Chapter 16: Wizard(4)

“…I’ll do the dishes, Envel.”

During breakfast, a haggard-looking Lucy spoke cautiously.
Envel, who had been admiring the taste of the omelet she had made, waved her hand dismissively at the sudden declaration.

“No, I can’t ask a guest to do that. By the way, Lucy, why the sudden formality?”
“…A change of heart.”

Lucy said, barely managing to lift her spoon to her mouth.
Her hands trembled as she felt an indescribable fear towards Avalli, who was sitting next to her.

“Anyway, Envel, you’re an adult.”
“Gasp!”

Envel clutched her chest dramatically, as if shocked by the word ‘adult’.
Avalli stifled a giggle at her exaggerated reaction.

“…I appreciate the offer, but… Avalli is in charge of the dishes.”
“Please, Envel. I beg you, let me do them!”

Lucy pleaded desperately.
Her voice was filled with a life-or-death intensity that startled both Envel and Avalli.

“Well…”

Seeing Envel’s troubled expression, Avalli quickly intervened.

“I’ll go with her. It’s rude to keep refusing when she’s offering to help.”
“…That’s true. Avalli, don’t be rude to Lucy, okay?”
“Of course not.”

A chill ran down Lucy’s spine as she watched Envel naturally treat Avalli like a child.
It was like watching a baby crawl towards a stormy sea.
What would Envel’s reaction be if she knew that Avalli, the girl she was lecturing, was one of the rarest monsters in existence?

‘…I wish I could have remained ignorant like her.’

But now that she knew, there was nothing she could do.
And if the reason she knew was simply her own curiosity, then it was her own fault.
Lucy intended to survive and escape this village by groveling and currying favor, no matter how humiliating it was.

“Thank you so much!”

Envel waved from the doorway.

Lucy used Levitation to float the wooden basin filled with dishes.
It wasn’t a particularly large basin, so Avalli could have easily carried it, but… Lucy needed to score some brownie points right now.
Of course, this sudden display of courtesy only made Avalli uncomfortable, as she was unaware of the context.

“Mage! Avalli unnie!”

The two walked towards the west gate of the village in an awkward silence.
Just before they passed through the gate, someone called out to them.
Avalli turned her head and saw a young girl with orange-red hair braided into two pigtails.

“It’s Camelia. You’re up early today.”
“Yes. I wanted to say goodbye to the mage before she left. ‘Up High’ was super fun yesterday.”
“Oh, you’re so sweet. Camelia has such good manners.”
“Heehee.”

Avalli stroked Camelia’s head, and Camelia smiled brightly, leaning into her touch.

“Mage, have a safe trip!”

Camelia bowed politely, bidding farewell to Lucy, who was standing there blankly.

“…I’m not leaving yet. I’m helping Envel with some chores.”
“Huh?”

Camelia tilted her head, hearing the polite tone in Lucy’s voice.

“Why are you being so formal? I’m just a kid, and you’re a mage!”
“…A change of heart.”

Specifically, it was to avoid making Avalli suspicious.
She couldn’t maintain her arrogant mage persona with everyone else and then suddenly act politely only towards Avalli.

Thanks to the traumatic events of last night, Lucy had evolved from a mage who preyed on the weak to a mage who was meek towards everyone.

“A kind mage! Are you playing with Camelia today, then?”
“Camelia, the mage has to go back today. She’s just helping Envel unnie for a bit.”
“Really? …That’s too bad.”

Camelia turned back with a disappointed expression.
Normally, Lucy would have played with Camelia for a while longer, not leaving the sulking child alone, but…

“Let’s go back now, Lucy unnie.”
“Ah, yes. Alright. Miss Avalli.”
“…Isn’t that a bit too formal?”
“I’ll correct myself, Madam Avalli.”

Lucy didn’t have the mental capacity for that right now.

‘What’s gotten into her?’

Avalli was a little bewildered by Lucy’s change.
Of course, she would be even more bewildered if she knew that she was the cause.

In any case, the two reached the riverbank in an uncomfortable silence.
As Lucy released the Levitation, the basin dropped to the ground with a thud.

“Unnie, you can rest. I’ll do the dishes.”
“…No. I’ll help.”
“It’s okay. It was enough that you brought it here.”

