Mage Manual

"So what you mean is, we were actually close partners taking part in a legacy trial, but because we were hit by Miracle 'Return to Childhood', we turned into children and temporarily lost our other memories?"

Thud!

Little Sword Maiden gave Ash a direct uppercut to the belly, and when Ash bent over, she clasped her fists together and skillfully hammered his back, knocking him down flat, before once again sitting on top of him—she really loves wrestling people.

"Isn't this the plot of 'Void Realm Rules Tale'? You think I haven't seen it? Still dare to fool me! Dare to fool me again! Dare, do you dare to lie to me?!"

Ash was utterly convinced—seriously, the screenwriters in the Kingdom of Stars couldn't have more imaginative minds, right? Running into such clichés!

And shouldn't kids get out more and exercise, rather than staying home watching movies and shows!

The little witch led little Weiser over, with little Weiser rubbing her eyes, still sniffing and sobbing.

She pulled the Sword Maiden and advised, "Don't be too hasty; he seems like the only one who knows what's going on, and we know nothing. Do you still remember what you were doing before you came here?"

"I..." Little Sword Maiden clutched her little head, racking her brains for a while, but eventually shook her head, cautiously saying to the little witch, "I can't remember, but I should be in town... I've never left the town."

"I can't remember either."

The little witch squatted next to Ash, looking down at him, "He probably knows something, but might be deceiving us."

"Why would I lie to you guys?" Ash couldn't believe he couldn't even get the Witch to trust him, "Do I look like someone who lies?"

"You do!" The little witch pinched Ash's cheek, "In fairy tales, boys as good-looking as you are basically villains!"

"..." Ash: "Generally speaking, aren't pretty girls the ones who are villains?"

"Beautiful girls can be bad witches or good princesses, but handsome boys are either evil princes coveting the princess's beauty or evil mages manipulating plots!"

"Wait, in the fairy tales you read, what's the usual identity of the good protagonist?"

"Princess and the loyal knight protecting the princess."

"Can't the knight be good-looking?"

"The knight should have a face full of scars, be brave, and have a sturdy build!" The little witch tugged Ash's face, "As handsome as you are, always getting sat on by girls, definitely not a knight!"

Ash was utterly surprised by the little witch's childhood aesthetic preferring macho men, and more surprised that due to his appearance after the transformation, he didn't fit the witch's standards and couldn't gain her trust!

He was left feeling helpless by these three little brats. "I'm the only one who knows the truth, but you all don't want to trust me, so what I say is useless."

Little Sword Maiden raised her fist, threatening Ash fiercely, "If I hit you more, you definitely won't dare to lie anymore!"

"Hold off on hitting him," said the little witch, "Even though he doesn't look like a good person, he might be our companion, a servant perhaps, or maybe a hired evil mage. For great goals, good people can work with bad ones."

Little Sword Maiden thought this made sense, admiringly looking at the little witch, "You're so smart! By the way, what are your names?"

"I," little Weiser sniffed back her snot, timidly raising her hand, "My name is Youlan Weiser."

"Wait." The little witch suddenly stopped, "We've come to such a strange place, it's best not to reveal our true names."

"Ah!" Little Sword Maiden immediately felt a bit embarrassed, "Sorry, I didn't think... But he said he knows us, so he must know our names," she said as she poked Ash's face.

"Right." The little witch looked at Ash, "You said you know us, so tell us, what are our names?"

Ash blinked, saying, "Actually, we only use code names for each other; we never use true names. I'm the Observer, you're the Witch, she's the Sword Maiden."

"What about her?" The little witch pulled little Weiser closer.

"Her...her code name is Youlan Weiser," Ash suddenly realized something was wrong, emphasizing, "She's the only one among us who uses her true name, really!"

However, the look in the eyes of little Sword Maiden and the little witch clearly showed suspicion—just now, little Weiser had voluntarily revealed her name, so her code name is her true name? And of us who didn't say our true names, you only know our code names?

This is just too coincidental, even a six-year-old could see that there must be something shady about it!

Seeing that little Sword Maiden was about to resort to violence again for a confession, the little witch quickly stopped her, asking Ash, "Regardless of whether we're companions or not, what should we do to leave here?"

"Draw." Ash pointed at the walls and said, "All you have to do is get close to those white boards, and the Technique Spirit will tell you what to draw. Then, if you draw those images, we can pass and leave here."

The little witch contemplated for a few seconds, signaling little Sword Maiden to keep suppressing Ash, then approached a wall and returned with a surprised expression, "There really was a Technique Spirit telling me what to draw, and you don't need a brush; we can draw using our fingers."

"Anyway, there shouldn't be any harm following through, so let's believe him for now."

At the little witch's command, not only did little Sword Maiden not object, but even little Weiser wiped away her tears and nodded timidly like a pecking chick.