"AAAH! Which bastard ruined my magic array?! More than a month of my hard work!" The man roared, his furious shout echoing across the entire area.
Beside him, a little girl with emotionless eyes was slowly redrawing the damaged lines.
"Ah, /////////, this part is wrong. The symbol here should be—"
The girl followed his instruction and corrected it.
"Hahaha, you've improved a lot. As expected of my disciple," the man burst out laughing, his anger from moments ago vanishing as if it had never existed.
"Master, what are you planning to do next?" the girl asked, her tone still flat and devoid of emotion.
"Of course, I'm going to find the one who sabotaged my array and give him a good beating. Hmph, I'm sure it was none other than Alerion. He's always been jealous of my talent, after all."
The girl nodded, showing no further reaction.
"Hey, why are you so lifeless? If we're going for revenge, you should at least look a little excited," he said.
"How do I get excited?" the girl asked in return.
"Ah… well…" The man scratched his head. "Just imagine you're about to do something you really, really like."
"Really like…" the girl repeated softly.
"That's right. Alright then, let's set off."
They called it "setting off for revenge," but not long after leaving the forest, the man's direction started to look suspicious.
It wasn't toward their target.
It wasn't toward where Alerion lived.
"Ooooh, look! That old man's grilled meat stall is still open! Ten years and the smell's still the same—amazing!" He shouted as he dashed over like the wind.
The girl trudged after him, her expression still as blank as ever.
Before she could say anything, the man had already ordered a table full of grilled meat, soup, pastries, and ate as if he hadn't had food in years.
After eating, he dragged her to watch a puppet show.
After the puppet show, he pulled her to the night market.
Then to the public bathhouse.
Then to a local arena to watch fights.
Then to eat again.
From one place to another, over and over.
Nearly a month passed, and things were still the same. In just one month, the two of them had traveled through no fewer than ten cities, eating, drinking, and taking part in countless festivals.
Yet the original goal—revenge—had made no progress at all.
Throughout that time, the girl always followed closely behind him. Though her expression remained dull, being dragged to so many festivals inevitably influenced her in some ways.
As a result, she developed a new hobby—drinking alcohol.
Seeing this, the man not only failed to stop her, but enthusiastically introduced her to many kinds of fine liquor from different cities.
"Master, how do you know so much about alcohol?"
Sitting in a corner, the girl asked.
"Huh? Oh, that's because I tried all of them when I was young," he replied casually.
The girl nodded and said nothing more.
"Hey, don't you want to ask anything else?" he asked.
Hearing this, she set down her glass, thought seriously for a few seconds, then asked, "When are we going to take revenge?"
The man froze. The piece of meat he was about to put into his mouth was set back down. He coughed awkwardly, then crossed his arms with an unusually serious expression.
"Um… soon. I just need a little more time."
"For what?" she asked.
"Well…" The man looked flustered, quickly making up a reason. "To adjust my mood, of course. You wouldn't understand—when you're taking revenge, you need to be in your best state of mind. Only then can you fight at full strength… Haha…"
"Best state of mind…" the girl echoed.
"Exactly!" He pointed at her, looking very pleased with himself.
"Think about it—how could I defeat Alerion if I'm angry? Hmph, irritation only messes up one's mana. To take proper revenge, the mind must be relaxed, the stomach full, and the spirit excited!"
The girl blinked and stared straight at him.
"I think… you're just avoiding it."
The man stiffened as if she had struck him right in the heart.
"Y–you brat! Who taught you to be so blunt!? Avoiding what!? I'm the great archmage Heliun! If I were avoiding something, where would my dignity be—"
He was cut off as the girl tilted her head and asked calmly, "If you're afraid… I can fight in your place."
"You? Fight in my place?" The man repeated her words, then burst out laughing. "You can't even cast basic magic yet, and you want to fight in my stead? Hahaha!"
After laughing for a while, he patted her head and said, "Thanks for worrying about me, but I can handle it myself. And I'm not avoiding anything."
"Then… why?" the girl asked, not caring in the slightest that she had just been mocked.
"Hm. If I had to say, I'm just enjoying life."
The girl fell silent, but the puzzled look on her face made it clear she didn't understand what he meant.
"Don't think too hard about it. Enjoying life just means enjoying life—doing what you like, saying what you want to say, without being bound by anything."
As he spoke, the man gazed into the distance. "That's how I live."
"I don't understand." The girl said after a moment.
The man said nothing, waiting for her to continue.
"If there's a goal you have to achieve, then why not focus on accomplishing it instead of doing all these pointless things?"
"Haha, I won't deny that. When I was young, I had grand ambitions, and I threw everything away for them. But looking back now, I realize I missed out on a great many things."
"So now, I'm enjoying life to make up for that lost time. I haven't forgotten what needs to be done, but I no longer force myself to sacrifice everything for it."
Turning to her, he continued, "Just like now—I want revenge on Alerion, but he's a man with a mysterious trail. I don't want to waste time searching for him. If I happen to run into him, I'll beat him so badly he'll never forget it. But if not, I'll keep doing what I enjoy."
The girl listened and asked gloomily,
"I don't understand. If you don't make an effort, how can you succeed?"
"Haha, perhaps to you right now, success means gaining everything, and failure means life loses all meaning. But to me, keeping everything in balance is what matters most."
"Why?" she asked.
"Hm, it's hard to explain unless you experience it yourself. Become strong, walk your own path, and you'll come to understand that this world holds many wonderful things beyond just success and failure."
The girl parted her lips as if to say something, but the moment she opened her mouth, all the images before her cracked and shattered like a mirror, dissolving into nothingness.
All that remained was a deep, endless darkness.
"No! Master…!"
Kalyse jolted awake in bed, her forehead damp with sweat. She looked around and realized it was already morning, and that she must have fallen asleep sometime during the night.
She sat quietly until her breathing steadied, then let out a cold chuckle.
"It's only the first night, and I'm already dreaming of this again. Master… are you reminding me of something?"
Leaving the bed, Kalyse went down to the main hall. Unlike the emptiness of the previous night, the place was now packed with people. Voices, arguments, and laughter rang out nonstop.
Liora and the other staff were so busy they barely had time to breathe.
Seeing this, Kalyse had no intention of disturbing them and headed straight outside. But just as she reached the door, a hand stopped her.
"Where are you going? You just woke up, right? I'll make something for you to eat." Liora said.
"No need. I want to take a walk. You should focus on your work." Kalyse replied.
"Huh? You just got here—will you be alright going alone?" Liora asked worriedly.
"Hmph. Do you think I'm someone who can be easily bullied?" Kalyse said.
Liora fell silent, knowing she couldn't stop her. She only reminded Kalyse a few times before seeing her off.
Just before leaving, Kalyse suddenly turned back. "I'll be back soon. Make sure the food is ready."
Liora's eyes immediately lit up, and she smiled brightly.
"Don't worry! I'll make sure you eat until you're completely full!"