“Then it’s decided. Mira, from now on, you’ll follow us and be our housekeeper. We’ll avenge you and wipe out those bandits!”
“Thank you… Thank you all! Thank you, Lord Liyakade!”
“Don’t call me that. Just call me Big Sister, Mira.”
“Yes! Sister Liyakade!”
Seeing that Liyakade and the others had agreed to take her in and avenge her, Mira was overcome with emotion beyond words.
Just then, a warm golden orb of light emerged from Alice’s hand.
Mira stared in shock at the scene before her.
Although she had never attended the Magic Academy, she wasn’t ignorant—she knew that humans could generally only use the elements of wind, fire, water, and earth.
The magic before her eyes was something she had never known existed.
What surprised Mira even more soon happened.
The golden light gently enveloped Mira, and she immediately felt a warmth inside her.
Her originally weakened body regained much vitality.
Her eyes, swollen from crying, and the scratches she’d gotten in the dark cellar slowly healed.
“S-Sister Alice? What is this?”
Mira opened her eyes, looking at Alice with both confusion and gratitude.
Although she didn’t know what it was, she knew that the magic Alice cast on her must be a healing spell.
“I am a Light Element Magic User, Mira.”
“As long as you’re with us, you won’t get hurt anymore.”
Feeling Mira’s grateful gaze, Alice was completely open with her, but she also didn’t forget to remind Mira not to tell anyone when they returned.
“Oh, and don’t tell anyone about this, okay?”
“Sister Alice, you’re actually a Light Element Magic User?!”
Mira was startled.
Although she didn’t know about the Prophecy, she had heard fairy tales about how a Light Element Magic User saved the Kingdom of Calderra and even the humans of other nations.
To see one in real life and be saved by her left Mira in unprecedented shock.
And this warm feeling and gentle magic truly made Mira feel the light.
Rescued from a dark, sunless existence where she constantly feared discovery, now not only was someone willing to avenge her, but she had also met the legendary Light Element Magic User.
The sheer magnitude of the change made Mira feel like she was dreaming.
Perhaps this was what they meant by “after surviving a great disaster, there must be great fortune.”
“I-I’ll never tell anyone, Sister Alice!”
Although Mira didn’t know why she couldn’t tell anyone, since it was her savior’s request, she would keep her mouth shut and not say a single word.
“Little Mira, will you take us to find the water source now?”
“Yes!”
Seeing that Mira’s mood had improved, Liyakade asked if she would take them to find the water source first.
Mira obediently agreed.
“There’s a well a bit further up the mountain path.”
“Our family usually fetched water from there.”
“I see. So those two bandits weren’t actually lying to us.”
Liyakade glanced contemptuously at the two figures that had fallen into the cellar, still unconscious.
She then took two coils of rope from her Storage Ring, jumped down through the hole she had made, and bound the bandits tightly.
Then, forming her right hand into a knife-hand strike, she stabbed both of them in the lower abdomen, completely shredding their Magic Circuits.
This was Liyakade’s precaution, afraid that rope alone wouldn’t hold them.
If these bandits woke up while Liyakade and the others were looking for the well, cut the rope with magic, and escaped, Liyakade would lose everything.
Since she had promised to avenge Mira, she intended to keep that promise.
These two bandits were the first step in destroying the bandits’ hideout.
After doing all this, Liyakade jumped out of the hole.
“That’s because those two never intended to take us to the well.”
“They thought they could subdue us here.”
Watching Liyakade jump back up, Field picked up the thread of Liyakade’s earlier words.
“Heh, overconfident fools.”
“By the way, Field, Alice, when did you two realize something was off about them?”
After securing everything, Liyakade chatted with Field and Alice, reviewing what had just happened.
“From the moment they said they were brothers.”
Field recalled the earlier scene and shared with Liyakade.
“They claimed to be brothers, but their appearances didn’t match at all. That’s one thing.”
“Second, their cabin clearly wasn’t meant for two people.”
“The room’s decorations were sparse—not frugal, but rather as if it had been ransacked.”
“However…”
At this point, Field turned her gaze to Mira.
“I thought no one would choose to live in a place infested with bandits.”
“Mira, didn’t you know there were bandits nearby?”
“No…”
Mira shook her head, her eyes dim.
