Chapter 13
[02. That’s why I said drug abuse is not allowed.]
“Hoo.”
It’s already been a month and a half as of today.
Excluding the time when she collapsed and was on the brink of death, Daphne had come out to the training grounds every single day and trained.
By gritting her teeth and running endlessly like that, the number of times she collapsed had noticeably decreased compared to before. On top of that,
[Daphne Akion]
Stamina: 70 Charm: 300
Strength: 10 Magic Power: 5
Her stamina and strength had increased significantly.
At this level, it seemed like it would be okay to spar with Arius once. She wouldn’t collapse in one hit like last time, after all.
‘When Arius comes later, maybe I should ask him to play around a bit.’
Ever since the day Arius had offered her a lily flower not long ago, he had been continuously visiting Daphne up to now.
He would sit by her side and train mana together, or practice swordsmanship nearby so as not to leave Daphne’s field of vision.
At first, she had been wary, wondering why he was doing this, but nowadays, she felt empty without him.
It was annoying that he kept chattering away, but it was somewhat fun in its own way.
“This must be what they mean by communing with humans. Even after living so long, there are things I don’t know. The world truly has much to teach.”
Daphne pursed her plump lips and crossed her arms.
Then, Teti, who had been banging her head in front of Daphne, cautiously let out her voice.
“Um, Lady Daphne. How about trying to commune with an elf as well? The pitiful elf right in front of Lady Daphne is trembling all over.”
“It is a grave sin to have fed me the medicine without properly explaining the side effects.”
“Ha. Ha. Ha. I did explain, but Lady Daphne ignored it…”
“Are you saying it’s my fault?”
“…No, it seems my explanation was insufficient. I will continue banging my head.”
Teti was currently performing the head-banging punishment for the crime of having dared to create a potion that made a dragon spit blood.
In truth, Daphne had been willing to let the potion itself slide, but this fool had ignored the great dragon three times—first by having Anne call her but not coming, then An-na, and so on—which was why she was doing this.
“It seems I need to learn magic first after all.”
Daphne hopped down from the chair.
“I can’t use summoning magic, so this vile Teti is completely ignoring me and running away, isn’t she?”
“How could that be! It wasn’t running away; I was truly so busy making the medicine!”
“This one is even talking back now. Shall I kill you?”
“ugh, this wicked Teti. This Teti who deserves to die. There’s another me inside me, and this other me keeps acting out. It seems you should kill this one first.”
Daphne rested her chin on her hand and stared at Teti.
She had known that most elves who came out into human society were crazy, but this was the first one this insane.
What on earth was wrong with this one to end up like this? Daphne clicked her tongue.
“Are you annoyed that you’re the one doing this?”
“No? How could I be?”
“Punishment for ignoring this body for a whole month and a half—doesn’t it feel truly insufficient? Don’t you think so?”
“No? Not insufficient at all?”
“How about I cut your life force in half as a fitting punishment?”
At that moment, Teti completely froze.
To an elf, the life force is like the heart. The heart keeps one alive by transporting blood, and the life force makes them one with ‘nature’ by transporting mana.
As Daphne said, if the life force is severed, she would become an elf rejected even by nature.
In other words, it means becoming an incompetent elf.
“I was wrong. I’ll gladly accept any punishment, but please not the life force. Can’t it be something else?”
“You only have a mouth that’s alive.”
“I’ve lived a long time feeding and surviving on this mouth. No, don’t hit me. So, I’m really not lying. I was busy making the medicine. Really! Even ten bodies wouldn’t be enough! Can’t you give me another punishment? Yes?”
Daphne lifted the corner of her mouth into a smirk.
“Then bring more mana stones imbued with your magic power.”
“Yes?”
“There’s a limit to increasing magic power through training, so I have to stuff in your magic power, don’t I?”
Teti’s head spun. No, Daphne was right, but still, wasn’t it weird to give an elf’s magic power to a dragon? Dragon magic power and elf magic power have different textures?
However, she didn’t voice such thoughts. If she did, Daphne might impose another strange punishment!
“Yes! I’ll bring them next time!”
“Good. You’ll need to gather at least a hundred.”
“Yes?”
Teti hiccuped.
“A, a hundred?”
“Yes. That’s about as much as I think I can recover from.”
“…Um, even so, I can’t gather a hundred mana stones all at once. And my magic power has limits too.”
“Ah. Then it seems the limitless me needs to push you to your limits.”
“A hundred? It’s like eating cold soup. Just trust me!”
One could say Teti’s quick change in attitude was the best on the continent.
Daphne eyed Teti annoyingly as she swiftly changed her words, but said nothing more.
If Teti gathered the mana stones as ordered, it would quickly restore Daphne’s body condition, and if not…
‘I can just cut the life force and use it myself.’
Either way, it would flow in a good direction for Daphne, so she could stop the teasing here.
Daphne looked down at Teti once more.
“So, what is that medicine?”
“Yes! I’ll explain!”
Teti jumped to his feet and pulled out several potions from hus subspace. Then she quickly handed Daphne a vial filled with purple liquid.
“The others are still unfinished, but this one is complete.”
“What effect does this have?”
“It nullifies Lady Daphne’s curse and allows you to draw out your original power. However, the duration is a bit short.”
“Oh how?”
