Reincarnated as the Lady Prodigy

Six

Elise Reynolds*

Pacing back and forth while waiting for Lady Jozine, a knock sounded.

“Elise?” It was the coachman, Carlito. “Is Lady Jozine back?”

I opened the door and shake my head, “The lady has yet to arrive, Carlito.”

Carlito is Lady Jozine’s personal coachman just recently. Every time he knows that the lady will go out he would offer his service, something that he usually does not do.

“Should I follow her up in the mountain?” His voice sounded worried, his forehead creases.

I shake my head. Although I worry for Lady Jozine’s safety, I trust her and her decisions. She might be acting strange after she failed her breakthrough, for me, she’s getting better. She changed for the better. She’s now more vocal and no longer expressionless and cold like before.

My lady has started to open up.

Upon arriving on the first floor on the inn, several people are busy eating. It’s quite noisy especially the table on the corner where there are group of men. They’re hunters from the way they dressed. One of them has a scar on his face and seems to be the leader of the group.

We sat on the table near the door. More than thirty minutes or so, the inn’s door opened, the familiar robe and long black hair tied entered.

I abruptly stood up and approached her, relieved. “My lady!” She looks at my direction with her head crease.

“Oy, why are you here? Were you hungry?” She asks to which I shake my head. My lady look behind her and heaved a sigh. It was then that I realized someone is behind her, someone wearing a brown robe.

“I will go ahead now that Lady Jozine is back.” Carlito whispered behind me and silently left without saying anything to my lady. I smiled. The old man was obviously worried but also too embarrassed to approach Lady Jozine.

“My lady, let me help you with your belonging.” I offered.

“Thanks.” She handed me the bag she brought, it seemed lighter than before. “You,”— she said talking to the person behind her, “let’s go upstairs and Elise,”— she turned to me, I slightly bowed, “could you order us some food? I’m afraid someone’s starving to death already.” I bowed and quietly left for the reception area.

I glance to my left, Lady Jozine and the person behind her is making their way towards the second floor. It took minutes before my order arrived, after paying five coins of silver, I carefully but hurriedly went upstairs. I opened the door and was welcomed with a woman with a golden blonde hair, her ears sharp, her skin as white as snow.

An elf! An ice elf!

I almost dropped the tray I’m holding, good thing the elf got a hold of it.

Closing the door, Lady Jozine is now fixing her hair while I remained speechless. To think my lady brought an ice elf with her, is an ice elf the ‘assistant’ she was talking about?

“My lady...” I whispered when I got close to her glancing to my side where the elf is currently sitting and eating. “Is she your assistant, my lady?” I questioned.

“Nope.” Nope? It means no. After her failed breakthrough, not just her attitude changed but her speech and her preferences as well. Like a new person, it was worrisome at first but regardless, my lady is still the same kindhearted person. Although strange, I supposed its part of her change.

“Then where is your assistant, my lady?” I carefully asked.

“Nah, I got none. Maybe next time.” My lady answered. I just nodded my head but my eyes widen seeing a small scratch on her arm!

“My lady, you are wounded!” I gasped. Nonchalantly, she looks at her wound and sighs, she does not look bothered, however my hands are trembling while showing her the scratch.

What dis my lady did up in that mountain for her to get this scratch? My lips quiver while inspecting it when I felt someone messing my hair. Looking up, Lady Jozine is smiling at me, chuckling even.

“You’re too worried, Elise. I’m fine, it’s just a small scratch.” She said assuringly yet I do not fell any better.

“Let me help you, my lady.” I offered but she pulled her arm back shaking her head.

“No need for that, I know you have healing magic but I also know how exhausted you get from using it. Don’t bother.” She said and grab some clothes.

I watch as my lady made her way towards the door to change. Feeling dejected, I sat on the bed staring at my hands. These hands has the ability to heal yet even small wounds causes me too much of my strength. I can’t even help my lady with trivial wounds. How useless of me. What is the sense of my healing magic if I can’t even use it.

“You’re a devoted slave, you have an odd relationship with that woman.” I turn to the ice elf, she looking at me intently.

“Because my lady is a kind person, who wouldn’t be devoted to her.” That’s true. I’ve been my lady’s lady maid ever since I was ten, although we have a two year age gap and I was born from a family of slaves, she never maltreated me like other noble. She was cold and indifferent to me at first but as she slowly opened up to me, I realized that my lady is not just an outstanding person but also kindhearted. I just don’t understand Mistress Felicia for treating my lady as if she’s not her daughter but her employee rather.

“That’s it? Just because she’s kind? People change you know, human.” I look away from her and sighs.

“Maybe an elf like you, considered loved by magic, wouldn’t understand how lowly humans like me feels when a person like my lady shows kindness.” Elves, especially an ice elf like her are all capable of using magic. They’re naturally stronger. They are treated like royalties by ordinary humans like myself. I just don’t understand how an elf like her ended up with my lady.

“Humans are sentimental too huh,” she muttered to herself but I was able to hear it.

“What’s your name?” I ask now that I realized I haven’t ask her name yet.

“An elf’s name, especially of higher one like myself cannot disclose their name to somebody, especially strangers. Like yourself.” Huh. I just nodded my head without pressing her for questions anymore. It must the rules of elves, they are known for living secludedly for generations so I dare not ask anymore out of fear.

“My name is Elise Reynold’s by the way.” I said out of nowhere. Lady Jozine still inside the bathroom. I rise to my feet and knocks on her door calling her name worried that she might be asleep inside, again. “Are you alright my lady?”

No response. I grew anxious and about to call her name again when the ice elf called my name. I look at her. “Don’t disturb your master, she seems to be meditating.” Meditating? Is she not tired? Having no choice, I went back to the bed keeping my eyes on the door if ever Lady Jozine gets out.

