Durcesa, The City of Water.

It was one of the big cities of the Magocracy. Or rather, it was only second to Mira itself. Compared to it's neighbor to the west, the gloomy and cold city of Rau Uvarsa, it was positively brimming with life and warmth. Many of the Magocracy citizens from other regions would go there for their holiday. After all, it was the center of culture and art, promoted by none other than it's mistress, the Lady herself, Selendia Brine. She put so much funds into the many theaters and dancing halls of the city. She was a well-known lover of the arts and it showed right on her city itself. Not only that, but she also kept the canals flowing through the city completely clean, which harsh punishment for anyone who dared littering in it. Slums were not allowed to exist either. Every single building must exude beauty. As a result, there were no poor people living in the city. Or rather, if you're poor, you're not allowed to live or even step into its gates.

Such was the way of the Lady. She loved beautiful things and detested ugliness in all its forms.

To the north of the city was a massive lake, easily dwarfing the city itself. It was called by the locals with the title, "The Lady's Lake", for it was where the Tower of The Lady was built, right in the middle of it.

From land, you wouldn't be able to make out any of its features, for there was a constant cloud of mist surrounding it. It was said to be of the magical kind, only allowing those invited by the Lady while repelling others, making them lose their bearings while sailing there, thus never being able to reach the tower itself. And not only that. There were also rumors of sea monsters on patrol, dragging any Intruders to the cold depths below.

Indeed, the lake itself was a saltwater lake. It was as if a chunk of the ocean had been teleported into land. They said it was the work of the Brine Family, far back hundreds of years ago when they decided to construct the lake. After all, that family was nearly as old as the Salamander family—their illustrious line stretching all the way to the Founding Era itself.

And of course, the Lady was doing a perfect job holding up to that prestigious name. And her daughter, Elunmidis Brine, was already seen by her citizens as the perfect replacement for her once the Lady decided to retire. Both were indeed popular personages, from the lake city itself all the way to the most remote fishing villages of the region. They were beloved by their citizens, with many of the lesser noble houses of the region, and of other regions of the Magocracy, vouching for the daughter’s hand in marriage. The Lady however gave her daughter all the authority to choose her own partner. And so far, none of them had been chosen by her. The daughter was smart. Knowing perfectly well the value of herself in the court of marriage, she only opted for the best of the best. Lacking in magic talent? You’re out. Having a plain face? You’re out. Having an annoying personality? You’re out as well.

And thus, to this day, she remained without a single fiancee. Not that she cared. She was never really interested in romance in the first place.

Back to the Tower, currently, there were two certain guests of honor that the Lady entertained. They had arrived in style from the skies, one transformed into a giant phoenix that sent awe to the entire city and anyone else that saw them. And the other riding on a flying sword nimbly beside him, as if the height and wind didn’t bother her in the slightest.

The people knew who they were immediately. After all, there was only one phoenix mage in the entire Magocracy.

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“Where is he?! Tell me at once, you old hag!”

A fiery voice yelled the moment she met face to face with the Lady in her throne room. She had barged into the place by blowing the door wide open with her fire magic, unable to be bothered to wait for the servants to open it for her. The Lady however was unperturbed. She simply sat lazily on her chair, with one hand holding her leaning head as she gave a smile towards the rude visitor.

“How dare you speak to Milady like that?! Kneel to her at once! Just because you’re the granddaughter of Lord Merlinus doesn’t mean you are equal to her in status!”

The maid standing beside her seemed to think otherwise however.

The throne room was beautiful, if one were to describe it in a simple word. It was mostly teal and white colored, made out of smooth white stones that had not a single gap between them. A gentle scent of the salt and the breeze of the ocean seemed to permeate every room, no doubt the work of magic as well. And the floor seemed to have a layer of water on them, even though your feet would never get wet in the slightest. The carpet of honor was not red as they usually were, but dark blue instead. 

Beside the Lady herself and the maid, there were also a number of guards standing to the left and right. They were part of the Aquus Corps, the personal army of the Lady herself. Most of them were of the local folk, sons and daughters of minor magic families that swore fealty to the House of Brine. Others however were former adventurers, paid extremely well and given their own lands. Essentially, they were promoted to being minor nobles themselves, if the Magocracy was a normal kingdom.

