Chapter 40: The Demon’s Disciple (2)

“Aha, Lady Avelin! I’ve heard so much about you.”

“You’ve heard… about me?”

Unlike the cold and chilling aura that surrounded Avelin, Liana greeted her with a warm smile.

She even reached out first for a handshake.

Avelin hesitated for a moment, slightly taken aback by the casual gesture, but eventually accepted Liana’s hand.

And at that very moment—

“But you know…”

Squeeze…

A bluish light began to ripple across Liana’s hand as she held Avelin’s tightly.

It was mana.

And not just any mana—this was concentrated enough to be visible to the naked eye.

“Ugh… uh…!”

“Why are you looking at me with such hostile eyes? Speaking in that cold tone? I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong. In fact…”

Liana looked straight into Avelin’s eyes—her gaze brimming with confidence, with the absolute certainty that she held the upper hand.

“I’m the one who stopped Master from unleashing his fury. If Master, the Archmage, had truly decided to get angry at you two, do you really think you’d have gotten off so easily?”

That expression. That voice.

And her tone—firm and commanding, yet not disrespectful.

Ah, that’s right.

Liana…

‘She’s just like him. Commander Balthazar… that man…!’

There was no denying it.

Liana was, without a doubt, the daughter of Commander Balthazar.

And she had become a mage strong enough not to be ignored.

“Tch…!”

In truth, shaking off Liana’s hand wouldn’t have been a big deal for Avelin.

If Liana was using magic to boost her strength, Avelin could just as easily enhance her body with mana.

Plus, she had trained her muscles well. If it came to a contest of force, she wouldn’t lose easily.

But Liana was someone they had to recruit.

Getting into a clash with her would only make things worse, so Avelin held back as best she could.

In the end, it seemed like I had no choice but to step in—since I knew them both.

“Liana, that’s enough.”

“Okay, Oppa. Oww… ow ow ow…!”

Liana finally released Avelin’s hand and shook out her own, which had been gripping so tightly.

“That hurt more than I expected! And I even protected my hand with magic. Seriously, a well-trained warrior really is something else! I’m honestly impressed.”

She looked at Avelin with sparkling eyes as she said this.

Avelin, still massaging her aching hand, seemed unsure how to respond to Liana’s sudden admiration—her pupils wavered slightly.

“Impressed…?”

“I know why you’re here. You’ve come to take me with you, right?”

“You’re well-informed. How did you figure that out, Liana?”

“You said it yourself, Oppa. You came to ask for help. When I think about what kind of magic the Order would need, there are only three possibilities. First, convenience magic.”

Liana made a fist, then extended one finger to count.

“But we already provided enough magical facilities to help the Order live comfortably. So it’s not that. Then the second option? Advanced healing magic that can even cure life-threatening injuries. But the Rostia Magic Tower isn’t exactly known for healing magic. Which leaves only one thing.”

As she extended her second finger, Liana spoke calmly. And when she raised her third, she did so with force, clearly emphasizing her point.

“Powerful combat magic—the kind that can eliminate threats before they even hurt the Order. That’s what you came to request from the Rostia Magic Tower, isn’t it?”

“Well, I guess there’s no point explaining it now.”

I clapped lightly in her direction, acknowledging her sharp insight.

“You’re absolutely right. We’re here to request a powerful battle mage. And that person is none other than…”

“Me, right? The powerful combat mage!”

“Exactly. The holy star of the Rostia Magic Tower, and the daughter of the Order’s Commander. You, Liana.”

“Hehehe…”

Delighted by the unrestrained praise, Liana started humming and swaying her head happily.

Then she naturally walked over and stood beside me, lowering her head slightly.

“Liana, what are you doing?”

“Huh? Ah…!”

Startled by my question, Liana quickly straightened up and took a step away from me.

“Sorry. My old habits kicked in before I realized…”

“Old habits? Ah…”

Thanks to what Liana said, it all came back to me.

“If you want, I could still do it for you. Even now.”

“R-Really?”

“Sure. It’s no big deal. Come here.”

“Hehehe…!”

At my gesture, Liana immediately clung to my side.

