The Missing Enchantress (English Version)

Chapter 7

I turned immediately, fearing it’s one of the knights chasing me. I gulped, with my heart still pounding loudly in my ears. Please, I hope they won’t catch me. I repeated that mantra again and again in my mind.

“What are you doing there, lady? You are ruining my hays,” an old man emerged.

“um… my apologies mister,”

“Get off there!” the old man roared.

“Wa…wait a minute mister,”

Since I have read that book containing the history of Ornothopia, I found out that this place is composed of seven kingdoms. And I guess it’s better for me if I stay in one of those kingdoms, it’s pretty far away so they shouldn’t be able to find me so easily.

“um… mister, sorry to bother you but… can you take me to the kingdom of Hexham?” I pleaded.

“But that’s too far young lady…” he retorted.

I removed my necklace and showed it to him in my palms, “Will this be enough mister?”

He grabbed the necklace and scrutinized it thoroughly maybe to check if it is worth it or if it is genuine, I guess. He nodded, a sign of his agreement and sealing of the deal. He then mounted his horse and the cart where I am on started moving as well.

I am really sorry Sigurd; I know the necklace was not mine but I really badly need to do it.

It took almost two days of travelling to get to the said Kingdom. Good thing, we occasionally pass through small villages along the way so we can eat there and take a shelter to sleep in the night. I also bought a cloak, it is somewhat a huge cape that would cover my whole body and a hood to hide my face, using the small amount of fund I saved from the time I am working there at the diner.

“Young lady, we are here,” the old man announced.

“oh… thank you so much mister,” I beamed.

I got out of the cart immediately and bid farewell to the mister. He immediately left with nothing much to say. Okay here we are Kiera, you can do this! Fighting! I took a deep breath and steeled my resolve. I can definitely go home but before that I still need to survive this place while I find some kind of information.

It will be bad if I’d constantly think of that, or I’ll be dying because of starvation and cold outside before I know it. I need to find some form of work and rent some room.

I just wandered around, looking for some cheap inns I could afford with the remaining funds in my pocket. Though I couldn’t really tell whether it’s a huge amount or not since they use a different currency here. I guess, I need to learn their basic economy and currencies. I could only sigh.

As I wander around, I came across a huge board. Being curious, I immediately went closer to it hoping I can find some kind of useful information around this place. There were lots of some sorts of announcements and information on the board. As I looked closer, I found some kind of request or some kind of quest to complete and it would be rewarding someone who can complete it with a fine cash.

“Ten thousand joles… catch a dog with three… HEADS?” Does it really exist?

“Hey, hey, hey!”

I turned my head towards the direction where a lot of people gathered up and yelling. I wonder what’s going on. I tried to look at the commotion but the crowd’s not letting me see anything really so I tried to push my way to the front with all my might. When I can finally see what’s happening, I saw two guys facing each other. They were seemingly bickering over something.

“Hey you, cocky bastard!” one of the men said, I guess he is around 30’s with a huge build.

“With that huge body of yours, you’re trying to pick on kids? What a shame…” the other guy said, I guess he’s just around my age.

“Don’t you get in my way!” the huge man roared, placing both his hands down to the ground. A wide bluish magic circle emerged on the ground.

“Ice Floor!” he incanted.

My eyes went wide at the time when Ice emerged on the ground and rushed towards the teen-aged guy. He just made quick hop and flips backward to dodge the incoming attack. The ice scattered in an instant and crystallized a wide area around the huge guy.

“Heh! Being able to dodge that quickly… So, you are good enough as well…” the huge guy said, and the ice crystal shattered at the same time, creating thousands of diamond-like sparkles around.

The teen-aged guy just smirked. And positioned his body into a lounging stance.

“Now, it’s my turn!” he yelled. With a breakneck speed, the teen-aged guy charged into his opponent, clapping his palms into each other as he incanted his spell. A glowing bluish magic circle also emerged in his hands. “Heed my call, Ice Sword!”

A glowing bluish-sword made of ice just materialized beside him, with the blade aiming towards the huge guy in front of him. He quickly grabbed it with his hands. “Now have a taste of this!”

There was a fear etched on the huge guy’s face when he saw the attack coming. But he didn’t have any time to react as me myself couldn’t even also follow the teen-aged guy’s movements after he got his sword. He almost went flash and drew an arcing bluish trajectory when he swung his sword as he got past the huge guy.

