Ch. 43
The Blessed Land of Mana.
A place where the land itself brimmed with magic, earning the love of mages and producing some of the sharpest minds in the world.
A land of scholars and magicians—the capital of Vailan, Valen.
There were three things Valen was famous for.
First, the Tower of Mages, where the greatest magicians gathered.
Second, Signati, an impenetrable fortress wall, reinforced by the collective barrier magic of the tower’s magicians.
And third, a massive public library, rumored to rival even the royal archives of most kingdoms.
What made the public library truly remarkable was its open-door policy—regardless of status, whether commoner, noble, or peasant, the pursuit of knowledge was free for all.
It was a symbol of the nation.
But today, at the very entrance of this great library, there was one unfortunate girl being denied entry.
That girl was me.
“I want to go in!”
I stomped my foot in protest, but the librarian looked down at me with an icy stare.
A strong opponent—my cute attack was ineffective!
With a cold expression, she lifted her glasses with her index finger and said:
“You are not allowed.”
“Why?! The library is supposed to be open to everyone!”
Since I might not get another chance, I had rushed here at dawn, only to be stopped immediately at the entrance.
The librarian studied my face for a moment, then pulled out a scroll from her sleeve.
Behind her, Rai—being his usual nosy self—peeked over her shoulder and read the contents to me.
[Blacklisted Individuals for August]
– Name: Geenie (10 years old, female)
– Entered the city on the 22nd under the guarantee of Shavel Mercenary Captain
– Student of Dmitri’s Royal Academy, Drike Academy
– Blonde hair, blue eyes, typical noble appearance
– Notable feature: Carries a white snake in her coat
[Wait, they have lists for this?]
– July 22: “White Snake Incident” at a city inn. Property damage and caused a mercenary brawl.
– July 23: “Central Fountain Explosion”—spontaneous destruction of city landmark. No injuries, but repairs are ongoing. Witnesses reported a blonde girl using magic.
– July 25: “Signati Contact Incident”—someone cast an attack spell on Signati, causing an emergency lockdown. Witnesses again saw a blonde girl.
Wow. The scholar nation really had efficient record-keeping.
– Same day: “White Snake Incident Part 2″—Geenie’s pet white snake trespassed in Ringsen Trading Company, causing chaos. Attempted to kill it but was too durable.
– July 28: “Second White Snake Incident”—another fight broke out at the inn, causing secondary damages. Settled privately, but Geenie was involved.
– July 30: “Orc Chase Incident”—Geenie illegally left the city to greet the incoming Drike delegation, got chased by four orcs, and barely made it back. Initially six orcs, but Geenie killed two.
(T/N: WTH Geenie. I feel bad for Shavel.)
[Is it over yet, Rai?]
[Last one! “Orc Chase Incident”—considered reckless behavior, city patrol advises caution when dealing with her. Additional incidents exist but were not discovered.]
Hearing Rai’s voice narrating my crimes like a flashback montage, I kept my mouth shut.
Tsk. The fountain thing was just an experiment—I thought increasing the water pressure would make it shoot higher, but how was I supposed to know it would explode?
And the Signati wall thing—I was just practicing spirit magic against the wall when knights overreacted and rushed at me like I had declared war.
As for Ringsen Trading—Rai went there on his own because he thought they had rare gemstones. He didn’t even eat anything, so why did they act like he was a criminal?
Fine, maybe I caused a little bit of trouble.
But the orcs?
Nobody warned me that there were orc packs near the city!
And I took down two of them!
“Your name is Geenie, from Drike Academy, correct?”
I was still internally defending myself when the librarian called my name.
I considered pretending I was someone else, but denying my own identity felt wrong.
“Umm… maybe?”
“As expected. You are not allowed entry.”
“Nooo! Sniff! I just want to learn! You’re being so mean!”
[Undine, more tears!]
[Yes, Master!]
I secretly summoned Undine, who executed my newest technique—”Tear Sprinkling.”
A brilliant invention, and highly effective in emotional manipulation.
“Ah… ahh… that’s… I mean…”
“I just… sob want to read books… sniff!”
As tears dripped down my cheeks, the librarian panicked.
“Haaah… this really isn’t allowed…”
“Sniff sniff.”
“…Fine. Just stop crying and follow me. Wipe your tears.”
[Good job, Undine. You can go now.]
[Yes, Master!]
I grabbed the librarian’s hand, pretending to be heartbroken as I weakly followed her inside.
Internally?
I was having the time of my life.
By now, the inn felt like home.
As I entered, I saw my companions finishing their meal.
Anel spotted me and smiled warmly.
“How was the library, Geenie?”
“It was great! So many books! I even found some I’d never seen before! But I didn’t find what I was looking for…”
I clung to Anel’s knee, happily chatting away, but…
Her expression looked oddly serious.
“Anel? What’s wrong? Did something happen? Who’s being difficult? Want me to handle them?”
“It’s… not that.”
She looked guilty as she gently stroked my hair.
“I’m sorry, Geenie… but we have to leave.”
“…Leave?”
“What do you mean?”
The one who answered wasn’t Anel.
It was Shavel, wearing his usual unbothered expression.
“We’re heading back to Sharan. Got a new job.”
I froze.
