Chapter 06
That Bastard Came Looking Again (4)
‘If a girl who never even knew the first thing about magic suddenly says she can make magical potions and asks for cooperation, no one’s going to trust her.’
That was why she had no choice but to come up with a believable excuse while secretly preparing to make the potion.
A plant called Dies.
Its leaves split into three branches, resembling the tongue of a demon from legends.
If the roots of this plant were processed through a special method, they could be used as a neutralizer that eased the side effects of various magic potions.
Long ago, one of the witches had discovered it, and afterward witches quietly passed the method among themselves in secret.
But what on earth had happened to this world?
‘Not only did the witches’ association disappear, but witches themselves started being treated like evil beings.’
Because of that, the few remaining witches had hidden themselves away in remote places, and the manufacturing method seemed to have vanished from common knowledge.
‘If I hand this neutralizer over to the Magic Tower, the duke’s household might finally earn enough money to breathe again.’
Together with Betty, Mariela dug up piles of Dies roots and ground them carefully until her arms nearly fell off.
Then, in the middle of the night while everyone slept, she mixed moonflower root powder, dawn dew, and the blood of a pure virgin—namely her own—in a secret ratio.
And as a result—
“It’s finished!”
After struggling for an entire week, Mariela successfully completed ten bottles of neutralizer to present to the Magic Tower.
Now all that remained was taking them there…
‘If I were the head of the house—or honestly, even just a beggar girl—it would’ve been easier to move around.’
Being a noble lady who was awkwardly overprotected made it extremely difficult to do anything without attracting attention.
In the end, Mariela decided to reveal a small portion of the truth and rope Betty into helping her.
Inside a dimly lit room perfect for setting the mood—
“Betty, actually… I’ve always been a little extraordinary since childhood. Pretty, smart, kind…”
“Mmm…”
“Hey, why are you making that face?!”
“I agree you’re pretty, and smart too… but I think I need to think a little harder about the ‘kind’ part.”
“Ugh! Then forget the kind part!”
“I’m joking. Our young lady is definitely considerate and kind-hearted. But what are you trying to say with all this buildup?”
“I have talent for magic! Especially magical potions!”
“…What?”
Naturally, Betty couldn’t believe it easily.
Before leaving for the capital, Mariela had never shown any interest in that field.
If anything, she used to imitate her second older brother Marey swinging wooden swords whenever she got bored while watching him train.
“Look!”
As the saying goes, seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times.
In front of Betty, Mariela cast a flashy but ultimately useless spell called Holy Guide.
Golden thread-like strands of light sparkled beautifully in the air.
That alone was enough to dazzle ordinary people who knew little about magic.
‘I only managed this because I reached the 2nd Circle the other day.’
Light and darkness attribute magic were originally like that.
Even if they looked unimpressive on the surface because they served as the foundation for other magic, they required far more mana and mental strength than other attributes.
“Waaah, it’s so pretty!”
“I’m only showing this to you specially.”
Mariela used the strands of light to draw stars, hearts, flowers, and more.
After completely mesmerizing Betty with the circus-like display, she finally confessed that what she’d made from Dies roots a few days ago wasn’t cosmetics but a magic potion—and that she wanted to take it to the Magic Tower and make a deal.
“With something this important, shouldn’t you discuss it with the eldest young master—no, the Duke?”
“What if I give everyone hope and then disappoint them?”
Though in truth, more than anything, she wanted to surprise them later with good news.
When Mariela deliberately showed a vulnerable side of herself, Betty nodded as if she understood.
“I understand how you feel, my lady.”
Just as expected, once Betty became her accomplice, going outside became much easier.
“The shopping district has good security, doesn’t it? Betty and I can walk around just fine by ourselves!”
Mariela deliberately chose the time when the knights would be busy training and headed into the bustling district of the duchy with only Betty accompanying her.
The Magic Tower was one of the wealthiest organizations on the continent.
Its main tower stood in the continent’s only free city, while branches were established near busy districts in every region.
The branch in the Esteban Duchy was also located at the edge of this shopping district.
“Oh my, look at those shoes. They’d suit you perfectly, my lady.”
“Shoes? Forget that. No—if this magic potion deal succeeds, I’ll buy you piles of shoes like those.”
“Haha, just hearing that makes me happy.”
