...
"Haaah… finally, some peace. Can't I work without interruptions?" Shin muttered as he continued mixing various medicinal ingredients.
It seemed he was researching a cure for a disease affecting the village they were currently staying in.
His expression was calm—focused, even—as he quietly enjoyed his work.
Until suddenly—
"...!!"
A fireball burst through the window, followed by several wind bullets tearing through the air.
"What the—?!"
The impact sent everything on Shin's worktable crashing to the floor.
Reacting swiftly, Shin managed to save a few of the scattered materials.
But then—
A fireball shot toward a stack of papers on another table.
Too far away to react in time, Shin could only watch—
—as the papers were engulfed in flames.
...
"(Shock)"
Shin stood frozen, unable to believe what had just happened.
Outside the window, he saw them—
Rei and Ellen, training with magic and wooden swords.
.....
.....
"Hohh… your flames feel colder than usual. Are you getting weaker?" Ellen said, clearly exhausted.
"Haha… maybe your head's spinning from blowing that gentle breeze all day," Rei shot back, equally worn out.
A faint wind aura began to swirl around Ellen's wooden sword.
At the same time, flames flickered along Rei's blade.
They stared at each other—
And then—
At the exact same moment—
They lunged forward.
"...!!"
"(Freeze)"
....
In an instant—
Their bodies froze.
Rei's wooden sword stopped just inches from Ellen's neck.
Meanwhile, Ellen's blade hovered, ready to pierce Rei's stomach.
Both of them widened their eyes, slowly realizing what had just happened.
....
...
From behind the sturdy wooden wall—
A door creaked open.
A shadow stepped out.
The air around them turned cold.
That figure slowly approached—
It was Shin.
And he was furious.
"Do you two even realize what you've just done?!" His voice carried a chilling pressure.
Rei and Ellen immediately fell silent, fear creeping into their expressions.
Ice began to form around their bodies.
"You started it," Ellen whispered.
"Hush. We're in trouble," Rei replied under his breath.
...
.....
...
"(A few minutes later)"
"What?! Your notes burned?!" Seina exclaimed in disbelief.
"Yeah… something like that. But I still have some of the materials, and I remember most of what was written," Shin replied.
"That's a relief… but how could something like that even happen?" Seina said, slowly glancing behind Shin.
There, Rei and Ellen sat on the floor, their faces filled with regret.
"Ooh~… so that's what happened…" Seina muttered, clearly annoyed.
"You two… we need to talk. About the minimum safe distance for using attack magic near the house."
Rei and Ellen could only force awkward smiles.
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
"Apologies for the interruption. I would like to report that Aldric Owlblade has accepted the role of the Hero."
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
"Really?!" Rei shouted, clearly trying to change the subject.
"That's great, Siy. We'll head there right away," Ellen added, catching on.
Seina smiled.
"Head there? …Where exactly do you think you're going?"
"You two still need to take responsibi—"
Before she could finish, Shin stopped her and whispered,
"Let them go. It'll make my work easier."
"Hmph… you're right. Keeping an eye on those two is exhausting," Seina replied.
The two of them then smiled toward Rei and Ellen.
.....
...
.....
...
"(The next day)"
...
Rei and Ellen packed their belongings, preparing to meet the Hero—Aldric Owlblade.
They hitched a ride on a merchant's carriage.
.....
"Yosh! Alright, let's think of the coolest way to introduce ourselves," Rei said excitedly.
"Oi, you should behave yourself. We don't even know what kind of person Owlblade is," Ellen replied.
"That's exactly why we need a plan!" Rei said proudly.
Ellen frowned.
"You? Acting?"
.....
...
Rei smirked.
"Heh… looks like you're underestimating me. Just watch and learn...."
....
...
..
.
"...Yeah, I've got a bad feeling about this."