episode_0063

“Squawk…! H-hello… I’m Pisces… Ugh… this overwhelming energy of sunlight…”

“Hehehe!!! The silly crow is cowering!”

While Ras and Rosalie were on a sweet, loving date somewhere in Delphi, an unexpected encounter was taking place somewhere else in Delphi.

Marisa, Pisces, and Irha gathered in one place—a rare sight.

‘A super rich house? No… more than that! I smell a very high-ranking young lady. No, where did a woman like this come from!’

Cute Pisces had turned into shriveled moss after suddenly encountering Marisa.

Her survival instinct was, for the first time in a long time, diligently observing the opponent and measuring their combat power.

‘Looks: 10..! Aura: 10…! Temper… at least 8..! If I’m not careful, I’ll be in trouble…!’

“…????”

Marisa found Pisces strange for peeking at her with such blatant stares, but seeing her face, she just looked cute and harmless, so Marisa let it slide.

Anxious Pisces, giggling Irha, and bewildered Marisa.

The story behind how these unusual individuals suddenly met was as follows.

*

“Hmph.”

Marisa was slightly sulking because Ras wasn’t answering her calls, but then she felt a sense of puzzlement.

“No… why am I even feeling disappointed in the first place? What is Ras to me, anyway… I have Irha. Hmph.”

Although she was actually disappointed, Marisa pushed her disappointment deep into a corner of her heart and soon contacted Irha.

[Irha. To foster friendship, there’s nothing better than meeting and playing on the weekend. I miss your round head. Come out quickly. I will not permit refusal.]

In Marisa’s view, Irha was the type who would stammer and then agree to follow along if pushed strongly like this.

‘This time, a reply will come soon. Good Irha is different from bad Ras. Ras, to think our friendship was only that much.’

Marisa continued with her slightly lingering resentment, but when no reply came this time either, her thoughts suddenly drifted elsewhere.

‘Ah…! Perhaps, since it’s the weekend, Irha and Ras are on a date? They have such a good relationship…’

But somehow, Marisa couldn’t clearly picture the two of them on a date.

“Ras and Irha on a date… Even my imagination as a seasoned novelist finds it difficult… Let’s see… Hmm…!”

Waiting for Irha’s unanswered reply, Marisa tried to use her novelist’s imagination to picture the date scene as much as possible, but…

‘Irha, go buy me four chocolate bananas.’

‘Understood, Ras…! Just wait here for a bit!!!’

Ras naturally ordering Irha to run errands for snacks, Irha running so frantically her feet would sweat, and meanwhile, Irha carrying all of Ras’s coat and other trifling belongings…

‘Pant, pant..! Ras!! I bought them, but there were only two chocolate bananas, so I bought two mint chocolate bananas too. Good job, right?’

‘Ugh…!!!’

Finally, mint chocolate bananas, that bizarre food of madmen… A suffocating situation swirled in Marisa’s mind, so she quickly shook her head.

“Indeed, fortunately, those two are not in love. No, why am I saying ‘fortunately’ or ‘unfortunately’…? Hmm… If three people are together and two are a couple, that’s not good, so I guess that’s why.”

Quickly finding a reason for her relief, Marisa became a little more relaxed and waited for Irha’s reply.

Thump…!! The awaited reply arrived.

[Marisa? I’m out right now, and I’m with someone you don’t know. If it’s not too inconvenient, would you like to come too ?_?]

[I see. May I ask the age and gender of the person you’re meeting? I’m a bit shy around strangers…]

[Twenty years old! She’s one year younger than us and a girl. She’s a bit annoying and mean, but she’s not a bad kid…!]

What did “annoying and mean, but not a bad kid” even mean?

In any case, Irha and the mysterious peer seemed to have a close relationship, which was an irresistible temptation for Marisa, who craved a peer friend.

[If it’s not an imposition, I will come. Could you tell me the location?]

[Yeah! What’s an imposition between friends! So, where is it…]

And so, Marisa joined Irha and Pisces’s meeting.

*

What began with awkwardness and caution, surprisingly, Marisa and Pisces began to get along quite well.

The conversation flowed when they brought up Ras, a common acquaintance of the three.

In fact, Pisces and Irha had been dejected that day because Ras had rejected their date invitations to meet Rosalie.

“Tch…! To think my master would abandon me like worn-out shoes. I thought he had completely fallen for me…!”

“What? No. Crows are said to symbolize misunderstanding from ancient times, and you’re exactly like that…! Even if you thought *he* had fallen for *me*.”

The majestic, yet somehow bizarre, minion power contest between the two of them continued, even in front of Marisa.

A bewildered Marisa grasped the gist of the conversation and directly questioned the two.

“Hmm…? Fallen for? Do both of you like Ras romantically? Have I joined a fiery arena between rivals in love??”

“Ugh… Even if I’m so far ahead of this seagull that I can’t even speak…”

“Hmph… Honestly, Marisa, what’s the point of us trivial creatures squabbling? You’re right, I really like Ras. I’ve fallen in love…”

At Marisa’s question, the two minions visibly became dejected.

“The competitor stuck fast next to Ras is too strong. She’s a terrifying woman, like a dragon… Pout…”

“A dragon…? Ras was dating Lizley until recently, is he meeting a dragon now?”

“It just means she’s that dignified… You know her too, right, Professor Rosalie?”

There was no student at Leone Academy who didn’t know Professor Rosalie Berhart.

The most beautiful flower at the academy, acknowledged by all students.

