Chapter 26 – A Lucky Day

Stella Verheigen.

Today, she felt like she could fly. The lottery ticket she bought recently had won third place.

A staggering five million Sel.

With that amount, she could buy a thousand proper lunches at the academy she would enroll in two days from now—real meals, not just whole-wheat bread!

Of course, if she included dinners, it would shrink to five hundred meals. But if she was careful and followed a diet plan, it would last even longer.

Fortunately, she had managed to gain admission as the second-ranked student.

No, to be more precise, thanks to Eliaernes Eustetia, she had been admitted with special privileges and would receive both a scholarship and maintenance funds.

But, naturally, she had already spent everything but the scholarship.

A new staff. And three necklace-type artifacts with defensive magic.

It wasn’t a waste.

After all, she needed to prepare if she wanted to visit the Demon Realm during vacation.

It was part of her preparation plan.

Originally, she had intended to buy just one artifact, but the vendor offered a deal—buy two, get one free—and she couldn’t resist.

Still! It wasn’t a bad decision.

These shield artifacts could block magic up to the 5th Circle, which made them cheap when you considered the value of one’s life.

“Hmph, hmm-hmm.”

Satisfied with her rationalization, Stella hummed a tune and smiled to herself.

Unaware that the bracelets were defective.

Her footsteps light, the hem of her hood swayed as she walked.

Her path led her into a secluded area.

The back alleys of the capital, where shady deals and black markets flourished.

But Stella was familiar with these alleys.

Without much money, this was the best place to buy all kinds of magical materials (overpriced), artifacts (faulty), and disposable scrolls (cheap). For Stella, there was no reason not to come here.

However, her goal today was different from usual.

Since she was still a minor, she couldn’t claim the lottery prize herself.

So she was on her way to ask a familiar older woman (con artist) from the back alleys to collect it on her behalf.

“I’ll have to give her a commission, I guess.”

Even though the woman constantly changed her name, she had always been kind to Stella, so Stella decided to give her a percentage of the winnings.

Maybe 10%? No, a bit more—15%.

Yes, that seemed fair.

A smile spread across Stella’s face.

Then, the smile vanished again.

It would have to be just 10%.

She remembered the macarons she had received from Eliaernes—eight in total, and each one a top-tier macaron, worth the price of a full meal.

Even though money was tight, Stella’s principle was never to accumulate debt, so she intended to repay the cost of the macarons.

Eight macarons, totaling about sixty thousand Sel.

Twelve whole meals’ worth, gone in an instant.

“This is insane… How does anyone even eat something so expensive?”

Her body shivered, but it was the memory of the macarons’ sweetness that made her tremble.

“They were… delicious. They melted in my mouth…”

Gulp.

Maybe it was because Eliaernes had claimed they were fake.

Or maybe because she had seen that small girl beat a basilisk to death.

Now, she could no longer tell what was real or fake. But just thinking about those macarons, eaten in such a terrifying situation, made her mouth water.

Well, I still have five million Sel—no, four-point-four million. Surely I can afford one macaron with my own money, right?

Yes. Just one. One won’t hurt.

Nodding to herself, Stella carefully checked the lottery ticket tucked into her pocket.

Five million Sel. It was real.

“Heh-heh.”

Today truly was a lucky day.

She wore a blissful smile, feeling as if she might melt, and stopped in front of the house of the woman who would claim the prize for her.

“…Hngh!”

Suddenly, it felt as if a blade had been pressed to her neck. Instinctively, she summoned her mana. She tucked the lottery ticket safely into her pocket and pulled out her new staff.

In that instant—Pah-sus!

The sound of ice crystals forming above her head filled the air. A quick sense of the mana flow confirmed it was 4th Circle magic. Not something she needed to block.

Ice crystals. Icicles. Spikes.

A blackened spike shot toward her thigh.

Trusting her defensive artifact, Stella began casting an attack spell—but that was a mistake.

Clang!

The barrier summoned by the artifact shattered. A mere 4th Circle spell shouldn’t have broken it.

Before she could figure out why—

Thunk!

“Ack…!”

The spike pierced her thigh.

Stella swayed. Blood splattered, but it didn’t fall to the ground. Instead, it floated in the air, gathering in one place.

As her body collapsed, she saw the blood drifting toward the end of the alley, forming a shape.

A bow.

Black magic.

She tried to summon a defensive spell in desperation. A mental calculation—no incantation required.

But it didn’t work.

Her mind grew hazy, her thoughts scattered. Pain wracked her body. The flowing blood didn’t fall to the ground but floated upward, transforming into arrows.

One, two, three, four.

Four arrows formed, nocked onto the bowstring. The bow was drawn, and the arrows were released.

Simultaneously—

“What’s with today? Why do things keep happening?”

Cherry blossoms.

Twin streaks of pink hair surged forward.

A pale hand caught the four arrows.

Pink eyes reflected Stella’s pale face as they curved into a mischievous smile.

A smile that bloomed like flowers in full bloom.

“Hey, I told you not to do bad things, didn’t I?”

A petite mouth, stained with something sweet, opened.

“When an adult tells you something, you should listen. Tsk.”

