

So far it's good. That is what a wizard could prepare for a trip rationally….. It wasn't, but it was possible preparation.

But why did he buy a dagger (including a rabbit-decorated sword) with anti-rust magic?

Why does he need a lamp with a levitation function (with a little fairy shadow spinning inside)?

The same was true of self-filled water bottle (including sweet-scented functions) and tent (including automatic folding and interior doll decorations) that would be palm-sized when folded.

Elizabeth agonized over the growing number of objects.

‘...does he just want to buy it?’

No matter how she looks at it, it seems true. As it turns out, Ascherot may be a big fan of shopping.

Underwear was also tucked in some of the useless things he bought. The other thing was floating around, but she was embarrassed and folded her underwear finely, put it in a box, and put it on the table calmly.

Asheroth, as well as the clerk, did not pretend to have bought or sold underwear, which made Elizabeth more embarrassed and she wiggled her toes.

Unlike Elizabeth, who can't even raise her head because of embarrassment, the clerk didn't hide her excited face. The way she spoke was much more resonant than the first time.

"What would you like to do with your purchase? Would you like to pack it? Or would you like to wear it?"

Asheroth replied as if he had nothing to think about.

"Let's wear it."

"All right, sir."

When the employee clapped her hands, all the hangers disappeared and a colorful partition with gold decorations appeared instead.

She held out her hand politely toward Elizabeth.

"This way, please, lady. Let me help you change your clothes."

Elizabeth looked up at Asheroth. He gave her a light push on the back.

"It's all right, so go."

At his words, Elizabeth, who once hesitated on the sofa, took a few steps and stopped.

Because beyond the partition, it was dark.

"Lady?"

The clerk urged her as if it was strange, but Elizabeth could not easily take a step.

Without knowing why she stopped, she looked over the partition.

Somehow it felt like it was incredibly dangerous to go in there. The moment she stepped in the darkness, she felt like she was going to be sucked in and disappear.

‘What a silly... It can't be.’

Elizabeth immediately denied her idea.

At the very least, it was over the partition. It was dark, but it was not as much as in the cave where she couldn't even see her nose.

At the words that came to mind in a moment, Elizabeth stiffened to the point of notice.

‘What do you mean a cave?’

She was astonished that she remembered a place she had forgotten until now. So she tightened the grip on the hem of her old robe with more force.

'Why do you think that? It's all right. It's all over. All the cultists are dead. They can't chase me.'

She was only changing clothes behind the partition with the staff. There is an Asheroth, even if he is a little far away.

‘Still…’

Still, her legs did not fall off. She couldn't move because her toes were heavy.

She squirmed and looked back at Asheroth and asked. Her voice trembled slightly.

"Hey, you know, wizard. Ka, can I call you Boo, from behind the partition?"

“Why?”

“Well, that’s it. We, you just have to answer.”

He stared at Elizabeth as if to figure out what she meant by her request.

She could not bear to say that she was scared, so she awkwardly offered a compromise.

"Dae, if you don't want to answer, you can clap your hands."

Asheroth rose as soon as she had finished speaking. Elizabeth was embarrassed. What? Why did he rise up?

"Oh, look, you know, I mean..."

"That's enough. Now that I understand, that's enough.”

Asheroth interrupted her as she stammered for an excuse.

Is he mad? Is he mad because she’s bothering him too much?

He crouched his shoulders in a pinched way and hugged Elizabeth, who was cringing.

"Hold your breath."

She swallowed her breath reflexively. Then her spine suddenly fluttered.

It was strange, so she looked down and saw that the clothes she wore were changed.

First brown shirt, leather pants, stockings and leather boots, and even a beige cape fit her perfectly.

All the other things floating around disappeared where they went. Except for the dimensional backpack filled in the belt of Elizabeth.

"Uh..."

Asheroth picked up Elizabeth, who blinked in surprise.

"There's nothing else to buy, so let's go. Calculate."

The clerk looked surprised, too. She stared at Asheroth and grinned as if she had realized something.

"That's what happened. I'll send the bill to the president of the Wizards’ Union."

"That's useless consideration."

"You've always used it that way, so I thought you'd definitely pay like that again."

"You talk too much."

“When you see a direct student of Axium, doesn’t it make everyone want to say something?”

The clerk was not discouraged at all by his rather cold voice.

"But, by the way, the little lady must be pretty cute. She'll grow up to be a scary woman if you accept all that childishness."

What was so funny, she continued in an excited voice.

“But don't worry too much. I'm going to keep the other guests' mouths shut in honor of seeing some fantastically great multidimensional displacement magic."

Asheroth stared still at the clerk. It was just that, but the air seemed strangely heavy.

Her back hurt as if someone was poking her with an awl. Elizabeth called him without realizing it.

"E, Wizard?"

"......tsk."

Asheroth briefly clicked his tongue as if he didn't like Elizabeth's glance at him. Then he turned around and spat it out to the clerk.

"Do as you please."

The clerk bowed deeply to Asheroth, who left the room as it was. And she greeted them politely, as if she had spoken playfully.

"Then, I wish you good wisdom."

 

Spoiler: Episode 10 (Basilios)

‘I have to tell you.’

On the way out of the store and back down the alley.

‘Well, I have to tell you.’

Elizabeth had been troubled in the arms of Asheroth, who was just walking without saying anything, and could not bear it and finally opened her mouth first.

“I, I, I, did I make you in trouble?”

Asheroth did not answer Elizabeth's words. Elizabeth, who became more anxious, felt restless and stuttered to choose and said her words.

“Ah, I couldn’t wear clothes by myself earlier… That woman, the woman learned something, so. Ah, didn’t she threaten Asheroth?”

"Threat?"

"Oh, mak, you said shut your mouth..."

Recalling what the clerk had said, she looked anxiously, but Asheroth made a subtle expression and replied in a tone that seemed absurd.

"Then I would have killed her."

Killed her? If she threatened him, would he have killed her?

Regardless of Elizabeth's reaction, whose eyes grew round in surprise, he murmured calmly.

“There is nothing to worry about. They just recognized me."

That surprised Elizabeth once again.

"Oh, shouldn't they not recognize you? E, Tell Elder Liches... What about that?

“There is no such thing. All of the wizards of Debarim are traders, so they will not do anything to lose money.”

Asheroth replied with a tone that it wasn't a big deal.

"I'm a bigger customer than the rotten skulls, so they'll take my side."

His explanation made Elizabeth more confused.

There are seven Elder Liches and they are even the owner of this country.

But one Asheroth is a bigger customer than them all?

‘Is that possible?’

Elizabeth recalled whether there was such an explanation in the book.

Of course, there wasn't.

In 《The Story of the Continent of Belfera》, Asheroth was a supporting role that did not appear much. The description of his appearance and abilities were limited to one or two lines, and the past was never clearly revealed.

It wasn't said how big a customer he was in the Mado Department Store.

‘Anyway… I’m glad he wasn’t threatened.’

She was worried that she might have troubled Asheroth, but she was glad that it was not the case.

However, she was worried about the sudden idea and asked as if checking it again.

"You're n, not lying because you're afraid I'm uh, worried, right?"

There was no significant change in Asheroth's expression when he heard the question.

Instead, the vortex in Asheroth shook subtly as if saying 'What are you asking me?'.

Her question didn't seem to make sense, but he answered her amicably.

"No."

After hearing an answer without hesitation, she was really relieved this time.

"Well, well, I'm fine, too."

"...you..."

"What? What?"

Elizabeth, nervous by his subsequent words, stiffened her back.

"No, it's not."

Asheroth seemed to have something to say, but he shut up again. Instead, he walked quickly out of the back alley.

He immediately went into the most prosperous-looking inn on the side of the boulevard and rented a room.

Since it was an inn, Elizabeth thought of a small room with a bed.

However, what Asheroth rented was a luxurious room with a reception room, a bedroom, a bathroom, and a servant's room.

‘The room is so big!’

Looking around the room, Elizabeth thought twice about his wealth.

Do wizards have a lot of money? Or is Asheroth rich?

She was curious, but Asheroth didn't give her a chance to ask questions.

As soon as he entered the room, he filled the bathtub with hot water with magic, peeled off Elizabeth's clothes, and immersed her in it.

"Sesame, it's clean. I..."

She was more concerned about why she was washed than about being naked and submerged in water in an instant.

She doesn’t smell so bad that purification magic will not work.

Whether he knew her heart or not, Asheroth replied bluntly.

"I put you in to relieve your fatigue, not to wash up."

"E, With magic, can't you?"

A firm answer came back.

"No, I said your circles are in bad shape."

Asheroth showed his fingers. Three in total.

“If you include the space folding twice and the space replacement magic I used earlier, it’s close. It's not a magic that directly affects the body, but the nature of my mana can affect it."

He continued, pushing back Elizabeth, who was glued to the edge of the bathtub, to soak her neck.

"So I have no choice but to relieve your fatigue in this primitive way."

"It, It’s okay to uh, push myself a little. Oh, Asheroth, because of me, you spent a lot of money today."

"I just bought a few magic tools, so there's nothing to worry about."

Asheroth said so, patting Elizabeth on the forehead.

It seemed to mean to soak a little deeper.

Elizabeth looked down at herself, soaking her chin in the water as she was told.

She could see her hands and feet submerged in the water with foam and perfume. It was dry, but there was no bruise or swelling.

She didn't have any scars on hands, even faint scars on the back of hands, which had always been bloodied by biting herself or being bitten by bugs.

It was thanks to Asheroth's careful examination of her mana circles condition and applying minor healing magic on several occasions.

A healthy body. A decent meal. Clean, high-quality clothes.

‘It's like a dream.’

What she thought she would never be able to enjoy again was naturally in her hands.

She looked up at Asheroth with a new feeling. And she said carefully.

“Oh, thank you.”

He asked as if he didn't know what to say.

“What suddenly?”

“I, for saving me.”

His strange eyes gazed at her, unable to understand what she was thinking.

"...but I didn't save you."

Elizabeth laughed unconsciously.

It is because it was such a sweet answer.

***

As soon as she finished her bath and dried her hair, Asheroth put on her pajamas, not travel clothes.

It was a very cozy and soft pajamas with a warm magic.

‘Why are pajamas?’

Elizabeth looked up at him with suspicious eyes. She slept before she came here. She slept a lot.

‘No way…’

But Asheroth was adamant.

"Sleep."

Even though she knew he'd say that, she was unhappy. She slept and she should sleep again?

"Well, I can't sleep."

"The mana circles are at their limit.”

Asheroth lifted Elizabeth up and put her on the bed.

Elizabeth, who was unexpectedly placed in bed, rose up in protest.

"I'm really not sleepy..."

Her words could not be followed. It was because the bed was so soft that she collapsed again as soon as she stood up.

Elizabeth, lying face down on the bed, blushed with shame. She wanted to get up quickly, but the blanket on her cheek felt so soft. It felt like her body would be sucked into the bed.

She definitely thought she wasn't sleepy until a while ago, but her eyelids naturally became heavy.

‘No. I slept all day, but I can't sleep again…’

She struggled to not fall asleep, but it was useless.

It was hard to beat the magic of fluffy bedding with the power of will. She fell asleep, buried in the duvet.

It was incredibly fast, even for Asheroth. He looked at the sleeping child with a colorful breath and murmured dumbfounded.

"...why did you insist?"

It was absurd, but it was a relief.

Since he didn't want to show the child the troublesome things he’s going to do from now on.

***

‘Soundproof magic has been applied.’

Sitting in the middle of a large four-seater sofa in the living room, Asheroth performed additional barrier magic.

He didn't forget to deliberately use another school’s barrier magic, just in case the rotten Elder Liches had some sort of detection magic in the city.

Only after making such double preparations, Asheroth used the magic that was originally intended.

“Communication link, Basilios.”

As the signal went along the designated mana passage, he could feel the sign of catching quickly from the other side.

- Asheroth?

A voice was heard at the same time as the communication continued.

When Asheroth did not answer immediately, the voice vomited out in a hurry, as if in embarrassment.

- Is it you, Asheroth? Who's kidding? Are you really Asheroth?

"Yes, it's me, Basilios."

- You, you, you...

Tears mingled in his voice.

- How, without contacting me……. Because you're not here, because of you…

It's going to start again.

Asheroth thought so, using magic to weaken the flow of the air layer around his body.

The next moment, the thundering voice rang out.

- Why are you contacting me now?

Now, now, now.

Even if it is blocked by the air layer, it makes a buzzing sound. Asheroth was grateful for the strength of his body.

If he were a normal human, his eardrum would have been torn.

"Have you forgotten how to speak like a human being? Cut down your mana."

- Do you think you're going to argue about that now?

"I'm saying this because the barrier can be torn."

- Barrier? What are you talking about? Why do you need barrier to share communication magic….. Where are you? Are you in a dangerous place? Is that so?

Subsequently, the stormy nagging of Basilios, the owner of the voice, began.

- I'm going crazy! I can't live! Where the hell are you? Where and what are you doing? Moira Volcano will be unsealed soon, so are you going to disappear without contacting me? Are you listening to this?

"I'm listening."

- If you're listening, give me an excuse! You’ve been out there trying to investigate the poaching of the demons, and you haven't contacted me...

Asheroth, who was moderately nagged, immediately reduced the sensitivity of communication magic.

The noisy voice was lowered to the level of humming and whispering.

He can get rid of the sound at all, but this was the best because Basilios might notice if he lowers it to that extent.

He started to touch the magic formula he had been putting his hands on for a while, using the background music of Basilios nagging, which became a moderate noise.

Has it been an hour?

Asheroth, who confirmed that numbers and letters consisting of light and lines floating in the air were assembled quite well, slightly increased communication sensitivity.

- .....I mean, I'm letting you off the hook just this once! Okay? I'm going to stop nagging!

As expected, Basilios' nagging was on the way to an end.

"Yes."

He didn't hear a word, but Asheroth answered calmly.

- All right, if you've reflected on it, that's all right.

Basilios was satisfied, even though he only answered back. His voice also softened.

- So, where are you now? Where is it? How come I can't even track your location?

"Holland."

- Holland? That's a long way from Eregald... not!

Basilios' voice rose like a scream. Perhaps he was really surprised, but his voice was filled with mana.

While the barrier was humming and shaking, while reinforcing the magic for a while, the nagging that had stopped at best began to pour out again.

- What's wrong with you? Really, what's wrong with you? Do you have a problem with me? Why Holland among many places? What if Elder Liches find out? They hate you so much. If you get caught, it's a war!

"I won't get caught."

- You won't get caught, but that's not the problem. It's a breach of the agreement! How long have you been fighting?

The nagging was going to be quite long, so Asheroth tried to reduce the sensitivity again. However, the opponent first noticed it like a ghost.

- Don't lower sensitivity! I'm not trying to nag you!

"Did you notice?"

- Isn't it stupid not to notice? But I let it slide because you pretended to listen. Oh, come on! I happened to be your godfather…

Basilios groaned alone for a long time, as if his anger did not go away.

Still, he asked in a hoarse voice after being ill for a while if he had any intention of nagging further.

- Seriously, how did you get there?

"It's a long story, so just read the memory."

- Yes? Really? You don't like mental magic, but what's the wind all of a sudden?

“If you don’t like it, quit.”

- No, who doesn't like it?

Basilios, who had been complaining about not being able to speak, came into contact with Asheroth's consciousness through communication.

- Let's see... What happened?

A delicate mana quickly began to skim through his memory.

- Huh, huh... um? You mean there were cultists in the Great Forest? Did they occupy the old ruins? Aren’t they weak for something like that? The headmaster is also very weak....... Huh?

Basilios, who spoke one by one while flicking through memories, suddenly became silent.

- This is...

He, or she, groaned incredibly.

- The Wizard with the eyes of truth?

Spoiler: Episode 11

Basilios Axium.

Commonly known as Basilios of Jibo (支保). (I think jibo means sustaining and preservation)

He was one of the members of the committee running the magical city of Eregald.

He was also the head of the Eregald Wizards' Union, and was also a high-ranking wizard and mentor of Axium, one of the 7 Great Schools of Magic.

In addition, Basilios had a considerable number of positions and titles.

But the most famous position he holds is neither a member of the council nor a high-ranking wizard.

- The wizard with the eyes of truth... How long has it been? 200 years or so?

“It’s 100 years.”

- Oh, that's all? I mean, the concept of time is confusing after I became a demon king.

Yes. The most famous position of Basilios was the Demon King.

She was one of the 666 demon kings who descended on the earth during the great war that took place over 300 years ago.

Ruler of the demons. Enemy of mankind.

However, when the Great War was coming to an end, she betrayed the demons and took the side of humans.

Not only that, she even signed a contract with Athanasia Axium, the first wizard and the wizard with the eyes of truth, and made great contributions to expelling the demon kings.

The reason is simple.

Because she was fascinated by magic and wizards.

- A true wizard with the eyes of truth!

He couldn't hide his excitement.

- It's my first time to touch the wizard with the eyes of truth. What should I do?

The demon king's hobby, who betrayed his own people to observe the wizards, was raising and supporting the wizards.

For him, who adores talented wizards, 'the wizard with the eyes of truth' would be a coveted existence to the point where words are not needed.

- What should I teach? No, first, recover the body.... Then slowly adjust the brain... Oh, my God, what do I do? I don't know what to do first!

Asheroth, who had been listening to her self-talk, whether pathetic or dangerous, responded bluntly.

“I never said I would give her to you.”

Basilios, who was struggling with the happiness of a plan to foster the wizard with the eyes of truth, responded sharply.

- What? What are you talking about? Who in the world can raise a wizard better than me!

Asheroth answered back in a half-hearted manner.

“No one is more talented at ruining wizards than you.”

- Who ruined whom? All the kids I've raised have become great wizards, haven't they? Asheroth, you're the best because I raised you...!

Basilios's voice, who was about to shoot something, paused for a moment. She muttered, 'Excellent......' and then turned around sullenly.

- He became a great... a great wizard who created great magic. Well, yeah, this is it. I'll go with this.

“I don't know where you’re going, but I did report the situation anyway. I'll be back sometime next month."

- What? Don't be that late! Moira Volcano's seal is being broken. What about the demons there?

“Leave it to Velod.”

- He's him and you're you. Is it the same as with you and without?

There was determination in the way he spoke.

- I'll pretend you haven't been hiding so far, so don't talk to me and come back now. What's wrong with doing two teleportations?

"You've seen the memory. Mana's circles are all broken. Her body can't stand it."

- What, are you Asheroth? Since when did you care about human life... What if she can't stand it? So, is there anything more than death?

At the calm response like a demon king, Asheroth frowned slightly.

If it had been before, he would of course agree, but strangely, his words were offensive.

'Why?'

When Ascherot did not answer easily, Basilios said as if he was being kind.

- Is it because of the resurrection permit? As long as she stays with me, I'll resurrect her. What are you doing with the resurrection magic?

The wizard can be revived with resurrection magic as long as the brain is unharmed. If you lose your head, you die, but you can create any other body part, so it can be seen as an existence that doesn't die.

But it wasn't perfect.

“You must know that there is a fatal problem with resurrection magic.”

- What do you mean? Oh, memory loss?

"Yes."

If you are revived by magic, you will inevitably experience loss of memory. If you are lucky, only a day or two will fly away, but if you are unlucky, you may lose all your memories and become an idiot.

That's difficult.

“If she loses her memory, she will be at a disadvantage when she testify. Even for the sake of the trial, I have to keep her body as it is now.”

- Testimony? Trial? What are you talking about?

Basilios asked in disbelief.

- What. Are you going to hold a committee trial?

"When a criminal is found violating the Great Convention, it is either killed immediately, or trial after detention. In principle, it is one of the two, isn't it?"

- No, that's true.... That's true, but it's about summoning demons without permission, everyone...

“So you’re telling me to break the Great Convention?”

Basilios, who was about to protest, finally made a sound of pain and shut his mouth.

He would tell other wizards to do it, but he couldn't do it to Asheroth.

The Great Convention, the rule of wizards, was established by the first wizard, Athanasia Axium.

And Asheroth was the twelfth direct disciple of Athanasia and a high-ranking battle wizard of the Axium school.

Like it or not, he was in a position to set an example for others.

- You usually kill everything because it's annoying, and only then pretend to be a principled person…

"Do you want me to testify to the committee that you seduced me to break the Great agreement?"

- I got it! I got it! Seriously. All right, do as you please.

"You don't have to tell me. Then in a month..."

- Wait, but you can't come back so late!

"You told me to do whatever I want."

This time, there was a slight irritation in Asheroth's voice. Basilios replied slyly.

- It's good to have your own way, but you don't have to turn around leaving a good way, do you? There's an airship in the Holland border town. Ride it. That will save you two weeks.

"The border area has a lot of eyes, so if you're unlucky, the skulls will find you?"

- What's wrong with a dead wizard dying again? As long as you don't turn them into dust, I'll take care of it.

He made a fuss about getting into trouble with Holland, but it doesn't matter if he half-kills them.

However, the demon, who was faithful to his desires in many ways, brazenly urged him as if he had done something wrong while saying two words.

- In any case, I have yielded a lot. So come back this month. Okay?

It was a compromise that wasn't bad for Asheroth. He said that considering the state of the child's body, it was safer that way.

“Good.”

- Great. Oh, and from now on, let's communicate once a day. In the meantime, let me communicate with the wizard with the eyes of truth, no, Elie. So that we become close enough, and when she arrives in Eregald, she cannot learn magic without me...

There were no more words to be heard.

"I'm hanging up."

- Wait, Asheroth! I’m talking about something important? Asheroth, this is important...!

He resolutely broke the communication magic. Basilios did not give up and tried to communicate persistently several more times, but he blocked even that.

‘What a troublesome guy.’

Asheroth clicked his tongue and leaned deep on the sofa.

That's why he didn't want to contact him until he got back.

But he couldn't pretend he didn't know. Because his identity was discovered by a branch manager at Mado Department Store.

He's never hidden it, so it's hard to say he got caught, but thanks to her, sooner or later, the bill will fly to Basilios.

It is better to contact Basilios first than him to know where he is through others and to contact him with anger, running wildly down the street.

‘I'll be back within this month…’

Asheroth calmly calculated the date.

With the space-folding magic, he can manage to get to the border city in a week.

The condition of the child was improving day by day, so it was not difficult.

'I'm glad she’s a wizard.'

Wizards, who can handle two types of power: vitality and mana, are faster in resilience and stronger in physical strength than ordinary humans.

It can be seen from the fact that Elizabeth, who had been severely abused and trapped for years, ate a proper meal in a few days and even stood up well.

