LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 20
As Cassian looked down at Elsez in his arms, he couldn’t help but recall the image of her battling the magic beast.The way she had thrown herself into danger to protect the weak, her refusal to back down even in a fight she was likely to lose—it all struck a familiar chord.Why does this remind me so much of…?The thought was absurd. It couldn’t be.And yet, a part of him whispered: What if? What if it really were Ruel? What if Ruel somehow came back in another form?But no. If it were truly Ruel, she would never pretend not to know him.Cassian closed his eyes briefly, pushing the memories aside. When he opened them, he carefully examined Elsez’ condition before letting out a sigh.“Rookie, you…”Elsez, sensing where this was going, averted her eyes with a sheepish expression.Here comes the scolding.As expected, Cassian’s voice took on a softer but reproachful tone.“Take better care of yourself.”To her surprise, however, that was all he said. The sharpness in his gaze softened considerably.“Well, at least…”In the next moment, Cassian leaned forward, lightly tapping his forehead against hers.“Good job.”The words were brusque, but they carried an unmistakable warmth.Elsez blinked, caught off guard by the unexpected praise. When she saw Cassian’s faint smile, she couldn’t help but grin back.For a moment, Cassian stared at her, seemingly entranced, before he awkwardly cleared his throat and looked away.Unaware of the shift in the atmosphere, Elsez seized the chance to bring up what mattered most to her.“So… you’ll give me back that quest scroll now, right? Right?”“What quest—oh.”Realizing what she meant, Cassian let out a disbelieving laugh.Here she was, freshly out of a life-threatening encounter, more worried about the quest scroll than her own well-being.“You couldn’t even handle that thing just now, so where’s this confidence coming from?”“I almost beat it! It only got the better of me because of the paralysis. I swear, next time—”“Paralysis?”Cassian’s eyes narrowed as he scanned her again, noticing the faint bite marks near her ankle. His expression darkened.“What did I just say about taking care of yourself? You never listen, do you?”“Didn’t you just say I did well?!”“That’s beside the point!”“Good grief, you two! Why are you bickering like kids?”Jack’s voice cut through their exchange as he approached, arriving slightly late to the scene.Cassian sighed, lowering his voice as he turned his attention back to Elsez.“Jack, do you have a status recovery potion?”“Huh? Oh, yeah, here.”Jack handed over the potion, and Cassian knelt on the ground, helping Elsez drink it.As Elsez swallowed the bitter liquid, her face contorted in disgust.Still as vile as I remember.Her instinctive hesitation caused some of the potion to dribble down the side of her mouth. Cassian, noticing this, reached out to wipe it away.Despite his large, rough hands, the gesture was careful, almost delicate.But as he unconsciously watched her lips move, slightly wet and flushed, he abruptly cleared his throat and turned his head away.The sudden shift in his focus caused the potion to spill more quickly, forcing Elsez to cough.“Cough, cough!”Glaring at him through watery eyes, she croaked, “What was that?!”Cassian, clearly flustered, muttered an apology while continuing to gently wipe her face.“Sorry, my bad.”Despite his gruff exterior, his touch remained soft, as though handling something fragile.After an awkward pause, Cassian seemed to remember something, his expression growing serious again.“So, what happened here? There shouldn’t be anything capable of causing paralysis in this area.”“I thought the same, but there was a spider-type magic beast here,” Elsez replied.Cassian’s eyes narrowed. The appearance of a spider magic beast in a beginner hunting ground was strange enough, but the magic beast and the magic beast were even more concerning.He immediately considered the most likely explanation.“A dimensional rift… could it have opened here?”“No rift,” Elsez said, shaking her head. “But I did see a suspicious dark magic circle.”“A dark magic circle?”“Yeah. It was written in a language I didn’t recognize. It disappeared quickly, but I think it might be connected to the magic beast and the spider monsters showing up.”Cassian’s frown deepened.“Do you remember what the circle looked like?”Instead of answering, Elsez bent down, using her finger to trace symbols in the dirt.Thanks to the potion’s quick effects, she had regained enough feeling in her fingers to draw.“It looked something like this,” she said, finishing the rough sketch.“Jack, copy this and send it to the temple,” Cassian instructed.“The temple? Why?”“There have been similar incidents in other areas lately. The temple’s been investigating them.”Answering her question, Cassian stood and helped Elsez to her feet.“I’m going to check the area for any traces of that magic circle,” he said, preparing to move.Her thoughtful gaze lingered on the retreating figure of Shane, the last guild member to thank her. For someone who had once underestimated her, his earnest apology and gratitude felt satisfying.“Well, at least he learned something,” she thought, shaking her head lightly.But her moment of reflection was abruptly interrupted by the indignant voice of Reti, the spirit inhabiting her pocket.“You gave them everything! What about me? What about my cookies? My candies?”Reti’s shrill protests made Elsez grimace as she instinctively covered her ears.“Ugh, what am I supposed to do with this greedy rabbit spirit?” she muttered, half to herself.“You don’t even have any money!” Reti snapped back.“I do, actually,” Elsez replied, a knowing smirk forming on her lips.“Huh?”“I’m not as empty-handed as you think,” she explained. “See, the roots and branches of a magic beast might not be as valuable as its core on their own, but they’re far more plentiful. Sell them in bulk, and the money adds up fast.”Reti paused, processing this newfound information. The glow of ambition quickly returned to its tiny eyes.“So… you’re saying we’ll have enough to buy… a lot of candy?”“At least a hundred pieces,” Elsez replied with a teasing grin.Reti’s enthusiasm was palpable as it wriggled around in her pocket.“But who’s going to buy all of that?”Elsez’ grin widened into something more mischievous.“I’ve got someone in mind,” she said confidently. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the forest…Cassian stood amidst the remnants of the shattered magic beast, its severed branches and roots strewn around him. His expression was unreadable as he surveyed the scene, his mind preoccupied with the events that had just unfolded.The presence of a dark magic circle in an area as innocuous as the Beginner’s Forest was troubling enough. But the way Elsez had handled the situation—her courage, her quick thinking, and her willingness to protect others at her own expense—lingered in his thoughts.Why does she remind me so much of you?He dismissed the thought with a shake of his head.“Master Cassian,” Jack called out, approaching from behind. “What now? Should we report this to the temple right away?”Cassian nodded.“Get everything we can on that magic circle and send it to the temple. We need to know what we’re dealing with,” he said curtly.As Jack set about his task, Cassian glanced in the direction Elsez had gone.She’s more resourceful than I gave her credit for… but reckless, too. She’ll be trouble.Despite the scolding voice in his head, a faint, amused smile tugged at his lips.Trouble… but interesting.