episode_0119

Piene Noona.

An A-rank elf spirit mage companion.

If the Archmage Merlin is a versatile, all-round mage, Piene the Spirit Mage is a firepower-focused offensive mage.

If built for offense, she can unleash attacks stronger than an S-rank hero. Even if built defensively, her firepower surpasses most characters, making her a viable main DPS.

A character with overwhelming firepower, even among A-ranks. In pure attack power, she surpasses S-rank heroes. Effectively, the strongest DPS in Prophecy RPG.

But.

Before learning flame magic, she was so weak that she was treated like leftovers.

Ah.

Not that she was outright bullied like Serena or Ria. The Elven Forest has the World Tree, after all. A kind and great mother who urges everyone to live in harmony.

There was no overt exclusion or torment.

But.

There were plenty of subtle, underhanded ways to make her miserable—just enough to avoid the World Tree’s notice.

‘Typical elf behavior.’

A race drunk on superiority, believing themselves a supreme species while dismissing others as inferior.

A race that looks down on others while basking in their own delusions of grandeur.

But.

Here’s the problem.

In the past, they could flaunt their superiority by belittling humans. But now, they can’t even see humans.

The Elven Forest is sealed off by distortion magic, cutting off all human contact. No humans to mock means no way to feel superior.

Their mood soured without an inferior race to scorn.

So.

They found a scapegoat within the Elven Forest.

And conveniently, there was the perfect candidate.

Piene.

While others excelled in archery, magic, and spirit arts, Piene couldn’t shoot a bow, wield magic, or even handle basic spirit arts.

“We’re better elves than her.” “We’re superior to her.”

That’s how they filled their fragile egos.

Meanwhile,

Our Piene noona, constantly belittled, spiraled into becoming a loner, a loser, a pathetic elf.

‘After learning flame magic, she regains her confidence and transforms into a composed, caring noona.’

But not yet.

Right now, Piene noona’s self-esteem is rock bottom.

However.

The moment she heard Serena’s words, that shattered confidence saw a glimmer of hope.

Marry me, and your status rises.

Bask in the ardent love of Serena, the Goddess of Light, and become the most envied elf in existence.

…That’s the thought that consumed her.

The result?

Piene noona grabbed my hand and spoke with desperate sincerity.

“I may be lacking!!! But I’ll work hard!!! Please accept me!!!”

“Uh… Huh?…”

“I’ll do my best!!! Please take me!!!”

“Sigh…”

Honestly, having Piene noona as a wife isn’t a bad thing.

Right now, Marianne is my favorite, but back then, Piene noona was my top pick.

‘Though my “favorite” changed so often it’s hard to say…’

If forced to choose just one, I’d have picked Piene noona.

That’s how much I liked her.

So.

The marriage itself? Welcome.

But.

Is this really the right way to get engaged?… That hesitation kept me from answering immediately.

Maybe because of that?

Piene noona trembled in despair as she spoke.

“I’m sorry!!! How dare a pathetic elf like me propose to Cain-nim!!! I’m truly sorry!!!”

Our Piene noona immediately dropped to the ground, pressing her forehead against the floor in apology.

“N-No!”

“Huh?…”

“I wasn’t silent because I disliked the idea!”

“R-Really?…”

“It’s just…”

“Yes…”

“Sigh… Let me be honest.”

I do like Piene noona.

Dating her? Fine. Marrying her? Also fine.

I originally planned to gather the entire hero party and make them all my wives anyway.

The proposal itself? Welcome.

But.

The problem was how abruptly everything was skipped.

…That’s what I told her.

“Ah… I see…”

“You understand what I mean?”

“Yes… Thank you…”

“Thank me?”

“For liking someone as worthless as me…”

“……”

The Piene noona who learned flame magic would never say something like that.

But.

Right now, she has zero spirits.

‘That’s the issue.’

Elves live alongside spirits, relying on their power for everything.

Spirits aid in archery, in magic, in cooking, in crafting.

Spirits assist in everything.

So.

Without spirits, Piene noona is helpless in every way.

‘And her looks don’t fit elf standards either.’

Elves prefer slender figures. They dislike large chests, favoring petite frames.

So.

By elven standards, Piene noona—a buxom beauty—is considered ugly.

…Thinking about it, her gratitude made sense.

But.

I refuse to accept this.

The Piene noona I love isn’t this broken, lonely, pathetic mess.

She’s the kind, composed noona.

So I said it outright.

“Noona.”

