Chapter 4: Pulmy En Dynast④
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Those days are now lost to time. For Pulmy, the moments spent together were irreplaceable.
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When Pulmy decided to take in the red-haired girl, Angelica, she found herself contemplating whether to adopt her.
However, Pulmy quickly dismissed that option. While being her complete supporter would have its advantages, it also came with significant drawbacks.
The drawback was the factional struggles within Honest, which Pulmy was not a part of. It was easy to imagine that Pulmy, a prominent powerhouse, supporting Angelica would disrupt the delicate balance of Honest’s factions. If that were to happen, what would become of Angelica? Would she be carelessly elevated to a position of power? Or worse, would she be assassinated? Pulmy wanted to avoid such risks for her.
Thus, after careful consideration, Pulmy decided that, publicly and externally, Angelica would be seen as someone who earned her own tuition for the Royal Magic Academy and was merely employed as Pulmy’s caretaker.
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Pulmy intended to cover not only the costs of living but also the tuition fees for the Royal Magic Academy and any other expenses Angelica desired. However, the girl herself shook her head.
“I didn’t take your hand just to lean on you and use you.”
Pulmy felt a lump in her throat at the girl’s words. The young girl had lost her home two years ago and had forgotten how to rely on adults.
Pulmy, troubled, placed a hand on her head and said, “You don’t need to worry about that; just focus on your magic studies.”
“But—”
“No, no, you really don’t need to—”
“Still, I—”
“That’s why you don’t have to—”
“But that doesn’t mean—”
“That’s why… you shouldn’t think about it—”
“I don’t want to—”
“It’s not about wanting; it’s just that I—”
“I appreciate that, but—”
After a long discussion, Pulmy sighed, perhaps due to her age, and decided to yield.
Pulmy was troubled. She wanted Angelica to focus solely on her studies. Yet, the girl insisted on at least covering her own living expenses.
After much deliberation, Pulmy assigned Angelica the task of infusing empty magic stones with mana. She explained that this work would cover the tuition for the school Angelica attended.
This was merely a front; in reality, Angelica’s earnings were managed by Pulmy, and arrangements were made for her to receive them upon graduating from the academy.
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In truth, the story of Pulmy hiring Angelica as a caretaker was also a facade. Pulmy had no intention of making Angelica perform maid-like duties.
Yet, living together, Angelica diligently took care of Pulmy’s needs. She was truly attentive, going above and beyond in her care for Pulmy.
“Don’t worry about it. Just leave things as they are. I’m not going to die or anything.”
Pulmy declared with authority. But what happened next? The words Pulmy spoke were returned to her tenfold by Angelica.
“This is just terrible… If I stay in this filthy room, I’m going to die. And what is this for dinner? Is it garbage? Am I supposed to eat this? I’m going to die!”
At the Guild, Angelica was exasperated by Pulmy’s catastrophic housekeeping skills and took it upon herself to help.
Even the task of infusing magic stones with mana was not simply a job assigned for labor’s sake. There was a deeper intention behind it, entrusted to the girl.
The intention—put simply—was to thoroughly train the girl’s latent mana capacity. In Pulmy’s homeland, it was said that “to awaken all of one’s latent mana, it is most efficient to use it all up.” However, just as the training in mana manipulation could cause intense pain as one improved, using up one’s mana to increase capacity was said to induce unbearable fatigue in the practitioner.
For long-lived elves, exhausting their mana during hunts or battles would eventually lead to reaching their maximum capacity. But for mortals—especially for Angelica, whose talent was eagerly awaited—there was no time to waste, Pulmy thought.
Though it must have been hellish fatigue every day, Pulmy provided her with expensive magic potions, insisting they were just common nutritional supplements. Thanks to this, the girl was able to overcome her adversities.
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One day, it was late at night, but the quiet was still a bit premature. Perhaps due to the winter chill beginning to creep in, the town’s bustle had quieted, and the moonlight streaming through the window illuminated the room. Pulmy felt a thirst and stepped out of her room.
She sensed a presence in the living room. When she peeked in, there stood Angelica, looking lost.
“What’s wrong?”
“I… I can’t seem to sleep.”
The girl replied weakly. Pulmy said nothing and thought for a moment.
“I see… Just sit and wait.”
She quickly took out some milk from the refrigerator and warmed it up. After adding honey and stirring, she handed it to Angelica.
“This will help you sleep well.”
The girl’s struggles were hers alone. While Pulmy could offer comfort, she could never fully understand. It was fine if the girl sought help and shared her feelings, but Pulmy would never force her to open up. She understood the foolishness of trampling into someone else’s heart uninvited.
Yet, watching the girl sip the milk slowly, Pulmy felt a tightening in her chest.
“It’s cold tonight… so stay with me.”
Once Angelica finished her milk and set the cup aside, Pulmy took her hand.
“What are you…?”
“Just come with me.”
There are things more important than words.
“It’s cold tonight.”
Pulmy led the girl to her room and collapsed onto the bed.
“I’ll be your hot water bottle.”
Angelica blushed and squirmed, trying to escape, but Pulmy did not loosen her hold. She was inherently clumsy and unsure if what she was doing was right. That was understandable; Pulmy had never lived with a girl before. However, she remembered how her parents had comforted her in similar situations when she was young. She recalled the warmth she felt when sleeping beside them.
That night, Pulmy fell asleep, holding onto the warm Angelica. The girl, having quietly slipped out of Pulmy’s grasp, covered her with the blanket that had slipped off and then snuggled back under the covers herself. Before long, she had fallen into a deep sleep for the first time in ages.
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Pulmy still reflects on those days. To those who could see, Angelica’s meticulously organized mana lines and her seemingly limitless mana capacity had been exceptional from the moment Pulmy took her in. By the time she graduated from the academy, she had grown to rival even the greatest sages of history.
However, as the girl approached adulthood and graduated from school, she still could not break free from being a basic mage.
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Pulmy knew of the girl’s struggles. From the training since childhood to the headwinds faced after turning ten, and even now, when she cried alone in her room, Pulmy was aware.
Even with Pulmy’s teachings as an elf, she had not been able to fully awaken the girl’s potential. After all her secret teachings ended in futility, Pulmy realized that what Angelica needed was some kind of breakthrough that had never existed in this world.
It was then that a report came in from the otherworlder, Yamada. His party had conquered one of the previously impregnable labyrinths, the Newly Constructed Ultimate Labyrinth, known as the Mirror Labyrinth.
Of course, Pulmy rejoiced at the news of overcoming a labyrinth that threatened humanity, but more than that, she felt a spark of hope. “This is it!” she thought. She was convinced that he could bring the breakthrough Angelica needed.