Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: A Special Gift
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Lucillea returned to her bedroom and immediately threw herself onto the bed.
‘Aaaaaaaah!’
Burying her face in a pillow, Lucillea let out a meaningless scream before rolling around on the bed.
The cloud-like bed bounced her small body, as if she might float up into the sky at any moment.
“You’re crazy, Lucillea! Absolutely crazy!”
Lucillea stopped squirming and shot upright.
Then, she pointed at herself with her short little finger and scolded.
“Who do you think you are? Are you their grandmother? Their mother?!”
She’d never even had a mother, so who was she to lecture them!
The more she replayed her own words, the redder her face became. It was refreshing to have said what she wanted, but the thought of facing Serdian again made her feel suffocated.
“Ugh, this mouth! This wretched mouth!”
Unable to hold back, she even slapped her own mouth.
Just then, Cookie flew over and landed on Lucillea’s lap.
[What’s the problem? Our Lucy was so cool earlier?!]
“Cool… you think so?”
[Yes! Super, super cool! The way you scolded them, all ‘You rascals!’ was just like Grandma Briola!]
“…That doesn’t sound like a compliment.”
[Hey, of course it’s a compliment! Grandma is super strong! You saw it earlier, right? They were so scared of Lucy that they just blushed and couldn’t say a word, right?]
Lucillea sighed.
“That wasn’t because they were scared. It was probably because they were dumbfounded.”
What do I do? I just barely became friends with Serdian. Is he going to call it off?
“No, what if he tattles to His Highness the Grand Duke? Saying I dared to be insolent to the heir of the Grand Ducal family…”
Lucillea groaned, clutching her head.
“I shouldn’t have even talked about living a long and quiet life… I really should just sew this mouth shut…”
At that, Cookie quietly nodded.
[That’s true. Sometimes Lucy’s snout… I mean, mouth, is like a carriage pulled by a mad horse.]
Just like today.
“…”
Lucillea glared at Cookie in silence. But Cookie paid her no mind and continued.
[But it’s okay!]
Excited for some reason, Cookie flapped its wings and exclaimed.
[Now those two handsome little brats won’t be able to say a peep to Lucy! Unofficially, Lucy has become number one in the pecking order! Wow! It’s a real life-reversal!]
“What do you mean, number one in the pecking order? I’ve become number one on the purge list!”
Lucillea buried her face in the fluffy duvet again.
A long sigh followed.
“…Surviving, you know… it seems like such a tiring business, Cookie…”
[…]
Cookie trotted over the duvet, carefully spreading its wings to pat Lucillea on the head.
[Lucy.]
Cookie’s round eyes curved gently, as if smiling. Its gaze upon Lucillea was warmer than ever.
[But isn’t that why the fruit born from that hardship is all the sweeter?]
A chuckle escaped Lucillea’s lips at Cookie’s words.
Turning her face, which had been buried in the duvet, to the side, Lucillea looked at Cookie and finally laughed.
“I’m only laughing because of you. Because of you.”
Cookie burst into laughter along with Lucillea.
***
And so, two days passed.
Surprisingly, she didn’t run into Serdian or Reiden during that time.
Of course, that was because Lucillea had intentionally stayed in the West Wing and hadn’t gone looking for Serdian.
Lucillea still hadn’t decided how to face Serdian.
Perhaps the decision wasn’t hers to make.
‘After all, if Serdian cancels our friendship, it’s over.’
That’s why she couldn’t even look toward the East Wing, afraid she might run into Serdian.
Afraid she would hear the dreaded words: Friendship canceled!
With such a troubled heart, she attended her magic lesson.
Lucillea placed a glass cup on the desk.
The water inside the transparent glass was frozen solid—Noa’s homework from a few days ago, which had been to freeze the water in the cup using only mana.
“Oh.”
Noa let out a short sound of admiration as he looked at the solidly frozen water in the glass on the desk.
‘She actually pulled it off?’
Though slightly surprised, Noa didn’t show it, schooling his expression.