And what I did for her… was gently stroke her hair, slowly and affectionately.

“Mmm~ I love it when Kayron Oppa pats my head. It’s been so long.”

“You’ve grown a lot taller since back then, but the way you cling like a child hasn’t changed one bit, huh?”

“Don’t tease me. You have no idea how cold and barren life in the Magic Tower is.”

Liana didn’t stop at just receiving the head pats—she actively leaned into my hand, rubbing her head against it.

“That place… just by breathing, the ceiling keeps rising, and the floor below keeps closing in. If you sit still, even the most brilliant mages get left behind. It’s a terrifying place.”

“And yet, you’ve endured it all this time. Even your prideful Archmage master can’t push you around now. You’ve done incredibly well.”

“Yeah… praise me more.”

“You’ve done great. Honestly, you’ve done too well—it’s impressive.”

“Hehe… that makes me so happy…”

The proud, confident expression that Liana wore just moments ago had completely vanished. Now, she was just a pampered little girl, basking in affection.

“…You two are really close.”

Avelin spoke with a tone that sounded faintly sour, but Liana replied brightly.

“Yes! Kayron Oppa and I are very close!”

“We’ve always gotten along well. I grew up an only child, so I never knew what having a sibling felt like—but Liana followed me around like one. She helped me adjust to life in the Order a lot.”

“…I see. You really do seem close.”

Was it just my imagination, or did Avelin just clench her fist a little?

“So, what will you do? I think we’ve made our reason for coming pretty clear. Do you have any intention of helping us?”

“Of course I do. Didn’t you hear why I came here in the first place?”

“No, I didn’t. All I heard was that it was your own decision.”

“I came here to be helpful. To support the Order where my father and so many others are risking their lives to fight. And also…”

As she said this, Liana took both of her hands and gently wrapped them around one of mine.

“You’re part of the Order too, Kayron Oppa, right?”

“You came to the Magic Tower on your own, just to help the Order? How could you be this admirable?”

“Admirable? Hehe~ Then pat my head more!”

“Yeah, yeah…”

I instinctively reached out to pat her head again—but then my hand froze midair.

Noticing the pause, Liana looked up at me with a pouty face.

“Why’d you stop?”

“If you give me a clear answer, I’ll give you all the pats you want. Will you come with us?”

“Ugh, making me say it twice… I already told you, of course I want to go.”

“You want to go…?”

“Of course.”

But there was something more in Liana’s voice.

“I want to go, but I have a condition for joining the Order.”

“Knew it. Talking about terms and conditions—look at you, all grown up, a real mage now.”

“Don’t look so disappointed already. It’s really not a difficult condition.”

“‘Not difficult,’ huh…”

For a brief moment, I felt stupid for letting myself get hopeful.

Liana claimed it wasn’t a hard condition, but… in my past life, she never did join us.

And the last time I saw her in that life…

****

“Go back.”

“Liana, I’m begging you. Without the help of mages, the Order is—”

“If you’re so weak that you can’t resist anymore, maybe it’s better if you just fall. At least then your body and heart won’t suffer as much.”

“Liana, what the hell are you saying!”

“…This is a waste of time. Go back.”

Liana turned away coldly, tossing her words over her shoulder.

“…So boring.”

****

If there was one glimmer of hope now, it was that today’s Liana didn’t yet carry the same coldness that had haunted her at the end of my previous life.

But even so, I couldn’t forget the truth—this Liana was no longer just a sweet, adorable girl.

“Tell me, Liana. As the rising star of the Rostia Magic Tower, what exactly do you want from us?”

“I want some persuasion.”

“Persuasion? Of who?”

“Who else?”

Liana grinned and pointed her finger in a particular direction.

That direction was…

“Hehe~ My Master! Who else would I need permission from if not him?”

I swallowed the urge to explode on the spot.

How is that not a difficult condition?!

The person we needed to persuade to let Liana go to the Order—

Was none other than Ronos, the demon…

The Order’s greatest enemy.

And not just any demon—one of the most vicious and cruel of them all.

And I had to persuade him, not kill him?

‘Damn it… This is insane…’

-- The End OF The Chapter --

 

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