Avalli said so and started washing the dishes in the basin.
Lucy quickly sat down next to Avalli and picked up a plate.

“Lucy unnie, you really don’t have to. You should rest before your long journey—”
“Please let me! Washing dishes is my only hobby!”

Avalli involuntarily recoiled at the determined voice filled with intensity.

‘…Dishwashing is her hobby?’

She had heard that there were many eccentrics among mages, but Lucy seemed to be a particularly severe case.

“…If you insist.”
“Thank you!”

Avalli nodded awkwardly, not wanting to discourage her hobby.
Finally granted permission, Lucy started washing dishes as if her life depended on it.
Actually, that wasn’t a figurative expression. Lucy truly perceived the situation that way.

‘If I make a mistake, I die…!’

Lucy had already concluded that Avalli was something akin to a demonic god from ancient legends.

Spatial magic was extremely high-level magic, handled only by candidates for the position of Magic Tower Master.
Among them, very few could teleport living beings.
Even the occasional geniuses were limited to teleporting themselves.

But Avalli had brought Lucy, who wasn’t even in her line of sight, back to the village from several kilometers away.
And Lucy wasn’t an ordinary person with faint magic power, but a formally recognized mage of the Magic Tower, even if she held a low position.

There was no way a human could be capable of such a feat.
It would require at least a dragon, and a particularly ancient and powerful one at that.

“Thanks to you, unnie, this is much easier. I thought it would be tough today with so many dishes.”

To lighten the frozen atmosphere, Avalli tried to start a casual conversation.
It was just idle chatter, meant to pass the time, but—

‘Does she mean I’m bothering her by being here…?’

Lucy, who perceived the situation as dealing with a supernatural being, felt a chill run down her spine.

“I…I’m sorry.”
“E…Excuse me?”
“I’ll work harder!”

Lucy widened her eyes and concentrated.
Her magic power flowed into the gently flowing river—

‘May there be warmth!’

The river water around Lucy became warm.
Warmth, the most basic of fire magic, imbuing heat.

“Oh?”

Naturally, Avalli, washing dishes right next to her, also noticed the change in the river’s temperature.

“Did you just use magic?”
“…Yes.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”

Lucy’s heart sank at Avalli’s words.
Avalli had spoken out of consideration, thanking her for the gesture, but to Lucy, it sounded like, ‘How dare you use magic? Do you want to die?’

Lucy’s hands started trembling.
But if she dropped a plate, she would lose even the chance to redeem herself.
So, she barely held on, but Lucy felt like she might faint from the pressure if she relaxed even for a moment.

Tears welled up in her eyes, and her back was already drenched in a cold sweat.

“Still, thank you. It’s much easier today thanks to you, Lucy unnie.”

Only after Avalli spoke again could Lucy finally calm down a little.

“Oh…! It’s nothing! I can do this much anytime!”
“Unnie, are you crying?”
“I…I’m not crying…!”

Lucy desperately shook her head in denial.

“I’m just… so happy to be doing dishes…!”
“Ah… okay.”

Avalli closed her mouth, looking at Lucy with a bewildered expression.

‘…Let’s be careful around mages from now on.’

They might look normal on the outside, but who knew what kind of darkness they hid within.
Unaware that she herself was the source of that darkness, Avalli added a new prejudice against the mage profession.

“Oh my, you’re already finished?”

Envel, who was chopping firewood with an axe, greeted them.
It was usually Arsene’s job, but Envel sometimes did the heavy lifting when he was away.
Despite her slender appearance, Envel had surprisingly toned muscles beneath her clothes.

“Lucy unnie helped.”
“You didn’t bother Lucy, did you?”

Envel asked with a playful smile.
Avalli was about to reply with a similar smile and deny it when—

“I…I did it because I wanted to!”

Lucy, her eyes half-glazed, blurted out.

“I…Is that so?”
“Yes! So please stop saying such scary things, Envel!”

What was so scary?
Avalli looked back and forth between Envel and Lucy with a bewildered expression.

“Eek! I… I apologize for yelling!”

Lucy, meeting Avalli’s gaze, started trembling again.
Envel’s eyes widened in question, but since Avalli was just as confused, she shook her head.

“Please forgive me…”
“……”
“……”

As if her usual proud and haughty mage persona was a lie—

“I won’t do it again.”

Lucy Ignis said with a groveling expression.