“Yes…”

“First, let’s restore your confidence by teaching you magic.”

“Huh?…”

“Let’s teach you magic.”

“But… I have no talent for…”

“You do.”

“Huh?…”

“In pure attack power, you’re arguably the strongest in the hero party. That’s how incredible your magic potential is.”

“Th-That can’t… be…”

“I’ve seen the future. Countless times, I’ve seen you shine as a Spirit Mage.”

“A future… where I shine as a Spirit Mage?…”

“I’ve seen it. So trust me and learn.”

Ellis chimed in.

“Trust Cain and give it a try. I became way stronger after learning magic from him.”

Ria added.

“Me too! I got stronger thanks to Master!”

I finished.

“I may not know much else, but I’ve studied magic extensively. I’ll make you a world-class Spirit Mage. Just trust me.”

Then.

Piene noona’s motivation ignited.

“I’ll do my best!!! Teacher!!!”

—

Piene noona is quite intelligent and hardworking.

But.

Reading the Elven Forest’s magic tomes alone wasn’t enough to learn proper magic.

‘First, we break the wall.’

The wall.

The first major hurdle to becoming a mage.

‘In game terms, it’s like an awakening condition.’

Just filling the EXP bar isn’t enough.

You need both the EXP and the conditions met.

‘For Piene noona, learning flame magic is the condition.’

Just one spell.

Master one flame spell, and the wall breaks. Then, other magic becomes accessible.

So.

I started by teaching her flame magic.

The method was simple.

Demonstrate, then explain.

Whoosh!

“You can do this, right?”

“Yes!”

Whoosh!

Piene noona picked it up fast.

From there, it was easy.

I explained the skills she frequently used in Prophecy RPG, then shared the truths Archmage Merlin carved into his soul through suffering.

Fwoosh! Crackle! Swoosh!

Within two hours of training, Piene noona could wield a three-element fusion spell—fire, lightning, and wind.

“I did it!”

“Good. That covers everything I can teach you.”

“Thank you! Teacher!”

“Now, just form a spirit contract, and you’ll be an A-rank Spirit Mage. Have confidence.”

“Yes! Teacher!”

“Great.”

“Um… one thing…”

“Hmm?”

“What do I do with the spell I just made?”

“Just fire it somewhere safe.”

“But we’re in a forest…”

“……”

“……”

Swoooooosh!

Piene noona’s spell grew larger, fiercer.

The flames burned hotter, the lightning wilder, the wind sharper.

The three elemental magics spiraled faster, growing stronger by the second.

Normally, firing it in an empty direction would suffice.

But.

Piene noona is an elf.

A race that loves forests, that despises cutting or burning trees.

So.

She couldn’t bring herself to destroy the forest with magic.

“What about firing it into the sky?”

“The trees would still feel the pain!”

“……”

The dense forest meant any direction would burn trees.

But.

Holding onto the spell was dangerous too.

Vrrrrrrrrr!

Piene noona’s magic began thrashing violently, emitting a dangerous hum!

“Noona! Fire it now! If it explodes here, we’ll all—”

Ah.

Wait, not all of us.

Piene noona’s current magic is roughly B-rank.

The hero party could survive, but D-rank Cain? Not a chance.

Only I’d die.

‘Dying isn’t a problem.’

Ria could just revive me.

So.

Even if the spell exploded here, it wouldn’t be a big—

‘No, it would!!!’

It’s a huge problem!

Sure, Ria could bring me back, but the agony of being burned alive by Piene noona’s magic wouldn’t just vanish!

So I quickly grabbed Serena nearby and threw her.

“Why am I being thrown?!”

“Grab Piene noona and rocket-boost to the sky’s edge! Get high enough that the explosion won’t harm the forest!!!”

“Ah… That could work.”

Serena nodded, gripping Piene noona’s back.

“Ria could slice the spell or contain it with barrier magic for an easier solution… But if Cain prefers this, I’ll help!”

“Ah.”

Now that I think about it, Ria blocking it would be the safest option.

But.

Blasting it into the sky with Serena isn’t bad either.

We’ll just go with it.

…Or so I foolishly thought.

“Ah… Aah…”

“Huh?”

“Se…Serena-nim… Uwaaah…”

I’d forgotten Piene noona is terrified of Serena.

“Ah… Aah…”

At the sight of Serena, Piene noona trembled in panic.

Vrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

Her magic let out a grotesque shriek, erupting with light.

Hmm.

Yeah, I’m dead.