She was a beautiful woman with dark red hair.
The beauty, covered in a robe the same color as her hair, approached Lee Hyun with steps that seemed to seduce everyone around her.
“Long time no see~”
Her voice was languid yet carried a seductive tone.
From her hand gestures to her faint smile and even her voice.
Lena unconsciously held her breath at the appearance of this woman whose every aspect exuded allure.
‘Wh-who is she?’
She could feel it instinctively.
That this woman was dangerous.
That’s why, despite her fear, Lena couldn’t take her eyes off her.
“Rise?”
“My~? What’s this? Why so cold? We fought together, risking our lives~.”
“M-master?”
“Say hello. She’s Rise Feigran, an official senior mage of the Ivory Tower, vice-governor of the Blue Hall, and advisor to the Imperial Crown Prince Thermaio Yggdrasil.”
“Aw~. You’re introducing me too formally~. You can keep it simple~.”
“She’s strong passing mage number one.”
“Ahahahah~! You haven’t changed~. That sharp tongue of yours~!”
Giggling, Rise put her hand on Lee Hyun’s shoulder.
Her long fingers began tracing his shoulder.
Another man might have already fallen for her seduction from just those hand movements.
But Lee Hyun remained completely indifferent.
“What brings you here?”
“Hmm~. To see you?”
When she playfully winked at him, Lee Hyun frowned deeply and put his hand on his sword hilt.
Giggling again at his reaction, she stepped back and said leisurely,
“I came to enter my disciple in the magic competition~. His Highness the Crown Prince asked to gather many good mages~.”
“Good mages, huh. Is that guy still at it?”
“Yes. He hasn’t changed. By the way… who’s that behind you?”
“My disciple.”
Lee Hyun proudly pulled Lena forward.
Usually, she would have hesitated at his action, but this time was different.
Lena found herself staring intently at Rise without realizing it.
“My my? What amazing talent?!”
Rise seemed merely intrigued by Lena’s stare, paying it no mind.
After exchanging looks for a moment, Rise’s eyes sparkled.
“Hey. Would you consider sending her to our side?”
“Not happening.”
‘Our side’ meant sending her to the Empire.
While the Ivory Tower might have been one thing, Lee Hyun had absolutely no intention of sending her to the Empire to be buried in needless work.
“Hmm~. How cruel~. It hurts when you reject me so firmly~.”
“That’s not my problem. Anyway, it’s good to see you looking well after so long. We’ll be going now.”
“Aw~. Leaving so soon? Besides. Have you thought about it? About becoming His Highness’ servant?”
“Haven’t considered it.”
“Oh my. You’re really playing hard to get~. Don’t be like that, think about it. Money, honor, women. You can have anything you want~.”
Money, honor, women. He didn’t need any of it. All he wanted was the true ending.
Lee Hyun smiled as he rejected her offer.
But Rise didn’t get angry.
Still smiling just as before, she casually shifted her gaze.
“Then how about recruiting your disciple to our side~? Ah, how about this? My disciple is also participating in this competition. If my disciple wins, you and your disciple become His Highness’ servants. Hmm? Good deal, right?”
“I don’t see which part is good. There’s no advantage for us.”
“If your disciple wins, I’ll give you this.”
She smiled sweetly and pulled out a potion bottle from inside her robe.
“Wh-what is that?”
“Youth Potion. One bottle will return anyone to their prime twenties! It’s quite rare even in the Blue Chamber~.”
Watching Rise confidently smile and make a V-sign with her fingers, Lena belatedly realized.
“Th-then Rise-nim also…”
“What do you think? Hehe. The effects are amazing, right?”
Showing off her firm skin with a seductive smile, she waved the bottle before Lena’s eyes.
“With just one of these, you can win most people’s favor~.”
Even in games, this potion is as rare as an elixir.
Lee Hyun had one bottle, but as they say, the more the merrier.
If she’s offering that, there’s no reason to refuse the bet.
‘Not planning to lose anyway.’
Thinking he could use Plan B if necessary, Lee Hyun looked at Lena.
“Lena. Can you win?”
“M-master… you d-don’t want to go to the Em-empire, right?”
“That’s right.”
Once he finished teaching Lena, he needed to go straight to the Sage’s Tower for his sage qualification.
Going to the Empire to work under the Crown Prince? Absolutely not.
“… I’ll win! F-for Master’s sake!!”
Lena clenched her fists, letting out a determined breath.
Lee Hyun was impressed by her confidence, completely different from usual.
‘She’s grown up.’
He hoped she would keep going like this.
Lee Hyun patted Lena’s head and pointed his finger at Rise.
“My proud disciple will crush your disciple’s windpipe.”
“Ah, no. Killing is forbidden in the magic competition, so don’t do that. Anyway, is it settled then?”
She grinned, stepped back, and walked away with the same seductive gait she came with.
She arrived and left as suddenly as a breeze.
“B-but Master.”
“Yes?”
“Do you kn-know how str-strong her disciple is?”
“Hmm…”
Lee Hyun thought for a moment before patting her head.
“You’re stronger, so don’t worry.”
“He-hehehe…”
“Besides, shouldn’t you be thinking about something else?”