If he recovers her body for another week by applying healing magic, she will be able to recover one or two more circles.

‘The problem is…’

Asheroth tapped his knee with his fingertips.

‘Can I continue to pour my mana into the wizard with the eyes of truth?’

It's not like it’s bad or anything like that. Rather, it was too good. That is why it is a problem.

‘You'll be able to see it better.'

Asheroth recalled Elizabeth's eyes, which often stared into his 'essence'.

The child didn't seem to know exactly what she was looking at. So she would have been looking into it with such glittering eyes without fear.

She doesn't know that peeking into his ‘essence’ is tens of thousands of times more dangerous than looking into the true name of a thousand low-level demons and beasts.

However, it was not easy to say stop looking. It was the first time that the child saw his ‘essence’ as so strange as to see something so bizarre, not the true name of the demon or the soul of a human being.

Even some summoners would go crazy or scream and run away when they looked into the essence of Asheroth, but the child saw his 'essence' as if she were looking at a jewel or a pretty, shiny toy.

Not only that, but sometimes she seemed to read his feelings through the essence. He’s sure she’s mistaken.

‘Even if you look at it like it's so fascinating, if you receive my mana and see it better, you might be similar to the other guys…’

Asheroth was surprised that he thought about such a thing.

Even though he was a wizard, he was a human after all. It was an unfamiliar feeling to worry about how humans would see him.

Humans are just unpleasant creatures to be around, so he never really paid attention to them.

'However....'

Oddly enough, the child was fine.

That was quite embarrassing for Asheroth...

'What?'

Asheroth, lost in his thoughts, abruptly turned his head toward the bedroom.

The sound wasn't audible because of soundproofing magic, but something bothered him.

He quickly dispelled the magic. Then, as if she had been waiting, he heard a whimpering cry from inside the room.

'This.'

Asheroth walked straight to the bedroom and opened the door.

"Ah, b, Asheroth."

The child, who was in the pitch-black room, followed the light and quickly found him.

Her golden eyes, covered with tears in fear, gave a look of relief as soon as she saw him.

Fear turns into joy in an instant.

It was a change that was too dramatic to suspect that it was decorated.

Trembling, the child crawled over the blanket and reached out to him. As if believing that he would come and hug her.

Asheroth thought it was odd, even as he approached and hugged her to meet the child's expectations.

‘Why is this child trusting me so much?’

It's been like that from the moment they first met. She watched people die right in front of her eyes, but the child looked at him as if possessed.

She was trembling like she was scared, and even though she sometimes looked at him, she clinged to his arms and refused to fall.

It's like being safe here. As if no one else could save her.

What the hell is he saying?

It's not a human or a monster, it's just a half-talented variant.

He thought that the child was suspicious, but he couldn't resist when she hugged his neck tightly.

The child's body was so thin that there was no flesh, but strangely, her body temperature was high. She looked as if she was holding a fireball.

'Fever again...'

He thought it was all going forward, but it seemed too much. He wanted to use healing magic, but he had already poured his mana into her.

There was nothing he could do about it, so all he could do was pat the child on the back. But the child slowly relaxed as if that alone would make her feel safe.

After swallowing a few breaths with a pounding chest, the child barely began to speak.

“I woke up, I woke up, it was dark, it was dark, I thought it was a cave, Oh, Asheroth, there wasn't…”

Asheroth hesitated for a moment, but he soon answered.

".......Okay. I am here now.”

The tone was too soft even for himself, and Asheroth was surprised. In all these years, he had never spoken so sweetly to anyone.

Whether or not she knew his surprise, the child simply leaned back in reassurance and said.

“I… I, uh, I hate dark places. Ho, I hate being alone.”

A small hand that gripped the hem of his robe was trembling. Asheroth looked at her hand softly. The child's pathetic voice echoed faintly in his ears.

"Oh, can't we go nowhere, ah, can't we?"

Spoiler: Episode 12

Darkness.

It was the first thing Elizabeth realized.

The next thing she realized was that her body was immersed in an unknown place.

At that moment, her body stiffened. She was flooded with uncontrollable fear.

'Where am I?'

Before she could think, someone whispered in her head.

That's a good place for a slave girl.

'No!'

She looked around in a reflexive denial. But no matter how long she waited, her eyes didn't get used to the darkness.

Which means, is this really a cave?

A place that is always damp and cold.

If you lie down in one place for a long time, bugs bite your whole body, so you have to crawl around and sleep.

‘No, that's impossible. I got out of there.’

Now she's not a slave of a cultists. So she doesn't have to be in a cave.

‘I'm Elizabeth. Elizabeth Lily. The heroine of... 《The Story of the Continent of Belfera》.’

So it's okay. Everything was fine.

She memorized the words like a spell to console herself, but a whisper came back.

Is that true?

‘Who is it?’

Who am I? That's not the point. The thing is, are you really Elizabeth Lily? Are you sure you're the main character in the book?

Elizabeth shook her head. She stretched out her hands to cover her ears. And yet the whisper didn't go away. Rather, it became louder and clearer.

Let's think. Is it reasonable to say that a peasant's daughter will become a great wizard?

‘That's not true. I have the eyes of truth. So...'

What's the point of having the eyes of truth? It's just awful what you did with those eyes. You didn't want to get hit? Were you scared? So you sacrificed people who begged for their lives and summoned demons?

'That's not what I did. I was always at the end of my consciousness…’

The voice chuckled and whispered when she denied it.

Oh, yeah? But that's not all.

‘What?’

You weren't just cruel to people. You ordered the demons to stay still when they were dying in pain, and just die.

‘No! I didn't do that either! That's because the headmaster told me to do it…’

Oh, well, it's cowardly to tell the story before you knew that you were the heroine in the book.

Someone in her head answered back like teasing Elizabeth. And whispered sweetly.

But you've remained the same since you realized. You’ve had several chances to order demons to kill them, but you was stupid, and you can't kill them because you was a coward. Pathetic!

‘That's…’

Elizabeth bit her lips. She tried to make an excuse, but the only thing that came out of her was the sound of breathing, and it didn't turn into the proper words.

You know, Elizabeth.

As if to notice her condition, the voice clung sarcastically to Elizabeth's ears.

Elizabeth, is this really the book? What if it's all your delusion? What if you're still a slave girl crouching in a cave?

'N... o.'

She struggled to hold back her desire to cry, and desperately denied it.

'I am Elizabeth Lily.'

The heroine of 《The Story of the Continent of Belfera》.

A great wizard who survives countless misfortunes, meets the main character Enoch, and defeats the dragon after overcoming numerous trials.

At first, Elizabeth did not believe that she was the heroine in the book. She thought it might be an imagination that she made on her own because she didn't want to die or suffer.

But it wasn't.

It was a terrible day that seemed like it would last forever, but there was definitely an end nonetheless.

As in the story in the book, that person came.

She raised herself with trembling hands on the floor. The darkness, which felt like a swamp, unexpectedly easily released Elizabeth's body.

She called someone who had been looking for her and who would still be protecting her.

"A, Asheroth."

She was afraid that he would not come even if she called him, and that everything was a dream, as the voice said.

“Asheroth……”

But she had to believe. There was nothing else she could trust.

Fortunately, her faith was not betrayed. As if waiting, a flash of light came and he appeared.

“Ah, hic, Asheroth.”

She cried like a fool. She snuggled in Asheroth's rigid arms to hide her sobbing.

It was only when she touched the warmth and heard the breath of another person she felt that she had escaped from the cave.

‘I thought I was okay.’

All the cultists who bullied her for a long time were dead. There is no longer a need to be in a cave or to forcibly summon demons to escape the pain. So she thought it was over.

Don't you think so? Usually, a story doesn't have to be viewed again when you turn the page.

While traveling with Asheroth, all of that became a thing of the past, so she thought it was okay. She thought she could forget everything.

But it wasn't. Memories of the past kept following her.

When Asheroth swept her back and hugged her tightly, she realized that she was unbearably scared all alone.

Elizabeth opened her mouth, stuttering to stop her crying from erupting again.

“I woke up, it was dark, it was dark, I thought it was a cave, ah, Asheroth, because there was no……”

She doesn't like the cave. It was terrible. The mere thought of the bugs crawling by her ears made her shudder.

She hated that she couldn't even cry because of the people who tried to drink it by sticking to the corners of her eyes when she shed even a tear, and she just held back because she was afraid that the magic engraved on the necklace would work even if her hands and feet were bitten by a poisonous insect.

But what she hated the most was the fact that it was not humans, but bugs, that tormented her in the darkness. She couldn't get used to that feeling, as if she herself had turned into a bug. She can't stand it.

"Actually… I, in fact, wanted to die. Well, I did, but, hic, I put up with it."

Because she believed he'd come one day. That's why. That's why.

Elizabeth cried and rambled.

Asheroth paused for a moment, perhaps not expecting this response from her, but soon answered in a low voice.

"...it's all right. You’re with me now."

At those insignificant words, the tears she had been holding back for a while burst out.

“I… I, uh, hate the dark places. Ho, I hate being alone.”

She stuttered, clutching the hem of Asheroth's hem until her fingers turned white.

“Ah, nowhere, ah, can’t you go? Because I was scared, you, I was so scared, ah, until Asheroth came, there was no one around me... Can you stay with me?”

Elizabeth looked up at him, trembling. Even though her eyes were blurred by her tears, he still looked beautiful like a dream.

The vortex inside him was also quieter than usual. Instead of swaying dazzlingly, it sparkled quietly, as if comforting Elizabeth.

But Elizabeth wanted a definite answer. She wishes he hadn't left her.

She tried to say what she could do as she came up with her mind.

"A, I'll do anything if you stay with me. Wo, I’ll not cry, stay nice, he, and…”

"I know what you're talking about, so stop."

His big hand pressed her cheek and she was cut off. Even when she tried to speak, she was pressed so much that she could only hear awooh, or awooh.

Even this made Elizabeth whimper louder.

Asheroth looked at her softly like that. He sighed briefly and relaxed his hand.

"...really weird child."

“I’m sorry…..”

"Done."

He said, wiping tears from her eyes with his thumb.

"Are you not even afraid of me? I don't know what you're mistaken about, but I'm not as good a person as you think I am."

"Oh, no. Asheroth is..., you’re a good person.”

"Where the hell?"

Elizabeth answered back, sobbing and sobbing.

"I, because you saved me."

"I didn't save you..."

“Oh, no. You saved me.”

Elizabeth knows what he's trying to say. Still, she did not break her stubbornness.

She knew Asheroth.

He was a cool-headed character in the book. It is also true that he was particularly harsh on sinners.

But he wasn't all that cold.

The war with the dragon was not easy. Countless groups that were strong allies collapsed, and even those whom they believed were allies turned their backs too easily.

But Asheroth didn't.

He was one of the few companions who remained by Enoch's side until the end. He was also the only one who did not ask for anything in return.

The reason he participated in the war was because he considered it the duty of a wizard to fight evil.

He was even more loyal than he looked. Even when Elizabeth, who had a bad relationship with him, fell into a crisis, he ran and saved her, saying, ‘I couldn't do it in your childhood, so I'll help you this time’.

Of course, Elizabeth in the book was not very grateful.

'I changed the way Elizabeth was supposed to go, so the story may disappear...'

Even so, it doesn't matter. The fact that he saved Elizabeth Lily will remain in her memory in 《The Story of the Continent of Belfera》.

And it's okay if he doesn't save her in the future.

Right now, when she was alone and trembling frightened, didn't he save her?

Elizabeth closed her eyes and opened them, as if to shake away her sad thoughts. Her tears ran down her cheeks.

Asheroth was looking at her, wondering what she was thinking.

Elizabeth immediately opened her eyes and looked up at him, and she spoke as bluntly as she could.

“I, I, I am not lying.”

He just rolled his eyes without saying a word. The answer came back after a long time.

".......okay."

***

Was it because she was relieved after crying all over? Elizabeth eventually fell ill with a high fever.

Even if he gave her medicine, she only got better for a short time, and her fever quickly rose again. Several doctors also went back and forth, but failed to treat her.

In fact, considering her physical condition so far, it was strange that she had not been sick from the first day.

Asheroth sat next to her, who was in a cold sweat with a red face, and murmured like a sigh.

“.....If only one more mana circle had been recovered.”

He didn't seem to be able to use healing magic, fearing that it would cause trouble even to the rest of her mana circles.

His face, when he murmured with a slight frown, showed a sign of embarrassment.

'What do I do? Asheroth's feet are tied again because of me.'

She was sorry even when she was moaning. In her heart, she shook off the bed a hundred times and got up and went. But in reality, it was hard to lift even a single finger.

She wanted to apologize, but her throat was so swollen that it was difficult to swallow, let alone talk.

Fortunately, Asheroth did not show any signs of anger or displeasure. The glow within him was calm, though dark.

'What does it mean to be dark...'

Perhaps because she was excited by the heat, she couldn't feel what emotion it was even if it was visible.

So Elizabeth was ill for a long time. Asheroth was always by her side whenever she slept and woke up excited by heat.

He gave her medicines, and sometimes he spilled something like watery soup into her mouth.

At times, he was stroking her hair with a very cold hand and watching her.

Apart from feeling sorry, Elizabeth was glad she wasn't alone whenever she saw him.

Even when she closed her eyes and faced the darkness, she was not afraid.

***

How many days have passed like that?

Elizabeth had a dream. She dreamed that someone was sitting next to her bed and stroking her forehead.

[If the child is at this point, you should have called me earlier. You really... You could have put her life in danger if you didn't. If it wasn't for me, it would have been a big deal.]

“Okay, let’s fix it.”

[I can't believe it. Will it work automatically if you hurry me?]

It was an unfamiliar voice.

A sweet but husky, sticky, yet languid voice.

Elizabeth opened her eyes blankly and saw something like a twinkling scales before her eyes.

‘...Snake?’

[Do not look. You are not yet firm, so if you use your eyes too much, they will mix.]

She didn't know what it meant.

But whenever the owner of the voice caressed her, a cool energy rushed in, which made her feel better.

Elizabeth rubbed her forehead once with her cold hand and closed her eyes again.

Then the owner of the voice praised her with a friendly voice.

[Yes, you are a good kid. Don't worry. I'll fix it all.]

The last whisper could be heard in Elizabeth's ear as she fell asleep again.

[When you open your eyes again, a lot will change, Elizabeth.]

Spoiler: Episode 13

As soon as Elizabeth opened her eyes, she noticed a change in her body.

‘It doesn't hurt anymore!’

She pulled her hand out of the blanket and put it on her forehead. She wasn't hot at all. Her throat is fine and the buzzing in her ears is gone.

Elizabeth was relieved and she came out of the blanket and looked around. She was looking for Asheroth.

But Elizabeth soon lost her purpose.

It was because the surroundings were too shiny and attracted her attention.

A wall she had never seen before, the gold-painted ceiling , and the floor made of marble.

It was so luxurious that she realized that it was the bedroom a long time later.

‘....Where am I? What about Asheroth?’

She hesitated for a moment, wondering if it was okay to wander around without Asheroth.

Then a voice came from somewhere.

[Oh, are you awake?]

A sweet voice like honey. It was the same voice that spoke to her when she was ill.

Elizabeth unconsciously turned her head towards the sound. And she saw something she never expected.

There was something invisible, and she saw it.

‘What?’

She can't see it, but can she see it?

Elizabeth rubbed her eyes in surprise. She even closed and opened them. Nevertheless, it was still invisible, and it was visible at the same time.

‘.....What is this?’

It felt like her brain was creaking at an incomprehensible concept.

'It' wobbled and wobbled and swayed over and over. Something swaying and rattling, resembling a snake, curled up and looked at Elizabeth.

'This... is dangerous.'

It was the first time to see a being outside of the realm of cognition, and all Elizabeth could do was step back.

Instinct told her.

This is really scary.

[Aha? Ha ha, hoo hoo. Oh my gosh. You can see me. You can see me, right?]

She was trembling, but his voice whispered with joy about what was so special.

[Are your eyes really good? Much better than the one before? To see me in this state, it’s been a while since I’ve seen a kid with real talent.]

Something invisible crept toward her.

Elizabeth wrapped her arms around her body and closed her eyes. Her body trembled. She wanted to find Asheroth, but she couldn't even speak.

[How can you be so cute even when you're shaking? Oh, really! I want to see you properly...]

Something permeated her with a sticky whisper as if desire was dripping.

"I don't wa..."

His voice whispered amicably as she was fed up with the creepy sensation.

[It's okay, it's okay. shh, I am nice, right? I'm trying not to scare you.]

"I don’t like it! No!"

Elizabeth shook her head and pushed him away. Then she opened her eyes in surprise.

Since she can't see it, she can't possibly even touch it, but she just felt something certain.

She slowly raised her head. She saw a young man sitting in a place where there was only a floating shadow.

".....oh?"

As Elizabeth stared blankly, the beautiful man with red hair and eyes even redder than blood grinned.

[Look, it's not scary anymore, right?]

"Who are you?"

The man answered as if he had waited for her question.

[I'm Basilios. I'm your friend. I'm going to be your guardian and teacher.]

When did that happen?

While Elizabeth faltered, pushed by the overly friendly momentum, Basilios sat down next to her.

He whispered, blinking his eyelashes beautifully.

[On that note, can I call you Elie? Elie, you can call me Basil too. Everyone close to me calls me that way.]

"Uh... that."

[Call me Basil. Ba, sil.]

"Ba, Basil?"

[Oh my. To tell it right away, Elie is really smart. Really smart! You’re going to be a great wizard.]

She wasn't happy with the compliments pouring in. It was a way of conversation that was somehow unacceptable.

'Who the hell is Basil? Is he related to Asheroth?'

The name is obviously familiar. Elizabeth tried to trace her memory.

‘Basilios... Basilios... I saw it in the book... Ah!’

She soon found the answer.

Basilios Axium.

The head of the Wizards’ Guild and the first Demon king who signed a contract with the first wizard, Athanasia.

Although he never appeared directly in 《The Story of the Continent of Belfera》, he was often described by borrowing the mouths of other characters.

‘He likes to teach and raise wizards. He lived for a very long time, very strong, and…..’

A pervert who wants to transform everywhere when he sees a wizard he likes.

‘....Asheroth once said that in the book.’

Suddenly, her spine shivered.

If that's true, she was in a big crisis right now.

'To be in the same room with a perverted demon king who might point a knife at my body!'

He was even glued to her side.

The door of the bedroom opened when she hesitated whether to run away or not.

Elizabeth turned her head, praying that it would be Asheroth. Fortunately, her expectations were not betrayed.

"Asheroth!"

As he walked into the bedroom, taking off his jacket, he paused, perhaps surprised by the hasty call.

Elizabeth rushed out of the bed braver than usual. This is because she was too scared of the demon king in front of her to sit still until he came close.

Though reeling, she stepped on the floor properly, and ran quickly and hid behind Asheroth.

Then the vortex deep within him shook violently. It was trembling enough to jump up and down.

‘What is this? Is Asheroth really surprised right now?’

Did something else happen while she was sick? Or was he surprised to see Basilios?

She asked, looking up and hugging his leg.

“Asheroth, are you okay?”

".......Okay."

Although it was a bit slow, the answer came back. The vortex inside Asheroth became calm again.

He sighed and hugged Elizabeth. And he asked, looking into her eyes.

"What has that snake done to you? Did he seduce you by saying that he wanted to fix something?"

Elizabeth shook her head.

"Nothing happened.”

She felt dangerous, but she ran away before she was remodeled, so it was okay. From now on, Asheroth will protect her from anything scary.

One was right and one was wrong.

It was true that Asheroth would protect her from now on.

But it would be wrong to say that she ran away before she was remodeled.

Because she had already been remodeled.

***

“So… you’ve fixed everything, right?”

Standing in front of the mirror in the bedroom, Elizabeth said in a bewildered voice.

The girl reflected in the mirror was no longer skinny and skinny. Although she was thin, she looked like an ordinary kid with a fairly healthy complexion.

While traveling, Asheroth removed most of the scars with healing magic, but her broken leg or bent back was helpless. Because it was a magic that required so much mana.

But the girl in the mirror now had both legs intact. The waist was also very straight.

It was fascinating, so Elizabeth kept looking into the girl in the mirror.

Is this really herself?

Now she wasn't a broken child from abuse, she was just an ordinary girl, a little skinny. She thought she was okay and she would become prettier when she gained weight.

'If I were the real Elizabeth Lily, wouldn't I be prettier here?'

Even in the book, Enoch, the main character, often looked at her and said she was pretty.

It seems that she was made out of only the most beautiful petals in the world, and she was praised for being like the most dazzling flower in any season. She was a long way from becoming the Elizabeth in the book.

[Do you like it?]

As Elizabeth stared into the mirror, Basilios, who was smiling proudly, asked.

Elizabeth, who had regained her senses, was frozen.

"Did Basil really do this?"

[Of course. Because no one is as good as me when it comes to dealing with wizards.]

He brushed Elizabeth's broom-like hair with his hands.

Then, in an instant, the glossy hair trickled down.

Seeing the magical phenomenon, no, the real magic, Elizabeth's eyes widened.

[Oh no, your hair is so weak that it's not nourishing until the end. I'll cut a little bit, Elizabeth, okay?]

Before she could nod her head, her hair was cut short. He didn't even have scissors or a knife, which was strange.

“How… how do you do that?”

When she asked, unable to contain her curiosity, Basilios raised his hands and said proudly.

[My hands are magic hands.]

She didn't get an answer, but she could understand roughly how.

She thought she would be put on the operating table, dismantled, and then cut and pasted, but it was completely unexpected.

She didn't know he could change it just by touching.

Basilios smiled and shrugged as he received the look of Elizabeth, who was in awe.

[Actually, it's almost as if I haven't touched the exterior. But I have to put a lot of effort into fixing the inside.]

“Am I really sick?”

[Yes, yes. I was close to fixing it with the rest of your lifespan.]

‘Lifespan?’

Elizabeth tilted her head at the unfamiliar word, but Basilios didn't bother explaining.

[But I did it!]

He was proud of his achievements. Even Elizabeth could feel his voice rising with excitement.

[I removed the cyst that caused the fever, repaired the damaged organs, changed the broken teeth, and touched the brain to fix stuttering...]

Listening to the endless story of Basilios, she was surprised and touched her mouth.

‘Come to think of it, I've been talking properly since earlier.’

It was a sudden change, but it wasn't a bad feeling, although she was startled. No, it was rather good.

It was good not to be sick because of the fever, and above all, it was good to be able to walk properly. Her body, which had been covered with wounds, became clean, too.

