Eh?

“Eh?” My thoughts were loud… I mean, I accidentally slip my thoughts.

I became confused, not that it will matter in my appearance. The woman in front of me also gave a confused voice.

“Eh??”

Soon after, she swivels her head sideways but return quickly with a smile. It seems that she returned to her usual self. What a frightening royal power.

“Nice to meet you?” I said nonchalantly but for some reason, it became a question.

Is she really a princess? Not that I mind it though, since I can just excuse my behavior because of my emotion disorder. Not that it’s a real disorder or something.

Unexpectedly, the princess snickers at me, but eventually laughs out loud while she hugs her stomach. What did I do? Is there something on my face? I feel anxious around her, this is the type of person I want to avoid. She also reminds me of Freya, the enthusiastic child that keeps bothering me.

I look at her laughing figure until she finally ends it and says while wiping the tears in her eyes.

“I’m sorry… You’re really weird!”

That really hurts, you know. In any case, should you be talking to someone weird like me? Aren’t you too carefree?

She then replied to my question, ‘nice to meet you?’

Lending out a hand, she said “Nice to meet you too, Stephany.” and this time she smiles unlike before.

If this helps her, I might as well ride along… I grab her hand and made a handshake together. The warmth from her hand kept the coldness of the night away. Though, I like the cold to stay, rather than receiving warmth.

“Let’s be friends from now on!” She said.

I nodded. Friends huh? How unusual… To begin with, I have this cursed eyes and hair. Why would the princess be so friendly to me? Did she get a syndrome from Freya? I couldn’t comprehend it and just ride along with it.

Now that I mention it, where’s my hoodie!? I just noticed that I have no hoodie on me! In panic, I reach out my hoodie and equip it.

Her eyebrows rose. She then asked as she retreated her hands and onto her stomach.

“Why are you hiding your beautiful hair?”

Hey, hey. Isn’t that a great pickup line? Though, I want to know why the princess is not hostile to me. Hence, I raised a question.

“Why? Why are you not disgusted?” Asking that. The princess was startled but then raised a smile as she looked at the horizon from the balcony.

“You see…”

I listened to her story while imagining what happened.

There was a powerful lady that protects the kingdom, she was powerful enough to face the entire nation and defeat it. But never had she fought demons and monsters that are not aggressive. She also did not battle against the demon lord, and only protects the kingdom itself, then she said ‘power is not for violent and rule, but power is for the ones you love and those you want to protect’

One day an elder dragon awaken. She can defeat it but in exchange for many innocent lives. However, instead of fighting it, they made a pact to each other. To which the Elder dragon will become a servant towards the powerful lady, and in exchange freedom for the wyverns and dragons.

And the powerful lady become a master, in exchange for peace treaty.

The kingdom become disappointed for the lady’s decision and was banished together with the dragon.

Or something is what the princess said.

“That happened 10 years ago. Here and after the silver hair like the lady wore became ban, because they thought of it as if they were descendants of that lady. After all, that lady has silver hair and black eyes, while the dragon is clad in black scale and red eyes. She was really a good friend of mine”

Hmm, if such a thing happened ten years ago. Why did it got called ‘curse’? Why platinum and white hair is banned? Don’t your hair become white after you gone old? I pondered more about it. There is so much in this world that I haven’t learned.

Friends huh? Did she take me because of that? I don’t really care, but I’m curious if that lady is still alive and well, so as the dragon.

“What’s her name?” I asked. If there is a chance that I can meet them, I want to at least ask if the lady have a grimoire. Or she maybe someone I know from the past world. After all, father and seems like mother is too, reincarnated beings. Or maybe summoned beings

She looked at me with a pleasant gaze. Did she get better after I really hear her story? One can lie, and one can doubt. However, looking at her aura and expression, it seems that I’m the only one that really believe the story.

I’m not that gullible either, but I’m curious to this story of course.

She replied “Her name is ‘Artemia Kolfinna Hildegarde’ and her dragon ‘Ygayrith’ (‘Yay-Rith’)”

After she finishes her statement, she yawned. Although she’s a princess, one cannot deny a neutral response of the body. I either, the curiosity of mine is overwhelming. I might even search for them, just this night. Not that I will though, that’s kind of haggard. I’ll just let fate do us part.

The princess looks at me with tiredness expression, she then said.

“I’ll be going to my room to sleep, goodnight”

While saying so, I stare at her leaving figure. Before she left the room she turned around and waved at me. What a strange girl. If that story was true then all the cursed appearance in this world, has she been kind to them.

