Between Your Letter and My Reply

Chapter 83

[Translated By Divinity]

“Those bastards are giving you a hard time? Asking to borrow your power?”

“It’s not borrowing; they’re trying to steal it.”

Damian grumbled in disapproval. Soliel paced in circles, her arms flailing in the air, her face full of indignation.

“This is why I live in hiding! Those persistent bastards are so bothersome. Even though I spread rumors that all wizards are dead, there’s always someone who manages to find me.”

“I understand, I understand.”

Soliel grabbed Lilliana’s hand at her words and patted it, saying,

“Right? You understand? I’ll help you, child.”

With the mention of being harassed, the wizard-client relationship instantly transformed into one of grandmother and granddaughter.

“But, um… how much of the Salamander’s power do you have? Is it comparable to Oracis?”

Soliel’s question made Lilliana’s face flush with embarrassment. She held out her hand and created a fireball, then said in an uncertain voice,

“This is… all I have.”

“…”

Soliel blinked, looking at the flame, then asked cautiously,

“It’s okay to create a bigger flame. This space is protected by magic.”

“This is the biggest fireball I can create.”

“Can you shoot it or…”

“If the fire isn’t attached to something, it disappears as soon as it leaves my hand.”

“…”

Soliel scratched her head with a somewhat disappointed expression, then crossed her arms and asked Lilliana,

“Do those who are bothering you know that this is the extent of your power?”

“I’m not… sure.”

Lilliana trailed off, avoiding eye contact, and Damian spoke up.

“It probably doesn’t matter to them how strong Lilliana’s power is.”

“What do you mean?”

Damian explained to Soliel the motive Pascal had mentioned regarding Marquis Sutton. He explained that those targeting Lilliana weren’t after her power itself but the opportunity to absorb it.

Soliel listened silently to Damian’s words, then rubbed her chin with her fingertip and said thoughtfully,

“That makes sense.”

“If they were simply after your power, things would be simpler. It would be a matter of choosing whether to cooperate or not. But if your life is at stake, it’s a different story.”

Soliel nodded and snapped her fingers.

“Alright! You have quite a few small jewels, don’t you? Then I’ll imbue each one with magic. As I said before, they might not be powerful, but if you use them wisely, they can be used for deception or to buy you some time.”

“Thank you.”

“Or you can buy other magic items.”

Soliel said, pointing to the various items displayed on the shelves.

“These are all magic items. I guarantee their quality. I have pretty much everything except for forbidden spells. How about a magic cloak that makes you invisible or a potion that turns you into a mouse for an hour?”

Lilliana approached the shelves and started examining the items. While she was looking at a dancing rabbit doll, Damian, who wasn’t interested in trivial magic, asked Soliel,

“Do you have any magic that can attack people? I’d prefer something more powerful than firearms…”

“Oh, I told you, I don’t use forbidden spells.”

“Is attack magic forbidden?”

“Yes. Of course, there are many spells that aren’t meant for attack but can harm people depending on how they’re used. But spells that directly attack people have been forbidden among wizards for over 300 years.”

“Why is that?”

“When remnants of the mythical age still lingered, people used to hire wizards during wars and conflicts. They used magic to exert force. Because of that, wizards, unlike their previous image as wise sages, are now considered evil beings.”

Soliel gave Damian a dark smile. Then, in an exaggerated, theatrical tone, as if trying to scare him, she said,

“Unknown beings who use mysterious powers to harm people.”

Damian recalled the painting of the wizard by Lilliana’s mother, Yugo Song.

If it weren’t for the explanation that she was a wizard, it would have looked like a painting of a friendly, gentle old woman playing with children.

But the wizards Damian knew were different from the one in the painting. As Soliel said, they were eccentric and fearsome beings who used magic to harm people.

“So, wizards made a vow. We designated spells that harm humans or cause chaos in this world as forbidden spells, and any wizard who uses them will have their magic taken away and be imprisoned.”

“But wizards are scattered and don’t reveal themselves to humans. How would you even know who used what kind of magic?”

“Oh, of course. A wizard’s abilities aren’t that simple. I told you, we were called sages. We know everything.”

Damian couldn’t quite understand Soliel’s words, but she was different from the image he had of wizards.

If he had met her outside, he would have thought she was just a haughty noblewoman.

“We could be anything. That means we could also become a source of tragedy for others. We are those who have chosen the path of the sage. And a sage doesn’t side with evil. Evil beings are not wise.”

Just then, Lilliana came back with a brown bottle and asked seriously,

“Damian! This potion apparently turns any food into chocolate flavor. Should we buy it?”

“Why are you asking me? It’s your money, not mine. Buy it if you want to.”

“Really? It’s 800 Hirks. For that price…”

“Put it down.”

Damian said firmly, changing his tone, but Lilliana ignored him and asked Soliel secretly,

“Do you have a potion that turns things into whipped cream cake flavor? If you do, I want to buy it as a set with this one.”

“I can make it if you request it. But the price will be a bit higher since it’s a custom order. About a thousand Hirks.”

Lilliana finally hesitated. Damian looked at her with a dazed expression and said,

“We came here to request magic. That should be the priority.”

“Ah, right. Then I’ll buy this if I have any money left over.”

‘So she’s still planning to buy it.’ Damian shook his head.

“Alright, come here, and I’ll consult with you about the magic for the jewels.”

Soliel gestured towards a small tea table next to the counter, and Lilliana and Damian sat in front of it.

While Soliel pulled out a thick magic book from under the table, Lilliana took out the jewels she had brought and laid them out in front of Soliel.

The small oval-cut opal she had shown earlier, a few 1-carat diamonds, uncut peridot and amethyst, a square-cut red ruby, a round-cut sapphire…

They were all small jewels, but each was of the highest quality.

Soliel rolled the jewels around with her fingers and said,

“Different jewels are suited for different magic. But with these, I can imbue most kinds of magic. However, since the jewels are small, they’ll be single-use. Do you have any specific spells in mind?”

Lilliana looked at Damian with innocent eyes.

Damian was the expert in protection and combat. His opinion was the most important when it came to protecting Lilliana. So she intended to leave this matter to him.

However, Damian, who knew nothing about magic, had rather abstract ideas.

“A spell that can make someone disappear without a trace, without any legal issues…”

“That’s an excellent example of a forbidden spell.”

“Right?”

Soliel laughed at his absurd request, and Lilliana sighed deeply.

‘What kind of scary things is this guy saying so casually?’

******

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