“Good. Since you’ve completed this assignment properly as well, I’ll give you a gift today as promised.”
Noa said smugly, as if being generous.
At that, Lucillea’s vacant eyes suddenly sparkled.
“A gift!”
Right, that’s life. When something bad happens, something good is bound to follow.
I don’t know what to do about Serdian right now, but I can’t stay down in the dumps over it!
‘Developing my mana is just as important as Serdian is to me!’
Lucillea changed her mindset and straightened her posture in her chair.
Give it to me! Give it to me! Hurry up and give it to me!
Twinkle, twinkle. Lucillea’s eyes were not just lively; they were overflowing with vitality.
What could it be? What is he going to give me? He’s a great mage, so won’t the gift be something amazing?!
Lucillea’s anticipation grew and grew.
Just then, with a look of immense pride, Noa placed a single tree branch on Lucillea’s desk with a *thud*!
“Ta-da—!”
“…”
Lucillea stared down blankly at the object on her desk.
“This is the gift?”
When Lucillea asked with a look of disbelief, Noa shot back triumphantly.
“Yep. What do you think? Aren’t you shoooocked?”
“…”
Lucillea narrowed her eyes at the so-called ‘gift’ on the desk.
She was surprised.
In a different sense.
‘What is this?’
Lucillea picked up the withered branch from the desk.
*Swish, swish.* She waved it carelessly through the air, but no matter how she looked at it, it was just a branch.
So much so that she suspected he’d just gone into the northern forest and picked up something lying on the ground.
At that, Noa backed away hesitantly, waving his hands.
“Whoa, whoa! You can’t just wave it around recklessly like that!”
“…Why not? What happens if I wave it?”
Feeling mischievous, Lucillea waved the branch in the air even more dramatically, as if to show him.
“Whoa?! I told you not to!”
“I’m asking why not. What, is this branch going to shoot fire? Is lightning going to strike?”
Hmph. Lucillea scoffed as if the idea was ridiculous.
At that, Noa blinked and asked.
“Huh? How did you know?”
“…What?”
Lucillea, who had been waving the branch, abruptly stopped.
Noa grinned and said.
“I told you. It’s a gift.”
Lucillea’s eyes, which had been on Noa, rolled over to the branch in her right hand.
Noa then cleared his throat with an “ahem” and continued.
“It’s a wand I specially prepared to commemorate your excellent work on the assignment.”
A wand!
‘I’ve read about this in a book. It’s one of the weapons mages use.’
Just as knights use various types of weapons, mages also have several kinds.
They are broadly divided into staves, orbs, and wands.
Staves were said to increase attack power, and orbs to increase the amount of mana.
‘And wands have a casting speed far superior to other weapons.’
But.
Lucillea looked up at Noa and asked.
“Why a wand for me?”
The question of why it had to be this rotten branch was on the tip of her tongue, but since it was a gift, she couldn’t show her disappointment too strongly.
Noa saw Lucillea’s pouting face and smiled playfully.
“Not because you want to complain about why I gave you something that looks like a rotten branch?”
“…”
Lucillea’s pout deepened.
‘That man must be a mind reader,’ Lucillea thought, silently averting her gaze.
Noa said with a laugh.
“Don’t judge it by its looks. Despite its appearance, it’s made from a very rare material. And later, you can change it to any shape you want.”
“What?!”
Lucillea’s gaze snapped back.
“Any shape I want?”
“That’s right. Laaaater. Much, much later.”
Oho…?
‘So that means I can escape this rotten branch shape?’
Lucillea’s eyes, which had been filled with disappointment, began to sparkle brightly.
“You should have said so from the start.”
Seeing Lucillea grinning, Noa clicked his tongue.
“Appearance isn’t what’s important.”
But Lucillea declared confidently.
“It is important! A branch like this doesn’t give off the right magical girl vibe!”
“…?”
Noa tilted his head.
“What kind of girl?”
“It’s a thing.”
Those cool girls who defeat villains in the name of love and justice