Chapter 13
02. I told you—no drug abuse.
“Phew.”
It had already been a month and a half since then.
Except for the days when she had collapsed and hovered near death, Daphne had trained at the sparring grounds every single day.
Her relentless perseverance paid off—she was now collapsing far less often than before. And on top of that—
[Daphne Archion]
- Stamina: 70
- Charm: 300
- Strength: 10
- Magic: 5
Both her stamina and strength had improved significantly.
At this point, it might be time to spar with Arius again. She wouldn’t get knocked down in a single blow like last time.
“When Arius comes by later, maybe I’ll ask him to play with me a bit.”
Ever since the day he handed her that lily, Arius had continued to visit Daphne every day.
He would sit beside her to meditate with mana, or practice swordsmanship nearby—never straying far from her sight.
At first, she was suspicious of his intentions. But lately, she found herself feeling strangely empty when he wasn’t around.
It was annoying how much he talked, but… in its own way, it was kind of fun.
“So this is what humans call ‘bonding,’ huh? Even after living so long, there’s still so much I don’t know. The world truly has endless things to learn.”
Muttering to herself, Daphne crossed her arms, lips pursed.
At that moment, Teiti, who had been kneeling with his forehead to the ground before her, spoke timidly.
“Um, Lady Daphne, perhaps you might also try bonding with elves. There’s a poor elf trembling all over right in front of you, you know.”
“You fed me that drug without explaining the side effects properly. That’s a grave sin.”
“Ha… ha… ha. I did explain, but Lady Daphne ignored—”
“Are you saying it’s my fault?”
“N-no! My explanation must have been lacking. I’ll keep my head down longer.”
Teiti was currently serving a punishment known as “prostration duty,” accused of creating a potion that made a dragon cough up blood.
In truth, Daphne had been willing to let the drug incident slide—until Teiti ignored her summons.
She had called him through Ann, no response. Then sent Anne again. Still nothing. Three times! A great dragon ignored! That was unforgivable.
“Looks like I’ll need to learn magic first.”
Daphne hopped off her chair.
“If I could use summoning magic, that insolent Teiti wouldn’t be able to run away and mock me.”
“I would never! I wasn’t running, I was simply too absorbed in my alchemy work!”
“You dare talk back? Shall I kill you?”
“Oh no, wicked me! The wretched Teiti! Please, kill the other me that keeps talking nonsense, not this one!”
Daphne rested her chin in her hand, staring down at him.
She knew that most elves who lived among humans were somewhat mad—but she had never met one this far gone.
What in the world had broken this one so badly?
“What, does this situation annoy you?”
“N-no, not at all!”
“A mere month and a half of ignoring me hardly seems punishment enough, don’t you think?”
“N-no, it’s fine, really!”
“Then perhaps I should cut your life-water in half.”
At those words, Teiti froze solid.
For elves, life-water was akin to the heart.
The heart pumps blood to sustain life; life-water circulates mana, allowing them to be one with nature.
If, as Daphne said, his life-water were severed, nature itself would reject him—he’d become a crippled, powerless elf.
“I was wrong! I’ll take any punishment—but please, not my life-water! Anything else, please!”
“You sure do talk a lot.”
“Well, talking is my greatest skill… No, wait—don’t hit me! I’m telling the truth! I was just so busy brewing the potion—honestly! Ten bodies wouldn’t have been enough! Please, another punishment, anything else!”
Daphne grinned.
“Then bring me more mana stones infused with your magic.”
“Huh?”
“There’s a limit to how much magic I can build through training. I’ll just shove yours into me instead.”
Teiti’s mind spun. Technically, she wasn’t wrong—but giving a dragon elf mana was… strange. Their mana were completely different in nature.
Of course, he didn’t dare say that aloud. Who knew what kind of new punishment that would earn him?
“Y-yes, I’ll bring them right away!”
“Good. Bring a hundred.”
“E-excuse me?”
“Yes. I’ll need about that many to fully recover.”
“B-but it’s impossible to find a hundred mana stones at once! And I only have so much magic—”
“Ah, I see. Then I’ll just push you to your limits myself.”
“A hundred? Easy! Leave it to me!”
Teiti’s ability to instantly change attitude was unmatched across the continent.
Daphne shot him a withering glare but didn’t press further.
If he actually managed to bring the stones, she could recover faster. And if he didn’t…
“I can just take his life-water for myself.”
Either way, it would work out for her.
“So then,” Daphne said, “what’s this potion you made?”
“Yes! Allow me to explain!”
Teiti leapt up and took out several vials from his spatial pocket, offering a purple one to her with trembling hands.
“The others are still incomplete. This one’s finished.”
“And what does it do?”
“It nullifies your curse and temporarily restores your original power. But the duration is short.”
