Free Web NovelBy now it was already past noon.
Vieya heated up the remaining breakfast food a little and used it as today’s lunch.
“Mom... will Cat Sister get into danger?” Jasmine asked while drinking the warm milk.
“She will be fine.”
Vieya took a few fish from the black cat’s rations to feed Big White, thought for a moment, and said,
“The leaders of this small town have already discovered the anomaly over on the residential side and are searching for the source of the abnormality...”
As she spoke, she fell silent; she had also gone to take a look around Beckham Castle, but unfortunately there were no obvious signs on the surface.
The old city lord was taking this matter very seriously, especially since a Hero was missing.
So far, Rania had been out of contact for more than twelve hours.
Although protocol calls for action only after twenty-four hours, special situations require special measures.
“...I hope they can investigate quickly,” Vieya sighed.
She bit into a bun, shook out the pajamas she had just washed, and hung them on the balcony.
Suddenly.
A furtive figure caught her peripheral vision near the courtyard.
“Anna?”
Vieya froze. Why had this apostate Hero come here — could the tip-off already have taken effect?
Poor Anna had barely left the tea-and-snack shop when she discovered her portrait pasted all over town; with nowhere to hide, she was forced to flee from place to place.
On the balcony, Vieya knocked on the cast-iron railing; the sound rang out clear and crisp.
Dong—dong—dong.
Startled, skulking Anna snapped to attention, looked up, and met Vieya’s gaze on the balcony!
“...Oh no, could this be her home? And the house I... cough, borrowed things from was hers too?”
How could it be so coincidental!
If she found out I borrowed things from her, she would surely mock me, poke at my Hero resume until it hurt...
Oh gods, why are you so cruel!
This was the first time in her life Anna had stolen anything — why did she have to steal from the home of someone she knew?!
Anna’s little face fell; she stood stunned by the outer wall of the courtyard. In truth she had come to return clothes and money this time.
At the same time, she finally understood the strategic wisdom of those great thieves in the stories: scouting targets in advance.
...
In the parlor.
“You’re saying... you came to return the clothes?”
Vieya looked at Anna with curiosity and could not help but remark, “To have stolen things unnoticed under that cat’s watch, you weren’t a Second-Seat Hero for nothing.”
“Don’t say that...”
Anna covered her face and had nothing to cry about; ever since becoming an apostate Hero her luck had been stuck in a deep ditch.
Struck by lightning in the rain, fell into a pit while walking, when cooking noodles even a passing bird had to conveniently defecate into the pot...
“Um, I only have two silver coins on me; I’ll return those first.”
She fumbled in her pocket for change, counted carefully, pushed it onto the table, and said solemnly,
“I still owe one silver. Mark it down, I’ll repay you when I have money later...”
Actually, that small amount of money meant nothing to Vieya.
Moreover.
You’ve just returned your money to me now, so what will you eat later... Vieya suddenly thought this Second-Seat Hero must be out of her mind. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
Carrying the identity of an apostate, it is not easy to earn money. It is like someone recently released from prison struggling to find work; Anna’s situation was even worse.
Because she was not a released convict but an outlaw on the run.
Once her identity was exposed, wanted notices would follow, then running, then changing places.
If this cycle continued, how could you ever assemble the strength to arm-wrestle the Royal Capital?
Vieya propped her chin on her hand, her eyes hopeless.
But seeing her like this, if she did not accept, Anna might think Vieya was looking down on her.
Such people were usually troublesome because they refused to accept pity or sympathy.
For ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) these people, pity and sympathy were not honey but poison.
Treating them to a meal was fine; but if you literally threw money in their face, they would surely turn hostile.
“Fine, then. You still owe me one silver coin.”
Vieya took the silver coin and tucked it into her pocket.
After a long moment, she asked, “Do you still have any start-up funds on you now?”
“Start-up funds... that’s not urgent.”
Anna pinched her hands and glanced around. When she saw Jasmine sitting beside Vieya, she froze and said hesitantly,
“Your daughter’s body is strange; her mana affinity is almost zero... A person like that, in theory from birth—” Anna slapped her hand over her mouth, “Sorry, I did not mean to blurt that out.”
“......”
