“Yep. Wanna read them all?”
“I’d love to! It’s...my dream... Oh, I’m sorry.” She quickly released Mil’s hand after calming down a little. But even as Yulia went back to being her usual wary self, her eyes were still sparkling.
“Do you wanna visit the royal capital, Yulia?” It would explain why Yulia had asked about becoming an adventurer.
“Huh? Oh... Um...” She began fidgeting and rubbing her fingers together.
Looks like I’m right. Is this my chance?
“Okay! Then how about I take you there? I was thinking I’d take my time and have adventures on my way to the royal capital anyway. And I can definitely get you permission to enter the library.”
Only palace sorcerers with permission from the king could enter the library, but Mil could convince her father to make an exception for Yulia. In fact, she was sure he’d welcome a first-rate mage like Yulia with open arms.
“M-Me? Go with you...?”
“Yep! I was worried I’d be lonely by myself. When I saw adventurers in the royal capital, I always enjoyed watching them form parties.”
Mil had enjoyed her adventure since leaving the Demon King’s Castle, but she couldn’t deny feeling like it was lacking without any companions. She was sure the adventure would be even more fun if Yulia agreed to join her.
But Yulia shook her head. “I’d like to go...but I can’t leave the village. I’m sorry. Without me, the villagers won’t have the power to defend against monster attacks. I’m the only one who can enchant the tools.”
The village elder had said that they’d come to rely on enchantments because of the lack of young people in the village. If Yulia was gone, then her enchantments couldn’t be replaced after being used up, and the village’s defenses would gradually weaken. That fear kept Yulia from leaving.
“Oh...”
It was clear she wanted to go, but Mil couldn’t force her. Besides, Yulia would have a strong attachment to her hometown no matter the situation.
“I’m sorry,” Yulia said, “but maybe you can talk to me about the royal capital until you leave...?”
“No problem! Ask me anything! I’ll tell you all our kingdom’s secrets!”
“You...don’t have to go that far.”
They’d only have until the next day, but that was enough. As long as Mil could enjoy a conversation with her first ever friend.
As the village elder moved away from the door to Mil’s room, he could still hear the two girls talking happily.
✧✧✧
Mil had fallen asleep in her bed at some point. She knew she’d been up late into the night talking to Yulia, but she didn’t remember how the conversation ended. She woke up alone, so Yulia must have returned to her own room.
Her concerns didn’t last long however, as Mil caught the sweet aroma of freshly baked bread and guessed that the village elder was making breakfast.
She slowly got out of bed, put on her gear, and affixed her sword to her waist.
Though she wished she could stay longer, she decided she’d set out that same morning to avoid being a burden.
When she left the room and headed to the dining room, she saw that it was actually Yulia, not the elder, who’d been making breakfast.
“G-Good morning.” Yulia fidgeted a little and looked down at her feet as she greeted Mil.
“Good morning, Yulia.” Mil felt all the more lonely knowing this was her last chance to see Yulia’s cuteness.
“Breakfast’s ready... Please have some...”
Since breakfast for three had already been served on the table, Mil figured it would be a waste not to eat it before setting out.
“Is the village elder still sleeping?” she asked.
“No, he went to fetch water from the well. I think he’ll be back any moment.”
Making breakfast must have been one of Yulia’s daily chores.
Just as Mil was about to sit down, she noticed the farming tools left by the entrance.
“Have you been enchanting those?”
“Th-That’s right.”
Mil picked up a hoe that was leaning against the wall. Just by touching it, she could tell it was imbued with purified mana. She used Goddess Eye to examine it further.
Two-handed Weapon: Hoe
Required Stats: none
Description: Advanced fire enchantment. 15 uses.
It really did have a usage limit. Once the enchantment ran out, it would go back to being an ordinary hoe.
“Where are you going to put them?” Mil asked.
“They’re kept in a storehouse near the village square.”
“How about I take them there?”
“I can’t let you do that... It wouldn’t be right.”
“You’ve taken care of me and given me good food. I want to do something in return.”
“No! You don’t have to do anything.”
Mil knew she wouldn’t get anywhere by arguing over it with Yulia, so she simply gathered them up in her hands without getting approval.
“Hup. The storehouse by the square, right?”
