Chapter 9
Let’s be strangers now
Episode 9
“Honestly, I expected it the moment that magic circle appeared around you, miss.”
The fact that my inn was going to collapse, I mean….
Jonathan muttered with a face that looked like it was laughing and crying at the same time, rubbing the corners of his eyes with his fingertips.
“I’ve run this inn my whole life and never seen magic just pop out of thin air like that, nor have I seen that many people get swept away at once.”
“…….”
“It’s my fault for selling such an incredible artifact so carelessly, of course it is….”
Jonathan finished his sentence with another faint, lingering smile.
Elisha stared at him blankly until then, only then turning her gaze to scan her surroundings.
Tableware that was more than just broken—it was pulverized without a trace; smashed furniture; and raindrops pouring in through a collapsed wall.
To sum it up in one word….
‘It’s a mess.’
And she had thought she was being careful to control it.
It was at the moment Elisha tilted her head in thought.
“This was my life and my livelihood.”
Jonathan spoke slowly, staring at the gaping hole in the wall.
“I built this inn with the inheritance my father left me as soon as I turned twenty. The weather was exactly like this back then, too.”
“…….”
“Whether it rained or snowed, I worked hard and vowed to become the best innkeeper in this Empire….”
“Just say you’re angry at me.”
To think he would wrap his feelings in such roundabout words. She thought Dante Renaud was the only person like that.
Finishing her sentence, Elisha let out a small sigh.
No matter how unavoidable it was while defeating the enemies who had stormed the inn, the responsibility clearly lay with her. It was also true that she had gone a bit further because she was in a bad mood.
Thus, Elisha had no intention of just letting this situation slide.
Just as Bernhardt had taught her.
“Step back.”
Having made up her mind, Elisha ushered Jonathan behind her and took a long breath.
It was a relief that, thanks to the pouring rain, there were no passersby.
One wrong move and a civilian could have been caught up in it.
The explosion that occurred when the inn collapsed must have sounded like thunder to others.
It was for the best. Even if Erich wasn’t looking for her, there was no benefit in standing out to others.
“Wait a moment.”
Soon, a gust of mana billowed beneath Elisha’s feet, and a bright light began to envelop the broken remains.
The snapped legs of chairs reattached themselves, and shattered glass fragments returned to being whole plates. The collapsed wall also returned to its original state as if nothing had ever happened.
Jonathan watched the entire scene dazed, his mouth agape.
“This is….”
Finally, Jonathan spoke as he looked around the perfectly restored inn.
“I’ve never seen magic like this before.”
“…….”
“No, I’ve never even heard of such magic existing.”
Usually, magic utilized the natural elements. In fact, it wasn’t just ‘usually’—almost all magic worked that way.
“I’m not a magician, so I don’t know much, but even so, this is….”
Jonathan looked at Elisha with eyes full of disbelief.
Elisha gave a quiet shrug.
“I invented this myself.”
“You did?”
“No.”
If someone ordered her to develop magic, she could do it, but Elisha was closer to an experimenter than a creator.
The one who was the creator was….
“Anyway, the debt is fully paid.”
But there was no reason to tell Jonathan about that.
It was just as Elisha was about to turn and walk away.
“H-hey, miss!”
Jonathan hurriedly called out to stop her. Elisha turned her head slightly to look at him.
Jonathan had an awkward smile on his face as he spoke hesitantly.
“You say the debt is paid… surely you aren’t planning to leave right now… are you?”
“…….”
“I mean, well. You don’t have any money right now, so if you go somewhere else, you’ll have to give up something you own again, and then things like today will just keep happening.”
“…….”
“Even if you try to buy a house, you don’t have the money for it, so the cycle will repeat. You might end up wandering for the rest of your life, unable to do anything….”
Ah, did I go too far just now?
Jonathan, who had been rambling on, hurriedly shut his mouth.
“So?”
Elisha asked with a gaze that held not even a flicker of emotion.
Jonathan blinked a couple of times before answering resolutely.
“How about you keep staying here?”
With this kind of ability, she would actually be welcomed anywhere.
Magicians were rare to begin with, and this woman could even use magic that had never been seen before.
There had been a bit of a commotion earlier, but it was resolved somehow, so it was no longer a concern.
‘Even the fact that she’s a criminal….’
If she’s this capable, it’s worth hiding her.
Jonathan nodded to himself secretly.
Besides, after looking through the wanted posters all night last time, he hadn’t found any wanted person who looked like her.
He’d had a nagging feeling that she didn’t seem like a criminal anyway, so there was a chance she might not be one.
The price of an artifact expensive enough to run an inn for months without working, her simple attitude—so different from the low-lives who caused trouble at a bargain—and her fraudulent magical abilities.
And somehow, there was a strange feeling about her that he just couldn’t ignore….
‘I have to keep her.’
Having made his decision, Jonathan spoke immediately.