She turned her head and thanked Basilios.

"...thank you, Basil. For fixing it."

[Elie is so polite and nice. Wow. So, do you like it? Do you like me enough to be your teacher?]

"What? Uh, that's..."

[If you like it, sign on my hand and sign a contract... Kyaa!]

The mace of justice fell on the Demon King, who secretly insisted on a contract without missing an opportunity.

It was Asheroth's fist.

[How can you hit me? I'm not saying that I'm going to do anything bad. I'm just saying that we’re going to be a teacher and disciple!]

"Shut up. Don't fool me."

It was pretty pitiful to see him whining while holding the place where he was hit, but Asheroth didn't blink an eye.

He said as he hugged Elizabeth, who was bewildered and looked at him.

"That's enough, now go away. I don't need you any more."

[What kind of fire am I that you want to turn me off?]

"You're welcome, but why can't I turn it off? Get lost. Don't bother the child."

[You, you really! How can you say that to me, who raised you so far?]

"Don't you think I've become like this because you raised me?"

[That's mean! If I go now, I won't be able to see Elie for a week. How can I endure that?]

"If you can't stand it, you can die.”

Elizabeth's eyes were round.

'...I can't believe Asheroth talks so much!'

She didn't know he could answer that long even though he wasn't explaining.

'He speaks very harshly.'

He often used rotten words like 'Damn it', but she didn't know it because he was quick to fix it in front of her, but the original Asheroth probably had a rough mouth.

Come to think of it, Asheroth in the book was also not a friendly talker. He was a character who was usually sarcastic or cold-hearted.

‘Why didn't you do that to me? You're afraid I'll be surprised?'

She realized that she was being cared for more than she had thought.

'But the fact that you don't have to do that against Basil...'

That's right.

'You two are very close!'

He's so close that he's comfortable with him, but he's trying to chase him in a hurry because Elizabeth seems uncomfortable with Basilios.

She agonized for a moment.

This is because it was not clear whether Basilios was involved in the original trip Elizabeth made with Asheroth.

But when she decided not to run away, the story had already changed.

‘It's okay. Asheroth was so nice to me. I also want to make Asheroth comfortable.’

Having made up her mind, she plucked up the courage to speak.

"Hey, Asheroth, I don't mind going with Basil."

"...what?"

Spoiler: Episode 14

Asheroth's expression was serious.

"...Are you okay?"

To Asheroth, who asked back in disbelief, Elizabeth nodded vigorously.

"Yes. Basil is a close friend of Asheroth."

"...friend?"

"Yes."

"Friend? With that?"

"No? You talk so comfortably..."

Elizabeth mimicked Asheroth's tone, saying ‘Get lost’ and ‘You’(it's an impolite version of you).

“......”

Asheroth looked at her with a complex expression as if he was speechless. Elizabeth tilted her head.

"...isn't it true?"

[No. We're close, very close.]

It was Basilios, not Asheroth, who answered her.

He managed to hold back his laughter and came close to Asheroth and patted him on the shoulder, pretending to be friendly.

[We're close, aren't we?]

"Shut up and get l..."

[Oh, friendly words.]

Asheroth, who was replying reflexively ‘Damn it’, shut his mouth.

Basilios, who laughed at Elizabeth, whose eyes were only wide open because she couldn't grasp the situation, said.

[I think I'll like Elie a lot]

***

Basilios, who suddenly joined the party, briefly recounted what happened while Elizabeth was ill.

She was sick because she had a cyst on her body, and there were only two ways to fix it.

One was to split the stomach and take out the cyst, and the other was to melt it completely by pouring a lot of healing magic.

However, Elizabeth's weakened body was in a state that couldn’t withstand neither the former nor the latter.

[That's why Asheroth called me. Because I can handle not only mana, but also vitality.]

Basilios groaned again.

[It's okay because it's me, but it was really tricky. Elie, you lacked mana and vitality. If you use your life force to fix it, your mana will run wild, and if you suppress your mana, your health will be in jeopardy... I thought I'd just kill it and regenerate it whole. I couldn't help it because Asheroth was so stubborn.]

He seemed to have said something dangerous, but the bottom line was that he had worked very hard to fix Elizabeth.

Instead, it was said that the healing process was lengthy and she could get hurt during it, so Elizabeth was put to sleep throughout.

[So, we moved quite a bit while you were sleeping.]

That's why the location changed. Elizabeth was obediently convinced.

Basilios patted her head to see how cute Elizabeth was, who nodded to signify that she understood.

[This is the border town between Holland and the Alpenia Empire. From here, the airship... So we’re going to take a flying boat to Eregald!]

"Eregald?"

[It's the city of wizards. Asheroth wouldn't have told you anything, so would it be better if I explained it to you?]

Basilios introduced his position as president of the Eregald Wizards’ Union.

He is also godfather and godmother of Asheroth, and a famous demon in various places. Most of it was something Elizabeth already knew.

[And that blunt guy over there is Asheroth Bain. Level 12 Battle Wizard.]

He was pointing his finger and giving an explanation.

[Um, can you not really feel how great it is when I say this? Would it make sense if I say that he is the only battle wizard who reached level 12?]

This, too, was a familiar story, but Elizabeth nodded as if she had never heard of it.

Basilios praised her manner in a loving voice.

[Elizabeth is really nice, such a good listener, how good would it be if Asheroth was like this too? He's good at nothing other than magic, so it's a big deal.]

“I think what you’re doing now is not an explanation, but a curse.”

Asheroth intervened in the conversation, as if he didn't want to hear the blatant gossip.

Basilios just snorted and said hey.

He has taught her many things since then. There was knowledge that she knew through 《The Story of the Continent of Belfera》, but it was interesting because there were many stories she didn't know well.

The Wizards’ Union is a free union that any wizard who has received a level 3 or higher after testing by the Axium school can join, and each region has a branch.

The largest branch among them is the Eregald Wizards’ Union.

Eregald is the city of wizards, where all 7 major schools of magic are gathered for technological exchange, and Elizabeth will be tried according to the wizards’ great convention.

The reason is that she summoned low-level demons.

Basilios finished his words with a burdensome affection, and asked one last time.

[Is there anything more you want to know?]

“No. I learned a lot. Thank you, Basil.”

Elizabeth put together what Basilios had told her.

'Wizards’ Union....... In the book, only the Wizards’ Guild was mentioned, but that's the name.'

She also heard about the city Eregald for the first time.

There is no mention of this place in the book, but according to Basilios, it seemed to be a very large and prosperous city.

'There were so many things I didn't know...'

She thought the contents of the book would not be everything, but she was distracted by unexpected new information popping out.

"Are you done talking?"

Asheroth, who had been looking sour throughout the conversation between the two, finally spoke.

"If you're done, let's go."

"Are we going out?"

"Yeah, you haven't eaten, so you'd better go out and have a proper meal first."

It’s unbelieve that he’s thinking about eating while they’re talking about something serious. Elizabeth was dumbfounded, but on the other hand, she was convinced.

Isn't he the one who put her to sleep, fed her, and put her to sleep throughout the trip?

Thanks to Basilios, she thought she saw an unexpected appearance, but Asheroth was Asheroth.

Elizabeth was relieved and she stretched her arms toward him.

His arms were still holding her as if it were natural, so she smiled mischievously without realizing it.

***

The white wall. The huge magic turret that exists between the walls. An air tower for an airship. A watchtower standing at every street corner of the city.

Everywhere she looked, there were only strange things, so Elizabeth's eyes widened as soon as she came out. She clasped Asheroth's neck, and busily looked around.

Perhaps because it was located on the border, it was more like a huge fortress than a city.

There were far more people coming and going on the streets than in the trading cities they stopped by for a while, and not a few were fully armed.

Elizabeth, in her curious mind, counted the number of men with swords as she could see. There were so many, the numbers kept getting twisted in the middle. As an estimate, it would have been well over a hundred.

"Ashe... Wizard."

"What?"

“Why are everyone wearing swords?”

As she whispered in his ear, Asheroth glanced at the passersby and murmured.

“Thanks to the rotten skulls.”

It is obvious whom he calls a ‘rotten skulls’, but Elizabeth asked just in case.

“The Elder Liches?”

“……Yes, that. The Elder Liches of Holland.”

Asheroth awkwardly changed their title to Elder Liches instead of 'Rotten Skulls'.

Basilios, who had turned into a small snake and was on the other shoulder of Asheroth, kicked his tongue.

[Why don't you just do what you've been doing? When did you tell me to get lost?]

"Shut up. I don't need your interference."

Asheroth cut Basilios's words and went on to explain.

“All armed men are mercenaries or demons hunters. They make a living by selling the corpses of demons to the necromancers of Holland.”

He did not try to hide his contempt for the demons hunters. It was an uncharacteristically emotional response.

It was a mystery to Elizabeth. Demons are a threat to mankind. So isn't it right to get rid of them?

In the 《The Story of the Continent of Belfera》, skilled demons hunters were often portrayed active in the war against dragon.

Among the companions of the main character Enoch, there was a demons hunter.

It has never been revealed what the relationship between the demons hunter colleague and Asheroth was, but the hunter itself was well-received by most people. He was very close to Elizabeth in the book.

"Wizard, don't you like demons hunters?"

Elizabeth asked cautiously. The answer came back almost immediately.

"They're not worth hating."

"Why?"

“That’s what a dog should do…”

Asheroth stopped talking. Then, Basilios, who was hanging on his shoulder, chimed in with pity.

[Give up. It's easier to give up.]

“Noisy.”

Asheroth ignored Basilios, who was trying to intervene. And then struggled for a long time to choose a words and opened mouth.

“They don’t follow the procedures properly. They are pathetic things that only have the intention of grabbing demons and selling magic stones and corpses. Pollution caused by magic is ignored, otherwise it is passed on to the wizards.”

Demons were from another world. They spread magic by their mere existence and pollute the surroundings.

As demon corpses emit more intense magic, they had to be careful about killing them.

To prevent pollution caused by corpses, there was no choice but to use divine protection or magic to purify the surrounding area, or to burn all corpses except for magic stones.

Demons hunters and mercenaries usually do neither.

The former requires a tremendous amount of tribute or magical power, so it is difficult for even a large mercenary or hunting group to pay the cost, and the latter is because the loss is as much as not being able to sell the corpse.

“Of course, it doesn’t matter if you kill one or two summoned ones. Because this world also has the ability to resist pollution. However, hunting demons in polluted areas is different.”

When new corpses of the demons are piled up on already polluted land, pollution is seriously accelerated.

It was the difference between dropping a drop of black ink into a clear stream and dropping it into a stagnant, decaying lake.

‘Great Forest’, which exists between the Alpenia Empire and Holland, was a polluted area comparable to muddy water.

During the Great War, it was uncontrollably polluted due to the invasion of demons, and even now, hundreds of years after the end of the war, it has not been completely purified.

No neighboring country tried to manage the great forest, so it remains a neutral area today.

Hundreds of years have passed, and the border area has been purified to a level that can be accessed by humans, but the deep part was still severely polluted and several dangerous demons appeared.

“Most countries banned people from entering the depths of the great forest because there is a risk of accelerating pollution. Buying and selling the corpses of demons hunted there is also prohibited.”

However, there was only one country without such restrictions.

It was Holland, the headquarters of the El Bana school, the land of necromancers, ruled by the immortal wizards, the Elder Liches.

There was not a few magic using the corpse in necromancy. For them, the corpses of demons was the best material.

Many necromancers bought the bodies of demons from the great forest without knowing that it would be dangerous if the pollution in the deep part progressed beyond a certain extent due to their greed.

They even paid a generous price to get more corpses.

“...So, even though this city is located on the border, it has developed like this, and there are a lot of demons hunters. If you stay here, you can earn a lot of money without much effort, so all kinds of bugs have gathered.”

After the explanation, Asheroth looked at Elizabeth's face as if to make sure she understood the story properly.

Elizabeth wanted to say proudly that she understood everything, but honestly, in some parts, she didn't understand very well.

This is because most of his explanations were ‘there is just something like this’.

It didn't seem like he was doing it on purpose, and he seemed to pass it on, thinking that she was obviously aware of this.

'It would be good if you could explain to me how it happened to the Great Forest….. There is no way that demons would suddenly burst out in the war.’

In addition, there were many other things that were confusing.

"It must have been difficult."

Asheroth ghostly guessed Elizabeth's condition. It seems it was written 'I don't know' on her face.

"Uh, a little bit.”

Elizabeth answered frankly. There was no reason to lie.

"I know one thing, though. Is it all because of the Great Forest that the Wizard Guild and Holland had a bad relationship and Asheroth fought the Elder Liches?"

Basilios twinkled his eyes and wagged his tail.

[Oh, my. Did you understand that from that messy explanation? That's great, Elizabeth. How did you know?]

“Aren’t magic stones and corpses of demons precious? Then everyone would want to have it, but they’ve put up with it except Holland.”

She murmured, pondering for a moment, and then she answered cautiously.

"Then they all promised to do that, and if Holland was the only one who broke it... wouldn't that be against the great convention? S…. o?"

It was written in the book that Asheroth only fights wizards who have violated the Great Convention.

At the end of her careful guessing, Basilios wagged his snake tail in admiration.

[Oh my, oh my! It's accurate. It's a very logical reasoning. How can you be so smart? Asheroth, is our Elizabeth genius? She's a genius, right?]

"...well, maybe."

[It is true! It is said that children grow up eating praises. In times like this, say a word that she's good at... huh?]

Basilios, who had been waving his tail in excitement, stopped abruptly. The twinkling snake's eyes stared at Asheroth.

[Asheroth, what did you just say? It's not ‘don't talk nonsense’ but ‘maybe’....? Maybe? Yes? Yees?]

“If you agree, don’t ask as if you are dissatisfied.”

Asheroth replied bluntly and started walking quickly. Elizabeth was distracted by the sudden rush of the scenery, but she was listening because she had pricked up her ears .

‘Asheroth praised me.’

Should she say thank you?

But wouldn't it feel burdensome to suddenly say thank you to the extent of saying maybe?

While she was worried about this and that, the tip of Elizabeth's lips went up bashfully.

Somehow it felt very good.

Spoiler: Episode 15

It's only been a good thing ever since. It seems it was a reward for being sick.

First of all, the restaurant that Asheroth took her to was amazing. There, all the food came out one by one.

Soup with tomato, onion and kidney beans, lettuce salad with turnip and apple, and steamed sea bass with lime juice.

When Elizabeth was struggling to use a fork and knife that were lined up one after another like steamed fish, Asheroth picked up the knife and cut food for her.

She thought she was sorry, but she forgot it as soon as she chewed the fish in her mouth.

'It's so delicious!'

The steamed fish with plenty of white wine was so soft that it was hard to believe it was cooked.

How about the scent? There was no fishy or foul smell, only the fragrant and sour spices and flowers left behind by the wine.

But even that delicious fish dish didn't beat the roast beef that came next.

After rubbing the outside with rock salt, ground garlic, and olive oil, marinating it, and then sprinkling with herbs and baking in the oven, the size of the meat was amazing.

The salt and pepper grains and the meat were well roasted to a dark brown on the outside, and reddish on the inside.

Thanks to this, the outside was crispy and salty, and the inside was juicy and soft as if it had melted.

The staff said ‘you can dip it in the sauce’ while serving a plate of roast beef. The saddest thing was that she remembered those words too late, so she only ate two pieces of it with the sauce.

The pudding that came out for dessert did not disappoint.

Caramel syrup made from candied sugar was sprinkled generously on the surface of the smooth, unblemished yellow pudding.

'Delicious....'

She realized it by taking a bite out of the pudding with a small spoon.

It was not just sweet, but a dessert that was like a work of art with a bitterness that made the sweetness stand out more.

This is what cooking is. What she's eaten so far was just food to live.

[Is it delicious? Eat a lot, Elizabeth. Mana comes from physical strength, so you have to eat a lot.]

Elizabeth nodded her head, listening to Basilios' fuss about not worrying because he fixed her stomach firmly.

As she set down the plate of pudding that she had scraped to the end, Asheroth, who had been watching her, opened mouth.

"If you like it, can I order you one more?”

Elizabeth agonized for a moment. Of course, it tasted great enough to want to eat again. However, if she ate two, the surprise of the first time would disappear.

"It's all right."

She politely declined and asked.

"...Why don't you eat, Asheroth?"

No matter how much he was a battle wizard, it was strange not to eat this much. Even if the adjustment period has passed, it was a long time ago.

However, Asheroth responded briefly without any explanation.

"I don't have to eat.”

"This... pudding, it's very delicious."

She plucked up her courage and recommended it again, but he wiped the caramel sauce from Elizabeth's mouth and replied.

"That's enough."


After dinner they went to the market to buy things for the trip.

Perhaps because it was a city where all kinds of mercenaries and demons hunters gather, there were many stalls and street restaurants in addition to proper stores.

Elizabeth tilted her head slightly and looked around the market.

Restaurants that are closely spaced selled roasted meat, diluted wine, and chopped internal organs and sliced baked pie or honeyed bread.

Passing through the bustling restaurants, there were blacksmiths working on weapons, and as she walked on, she could see grocery stores and stalls.

Asheroth slowed down a little from there. It was to get three days' worth of food while they were on the airship.

It was a fun experience for Elizabeth, too. It was her first time to go around such a big market and look around.

As soon as Asheroth entered the first store, the owner admired him.

"You're a handsome young man."

The next owner said, ‘You're so handsome’. And the next one said, ‘Oh, I have a close friend here’.

But after saying that, most of them treated him normally, as if they had lost interest in his appearance at once.

That was so weird.

‘...Are they not nervous at all?’

Elizabeth glanced up at Asheroth. Looking up from below, she couldn't find any flaws.

Even the shape of the shade made by the hair and eyelashes hanging over the cheeks and lips was perfect. It was like a body made to look up to.

Even though she knew he was trying to be nice to her, Elizabeth was still a little nervous when her eyes met him.

Because he looked really dangerous from the front.

'Am I the only one surprised every time I see this?'

Shopkeepers, as well as the customers and other people she had met so far, all had similar reactions.

They said he was good-looking and talked to him in a friendly way, sometimes gave him glances or jokes, and they just smiled when they made eye contact.

Just like when you see a common handsome man in the neighborhood.

'How could that be?'

However, it was subtle to ask someone.

‘To me, Asheroth looks incredibly handsome, but to others he seems to look just right. Why is that?’

…she can't ask Asheroth.

However, she couldn't go to someone else and ask ‘why don't you care if you look at Asheroth?’. No matter how much she thought about it, it was impossible.

She glanced at Basilios, who had turned into a snake and was sitting on Asheroth's shoulder.

'Shall I ask Basilios? Nope. It's a strange question.'

While Elizabeth was thinking and moaning on her own, Asheroth received a few more bonuses from the shopkeeper, and gave her a few kumquats among them.

"Eat it. The sunlight is strong, so you can get dehydrated."

If she said it was okay, she was sure he would tell her to eat. Elizabeth quietly put the kumquat in her mouth.

'You're really, really handsome.'

Looking at Asheroth, who looked away from her again, she decided to look for an answer in her own way.

Asheroth's appearance may not be to the taste of local people.

Destroy this as it is impossible no matter how you think about it. Asheroth's appearance was not an area of taste.

If so, they've seen him before and got used to it.

This isn't it either. Then by now, Elder Liches and their subordinates would have flown in and turned this whole area into a wasteland.

‘Oh, come to think of it…’

Elizabeth suddenly remembered the conversation they had before.

Asheroth said it would be difficult if he stood out, but he did not have to wear a hood or hide his face.

Because he's not that famous? If that was the case, there would be no reason to tell her not to call him by first name.

'Then, as expected... Is there any way to hide the appearance?'

As she rolled her head like a kumquat rolling in her mouth, Elizabeth recalled one more helpful fact.

‘There's something called cognitive impairment….. magic, right?’

It appeared in the book several times, and it was a magic that was hung on the cape worn by Elizabeth.

She remembered the explanation that the cape's hood has a cognitive impairment magic that activates just by pressing it.

‘Did he use cognitive impairment magic to hide his appearance……? But in the book, it was said that cognitive impairment magic was used to hide.’

The cognitive impairment magic was usually a magic that was used to erase the signs altogether and hide.

It was mainly used when creating a barrier, and it was effective when chasing an enemy or avoiding pursuit, or in a place where access is prohibited.

It was not a barrier, but a way to blur the perception and prevent people from approaching.

It appeared several times in important scenes, although not often in the book.

It was also this magic that Elizabeth in the book used to hide Enoch, who was injured and chased by assassins. In addition, it was described as being used to hide when hunting demons.

‘...Huh? Then isn't it weird to stand out like Asheroth right now?’

Isn't he using magic? Or is the cognitive impairment magic used by Asheroth different?

Now that her thoughts were organized to some extent, she wanted to ask for the answer.

Elizabeth chewed the kumquat that was rolling in her mouth. Maybe it was undercooked, but the sourness spreads. Ugh, fed up with the bitterness, she gulped it down quickly and pulled the hem of Asheroth's robe.

"Wizard."

"Why."

“You know, is there something like magic on your body right now?”

"Magic? 3567 high-level compression techniques, 14 full-body reinforcement techniques, and high-speed arithmetic..."

Embarrassed by the great magic that suddenly popped out, Elizabeth waved her hand.

“D, don’t like that! It’s like cognitive impairment magic.”

"Cognitive impairment magic...? I'm using it."

Asheroth looked at her with eyes asking why she was curious about it, and Elizabeth hesitated and confessed the truth.

Asheroth stood out because he was very handsome, but it was strange that everyone treated him so casually.

[Indeed, she has high standards of good looks. So did Athanasia.]

Asheroth swept his face while Basilios gave a useless appreciation.

Although he has heard that he is threatening or scary, he has never heard that he is handsome, and it is amazing that he is not noticeable.

When he was asked if it was because of magic, he even thought it was more than just strange.

Is this how the wizard with the eyes of truth is supposed to be?

'I don't think the teacher did the same.'

Asheroth thought of the only wizard with the eyes of truth he knew, but it didn't help much.

After a moment of contemplation, he decided to explain to the girl who was waiting for an answer with eyes wide open.

It's hard to have a long conversation, but it's an explanation of the theory of magic, so he can talk about it enough.

“The cognitive impairment magic is one of the illusion magic, and it is a magic that causes a wave that interferes with the visual area of the person who enters at close range. It has the effect of causing abnormalities in the cognitive areas of the brain to recognize that a specific object is invisible.”

It was an efficient magic that anyone who completed basic education could use because there was no need to use complicated techniques.

