Astima, February 7th, 720
At 5 o'clock in the morning, in the suburbs of Nierstan, a small but very cozy wooden cabin was situated. A young girl, who was sleeping while being held by a young Elf, slowly opened her eyes.
Lilia shook her somewhat groggy head, and then nudged the Celeste who was still sleeping on her arm. "Sisi! Time to get up, we need to go to school!"
The young Elf rubbed her eyes, reluctantly looked at the warm bed that she left, and slowly climbed up. After Lilia got dressed, she helped Celeste tidy up as well. With the Boli bag that Vivian had given her, Lilia and Celeste set off.
Holding Celeste's hand, Lilia came to the entrance of Nierstan Noble Academy. She took out a fresh Longxian fruit from her bag and handed it to Celeste, who happily entered the academy without paying any attention to the strange looks around her.
After sending Celeste off, Lilia went to the food store, skillfully bought a few charcoal-grilled fresh fish, packed them and put them into her bag, and then entered Nierstan Adventure Guild.
The Adventure Guild was not crowded in the early morning, but most people there were hardworking and well-acquainted with Lilia. She walked to the guild panel and began searching for suitable commissions.
"Lilia! Good morning, can you give me a buff?"
Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded behind Lilia. She turned to see Tianfan, a conspicuous figure with heavy armor and a priest's staff.
"Yeah, just give me a second."
Lilia flipped through a magic book in her bag and began reciting a spell towards Tianfan.
"O Elven Goddess of the Elements, we praise your strength and majesty! Please descend upon this world, bestow your blessings upon your faithful servants, and grant us the power to defeat our strong enemies! Weapon enhancement! Devoted to the Storm Goddess, I ask for your support in granting me the power to repel formidable enemies, the protection of the wind!"
As Lilia chanted the spell, a red glow gathered around Tianfan's priest staff, shining brightly. At the same time, a green aura surrounded Tianfan, who received the blessing of the Storm Goddess.
Having received the buff, Tianfan thanked Lilia and left the guild, apparently heading out for an adventure. Meanwhile, Lilia also set off after selecting her commission.
With an elemental staff in hand, Lilia, wearing a slightly oversized magician's outfit, wearing a small and cute Boli bag, ventured alone to the third level of the mine, known for its dangers among adventurers.
Recently, due to unknown reasons, the monsters in the third level of the mine became more aggressive. The weaker zombies and ghouls that used to be seen here have all disappeared, replaced by mutated giant mushroom monsters.
Dim light, damp ground, oppressive space, rotting smell, dead silence - this was the atmosphere of the third level of the mine. It wasn't a pleasant sightseeing spot. It was filled only with despair and fortune that lied between life and death.
However, Lilia was different from most people. She skipped happily, humming an out-of-tune song while exploring this place like she was on a picnic. The reason was simple - Lilia had been here for two months and was now intimately familiar with the area as if it were her own backyard.
"Help... Help!"
Suddenly, a girlish cry for help came from a distance. Lilia cocked her head and hurried towards the source of the voice. At the corner of the mine, she found a petite girl cornered by several mushroom monsters of different colors.
"Explosion!"
Without hesitation, Lilia instantly gathered her magic power and formed a moderate-sized magic circle at the monsters' feet. Flames roared out, illuminating the mine like daylight. Amid the fire, one could see the mushroom monsters running frantically while emitting painful screams. The flames were careful not to harm the cornered girl.
Soon, the flames subsided, and Lilia stopped channeling her magic. After the flames dispersed, a few burnt mushroom monster corpses lay on the ground, emitting the aroma of roasted mushrooms?
Ignoring the roasted mushrooms on the ground, Lilia directly walked over to the frightened girl, who was huddled in a corner. She gently hugged her and comforted, "It's okay, don't be scared. The bad guys are all taken care of by big sister."However, the reaction of the loli being hugged was beyond Lilia's expectation. The loli gently pushed Lilia away, held her hands together, and puffed her cheeks somewhat angrily, saying, "Although I appreciate your help, there is one thing that must be clarified! I am already 22 years old, definitely older than 'little sister' you!"
The pushed-away Lilia was a bit stunned and looked at the girl in front of her who was only about 130 cm tall. Long white hair and a cute baby-fat face, she looked nothing like an adult. "Hmph! You must be thinking how such a small child could possibly be an adult! Your expression has betrayed you!"
"Uh~ sorry."
"Never mind, an adult doesn't remember the faults of a child. Since you saved me, I won't pursue it. Here, this is my token of thanks. Also, my name is Tiger Striped Shark, a bishop of the auxiliary system. If you need help, feel free to come find me."
After finishing, Tiger Striped Shark took out a not-so-light purse from her small bag and handed it to Lilia. She performed a priest's salute and left. Tiger Striped Shark? Hmm? Isn't this the genius of divine arts? She looks so cute, she should be here to deliver something. But, it seems like she has indeed come of age. emmmmmm...
Shaking her head and putting away the purse given by Tiger Striped Shark, Lilia stepped forward with a cheerful stride, continuing her adventure. However, unbeknownst to Lilia, a foreign gold coin in her backpack emitted a faint light and disappeared out of thin air.
"In an open place, with ambush magic array, hiding behind rocks, and wielding weapons and the protection of wind, it's time to sprinkle this bottle of fresh blood." Lilia came to an open space, and after getting ready, sprinkled a bottle of fresh blood on the trap magic that she had set up. She then hid behind a large stone and waited for the fish to be hooked.