They were leaving?
“Then… what about me?”
“Your group should be arriving today or tomorrow. Just wait quietly here. I already told the innkeeper to make sure you’re fed…”
“I don’t wanna! You’re abandoning me!”
“Abandoning you?! Don’t make it sound like that!”
“You’re so coldhearted! No wonder you’re still single!”
“…W-What does that have to do with anything?! The decision is already made! We have to leave today! We need to make a living!”
“We’ve already stayed three extra days because of you! Be grateful to Anel for that!”
I stared in shock at the unexpected news of the Shavel Mercenary Corps’ departure.
I had assumed they would stay until the Drike group arrived.
I knew I should be thankful they stayed with me this long, but… why did it hurt so much?
Why did I feel like crying?
Shavel turned away, ignoring my sniffles, and headed upstairs without a second glance.
The other mercenaries did the same—the moment I looked at them, they ran away.
“Waaah!”
“Geenie…”
So I was the only one who got attached, huh?
That’s it, right?
They all just found me annoying.
Anel called my name gently, but instead of responding, I just let the tears fall.
Was I crying because Shavel was so cold?
Or because Anel was genuinely sad?
Or maybe because the mercenaries looked just as miserable as I did?
“Geenie, don’t think too harshly of the captain. He really did a lot for you,” Anel said, stroking my back. “He might not show it, but… he was glad you were with us. He’s the one who suggested we stay longer before the next mission.”
“…I’m going to miss you.”
“Me too. I’m sorry, Geenie. I really wish we could stay longer… please understand.”
“Hic… sniff…”
This time, it wasn’t Undine.
They were real tears.
I had spent so much time causing trouble and doing whatever I wanted that I hadn’t properly thanked them.
And now, the farewell came too suddenly.
As Anel pulled me into a tight hug, I couldn’t hold back anymore—I started crying loudly.
A mix of emotions—gratitude, guilt, sadness, and longing—all welled up at once.
Even though I had my past memories, my body and mind were still that of a ten-year-old girl.
And when things really hurt, I became just that—a child.
Just like when I was overwhelmingly happy.
“Anel! If we say goodbye now, when will we see each other again?”
“Fate will guide us, Geenie. If we’re meant to meet again… we will.”
If I were a noble, it might be different.
But Anel was a wandering mercenary from the jungle—there was no way to send letters.
The realization made me even more heartbroken.
“Oi! What’s with all the crying?”
“Who made the kid cry?”
As I sobbed loudly, mercenaries gathered around, looking concerned.
They had tormented me endlessly, yet now they worried about me.
It was strangely touching.
…And I guess I’d miss having test subjects for my experiments.
Actually, no. Scratch that.
At the city gates, I bit my lip, trying to hold back tears as I watched them off.
This damn child body!
Why did it always want to cry at the worst times?
—
“Anel, you have to write me! Okay? Send it to Drike Academy!”
“I will, Geenie. Enjoy the festival and stay out of trouble! I’ll be cheering for you from afar!”
“Okay!”
The gate guard gripped the back of my collar, probably worried I’d run out after them.
Come on, did he really think I’d drag orcs back to the city again?
…Okay, fine. Maybe he had a point.
“Everyone, stay safe! Live a long time!”
“You too, kid!”
“Take care!”
“You better live long! Otherwise, how will we ever see you again?!”
In this world, wishing someone a long life was the deepest farewell you could give.
I waved furiously until I couldn’t see them anymore.
I held onto my gratitude and hope for another meeting, but…
Farewells were still hard.
And the moment they were gone, I cried my hardest yet.
As the mercenaries rode over a small hill, finally leaving Valen behind, Anel couldn’t hold back anymore—her tears spilled over.
“Sniff…”
“Oi, Anel! Don’t worry so much! That brat will be fine.”
“Yeah! She’d probably survive even if you threw her into the Dark Empire of Koiren.”
“I know,” Anel said, wiping her eyes. “But Geenie is just a ten-year-old girl. Can’t you imagine how scared she must feel? Didn’t you see how much she cried? How could we just leave her like that…?”
The mercenaries fell silent.
Because aside from Anel, every single one of them had, at some point, felt like Geenie was the one who threatened their lives.
“Hey, look over there!”
Shavel suddenly stopped his horse, pointing to the distance.
A large group was approaching from the opposite direction.
At the front, a familiar flag was waving in the wind.
A red banner, with a golden lion and an eagle intertwined in flight.
It was Drike Academy’s emblem.
Modeled after the royal crest, it was impossible not to recognize.
“…She’ll be okay,” Anel sighed in relief, smiling through her tears.
“That kid has absurd luck,” Shavel muttered.
Kenta chuckled.
“Not just luck. Remember the ogre attack? I was shocked she survived that. The kid has, like, nine lives.”
“With that kind of bravery, she might grow up to be something big one day.”
“Yeah, yeah. She’s not normal.”
Though they all felt a little sad, they weren’t too worried.
Only Anel kept glancing back.
“She’ll be okay, right…? I really… really want to see Geenie again someday.”
Anel spoke wistfully, but no one else shared her sentiment.
Because unlike her, the rest of the Shavel Mercenary Corps were praying to never cross paths with Geenie again.