“However, it creates a sense of incongruity when you recognize that what you can see is not invisible at all. Those who are quick-witted or have experience with magic quickly recognize that it is magic, so you have to watch the situation carefully before using it.”

“Then Ash…. is the wizard used different magic? People talk and look at you.”

“It’s no different. I simply lowered the output. Then, instead of being invisible, the impression just fades. To the people around us right now, you and I will look just like ordinary travelers.”

'Wow, I got it right!'

The answer was close to what she expected. Elizabeth was somewhat proud that she had figured out the answer on her own.

Asheroth stared at Elizabeth, who somehow looked happy.

It was then that she wondered if she had asked such a random and difficult question, so Elizabeth apologized belatedly.

'Is that a strange question? Did I look suspicious?’

Fortunately, Asheroth asked, instead of questioning.

“Are all your questions answered?”

"Yeah. I knew why you told me you didn't have to wear a hood."

Asheroth tapped the back of Elizabeth's head with his index finger, who nodded seriously.

"You listen harder than I thought. You remember it well."

“Hey, if it bothers you…”

“It doesn’t bother me. Curiosity is a good thing.”

After a moment of thinking, he added a word.

“...if you want to become a wizard, yes.”

[What do you mean by if you want to become? Of course she will become!]

Basilios intervened as if asking why he was speaking useless things and scolded Asheroth.

Then he tickled Elizabeth's cheek with the snake's tail.

[Elizabeth, look at Asheroth. Even if he has a bad personality, no manners, and even beats the innocent demon king from time to time, doesn't he live like this? It's because he's a wizard. Wizards are so good!]

“Don’t deceive kid with bullshit.”

[Isn’t that true? Isn’t it completely true? Do you think you would be alive if you weren't talented? Without magic, you would have died long ago.]

Basilios babbled and nagged, and clung to Elizabeth's head. A whisper filled with his earnest heart rang in her ear.

[Elizabeth wants to be a wizard in the future, right? Right?]

Elizabeth hesitated for a moment.

Does she want to be a wizard? She’s not sure about that. A wizard was not what she wanted to be, but what she had to be.

She wanted to be not a wizard, but Elizabeth Lily.

The heroine of this world and book.

Because she was a wizard, Elizabeth also had to become a wizard. That way, she can save the world.

But she couldn't say that, so Elizabeth said with a small smile.

"Yes. If I can."

Spoiler: Episode 16

After buying groceries, we went around the market one more time without a clear destination.

It seemed to be a market day, because there were so many people. The stalls of peddlers from outside looked boring.

Thanks to this, Elizabeth filled her curiosity with questions about everything that stood out.

Asheroth and Basilios answered her endless questions without a sign of boredom, and showed her anything strange.

Asheroth, who had been walking around for a while, stopped in front of a vendor's stall.

Looking closely at the large cube-shaped lump of metal on the edge of the seat, he beckoned.

"Let's buy this."

"Handsome man, I'm sorry, but this isn't junk, it's a little expensive."

"Know. It's an early 707-year-old mechanical golem from the West Wind Workshop."

"What, a wizard?"

"Yes."

"If you're looking for something to buy... You'll have to think about this first, right?"

The reluctant merchant changed his posture and showed his ten fingers.

Asheroth, without question, took the gold coins out of his arms and paid for it. The merchant looked at the number of gold coins in his hand and replied with a subtle expression.

"You gave me two more, sir."

"It's in good condition, so this is normal."

“You know something.”

The merchant, who took the gold coins from Asheroth as if it were natural without saying thank you, put the cube on Asheroth's hand.

Asheroth, who finished the deal, left satisfactorily, and Basilios, who was staring at it, wagged his tail in amazement.

[How can you find this terrible battle golem in place like this? Did you put some kind of detection magic on it?]

“This is an early mechanical golem. It's not a battle golem."

[That's a golem!]

Asheroth looked around the square cube, ignoring Basilios with an air of annoyance.

Elizabeth did not miss the opportunity to ask.

"What is that, wizard?"

“It’s called the Golem Cube. It is a golem before operation.”

Asheroth looked at her, seemingly thinking for a moment.

“Would you like to touch it?”

"Yes!"

When she answered without thinking, Asheroth placed the cube in Elizabeth's hand.

'Wow, it's heavy!'

The square piece of metal was strangely very soft and warm.

In addition, when she applied force, it faded as if it would leave a fingerprint, but there were complex and thin grooves dug out, and a faint flow like a twinkling light flowed through them.

“This… it doesn’t look like metal.”

"It's because it's a mana composite metal. Among golems, mechanical golems use shape-memory alloys..."

As if waiting for her question, Asheroth began to explain about Golem. Unfortunately, Elizabeth could not understand half of what he was saying.

It was because of the fact that, starting with the division of the golem manufacturing areas using the north wind method and the south wind method, he suddenly fell into the history of when the combination of magic and mechanical devices was made.

The only thing she could understand for sure was that a humanoid mechanical device that moves automatically when mana is injected is collectively referred to as a 'golem'.

And she found out that Asheroth really likes golems, while Basilios hates them so much.

As soon as Asheroth finished explaining, Basilios gave a much more complicated explanation that she couldn't understand.

The golem is a representative of useless magic tools, and it is an unfinished product that has not yet been shown to the general public due to its lack of practicality. After all, it is a decorative object, etc.

[Why do you fill up the studio with useless things? You just ask to increase the size of the dimensional workshop because of Golem again. No matter how much I can afford to maintain it, how long do I have to watch you waste your imaginary space to fill it with golems? Huh?]

The last one was almost a complaint.

Basilios continued to nag like a parent, saying that it's a waste of money, so no matter how much money he has, he shouldn't spend it on such things.

Of course Asheroth ignored the whole story.

[Oh, really...]

The snake, who had been grunting with the sadness of being ignored the whole time, suddenly opened its eyes. And he shouted as he wrapped his tail around Asheroth's neck.

[Asheroth, stop! Buy that one! That hairpin!]

It was in front of a stand selling glass ornaments that Basilios stopped Asheroth's footsteps.

He pointed his tail at a cheap citrine-studded glass hairpin.

[Isn't that pretty? Buy it for Elizabeth.]

Asheroth looked closely at the ornaments placed on the seat for the first time at those words.

Although the citrine was small, it was well rounded, and the glass surrounding the citrine was also light green, and from a distance it looked like a leaf with small fruits.

“...if it breaks, she will get hurt.”

As soon as Asheroth showed his unwillingness, the owner of the stand, who was looking around, quickly intervened.

“Oh no, sir. This is something made in a workshop. It's made of tempered glass, so even if it falls, it shatters and doesn't break into pieces big enough to hurt."

[Right. And it’s cute. It's the same color as Elie's eyes.]

Basilios also begged again.

Whether he was defeated by both the merchant and the snake or he didn't want to ignore it, Asheroth eventually bought the hairpin.

[Put it in her head. On the side with the hair down.]

When the hairpin came into Asheroth's hand, Basilios waved his tail in excitement and choked him again.

Asheroth asked Elizabeth with a tone of reluctance.

“How are you? Do you want it?"

"Yes?"

Elizabeth, who was gazing at the glittering hairpin, replied in amazement. Somehow, her cheeks flamed up.

Does she want it? If he asks that…

Asheroth, who looked at her as she hesitated for an answer, put the hairpin without a word.

[You need to lower it a little more!]

He stared at Basilios, who was noisily meddling next to him, but never forgot to fix and shape it.

[So cute. As expected, I thought it would look good on you because your hair color is bright. You're pretty, Elizabeth.]

Basilios made a fuss and complimented. Elizabeth fiddled awkwardly with the hairpin, not knowing how to react.

She wasn't this shy when she received clothes or anything else, but somehow she was so shy to receive this little hairpin.

Is it because it's not an essential item, but it's just pretty and looks good on her?

She smiled slightly and looked at Basilios.

"...thank you, Basil."

And added cautiously.

"And the Wizard."

Instead of answering, Asheroth lightly stroked Elizabeth's head.

Somehow more excited than hearing ‘yes’, she smiled once more.

***

While looking around every corner, the sun began to set, and eventually, she ate dinner at the market.

Asheroth still ate nothing, and when asked why, he did not give a satisfactory answer.

The questions did not disappear, but the dishes that kept prying were so great.

It was different from the restaurant she went to during the day, and Elizabeth literally ate as much as she could.

Finally, a sorbet that was made with magic tools came out.

The sorbet, which was made by crushing frozen fruit juice over and over again, was cold, sweet and beautiful.

She tried to recommend it to Asheroth again, just in case, but this time, he didn't speak at all.

Elizabeth glanced at Basil, wondering if he would explain why he didn't have to eat. Unfortunately, however, he did not seem to notice Elizabeth's eyes, perhaps because he was paying attention to something else.

By the time she got out of the market, it was dark around. The number of people walking around has also decreased a lot.

As she leaned her cheek against Asheroth's arms, Elizabeth rubbed her eyes.

'Sleepy....'

She was held in his arms the whole time, and even though she hadn't walked a single step, she was so tired that she kept closing her eyes before she even got to the inn.

Arriving at the inn, Elizabeth nodded and lay on the bed as Asheroth laid her down.

"Can you change into pajamas?"

Asheroth, who kicked Basilios out of the bedroom whining that he would go in with him, asked, and she barely nodded.

He pointed to the dimensional backpack that was attached to Elizabeth's belt and explained how to use it step by step.

“You just have to think about what you want and open it. If you don't know what you need, you can call them all."

Elizabeth, as she was told, called out her pajamas from a small handbag-like dimensional backpack. The soft pajamas soon came into her tiny hands.

"Okay. Tell me when you're done."

After confirming that Asheroth had turned his back, Elizabeth began to undress on the bed.

It was the first time she had changed all her clothes alone because she had been helped by Asheroth throughout the trip.

She was worried that she might get lost, but fortunately, she was able to take off her cape, shirt and pants without much difficulty.

She was ready to sleep when she managed to take off her stockings and wear her voluminous pajamas.

“Da…… Hum, I’m wearing it.”

Turning back, Asheroth saw for a moment the clothes that had fallen badly outside the bed.

Still, he nodded and wanted to lay Elizabeth down first, so he ignored it for the first time and laid her down on the bed.

“Asheroth… are you leaving?”

"No. I will be by your side.”

He sat on the bedside of the bed and brushed her hair. A small ornament was caught between his fingers. It was a glass ornament they bought at the market during the day.

When he tried to take it out, Elizabeth shook her head and stopped him from touching.

"I'm going to sleep with this..."

"It must be uncomfortable."

"It's okay..."

At her stubbornness, Asheroth put his hand away without saying a word. Then he turned his back to Elizabeth again.

At the same time, the light that was lighting the room went out with a bang. Only the orange light from the taillight next to the bed lit up the room.

Asheroth's back faded as if buried in darkness. His movements faded to the point of blur.

‘Is it because of magic?’

Did she enter the realm of cognitive impairment magic because she wasn't close? Elizabeth blinked and tried to look at him.

Then, how did he knew she was not sleeping, Asheroth calmly talked to her.

"Stop and sleep. Don't try to stay awake."

"I can't see Asheroth well..."

"Is it easier or more difficult to sleep?"

Mumbling softly, he turned to Elizabeth and sat down. His eyes, dimly lit by the light in the dark, stared at Elizabeth quietly.

The purple eyes, which resemble quartz and the edge of the night, were too deep to peek at the emotions. So Elizabeth looked up into them for a long time, bewitched.

"...Would you sleep if you could see me well?"

Asheroth asked so staringly.

Elizabeth pulled her sheet gently, covering her face, and answered in a low voice.

“I’m sleepy, but I can’t sleep well.”

“Tell me if you have any pain.”

"No, no. It's just..."

It's just, if she opens her eyes, this might all be a dream.

“Just.”

Elizabeth answered in a roundabout way and rolled her eyes.

That was then.

“Elizabeth.”

He called Elizabeth's name for the first time. Asheroth spoke quietly to her, who looked up in surprise.

“Summoning demons without permission is a felony, but unless it is done voluntarily, there will be no severe punishment. You can decide what to do after the trial. Don’t worry ahead of time.”

"That's... I'm not worried."

“Then what is it?”

When Elizabeth hesitated, he asked in a low voice.

"If you don't want to be a wizard..."

"I don't like anything else."

She was quick to deny. At the same time, she added cautiously because she thought she spoke too strongly.

"Other things... Even if I do other things, I don't have the confidence to do well... I can do magic already, so I want to be a wizard."

There was no way not to be a wizard.

When she get out of the protection of the Wizards' Guild, all that's left is the life of a slave who is taken away by a hidden cultist nobles, brainwashed and practiced as a slave.

He must have felt strange at her stubborn demeanor, but instead of asking, Asheroth responded by stroking her head.

"Okay. Do it if you want.”

Elizabeth glanced at him.

“Asheroth… don’t you want me to be a wizard?”

Come to think of it, Asheroth never once said that she had to become a wizard. He sometimes seemed like he didn't want her to be a wizard.

According to the contents of the book, it was because of her talent that he saved Elizabeth and took her to the wizards’ guild.

Why is he suddenly asking if she wants to be a wizard?

Worried? Or is it because she never showed the talent of summoning proper demons like the original Elizabeth?

Asheroth didn't answer easily, as her anxiety was apparent on her face. It was a long time before he spoke again.

"That's not what I meant."

"Really?"

“.....because once you choose, you can’t go back.”

Spoiler: Episode 17 (End of chapter 1)

‘You can't turn it back?’

The deep emotion in his voice was not anxiety or fear. It was close to remorse.

He glanced at Elizabeth, who blinked incomprehensibly, and swept the corner of her eyes.

His hand brushed past her eyelashes. Elizabeth also noticed that his eyes were on her pupils.

Eyes of truth.

Known to be possessed by the first wizard, the eyes that can see even through the true name of the Demon King.

An innate ability that summoners crave madly.

The real ‘talent’ that only those who are chosen among the countless talents and who stand in the front row have.

As he said, the moment she decides to become a wizard, she will no longer be able to reverse her decision.

The wizards will never let her go.

‘Asheroth, do you think I can't stand it?’

After a moment's consideration, Elizabeth admitted with a bitter heart.

Surely it might be. The fear of the future she saw through the book made her escape the ordeal that the original heroine had to go through.

It might be strange to think that she wants to be a heroine on such a subject.

Isn't it strange that she wants to become a wizard who fights fearsome being like dragon, yet can't stand the hardships before her eyes?

‘....no, I shouldn't think like this. I'm Elizabeth Lily.’

Elizabeth forcibly stopped her thoughts, which kept flowing in the negative direction.

‘If I, Elizabeth Lily, don't become a great wizard, thousands of people will die and the continent will be devastated. And it's good for everyone that Elizabeth wouldn’t become the adopted daughter of those wicked people.'

It wasn't just for herself.

It was also good for the victims of the crimes committed by brainwashed Elizabeth. They won't get hurt if she doesn't become an adopted daughter.

It would also be good for the Wizards’ Guild, who coveted her talent and tried to catch her somehow.

'It's okay.'

She doesn't run away to avoid becoming a heroine. It's just a little bit of a different path until she meets the main character Enoch.

‘And…’

She hesitated and held Asheroth's hand, which remained near her eyes.

'And I prefer Asheroth now.’

She liked him much more now than Asheroth in the book, who was a colleague who only spat out harsh words and cooperated occasionally.

"I... I don't mind if I can't go back."

As much as she hopes that this kindness pouring out from him will continue in the future.

Elizabeth slowly closed her eyes. And she whispered, resting her cheek on his big hand.

“As long as I have these eyes, no matter what… I will eventually become a wizard.”

"......is that so?"

His warm thumb brushed over Elizabeth's thin eyelids.

“I mean, it’s amazing.”

He murmured as if to himself.

"Neither I nor the snake have ever explained about your eyes, but you already know your abilities very well. I wonder how you can do that."

Because his touch was still friendly, Elizabeth understood him a beat later.

'Explain about my eyes... You've never done it before?’

Because it's important, of course they should have explained it to her, and she should have heard it. Asheroth or Basilios…

Elizabeth, who was searching for memories, opened her eyes in amazement.

It was true.

Neither Asheroth nor Basilios ever mentioned her talent, the eyes of the truth.

Even Basilios just said she was special.

‘Then now…’

She made a mistake.

The first thing she thought of was that idea. Elizabeth curled up reflexively.

She couldn't help it, even though she knew she would look more suspicious if she reacted this way. She had been accustomed to fear for many years and it took a lot of time to get out of it.

'What? What, since when did Asheroth notice?'

Was he really being friendly all the time to distract her?

“The eyes, the eyes are…”

Elizabeth stuttered and opened her mouth. She wanted to pretend to be calm, but her voice trembled.

'Did you notice?'

Did he notice that she wasn't really Elizabeth Lily?

Knowing that she's not the heroine in the book......

'No. It can't be.'

How would even the greatest wizard know that he was in a book? He just thinks it's suspicious. It won't be a certainty, however.

If she pretended she didn't know what he was talking about, she could deceive him.

However, on the other hand, she wondered if it was right to keep cheating like this.

Perhaps it was because she was a wizard with the eyes of truth, but Asheroth continued to help and care for her. He acted in her favor.

She didn't think that even if she was caught here, she would face a rough situation. Asheroth, whom Elizabeth saw, was not the man to do such a thing.

‘But… will you believe me?’

It was unbelievable that she was reborn in the world of the book she saw in her past life. It's not strange to get angry for telling lies.

‘I don't like that.’

She doesn't want to see an angry Asheroth. She hates when an adult man gets angry. But it wasn't that she just hated it.

‘I don't want to disappoint Asheroth.’

She didn't want to be hated by the person who had taken care of her and treated her affectionately. She was afraid that if she let him down by misrepresentation, he would return to the original, sharp relationship in the book.

She was lost when she heard a small sigh. Then a warm hand touched her head.

"It's okay."

Asheroth said, stroking her head as if to soothe Elizabeth, who was stiff as a kitten caught by the neck.

"It's all right, so don't be nervous. I don't care what you're hiding."

"Do…… you know everything?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, but no."

"Didn't….. you magically find out everything?"

Although the question must have been very strange, he answered honestly.

“Mental magic is not my specialty. It's just that you can't hide it, and I'm not an idiot, so I'm just guessing that you have something."

She didn't know if it was a joke or a serious story, but at least it wasn't an interrogation or reprimand. The hand that touched her hair wasn't harsh at all.

'Is it okay...?'

Elizabeth, whose trembling had barely subsided, stuttered.

"Asheroth, I, I..."

She has never learned how to convey her true feelings. So she couldn't figure out what to say now.

Then, Asheroth tapped her forehead lightly with his fingertip.

"You didn't cheat. I know."

He was still looking into Elizabeth with emotionless eyes.

"It’s just I knew it."

His voice continued quietly, without agitation.

"I felt a strange sense of incompatibility from the first time I saw you."

In the cave that day, Asheroth did not hide his murderous intent. It was natural because he didn't feel the need to ease the fear of the cultists.

By the time he killed the headmaster, he was exuding murderous intent that would suffocate any adult, so it was normal for a average child to scream and run away just by approaching him.

A child can't endure a hostility that adults can't stand.

But Elizabeth did not run away. Rather, she was looking at him as if possessed.

Because she's the wizard with the eyes of truth?

Even if it were like that, he could only understand her first brief attitude, but her subsequent actions were difficult to comprehend.

She acted like Asheroth was someone who wouldn't hurt her.

'It's impossible.'

You can't show that kind of faith against Asheroth Bain.

He was an overwhelming threat and an incarnation of fear. He was born that way and raised to be that way.

No human could blindly trust Asheroth. They instinctively avoided him.

Even though Asheroth gave no information the whole time in half doubt, Elizabeth did not suspect that he would harm her.

She relied on him for granted, and believed him as if it were natural.

Rather, she was always careful and worried about his feelings as if she was afraid to ignore her parents or guardians.

"So I thought."

Asheroth lightly touched her cheek as she looked at him blankly.

“You must have known that I would go there, meet you and take you with me.”

Elizabeth couldn't even make an excuse.

It was the conclusion that he, a wizard, made after observing and confirming for a long time. No excuse could have worked.

She asked, hugging the blanket tightly to hide her hands, which had begun to tremble again.

“Okay… I thought, why did you keep being kind?”

Asheroth said with a slight frown on the face, as if he had never expected such a question to come back.

"I wasn't very friendly."

“Ha, but you took care of me. Even though you know I’m hiding something."

“Is that kind?”

His voice was full of wonder.

“Why does it matter that you are hiding something in the first place?”

"........what?"

"Even if you're hiding something, it won't harm me, so it shouldn't be a problem, right?"

“…your mood, isn’t it bad?”

It was not enough that the slave of the cultists had already known him, but she clung to his side pretending to know nothing.

It wouldn't have been normal for Asheroth. She was a dangerous person. Even if he suspected that there was a dark and evil plot, she had no excuse.

And yet she couldn't believe it didn't matter. Does he really think so?

Elizabeth was at a loss as to what to do.

‘Should I reveal everything right now?’

She would actually be more suspicious, claiming that she is a reincarnated person and this is a world in the book, but still....

She hesitated as if she wanted to say something, and Asheroth arranged the conversation altogether.

"That's enough, sleep now. It's too late."

"But..."

"Sleep. I'm not offended, I'm not angry."

"......don't you need to hear why I did that?"

"Do you want to say something?"

Elizabeth did not answer right away. It was because she wasn't sure how to say anything.

She eventually shook her head.

“So that’s it.”

He had a calm attitude, as if he knew it. Because the answer was too blunt, Elizabeth was rather afraid of it.

Why is he still friendly? Why does he say it's done without asking anything?

"...is it okay?"

What if she hid it to hurt him? What if she approached him to steal important information?

It's not really like that, and there's never going to be anything that could harm Asheroth in the future, but she was more anxious because he trusted her too docilely.

Actually, it's not a strange situation even if he misunderstands.

"It's not okay, but it's okay."

"But..."

"You know I won't hurt you, but you don't know who I am.”

"Oh, I know. Asheroth is a very strong wizard."

"So you don't know."

He lowered his hand to cover her eyes as if suppressing her anxiety.

"All right, go to bed. Tomorrow will be tough."

Elizabeth bit her lips. She wanted to say something, but nothing concrete came out.

It's true that she cheated, but it's not that she wants to cheat. Isn't he disappointed?

Is he really okay?

Actually, she has a real reason to deceive him.

In fact, it was all just excuses. It was meant to confuse him, and it was also a lie.

