NOVEL NEXT Chapter 45:
Chapter 45: Only Him, Only Him:
Lively.
Noisy.
Chaotic.
Allenson City was bustling as usual. At the steel-and-gear customs gate, merchants came and went in steam-powered magic trucks, their faces lit with joy and smiles. Residents chatted freely with family and friends, immersed in their daily routines.
But no one noticed.
Among those entering and leaving the city, no great nobles remained.
For ordinary people, great nobles were elusive, almost mythical figures. Their absence went unnoticed, unremarked upon.
Now, this steam-powered city, perched on the northern edge of the world, housed only civilians and middle-level officials—those unprivileged to know the city’s hidden truths. Its real leaders had long since vanished.
“I need… to complete this task as quickly as possible…”
High above Allenson City, Krisha soared through the sky. She no longer concealed her abilities, unleashing maximum magical output. Her wind-control spell propelled her faster as she rushed toward the city center’s bustling market.
When she landed, the people around her were stunned.
Everyone in the market knew Krisha. They believed she was connected to a mage—perhaps a relative or a personal maid. Because of this assumed connection, she was never harassed.
But today, they saw her use magic.
The onlookers froze in shock, their wide eyes fixed on her wand. Their voices trembled as they spoke.
“She’s a magician?! That girl is a magician?!”
“Unbelievable… if I’d known, I would have been much more polite!”
“By the Goddess of Harvest, this is astonishing!”
The crowd erupted into chatter.
Some were envious, others jealous, and a few were utterly awestruck. Yet soon, a unified voice emerged, offering words of praise.
They exalted Krisha, calling her beautiful, kind, and benevolent.
Many traders even tried to offer her their best products for free—small, elegant mechanical watches, crisp fruits and vegetables, and extravagantly decorated women’s clothing.
The traders competed fiercely, their behavior bordering on fanaticism, each vying to gift her the finest items they could offer.
“…Boring.”
Krisha watched the commotion before her with calm detachment.
Perhaps it was the lack of steam-engine vapor obscuring her view, but the same market, vendors, and buildings now seemed uglier, their greed and desperation laid bare.
Everyone crowded around her, eager to flatter her for their gain.
And yet, wasn’t this the life she had once dreamed of?
A life where no one scorned or beat her. Where everyone wanted to be her friend. Where people scrambled to win her favor.
Why did it now seem so repulsive?
“Ah, I understand…”
She glanced down at her white, unblemished hands and the delicate wand she held. A realization struck her.
They didn’t like her.
The crowd adored “Krisha,” the young and beautiful mage with a bright future. They admired her talent and her status.
But they didn’t care about the witch.
They didn’t care about her true self.
From the very beginning, the only one who had seen her for who she truly was—the only one who had extended a hand to the wretched, mud-stained witch—was him.
Only he had cared. Only he had gently held her and brought her home.
“Let me finish my master’s instructions quickly,” Krisha thought, raising her wand.
With a wave, she used wind magic to scatter the surrounding vendors.
The vendors recoiled, their gazes filled with fear as Krisha swiftly scanned the market.
She selected food, daily necessities, and clothing, using wind magic to organize and store them in her space ring. The entire process took less than three minutes.
Magic truly was convenient.
“This should be enough.”
Krisha glanced at her space ring, confirming the contents. She nodded lightly, then tossed a bag of coins toward the vendors.
Equivalent exchange—this was the first lesson Xu Xi had taught her.
The witch had never forgotten it.
“Wind control, gather,” Krisha murmured, waving her wand. The wind element enveloped her once more as she ascended rapidly into the sky.
She completed the task in under ten minutes. Perhaps her master would praise her for her efficiency.
With that thought, Krisha increased her magical output, flying even faster. She was eager to return to Xu Xi.
But…
But why did her chest feel so heavy?
“Hah—”
The strong wind howled as Krisha flew through the air, her speed increasing. The closer she got to the courtyard, the stronger her unease grew.
She clutched her chest, her eyes blank.
She didn’t understand why her heart felt so stifled, why an inexplicable sense of fear gnawed at her.
This long-forgotten pain made her panic.
“I need to return… to my master…”
“As long as he’s there, everything will be fine.”
Unable to comprehend her feelings, the witch instinctively sought solace in the person she trusted most.
Xu Xi—her master, her sun.
He would make everything better.
…
Soon, the familiar courtyard came into view.
As Krisha approached, the weight in her chest lessened slightly.
She hurried, flying faster, throwing caution to the wind—forgetting the vigilance Xu Xi had always taught her.
Faster.
Faster.
Please, faster.
Desperation drove her, her wind magic straining to its limits.
Finally, she reached the courtyard.
And then—
Darkness.
“Bang!!!!!”
A massive fireball descended from the sky like a meteor, one among countless others suddenly appearing over Allenson City.
They roared as they fell, fiery and furious, their devastating impacts obliterating everything in their path.
And one of those fireballs was headed straight for the courtyard Krisha sought.
“No, wait!… No, no… this can’t be happening!”
A terrible premonition gripped Krisha. Her pupils shrank as panic seized her. For the first time, her voice trembled with fear.
The suffocating pain in her chest reached its peak.