"Phew~ phew~"
"Pitter-patter~"
In no time, two distinctly different sounds rang out, and a flying stone gargoyle and a slow-moving, broken-bodied demon zombie appeared in Lilia's sight. "Bang!" When the two monsters approached the blood on the ground, the magic circle Lilia left behind was instantly activated. In an instant, a flurry of ice spikes bloomed on the magic circle, and the two monsters were frozen into ice sculptures while the ice spikes impaled the frozen demon zombies. However, Lilia knew that this ice blade magic circle alone could not defeat the two monsters. So, Lilia concentrated her magic power again, and several red magic circles slowly formed underneath the ice sculptures. The trembling magical power filled the air.
When she finished, Lilia cried out the most familiar magic spell she was accustomed to. However, the output of magic power was not like the usual level but was used to the maximum extent. She even used the secret magic book that she didn't usually use to assist her. "Explosin!" Endless hot flames rushed out of the magic circles, illuminating the dark cave as a world of flames.
A splendid fire feast was staged in this underground world, and the only audience member was Lilia. The high temperature of the flames even melted the surrounding stone walls, the distorted air made people feel unreal, and ruthless flames cleansed all impurities. At the same time, a massive explosion sound reverberated in the flames, probably heard by everyone in the mine.
The performance came to an end, but what Lilia didn't expect was that when the world of intense flames dissipated, the stone gargoyle, originally frozen, broke free from the flames unscathed and flew towards Lilia while raising its claws. It planned to give the arrogant mage girl a heavy blow. Lilia had no time to be surprised; she immediately released an ice shield in front of her to block the stone gargoyle's attack. However, she was still sent flying due to her lightweight body and the massive force of the gargoyle, crashing into the stone wall behind her.
Tsk, although she knew that the stone gargoyle's magic resistance was ridiculously high, she used to be able to break through its defenses. Now, at this level of output, it's unscathed. It seems that the mutation in the dungeon cannot be underestimated.
Lilia patted the dust off her body and activated the rune power she had prepared. Lilia's staff was enveloped in a red light, accompanied by a series of unknown runes. Without hesitation, Lilia raised her staff and charged towards the stone gargoyle.One day, Lilia, a mage, decided to bravely confront a stone gargoyle, and said with confidence, "A mere stone gargoyle dares to act so arrogantly? I, Lilia, will smash you to pieces today! Giant power!"
The stone gargoyle never expected that a mage would charge at it. As it swooped down at Lilia for the second time, it was struck by Lilia's staff.
"Clang~~~~!"
Lilia struck the gargoyle's wing, and although she appeared to be gentle and graceful, she unleashed a powerful shockwave. The overwhelming force twisted the air around her, and the gargoyle's wing was broken off. The massive force knocked the gargoyle back more than ten meters, before it crashed onto a distant stone wall along with its broken wing.
With the wind's blessing, Lilia landed gracefully. She continued to beat the struggling gargoyle with her staff.
After the battle, Lilia collected the shattered pieces of the stone gargoyle. She tilted her head, as if forgetting something. "Emmmmmm, what about the magical zombie? Oh, it was burned to ashes. It doesn't matter, as long as I have the materials from the stone gargoyle, I can complete the task and return."
As Lilia prepared to retrace her steps, a gust of wind, followed by a cold, gleaming blade, swiftly arrived at her delicate, fair neck. Caught off guard, Lilia braced herself for the end, but suddenly, a white light surrounded her, blocking the fatal strike. With only the impact knocking her back against the wall, she was unharmed.
"Ouch! What was that?"
Although unsure how the seemingly frail mage girl blocked her own attack, the assailant didn't give Lilia time to recover. As Lilia was still dizzy from the impact, the attacker struck again.
"Swish, swish, swish!"
However, several arrows flew towards the assailant, who halted their advance towards Lilia. They twisted their body awkwardly to evade the arrows. Seeing they couldn't immediately restart their attack, they quickly disappeared into the shadows.
"You coward, don't run away! Remember to sleep early tonight!"
A figure with a speed matching that of the assailant dashed past Lilia, leaving only a familiar fragrance and a cryptic message.
"Phew, good thing I have my protective power, or I would have been a goner. Emmm, that was… Matchstick sister, right? She's as brisk and fierce as ever."
Lilia calmly brushed off the dust on her body and continued her journey back to town, unfazed by the surprise attack. Upon returning to the adventurer's guild, she handed in the materials she had collected. Afterward, she returned to her cottage in the outskirts, bathed, and changed into a white dress before going to Nelstan's Noble Academy, where her friend Celeste was waiting.
Seeing Lilia, Celeste happily rushed into her arms. They resembled two delicate blooming flowers, causing passersby to glance at them. No one could guess that this girl-next-door was actually a mage who had just returned from a dangerous adventure.
Unconcerned with the surrounding gazes, Lilia held Celeste's hand and led her back to her cozy cottage. After preparing dinner, a meat soaked rice for Lilia and a fresh Dragon Saliva fruit for Celeste, they went to bed. Celeste happily jumped onto the bed, patting the bedside, signaling for Lilia to replenish her magic.
Lilia lay on the bed, gently hugging Celeste, while slowly allowing her mana to flow into Celeste. At the same time, she softly told Celeste about her adventurous day, slowly lulling her friend to sleep with her tender voice.
"May tomorrow be another beautiful day."