Not that I think of it as weird, but the opposite… The world is weird, why would they hate the cursed appearance for that reason?

Anyways, my eyes swayed at the silent lake, and coincidentally I saw Secrea crossing at the wall, and onto the outside.

Hmm, I also followed her by using [blink] magic. I teleported silently outside the walls and the cold instantly invaded my body, not that it bothers me. I notice that the ground was frozen, and somehow it looks so beautiful.

I remembered that Secrea jump over here and in a panic, I scanned the whole area looking for an individual. It seems that everyone in the house is sleeping except for the servants and a couple of soldiers. The [mana zone] covers the entire house and even a little further in the silent lake.

There, I found an individual walking towards the silent lake with a low amount of mana, it seems like this is Secrea, and I quickly blink in that area.

After I blink, the cat was startled that it even jump. Cute, I catch the cat before it lands on the ground. The softness of its fur spreads in my hand. Secrea is like a living fidget. I involuntarily hug her, Uwa. The warmth spreads in my body as the pleasant smell invades my nose.

“Your warm and have a pleasant smell” I talk to Secrea.

I didn’t expect for an answer, after all she’s a cat. Her tail began to shake sideways in a violent manner. I look at her closely, and lift her up.

She looks at me with those heterochromia eyes. The eyes gave off an unsettling feeling, but soon vanish. Then she started to lend out her paw and struggled her body as if she want to let me go of her. Hence I did.

Secrea walks slowly towards the lake and often gives me a quick glimpse. Does she wants me to follow her? I don’t really know, but I followed her from behind until we reach the small wharf.

Secrea looks back and kneels down in a very low way. But then she was engulfed in light particles, I can feel mana from it. This type of mana, is this [Transformation] magic!? As the light became stronger and it was making me blind, hence I covered my eyes with haste.

Then I felt slightly uncomfortable as if I was standing in front of a whirlpool, waiting to be suck in the center. No, it seems like Secrea is eating my mana while I subconsciously allow it. Not that it will matter though.

After the transformation ended, I felt like one percent of my mana has been eaten. Is Secrea really this eater? I have been feeding her with mana ever since I was little. But the mana she eats is little, just above the average mana in this world.

I look at her after the blinding light ended. The figure of Secrea was gone, but instead a beautiful alluring naked lady was floating at the water as the cold breeze that was visible, it swelled around her, making it look so majestic.

This world is surely full of mysteries that haven’t been answered nor explored. At this moment, the ‘explorer’ side of mine grew, and now that I think of it, it’s not really a bad choice either.

In any case, the possibility of her being as a spirit is most likely, the other possibility is that she's a dryad or a fairy. Did my cat really transformed into her? I don’t really know, I’m confused… I haven’t really known my cat because I thought of it as an ordinary cat like my past world would.

She had blondish hair long enough to reach her toes, no, it even cascaded even further. She also have heterochromia eyes like Secrea has.

“Are you Secrea?” I ask just in case if things go sour, I don’t want to hurt Secrea and I’ll just restraint her.

The woman in front of me, have a busty size chest that jiggle that annoyed me a little. But she answered my question honestly.

“Yes” A voice with a soft and gentle tone like mothers has “I am, I’m sorry for disguising as a cat, but I’m the spirit queen that protects this household”

Though, she didn’t use her mouth to speak, instead she answered it telepathically. Was that so? I don’t really mind it, but instead I’m kind of amazed.

“I see” I answered with my mouth. I don’t really care where to answer, but roll where I like.

The woman, no, Secrea snickered and telepathically said with a prideful manner while she lifted both of her hands as if she had an 8th grade syndrome.

“Yes! I’m the spirit Queen that guards the Are---!?” She pauses as if she remembers something and comes close in front of me with haste “Wait, what you just said!?”

This time, she used her mouth while her face was dyed in red. Are you that flustered because I didn’t care?

“I see” I said it again “I see”  

“YOU DON’T HAVE TO REPEAT IT!” She retorted loudly in front of my face, and felt something wet pasted in my face, ugh…

I wiped it off with the hem of my sleeves. Then Secrea retorted again.

“Listen to me!” in front of my face and I unconsciously turned around to take refuge from her stray saliva.

What are you spoiled brat? Ops, language please. In any case I ask.

“What do you want?” With a slight change of tone that one cannot identify which is my usual tone.

She floats away with her hair flutters and comes back to where she was before. While doing so, she responded.