The huge guy’s hair and clothes fluttered in reaction, as that attack made a huge blow of wind around it. Spiky ice crystals were formed behind him, parallel to the teen-aged guys attack. Some of the stalls around received damages even when they were a bit distant from the actual attack.

Realizing he could have been a goner if he was hit by that one instantaneous attack, nothing could better describe what his face drew; it was terror. He was shaking really and seemed unable to move, until maybe he couldn’t handle what happened he fell down unconscious. Well if I am in his position, I would also be terrified in that kind of attack being casted unto me.

“Brother!”

A group of men gathered towards the unconscious man and helped him. His allies? I guess it’s a good thing they are not attacking the teen-aged guy who made him pass out. Who would really attack someone as strong as that guy right?

Sooner the crowd have started to scatter, the people left one by one from the scene. More like they were just watching an exciting movie happening live, I can’t really believe this place to exist this is just too much. I decided to start moving as well to continue on my job-hunting quest.

I wish that’s easier than said really. Here I am sitting in a boulder near a tree in the side of the town’s road frustrated about the results. I curved, leaning my elbows to my legs and rested my chin to my palms.

“What do I do now? Would I be sleeping on top of a tree again?” I sighed.

So, the people around this area are magicians? They know how to use magic properly… and how do I suppose to earn money here with that when I can’t even use one? I have the option of working again on the restaurants just like what I did recently but the problem is it would take me years before I can even afford renting a small cozy house here.

Even though the currency they are using here is pretty different than in the real world, I suppose they work the same right? I mean if the figure is big, like there’s a lot of zeroes, the value is also big right? But my only hope is to get and accomplish tasks in the quest board to earn a decent amount of money… or can you really call that hope? How can I do that?!

I messed my hair, as those thoughts flooded into my mind. I don’t really know what to do this time. I think I would go crazy just thinking of those things here. I guess I need to learn using magic, where could I find people who would teach me here?

Wait a minute? You want to learn those things? You don’t believe such things, right? Then here you are having thoughts of finding someone who can teach you… are you kidding Kiera?

And here’s my inner-self jinxing things. Shut-up my inner-self, even I don’t believe in such things, as you can see, we badly need it to survive this place!

“Miss, are you alright?”

I raised my head to check who suddenly started talking in front of me. Wait, this is the guy who was the star of the show earlier. What is he doing here?

“Are you alright?” He asked again.

I sighed. “Not, do you think I’m okay in this state?”

“I guessed not, but you look like you’re about to go crazy.” He laughed.

Look at him laughing at a stranger, are we close? I just rolled my eyes on him.

He scratched the back of his head, “I’m so… sorry, would you tell me what’s going on?”

“I am not your concern, for me to share my problems to you.” I replied.

He giggled, “What a really mean lady, when I just really wanted to help.”

I give up… besides I guess I really need help. I sighed. “You see, I am looking for a way to earn enough money so I can afford a room here, or so I can survive here… but my problem is I cannot use even a single magic in order to take even the easiest quest offered on the quest board.”

He brought his hand to his chin, “While I don’t really understand what you mean about ‘surviving here’… but I guess there should be a plenty of job offered here that doesn’t really need the use of magic.”

“Yeah, I already know all that, but if I take one of those jobs, my pay for this day wouldn’t really be enough to afford a room where I can sleep tonight… and on top of that I don’t have enough money to buy myself a food here… for sure, if I take those jobs it would really take me time to support myself properly.”

He just stared at me probably thinking deeply about something, and I did just the same.

“So, what are you going to do now?” he asked.

I sighed again. “That’s my question, what should I do now? Maybe I would like to learn magic but obviously it would take me time to learn it I guess, which is bad in my situation now… and more importantly, I don’t really believe in such things.”

His face really showed confusion about what I said.

“That’s an odd thing, not believing in magic when it’s really normal here… I wonder why you don’t believe magic given the fact it’s obviously existing…” He sat beside me, while having a proper distance.

“Because they really don’t, they are just a bunch of stories… they are just a result of imagination.”

“I don’t really get it but, I’ll show you that magic is real,” he grinned.

He opened his palm, and on top of it a glowing bluish circle emerged. A blue rose made of ice materialized in it. Even these things contradict to my beliefs, I couldn’t really help myself to get amazed every time it happens in front of me.                

