"How pathetic... a bear? Ow!"
"Don't scold them! They got attacked! It's your fault, you sent them into these crazy woods."
"My fault? They were learning fireball. They should've killed the bear with fire, duh?"
"You didn't teach them shit!"
Alwyn was scolding us while Aliza tended to my injuries. I was in her lap like a baby.
Hehe... this is kind of nice...
"Liora, where is your hat?" Alwyn asked.
Her hands shot up to her head, but there was nothing there. Inside and out.
"Oh no... I think the bear smelled the fish I was keeping in there and ate it!"
"...Are you serious? Do you know how expensive that hat was!?"
"It's fine... I can cover the cost," Mari sighed.
"No, let me," Prince stepped in.
Are they trying to out-rich each other??
"I don't want your money! You're going to get revenge on that bear and get the hat back! The three of you!"
"Three of us!? What about Lin?" Marielle asked.
"Lin? Can't you see? He's injured. Wow... my apprentices are so heartless..."
"He's injured because of you, you ass!" Aliza shouted.
She was applying healing ointment to my face. Apparently, I couldn't overuse healing potions, or else I'd become resistant. Since I got injured so often, Aliza restricted me from taking any health potions.
"How are we gonna find the bear? We don't have hunting experience..." Liora whined.
"Actually, I do! I hunted at last year's hunting competition in the capital. We can find it from its tracks—they were deep since it was running, too," Prince said.
"No, you're not hunting it. There's a much easier way," he laughed.
It was kind of scary, but I ignored the rest and sunk into Aliza's lap. I thought that maybe I would fall asleep. Of course, I didn't.
"I know what kind of man you are..." Alwyn whispered in my ear.
I jumped up. "What are you talking about!?" I said, red-faced.
"Lay back down!" Aliza shouted, forcing me back into a laying position. "You need the ointment to settle correctly or you'll end up with a nasty scar. You're too young for a scar..."
Does she think I'm five? A bear scar would be awesome.
"So why'd you really keep me behind?" I asked.
"Ah, of course I wouldn't be able to fool my favorite apprentice."
"I'm really your favorite?"
"Obviously not," he laughed. "We haven't done our special lessons in a while, we'll do them while they're gone."
I looked at Aliza. I was surprised to hear him mention our 'lessons' in front of her.
"Did you think I didn't know? Those were the only nights I got decent sleep. Not to mention the health potions you kept taking. I think it's quite sickening for a kid your age, but it's something all wizards and witches have to learn at some point."
"Huh?"
"Don't go spreading this to the others, Lin. They're far too weak-minded! You're a cold-blooded psychopath, so it's fine. All magics learn to kill people without remorse, we're soldiers of the tower, after all! It's a necessity!"
Cold-blooded psychopath!?
"Why would you call Linnie that? What is wrong with you!?" Aliza swiped at him. "We're not soldiers of the tower, and who says we kill without remorse!?"
"Who's 'we'? Last I checked—"
"Don't say another word..."
Alwyn dodged her kicks while laughing.
"Seriously, though, keep it a secret. I'm afraid they'll abandon me if they learned we murder people on the side of the road. Especially the prince and Liora. They're totally wusses."
Why does he phrase it like that!? Though, I don't think Liora would be all that shocked...?
"Don't we usually do it at night though?
"That was just so you'd have an easier time sneaking around like a creepy nightcrawler. Now you're a real wizard, so you can take the thugs head-on!"
"I see..."
"And you'll stop getting so hurt since you're only attacking from a distance, like all respectable wizards do," Aliza gritted her teeth.
"Exactly! Lin, no real wizard comes out of a fight with any injuries. That's for fodder magics! Come out unscathed from every battle, that's when you're truly my apprentice."
"What are you talking about...? You've gotten beaten up more than most wizards I know!"
"No way... Alwyn's gotten beaten up?"
"That's right."
"No... it is not right at all!"
"I swear on my soul it's true. Linnie, back in the day, when he was still new to the tower, he somehow had an even larger ego than he has now. He would go around challenging every single wizard he came across even though he was totally weak. He would walk around the tower covered in blood like a total loser!" she laughed.
"How about you? You would—haaaah... never mind," he laughed. "If I said something, I'd be the bad guy. It's fine."
"That's because you are the bad guy!"
Liora leapt at Alwyn, causing me to fall to the floor. They started to fight.
Oh man... why'd she drop me on the floor? I think dirt got in my mouth... eugh...
"Freeze! All three of you! NOW!"
The three of us turned and saw four soldiers coming through the trees, swords drawn.
"Oh, look, Lin! It seems like we didn't even have to go searching!"
"Hell no you idiot! Look, those are Caelthar soldiers," Aliza whispered. "Hello!? What is your reasoning for intruding on our campsite like this?"
"Are you the wizard Alwyn? You're under arrest for arson and murder! Come with us peacefully or we'll take you by force!"
"Huuuh? Are you serious? 'Arson and murder'? Says who? I didn't do that, you can't arrest me."
You totally did that!
"Our Lady Verya witnessed it herself, you monster!"
Lady Veyra...? Who is that?
"That knight woman? She's still chasing me? Seriously? Doesn't she know she's way out of her league?"
"What?! 'Out of her league'? She could cleave you in half in an instant!"
Alwyn burst into laughter. "You're lucky you're soldiers of the king. I'll let you off just this once."
Alwyn waved his staff and the soldiers were pulled into the ground, leaving only their heads exposed to the air. They struggled and wiggled, trying to get out of the dirt.
"Bastard! Let us go this instant!"
"Go to sleep," he waved.
The soldiers instantly fell asleep, leaving the campsite silent.
"Well, what do we do now?" Alwyn turned to us, stumped.
Quickly we stuffed the campsite in our hats.
"Linnie, grab Mari's hat!" Aliza shouted.
I grabbed it off the ground and the three of us started to run. As we darted through the trees, we heard a large amount of footsteps closing in.
Did they bring an entire army for this!?
"This is gonna be annoying, both of you, grab on to me."
Aliza and I hesitantly grab ahold of Alwyn's robes. In a blink we were a mountain's height high, far above the now distant trees. It was kind of beautiful, floating up there under the
"Don't worry you two, there's no reason to be scared as long as you hold on tight!"
Neither of us looks scared, though?
A strange iron rod flew past us at lightning speed, barely missing us. After a few moments, it happened again. We started to fall towards the ground. Every few seconds, we blinked forwards, and every few moments, the iron rod nearly hit us.
"Im gonna be sick..." Aliza moaned.
"What is that? How is it following us all this way?!" I asked.
"It's that knight," Alwyn groaned. "She has such an annoying item!"
The iron rod was dead on, and Alwyn twisted around mid-air, kicking the iron rod into the horizon.
"That should do it..."
After a few minutes of repeating the process, we landed far, far away. We set foot on a calm beach which sat at the edge of a large lake. It was completely deserted and the perfect place to camp out.
"...Why is Lady Veyra after you?"
"Huh? 'Lady'? I didn't think real nobles like you respected knight's titles," Alwyn laughed.
"You know I'd be the last person to think like that. Don't dodge the question. What did you do?"
Aliza was laying in the sand, arms crossed.
"Ehhhh, I'll tell you later. Not around, ahem, the kid," he whispered.
I can hear you...
He turned to me. "Sorry, Lin, it looks like we won't be able to do special lessons today after all. Unless you want to go fight a knight..."
Suddenly, a hand shot through the hat I was holding. I jumped in surprise as Prince fell out onto the sand, then Mari, and finally Liora. They formed a wet, slimy, filthy pile.
"What... happened?" I grimaced.
"EUuuughh..."
Yuck...