She hesitated and put her hand slightly on Asheroth's hand, which covered her eyes.

He didn't refuse her touch. He didn't even move. He didn't seem to want to leave until she fell asleep.

'......you're staying with me because I'm scared, because I don't like the darkness.'

In the midst of this.

A peace came as great as the size of her anxiety. Elizabeth clasped his hand. And she struggled to pluck up courage.

“...I can't tell you right now why I did it, but I can tell you one thing. I'm not going to hurt Asheroth no matter what."

She couldn't fathom what expression he might have on his face. If he imagines anything suspicious or unpleasant, she won't be able to finish her sentence.

"I... I will become a great wizard, and later will help Asheroth."

They argued, but since she decided not to do that, it's not going to happen in the future.

“…I will make sure you don’t regret the kindness you did to me today and when you met me.”

So....

"For pretending you don't know, can I say thank you instead of sorry?"

Asheroth didn't say anything.

Instead, after a long time, he raised his hand around her eyes a little and tapped her cheek with his fingertips. Tap tap.

All right. That's enough. Sleep. Like I said.

That was the last thing Elizabeth remembered that night before she fell asleep.

 

Spoiler: Episode 18 (Chapter 2)

Chapter 2

The adventure begins with an evil skull


'I shouldn't have said that.’

As soon as she woke up, Elizabeth regretted it.

'At least I shouldn't have said thank you.’

And she regretted it while eating.

Asheroth was nonchalantly cutting bread for her as if nothing had happened yesterday, so she couldn't raise her head even more.

His attitude was appreciated, but it made her even more ashamed.

Even so, isn't that too much to say 'I won't hurt you' or 'I will become a great wizard and help you later'?

She didn't lie. She never doubted that she would become a great wizard.

But Asheroth doesn't know the future.

It was no wonder she looked like a young child who was a cultist’s slave and has a suspicious secret who seemed to be proud of her talent.

'It’s embarrassing....'

But she didn't want to ask him to forget everything she said yesterday. Because every word was sincere.

For that reason, unlike Asheroth, who was so calm, Elizabeth could not even make eye contact with him.

Not knowing what was for the breakfast, she chewed and swallowed it mechanically like a golem.

[Elizabeth, what happened last night? Did Asheroth scare you? Is he gonna throw you out after the trial?]

Basilios had been worried about whether her condition looked very strange.

Was she nervous enough to make it obvious?

Elizabeth shook her head quickly.

"No, it's fine. Yesterday... Asheroth told me a good story."

[Really?]

“Really.”

[Really? That's a big deal. The only good thing he can say is a new golem design or a dimensional structure thesis.]

In scolding, but not scolding, Asheroth bluntly intervened in their conversation.

"I can hear you."

[I'm telling you to listen. We'll be on the airship soon, so why don't you contact Ethan?]

“What are you going to do with that raccoon?”

"Raccoon?"

When Elizabeth, who was listening to the two conversations, asked, Asheroth shut his mouth with an unexpected look.

Basilios, who was watching the scene quietly, replied with a smile.

[Ethan is the vice president. He and Asheroth are very, very close friends. That's why he calls him by his nickname like that.]

“Who the hell is my friend?”

[Oh, why? Even if it's a nickname you can't call in front of him, isn't it a nickname?]

It was difficult to understand, but Elizabeth nodded her head once.

Basilios smirked when he saw Asheroth's wrinkled face. Then he quickly turned into a snake and clung to Elizabeth's shoulder.

[Okay, shall we start now? A wonderful future awaits you, Elizabeth!]

***

It wasn't clear whether a wonderful future awaited him as Basilios said, but the weather was perfect.

“Wow……”

Elizabeth vomited admiration involuntarily.

Looking up from below, airships with huge mana stones were spinning in the sky around an aviation tower that was so high that the end could not be seen.

An airship that looks like a whale with a pointed mana stone embedded in its prow.

It was shaped like an elongated egg, and even the stomach was covered with opaque glass.

Airships of different shapes and colors filled the sky and it was truly spectacular.

"Is that an airship? Why are the shapes all different?"

Elizabeth asked, unable to take her eyes off airships.

In the book, it was described as a flying ship, but there was only one airship that looked like a ship. It was even more surprising because there was no description of such a strange and diverse shape anywhere.

“Because these airships are a new magic tool.”

“Is it new?”

"Yeah, the magic tools that have been used for a long time are called 'standard specifications' and made according to it. However, magic tools, which do not have a long commercialization period, do not impose restrictions on specifications because of research purposes."

Research purpose? For some unexpected reason, Elizabeth's eyes twinkled.

“Countless manpower and mana stone are used every time to make a large tool, so we try this and that, and weigh efficiency, material cost, and manufacturing difficulty. Then, if something appropriate comes out, from then on, a standard is created and the structure is unified."

Asheroth explained that this would lower the production cost and make it easier to supply and repair parts.

'I see. That's why airships in the book were all described as looking alike...'

It is 10 years later that the story of 《The Story of the Continent of Belfera》 begins in earnest. It would have been more than enough for the standard of the airship to be unified.

Seeing that airships, which are just common means of transportation in the book, are being built through trial and error, it felt like a real world where people live and breathe.

'...I have to do my best too.'

She secretly made a firm decision.

In order to protect the world in this mysterious and beautiful book, we need the heroine, Elizabeth Lily.

***

"Welcome. Are you from the Eregald Wizards’ Union?"

As we approached the air tower, a young man in his 20s greeted Asheroth as if he had been waiting.

“I almost didn’t recognize you. Hey, is it possible that a wide range of cognitive impairment magic of this scale is possible? Since it was me, I knew it, but if it had been kids, they would have passed by without knowing it was strange.”

The young man was soft, yet full of confidence. Although he was muscular and large, as if his clothes were about to burst, strangely he was not intimidating.

Even when passing through the street, Elizabeth stared at the young man with wide eyes, as if she had not seen anyone bigger than him.

Asheroth, on the other hand, paid little attention to the young man. Rather, he asked, keeping an eye on the busy sailors around him.

"Is the airship anchored?"

Even though he suddenly spoke informally, the young man smiled brightly and replied as if he was not offended at all.

"We're still in the middle of loading. This way."

He turned and took the lead.

The air tower was nothing more than a towering tower from the outside, but when they got closer, she could see that it was surrounded by a membrane of shiny particles.

"Are they all….. mana stones?"

When Elizabeth asked, looking at the fog that swirled and circled around the tower, the young man answered cheerfully.

"You have good eyes. That's right, kid. That's called a guiding stone, which attracts objects of a certain size or larger. It also has the property of keeping objects at arm's length, so the airships circle around the tower without hitting each other."

However, the question of Elizabeth has not been fully resolved.

Then can't you just put it on the floor? Why do they need an air tower?

It was Basilios who answered her question.

[It's not just an induction role. That guiding stone also serves as a charge for the mana stone that moves the airship. No matter how large a mana stone is, if you leave such a large airship afloat for a long time, the mana inside will run out. That's why you cover it with a guiding stone and charge it with mana.]

"It's amazing. Did the wizards make all of that?"

As Elizabeth exclaimed and whispered, Basilios wagged his tail as if he did not like it.

[Okay. They were just digging all over my body to make something like that shit.]

“Basil’s body?”

[Yes, it is! Elie, when you use the workshop in the future...]

“Stop talking.”

Asheroth intervened in the conversation between the two, probably because Basilios, who was excited to continue talking, was annoying.

"Oh, my. Was it annoying?"

Then, unexpectedly, the young man who was ahead of them, said a word. Elizabeth was perplexed, but Asheroth and Basilios were calm.

[Because only you and Asheroth can see me, only you can hear my voice. Because it's an illusion shown by communication magic.]

'Huh, then he might misunderstand that I'm talking to myself if I talk to Basil outside.'

Elizabeth wanted Asheroth to correct it by saying ‘I didn't say it to you’ so that the young man who came to meet them would not misunderstand.

Unfortunately, Asheroth was the type who didn't care about other people's misunderstandings.

Instead of answering the young man, he brazenly asked questions.

“It’s all about the air tower, tell me about yourself. You look like a battle wizard to me.”

“About me… Oh, my. I was in a hurry, so I didn't even introduce myself. However, since we are going to be together for three days, I should introduce myself. People like the wizard may not know it, but I am also making a name for myself in the Empire.”

He was not at all discouraged by Asheroth's blunt and unruly attitude, and looked at him with a friendly smile.

“My name is Mihail Yulpendis. I am a first-class wizard belonging to the 2nd Wizarding Corps of the Alpenia Empire, and a level 5 battle wizard.”

“Level 5? Why is a level 5 battle wizard on the cargo airship?”

“Huh? Did you not hear anything?”

Instead of answering, Asheroth squinted. The meaning of the gaze was clear. Mihail nodded awkwardly by rubbing the back of his neck.

“Well…... It's because there's a test magic tool for the military on board. I am an escort.”

“How many members of the escort?”

“Two level 3 battle wizards, one level 3 assistant wizard. And five fighters.”

Asheroth shut his mouth and thought for a moment, then asked.

“What did the union said about me?”

"Well, there's a level 7 assistant wizard who is looking for an airship to go to Eregald in a hurry... I heard that he is okay with an unsafe voyage.”

Mihail, who saw his face crumpled as soon as he heard the answer, looked at it in case things had gone wrong.

“If the situation is different from what you thought, I will somehow find a new airship…”

“No, I understand.”

Asheroth interrupted Mihail briefly.

"I just need to get on the airship. It doesn't matter because I got it on that condition from the beginning."

“Are you really okay?”

“Yeah, if you have really thought you're going to have trouble with your route, you would’ve officially hired a union wizard and wouldn't have had this kind of sloppy insurance."

Mihail smiled in embarrassment.

"As you said, there will be no major problems. If an unexpected situation arises and we request support, we will pay twice the normal request fee."

“What if I don’t respond?”

Mihail did not waver despite the cold reply.

“Then there is nothing I can do.”

Asheroth stared at him, sighed, and looked away.

“……Let me consider it.”

"Thank you."

After that, Mihail didn't say much and just showed the way. He was quick-witted.

The airship he guided was a whale-like airship with a mana stone embedded in its bow. People came and went around in a hurry because they were loading luggage.

Mihail skillfully broke through the crowd and introduced us to the guards waiting in a quiet place.

The captain and crew were busy loading, so he also promised to introduce them when the airship rises later. He then led Asheroth directly to the private room in the airship.

"I'll be back when the airship floats. Rest, union wizard."

The room Mihail gave them was quite luxurious, not like a cargo airship.

There were round windows on the walls and carpets on the floor that looked quite expensive.

The beds and furniture that were nailed to the floor were also luxurious, and the attached bathroom was also clean.

Asheroth looked around the room, and dropped Elizabeth on the bed.

At the same time Basilios came down to the bed. He was in the form of a snake, but in the blink of an eye turned into a beautiful woman. Elizabeth was deeply impressed by the ability to turn freely.

Basilios sat elegantly with his legs crossed and grumbled in disapproval.

[Why are you so antisocial? If someone pays attention and talks to you, you should talk to them and get close to each other. What's the point of being close to wizards?]

"Why don't you get close to them?"

[Hmm... There's no reason to become friends with someone who doesn't have much talent and no growth potential...]

When the cold gaze returned, Basilios asked with anger.

[What, that expression? What do you mean you or me? I'm not avoiding conversations because I'm annoyed like you! It's because it's just hard for non-talented kids to look at me.]

"I guess so."

[You're talking with a face that doesn't look like that at all!]

Basilios banged on the bed with real resentment. Of course Asheroth didn't even look, and Elizabeth had to appease Basilios on his behalf.

“Basil, Basil, don’t be angry. I know that Basil is a good demon.”

[Elie...... How can you be so kind?]

Basil whispered as she hugged Elizabeth tightly, as if she liked her comfort.

[Cute. You have to grow up like this and become a great wizard, okay?]

"Yes. I will work hard.”

[Yes, yes. Did you make a promise with me? You shouldn’t break the promise you made with the demon king, you know?]

It was a bit scary and intimidating to hear, but Elizabeth smiled vaguely and patted her on the head.

Still, the words 'no talent' that came out of Basilios's mouth bothered her inwardly.

‘Isn't a level 5 wizard strong enough?’

In the book, it was written that a level 3 wizard was treated as a powerful person, and a level 5 wizard was an elite of less than a thousand people within the empire.

Even if he’s not as great as Asheroth or Elizabeth, the heroine, he is not usual. And he seemed to have a good personality.

‘Mihail Yulpendis...;’

Mihail Yulpendis.

Yulpendis.

'I think I heard it somewhere.'

Is he a character in the book? There is a possibility.

If he was the soldier of the Alpenia Empire, it would be no wonder that he had participated in the war against the dragon that would be fought ten years later.

However, no matter how hard she tried, he didn’t come to mind.

‘Is he not a character in the book?'

She had the perfect book in her head. However, even though she didn't have to read the book in her head, she remembers the description of the main character Enoch and the five colleagues who were with him until the end.

Even the name of a character expressed as strong or famous could be recalled just by hearing it.

It's because she half-memorized the contents of the book while watching it over and over again in the cave. Mihail was neither.

Then he must have never appeared in the book, or even if he did, he would not be an important character.

'Then I don't have to think about it.'

After all, she will not even spend 3 days with him.

Besides, even if there is a danger, Asheroth is there. It won't develop into a big deal.

Elizabeth thought so and forgot the question that tickled her head.


And exactly a day later.

She regretted that decision.

Spoiler: Episode 19

Contrary to Elizabeth's expectations, the airship took off very quietly.

She was prepared for a bad ride, because unlike the novel's description, it was made 10 years ago. But it was a smooth movement, as if on a flat surface.

She realized that she had started flying in the sky only after looking out of the window.

Shortly after the airship began to fly, Mihail came and introduced the captain and crew as promised.

They were all big and blunt people, but they didn't look bad.

They were well-mannered and told Asheroth that he was free to roam around the airship except for the warehouse.

When he paid ingredients and money, they didn't say much and made me a separate meal.

Thanks to this, Elizabeth was able to have both lunch and dinner as well as she had in the gateway city.

Asheroth still hasn't touched the meal, though.

‘Battle wizard doesn't need to eat for days, but isn’t it too much?'

While thinking so, Elizabeth did not recommend eating on purpose and asked why.

It was because she noticed that he would avoid talking about meals.

She was curious, but couldn't force herself to dig out what he didn't want to say.

She swallowed the question with the fruit that came out for the dessert.

The first day of the trip went like that.

***

"Why don't you go around the airship with the child?"

The next day, it was just before breakfast. Mihail came and suggested that we take a look at the airship.

But despite his gentle manner, Asheroth was blunt.

"You don't have to worry about me."

"Well, in fact, I'm looking for both benefits. Wouldn't it be safer if the wizard looked inside?"

Asheroth looked at Elizabeth. It looked like he was asking what she wanted to do.

Without hesitation, she said quickly.

"I want to see!"

In fact, yesterday, if possible, she wanted to take a look inside the airship.

But it was the first day of the flight, and she held it in because she thought it would be a nuisance because sailors wandered around saying that they were doing final inspection.

Asheroth rose up without hesitation and hugged her when she said affirmation.

***

“This is the end. It looks like we've looked all over."

The interior of the airship was not much different from that of a normal ship.

There was only a difference in moving. The airship used mana stone attached to the outside and the aerial magic tool in the navigation room, and there was no significant difference from the metal ship traveling through the sea except for the navigation room.

The biggest difference was that the metal ship had a small escaping ship attached to it, and the airship had a separate small airship for emergency escape.

As it is a cargo airship with only the goods needed for sailing, there was no fun thing to see.

The hull was also small, so it took less than an hour to look around the entire airship.

Elizabeth, who expected a grand expedition, was despondent at the sight that had ended so quickly.

Mihail said in a flabbergasted tone, perhaps because her face looked disappointed.

“Uh, um, would you like to go to the deck? The wind is a little strong, but the scenery is amazing......”

"No."

But before he could finish speaking, Asheroth cut his words off as if he was talking nonsense. He didn't forget to stare menacingly. Mihail awkwardly scratched his head and made excuses.

“No, that’s…... when the kids get sad, I get nervous without realizing it.”

He hesitated for a moment, then pulled something out of the dimensional pocket he was wearing on his waist. It was a colorful candy in a glass bottle.

“I’m sorry we didn’t have more to see. Please take this instead. I bought this for my daughters, do you like sweets?”

“…can babies eat candy?”

Asked Elizabeth, wondering. Mihail's age seemed to be in his early to mid-20s at most, so she thought they would be young if he had children.

"Baby? Oh... haha, I'm older than I look. Because I'm a wizard."

He said he was in his 40s and had two adopted daughters.

“They are both about the same age as you. The first is seven and the second is five.”

“I am ten years old.”

Elizabeth replied unknowingly firmly to his words. It's not the same age. As she claimed so.

"Huh? Really?"

Mihail was visibly flustered, and Asheroth, surprised as well, lifted her a little from his arms and looked up and down.

Elizabeth was embarrassed and apologized because she seemed to be much younger than her actual age everywhere.

"...it's because I didn’t eat a lot. But at the age of five, I was as big as my other friends."

"Yes, that's right."

Mihail smiled admirably at Elizabeth's reply. It was just a gracious smile like a father.

"My children were all as thin as you at first, but now they're the biggest and strongest in the neighborhood. They both could become generals."

He added a playful joke saying that the future of the Yulpendis family is bright thanks to them.

But Elizabeth couldn't laugh.

At that moment, something came to mind in Elizabeth's memory as if it had been struck by lightning.

'Yulpendis. General. Adopted daughter.’

She clenched Asheroth's arm, which hugged her, in a strange sense that the book that had already been closed unfolded again.

'I know, I know. I knew this story...!'

General Yulpendis.

She forgot her name because she was referred only by her last name.

General Yulpendis was a soldier and battle wizard of the Alpenia Empire who stood at the forefront of the war against Holland.

She said she lost her father because of Holland's Elder Lich. So she volunteered for the war, and threw herself to kill one of the Elder Liches…

Information continues as if someone was pouring it out.

Elizabeth concentrated on recalling memories she needed, suppressing the soaring memories of the war with Holland.

'Why did General Yulpendis's father die?'

There was no detailed information in the book. It was just said he was killed by Elder Lich.

"Kid, are you okay?"

Mihail was worried about Elizabeth, whose face suddenly turned white, and his face was also full of worries.

It's not a single line recorded in the book. A living person was in front of her.

Elizabeth clapped her lips, not knowing what to say.

Should she say he’s in danger? That he’s going to die?

But even if he dies, when will that be?

'It's fine now. Cause there's Asheroth. So....'

Elizabeth closed her mouth, clutching the hem of Asheroth's robe.

That moment.

Kung!

There was a vibration that shook the whole airship.

Suddenly the world turned around.

The floor turned up and the ceiling turned down. It was as if the airship had turned over.

Elizabeth thought she was going to plunge to the floor and reflexively closed her eyes.

However, contrary to expectations, there was no shock.

She opened her eyes again cautiously. For what Asheroth did, the bodies of the two were floating in the air.

Mihail also calmly landed on the ceiling and looked out of the window with a confused face.

"Is there something wrong with the gravity control system? What the hell is going on here……”

Mihail couldn't continue his words. The sky with clear sunlight and white flakes of clouds just a moment ago suddenly turned black.

He turned and ran as if he had nothing more to think about. He seemed to be heading straight to the navigation room.

In the meantime, the airship shook one after another with a thud and a thud.

The shock did not come directly because she was floating in the middle of the passage, but the fear could not be stopped .

As the top and bottom creaked and the metal ceiling and floor crumpled, Elizabeth eventually pulled the hem of Asheroth's clothes.

"Asheroth?"

There was no return answer. Instead, he picked up the demon king lying flat on his shoulder in the shape of a snake. Basilios cried, struggling.

[It's not my fault! Really!]

"Then give me a good enough reason to be convinced. Why is Elder Lich Sento Balzac here?"

It was a growling, angry voice that boiled from the bottom of the stomach.

[Really not! It's really not what you are thinking! It's a coincidence!]

Despite Basilios' desperate excuses, Asheroth snorted as if it was unreasonable.

"Coincidence ? Is it a coincidence that the guy whose head I blew off attacked the airship as soon as we entered the neutral zone, the Great Forest?"

[Because it's true! Think about it, if that skull knew you were here, he wouldn't just send a few high-level demons to crush your stomach.]

“……”

Asheroth bit his mouth. Basilios, who was trembling and looking at Asheroth like that, whispered.

[Well... if you've calmed down, why don't you run away?]

Asheroth's eyes narrowed. He looked as if he had said he was running away. Basilios shouted hastily, flapping his tail.

[I can't help it! If it's just a fight, it can be dismissed because your personality is dirty, but if you fight to help the airship related to the Imperial Army, it becomes an international problem.]

"You want me to run away from a rotten skull for just that reason?"

[What about Elie?]

Asheroth's murderous intent was reduced in an instant at piercing words. He looked down at Elizabeth, who was fidgeting, hanging from his forearm, only staring at him.

She asked almost conditionally as soon as their eyes met.

"What's going…… on? Is it dangerous?

"No, not at all."

[What do you mean? It's very dangerous...]

Basilios stopped talking and shut up again. This is because Asheroth's eyes were so scary.

Although he hurriedly closed his mouth, Elizabeth, who had already heard it all, stiffened up.

Asheroth sighed softly and made eye contact with her.

"It's not dangerous. You're with me."

She wanted to pretend that it would be okay if he, not anyone else, said this.

But it was Elizabeth who knew better than anyone else that it couldn't be.

‘What should I do?’

Honestly, she didn't know how things were going. No, it's not that she didn't know. She didn't understand anything.

Why is the airship under attack all of a sudden, why is Asheroth getting angry and hesitating, and what she has to do.

But one thing was certain.

'If I had noticed earlier, I could have stopped it before it happened.'

If she knew who Mihail Yulpendis was, if she'd warned him that something big might happen before he got on the airship.

As soon as she had regrets in her heart, a cold voice whispered in the corner of her head.

It can't be.

The voice uttered a clear sarcasm as if saying the truth.

How can you remember the death of a minor role at best? This is just a background, setting play before the ‘story’ begins.

'If only I had done something...'

Elizabeth, who had tried to refute cold whispers, realized that she had nothing to refute.

What could she do if she knew? She had no power to change the situation. She had, technically speaking, no reason to change it.

Even if someone dies here, it doesn't affect the ‘story’ anyway.

In 《The Story of the Continent of Belfera》 he is nothing compared to the heroine Elizabeth Lily, and recorded in only one line.