“See? This one’s for you as a sign of proof of the existence of magic.” He offered the rose to me while it floats on his palm.

I was surprised when he did offer the flower. I cleared my throat, “Still I don’t really believe it, this is just an illusion.”

He grabbed my hand and handed the rose to me. Well, I couldn’t help myself really from the urge of actually touching it. It maybe a once in a lifetime for me to get one.

“It’s warmer than I thought really for a rose made of ice… so this is not really an ice?”

“It’s actually an ice but it just depends on me how cold it would turn… just like this.”

And with that, ice cubes emerged in his palm this time and he let me touch it. Yep, it really turned so cold this time. He can control the temperature as well? That’s actually amazing.

“You know what? You are just in denial really… its pretty obvious in your face that you are amazed in this stuff, yet you still say you don’t believe in such things…” He crossed his arms and took a glance at me.

“Well, I don’t really believe it… besides it doesn’t really exist… at least in our world,” I purposely said the last part softly.

“Uh, Sorry I didn’t pay enough attention… what is it again?” he asked.

“Nothing…” I shook my head at the same time.

“You know what… given this situation of yours I have an offer that could help you,” he said, smiling.

I raised my eyebrows as I looked at him. I am still skeptical at this guy really; he might be just tricking me in the end.

He decided to get up and faced in front of me. “You can work that doesn’t require the use of magic for the meantime, while you are still learning how to use it.”

“Yeah that’s good but hello? I don’t have any place to go right now… I don’t have anything to eat as well and add the fees for studying in a so-called magic school… I don’t have any penny to pay them all.”

He laughed again at my rumblings. What’s really funny about it?

“There are actually schools here that we can ask to let you enter… they will provide you shelter, food and all the basic things you need as well as the privilege of learning magic from them…”

I shot up as I heard it from him.

“Well yeah, I know a school… but as you know nothing really comes too good as free. In return you will work for them in the school.”

I took a minute thinking about it. “So, its like a student labor system? That’s not so bad…”

He nodded. “So, what do we do now? Do you want to take it?”

I took another minute to think about it before giving my answer. “Well, it’s not like I have any choices either, so I’m in… Where can I find that school you’re saying?”

“I’ll take you there, so you won’t get lost… you okay with that?”

I nodded. “Yeah, thanks a lot.”

Maybe when I learn it and finally master it in one of these days, I might have answers on how I can return home. I really do think that magic itself is the cause of me being here as well.

As we walk, heading towards the school, we passed through different mini roads in the town. It’s good, as I have the chance to wander around to familiarize the place. We also talked a lot about ourselves along the way so even a little we now know each other.

“Here we are Kiera,” he announced.

We are now facing the school. With that huge gate and school buildings that towered almost like Sigurd’s castle, the school really looks so sophisticated. Being overwhelmed, I thought I might not blend with the people inside this institution.

“I think I can’t do it anymore,” I said while looking at him.

“What? You are now backing out when we already got this far?”

“It’s just… you know… look at the school’s façade, with that I am already out of place.”

He stared at me and gave it a thought. “You know I guess there are no laws that would forbid people like us to enter this school.”

“Yeah, maybe there’s none but… what if they don’t accept me in?” I looked down.

“It’s actually amazing seeing you like this, despite of your rude meeting with me.” He laughed.

“You know what, you’re not helping…”

There was a disbelief etched in his face. “What? I turned out to be the one who’s not helping now, when in fact look at us being here.”

I just drew a lopsided smile to him. It was when he suddenly grabbed my hand and dragged me to the school.

“What a handful lady,” he protested.

I just fell silent, and let him drag me to the school. I just don’t really want to hope for it. I don’t want to be disappointed or be a disappointment. Its not easy to hope for and get disappointed in the end, you know.

“You’re awfully quiet this time,” he suddenly said.

“It’s nothing, it’s just… I don’t want to raise my hopes for this, because I might regret it in the end.”

“It really doesn’t seem to fit you to be that so deep.”

I just sighed in his teases. It was when he suddenly stopped walking and faced me.

“Really? You are totally weird, just earlier you were mean and cold now you start being so deep and emotional.”

I just shrugged my shoulders.

He made an annoyed noise and run his palm from his face to the top of his head before dragging me again inside.