Vieya stared at her for a moment, then suddenly remembered that this woman had, by virtue of a special power that could strengthen magic a thousandfold, risen to Second-Seat Hero.
In terms of mastery over magical formulas, few on this land could surpass her.
Thinking that, Vieya stroked Jasmine’s hair, looked at Anna, and asked in a low voice,
“Then do you have a way to solve Jasmine’s problem? She really wants to learn magic... but her condition... is just as you said. It seems she cannot use any magic...”
“Mom...” Jasmine hugged Vieya’s arm; her small body trembled suddenly.
“It’s okay. Even if you’re a little useless forever, I can still support you,” Vieya comforted gently. The look and tone were a tenderness Anna had never seen.
So...
Even someone as strong as you has a soft spot.
Anna looked at her long and, feeling a sudden lightness of mood, relaxed. But when she thought of Jasmine’s condition, her brow tightened again.
This child’s physique was fragile; one could tell by the eye alone that her physical fitness lagged far behind her peers.
Moreover, her left hand and the entire left leg seemed to have defects... Every mage starts learning spells with their hands; lacking coordination in one hand at the beginning does not just halve the learning time — it multiplies the cost.
“May I ask why you are learning magic?” Anna suddenly asked.
Vieya was taken aback and had no time to respond before Jasmine spoke up, her voice full of determination,
“I do not want to be a burden. I want to get stronger, stronger... strong enough to protect everyone I want to protect...”
“Is that so?”
Anna’s aura shifted abruptly as if she had become a different person.
She fixed her crystal-blue eyes on Jasmine.
They were an indescribable eye color.
Not human eyes.
Like a profound starry sky, like molten glass, as if flowing.
Her red lips parted slightly. “Then, what price are you willing to pay for that?”
Price.
Jasmine took a deep breath, unusually pried her hand from Vieya’s, and stood up unsteadily.
“I do not want to pay too heavy a price... All I can promise is my perseverance, my resolve...”
“I have seen too many people with perseverance and resolve,” Anna laughed. “But none of those people reached your mother’s level, that degree! Do you still want to protect your mother? Don’t be ridiculous!”
“Anna!” Vieya said coldly, “Jasmine is still a child, not yet five years old.”
“Mom, it’s fine,” Jasmine shook her head. “I will grow up someday...”
Under Vieya’s terrifying glare, Anna not only did not flinch but snorted disdainfully.
“You keep sheltering your daughter like this; aren’t you tired? Even if you are not tired, have you considered your daughter?”
“Does she really want to always live under your protection? Once she loses your so-called protection, she will have a hard time surviving alone in this cruel world!”
“I—” Vieya did not know why, but facing Anna’s aggressive words, she panicked.
Faced with the unknown, even if one’s heart was helpless like a child’s, one would put on a brave face in front of others and say this is only a small hurdle.
Is it really a small hurdle?
She was terribly afraid of making another mistake, afraid her daughter would suffer the same fate as Flaviel because of her mistake.
Vieya fell silent and bowed her head as she endured the reprimand.
“Do not shout at my mother!” Jasmine glared at Anna.
“......”
Anna was speechless — for whom was she doing this?
In the end, one after another, everyone contradicted her.
“As expected of a mother-daughter pair, you two will cling to each other to death; one day you will regret it.”
Anna rose from the sofa, walked lightly toward Vieya across from her, placed both hands on Vieya’s shoulders, and leaned down slightly.
“I am not good at healing, but... if it is only to bypass the mana limitation and use magic, then I do have a method.”
A freshly washed set of nightclothes was pressed to her chest; Vieya reached out and took them.
“Those people have been on my tail lately, but I cannot kill them.”
The woman smiled charmingly, a scent surrounding Vieya’s nostrils.
“Let us talk about a collaboration. After all, I truly want to take revenge on those people; the anger of vengeance has long since been burning in me.”
“Decide quickly; do not make me wait too long.”
With that, Anna gave a faint smile, lowered her eyelids, and left, under Jasmine’s angry stare.
“Wait!”
Just as Anna was about to step out the door, Vieya stood up and said,
“We can make this deal, but... besides the matter of Jasmine, you must promise me one more thing.”
“Bargaining?”