Not only does it nullify the curse, but it can also draw out the power from when she was Selus. It seemed useful, but the short duration nagged at her.
“How long does the effect last that you call it short?”
“About 10 seconds.”
“Bury it.”
“Yes.”
Leaving Teti, who had buried his head again, behind, Daphne gazed at the distant mountains.
“For some reason, lately it feels like my patience is being tested. What do you think?”
“Lady Daphne’s patience must be the strongest in the world. How about enduring a bit more?”
“Hm. No good. I’ll just kill you.”
“Aaak! Wait a moment! Am I not Lady Daphne’s loyal servant!”
“A mere servant, is that all?”
“…I’m a slave. I am Lady Daphne’s slave.”
“Good.”
Daphne snapped her fingers.
“Slave, carry me. To the nearby mountain. I need to do my mana training.”
“Yes, yes. Understood.”
Without even time to heal her head from the long banging, Teti awkwardly carried Daphne on her back.
“A mountain with clean spiritual energy will do, right?”
“Of course.”
“This loyal slave will serve her master’s command. So please exercise more patience.”
“Good.”
Shwaaa-
A light embracing Teti and Daphne, holding the clear blue sky like Teti’s hair, enveloped them. And in an instant, they disappeared.
***
Mana is the energy of nature.
Thus, mana training is most effective in mountains filled with pure spiritual energy.
Daphne took a deep breath, drawing the clean air deep into her lungs. Then she spoke to Teti, who was holding her up while banging hus head.
“Where is this place?”
“It is a mountain on the border of the Akion Grand Duke’s territory. It connects to the Ansihwa Mountain Range.”
“Oh ho. So that’s why the elf energy feels so thick.”
“Yes. And since my master is using me as a chair, you can’t help but feel the elf energy even more.”
“Are you being sarcastic?”
“No.”
Daphne got down from the trembling Teti and looked around before promptly sitting in the lotus position.
“Hoo.”
Daphne focused on the mana vessel in the center of her chest and continued deep breathing.
Inhaling the mountain’s spiritual energy, exhaling the traces of the curse.
This breathing wouldn’t have much effect on the curse, but it would help in accumulating magic power. Daphne continued breathing for a long while.
“Living to see a dragon doing mana training…”
Teti, whose head had finally left the ground, shook his head and guarded the surroundings.
It was because if her composure broke during training, a mana rampage could occur.
An elf guarding a dragon in the midst of mana training— Teti thought even searching through continental history, this wouldn’t have happened.
Then, suddenly, she became curious about what this mad dragon was thinking.
Before, she would have been too busy submitting to care what a crazy dragon thought, but it seemed she had adapted to the stone dragon. She could even have such stray thoughts now.
‘It doesn’t seem like just amusement.’
If it were truly just amusement, she wouldn’t live in such a scarecrow-like body.
Seeing that she didn’t know about the curse or the family, it really seemed like she had somehow ended up in that body… What on earth was this mad dragon thinking? Or did she have no thoughts… Had she filled her brain with muscle too… Why did I get caught by such a psycho…
Teti looked up at the sky and sniffled.
How much time passed like that?
When the sun at the zenith touched the tips of the trees.
Daphne’s closed eyes slowly opened.
[Daphne Akion]
Stamina: 70 Charm: 300
Strength: 10 Magic Power: 8
“Hmm.”
After scanning her body once, Daphne raised an eyebrow.
“Not bad at all. I should come train here occasionally.”
“Yes, please do.”
Instead of words, Daphne stared piercingly at Teti. Teti laughed awkwardly, ha ha ha. Ha ha ha, ha ha ha… Then he bowed his head deeply.
“I’ll buy a teleport magic tool… To connect your room, master, and this place.”
“A slave who acts on hid own even without the master’s command is rare.”
“Yes, yes. I am a valuable asset.”
This time, she didn’t say anything to Teti who was sarcastic. Perhaps because the brief training had yielded results.
Daphne wasn’t in a bad mood. If things continued like this, hope was born that she could defeat that hero bastard.
‘Overthrow, hero. Kill, hero. Defeat, hero…!’
It was while Daphne was muttering words like a spell.
“Kyaaak!”
“P-Please spare me! Aaak!”
Screams from several people rang out. Daphne immediately turned her head toward the sound, but Teti did not.
“Now, shall we head back? Get on. I’ll move right away.”
Teti acted as if she hadn’t heard the screams just now. Daphne stared at her piercingly again.
“I heard human screams.”
“Ah, yes. I heard them too.”
Teti, who had replied calmly, tilted her head.
“But?”
“…”
Teti is an elf.
Elves have no interest in humans.
In other words, just as humans don’t wonder about the lives of ants when they see them, Teti viewed humans the same way.
Whether they die or not. Whether they suffer injustice or not.
That’s their business, not Teti’s. So there was no reason for her to think anything upon hearing those screams.
“We should go quickly before it gets noisier. Hurry and get on.”
Teti looked at Daphne with a perfectly clean face without a speck of dust, and Daphne let out a long sigh as she looked at her.
“This is why I hate you all. Selfish race that only knows their own kind.”
“Yes? What do you…”
“I’ll go save them.”
Daphne pulled out the purple potion vial she had received from Teti earlier.
“This is the great mission of I.”
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By Anna 💓