The girl spoke with strawberry and sugar still smeared on her lips. In her other hand, she held the lifeless body of someone impaled through the throat on a wooden skewer.

***

The red arrows vanished from the girl’s hand, leaving behind only sticky blood.

Lowering her gaze, she saw Stella’s tear-streaked face, the blackened spike still lodged in her pale thigh.

Black magic.

And yet people still believe in benevolent black magicians?

“What a load of crap.”

Clicking her tongue, the girl looked straight ahead.

The remaining attacker had already disappeared.

She glanced back at the trembling Stella.

If I chase him now, I could catch him. But another black magician might target Stella in the meantime.

I guess there’s no choice.

She approached Stella.

Seeing the corpse, Stella recoiled violently and tried to crawl away.

“Don’t be such a coward.”

The girl tossed the body into a corner and crouched in front of Stella. She grabbed her chin and tilted her head upward.

Her eyes were slightly unfocused, but she wasn’t about to pass out just yet. Pain-induced shock, combined with blood loss.

She could hold on for another fifteen minutes.

The problem was the spike lodged in her thigh.

“Does it hurt?”

“N-no… it… it doesn’t…”

“Really? Then I’ll just leave.”

“W-wait, please…”

A small, pale hand gripped the girl’s sleeve.

She chuckled and reached for Stella’s hood—but then stopped.

Wait, if I tear this, she won’t be able to afford another one, right?

Probably not.

Shaking her head, the girl tore a piece of her own hood instead.

It was short, but it would do to bind Stella’s thigh.

“Okay. Straighten your leg.”

“Ugh, o-okay…”

Stella struggled to extend her leg, but it wouldn’t move easily.

“I’ll do it for you. It’ll hurt, but bear with it. I’ll straighten it on three.”

The girl gripped Stella’s calf and thigh.

“Three!”

“Argh!”

In one swift motion, she straightened the leg.

Stella clung to her, pinching her ribs with weak hands, but it didn’t hurt.

Her strength was fading fast.

“You said… on three…”

“This is the only way it doesn’t hurt. Now keep quiet.”

The girl unwrapped the torn fabric and pressed it against Stella’s thigh, just below her groin.

She tied it tightly, above the wound.

“Now, I’m going to pull this out.”

“W-wait…?”

“This is black magic. If I leave it, the curse will spread through your body. You’ll get poisoned. So hold still.”

“But… c-can’t we just go to a hospital—”

“The entrance ceremony is in two days. Who has time for a hospital? A priest can heal you faster. Hold on—I’ll pull it out in one go.”

She spat on her hands and grabbed Stella’s thigh firmly.

“Please… just leave it…”

“I’ve pulled out worse things than this. You’ll be fine. Here, bite on this.”

The girl stuffed a piece of cloth into Stella’s mouth.

“Mmmph! Mmph!”

Stella trembled, clutching the girl’s hands tightly.

But there was no stopping it now. The girl had already strengthened her body with mana.

“We’ll count to three again. If you move, you’ll be crippled for life. Got it?”

“Mmmph!”

“One…”

“Mm-hmph…”

“Two…”

“Mmmph!!”

“Two and a half…”

“…Mm?”

“Two and three-quarters…”

“Mm?”

“Three!”

Thunk!

The spike came free, dissolving into black mist as it disintegrated.

Stella, unable to even scream, writhed silently in pain.

“See? If I hadn’t pulled it out, things would’ve gone badly.”

Stella’s face was a mess of tears and snot.

“Gross.”

The girl carefully wiped Stella’s face with her sleeve, then removed the cloth from her mouth. A string of saliva dripped down her chin.

Blood continued to pour from the wound on her thigh, rendering the tourniquet useless.

“Guess I have no choice.”

“…Huh?”

As the girl stood up, Stella grabbed the hem of her clothes with trembling hands.

“Relax. I’m not leaving. I just need to stash this body.”

She gripped Stella’s hand firmly.

“Do I look like someone who’d abandon you?”

Stella nodded weakly.

“Well, at least you know.”

With that, the girl peeled Stella’s hand off and stood up.

“No, wait—”

Tears welled in Stella’s eyes again, her head shaking vigorously.

“Relax. Just wait here.”

The girl grabbed the corpse by the collar and scanned the area.

A box. A barrel. A drum.

A drum.

Perfect. It would fit if she stuffed the body just right.

Dragging the corpse toward the drum, the girl heard a familiar voice behind her.

“Lady Ellie…”

“…Ha.”

She turned toward the voice.

Short-cropped hair. Sharp eyes.

And an unmistakable teardrop-shaped mole.

Sarah.

Sarah stood behind Stella, her hand resting on the back of the unconscious girl’s neck.

Stella’s head drooped, as if she had fainted from exhaustion.

The sight made the girl sigh.

“…There’s a reason for all this, okay? So just—”

“Should I take care of her?”

“…What?”

“If there are no witnesses, it counts as an assassination.”

“What the hell are you talking about? No, don’t kill her.”

“Does she have useful information?”

“No. She’s just… my friend.”

Sarah’s face paled.

“…I’m sorry. I already knocked her out.”

So it wasn’t that she looked unconscious—she really was out cold.

“…Well, good job.”