The Magic Queen of Another World

Chapter 11

After a while, Ao returned and shook his head at me, "Miss, we cannot stay in this town."

"Why not?" I looked questioningly at the nearby town. Dusk had settled, every household had their doors shut, and there wasn't a single passerby on the streets.

"Hoar bears appear in this town at night, wreaking havoc on many areas," Ao frowned, seemingly troubled.

"Hoar bears, level five magical beasts?" I pondered. Hoar bears are essentially communal creatures with a gentle nature, dwelling in forests and not often seen. How could they be attacking a town?

Having read extensively in the duke's mansion out of a desire to understand this world better, I learned that this magical continent is inhabited not only by humans but also by elves, orcs, and dwarves, though they are rarely seen. The most common inhabitants are magical beasts. These beasts vary in kind and are broadly categorized into six types based on magic elements: wind, fire, water, earth, darkness, and light. The levels of magical beasts range from one to ten, with those above level ten known as spirit beasts, and even higher levels are the legendary phantom beasts, rarely seen and considered treasures.

When a magical beast is slain, a magic core appears within its body. These cores are excellent materials for magical instruments, capable of enhancing magical power. The higher the level of the core, the higher the price it fetches in the market. While magical beasts can attack people, they can also be tamed as pets. However, under normal circumstances, no one would provoke a magical beast. The level of the core corresponds to the level of the beast from which it came, meaning the rarer the beast, the more valuable the core. Thinking this way, the Hoar bears seemed to me like piles of gold coins, attracting me despite the mystery of their presence in town. For someone as cash-strapped as me, this was undoubtedly very enticing.

"Ao, let's go to the town," I said, looking at the small town and imagining coins waving at me.

"No way," Ao shook his head again, "Miss, it's too dangerous. Let's find another place to stay."

Ignoring his caution, I pulled Ao forward, "Ao, you don't have money for an inn, so let's stay in the town. Besides, I'm starving. Let's go quickly."

With a hint of resignation, Ao allowed me to lead him to the door of a household, where he knocked once more.

"Young man, why are you here again?" The old man looked surprised. "Didn't I tell you to leave? The nights here are perilous."

Ao remained silent. I stepped forward and said to the old man, "Sir, might we find shelter with you? You're aware of the night's dangers, and with dusk now fallen, wouldn't it be more hazardous for us to have nowhere to stay?"

The old man seemed to notice me for the first time and looked surprised, "Oh, what a vision of a lady. I shall resolve this predicament for you." With that, he stepped aside to let me in.

I looked at Ao's darkened face and the chill emanating from him, feeling amused. It seemed my appearance was more effective. Although Ao bore the visage of a sun-child, his expressionless demeanor indeed made him somewhat intimidating.

"Thank you, sir," I expressed my gratitude to the old man.

"No need. Just ensure you do not venture out at night, and ignore any noises you might hear," the old man warned.

"Why is that?" I inquired.

"Every night, our town organizes a group to slay the Hoar bears, to prevent them from further ruining our village," the old man lamented, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Can we assist in some way?"

"Absolutely not, how could I allow a lady as beautiful as you to fight a magical beast?" The elder's face was etched with disapproval.

"Hehe." I chuckled, conjuring a small flame in my palm, "I am a mage, you know."

The elder's expression immediately became animated: "Esteemed mage, thank you for your willingness to aid our village."

I smiled, neither confirming nor denying, indeed, the status of mages on this continent is highly esteemed. I signaled to Ao, indicating readiness.

The elder prepared a modest meal for us, though it was the best his household could offer, I found it somewhat unfamiliar to my taste. It seems I, accustomed to a life of comfort, now struggle to adapt to the simple life of commoners. I thought to myself, such luxurious thoughts should be cast aside, for I am now a person of limited means, and for the gleaming gold coins, I would confront the Hoar bears without hesitation.

After the meal, rejuvenated, I retrieved the magical cannon gifted by Ambler from my spatial ring and donned it, while Ao unsheathed the Sun and Moon Sword, gripping it firmly.

"Shall we proceed?" I looked towards the elder, who nodded and led us out. We walked to an open space at the back of the town, where many young men and strong youths stood ready—apparently, the town's assembly meant to eliminate the Hoar bears.

"Grandpa Ant, what are you doing here? Hurry back and hide indoors," a man of middle age said with concern to the elder.

"Chet, this time we have help to eliminate the Hoar bears from our town," Ant replied cheerfully, "It's the esteemed mage lady and her warrior friend." He stepped aside, allowing Ao and me to step forward.

I smiled faintly, "My apologies for the oversight in introductions, my name is Lisa, and this is Ao. We can assist you in eradicating the Hoar bears, but we would only ask for the remaining magic cores."

"No problem, esteemed mage, as long as you can slay the Hoar bears, we shall not take a single thing," the middle-aged man looked at the townspeople, who all nodded in agreement with my request.

"No, the magic cores will suffice; the rest of the Hoar bear is yours to deal with." With an agreement reached, we waited quietly for the appearance of the Hoar bears.

"Hey, if there's any fun happening, count me in, okay?" A clear voice suddenly broke the silence.

I scanned the surroundings and saw a figure approaching us, the torchlight revealing a young man, about sixteen or seventeen years old, with fiery red short hair standing upright, bright eyes like stars, and delicate features. His whole presence exuded a lively vigor, what a vibrant individual.

Judging by his tone, it seemed he was in search of excitement, indicating a very lively personality. I looked at Ao somewhat gloomily, wishing he could be a sunny, cheerful person instead of being so expressionless. But, fortunately, his stoic demeanor also kept many potential admirers at bay. With this thought, I felt somewhat reassured; without his stern presence, the number of disturbances would surely increase.

"Hey, I'm talking to you, are you going to include me or not?" The red-haired youth asked, joining me.

I observed him a few more times, "What can you do?"

"I can shoot arrows and dig traps," the red-haired youth said with a hint of pride, "I'm a hunter."

I nodded, "Alright, we are about to eliminate the Hoar bears, you can join us. My name is Lisa, and this is Ao."

"I'm Dejar, pleased to meet you," he smiled brightly, his grin as warm as a flame.

I couldn't help but think that befriending someone like him would indeed be pleasant, so I blurted out, "Dejar, let's be friends."

He was taken aback for a moment, then smiled even more brilliantly, his eyes sparkling like starlight, "Sure, I'd love to be friends with you guys."

I smiled back at him, feeling I had judged him correctly; he would make an excellent companion.

"By the way, all of you," I pointed at the townspeople, "Arm yourselves with your spears or longswords and attack in groups when the Hoar bears come."

"Dejar, take some people with you to dig traps, fill them with long spikes or nails, make them deep."

Dejar nodded at me with a cheeky grin and organized the others to start digging traps.

"Ao, you wait with me for the prey to arrive," I said with anticipation.

Ao remained silent, tightening his grip on his sheathed sword; it seemed we had a significant battle ahead.