It was ridiculous that she would step up for him.

Moreover, what will happen if she, the heroine, recklessly helps a small role she met accidentally and dies?

All Elizabeth had to do now was to be protected quietly.

Yeah, that's it. If you want to be Elizabeth Lily, you have to be rational.

She didn't want to follow the voice, but it was true.

He will die anyway. He was also a person who had to die to help the story.

Because of his death, a person named 'General Yulpendis' plays a major role in the war against Holland.

His sacrifice, obviously, was necessary. There was no need to put the heroine in danger by stepping up to help.

'Really?'

There was an unknown backlash.

'If it's a sacrifice needed for the story, it should be done….. Is that really so?’

Then why did she change her unhappy past? She’s fine, but doesn’t care for anybody else?

Who cares? All humans are selfish.

The voice continued to speak, but Elizabeth's heart fluttered and continued to stir. Like arguing that it's not like ‘Elizabeth Lily’.

"…I'm fine."

Eventually, she couldn't stand the discomfort and opened her mouth.

"I don't know what's going on... but if you're going to give up fighting because of me, don't do it."

She said, clutching the hem of Asheroth's robe.

“I want Asheroth to help people.”

Spoiler: Episode 20

Mihail slammed his huge hammer into the black mist that broke through the front window of the navigation room.

The hammer hit the floor, sparking and burning the fog. But it was only for a moment that his vision was cleared.

The black mist continued to come as if laughing at him who resisted.

He only dealt with it for a while, but half of his mana has already been lost. Breathing naturally became rough.

He screamed while blocking the window.

“What are you doing! Come on, increase the power of the airship! If you don't shake off this demon, we will all die!"

In response to the urgent call, the captain also shouted while holding the helm and sweating profusely.

“I’m doing it, but it doesn’t work!”

During a brief conversation, one of his subordinates collapsed and vomited blood.

A black mist dug through all the holes in his body.

'Damn it!'

Mihail clenched his teeth.

The airship was equipped with all the latest magic defense systems. It could easily block some intermediate level demons.

Even without a shield, you couldn't so easily do anything to the airship. It is the airship that travels at 500 km/h. You couldn't hold onto it because you didn't know if it was going to drop by hitting it.

However, the black fog that filled the window simply held the airship in the air as if to ridicule common sense.

Even gathering as much mana as possible to speed up, the airship didn’t move.

The black mist was crushing the hull while holding on to the airship and crushing the futile resistance of the humans inside.

Power beyond common sense, logic, and reason.

The malice that transcends all that.

‘High level demon.’

If you have a spear knife, you can easily catch with it a low-level demon or beast. However, you cannot face an intermediate level demon unless you are a wizard.

When it comes to high level demon, not all magic works well. As a level 5 wizard, it was not something he could face.

Now, there is a front window, so they're holding out somehow, but that's not too long. The window was also cracking with a noise as if it had reached its limit.

Mihail grasped the situation calmly.

'Everyone will die.'

Considering the remaining mana, he can hold out for 5 minutes.

Escape or whatever, it's already over.

He wanted to steal at least a test piece of military magic tool, but it was clear that he could not break through that fog with an escape airship.

The main airship is helpless, but there is no way that it can be done with an escape airship with minimal equipment.

‘But I can't just die like this, being a soldier of the Empire.’

He clenched the heavy combat hammer again.

Even if he died, he was going to give a shot at those red eyes that fluttered back and forth as if teasing him in the fog.

Mihail raised his mana at once and injected it into his weapon. The hammer began to glow red.

"Don't burn your eyes even if you're looking behind!"

The assistant wizards put all their remaining mana on his body and cast various reinforcement magic. As the muscles of the whole body strengthened, explosive power sprang up momentarily.

"Ahhhhhh!"

Mihail jumped into the mist with enthusiasm and swung the hammer as hard as he could. There was a bang and the front window that had barely stood up was smashed.

Black fog poured in like rotten water on the bottom of the swamp. And the flames that Mihail created...….

Didn't burn.

Because the fog that was pouring towards him suddenly evaporated.

'Eh?!'

Mihail, unable to withstand the weight of the hammer he had been swinging with all his might, fell to the floor.

He looked around quickly, and the hammer was still roaring with flames for attack, but the black mist had completely disappeared.

But there was no time to catch a breath.

[Kiaaaaaaaaak!]

As soon as the black fog disappeared, a giant bird with a bunch of eyes on its head suddenly pushed its head to the pierced front window.

Without any time to think, he hurriedly rolled himself away. But it was not because he was afraid of bird. It was because he felt a concentration of terrifying mana behind his back.

Hundreds of light sources appeared without a sound. And shot at the giant bird.

Heat. And light.

The airship trembled precariously, as if it was about to crash. It was because the attacked bird ran wild and shook the airship.

Mihail, who reflexively closed his eyes to the bright light, looked around immediately when the attack stopped. The dreaded bird was shaking its half body and spreading its beak wide.

[Thiiiis maaaagiiiiiiic…..]

The pus and blood-soaked eyes turned to one side in unison. It was followed by a deafening loud shout.

[Aaaasheeeeeerooooooth Baaaaaaaaiiiiiin!]

Asheroth Bain?

Why did the name of that great wizard, the weapon of the Axium school, come here?

‘You should be a wizard here…’

Mihail barely raised himself up, but had an ominous hunch and turned his head toward the bird's gaze.

As expected, there stood a wizard holding the child with a sullen face.

Even though they had a conversation just a few minutes ago, he felt so unfamiliar for a moment.

Was that wizard's hair that dark, bluish black like a crow? What about the eyes that seem to have been pierced with the most precious of all amethysts in the world?

He thought he was handsome, but did he have such a 'perfect' face?

Mihail swallowed dry saliva without realizing it.

A wizard is one who manipulates mana. And mana is the product of the impossible and the unnatural. Therefore, most wizards are born with characteristics that cannot be found in nature.

For example, normal humans had different sizes of eyes and limbs. It is said to be symmetrical, but there is a subtle difference. Because perfect symmetry cannot exist in nature.

It is not for nothing that people choose a perfect face as a condition of beauty. This is because it cannot occur naturally and can only be seen as a product of chance.

And most wizards, especially the stronger their innate mana, are born 'perfect'.

That is why it is said that there are many handsome and beautiful men among wizards.

The appearance of those born with perfect balance is bound to stand out.

Because of this, wizards who are born strong are inevitably marked. Because they are as perfect as a sculpture or a statue made by God himself.

He couldn’t deny the cry of the giant bird. Unless it’s that man who had a terrifyingly beautiful appearance and a man who radiated powerful mana that even buried his beauty, who the hell is Asheroth Bain?

Mihail swallowed his breath. He didn't know whether to see this as good luck or bad luck.

‘......Why did he help me?’

He was a battle wizard representing the Axium School and a protector of the Great Convention. He was in a very high position to intervene in a war between countries.

Mihail was more worried than relieved that he lived because he didn't know what would follow after this one help.

Above all, he was afraid of the person Asheroth Bain himself.

‘Is he aiming for the military magic tool, too?’

This may be the case if any technology that violates the Great Convention was used in the test item. Mihail was very nervous and looked at Asheroth.

Depending on what Asheroth's intentions were, the current good fortune could have turned into a greater misfortune. Fortunately, Mihail wasn't the only one wondering what he was doing.

[Assheeerooth Baaaiiin! How cooomme yooou're herreeeee?]

The man who controls the giant bird also growled and shouted in a threatening voice, doubting Asheroth's intentions.

[Haaavee the Emmpireee and the Uuuniion teeaaamed upp? Tellllll me! Whyyyy did yoooou dissstuuuuurb mmmme!]

Asheroth answered bluntly, covering the child's eyes.

“It has nothing to do with the empire. I just don't like you."

[Llllliaaaar!]

The necromancer, who fixed the demon's glare at Asheroth, asked with a tenacious tone.

[In acccccordaaaaance with the Greeeeeat Connnventionnn, we dddo not experiiiiimenttt on humaaaaans. What's the rrreason youuuuuu don't liiiiike uuuuus, Aaaaaaxium's mechaaaaanical dollllll?]

Asheroth chuckled. And retorted.

"Can't I just hate you for no reason?"

[Don't lllllaugh! Giiiiiive reaaaaasons!]

“What’s…… the reason why you talk like an asshole after you lost your head?”

The bird was silent for a long time. His body, which had been trembling, suddenly swelled up. At the same time, an explosion of anger erupted.

[Baaaaaaaaastarddd! Aaaasherooooth Baaaaaaaiiiiiin!]

The fearsome monster slammed his head down as if it was about to break the airship. It was a struggle that seemed to shatter the airship at any moment.

The airship, which had been quiet for a while following the movement of the bird, also shook violently again.

Asheroth did not even blink an eye even with a life-threatening attack, and even blew up the remaining half of the monster with a high-temperature beam.

After the glare disappeared, all that was left was the ruins of the monster and the black soot.

Everyone keeps their mouths shut. It was truly an amazing power. Even after getting rid of the big monster, his face looked calm, as if he didn’t put in much effort.

As soon as the bird disappeared, several more unidentified monsters popped out of the fog and rushed at him in unison.

However, they, too, were blocked by the thermal light emitted by the spherical light source that floated around the airship, and fell away in vain. It happened so quickly that it was impossible to measure the passage of time.

Mihail stared blankly at the situation and smiled in a dejected way.

'What kind of monster is this?'

Jealousy or envy was possible only when there is a moderate difference in level, but at this point, he is not even in awe.

It was a completely different kind of creature from himself.

"Thank you for your help."

That's why he wasn't afraid. Mihail was the first to say thank you on behalf of the frozen people.

“It is an honor to see Asheroth Bain, the twelfth commander of the Axium, in person…”

“It’s not over yet.”

Asheroth cut him off bluntly.

“The main body will come soon.”

“Main body?”

“Sento Balzac.”

Mihail's mouth fell open. Without realizing it, a moan came out.

Elder Lich Sento Balzac.

The necromancer and summoner, he was a wizard with a terrifying army of immortals. He was notorious for resorting to any means to increase his military presence.

“I, if it’s Sento Balzac, isn’t it the immortal lord who rules Holland!”

The captain, who had been hiding in the corner, gasped and shouted.

Mihail blinked at him to shut up, but the panicked captain didn't see the signal.

"Why would he do that….. I, is it because of you? Asheroth Bain, because you are here…...”

"Captain!"

Despite Mihail's cry to draw attention, the captain screamed with an unfair face.

"Why? Did I say something I couldn't? He was the one who defeated the Elder Liches, so why did he even drag us in…!”

There was no time to stop him. A light source circling around Asheroth fired a dazzling flash of light.

Seeing the captain collapse without even screaming, Mihail swallowed a sigh. A hole in the middle of his throat was not enough; his tongue was burnt and tangled. It was a horrendous look.

However, Asheroth didn't even look at it. He just spoke in a low-pitched voice.

“I didn’t tell you because I didn’t know there would be an idiot who would be hostile to me in this situation…”

Then, with an indifferent face, he raised a hand that did not hold the child and pointed to a light source flying around him.

“It’s auto-responsive magic.”

There was no further explanation, but the sailors who remained in the navigation room and the Imperial soldiers who boarded the airship as an escort understood it.

Shut up.

In the suffocating silence, Mihail barely opened his mouth.

“……I understand the situation. So, Sento Balzac, when will his body come?”

"5 minutes later."

How can he come so fast...

Mihail thought about it for a moment, but couldn't put it into words. Because the sky he saw through the window was starting to turn black as if it had been sprayed with ink.

Mihail was not so stupid that he did not know what it meant for the sky to darken again when the dark fog receded.

Although he considered himself shameless, he decided to cling to Asheroth.

In this situation, he could not build his self-esteem. Even for his wife and daughters, he must return alive.

"Asheroth Bain, I know it's a very shameless request, but... could you please defeat Sento Balzac?"

He tried not to pay attention to the light sources that were spinning around Asheroth. His voice trembled as he was in a situation where he didn't know when that flashed light would pierce him.

“You have already defeated Sento Balzac once. The performance you showed in the Necromancer War 50 years ago remains a legend in the Empire, so I believe it will be possible this time as well.”

Mihail had to pick a word several times so as not to look rude even as he glanced at the blackened sky outside the window.

“I, and the Alpenia Imperial Army, are a group that never forgets grace. If you help us, we will definitely pay for it, no matter what.”

“No matter what.”

Asheroth looked at Mihail silently with unimpressed eyes.

In the meantime, the sky was dyed with a darker color every moment. Mihail was desperately patient to not rush him.

Fortunately, before his patience ran out, Asheroth's mouth was opened.

“Are you good with kids?”

".......Yes?"

Spoiler: Episode 21

Asheroth just glanced at him, as if he didn't want to say it twice.

Mihail, who was just staring at the trembling child in Asheroth's arms, suddenly regained consciousness.

“Ye.... Yes! I’m good at it. I take better care of girls!"

Asheroth, who glared at him to say no nonsense, said.

"I'll pick her up in a week. Until then."

"All right."

Mihail did not know exactly what this request meant, but decided to answer first.

Fortunately, Asheroth didn't ask if he knew what he was talking about.

He gently grabbed the trembling little girl and whispered as he made eye contact with her.

"Listen, Elizabeth. I'll leave you to that man for the next week. Tell me now if you don't like it. If you want, I'll take you out of here."

Mihail threw a desperate look at the girl in fear of her heart sinking. But he couldn't do more.

He can't force such a trembling child. All he has to do is hang in there and wait.

A child named Elizabeth was skinny and even timid. She gripped the hem of Asheroth’s robe, afraid of falling from him.

'Damn, it’s hopeless.'

Mihail clenched his teeth.

Then the child carefully looked at Mihail and Asheroth in turn.

“Will it…. take a week? To fight?"

"Yeah. The way you fight with the dead is a little different, so it's not over until you destroy the Life Vessel."

"A week..."

The child licked her lips and murmured. The child, who could hardly answer in a cool way, suddenly turned to Mihail.

While he was guiding through the airship, he didn't know it, but the child's eyes were surprisingly bright golden.

Her eyes were sparkling like a grain of glass, and it seemed that something greater was lurking deep inside her pupils.

But nothing was as strange as emotions in the child's eyes.

What was in the girl's eyes was not just fear, but guilt.

It contained feelings that seemed to see someone she had known for a long time, not someone she had met for the first time.

‘Why are you looking at me with those eyes?’

Though puzzled, Mihail instinctively smiled faintly. He was trying to reassure the child.

Seeing his smile, the child let go of the hem of Asheroth’s robe, which she had been holding tight. Then, with a determined face, she declared to him.

“……Yeah, I’m fine. I will wait with Basil.”

"Okay."

Asheroth calmly replied, allowing the child to lean back on his shoulder. And he sighed in such a low voice that the girl wouldn't notice.

It was quite an emotional reaction for a person who didn't even blink an eye when destroying a high level demon or when a person dies.

Is he really worried about the child?

Although he was a high-level wizard with whom he could not even dare to deal, Mihail somehow sympathized with him. So, without realizing it, he offered a word of consolation.

“Don't worry. I will protect the child even if I risk my life.”

Asheroth responded bluntly to the determined promise.

"That's a good idea. If something goes wrong, it won't end with just your life."

Is it because of the mood? Behind those words, the phrase 'Did you say there are two cute foster daughters in the empire?' seemed to be attached to it naturally.

Mihail felt a cold sweat running down his back and tried to answer calmly.

“…I will definitely protect her.”

Elizabeth asked Asheroth to drop her off. If the fight was going to start soon, she shouldn't be a hindrance.

And because Mihail promised to protect her.

Asheroth had a slightly disapproving face, but carefully put her down.

Eventually, the sky turned black.

Thunder and lightning struck through the gathered dark clouds.

Monsters blacker than the clouds ran faster than thunder and howled. It was chaos itself.

In the midst of all the horrors, the Elder Lich finally appeared.

[I’m heeeere! Meee, Seeeentoo Baaaaaaaalzacccc!]

Elder Lich covered himself in a fluttering black mist like a cloak. The body, which had only bones left, was surrounded by gold and jewels.

He shouted in a loud voice, holding in his hand a skull spilling with blue flames instead of a cane or a orb.

[Cooooome oooout, Aaasherotttth Baaaain!]

The shield that spread over the broken front window kept the rain and wind out, but it couldn't stop the Elder Lich's terrifying voice.

It was a voice loaded with heavy and gloomy mana that made people faint just by hearing it.

Most of the sailors lost their will as soon as they heard it and shook with their heads on the floor.

The first mate, who took the helm of the airship on behalf of the captain, was still standing there somehow. Instead, he shed tears. Frightened to the point where his teeth clenched, he exclaimed desperately.

"We're not going to die, are we? Really?! Damn, I have a fiance back home!"

Mihail saw an occasional nightmare march through the front window of the airship. He shouted louder and stronger to hide his misery.

"Shut up and speed up!"

"How can I shut up in this damn situation!"

Shortly after being released from the fog, the airship was flying at the highest possible speed, but it was still slowly catching up.

Elizabeth was restless and clung close to Asheroth's leg.

In the midst of this, she regretted that she asked him to put her down because she was embarrassed to be hugged. It was such a hectic situation that she thought she should have been hugged.

It was useless to close eyes tightly. She could feel the despair around her just by the sound.

Suffocating sobbing. The sound of whispering prayers to chase away fear.

The sound of military wizards chewing blue candy frantically in order to somehow recover their mana in this gap.

And even the cries of monsters and demons chasing airship.

“…Do you want to quit?”

Elizabeth, who was trembling, was awakened by the voice from above. Asheroth was staring down.

In his blunt, purple eyes, there was a faint hint of concern for her.

Asheroth also says this, right? Just nod your head. They're destined to die anyway, so it's okay to throw them away. Isn't it?

A voice of temptation whispered in her mind.

Elizabeth swallowed her saliva at the desire to fall for the voice echoing within herself. But then she was struck by the appearance of Mihail.

He smiled for her frightened, even in situations where he might desperately want to cling to her.

An unbearable sense of guilt and responsibility rose at the same time.

She knows she can't do anything. Nevertheless, Elizabeth felt responsible for her actions.

The responsibility to be like Elizabeth Lily, the protagonist and hero of the story.

It's just a one-line character.

A seductive voice was heard again. But Elizabeth didn't want to turn a blind eye to these desperate people for just that reason.

"It's all right."

She squeezed out an answer, trying not to tremble.

"Okay."

Asheroth patted Elizabeth on the head.

When Elizabeth's tremor died down, Asheroth fell away from her. Elizabeth, who was trying to catch him reflexively, stopped her hand.

Something has changed about the air around him. She could see the area around Asheroth distorted like a haze.

Asheroth, who raised up his index finger, drew a space that fluctuated. Then, from the tip of his fingertips, the space began to twist as if the fabric was torn.

The distortion that spread like that gradually grew, and eventually it began to distort at random like crumpled paper, even up to the sky visible through the front window.

Then, at some point, the space was torn as if it could not withstand the pressure.

A dark blue forest and another sky could be seen through the gap.

"Ah..."

Elizabeth soon realized what this incredible sight was.

This is the first time she saw it in person because she always slept in his arms, but she could tell right away.

This is a space folding magic.

And at the same time, she understood why space folding magic could not be used in people's presence.

If you look at this randomly distorted space, you will realize that someone is using magic.

Of course, Elizabeth was not the only one who saw the scene outside the window.

The first mate, who was at the helm, groaned as he saw the growing hole.

“Crazy, my God… God, damn it! What is that!"

Mihail also looked out the window for a while, perhaps in shock, and then barely exhaled.

"I've never heard that such a large-scale folding is possible..."

Even after using magic that was close to miraculous, Asheroth muttered quietly.

“It would be better than teleportation.”

He stroked Elizabeth's head once more and spoke softly.

“Wait, Elizabeth.”

She wanted to reply, but couldn't. As soon as he finished speaking, Asheroth disappeared.

"Ah...."

Elizabeth stumbled and sank to the floor trying to grasp the air. She looked out of the window in a hurry, but all she could see was a distorted space.

The nightmares that followed the airship were no longer in sight. Bizarre screams and groans, and the voice of the angry Elder Lich gradually faded away.

The airship, running at full speed, plunged over the folded space, and everything disappeared in an instant.

All that's left is a clear sky.

And a bizarre skull that had dozens of demons that looked like giant bats.

“Damn, what else is that?!”

“… can’t you see? Demons.”

Mihail clenched his teeth as he answered the screaming first mate. It was a mountain beyond a mountain.

“We must have jumped hundreds of kilometers, but there are demons up to here…….. Damn Elder Lich, you're very determined."

Elizabeth's eyes shook greatly. Her breathing was suffocating.

How? They sure ran away. Now that Asheroth went to fight Elder Lich, aren't they okay?

Mihail helped her up, who started shaking again in fear. His eyes were now filled with resignation.

"I'm sorry, child. I said I'd take care of you for a week."

He pointed to the door of the sailing room and said calmly.

“Run away. Get on the escape airship and get out of here as far as you can.”

“Well, but……”

She couldn't understand.

She barely managed to find the courage to change the 'story'. Why?

A cold whisper echoed in her heart again.

Look at it. After all, you're nothing and you can't do anything.

“Come on, move!”

In Elizabeth's ears, who could not take a single step, Mihail's urgent shouting was heard.

It was not Elizabeth who immediately responded to this, but the crew members who were still in the sailing room.

The first mate, who first let go of the helm and turned around, started running towards the door, and the other crew members also fled after shouting loudly.

"Take the child... damn it!"

Mihail gave up trying to leave the frozen Elizabeth to the crew. He pushed a fighter’s back.

"Kalman! Put the child on the escape airship!"

A soldier called Kalman did not hesitate to take Elizabeth and left the voyage room.

At that moment, Elizabeth came to her senses and cried out urgently.

“Oh, no…..!”

No, she can't go away from here. Mihail and his men seemed prepared to die here, but she couldn't understand this development at all.

"Don't go! I...!"

Above all else, she had reasons not to leave.

The demons that first attacked the airship are different from the demons that appeared now. No one else knows, but Elizabeth knows it.

The former were invisible, and the ones appearing now are visible.

The bat-shaped demons are very clear, and the skull-shaped demon behind the bats are also clearly visible, albeit blurry.

True names. Their real names.

"I, I need to be there! Don't go!"

Elizabeth cried desperately and struggled, but the soldier called Kalman did not even pretend to listen. Even though she knew he was doing it for her, Elizabeth was frustrated.

'Why don't you listen to me? Why?’