“I won’t take a single coin while you stay. Instead, if there are people who make a mess of the inn, just take care of them….”
“…….”
“A-and honestly, you’ll find it hard to find a place with food as delicious as my inn. There aren’t many people, but it’s still a famous spot, I tell you! You’ve eaten here, so you kn-know, don’t you!”
Interpreting Elisha’s silence as a negative sign, Jonathan added words hastily.
Elisha stared at Jonathan in silence until then, before letting a faint smile play on her lips.
Jonathan momentarily stopped breathing and stared blankly at her.
She smiled? That woman?
“Jonathan.”
Elisha spoke softly. Her eyes were still slightly curved.
“You want me to stay.”
Elisha murmured quietly, her voice sounding somewhat pleased.
Only then did Jonathan snap out of it and let out a dry cough.
“Well, I’ve grown a bit attached, and besides, you haven’t stayed here long enough to match the value of that artifact….”
“…….”
“Anyway, what I’m saying is you can stay as long as you want. No, a little longer than you want….”
This time, it was before Jonathan could finish his sentence.
“I understand.”
Elisha said with a small nod. There was an unidentifiable emotion lingering in those blue eyes.
“I wasn’t planning on leaving right away. I was just going up to rest.”
She hadn’t been able to sleep properly because of the rain that fell all night.
Soon, Elisha turned her head again and began to walk. This time, Jonathan did not stop her.
With every step Elisha took, the creak-creak of the wooden stairs echoed rhythmically.
Elisha let the sound drift by as she continued her thoughts alone.
‘I’ve never seen magic like this before.’
Jonathan’s eyes had shone like someone discovering fire for the first time.
‘I’m going to become a great person so that I won’t need you anymore!’
The next thing that came to mind was the determined gaze of a boy shouting boldly.
Elisha once again wore a faint smile.
‘So that I won’t need you.’
Just as she had kept her promise, Erich had also achieved his goal.
Because the one who had taught her that magic was none other than Erich.
* * *
‘This is cheating!’
A boy, who had grown a head taller than Elisha before she knew it, screamed at the top of his lungs.
Elisha glanced at Erich, then turned her gaze away as if nothing had happened.
‘The Prince hasn’t changed at all, even though he’s grown taller.’
‘What?’
‘The habit of screaming first.’
The Emperor would be sad if he saw you.
She spoke without even looking at Erich. In her hand, she held a staff that far exceeded her own height.
At the same time, Erich’s blue eyes turned toward the staff Elisha was holding.
On his way here, everyone he passed was talking about the same thing.
It was about the staff Elisha had been granted.
A one-of-a-kind staff that Emperor Bernhardt had personally commissioned for Elisha.
Erich couldn’t stand it.
‘He’s my father.’
Erich said, stepping in front of Elisha.
Only then did Elisha look up and stare blankly at Erich.
Erich spoke again with emphasis.
‘I said, he’s my father.’
Erich’s and Elisha’s different shades of blue eyes clashed in the air.
Elisha met his gaze in silence, then spoke with a small smile.
‘This is for you, Prince.’
Her voice and tone sounded as if she understood exactly why Erich was acting this way.
The young girl continued with a faint smile.
‘Even if security is better now than it was back then, there’s no guarantee the same thing won’t happen twice.’
‘…….’
‘That’s why His Majesty gave me this—to protect you.’
So, this might as well be yours.
Finishing her words, Elisha held out the staff she was holding toward Erich.
Erich stared at the staff offered to him, then rolled his eyes to look down at the girl sitting before him.
As long as Elisha didn’t want Bernhardt’s favor for herself, as long as she didn’t threaten his position.
She was not his rival.
Thinking that way, he somehow felt as if he had made a huge mistake.
Like he had just gotten angry at someone who had never even wanted anything in the first place….
‘Are you here just to protect me?’
Soon, a blunt question popped out of Erich’s mouth. They were words even Erich himself hadn’t expected.
Elisha blinked her eyes blankly, then gave a small nod.
‘As long as I stay here.’
‘…….’
‘That is my job.’
It was a perfectly definitive tone, as if there were no other reason for her existence.
Erich felt a lump in his throat.
There was no way his father had brought Elisha here for that reason alone.
Because he hadn’t even realized she could use magic until ‘that day.’
But Elisha was acting as if that was the only reason she was here.
Erich hated that so much.
Even more than when he had overheard people talking about the staff earlier.
‘You aren’t someone who has to protect me.’
With eyes full of resolve, Erich spoke.
He couldn’t stand seeing a girl smaller than him holding a staff much larger than herself and taking on such a burden.
He wanted to tell her she didn’t have to carry such a duty.
Unlike him, who held the position of Crown Prince, she had no constraints.
So, he wanted to say that, but.
‘I’m going to become a great person so that I won’t need you anymore!’
Why were the words coming out of his mouth so pathetic?
Erich was suddenly seized by the urge to bite his tongue.
