* * *

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Fortune was definitely not on my side. As soon as Abel and I reached the second rampart, the alarm bells began to ring, signaling the arrival of demonic beasts.

“You must be kidding...” I muttered.

I didn’t even get a chance to catch my breath before I had to start fighting monsters. In response, Abel flashed a smile. This was his land. Shouldn’t he be upset that it was currently being attacked by demonic beasts?

“What perfect timing, kid,” said Abel, his voice level despite his wild grin.

“Prove yourself to me.”

Then he threw me into the middle of the demons—kind of. Thankfully, like mages in most fantasy genres, mages in this world had long-range attacks.

Technically, I did not actually have to throw myself directly at the demonic beasts. But still, what was I supposed to do? I wasn’t really sure how I was supposed to prove my worth, but I had to do something. Looking around, I found a stairway leading up to the topmost part of the defensive wall.

“I’m going up,” I said.

Since this was my first time here, I wanted to get a general sense of what the battlefield looked like. I might have written about it, but I needed to see it with my own eyes to figure out my next steps. I hurriedly hiked up the steep stairs with my short legs, and Abel followed me without complaint. He never strayed from me, as if he was intent on keeping an eye on me at all times.

Once I reached the top, I came to an abrupt halt.

“Oh...” I said, taking in everything around me with eyes opened wide.

“How do you feel seeing a battle for the first time?” asked Abel.

I suddenly noticed the smell of something burning. It was the flesh of the demonic beasts. When one soldier cut down a demon, another would use torches to burn the area. This would stop the regeneration of the monsters. Of course, the death of every beast cost the lives of countless soldiers—their arms and legs ripped from their bodies or their bellies disemboweled. Shapeless lumps rolled on the ground.

I also saw monstrously huge beasts—perhaps giants was a more accurate term—that were tens of times bigger than an average human fully grown.

“Aaaargh!”

“H-help me...”

The desperate cries of the soldiers and the screeching of clashing metals surrounded me. All I could do was watch as one of the giants grabbed a soldier and violently smashed him into the ground. Something red flew in the air. I’m not sure what it was, and I didn’t want to know either. It was likely a part of that poor soldier.

I was stunned. “This is horrible.”

But I wasn’t talking about the battlefield. I was talking about myself—the author who was responsible for writing this carnage. I truly did not mean to create such atrocities. My arms began trembling. It was not because of fear but rather from a sudden and intense hatred I felt toward myself.

“I see you’re too frightened to even move. Now that you’ve realized what you were truly asking for, you may go,” said Abel.

“No...” I said, biting down hard on my lips. Certainly, I had been shocked by my new reality. Life at Heylon and the frontlines was starkly different from the peaceful capital city. However, I couldn’t let myself stand by and do nothing. As someone who was responsible for creating such terrors, I had to pay my dues.

“I’ll get started, sir,” I said.

Abel watched me in slight surprise as I reached out my arm. In this world, magic consisted of manipulating mana in the air to create natural phenomena involving water, fire, wind, and light. Unlike in other fantasy stories, no spells or incantations were necessary.

The criterion for measuring magical talent was simple—how little mana can one use to create the biggest natural phenomena possible? In other words, were you efficient in your use of mana?

As I reached my hand out, I could feel the soft flow of invisible energy, delicate yet obedient to my will. But if I lost my concentration, the energy would dissipate. This was mana. I had fooled around with magic before, but I had never once used magic on such a large scale.

My only hope was the talent that slept within this girl’s body.

I hope I don’t hit any allies... I thought, suddenly feeling anxious. Black clouds rushed in from afar. I closed my eyes to concentrate better.

“A storm...?” said Abel quietly.

Well, similar but not quite... What I wanted was...

Screech!

The demonic beasts began to let out strange cries as if they sensed something was coming. The air began to shake. Then I opened my eyes for accuracy in aim.

Boom!

Lightning shot down from a black cloud to strike a nearby giant. Though he was large and powerful, the beast’s size only made him a better target. And he wasn’t the only one. I struck down every single giant on the ground with lightning.

If one strike didn’t do it, I did it again.

And again.

And again.

“Woah!”

Crash!

Each time a giant fell, the soldiers exclaimed in joy while the demonic beasts shrunk away.

“Indeed...” said Abel.

Just as most of the giants on the battlefield had toppled over, Abel grabbed me and picked me up in his arms. Disoriented by the abrupt change, I grabbed onto his shoulders and met his blue eyes.

“Astounding. It’s almost like divine punishment,” said Abel in awe.

I turned back to the battleground. Beneath the black clouds, lightning continued to strike the beasts. Perhaps this resembled some kind of heavenly punishment to Abel.

“I have never seen such a skilled mage. Are you truly a human child?” he asked.

“Of course, sir.”

Well, I suppose as the future villain, I was a little bit stronger than most...

“Indeed...” he said again, holding the word on his tongue. Still holding me, he strode forward and stopped at the edge of the wall. One or two steps more, and we would have fallen. I wrapped my fingers tightly onto Abel’s clothes, frightened by the height.

This guy wasn’t going to throw me away, was he? Was what I had accomplished not enough?

“Look. The demonic beasts are retreating,” he said.

Oh, really? I had been too immersed in manipulating the mana to notice, but the remaining beasts were hastily running away, just as Abel said. It was a spectacular sight, both good and bad.

Feeling like I had finally contributed something of worth to this world, I looked down to meet the eyes of the soldiers looking up at me in a daze.

I smiled sheepishly from Abel’s clutches as I waved my hand, feeling like a child. Well, I suppose I was indeed a child, at least on the outside.

“Wow!”

The soldiers broke into a loud cheer that seemed to shake the entirety of the defensive wall. Some even began to clap, and everyone looked delighted to see me.

After waving for a while, I turned back toward Abel. “Do I pass?”

The corners of his mouth turned up ever so slightly, and he put me down without saying a word. Then he patted me lightly on my head.

My mouth dropped slightly in surprise.

“Welcome to Heylon, Fiona,” he said in a low voice.

Abel had accepted me.

“It’s an honor,” I replied.

An immense sense of relief coursed through me. I had earned the right to stay. Then, I realized that Abel had also called me by my name for the very first time.

Ugh! So he had been calling me kid on purpose this entire time. He had always known my name.

But before I could open my mouth, Abel had already turned and was walking down the stairs, his heavy cloak billowing behind him. Though the sight annoyed me to no end, I could do nothing but glare at his back. Right now, I didn’t have the courage to do anything more.

I’m not going to forget this, you jerk.