Memoirs of a Wicked Magician - Chapter 111
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 111
‘Another creep twisted around her, then.’
Liriope had misread Samuel’s intent.
Given how often she’d seen it before, she found the situation mildly tiresome.
‘There’s always one of these types. The ones too cowardly to speak to her directly, so they try to get something through me instead. Or the ones who see me as an obstacle standing next to her and try to edge me out of the way.’
Caliona had grown notably more mature since turning seventeen that year, and she shone with such brilliance that it was only natural men continued to circle her.
But in Liriope’s view, spineless creatures like this had no right even to glance at Caliona sideways.
She gave the eighteenth moth orbiting around her a dismissive answer.
“Well, she says she’s not interested in romance right now.”
“What?”
“She says she’s happiest being with me. I know it’s disappointing, but you’re not the first person she’s turned down, so please don’t take it too hard.”
“Oh, no, wait. That’s not what I—”
“I’ll contact Daphne directly about this. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have something urgent to attend to.”
“Wait, just a moment!”
Samuel caught her arm in alarm as Liriope turned to leave.
“I was asking *you*, not your sister!”
Liriope stopped mid-step.
“Me?”
This was unexpected enough that she paused without meaning to and turned back to look at him.
[There, you see? I’ve been saying all along that he watches you like you’ve got honey smeared all over you, and you kept ignoring me!]
Od’s voice crackled with frustration like someone chewing a raw potato.
Liriope looked at Samuel with evident confusion.
“Yes, I’m asking you. So what I’m saying is—”
Samuel grasped at anything that might hold her attention a moment longer.
“Are you interested? There’s been talk lately about a Mana Enhancement Potion…”
“A Mana Enhancement Potion?”
“Right! There are plenty of fakes out there, but I know where to find the real thing.”
Seeing her show interest, he launched into a more eager explanation of the premium information he could provide at the banquet.
Liriope eyed him suspiciously for a moment, then finally understood.
‘Ah, so he was trying to sell medicine.’
[No, *you*! Sigh—you’re perfectly sensible most of the time, so how are you this oblivious about something like this?]
Od seemed to have given up trying to explain.
Perhaps it was the weight of being dismissed as useless in her past life?
Liriope had difficulty recognizing that someone might harbor romantic feelings toward her.
Besides, with Caliona beside her—perfect in every way—she reasoned that anyone with eyes would have no reason to take interest in herself.
[You infuriating student! I’m telling you, half the men you’ve brushed off over the years were interested in *you*, not your sister.]
‘Od, I don’t mind not being popular, so you don’t need to go out of your way to hype me up.’
Liriope was stubbornly irrational on this particular point, frustrating Od once again.
In any case, she was genuinely interested in the Mana Enhancement Potion she’d just heard about.
“I already promised to attend the banquet with my sister, but I could make time to discuss this separately.”
“Really?!”
After arranging a meeting with the delighted Samuel, Liriope turned to go.
[Well, the direction is a bit odd, but at least it’s convenient. Haven’t you been wanting to investigate those strange rumors going around lately?]
‘That’s right. Everything I’ve found so far has been fake.’
Rumors had been circulating in the Magic Tower about a wondrous potion that could multiply one’s mana manifold with just a single drop.
Though Liriope didn’t entirely believe such an incredible substance existed, she was curious enough to investigate.
[You understand, though—even if you do find something genuine, don’t go drinking it thoughtlessly.]
‘I’m not an idiot. That won’t happen.’
Liriope dismissed Od’s warning lightly.
Among her close circle, only Milena was the type to fall for such things easily; warning her once more would suffice.
But as it turned out, the fool in question was someone else entirely.
“What? You tasted the Mana Enhancement Potion just now?”
—Screech!
Liriope and Caliona stopped mid-battle against the corrupted creature, staring at Cassel in disbelief.
“C-Cassel, Liriope said not to drink it because it could be dangerous! Does that mean you’re going to die now?”
Milena forgot to maintain her defensive barrier, her face pale with fear as she looked at Cassel.
