No sense in wasting time, I start practicing the most basic part of the <Elizabeth’s chaotic puppet dance performance>, <Elizabeth’s puppet controlling strings>.

This is a rank 1 spell, and I can summon the strings that control puppets with it, it’s very self-explanatory.

I follow the instructions in the journal and make these purple-colored strings come out of my fingers, it’s easy enough, but maintaining them is really tricky.

They’re the size of my thumb, let’s try making them a little longer…

They disperse after a few breaths.

Hmph. I try again, but the same thing happens.

I’m getting used to them.

I do it again, and the strings grow to the size of my palm, but still disperse into the air very quickly.

It’s much more difficult than I thought it would be, but this is fine.

I simply have to overcome this challenge.

This freezing cold air isn’t helping though, I should seriously consider how to get back to basil…

Wait.

Freezing cold?

I look around me, and notice that Bianca is flying above me, near the now abandoned auction house.

I’m glad she’s ok.

She looks completely exasperated, and it seems she’s been talking for some time now.

I can’t hear her though.

Sorry.

I try saying that, and my mouth moves, but I don’t think I got my message across, because Bianca looks confused.

What do I do now?

…

I touch my ear and put my arm in a diagonal way in front of me.

I wanted to make an X, but I still can’t move my other arm…

I hope she understands what I’m trying to communicate here.

Bianca nods, so she probably did.

She then drops to the ground and invokes an icicle to write on the dirt.

“Sucks to suck”

“I already looted the auction house”

“There’s nothing interesting in this shithole anymore”

“We’ll go back to basil now.”

Damn you, that was also my loot!

However, I nod.

I’ll just put Bianca on her place when the time comes, so no sense in getting mad now.

She starts walking, and I follow her.

 

* * *

 

I spend most of the day long journey practicing the <Elizabeth’s puppet controlling strings>, but I had to stop once my mana ran out, I’m tired from not sleeping at all during these few days too, so while I didn’t have a lot of success in mastering the spell, I did manage to get a few insights.

The first is that thinner strings dissipate much faster, but thicker ones are much harder to control, and they still dissipate after a while.

Thicker strings also consume much more mana, so it seems I have to reach some kind of sweet spot, if it’s too thin, it just dissipates, but if it’s too thick, I can’t properly use them.

Of course, if I knew why the strings dissipate in the first place it would be a lot easier.

The finger movements to properly to control the strings are also extremely bizarre, giving this whole task an extra layer of difficulty.

I still can’t control the puppet, but nothing will stop me from doing so.

 

* * *

 

We finally reach the gates of basil, but it’s very late in the day, the moon is already out.

However, Bianca writes in the dirt with an icicle and then leaves to somewhere.

“I have stuff to do now” it reads.

I already know the way back to Timotei’s house, so it’s not that much of a problem.

You can see some faint candle lights on the windows, and there’s very little people on the streets now, the ones that are on the streets are giving me weird looks too.

How rude.

The town is very ghastly with no sound, it gives me the creeps and I hate it.

Once my arm is good, I’ll look into a way to heal my ears.

I’m still practicing the finger movements.

Just because I don’t have mana left doesn’t mean I can’t find a way to keep training.

I have to say, if Georgetta didn’t teach me that trick, it would be much more difficult to master these movements, practicing them with the same mindset as the trick is helping me a lot.

But I must say, I think the movements are a little lewd now.

Nice.

However, as I’m walking I see someone familiar.

It’s Anton, Antonia’s father.

He’s walking alongside a cloaked guy, and he’s also someone I’ve seen before.

I think he’s the asshole who bought the corpse of the feathered serpent, or at least their hoods are the same.

Damn you!

Honestly, if that guy had died, I would have gotten the corpse of the quetzal.

…

…That’s a little dark, isn’t it?

I don’t think it’s a good thing that my thoughts wander into those places.

But on the other side, that guy is definitely someone bad, he must have definitely done many crimes.

And if I got the corpse I would become stronger, I know I could make something great with those materials.

Probably something much better than any of the artifacts I managed to get this time…

The guy and Anton notice me staring, they share some final words, and the hooded man leaves.

Anton on the other hand starts walking in my direction, he looks very nervous.

And once he’s next to me, he starts talking.

But I can’t hear him, I hate it.

I touch my ear and shake my head.

I hope he gets it.

He looks confused for a moment, but then seems he understood me.

He looks relieved now.

Hmph, rude asshole.

I start walking to Timotei’s house again, I haven’t sleep for 3 days now.

I’m tired, even with the extra stamina having 1 pattern gives me, I’m still pushing my limits.

These few days have been really intense.

He’s also walking alongside me.

It makes sense, since we’re both living in the same house for now, but I think it’s still awkward, I don’t like this silence at all.

 

* * *

 

I finally reach Timotei’s house, and I knock on the door.

Timotei is the one that opens the door, he looks happy and starts talking.

I haven’t seen you in a while, so I also think it’s quite pleasant to see you.

But I can’t hear you!

I touch my ear and shake my head.

I hope he gets the message…

He seems surprised, but then nods and lets us inside.

Anton and I enter the house, and it seems everyone is having dinner.

Antonia is the first one to notice, and jumps from her chair to hug her dad, and then tries to talk to me.

But I see Timotei saying something, and everyone in the room looks a little surprised.

Reliable as always!

Luca keeps eating, but Aurora and Felix approach me.

Antonia seems to think of something, and rushes somewhere.

Felix has an incredulous face, but Aurora makes a circle with one hand, and inserts the index finger of her other hand in it.

Heh.

At least the important stuff can still be said.

Aurora has a dumb smirk on her face when she sees I get it.

Antonia returns, and she has a notebook and a pencil with her.

She hands them to me, and I see it already has something written on it

“What happened to you? Are you fine?” Antonia must have written this, how clever.

Her handwriting isn’t very good, and it’s a little hard to read.

The dot at the top of the i is a little heart too, it’s very cutesy.

I write:

“The hog of hydragyrum roared.”

“I’m going to sleep.”

And give the notebook back, and while everyone has a complex expression from reading that, I go upstairs and to my room.

I really am tired.

My good hand is all cramped from all the training I’ve done today.

I basically didn’t stop practicing the movements at all since I could do so.

Hehe, but if this pain think it can stop me it must be extremely foolish.

It cannot stop me from becoming stronger!

I lie down on the bed and go to sleep.