“I can’t feel how strong your master is because of the restraint those slave traders place upon me, I wonder how long it will last.”

“Slave traders?” I repeated.

The elf nodded her head and started telling me what happened to her. I couldn’t help but pity her after knowing that she was taken from the capital and brought her to be sold off as an slave. How could they do that to her! To anyone in particular. Although slave business is common, some illegal traders such as those who took her are banned because of their heartless treatment to their slave that they often abduct. They also don’t posses permit to operate because they do not pay proper tax to the kingdom.

“You’re lucky my lady bought you...” I tell her.

“Probably. It is also my first time seeing a human capable of using three magic coordinately like her.”

“...huh?”

She looks at me her head tilted to her side. “Why do you look confused? What is your master’s magic?” She asks.

Could it be that my lady fought someone? “She possesses light magic.”

“What...?!” She exclaimed clearly surprised. “Light magic is a defensive is it not? How could she also possess wind, fire and earth magic...?” She trailed off wondering.

My eyes widen. Unable to control myself, I grip her shoulder and turns her to me. “What do you mean by that?”

She then told me how my lady fought with four green one-eyes cyclops on their way back. She said that Lady Jozine used three element. I gasp and got lost staring on the floor. Is it true? Does my lady possess four magic?

Then... she really is a prodigy!

Although it saddens me that my lady kept it a secret from me, I also understand that Lady Jozine does not have any responsibility to tell me about it, as her lady maid, it is something that I fully respect. How unfortunate that I wasn’t able to witness her fight, how did she train those magic all these time?

Aside from having the ability to talk to rats, she also possesses three elemental magic! How amazing my lady is!

JOZINE VESAURIUS *

My magic base still retaining its diamond shape with five different colored rings around it respectively, gold, red, brown, blue and green. I was right, it’s now colored gray. It got me confused how these magic base colors are recognized from black, gray, purple, white and finally gold, from weakest to strongest respectively.

Although I understand that the strength of a mage, knight or hunter’s magic base is varied in this categories, it’s kinda confusing how this affects the magic energy. I need to study this system more since this system is used in identifying one’s strength.

I’m now gray colored magic base holder, although I’m not sure what level is my magic energy.

I grab the book and flipped it on the page of Magian Magic System or MMS. I prefer to use abbreviation since some terms are just too long it’s too bothersome calling its name again and again.

Currently, Magia differentiates the level of recognizing a person’s magic energy and magic base although magic base takes precedence in terms of importance and superiority. Recognizing the level of magic energy is used mostly by knights and hunters because their magic base are often unformed. In terms of mages, magic base is their systematic way of recognizing a mage’s ability although further discussion is to be expected regarding this system and their complex matter.

Ahh... so basically, if I were to choose being a mage, the strength of my magic base is to be recognized while if I am to choose being a knight or a hunter, magic energy measured by the MEQO or the magic energy quantifying orb is to be recognized. Still confusing but okay.

The book disappeared while I continued to meditate. The familiar dimension of Void of Magic welcomed me once again. The lights here seems to continued their increasing number, some color signifies the element while colored gold must be about light magic, the color gray and purple are unknown to me.

In my full understanding of this dimension, these lights pertains to my magic however those two colors are unknown to me.

Shrugging it off, I decided to practice light magic this time. While I was reading fire and water magic spells on that book and understand it, I will prioritize improving light magic first. This is Jozine’s magic and although she’s not here, I want to master this magic of hers as a reminder that she, her body now my home welcomed me. It was odd and confusing that I feel this way towards here. This light magic is my memento for her, the person I consider my sister.

Light magic is defensive in nature, it’s basic spell is the Brilliant Light, it’s a spell used to temporarily blind an opponent, however the degree of the brilliance should increasingly grow. The more blinding the light is, the more defense it can give.

Forming a ball of light on my palm, I focused on growing it bigger and bigger just like the size of my head. I consider this the second phase of the basic spell since one can just open their palm and from the light there it could blind their opponent, that would just be one or two people.

After growing the golden light, I threw it on the air and once it exploded, I covered my eyes. The warmth emitting from my spell is overwhelming that I have to turn around. It also enveloped me and my surroundings.

I sigh and chuckles.

The book once again appeared on my will, it flipped itself to the light magic page where the explanation of the magic and its nature is written along with spells from basic to top tier levels.

Next spell would be the barrier using light magic.

‘Oooh, seems like I won’t be getting any sleep tonight.’

I thought while looking at the magic orbs, a smirked formed in my lips.

****

“ZAIRE!” I softly groaned and turn to Kyla, her eyebrows are raised while looking at me munching with chicken leg.

“What did I tell you?” She asked, her face giving away both irritation and boredom.

“Wait?” I smiled at her and munched the chicken leg, louder this time. Her face crumpled in disgust.

“I’m never bringing you another box of your favorite chicken, I swear.” My eyes widen, I abruptly stood up and approached her my eyes face obviously begging. She smirks. “What? You did listen to me and you want to beg me now?”

I glare at her then shakes my head. “You can’t. I’ll starve to death if you do.” I stated seriously.

“Oh hoho, is that a threat? You’re threatening me with your life?” Her eyebrows quirked. She doesn’t look worried at all, is she really my best friend? It made me wonder when she’s like that how cold hearted she can be. She removed my arms on her and grab her bag. “Stay here. Don’t even think of going out again. You’re being hunted. I gotta go, see ya soon!”

I watch as she turned her back at me and disappear. My smiled remained while I laid on my bed once again, thankful to have Kyla.

Days pass in a blur while I’m waiting for Kyla to visit, from days to weeks until it turned into months.

Have I known that would be the last time I’ll see her I should have asked her to eat with me, shared the fried chicken legs she bought for me.

...if only...