“Uh... Sorry. It’s the one made from brick. It’s easy to spot.”
“I’ll be back soon.”
Mil hurried away from the house, passing people here and there on her way to the square. Some were farmers with hoes in hand, probably headed to their fields, and others were women headed to the well to draw water.
“Oh? Is that you, Mil?” The village elder noticed Mil looking around for the storehouse. He was on his way back from the well with a bucket full of water in each hand.
“Oh, good morning.”
“Good morning. Those are the new enchanted tools, aren’t they? Sorry, I was going to carry them myself once I was done fetching water.”
“I don’t mind.”
It was a small price to pay for the food and lodging. If anything, Mil felt she should have done more.
“You’re a good girl. I’m sure Yulia’s going to—ah.” The village elder started saying something but then stopped.
“Going to what?”
“Sorry... I overheard you talking to her last night, and it confirmed my suspicions. Yulia wants to go to the royal capital, doesn’t she?”
She did, but she was too concerned about the village to actually go anywhere.
The village elder sighed and then continued. “The truth is, Mil, I’d like Yulia to go out and learn more. Her talents are wasted in a little place like this. She talks about wanting to be here for us, but we’re just holding her back.”
A few farmers approached as the village elder was talking.
“Are you talking about Yulia?”
“It’s not right how we’re always relying on her. And you know how Yulia is. She has big ambitions but puts herself second.”
“Exactly.”
“We have to do something.”
More farmers and some women too were starting to gather. Everyone sounded worried about Yulia.
She sure is loved, Mil thought. Everyone in the village loves her. They want to let her follow her dreams, but they can’t. If only I could help somehow.
The village elder looked down at his feet, deep in thought, then looked at Mil and said, “Oh, I’m sorry, Mil. I didn’t mean to hold you up. Let’s head back to the house and have breakfast.”
“I have to store these tools first.”
“No, you should let me handle that,” a farmer said before taking the tools Mil was carrying.
That’s right... They need these tools...
Yulia couldn’t leave the village because the enchantments on these tools were always running out. If only the tools were permanently enchanted, the problem would be solved.
“Could I have one of those?” Mil asked.
“Sure, but what for?”
“I want to try some magic on it...”
Mil took a hoe and examined it using Goddess Eye. Her hope was that she could reinforce the enchantment using her power as a goddess’s priestess, or using some spell she’d learned in the Demon King’s Castle.
Two-handed Weapon: Hoe
Required Stats: none
Description: High-grade fire enchantment. 15 uses.
She tried tapping the weapon name and the use count, but both just gave her more information, with no options for reinforcement.
Maybe... She decided to try another spell that she’d learned.
One of the forbidden spells she’d learned in the Demon King’s Castle was dark magic known as chaotic enchantment. With it applied, the hoe would be able to attack with black mana, and as long as the wielder kept channeling in more mana when they used it, the enchantment would never run out.
“Chaotic enchantment!” Black miasma poured from Mil’s outstretched hand.
The sight caused some alarm among the farmers, but the miasma coming from Mil’s palm was soon absorbed by the tool.
“I did it! Huh?”
Just when she thought it had worked, the hoe began to shake violently. Then it began spewing black orbs that scattered in all directions. There were a number of violent ka-dunk noises as the black orbs gouged holes out of the ground.
“Whoa! What’ve you done, Miss Adventurer?!”
“Watch out!”
There was panic all around.
“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!” Mil cried as she threw the hoe to the ground, smashing its handle into two. The black orbs stopped appearing the moment the hoe broke, restoring calm once more.
“Uhh... This magic’s too powerful.”
The hoe was made of wood and iron, but it seemed forbidden magic wasn’t compatible with anything but holy swords or magic swords forged using mana crystals.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to break the hoe. I hope no one was hurt.”
“We’re fine. We’re fine.”
“I got hit, but it wasn’t any hotter than my furnace in the workshop.”
“It just gave me a fright, that’s all.”
The villagers were laughing it off. People who lived near the Demon King’s Castle really were far tougher than most.
As forgiving as the farmers were, Mil didn’t want to waste more of their tools, so she couldn’t attempt any more enchantments.
“What am I going to do...?” Chaotic enchantment was the only spell Mil had for permanently enchanting things.
“Wh-What’s going on? Why’s everyone gathered?”