“Oh?”
To not only dispel her curse but also draw out her former strength as Selus—that did sound useful. But the “short duration” part was concerning.
“How short are we talking?”
“About… ten seconds.”
“Head. Down.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Ignoring the thud of his forehead hitting the ground again, Daphne gazed off toward the distant mountains.
“Lately, I feel my patience being tested. What do you think?”
“Surely Lady Daphne’s patience is the greatest in the world. Perhaps you might endure a bit longer?”
“Hmm. No, I think I’ll just kill you.”
“Aagh! W-wait! I’m your loyal servant, remember?”
“Servant, you say?”
“…Slave. I’m your slave.”
“Good.”
Daphne snapped her fingers.
“Slave, carry me. To a nearby mountain. I must train my mana.”
“Y-yes, right away.”
Without even healing the bruises on his forehead, Teiti awkwardly hoisted Daphne onto his back.
“Would a mountain with pure spiritual energy suffice?”
“Indeed.”
“Then this loyal slave shall obey! Please, master, endure a little longer.”
“Very well.”
Whoosh—
A brilliant light, as clear as Teiti’s silvery hair, enveloped them both. In an instant, they vanished.
***
Mana is the essence of nature.
Thus, mana training is best done in mountains rich with pure energy.
Daphne inhaled deeply, letting the clean air fill her lungs, then spoke to Teiti, who was still kneeling with his head lowered.
“Where are we?”
“A mountain near the Archion Duchy’s border—part of the Ansiha mountain range.”
“Ah, that explains the strong elven aura here.”
“Yes, and since you’re sitting on me, Lady Daphne, you’re sensing even more of it firsthand.”
“Was that sarcasm?”
“No, ma’am.”
Daphne stepped down from his trembling back, surveyed the area, and sat cross-legged.
“Phew…”
She focused on the mana vessel at the center of her chest, breathing steadily.
With each inhale, she drew in the mountain’s life energy; with each exhale, she released traces of the lingering curse.
It wouldn’t lift the curse entirely, but it would help build magic.
Teiti watched, shaking his head.
“Never thought I’d live to see a dragon doing mana meditation…”
He remained vigilant. A single lapse of focus could cause a mana surge—dangerous even for a dragon.
An elf guarding a meditating dragon—surely a first in the continent’s history.
As he watched, curiosity stirred.
What was this insane dragon thinking?
In the past, he wouldn’t have dared to wonder. But after spending so much time around her, he had apparently adapted—he could even think freely again.
It can’t be just amusement, he thought.
If this were all for fun, she wouldn’t bother living in that frail body.
She didn’t even remember her curse or her lineage—it really seemed she had been trapped in that body by accident.
So what was she planning? Or was she not planning at all—had her brain turned to muscle too?
Why did I have to get caught by this lunatic…
Teiti sighed and looked up at the sky.
How long passed, he didn’t know.
By the time the sun touched the treetops, Daphne’s closed eyes fluttered open.
[Daphne Archion]
- Stamina: 70
- Charm: 300
- Strength: 10
- Magic: 8
“Hmm.”
After checking her body’s condition, Daphne raised an eyebrow.
“Not bad. I should come here more often to train.”
“As you wish.”
She looked straight at Teiti. He gave an awkward laugh—ha ha ha… ha ha ha ha…—then quickly bowed.
“I’ll purchase a teleportation device, my lady. I’ll connect this place with your chambers.”
“A slave who acts without orders is a rare treasure.”
“Y-yes, I’m a valuable asset indeed.”
This time, Daphne let the sarcasm slide. Perhaps the successful training had lightened her mood.
For the first time in a while, she felt hope—hope that she might actually defeat that cursed Hero someday.
“Defeat the Hero. Kill the Hero. Destroy the Hero…”
She was muttering the words like a mantra when—
“Aaaah!”
“H-help us! Aaaagh!”
Screams echoed through the forest.
Daphne’s head snapped toward the sound, but Teiti didn’t react.
“Time to return, yes? Please, climb on.”
He behaved as if he hadn’t heard a thing. Daphne stared at him in silence.
“Those were human screams.”
“Yes, I heard them too.”
He tilted his head casually.
“So what about it?”
“…”
Teiti was an elf.
And elves had no interest in humans.
To them, humans were like ants—one didn’t wonder about an ant’s life. Whether humans lived or died, suffered or thrived—it wasn’t their concern.
“We should leave before it gets louder. Quickly, please.”
Teiti’s face remained spotless, devoid of even a hint of concern.
Daphne looked at him long and hard, then sighed deeply.
“This is why I despise your kind. So selfish, caring only for your own.”
“Eh? What do you—”
“I’ll go save them.”
She drew out the purple potion he had given her earlier.
“This is the noble mission of the great me.”