None of them showed any overt reaction to the girl's outbursts, although some of them exchanged looks with each other. They quickly returned to full attention however when the next person entered the room.

"Hahahahaha!" The laugh of an old man filled the room. "You don't need to rush, my dear Alincia. Selendia will not go back on her word."

He was the Phoenix Sage himself, Merlinus Salamander. Dressed in a dark red robe with a bright red beard that reached down to his waist, he was a personage that you immediately drew attention to himself. He was rarely seen without his grin, revealing his slightly yellowed teeth.

The Lady stirred, sitting upright on her throne at last. “The boy you want is currently in the waiting room,” she finally spoke. “He is unaware of your presence. So you do what you want with him.”

The young mage named Alincia didn’t hesitate. She bolted out of the room, not even giving a thank you towards the older mage.

“You’re not going to watch, Merlinus?” The Lady’s smile turned mischievous, as she turned her gaze towards the old man.

“Hmm, good idea. Her expression after she did it… it would be a wonderful thing to see.”

Still with a grin, he left the room, with the guards all bowing to him once again.

-------

Someone who wants to meet me? I wonder who it is...

The hobbit had his legs swinging back and forth as he sat on the chair that was too tall for him.

His name was Thomas Marjoram, the sole grandson of Vera Marjoram.

After her assassination, he had been taken in by the Lady and hidden here, away from those that might wish him harm. After all, even after his grandmother fell, he was still an important personage to the Magocracy. Someone might just decide to kidnap and ransom him after all.

...Or so the thought. The truth was, he really was no one important. He was not a powerful mage, and his house had crumbled into ruin, thus he was a nobody. A commoner. The Council would not care about his well-being, even if he were to be kidnapped or even murdered.

However, thanks to Merlinus, who made a personal request to the Lady, he was now here, blissfully unaware of what his role was going to be.

He was, simply put, a bait, for Alincia to reach even greater heights in her magic.

Merlinus knew she would be after his blood after what he did to her friend. Thus he asked Selendia to hide him from her. And he told her he would only give his location if she could surpass the strongest mage under his employ.

And she did. After many months of harsh, non-stop training, she managed to do exactly that.

It gave him unimaginable joy, to see how the fruit he planted grew so beautifully. He used to believe that she was the failure, resting all his hopes to his older sister instead. However, after Merinda was killed by that accursed necromancer, he had to rest all his hope for a successor to her.

He had to thank her friend as well, for teaching her and being her motivation.

The door opened and he looked up with a smile.

Only to find out that it was exactly someone he didn’t want to meet.

“A-A-Alincia?!” He quickly stood up and hid behind the sofa. “W-what are you doing here?”

“You know why I am here,” she spoke. For a fire mage, she sure could speak without any warmth. “Now choose. My flame or my sword?”

The sword she spoke of was not an actual sword, but rather, an autonomous Fire spell that shaped itself to a sword. It was another secret spell that her grandfather taught.

“W-wait, it wasn’t my fault that Marina was kidnapped! It’s all my Grandmother’s fault! She’s the one who insists I marry her!”

A burst of flame enveloped Alincia’s right hand.

At this point, the hobbit was naturally panicking. His head worked overtime, trying to think the words that could dissuade the mage from just roasting him in the most literal way right then and there.

R-right! I can use that!

“A-Alincia, listen to me! I didn’t violate Marina in any way! I honestly, genuinely loved her, you know! So I wanted to win her over the correct way! Grandmother said I should just take her virtue right away but I refused!”

The burst of flame disappeared.

“Oh, is that so?”

“Y-yes, that’s right! So I’m not that bad of a guy! I admit it! I’m a coward that doesn’t deserve her! I just obey everything Grandmother tells me to do, no matter how bad it is. I thought of her as this absolute power that would never be defeated, but she got defeated anyways. And by her little brother nonetheless, the guy she kept comparing me to. I know now just how worthless a person I am..”

He trailed off, looking down to the floor like a child who had just been scolded.

“So you know you’re worthless. Tell me then.” Another blaze appeared on her right hand. “Why shouldn’t I kill a worthless person like you?”

“N-no, please don’t!” He immediately prostrated in front of her. “ I-I still want to live! I-I haven’t even gotten married and have children yet!”

Alincia didn’t answer. She instead slowly walked forward. One by one, every step deliberate, as if she was waiting for his reaction.