“If we had known there were bandits here, we would have moved long ago…”
“When I was hiding in the cellar, I heard these bandits say their stronghold was on a different mountain.”
“They usually never came to this mountain, so we were able to live here for so long.”
“So that’s how it is. Sorry, Mira.”
After hearing Mira’s answer, Field understood the reason.
Maps with markings like that were usually only owned by the Adventurers’ Guild, merchant guilds, and nobles.
Commoners had to spend a lot of money to obtain such detailed maps, so it was understandable that ordinary people wouldn’t know.
“Let’s go.”
Liyakade smiled lightly at Mira, signaling her to lead the way to the water source.
However, Mira seemed hesitant.
“Sister Liyakade, are we just leaving these two bandits here?”
“Aren’t you going to kill them now?”
“What if they wake up and escape?”
Mira seemed uneasy about Liyakade’s measures.
Just two ropes—for people with magic, breaking free was not difficult.
“This is where you’re wrong.”
Hearing Mira’s confused remark, Liyakade showed no impatience.
Instead, she smiled and explained calmly.
“I’ve already completely destroyed their Magic Circuits.”
“They can’t use even a shred of magic now—they’re no different from ordinary people.”
“Two ropes are more than enough to hold them.”
“And there’s one more thing.”
At this point, Liyakade suddenly asked Mira with a meaningful tone.
“Little Mira said you wanted us to help you get revenge, and you heard that the bandits’ hideout isn’t on this mountain.”
“So do you know where their hideout is?”
“This… I don’t know…”
After hearing Liyakade’s question, Mira realized that although she had been crying for revenge, she didn’t actually know where the bandits’ hideout was.
Even if Liyakade and the others had agreed to avenge her, she couldn’t just lead them around aimlessly like headless flies.
“Hmph, that’s exactly why I left these two bandits alive.”
“Oh, I see!”
Reminded by Liyakade, Mira finally understood her intention.
She planned to use these bandits to find the hideout—this was what they meant by “casting a long line to catch a big fish.”
“And…”
As she spoke, Liyakade’s tone suddenly turned colder.
“Little Mira, they killed your family just like that.”
“Are you really satisfied with them dying so easily?”
“If it were me, I would make them suffer tenfold, even a hundredfold, before sending them to hell.”
Liyakade’s cold words made Mira shiver.
Of course she wanted those scumbags who killed her family to die as painfully as possible, but that was a thought buried deep in her heart.
Liyakade’s words undoubtedly stirred it up.
Mira looked at Liyakade again—could this girl who saved her, with an angelic face, actually be a demon?
However, after a brief moment of palpitation, Mira felt her mind heat up.
Liyakade’s words had clearly touched on what was in her heart and brought it to the surface.
That’s right.
She had prayed so hard, was willing to devote her entire life to Liyakade just for revenge.
How could she possibly just kill them simply?
Of course she would repay them tenfold, a hundredfold, a thousandfold!
“Sister Liyakade… you’re right.”
“I want to… I want to see them wail in agony.”
“I want them to regret laying a hand on my family!”
“That’s more like it.”
Seeing the dark flame reignite in Mira’s eyes, Liyakade nodded in satisfaction.
“Alright, take us to the well first.”
“As for what comes after, leave it to me.”
“Yes, ma’am! Sister Liyakade!”
With that, Mira walked ahead, leading the way.
Field and Alice, walking behind, glanced at each other.
“Do you think Liyakade is usually this violent?”
Field was the first to speak.
Although Liyakade had shown a cruel side before when killing the wanted criminals in the dungeon, that was during her Demonization.
But now, even without activating her Demon Bloodline, Liyakade seemed to become more savage.
When speaking to Mira just now, she seemed to unconsciously manipulate Mira’s emotions, trying to incite her desire for revenge.
“I don’t know…”
“But those people killed Mira’s family.”
“Even grinding their bones to dust wouldn’t be too much.”
Alice could understand Mira and Liyakade.
If someone killed Liyakade, Alice would definitely go after that person for revenge.
No matter how far she had to chase, Alice would burn them to ashes with Light Element, not even leaving their soul behind.
“You two, what are you still standing there for?”
“Oh, coming, coming.”
Liyakade turned around, calling to the two behind her.
Alice replied and, together with Field, caught up.