“Yes?”
“This competition. It’s three people per team.”
At those words, Lena felt her mind go blank.
‘I-I completely forgot!!’
She had stepped up because Rise’s apparent closeness with Lee Hyun bothered her, but she’d forgotten the most important thing.
Could she really form a party with other people?
Lena looked at Lee Hyun with eyes that seemed about to overflow with tears.
“Want help?”
“Y-yes!”
“Then find some.”
Lee Hyun grinned and lightly tapped Lena’s forehead.
“B-but if I can’t enter, Master will have to go to the Empire…”
“Ah. Don’t worry about that. I have Plan B.”
.
.
.
The fact that she needed to find teammates became quite a burden for Lena.
She struggled even with greetings, let alone conversation with strangers. How could such a person easily find party members?
Of course, Lee Hyun said not to worry because he had Plan B, but Lena didn’t want to just sit around doing nothing.
So she lingered around the competition venue daily, trying to find a party that needed members, but all she met were novice mage hunters.
“Sigh…”
Finally, the day of the magic competition arrived, and she still hadn’t found a party.
Just as she thought she’d have to rely on Lee Hyun again, crouching in an empty lot near the competition venue…
“Hey~! Hey~!”
“Y-yes?!”
“You look like a mage! Are you trying to enter the magic competition?”
She was a bright girl with dark black hair and eyes. Perhaps around Lena’s age?
As if to prove she was a mage, she was dressed in typical magician’s attire.
“Y-yes… I am…”
“Perfect! Um. I feel bad asking this when we just met! But if you’re okay with it, would you join our party?!”
“Whaaaat?!”
Lena was flustered.
As the girl bowed her head with clasped hands, Lena could only panic, not knowing what to say, and became even more flustered when the girl firmly grabbed her hands.
“B-but, but! I-I…!”
“If it’s too hard, you can just forfeit when it’s your turn at the very end! Okay?! We’ll do all the fighting! With us, we might even aim for victory!”
“Oh, oh… I-I was actually ai-aiming for victory too…”
“Oh?! Really?! Then let’s go! We can register right away if you join!”
She was quite energetic and self-paced.
Asking someone to be a party member without knowing their skills.
But staying here wouldn’t let her even participate, let alone win.
Since she couldn’t find party members despite searching until now, she had no choice but to take a chance with them.
‘I-I need to do my best…!’
Led by her, Lena nervously arrived at the competition venue.
There were many people.
The girl led the trembling Lena through the crowds to the competition headquarters, where she waved to another girl who was waiting.
“Hey~! I brought someone~!”
“Good work. However, this is a competition I could enter alone.”
“No, no. The entry requirement is to form a team of three, right? Don’t be like that~.”
What an energetic girl.
She pat the shoulders of the purple-haired girl who spoke bluntly, then picked up the registration forms.
Looking at them carefully, Lena tilted her head.
“Yuria Seitz. Canon Viral…?”
“Yes! I’m Yuria Seitz! This is Canon Viral!”
“Hello. I’m Canon Viral.”
“H-h-hello… I-I’m Lena!”
“Yeah! Write your name here! Hmm… Done! I’ll go register!!”
Taking the form with Lena’s name, Yuria ran off to the registration desk.
Left alone with a stranger, Lena shrank back again.
“Um… Are… are you two… ac-acquainted?”
“With Yuria? Yes. We share the same master.”
“Oh, ohh…”
Somehow, it felt like she was the only outsider.
While she was feeling this way and not knowing what to do, Yuria returned from registration.
“Whew~. That was close~. We almost couldn’t register and would’ve failed~! I wouldn’t have been able to face Master then!! Thanks to you, we could register! And don’t worry about magic skills! Both Canon and I are confident in our magic!”
“Ah, I-I see…”
“Anyway, it’s our first day as a team! Should we get some drinks?! Oh! Let’s go~~!”
She’s really energetic.
When she took the lead, Canon quietly followed, and Lena hurriedly followed.
They arrived at a café near the inn where Lee Hyun and Lena stayed.
While looking around, thinking she should buy something for her master, she spotted Lee Hyun reading a newspaper and drinking coffee in a corner of the café.
“Hm? Lena. Didn’t you say you were going to look for party members? Did you find some?”
“M-master!”
Lena smiled brightly.
She was happy to see someone she knew.
Just as she was about to run over to him…
“Oh?! Mister?!”
“Well, if it isn’t Bella’s kids? Been well?”
Lee Hyun spoke as if pleased to see them, and Yuria smiled brightly at his response.
‘W-wait. Bella’s kids? Then…?’
“You were Master B-Bella’s disciples?”
“Oh?! Didn’t we introduce ourselves?!”
Yuria smiled brightly and struck a light pose.
“I am the chief disciple of Great Mage Bella! Yuria Seitz!”
“The real chief disciple is me, Canon Viral.”
Receiving their confident responses, Lee Hyun patted Lena’s head.
“You found good party members, didn’t you? Not bad? Do well next time too if something like this comes up!!”
“Uh. Ah. Well.”
Should she say she found them or was chosen by them?
Not knowing what to say, Lena could only smile awkwardly.