And then, when she was close enough, the hobbit drew his wand and aimed a Water Blade spell right towards her throat.

“Guwaaahhhh!”

Or so he would, if she hadn’t decapitated his head with her Fire Cutter spell beforehand.

The body fell to the carpet separate from the head. However, not a single blood poured out. Her spell had cauterized the wound perfectly.

“If only you have accepted your death like a man, then I would have let you live. Even after all this time given to you to reflect on your sins, you still do not understand—why Marina disliked you so.”

She left the room soon afterwards, gritting her teeth immediately when she noticed her grandfather standing nearby.

“Did you do it, my dear granddaughter?” He spoke, with a joyed, almost crazed-looking grin.

“I did,” she answered coldly. “But I won’t thank you for it.”

As she walked away, she could hear his laugh.

It never stopped haunting her.

-----------

Tottima Volcano. Located in the middle of the Tottima Mountains, it was where Alincia’s home was located. It was the very opposite of the place she just traveled to. There was nothing beautiful there, as the ground was blackened by soot and ash while the trees were all brittle and charcoal-like. The scent of sulfur filled the air while the dizzying heat would sap on your strength.

It was a place where only the strong could live. And that’s exactly how its ruler, Merlinus Salamander, wanted it.

“Welcome back, Lord Salamander! Lady Alincia!”

When they landed on the top of the fortress overlooking the volcano, they were greeted by an entire platoon of mages. Some of them wore mage-like clothes, while others wore maids and butlers’ uniforms. In the middle of them, distinguished by their own style of clothing, were two women. One wore what seemed to be a customized maid outfit. Unlike the others who wore dark red long dresses with white aprons, she instead wore a blue dress with a yellow apron. The skirt was knee-length, instead of the ankle-length it should be. And the top was opened from her neck, revealing a generous amount of cleavage from the well-endowed young woman. Her hair was crimson, cut short to her shoulder and adorned by a white maid headdress.

She was Freilen Genovious, the vice-commander of the Phoenix Force.

Beside her was another young woman, looking quite a bit more delicate than her. She had beautiful, long silver hair that extended down to her waist, though currently, it was hidden inside her long cloak. Said hair was braided gracefully down both of her ears, only adding to her delicateness. Her slightly angled eyes would reveal a hint of the girl's pride, though currently, she was bowing towards the grandfather-daughter pair with her eyes closed. She was also quite busty, with the shape of her breasts firmly outlined in the front of her robe. Not as much as the maid however.

She, on the other hand, was Freyja Luminous, the commander of the Phoenix Force.

The Phoenix Force, as the name suggested, was a group of soldier-mage working under the Phoenix Sage. Just like the Aquus Corps, they were also made of not just the "magic nobles" of the Magocracy, but also ex-adventurers and mercenaries that pledged their loyalty to the Sage.

Freilen was the first to lift her head. And she immediately flashed a smile. "Was the journey pleasant, Milord?"

"Gahahaha! It is wonderful! We bonded perfectly well, the two of us." The old man put one hand on Alincia's shoulder, making her visibly flinch. "She is now no longer a little girl! She's a young woman, just like the two of you!" The hand was large and hairy, contrasting somewhat disturbingly to Alincia’s small shoulder.

"That's pleasant news, Milord!" The maid clasped her hands, still smiling. "Miss Alincia truly is growing beautifully, like a fire rose who blooms in the desert!"

"I'm counting on you, Freilen, to continue raising and serving her, just like you have done all this time!” He then put his other hand on the maid’s head. She blushed, enjoying the headpast he was giving to her.

 “Of course, Milord!”

Freilen wasn’t just the vice-commander of the Phoenix Force. She was also Alincia’s personal maid. She used to be her big sister’s maid instead, but after she passed away, she was handed over to her.

The old man then returned both of his hands before walking forward towards the entrance without waiting to check whether or not Alincia followed. As they had arrived through the air, they didn’t land on the front gate. Instead, they landed on the fortress’ designated landing area for aerial travelers. The same applied to the Tower they had visited.

Suddenly, Freyja blurted out, “Milord! Excuse my impudence, but about the matter I brought up to you the other day…”

He didn’t respond. Instead, he transformed into a fire bat, and flew into the entrance in that form.