Unlike Betty, who was excitedly looking around the district for the first time in ages, Mariela focused only on the distant Magic Tower as she walked.
Then—
‘White hair…?’
A peculiar hair color glimpsed among the crowd caught her attention.
If it had belonged to an old man, she wouldn’t have thought much of it.
‘But it looked like a young man.’
Just like that damned bastard.
Mariela’s heartbeat quickened slightly.
How should she put it?
It felt like standing in front of a bed where a cockroach was hiding somewhere underneath.
‘…If I ignore this, it’ll bother me so much I won’t sleep for days. I have to check.’
Like a salmon swimming upstream, Mariela abruptly turned around and began searching for the white-haired man.
“My lady!”
Betty hurried after her.
“Did you suddenly remember somewhere you needed to stop by?”
“Wait. I’m looking for someone. Stay quiet so I can focus.”
“Who are you looking for?”
“…A man with pure white hair. If you spot him, quietly tell me—don’t shout.”
“Is he dangerous?”
“Uh… depending on the situation?”
Though he often imitated humans well enough, his true nature was still that of a crazed lizard.
“Wouldn’t it be better to pretend you never saw him?”
“But having this lingering uneasiness is awful too.”
How long had they wandered through the streets like that?
“My lady… are you talking about that man over there?”
Pretending to point at a dress displayed in the shop window ahead, Betty whispered quietly.
Mariela’s eyes widened.
“Wow, that really is a beautiful dress.”
Thump. Thump.
Her heart pounded wildly.
Warning alarms blared nonstop inside her head.
‘Crazy! It really is that bastard!’
The man sitting elegantly in the café beside the dress shop, sipping a drink like a painting come to life—
It was the White Dragon, Hereis.
The damned lizard that no one except the great witch Shyloi could handle.
His perfectly pure white hair without a single impurity, golden eyes shining like the sun, sharp nose, and even the lips that somehow still looked beautiful while saying hateful things—
Everything was exactly the same as in her memories.
And not just that.
The closer she got, the more her soul itself seemed to tingle strangely.
‘What is this? Is our familiar contract still active or something?’
Whatever the reason, one thing was clear.
She was screwed.
No—just one step away from being completely screwed.
Mariela slowly backed away.
“My lady?”
“Betty, come to think of it, we had somewhere important to go, didn’t we? Hurry!”
“Huh?”
At that moment, the Magic Tower became more than just an important business opportunity to Mariela.
It became a refuge from the gaze of the insane lizard.
‘Maybe that bastard hasn’t noticed anything yet.’
And even if he had—
‘Once I enter the Magic Tower, he’ll assume I’m not the witch he knew and lose interest!’
After all, the Shyloi of her previous life had looked down on ordinary magicians quite a bit.
‘Ugh… who knew that terrible personality would actually help someday.’
Still dragging along a thoroughly confused Betty, Mariela quickly hurried toward the Magic Tower.
Completely unaware that the other party had already started watching her as well.
Esteban Duchy Magic Tower Branch
In this area, it was the only place large enough to rival the ducal castle itself.
Unlike the quiet atmosphere of the duke’s residence, however, the Magic Tower lobby was always crowded and noisy.
People constantly came to purchase magic potions or commission skilled mages from the Tower.
Of course, there were also many people like Mariela who came to propose profitable deals to the Magic Tower.
That was why there were multiple reception counters divided according to purpose of visit—yet every line was still long.
“Wow…”
Mariela suddenly felt the stark difference between her past and present.
‘Me… standing in line.’
If she had come here as Shyloi—
A line? Ridiculous.
Except for those with truly urgent business, every mage here would’ve rushed outside and bowed to her at a perfect ninety-degree angle.
‘Ah… what a miserable fate.’
But what could she do?
Her glorious past was gone, and now she had no choice but to adapt to her pitiful present.
“W-Wait… aren’t you a young lady of House Esteban?”
Fortunately for Mariela, one of the mages recognized her identity.
This was none other than the Esteban Duchy.
No matter how much the ducal house had declined, no one could afford to mistreat members of the family that ruled the territory.
‘Feels nice being treated properly for once.’
Having a noble title attached to her really did have its advantages.
Betty was guided to the waiting room, while Mariela herself was escorted to a reception room reserved for honored guests.
