“So you share my interest in hexes, do you?”
“I find them most curious, but there’s only so much I can learn on my own. Even expressing an interest in hexes could get me labeled a heretic or treated like a problem child.”
“You’d be labeled a heretic for the magic you can use now,” Petra said wearily, then looked up and shook her head.
Liliana returned an awkward nod. The taboo nature of her magic was exactly why she had chosen to study it in secret. “That’s why only you know about it, Ms. Myyrylainen.”
Petra threw her arms around herself and shuddered. “As I said, call me Petra. I’m not big on formalities.” She seemed genuinely uncomfortable—at least until a broad smirk spread across her face. “How about this? I could teach you the basics of hexes over the course of our trip, if you have time.”
Liliana’s eyes lit up. Her main goal was to get help in regaining her voice—but if she could learn about hexes as well, so much the better.
“Oh my. Would that really be all right?”
“Of course,” Petra said, not bothered in the slightest. “I wouldn’t have offered otherwise.”
“I sincerely appreciate it. Please allow me to compensate you for analyzing the hex on my throat, and for teaching me about hexes in general.”
“What? Compensate me? Are you serious?”
Petra had already been surprised several times during their conversation, but now she looked at her wits’ end. Liliana couldn’t understand why. The mage sighed deeply, looking up at her through the gaps in her wine-red bangs.
“A noble girl—especially one your age—would never think to compensate a commoner like me.”
“Is that so?”
“You’re, what, six or seven? Noble kids your age think it’s only natural to have clothes, food, an education, and a place to sleep. The fact that regular people have to pay for them never even crosses their minds. Then again, I had a hunch you were an oddball from how few coaches you brought.”
Liliana met Petra’s observation with skepticism—but the more she considered it, the more it rang true. Before regaining the memories of her past life, she had been a typical noble child, treating her servants like inanimate objects. She had never realized they had thoughts and feelings of their own—that they worked at the estate to earn money to sustain themselves, and that they had families waiting for them at home.
Pushing those musings aside, Liliana offered a composed smile. “This is simply who I am. I cannot be anyone else. I’m ashamed to admit I don’t know the going rate for your services, so please tell me if this is too little.”
Liliana made her offer: a sum just shy of what Petra would earn for accompanying her on this trip. The mage gave a nod, her satisfaction tempered by disbelief.
“It’s enough. For this price, I’ll even teach you about hexes once we’re back in Hudore.”
“Why, thank you,” Liliana said warmly. “I’m pleased to hear it.”
Petra opened another bottle of alcohol. “So, when do you wanna start? I wouldn’t mind today, if you’re up for it.”
Liliana checked the clock. It was already late; their conversation had stretched on longer than expected.
“We have to leave early tomorrow, so could we postpone my first lesson until next time?”
“Of course. Far be it from me to keep a kid up past her bedtime,” Petra said with a smirk, as if getting back at her companion for all the surprises.
Liliana nodded, paying the jab no mind, and rose to her feet. “This conversation has been as valuable as it has been delightful. I entrust myself to your care for the remainder of our long trip.” She bowed gracefully—and then vanished into thin air, having teleported without an incantation.
Petra froze in place, bottle of alcohol in hand. She might have thought the whole exchange a dream if not for the empty bottle of lemonade. When she finally returned to her senses, she slumped back into her chair.
“Oh, right... She’s still mute. But a kid her age, with so little experience of the world, teleporting around without incantations? Yeah, I give up.”
With that, one of the Kingdom of Slivegrandia’s most prominent mages admitted defeat. Liliana didn’t just have more mana—she also had a greater aptitude for magic.