Freyja gritted her teeth for a short moment, before returning back to her stoic self as she raised her head. Giving a glare towards Alincia, she said, “I still expect our rematch sometime soon, Lady Alincia. Your victory back then was just a fluke, nothing more.”

Indeed, she had lost to her in a magic duel. It was what earned Alincia the permission to visit Thomas. Unfortunately, she didn’t take her defeat as gracefully as she could’ve been, even though she had defeated her many times before that. And it was all due to her pride.

She belonged to the Luminous family, whose knowledge and prowess in fire magic was only second to the Salamander family. She was the only child of said family, as she possessed every bit of talent that she could inherit from it. When Merinda was still around, she was never able to eke out a win from her. The prideful girl was fortunate that Freyja’s parents opted to teach her magic at her home instead of sending her to the Academy, or Merinda might have not been the star student there.

They did that for one thing and one thing only—to guard the secret of their White Flame spell.

The Luminous family was well-known for their White Flame spell, in which they conjured a white-colored flame so much hotter than your normal garden variation of fire spells. They even claimed that there was nothing that it couldn’t melt.

She trained in her home secretly for years, mastering said spell. And now, thanks to that, she now held the esteemed position of being the first-in-command of the Phoenix Force, bowing only to the Great Phoenix Sage himself.

But then, Alincia suddenly came out of nowhere and challenged her to a duel.

She knew who the girl was. The Sage’s second granddaughter. Compared to her sister, she was much dimmer in the magical arts. If her sister could never beat her, then there should be nothing to fear.

Her assessment was correct. She triumphed over her again and again and again and again until she lost count entirely. Every time Alincia would receive terrible burn injuries from it, and she probably would’ve died for it if not for her grandfather healing her every time using his flames. She didn’t understand how one could use fire for healing, but it was what he did.

But then, on their very last fight, she actually lost to her.

Her flame was superior. There was no doubt about that. It consumed Alincia’s own flames. However, that sneaky mage decided not to fight fire to fire like a proper mage and instead danced around using that new sword spell of hers. If her flames couldn’t even touch her, then it couldn’t burn her. Using her superior mobility, she sneaked through her wall of flames, not caring in the slightest of any injuries she might get from it, and pressed her sword into her neck, signifying her victory.

It was completely humiliating. Many of the members of the Phoenix Force were present to watch the fight. Not to mention that her Lord, the Great Sage himself, was present there.

Of course, Alincia was horribly burned from her foolish maneuver, needing another healing from her grandfather. But instead of being scolded by him, he instead praised her! Why?! That was a completely stupid move from her part! She was holding back, you know! She didn’t want to end up accidentally killing her! Accidents like that happened all the time in magic duels, especially unsupervised ones.

And then, to add even more salt to her injury, he announced there and then that Alincia would be the commander of the Phoenix Force once she finished her school, meaning, she would be demoted from her position.

I have to prove my worth to Lord Merlinus!

And that’s why she desired a rematch with her. But the girl wasn’t even interested in her anymore. She only said that the only opponent she wanted to beat was her own grandfather! How more rude and foolish could one girl be?!

As she feared, she didn’t respond. Instead, she walked to the side of the tower and jumped down, relying on her sword for a safe descent.

If she doesn’t want to accept my challenge anymore, then the only option I have is to hunt those two.

Marina Greenwood. Hugo Greenwood. Those responsible for the death of Lady Vera.

Either one would do. If I bring back any of their heads, then Lord Merlinus will surely acknowledge my superiority once more.

But why? Why doesn’t he give me permission to do so?

That’s it. He must think I’m not strong enough to win over them. Sure, I know they’re strong. But they’re not the real force of the Greenwood Family who took down Vera. That would be their parents, who are former S-rank adventurers. I’ve investigated Marina and I know she’s a Master-level spellcaster specializing in Earth, especially tree-related spells. It would be oh-so-easy to burn mere trees with my White Flame. Hugo, on the other hand, I know nothing about. He’s apparently the youngest, so he should be the weakest, logically speaking.

Both of them should stand no chance against my flames, for no shield or armor can protect you from it. Not even if they conjure a wall of water or earth to defend against it, as my flames would just boil and melt it like it’s nothing.

She gritted her teeth again—her fists clenched.

She was not going to let herself fall from grace!