Her angel-like kind and gentle personality, healing skills far beyond excellent, and her beauty…

“To think Professor Rosalie and Ras were in such a relationship… I never imagined it. But after hearing this, I realize Ras is quite the scoundrel. To think he’s surrounded by beauties, indulging in a life of excess. A lecher, a man who discards friendship like old shoes, a despicable literature club member… So that’s why he ignored my messages completely.”

Marisa, upon hearing about Rosalie and Ras’s loving relationship, felt somehow displeased and vehemently denounced Ras.

She, a fair and loyal Lady of Valencia, would never tolerate someone who abandoned friendship for love.

‘Professor Rosalie, Ras… they make a good picture. But somehow, when a picture is too good, one naturally feels grumpy. I’m unhappy, but others are just happy? That simply won’t do…’

Ahem.

Marisa cleared her throat and looked at the two seemingly inexperienced minions.

‘They are pretty and cute children, but they seem somehow lacking in shrewdness… But what if I, Marisa, an expert in romance novels, help them? Wouldn’t these two be able to threaten Professor Rosalie?’

In her mind, the sight of the two minions gleefully causing mischief was unfolding.

“Hmm. I didn’t know a battle for Ras was underway, but I, Marisa, a master of romance novels, cannot miss such an interesting event. From now on, I shall coach you.”

“Coaching…??”

“Ugh… no… this woman’s combat power is no joke either… Those who offer to help are usually the most terrifying…”

It was Irha asking with round eyes, and Pisces muttering facts based on reality.

But in any case, they were curious about what this ‘coaching’ from such a beautiful and elegant Lady would entail.

“Now… gather around. It’s the ‘Fresh-faced Classmate Strategy.’ Maximizing one’s strengths is the basic principle of strategy and tactics… Oh, and Pisces, feel free to speak informally with me. We are friends, after all.”

“Squawk…! Then… Ma-Marisa??”

“Good. You’re just as cute as Irha. I like anything cute.”

And so, Marisa’s coaching began, subtly looking out for her new friends and somehow trying to get back at the despicable Ras.

Sadly, Marisa herself was just as clumsy in love, too inexperienced to recognize the tiny burgeoning feelings of affection within herself that had sprouted like a young bud.

*

Thus, everyone was having their own warm and soft time, but unfortunately, there were also those spending time far removed from such warmth.

For Isera and her two assistants, the night spent tracking the unusual phenomena in Maugen Dorf Forest continued long and harsh.

Throughout the forest, the terrible stench of death hung in the air, as if something had been devoured.

The forest, which had once formed a complete ecosystem, now had nothing that clearly contained ‘mana,’ even if you scoured for it.

The three continued their swift and secretive pursuit throughout the night, conserving some of their stamina.

‘Magical beasts, plant-type magical creatures, trees or stones imbued with mana… all of them are gone, as if they had been plundered like war supplies.’

Professor Isera’s conclusion was that someone was ‘devouring’ the power present in the forest and trying to convert it into their own.

A highly difficult feat unthinkable for ordinary humans, and a tyrannical act with no regard for coexistence.

‘It’s a demon. And a considerably high-ranking one. But why would such a high-ranking demon come all the way to Maugen Dorf Forest?’

Demons.

Demons are a race that primarily inhabits only the ‘Azuldar’ region across the entire continent.

A powerful race, with each individual possessing at least dozens of times the strength of an ordinary human.

Even the weakest demons are born with at least mana talent, and stronger individuals have outstanding control over mana.

A combat race that uses unique magic, different in principle and trajectory from the magic used by humans.

Fortunately, their reproductive rate is quite low, keeping their numbers small, and they frequently engage in internal strife, so they do not launch invasions against other countries beyond mere disturbances in border regions.

“Gretchen. Is external communication still impossible?”

“Yes… the magical tools are completely dead.”

Biting her lip, Isera cautiously continued her pursuit.

Unlike other demons she had faced on the battlefield and fought risking her life, the unwelcome guests in this forest were exceedingly secretive and cautious.

And then, the three arrived at a clearing in the forest.

“Damn, the trail’s gone. Let’s take a slight breather here…”

“I wondered who was following me, but it was just three small fry?”

A cackling, cynical female voice cut off Isera’s words.

And even faster than the voice that cut her off, hidden projectiles were launched, flying towards Isera.

An assassin in a black hood had thrown six daggers imbued with immense dark magic.

However, Isera had nimbly dodged the incoming daggers.

At the same time, she shot a swift, concise punch imbued with mana, but the opponent easily dodged it as well.

Boom-!

With a sound, a small explosion occurred, and the woman in assassin’s attire, Isera, and her assistants stood in confrontation.

“Retreat as much as possible. Focus only on defense. Don’t even think about attacking.”

Seeing Isera growling and stirring up her fighting spirit, the assassin cackled with amusement and pulled down her hood.

An inhumanly beautiful appearance with jet-black hair and pale-white skin.

Isera recognized instantly that the opponent was a demon just from her unique aura.

“Pleased to meet you. My name is Deurosa. I am one of the most trusted retainers of the great conqueror of Azuldar’s western region, Lord Kadmos. I’m here for a visit.”

“Isera Bernstein. Professor of Combat Magic at Leone Academy.”

Isera finished her brief self-introduction, infusing mana into her precious gloves.

‘Suddenly, I miss Ras.’

Facing a dangerous woman reeking of death, Isera somehow found herself thinking of her favorite student.