PHATFO 39

Chapter 39

Because I had to take care of everything—food, shelter, and clothing—on my own, I was always looking for ways to earn more money. Of course, just because I had a teacher didn’t mean I would automatically learn.

[Well then… whatever.]

I decided to take a chance and start taking lessons.

[Alright. Since you seem to want quick and efficient results, I’ll teach you the most practical magic—fire magic. If you learn this one thing well, you’ll never go hungry. Nobles or mercenaries—everyone likes combat mages!]

The problem was…

[Wah! What is this?! Are you trying to burn down the whole forest?!]

I wasn’t suited for attack magic.

[You learn fast and your spellcasting is strong, but you can’t control your output well, huh? Hmm… Then you might need to avoid all combat-type magic.]

[So I can’t learn it?]

[What? No, not at all! You actually have too much talent.]

Aisha threw her head back and laughed.

[You just need to learn how to control your mana more precisely.]

So she taught me a method using magic to move objects instead.

[It’s safer than blowing things up while practicing magic. Plus, you don’t have to lift heavy stuff yourself. Pretty useful, right?]

That’s why herb boxes were great for practice—big enough to control easily, and even if dropped, they didn’t make too much noise.

“Shall we move some today, too?”

A month had passed. I thought Aisha would teach me and leave, but she now came to the shop daily and helped me out.

I nodded and stretched out my hand.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

The heavy boxes floated and stacked themselves neatly in the storeroom.

“You’ve gotten really good! You can even move three at once now.”

Aisha clapped her hands in amazement.

“Let’s try something harder next. How about moving something smaller?”

She pointed to a cup—with water in it.

“Can I really move that?”

I had tried before, but the glass shattered, so I stopped practicing.

“Don’t worry about whether it’s possible. Your job is to practice until it becomes possible.”

Fair point.

It wasn’t business hours, so even if I broke the cup, it would be fine.

Buzz—

The cup clinked and floated into the air. I managed to lift it without spilling the water, and Aisha cheered, fists raised high.

“Yes! Great job, my student! Now, try setting it down over there!”

She pointed at a wooden stool for waiting customers.

“Okay.”

I said it confidently, but I quickly realized this was much harder.

The cup was tiny compared to the herb boxes, and the water kept sloshing, ready to spill. Actually, a few drops already had.

‘I’m going to drop it, aren’t I?’

I really didn’t want to clean up. Please let me succeed just this once…

But just then, the door opened.

“Lala!”

Crash!

I lost control of the cup, and the water splashed—right on someone’s head.

“What the—?! Are you crazy, you lunatic mage?!”

The man who got soaked yelled at Aisha.

I thought it was weird that someone came in during closed hours. Turns out, it was Jacob, a creep who always harassed young women.

He was one of the few people in this town that everyone disliked.

“Maybe if you’d knocked like a decent person, that wouldn’t have happened.”

Jacob got away with doing disgusting things all over town because he was rumored to be the son of the Hobbes Trading Guild leader and had connections with the head of the town guard.

But Aisha wasn’t afraid.

She was bold because she was free, and strong because she was bold.

Even Jacob didn’t want to mess with someone he couldn’t control with his status.

“Shut it, old hag. I didn’t come here to see you anyway.”

Trying not to lose face, Jacob turned to me.

“How have you been, Lala?”

‘Lala’ was the fake name I used after settling here.

I wanted to sigh when he smiled creepily, but I held back. Reacting would only make him worse.

“You’re here early. Are you feeling unwell?”

“Why so cold, Lala? Don’t be so harsh.”

He handed me a bouquet of flowers.

“Fresh, right? I just picked them this morning from the garden.”

“Sorry, but we don’t accept flowers as payment.”

I’d learned that rejecting guys like him with strong words only made things worse.

“If you don’t have a reason to be here, can you come back later? I’m still getting ready to open.”

I tried to walk away.

“…It hurts. My heart hurts, Lala.”

He grabbed my wrist.

“Let it go. My heart—rejected by Lala—is aching. Wanna see how bad—”

“Unbelievable.”

Aisha clicked her tongue—and suddenly, Jacob burst into flames.

“W-What the heck?! What is this?!”

He rolled on the floor, splashing in puddles. When that didn’t help, he ran outside screaming.

“Help! This crazy witch is burning me alive! Someone get water! Help!”

People came rushing out at the noise.

“What the heck?”

“Mr. Jacob?”

“What’s going on?”

“F-Fire! He’s on fire!”

Seeing someone burn alive was horrifying. Just as people panicked and ran for water—

Poof!
The flames vanished.

“Huh?”

Jacob looked confused, checking himself. The townspeople looked stunned.

He was completely unharmed.

Aisha calmly walked out and tapped his shoulder.

“Don’t worry. It was just an illusion.”

“You psycho hag!”

Now realizing it was fake, Jacob cursed in rage.

“You think I’ll let this slide? I don’t even need to tell my father. I’ll report you to the guards—”

“Go ahead.”

While Jacob spat in anger, Aisha stayed calm.

“But what exactly will you report?”

Only then did Jacob realize—he had no injuries.

He fell silent, and Aisha smirked.

“Planning to confess instead?”

After all, he tried to harass a woman who rejected him.

There was no solid proof either way, except witness statements.

Normally this would be a minor incident—but Aisha being a mage changed everything.

The Empire’s laws favored talented individuals like her.

“Damn it…”

Jacob finally gave up and walked off, swearing.

The townspeople asked nervously:

“Is it okay to let him go?”

“He’s friends with the estate manager… and some say he knows several nobles.”

They were worried Aisha might get into trouble.

“It’s fine. And I’ve got connections too. I am a mage, after all.”

Aisha straightened her shoulders confidently, and the townspeople looked relieved.

“Well, if you say so…”

“Let’s get back to work then.”

It was still early, so most people who came out ran nearby shops. They returned to their duties.

“I did great, didn’t I?”

“…Yeah, well… thanks, I guess?”

Once we were alone again, Aisha threw an arm around my shoulder.

“Don’t worry about creeps like that. I’ll handle them for you. Feels safe, huh?”

I was grateful she swatted that fly away, but I had to think about the consequences. I had a future to protect.

“So, who’s your ‘connection’ anyway?”

“His Majesty the Emperor.”

…Can I really trust this woman?

I looked at Aisha with half-suspicious eyes.
She just smiled quietly.