Chapter 88 — Robin Green's Fear
"How far is the village?"
"We're almost there."
After answering, Robin suddenly reached out and grabbed Elias's sleeve.
Hesitation filled her eyes.
"Do we really have to go through the village?"
"—Why wouldn't we?"
Elias continued walking.
"I want to see for myself what kind of people would call you a monster."
---
Before long, the two stepped into the village.
The moment Robin saw a child near the entrance, she instinctively lowered her head, as if trying to hide.
But the child only glanced at her—
And immediately burst into terrified wailing.
"——Waaah!!!"
"Mom! The monster is here!"
The child ran screaming into the village.
Elias paused for a moment, then gently nudged Robin's shoulder.
"It's fine. Keep walking."
They climbed a small slope.
On both sides stood wooden houses—and in front of them, villagers waiting in formation.
Fish spears in hand.
Eyes sharp with hatred, stabbing into Robin like knives.
"Damn monster! You dare come into the village?!"
"Get out! Or don't blame us if we get rough!"
"Didn't you dig yourself a dog hole? Why are you walking through the village?!"
Robin lowered her head in silence.
Then—
Elias stepped onto the slope.
And the villagers froze.
"Th-that outfit…"
"Is he… a pirate?"
"Damn it! The monster brought a pirate into the village!"
"Everyone, attack!!"
One villager grabbed a sharp fish spear and hurled it straight at them.
Elias glanced at it casually.
The spear suddenly reversed direction—
Flying straight back!
It nearly pierced the man's throat, stopping just short.
The villager collapsed to the ground in terror.
"…Ah!"
"Did you see that?!"
"The monster—no, that man too—he's a monster!!"
The villagers fled in panic, slamming their doors shut one after another.
Now Elias understood.
Villagers without magic couldn't comprehend magic itself.
So they branded anyone who possessed it as a monster.
This must be what Serie meant by the ignorant.
But at this moment, the stunned one wasn't only the villagers—
Robin was staring at Elias, eyes wide.
"Elias… you…"
"You can do that too?"
"—That?"
"You mean magic?"
Elias raised his hand, conjuring a small flame.
Robin let out a startled scream.
"——Wah!!"
"You actually… you really…"
Elias extinguished the flame and smiled faintly.
"A mage using magic is only natural."
"That's how things are supposed to be."
"…Supposed to be?"
Robin stood there, frozen.
For the first time, fear in her eyes wasn't directed at herself—
But at the world she had never known existed.
A light Robin had never known before appeared in her eyes.
Elias lightly tapped her forehead.
"Robin. Lead the way."
"…Oh!"
"Right—this way!"
With the villagers all hiding inside their homes, the two passed through the village without resistance.
Robin led Elias across the entire settlement, then up the hillside, until they reached an opening—only slightly larger than a dog hole.
"This… isn't your house, is it?"
Robin laughed awkwardly.
"This is just the entrance."
"It's much bigger inside!"
Elias bent down and passed through the opening, finally entering what Robin called her home.
It was a dim cave.
The only light came from a roughly carved skylight above.
The uneven stone walls were coated with dust that had clearly accumulated over many years.
Rotting wood was piled in the corners, alongside a few crude pieces of furniture hastily assembled from planks.
The table and bed in particular looked so fragile they seemed ready to collapse at any moment.
Elias was at a loss for words.
For a mage, this living environment was abysmal.
On his previous journey, even when camping in the wilderness, they had used magic to create at least passable shelters.
Everything here pointed to one conclusion.
"Robin… you can't control the magic inside you, can you?"
"Magic…"
"If you mean that thing, then yes. I can't control it."
Robin spoke quietly, her memories heavy.
"When I fish with a harpoon, even if I barely use strength, the fish suddenly explode into pieces."
"When I sleep and snore sometimes, the villagers say the whole village can hear it."
"When I'm bullied and I lightly fight back… the other person's arm suddenly dislocates."
"And my parents…"
She lowered her head, clutching her chest as if the pain were still there.
"When I was little, I just reached toward the stove to warm my hands…
but the flames suddenly danced out of control."
"They swallowed my parents. And our home."
---
Elias fell silent.
According to Aivis's terminology, the faint ripple stirring in his heart right now was probably called sympathy.
Powerful magic—yet no understanding of magic itself.
No systematic teaching. No framework to imagine what magic truly was.
Someone like that, living in a place like this…
It was unbearably cruel.
Had she been on the mainland, Serie would have taken her as a disciple without hesitation.
"…Alright."
"I'll figure something out."
Elias raised his hand.
The next second, Robin's eyes widened in disbelief.
The uneven rock walls smoothed themselves flat.
The rotting wooden furniture shattered—then reassembled.
Dust was swept clean from the cave in an instant.
Finally, Elias looked upward and snapped his fingers.
A warm flame illuminated the entire cave.
"—Ahhh!!!"
Robin screamed and dropped her head.
"Elias—c-can you use something else… something that lights up but isn't fire?!"
He snapped his fingers again.
The flames transformed into soft, glowing lights.
"Robin? What's wrong?"
She lifted her head. Her smile was strained, her eyes faintly red.
"I… I'm really afraid of fire."
"I always have been."
---
Elias never could have imagined this.
He had come to the island seeking treasure—
and the first thing he ended up doing was housework.
After an entire day, Robin's home was completely transformed.
It still couldn't compare to an inn in the city, but at least now… it was livable.
When night fell, Robin returned carrying two large fish, intending to call Elias out to grill them.
Instead, she froze.
A stove and chimney had somehow appeared inside the cave.
She was completely speechless.
Elias turned around smugly—then noticed the dirt on her face.
"Robin?"
"Did you come back through the dog hole?"
"—Oh. Yeah."
She wiped the dirt from her cheek.
"It's fine!"
"I didn't want to cause trouble for the villagers."
At that moment—
Seeing the forced smile on the girl's face…
Elias finally couldn't hold back any longer.
He looked at the dirt-covered girl with solemn eyes and said:
"Robin. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to teach you how to properly use magic."
"You'll become a qualified mage."
"…R-really?!"
Robin shouted in excitement, dropping the fish from her hands.
"If I can control my magic…"
"Then the villagers… won't call me a monster anymore, right?!"
Elias took a deep breath and spoke firmly:
"Robin, remember this."
"In the world across the sea…"
"You were never a monster."
---