Frozen from the moment he saw demons? Because he's scared? Because he’s nervous? Because she's a vulnerable kid?

Then the voice inside her whispered as if waiting.

After all, having something like you doesn't help, right?

The voice mocked her blatantly.

What help can you expect from a child who leaves the most important fight to his future colleagues and runs away comfortably, and who's frozen because she doesn't know what to do even in this situation?

Elizabeth clung persistently and shouted with all her might in her heart to drive out the voice that was bothering her.

‘No!’

At that moment, she suddenly had a headache.

It seemed like someone was forcing the contents of the book she didn't want to read into her ears.

Unknown information poured in with a force that seemed to eat her tiny head.

Some heavy words were heard. It was a deep and serious voice.


“My father… was a good soldier. It’s embarrassing that someone like me dared to take his last name.”

“It was said that he defended the airship to save the crew, even though he had a last minute chance to escape. Elizabeth Lily, just like you.”

“I’m sorry. Had you been by his side, and had he been here instead of me, you wouldn't have retreated against those lousy bastards."

"Don't cry just because of me. It was an honor to fight with you, great summoner."


Who was the person who left this voice?

General Yulpendis? No.

She was a hero who did not retreat to the end in the face of the death force led by Elder Liches. To protect retreating allies.

At the very least, she could not be confined to the narrative in the story that ended with one or two lines called 'General Yulpendis'.

She, her name is…

“Kyl…. ee….”

Elizabeth uttered her name in memory, not in the book. Then, the fighter Kalman, who was running through the crooked hallway, finally stopped running.

"What did you just say……?"

Seeing his reaction, Elizabeth was convinced that she was not wrong.

She spoke in a trembling voice.

"Take me... back to the navigation room."

But he only looked at Elizabeth in a bewildered way and showed no sign of moving. Unbearable, she grabbed Kalman's hem, shook it and shouted louder.

“Take me to the sailing room...! Only then can we save Kylee's father!"

Kalman's eyes shook again. His conflict seemed to be visible.

"Please. Trust me!"

Spoiler: Episode 22

Unlike the first time, Kalman had a clear sign of hesitation.

But he never turned away. Rather, he began to run faster than before towards the escape airship.

Elizabeth was startled and struggled violently.

"No! Why, why are you just going!? I can help!”

“The captain and I are soldiers. We cannot get help from civilians.”

"That......!"

Elizabeth looked despairingly into the passageway that grew farther and farther away.

That's absurd. She thought she'd remember now. She thought she could do something.

She thought she could keep her promise.

She closed her eyes tightly to the rising resentment. Regrets flooded in.

It was all her fault after all.

If she had noticed earlier, if she had recognized Mihail sooner, she wouldn't have come to this point.

Even though she's Elizabeth Lily, she can't do anything.

Tears seemed to come out.

It was then. A soft voice echoed above her head.

[Is there really a way, Elizabeth?]

'Basilios...!'

Elizabeth opened her eyes and raised her head. Basilios, who had turned into the man, stood upside down in the air, looking down at her. He smiled and continued.

[If you need my help right now, nod your head.]

Elizabeth nodded right away without thinking. Then Basilios held Kalman's head with his hand.

‘What are you trying to do…’

Elizabeth, who was watching, gasped and swallowed her breath. Basilios's hand had dug straight into Kalman's head!

At the same time, Kalman's body, which was running, came to a halt like a puppet whose thread had been cut.

When Elizabeth, startled, opened her eyes wide, Basilios shrugged shoulders as if nothing had happened.

[Didn’t I say that I can 'touch' wizards? This is nothing. Now then...]

Basilios, who had been floating upside down, turned his body around once and sat comfortably in the air. And he asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

[Shall we listen? Elie, what do you want to do?]

She exclaimed as if she had nothing to think about.

“I have to go back!”

[Why?]

“It’s… I don’t have time to explain it. Basil, please!”

Basilios acted leisurely, not paying any attention to the anxious Elizabeth.

[Tell me first, Elizabeth. What is a method? If it threatens your life, I can't help you.]

“Everyone might die! So…..”

[Why does that matter?]

"What?"

[Many humans are born anyway, and many wizards are born like that, right? But a child with a talent like you, one in 100 billion, is rarely born.]

Elizabeth could not understand what he was saying. So she asked blankly.

“Basil, what are you talking about?”

[You are more precious to me than such wizards. So I'm not going to do anything that might put you in danger. Even if you wish.]

It was an attitude he could have because he was not human. Elizabeth was speechless at the gentle but cold reply that made her have goosebumps.

The Demon King smiled softly and said.

[But even if it is reckless, if there is a possibility, it is a different story. So tell me. What is the method?]

“That’s with my eyes…”

[If that's the case, it's rejected. You have only two mana circles left. There's just that much mana. At best you can find the true name of couple of demons. There's no chance of a contract.]

A summoner goes through a total of three steps to summon a creature.

The first is calling. Demon or spirit, who is the subject of summon, is called to this world.

The second is Naming. Recognize them by finding out the true name or giving them a new name.

The third is Keeping. Exchange contract to maintain existence and fix creature on the land.

Only when all three stages have been completed can the creature use its powers in this world.

If even one fails, the creature immediately leaves this world or attacks the caster.

For this reason, summoners usually only called those weaker than themselves as creature.

If you are a summoner with a weak ego, high-level demons and spirits weigh the skills of a summoner.

If a summoner is judged to be weaker themselves, they often do not respond to calling or naming, so contracts are rarely established without the means of forcibly imprinting and pressing.

Even if a contract was not rejected, mana was needed. In order to invite the existence from another world to this world, it will cost a lot.

[I know what you are thinking.]

Basilios sighed and said.

[The demons who attacked the ship now have a contract with the Elder Lich Sento Balzac. So, without having to go through three steps, if you just find out the true name, you will be able to steal the contract with a little mana.]

"Then...."

[But, Elizabeth. That's when you have at least one wizard's mana.]

Basilios, who cut off the conversation kindly, persuaded Elizabeth as if to appease her.

[It's impossible with your body right now. It's taking away a high-level demon’s contract. Even if it costs less than an official summons, it still needs a lot of mana.]

"I can do it!"

[Well, you can't. Have I been watching wizards for hundreds of years for nothing? Speaking of your eyes, they consume a lot of mana by itself...]

“There is, mana!”

There was no time, so she had no choice but to cut off Basilios' words.

There was no time for a long talk, so Elizabeth pointed urgently to the dented airship's window.

“There it is!”

[What's over there...]

Basilios turned his head, and his eyes lit up.

What Elizabeth was pointing to was a huge mana stone embedded in the bow of the airship.

The source of power that still keeps the crumpled airship flying.

Basilios let out a short exclamation 'Huh!' as if exhaling the breath he had suppressed for a moment.

[.......how much?]

But the surprise was short-lived. Basilios suddenly came to his senses and shouted.

[No, no! What nonsense are you talking about? It's theoretically possible, but what about the airship if you use the mana stone's mana? If the airship falls, everyone will die even if you succeed!]

"Bats!"

[Bats? Ah! I see. That's right. They're flying demons, so if you use them... how good it is! Is our Elizabeth a genius?!]

Basilios began to make a fuss with excitement.

That's not the time! Elizabeth, in lamentation, raised her voice and urged.

“Is it explained now? Basil! Hurry!"

It didn't matter if it was frightening, scary or difficult.

She had to act now.

Otherwise, Elizabeth Lily will surely regret it terribly.

[Okay, Elizabeth, you are right.]

Basilios was still so relaxed that it was disgusting. It even looked like he was having fun. He grinned cheerfully and said.

[That's why I can't stop watching wizards.]

"Basil...!"

Coming next to the fretful Elizabeth, he touched Kalman again lightly.

Then his arm, which was as hard as a stone, loosened and Elizabeth's body fell to the floor.

She had to roll on the floor because the airship shook violently, but she quickly got up.

Basilios patted her head with admiration.

[You have to run to the control room on your own, can you do it?]

"I can."

As she answered, she glanced away and looked at Kalman. She was worried if he would be okay. Basilios said as if he had read her thoughts.

[I touched the center of his brain, so he won't be able to move for another 10 minutes. But there's nothing to worry about because he's not dead.]

Is it nothing to worry about suddenly paralyzing his body? Elizabeth nodded her head even though she was embarrassed by the demon king's standard of 'it's okay'.

Anyway, if it's okay, now she has one thing to do. She clenched her fists with determination.

[Your plan is possible only when you get to the control room safely, so cheer up!]

Basilios smiled at her.

[Run, Elizabeth.]

***

Mihail thought that his hands were about to be torn, and he wiped away the sweat.

Several giant bat-like demons had already been smashed with a hammer, but there were so many that it seemed like it would never end like this.

The assistant wizards had already run out of mana, and they collapsed and were only breathing, and the battle wizards were both exhausted.

On the other hand, the pale skull that controls the demons didn't seem tired at all.

The demon with only his head moved his chin up and down and said to them weary.

[Acknowledge defeat? Encourage humans to present 'Taranto Flame'. Guaranteed painless death.]

“At least tell a lie about saving us, damn skull.”

Mihail sighed and raised the hammer again.

He wanted to hold out until the crew and the child boarded the escape airship, but it seemed to be in vain.

Skull said sorry to Mihail and his comrades who tried to resist to the end.

[Human behavior is a very reckless, foolish choice.]

As the jaws of the skull moved, the bat-type demons flew in again.

'I should smash even just a few more...!'

Mihail gripped the hammer tightly. Squeezing out all the strength of his whole body, he sprinted towards the bats that were attacking him.

However, contrary to the expectation that their skulls would be crushed and shattered, the hammer ripped through the air.

It was due to the fact that the bat demons, to which he ran, stopped almost at the same time.

‘This again?’

As a result of his carelessness, his body turned around in mid-air and fell to the floor.

Not once, but twice, the hammer was twisted in the face of the danger of his life.

Even a first-class wizard in the Imperial Army armed with iron-like mental power did not have the ingenuity to pass it on this time.

“What else this time……”

He forgot that he was in battle and was about to say something ridiculous, but something rushed in from behind and grabbed Mihail's neck.

Mihail, who was startled and reflexively tried to throw it away, stopped because the weight of the person hanging from his neck was too light.

When he turned his head to check, the child he had sent with his subordinate was there.

“Why are you here...”

The child who was breathing heavily, barely spoke.

“Ba, Basil, please!”

Then a woman with red hair suddenly appeared in the air. Mihail gulped down his breath.

What appeared in front of him was a chillingly dangerous and beautiful beauty, all red with the exception of the some white part, like a pearl soaked in blood.

[Really. You should be honored that a wizard like you can receive my touch.]

She murmured poutily, expressing her disapproval, and thrust her index finger into Mihail's forehead.

Following the intense pain of the brain, countless information was poured in at once.

The fact the existence in front of him is Basilios of Jibo.

About Elizabeth Lily and her eyes.

That she took the mana stone from the magic tool she had put in her dimensional backpack and temporarily stopped the demons with the mana she got there.

Further to the plan to defeat the demons.

He gasped and said.

“The eyes of truth. It's like something out of a legend….."

[We don't have time? Come.]

As soon as Basilios finished speaking, the skull in the distance trembled as if waking up from sleep.

[Detecting the occurrence of abnormalities. Cause, unknown.]

The skull's eyes flashed.

[New type of human. The small human's work?]

The bat demons that had stopped began to move in unison.

Without thinking, Mihail got up and swung the hammer. This time, the bats had their heads popped out and fell.

What the hell Basilios did, injecting information into his head, even though his mana was almost exhausted, his body was overflowing with energy.

He waved his arms as much as possible so that Elizabeth, who was barely hanging from his neck, did not fall, to shake off the demons. And he asked in a whisper.

“Really… is it possible?”

The plan she presented was horribly reckless. It's the same whether he's going to die this way or that, but still enough to hesitate.

But Elizabeth, who was hanging around Mihail's neck, answered without hesitation.

"I can!"

She can.

Mihail forgot the situation and smiled for a moment.

He wasn't without hesitation, but it was only for a moment. His intuition, which helped him come back alive even after dozens and hundreds of battles for his life and death, speaks for itself.

The child's words are 'right'.

If he believes in her, he can survive.

"That's good."

Cried Mihail, pulling Elizabeth into his arms.

"Clench your teeth!"

Spoiler: Episode 23 (Contract with Scylla)

He advanced without hesitation, smashing the demons that rushed at him with his hammer. The skull, bewildered by the sudden resistance, rattled his chin.

[Unable to understand human behavior. Request to stop approach.]

Mihail ignored the skull’s words. And he swung his hammer a little harder and moved his steps.

Step. Step.

Every time he stepped forward, the windows shattered, bringing him closer to the wide open front window.

When he finally reached the end, he flew into the air with all his might.

The feeling of floating that came after the violent vibration was very brief.

In an instant, her body began to fall. The wind was so loud that it ripped her ears.

Elizabeth clenched her teeth, as Mihail said, so as not to bite her tongue.

She also closed her eyes tightly to try to calm her heart that was beating as if it was about to explode.

'I'm not afraid at all.'

When she was in the cave, everything was so scary that she wanted to cry just by being left alone in the darkness.

However, after throwing herself in front of hundreds of beasts and high-level demons, her heart was pounding, but she was not afraid.

'It's okay. I can do it.'

Indeed, Elizabeth Lily can do it.

She chanted her name like spell over and over again to cheer herself up. It was when she chanted the spell about ten times.

Kuuung!

Finally, the falling body stopped.

Elizabeth hastily opened her eyes. Tears sprang to her eyes and her hair flew like crazy because of the terrifyingly strong wind, but fortunately, her vision was not blocked because they were short.

‘I did a good job cutting hair.’

She breathed, thanking Basilios again.

The place where Mihail landed was on top of the mana stone, the power of the airship, as planned.

The horn-shaped mana stone was large enough for an adult man to stand on it. Besides, it was cut out unevenly, so there was enough space to step on.

It is a place where the influence of protective magic does not directly affect, so she has to be exposed to the wind with bare skin, but it was not dangerous enough to fall right away.

That was until the demons that were spinning above their heads fell and attacked them all at once.

[Kyaaaaaaah!]

Thud! Thud!

The floor shaked every time the demons hit the mana stone. Those who came close were mercilessly hit by the hammer, but they were still menacing.

"Damn it, they're going crazy."

Although he was scratched and injured while protecting Elizabeth from the attack of the demons while falling, Mihail stopped the demons with his whole body without hesitation.

If he would just defend like this, his body would not be left behind. He gripped the hammer.

“...how long does that 'overwrite contract' take?”

“You have to do it to know.”

"Understood."

Mihail chanted a short starter word. The protective magic he had prepared for the last time to be used in a crisis situation shone brightly and covered Elizabeth's body.

“I can’t last more than 10 minutes.”

He said that and put down Elizabeth, who was in his arms.

The strong wind seemed to blow her away at any moment, but Elizabeth quickly fell down and barely prevented herself from falling.

Mihail stepped forward and protected the front, while Elizabeth focused her consciousness on her hands on the floor.

She felt the mana wriggling inside the mana stone, but it was not easily dragged out due to the many layers of defense magic.

She cried out without delay.

"Basil!"

[Yees, yees.]

Basilios sat down gently in front of her and placed his hands on hers.

[As I said before, Elizabeth. If I touch you...]

“I will lose my vitality! I know!"

[No, really. It's not that simple....]

He grumbled and slipped his finger into Elizabeth's body. Elizabeth trembled at the heterogeneous sense of cold ice feathers tearing her insides.

Looking at her, Basilios said as if warning.

[I can temporarily change your constitution to absorb the mana of the mana stone, but it will cost you quite a bit of vitality. So it's only once. Just once.]

"Yes!"

[It'd be better to strengthen your brain while I'm at it, wouldn’t you like it? It takes a little bit of life, huh?]

"No!"

[Oh no, you're so cold-hearted. But that's okay. I don't hate kids who are determined even in a crisis situation.]

As Basilios's whole hand melted, it was placed on Elizabeth's hand.

At the same time as her fingertips got hot, she suddenly felt her senses expand. The body, much more sensitive to mana, intervened in the mana stone without hesitation. Even a complex defense magic system could not stop her.

Soon after, the enormous mana began to pour into her.

'It hurts......!'

At the same time, the mana circles began to scream. It was because of too much mana rushing in at once.

Elizabeth barely endured the pain that was about to explode.

Currently, there are only two mana circles left. It was an amount of mana that her body couldn't possibly handle.

If this is the case, the body will break. It will break down and die.

Countless warning signs echoed in her head. But Elizabeth did not take her hand away.

‘I can just pour it out before it breaks.’

When she lifted head, she saw the true names of the bat-type demons scattered all over the sky.

But seeing was not enough. The true names of the demons is not something that can be interpreted in text or language. Nor is there any reality.

Unlike humans who receive names after they are born, demons are born receiving their names from the First Darkness.

Born prescribed, they are complete from the beginning and remain the same until they die. They live forever bound by name.

Name is the significance of the existence of demons, and is like a soul in human terms.

Therefore, simply looking at their true names is not enough to rule them.

You must know the true name and understand it.

It was an area of pure talent. It was a far-reaching level that could not be overcome by mana, knowledge, and training.

But it was possible for Elizabeth.

Even after summoning countless demons for three years, her outstanding mental power and talent have kept her will. The strength in the eyes of truth was added to that, and she overcame dozens of impossible obstacles at once.

'I understand!'

Elizabeth, who had completely obtained the name of the demons, gave orders to them using the mana that poured into her body.

The effect was immediate.

[Kyaaaaaaah!]

Half of the bat-type demons screamed and departed from the ranks.

The demons descending for an attack were hit by their kinsmen who came from behind and fell randomly. The demons attacking the inside of the airship also began to falter.

[Small human, dangerous! Attack!]

The skull demon, who realized that something was wrong, shouted fiercely. Then, some of the demons that had come under Elizabeth's control broke away again and started to move according to the will of the skull.

Elizabeth was not the only one who controlled the name. The skull was also holding control.

In this case, the winner or loser was decided by who would put more mana to fix the ‘contract’.

The skull seemed quite adept at these fights. He also had enough mana. But Elizabeth did not panic.

It was expected that he would lose control of the demons again.

‘Elizabeth Lily’ has already done this kind of battle.

When dealing with demons with control abilities, first hold and shake the demons that he controls.

And when the pride of the demon who fights for dominance has been hurt, seize the true name of the opponent.

'No need to shake. I am Elizabeth Lily.’

Great wizard.

Master of the seven divine creatures.

Hero who saved the world.

It was clear what to do and how to fight.

Her whole body was in a burning pain due to the pouring mana, but a sense of exaltation led her.

Elizabeth stared at the skull demon.

She can see the name overlaid on his blurred real name. It was the name given to him by the Elder Lich Sento Balzac, and the name of the contract.

The name of the contract was much weaker than before, probably because she had already seen it once and shook it when she paused the movement of the demons.

‘If I remove that…!’

As her eyes led her, she moved mana to push the name of the contract away. Her whole body seemed to scream as she poured out mana, but her head gradually became clearer.

As the name of the contract was pushed back little by little, her heart pounded loudly in ears as the blood swirled around her body.

However, the skull noticed Elizabeth's attack at once.

[Attack! Death, determination! Attack!]

Probably because a direct attack with a true name instead of a physical attack was unexpected, the skull demon was greatly surprised and concentrated the attack on Elizabeth.

There was a strong counterattack that was incomparable to the past.

Bat demons come randomly. Unable to even afford to attack by any other means, they tried to blow her body away and drop Elizabeth under the airship.

Most of them could not even come close due to Mihail's desperate defense. But some of them fell down around Elizabeth with a popping noise.

The bat demons that threw themselves at full speed were similar to bombs and explode. Every time someone hit the floor, it was dented.

“These guys! They're very fussy!"

Mihail clenched his teeth and blocked the attack on Elizabeth. It was a defense that almost threw the body away.

The smell of blood began to mix with his panting breath.

Assistant wizards, who had only recovered a little bit of their mana belatedly, applied support magic to Mihail's body to add strength.

However, it was difficult to completely avoid the attack of ignorantly hitting demons.

Mihail, who had been struggling, staggered and lost his balance due to the drooping demon biting his arm. He staggered back and clenched his teeth and shouted.

Now, blocking with his body was the limit.

"I can't stop it… anymore!"

But Elizabeth did not move even as she heard his shout.

As she continued to attack the skull's contract name, she poured out mana to understand the true name.

Pagaak!

As soon as she thought she could understand part of his true name, a bat demon passed right in front of Elizabeth.

Even at that moment, she did not move.

Her golden eyes, sparkling like crystals of glass, were fixed on the skull and continued to dig into his 'essence'.

'What kind of kid is so focused...?'

Basilios, who was about to say something, just bit his mouth so as not to break Elizabeth's concentration.

‘A little bit more.........!'

In extreme concentration, her eyes shone even brighter.

'...okay!'

And finally, the name of the contract granted by Sento Balzac was erased.

Now that the obstacles are gone, she becomes the owner of the contract as long as she understands the 'real' name.

[No! Impossible! Unacceptable...! Small human, no contract!]

When he couldn't stop Elizabeth from overwriting the contract, the skull wailed.

[Destruct, Mana stone!]

"This.......!"

The startled Mihail ran out, but it was too late.

[Kyaaaaaah!]

The demons were shot out at the same time towards the part of the link that connected the airship and the mana stone.

The already tattered protective magic was insufficient to prevent the total attack of hundreds of demons.

With an ominously loud sound, the airship and the mana stone shook violently.

Mihail barely survived by driving a hammer into the mana stone, but not Elizabeth.

Her small body rolled over the mana stone without overcoming the first shake, and after the second shake she was bounced into the air.

[Elizabeth!]

"Child!"

Everyone with vision and reality reached out to hold her.

But instead of the outstretched hand, she grabbed the dimensional backpack she was wearing around her waist.

'Anything! A magic tool with the biggest mana stone!'

Backpack responded to her thoughts and faithfully carried out her order. The knife flew out into the air with a popping sound.

She grabbed the knife without hesitation, regardless of the risk of being stabbed. And forcibly absorbed mana that resided there.

'This is the last!'

Fluttering hem.

Sound of ripping wind.

Intense red sunlight from the setting sun.

Clouds entangled in the light.

Even in the confusion of falling and floating, she did not close her eyes until the end. She watched to the very end.

And she finally found out.

[Ah. Ah. Ah. Ah. Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh……!]

In the distance a skull screamed. It sounded like an electric shock.

At the same time as she understood the true name, the name of the contract with Elizabeth began to be overlaid.