“I’m bestowing you a skill” She said while she raised both of her hands as if she was basking under the starry sky “A skill you’ll be getting [Ta----“

“No thank you” Before she could finish her statement, I cut her off and turn around to run away as if I’m uninterested about this, actually I’m really uninterested with it.

Taking a 2 or 3 steps, Secrea appeared in front of me, which made me startled a little and lock her hands onto my shoulder and pushed me.

“Wait, wait! What do you mean!?” She shouts in panic and confusion while she pushes me back at the very end of the wharf.

I averted my gaze to the lake and said “It’s troublesome!”

Hearing so, the spirit swiveled her head downwards as if she was really feeling down by it. Even if you do that, I won’t agree you know.

Now that I decline it, can I leave now? Or so I thought, Secrea changes her behavior to which she looked like a weird person. Her shoulders begins to tremble as her grip becomes stronger. I can feel her trembling hands…

What happened? I was concerned, but didn’t ask and decided to observe her behavior.

To a sudden, she raised up her head as she glared at me and says “I don’t care! Take my blessings!”

I was engulfed in blinding light particle that made me involuntarily close my eyes. The feeling of basking underneath the sun without a shade, the warm is spreading my body. I feel like my blood is boiling while my body is floating and being pulled as if I’m under a huge gravity whirlpool.

Even though my eyes are close, I can see a faint light in the distance. However, it faded suddenly as if someone has finally turned off the light. It was then I knew that the bestowing ritual has ended.

Was that really skill bestowal? I feel like it’s not and instead it’s a title bestowal. I opened my eyes and sighted Secrea, which was still in front of me, for some reason.

“How do you feel?” Secrea asked with a worried face. “I unconsciously bestowed you a title called [Spirit Queen’s friend]”

If I’m correct that title hold the same authority as the Queen or King. I wonder why she bestowed to me, but it’ll bring troublesome… Actually, no. It can be really useful, since it boosts my mana and mana regeneration. Hence it won’t be weird if I nonchalantly use it several times.

If I show off my mana earlier, it’ll make me some sort of prodigy or perhaps a genius. With this title, I may have something to cover.

She added, “And, you may be able to talk to monster and things that have intellectual mind.”

That statement alone made me see myself grinning inside my head. This is useful…

 

<<Ranks, crafting magic difference>>

Disciple > Mage Disciple > Mage > [Type of magic] Mage, it may be anything as long as the mage is learning its magic. Like Dark mage, Wind mage, water mage, shadow mage, light mage, and so on.

When the mage is able to manipulate the mana, and understands its magic, the mage have to learn all the other magic until mage learns it all, the mage is able to proceed to the next rank.

[‘Type of craft’ mage disciple], before executing the magic craft formula, they must learn the craft’s basic fundamental magic, and base magic. And they must experiment the use of magic, they may conduct the experiment if a [‘type of craft’ mage] is around.

If not, the authorities may not hold responsibilities no matter what.

After learning the craft, they can be called as [‘type of craft’ mage]. They learn the advance magic principles, and since they know whether it’s destructive or not. They may able to conduct experiment without the help of anyone. Although, the authorities still is not holding responsibilities.

After learning the type of craft and its secret, they can be called as [‘type of craft’ mage holder], they cast powerful magic. The ‘mage’ may change if you learn a certain class or may be compatible in that class. If you learn dark art magic and it’s higher than one’s rank. The ‘mage’ rank may change.

Meaning, if you have ‘dark sorcery’ as your rank. All magic base in dark element or attribute, the magic is boosted. All magic type will be boosted according to one’s rank.

Afterwards, they must learn the other magic craft as well.

After learning all the magic craft, they must change their professions. For example, if you want your profession to be fire. You must learn everything that can be crafted using fire magic as its base, or fire magic as its destructive or support. Anything you can think of, they must use every fire magic and insert it into a magic craft.

After learning all what can be done with fire magic through magic crafts. They may be called as [‘type of profession’ sage]. Then, they must learn all professions to proceed to the next rank.

The next rank is [Sage]. After learning all the crafts. The sage must learn the magic wisdom stored inside the craft. The origin, the meaning, the symbols, and everything inside the craft. At some point of knowledge, your rank will change into [Wisdom holder]

After learning it all, you must learn to combine everything in a single spell, and after learning it, you may be able to be called as [Magician]

 

<<Extra>>

Secrea: “I don’t care!! TAKE MY BABIES!!!”

Steph also with quick response: “No”