There was no one to cheer for it. At that moment, Elizabeth was still falling.

She opened her lips as the wind pounded her small body wildly.

"Your name is... Scylla!"

Let's sign a contract with me. Please listen to my wish and comply.

Elizabeth exclaimed as she stretched out her hand.

"Come here, Scylla! Save me!"

Spoiler: Episode 24

Skull demon, no, Scylla immediately responded to her order.

The demons who were madly hitting the mana stone started to turn and fly towards Elizabeth.

They flew right next to her and flapped their wings to match her falling speed. And they received Elizabeth safely with their backs.

Elizabeth hurriedly grabbed the fur on the back of the bat-type demon and hung on.

It smelled bad and shook whenever the wings fluttered, making her dizzy. But she didn't fall and die.

'I did it...'

Only then she could barely breathe deeply.

Her eyes lit up and tears welled up, perhaps because she had been concentrating for so long without even blinking.

It was then that the skull demon, who was obviously far away, suddenly appeared next to her.

Poking his eye sockets in front of her nose, Scylla said, clattering his chin.

[Request for name of new contractor. Small human? White human?]

"Yes? Yes.........? What does that mean?"

[Can't understand? Full name, first name.]

"Ah...! Did you ask my name? I'm Elizabeth. Elizabeth Lily."

[Accept. Elizabeth Lily. Recognition of new contractor as full contractor. First command execution complete. Request for the following instructions.]

“Hey, can you tell me a little bit more clearly?”

At Elizabeth's request, Scylla's chin rattled. She seemed to be complaining.

[...Elizabeth's language skills, insignificant. However, Scylla accepts it. Acceptance of request to correct way of speaking .]

She didn't know the details, but it was clear that he was blaming her for not understanding his words.

'It's not me, it's you who's talking weirdly.....!’

Elizabeth became a little unfair, but she kept her mouth shut because it was a delicate matter.

Scylla said brazenly whether he knew or not of such consideration.

[Scylla understands and implements Elizabeth's first order, completes the rescue operation, and requires the next order to be issued.]

"You want me to give you a new order? Then, let's go up..."

She was going to say let's go back to the airship, but there was one more loud rupture above.

Elizabeth looked up in a hurry, and gasped.

The joint connecting the mana stone and the airship seemed to have been loose due to a series of collisions earlier. The lock was falling off with a crackling sound.

When the mana stone embedded in the hull at an angle could not withstand the load and shook, the bulkhead of the airship was torn in an instant.

‘If I leave it like that, it will fall!’

Elizabeth hastily ordered Scylla.

“Scylla!! Hold on to the mana stone so that the ship doesn’t fall!”

[Request, seriously? The estimated weight of the airship is 3 tons, and the weight of the mana stone cannot be confirmed. It is impossible to respond with the total number of Scylla's current dominant entities, 247 units. unreasonable command. Scylla asks for Elizabeth to leave.]

"No! We must save them!”

[Impossible. Unreasonable command. Impossible to fulfill.]

As the mana stone continued to tilt, the airship lost its floating power and began to stumble. If that continues, it would really crash in the blink of an eye.

'I can do it...!'

It's impossible, it's absurd. It was a problem that could be solved enough if the demons could move efficiently.

Elizabeth could not stand the stuffiness and grabbed the Scylla in the air with one hand. Scylla screamed in embarrassment as her little fingers grabbed his mouth and eye sockets.

[Act of violence? Act of violence? Scylla notices the impossibility…….]

“Scylla, you can do it.”

[Impossible!]

"You can do it!"

She shouted loudly and threw the skull into the air with all her might.

[Ah. Ah. Ah. Ah!]

She then ordered Scylla, who flew away with a grotesque scream.

“Scylla controls half and I’m another half!”

She connected herself with some of the demons through her dominance over the true name of Scylla. The dizziness similar to anemia came as the already little amount of mana was drained away.

'It's okay!'

Elizabeth tried to ignore dizziness and ordered the demons connected to her to rush to the mana stone.

As the demons who had increased their speed rose at once, the wind that had stopped buzzed loudly again. Feeling her body floating, she gripped the demon's fur tighter.

With the power of demons she was able to fly back to the airship in a blink of an eye. Elizabeth found Mihail holding out on the mana stone, and immediately reached out her hand.

"Mihail...!"

Mihail was startled, but immediately spread his arms out. Elizabeth jumped without hesitation. Mihail's strong arms quickly caught her tiny body.

He groaned as he watched the demons gathered in darkness and waiting to hear Elizabeth's next command.

"Eregal, my God. Child, you... Did you succeed? Did you succeed in overwriting the contract?"

[Elie! Elizabeth, are you okay?]

Basilios also came close, making a fuss. Elizabeth picked her breath and said.

"Inside, back inside the airship."

"Oh yeah. We need to get on an escape airship.”

At Mihail's words, Elizabeth shook her head.

In the end, even moving the escape airship was possible only with the power of the giant mana stone located in the front of the main airship.

If the mana stone fell off, the escape airship, which lost its output source, would also crash in mid-air. Then, everyone will die without being rewarded for finding out the true name and overwriting the contract.

“Mana stone, I can make it not fall.”

"What? How is that…”

Mihail, who was about to ask a question in embarrassment, saw Elizabeth's face looking straight at him, and immediately changed his words.

"Great. What should I do?"

Before she could think properly, her mouth gave the answer.

“Not sailing, but in emergency landing mode.”

She said, clutching the hem of Mihail's robe.

“I can make the mana stone hold until it lands.”

Mihail suppressed his desire to ask 'Is that really possible?' and asked only the necessary parts.

“How are you going to handle the mana consumption? Are you going to take it out of the mana stone and use it?"

“It’s okay if I don’t have any more mana.”

Elizabeth has already used her mana to connect herself with the demons. No more mana was needed.

The biggest advantage of summoning techniques was that contracts require a huge amount of mana, but once it’s signed and you’re connected, you can issue orders with a small amount of mana.

From now on, all she needed was mental strength, dominance, and the ability to respond through experience.

"I can."

There was a firm, clear conviction in the empowering voice. Mihail moved without saying a word.

He climbed the wall and jumped at once into the sailing room, where his men greeted him with delight.

"Leader...!"

“Mihail!”

The joy of returning alive and the joy of reunion had to be postponed until later. He quickly put Elizabeth down and said.

“Is there anyone who can operate a boat? We need to change the sailing mode!”

Unfortunately, however, all the remaining soldiers showed signs of embarrassment.

Of course, high-functioning magic tools such as airships could only be handled by professionally trained wizards or people.

"Damn it! Go check if there's a sailor who hasn't escaped yet..."

Mihail paused, rubbing his face harshly. It was because the two men entered through the crumpled door of the sailing room.

One was fighter Kalman, who had taken Elizabeth to the escape airship, and the other was the chief navigator who supported him.

“……Kalman?”

Mihail alternated between the two with a puzzled look. Kalman, who almost dragged himself inside because of the inconvenience, shouted urgently as soon as he saw Mihail.

"Leader, we're in trouble! The child, the child suddenly disappeared... Huh?”

Then he saw Elizabeth standing next to Mihail and paused with his mouth wide open.

"Oh, she disappeared all of a sudden. Why is she here..."

From the moment Basil paralyzed him, it seemed that he had lost all his memories, and had no idea what was going on.

At that time, the first mate, who came with him, muttered as if it was unfair and he was about to cry.

“Damn it, the child is doing well! What's wrong with you……. my fiancee is waiting for me in my hometown, but because of this crazy soldier…..”

Mihail, who looked at the situation dazedly for a moment, soon realized that this was great luck.

The despair that had engulfed his body just a moment ago vanished, and hope shook his head violently.

“Good job, Kalman!”

He praised his men briefly and fiercely, and then grabbed the first mate. The frozen navigator screamed.

"Ugh?! What's wrong with you? Come on! I'm a civilian! Now that you've taken him, can't I go now! I, I know that it is against the military law to injure civilians!"

Irrespective of the desperate resistance of the navigator, Mihail put him at the helm. And he said, clenching his shoulders so that he couldn't escape.

“In emergency landing mode.”

At the word of landing, the first mate took the helm by surprise. Then, when he saw the mana stone leaning out of the window with an ominous sound, he screamed.

"No, damn, damn that, why... Crazy, what is it! Why are you putting me here? To die together?"

"To live together. If you want to marry your fiancée alive, put it into landing mode right now!"

“What…”

“Emergency landing mode!”

"No, I mean, what is this..."

He tried to protest again. However, the mouth that had even spit out ‘Hey, this crazy’ was closed in an instant. Because in front of his eyes, a level 3 battle wizard drew his sword.

He’ll die this or that way, and he has no choice but to keep his mouth shut if he wants to live even a little longer.

Crazy soldiers.

The navigator held the helm tightly, wiping away tears that flowed in a row. At the same time, he said a heartbreaking goodbye to his fiancee in the heart.

'Delma, I'm sorry I couldn't go back. If I die and you get a reward, use that as a dowry and marry the right guy. Not the one who does such a dangerous thing!’

The first mate turned the helm with all his might.

The fierce sound of the mana stone being torn off disturbed the ears, but the hands of the skilled navigator moved without hesitation. The skills acquired through countless training were demonstrated even in crisis situation.

Switching gears manually, shifting the airship from high-speed sailing mode to landing mode while walking through a sharp deceleration.

Everyone was staring at his hands with nervous faces. The life of everyone who survived was in the hands of the navigator, so it was worth it.

Soon the ship began to crash down with a terrible sound.

Mihail shouted at the unexpected move.

“I told you to switch to emergency landing mode!”

“Damn it, this is emergency landing mode! It’s just the mana stone has run out of mana and the speed has increased!”

Mihail clenched his teeth at the first mate's tearful appeal.

Was it too much? The hope that had risen was fading again little by little.

However, he cannot give up like this.

The child said she could definitely do it. Overwriting the contract was crazy, but she did it in the end.

He feels guilty that he put too much burden on the small child's hand, but he should save everyone for now.

If there is even a single ray of hope, he must seize it as a captain.

He shouted as he turned to Elizabeth, who was standing right in front of the front window.

"Child, We've switched! Will we be okay with this state?!"

"...yes."

Elizabeth answered, taking a breath. Her complexion was already pale as if she was about to collapse, but her golden eyes were still shining beautifully and vividly.

"I can."

She focused her consciousness.

Hundreds of demons were holding their breath, entangled in her consciousness. It was a strange sensation, as if she had 100 arms, 100 eyes, and 100 hearts at the same time.

She had never been connected to so many demons before. And yet somehow Elizabeth thought that this strange sensation was familiar.

Why isn't she afraid?

Why is she so confident?

Why does she understand things she had no idea about, things she had never seen in the book?

'...I don't know.'

But one thing was certain.

Now, she can do anything she can think of.

Elizabeth spread her hands out to the blowing wind. And she confirmed the location of Scylla linked by the true name.

Despite the fact that he can't carry out order, he is properly positioned near the mana stone.

‘He’s a good boy.’

She smiled softly and whispered her own consciousness.

'Look, Scylla. The demons…’

Elizabeth's will moved 100 pairs of wings.

'This is how you move them!'

Spoiler: Episode 25 (End of chapter 2)

[Kyaaaaaaa!]

In response to her will, the demons roared violently. Then, all at once, they began to cling to the mana stone.

One by one, they held each other's tails and paws, tightly connecting their bodies. The way they were tangled together was like a rope.

In an instant, the demons connected as one body, using the body of their comrades as a support, plunged their bodies into the cracks in the airship's wall.

The reaction of gravity caused by the airship's sudden descent, and the supporting force made by the body of the demons combined, miraculously stopped the movement of the mana stone, which had been tilted sharply.

Soon, the speed at which the airship fell slowly began to slow down. A moment of silence passed. And then a sigh of relief erupted from here and there.

“It stopped!”

“Uhhhh! Oh God!"

A hoarse scream could be heard from behind, but Elizabeth did not break her concentration. It wasn't over until they landed safely.

She split part of her consciousness and control and gave order to Scylla.

‘Scylla, move the remaining children. Let them fly while supporting the mana stone.’

That way they will be able to prevent the mana stone from falling off until they land on the ground.

When the will was delivered, she could feel the thrill of Scylla in the distance.

[...Elizabeth, human? Elizabeth's dominance, far outpacing Scylla’s. It's impossible with human abilities. Scylla can't understand.]

‘It's possible.’

Elizabeth whispered her consciousness.

‘I'm Elizabeth Lily.’

Scylla was silent at her answer. However, he faithfully fulfilled her order. The demons he controlled began to move all at once.

As the mana stone was supported more stably, the airship's movement returned to normal.

In the front window, where only the blue sky could be seen, the shape of a dark forest, and the dark red ground slowly began to approach. Judging by the speed at which they were descending, it seemed likely that the airship would reach the ground within the next 10 minutes.

There hasn't been a single failure so far. It was an incredibly perfect success.

‘Now all I have to do is hang in there.’

But is it because she thought it would be over soon?

The pain she had been barely ignoring began to prick her consciousness.

She tried to regain consciousness, but to no avail. Her head hurt and her stomach churned. She was thrown into the sky only for a moment, but her arms and legs throbbed as if her muscles were startled.

Mana circles were also at risk. As soon as the mana came into her body, it was sent out, but it seemed like there was a lot of damage.

She wanted to collapse right away.

'To Basil... No, no.'

Elizabeth barely suppressed her heart, which was about to weaken because of the pain.

This is tolerable. She doesn't feel any pain compared to when she was dragged in front of the altar every day and summoned demons. So she could stand it.

But then, she heard another sarcastic voice inside her.

Pretending to be nice doesn't make you a real Elizabeth Lily.

Elizabeth pretended not to hear.

She just tried to look at the approaching ground. Almost there. Almost, it was soon.

‘A little bit…’

She kept encouraging herself, but there was a limit to her willpower.

She thought she was holding her consciousness firmly, but her body staggered.

[Elizabeth!]

[What is it that you maintain a connection with the demons even in this situation……..]

A voice filled with astonishment reached Elizabeth's ears.

[Elizabeth, can you hear my voice? Now it's done. It's ok, just drop the mana stone! If you've come this far, even if it falls, they'll be able to survive, except for a few unlucky ones!]

She couldn't finish it unless she saved them all. Elizabeth tried to shake her head to mean she could hold out, but her headache was so bad that she stopped.

[Ah really......! Why the hell are all talented kids so stubborn? I can't live!]

Basilios shoved his hand into her body. Elizabeth bit her lips as she shivered and trembled.

She was going to say no, but the demon king replied with a furious look on his face how he understood it.

[I'm just getting rid of the pain!]

In fact, as his hand entered her body, the pain quickly dissipated. Even with just this, it seemed like it would be better to live. A new sigh of relief escaped her lips.

"Thank you, Basil..."

[Can you afford to say thank you? It's the first time I can't understand a child like you... even after seeing it with my own eyes. How is this possible at your age and with so little experience?]

She had nothing to answer. Because even Elizabeth didn't understand how this was possible.

'Really, how did I do that?'

Even now, she is holding on to demons with consciousness, but she could not explain how she was maintaining it.

Is it okay to use all her power like this? She became anxious later, but it was already too late.

‘......oh, come to think of it, Asheroth wouldn't like it if he knew.’

Even as she was barely holding on to her shaky consciousness, a thought suddenly occurred.

Taking other people's demons without permission would have been one of the violations of the Great Convention.

In addition to the crime of summoning low-level demons, the crime of stealing the contract of a high-level demon was added.

'Mihail... okay?'

Elizabeth insisted, but she was worried he would be harmed because he helped overwrite the contract of the high-level demon.

It's good the pain has eased, but it keeped distracting thoughts from entering her consciousness. In addition, her eyes gradually closed.

‘Consciousness... I have to keep focusing.’

No matter how hard she struggled, her consciousness kept trying to subdue. She moaned and rested her head on Basilios's hand. And she struggled to open her mouth.

"Basil..."

[Don't say it... No, no. It's all right. Say it. You need to talk to maintain your consciousness. What do you want to talk about? I'll listen to everything.]

"Really...? Then promise me.”

[Promise? What promise? Not retaliating against the humans on this airship if you go wrong? I'll listen to that as much as you want.…..]

Was he going to do something like that? The demon king is really scary.

Elizabeth murmured 'that's a promise...' and continued.

"You know... Can you keep it a secret from Asheroth that I signed a contract with Scylla?"

[What...?]

Apparently, he didn't know she would make such a request. Elizabeth stammered, reached out, clasped Basilios's hand with dazed face, and whispered.

“Basil too….. doesn’t want to be scolded either, so promise….."

Gradually, her body became heavier and her consciousness sank. Elizabeth couldn't bear it any longer and closed her eyes.

She heard a thud from beyond the darkness seeping through her eyelids.

The floor trembled behind them, followed by something like short cheers.

Did the airship land safely on the ground?

She doesn't know.

She wanted to check, but she was so tired. She couldn't even move her eyelids.

The strange thing was that even though she closed her eyes, the darkness did not spread. It should have been dark, but strangely, the surroundings sparkled and shone.

There were more than a hundred small twinkles and blue twinkle burning like a big torch.

‘This... Is it Scylla and demons?’

In the midst of the daze, Elizabeth unconsciously focused on the twinkling light. The lights of the demons bounced back and forth, but Scylla was different. It was connected to her by something like a line of light.

'That's the proof of the real name contract with Scylla.'

It's definitely her first time signing a real name contract, but she could tell what it meant just by looking at the line.

'It's really weird. How do I know this?'

Elizabeth, looking at the light connected to Scylla in doubt, found another trace floating around her.

Unlike the bright line of light connected to her, there was one more dark red line connected to Scylla, which was almost blurred and only a trace left.

'The contract with the previous owner hasn't expired yet.'

It doesn't matter much because it disappears by itself over time, but if she leaves it, Scylla will be confused. Fortunately, the connection of the contract could be erased only with consciousness without mana.

Elizabeth focused her attention on the blurred lines. Even though she erased the traces of the contract as if it were natural, she was also curious at the same time.

'Strange.'

'She' should definitely not know this...

Was it because of the confusion of consciousness? As she touched a string that was so blurry that it seemed to disappear at any moment, she suddenly felt her body float up.

'What?'

Even in the darkness, she could see this was not a very good phenomenon.

The other contractor, who felt the contract was broken, noticed this approach. So to force consciousness…..

Before she could even think about it, eyes popped and brightened.

The first thing she saw was a skull head with a blue flame on it. Behind it, a bony hand was seen supporting the skull's head. A hand full of jewelry rings and ornaments.

Everything was in memory.

She saw him a little while ago when she was running away.

'Sento Balzac!'

The Elder Lich, Scylla's former contractor, noticed her existence and brought her into his consciousness.

[Are youuuuuu the ggggirl Aaaaasherothhhh was wittth?]

The skull head that rested on Sento Balzac's hand rattled. He felt confused.

[Hooooow? How dddare a liiiivinnng peeeerson overrrturn my contraaaaact?]

The eyes of the skull glistened.

[Wiiiiiiizardddd withhhhh the eeeeeyes of truuuuuuth!]

Caught!

Elizabeth hurriedly tried to erase the traces of the contract so that her consciousness would not be dragged away. But Sento Balzac's actions were faster.

[Sooooo, that's whhhhhy! Ssssso Aaaasheroth is hereeee!]

A powerful wizard's consciousness dug in Elizabeth’s.

"Ugh!"

Elizabeth's consciousness was greatly shaken by the approach of mana that had a stench peculiar to a necromancer.

[Nooooo needddd to deeeeeeal withhhhh Aaaaasherothhhhh if Iiiii can gggget the wiiiiiizard withhhhh eeeeeyes of ttttttruth.]

‘No! Don't touch my consciousness!’

The skull wizard giggled as she resisted encouragingly. It was an absurd laugh. She was choked with anger.

‘How dare you! How dare a corpse and a man who handles them laugh at me?'

And the next moment she panicked. How dare you. Someone who handles corpses. Did she think like that?

'What? Am I... angry now?'

It was an incomprehensible situation. She should be scared, but why?

At the same time, she thought it was normal. Because she is Elizabeth Lily.

Great wizard.

Master of the divine creatures.

'No. That's Elizabeth in the book...'

[Whattttt? Thissssss is noooooot the minnnnnd of a yyyyyounnnnnnng chilllllld..........]

It wasn't just Elizabeth who was confused. Sento Balzac, who dug into her consciousness, also seemed to feel something wrong. His consciousness faltered away.

[Youuuuuuuuuu…... Nooooooooo wayyyy……]

The moment the wizard noticed something and was about to say it.

"How dare you look away from me. It seems like you want to go to hell, skull."

A voice colder than ice was heard.

At the same time, lightning struck down with the sound of thunder that pierced the sky.

[Aaaaaah!]

The black curtain surrounding Sento Balzac was torn off, and some shields covering him were also broken.

The wizard put the cane in front of him with the opposite hand without raising the skull head and shouted like a scream.

[Aaaasherothhhh! Howwww caaaan yooooou be in mmmy emptyyyyy diimensionnnnnn!]

Krrrrung!

Instead of answering, lightning struck again. It was not a thunderbolt, but a pillar of light. It was such a terrifying blow that the entire empty dimension was torn apart.

The remaining shields and curtains were all burned, and the wizard's consciousness was also greatly shaken. Elizabeth's consciousness, which had been drawn to him, was also entangled in it and thrown out.

Everything around her started spinning. It was as if she had been thrown into a long passage where light and darkness were randomly mixed.

'Someone, someone please stop this... Please!'

Elizabeth, who was swaying frantically, was able to stop because something snatched her.

'What? Who is it?'

Because she was surrounded by darkness again, she could not tell who was holding her.

What was certain was that it was as cold and eerie as Sento Balzac.

'This.......'

No, not yet. It's not time to get to know each other yet, Elizabeth.

It was a familiar voice. It was the voice that had spoken to her all along, her own voice, whispering to Elizabeth.

But, was this really her voice?

'This voice, it is not me, it's actually something inside me...'

Not yet. You don't need to know now, so leave it at that, Elizabeth.

What does it mean? What is he saying? Elizabeth tried to listen to what the voice was saying, but her consciousness became increasingly hazy. A voice whispered from beyond the fading consciousness.

Nothing to worry too much about though. Now, there is only one ‘opportunity left’.

It was a gloomy whisper, as if somehow happy.

'......opportunity?'

She asked unconsciously. But the voice no longer answered her question.

Instead, the book that had been forcibly opened began to roll over at will with a rustling sound.

Consciousness faded.

Book closed.

And soon, complete darkness came.