Cassel took her place at the barrier, speaking with irritation.
“I only tasted it, like I said. Besides, it was just a fake coated with Vitality Magic, so there was no problem.”
“But that was reckless. What if there was something strange mixed in it? How could you eat it without thinking?”
Caliona, already skeptical of such potions from the start, was the harshest in her rebuke.
Liriope found herself unable to defend Cassel either, her brow furrowing.
Thud!
Cassel’s fist, charged with mana, struck down a corrupted creature without mercy, and the sight filled her vision.
They were currently in the outer region two of the Contaminated Holy Ground—the Black Bone Swampland.
As the outer zone closest to the heart of the sacred ground, the environment was utterly desolate.
Over the past two years, Cassel had undergone dramatic growth; his height and build now ranked among the tallest in the Magic Tower. Yet those fierce, stubborn eyes remained unchanged from before.
Cassel had always been a boy of action.
Strong sense of responsibility, progressive spirit, steadfast courage, bold daring—Liriope appreciated these qualities in him.
Sadly, though, he had failed to develop them in a positive direction.
To Liriope’s eyes, Cassel’s boldness had become recklessness—as if he didn’t care when he died. He always acted without regard for his own safety.
It was a habit that had persisted since Dino and Fin, whom he’d cherished like younger brothers, had died.
The moment Cassel’s sharp gaze met Liriope’s worried eyes, his fierce momentum softened slightly.
“Anyway, my point is that this Samuel guy is obviously just playing games with you. How would he even know if he’s giving you medicine or poison?”
“Hey! I said to be careful what you say around Liri!”
Caliona glared at Cassel and bound the corrupted creatures in a Mana Net, then dumped them wholesale into the swamp before her.
—Eeeeeek!
An Anthropoid Spider Beast—with long, spindly limbs like a spider and a human head—let out a horrifying shriek as it dissolved into the swamp.
Today, the four of them moved in perfect synchronization.
Having ventured into the Contaminated Holy Ground countless times over the past two years, all four now maintained their magic steadily and cut through their path with ease.
“Stop talking nonsense. Why would Senior Samuel give me poison? I’ll grant you the potion is likely fake, but—”
Growing in age and body, improving in magical skill, hadn’t made her any less emotionally naive, though.
“Right, look at her.”
Cassel flashed a rotten grin at Caliona.
Caliona, rather than argue, sent Liriope an enigmatic look this time.
“And that creepy dark-haired kid who’s supposedly the Magic Tower Master’s son—he’s the same way. The way that dangerous bastard clings to your side, and you just leave him be without a care.”
When Cassel suddenly mentioned Belkiers without warning, Liriope flinched in surprise.
She responded almost reflexively.
“Belkiers isn’t dangerous. He might look that way on the surface, but he’s actually kind and good-natured. He’s just cold toward others because he’s shy.”
Cassel, naturally, looked utterly baffled, as if he’d heard the most absurd thing in the world.
“What, are you one of those vicious dog owners claiming your mutt is gentle and cute?”
Life in the isolated Magic Tower meant you witnessed and heard things whether you wanted to or not.
News of the Inner Tower disciples—the Magic Tower Master’s adopted children—was no exception.
They typically kept to themselves, separate from Outer Tower mages like Cassel and Liriope, clustering only among their own.
With faces wearing the arrogance of the chosen, they looked down on everyone around them.
And they emanated an oppressive aura that discouraged others from approaching them at all.
The Magic Tower Master’s adopted children possessed undeniable beauty and skill that no one could contest.
Nearly everyone in the Magic Tower admired and praised them.
But Cassel despised them.
Was it the sight of hothouse flowers making his stomach turn?
Or was it the vanity of the talented lording their talent over others that offended him?
Particularly that one who had caught his eye of late.
The Magic Tower Master’s son.
The darling of the age. A self-proclaimed and universally acknowledged magical prodigy. An unfair embodiment of perfection—even blessed with unnecessary beauty.
A snake circling Liriope’s vicinity for reasons Cassel couldn’t fathom.
Cassel detested him more than any other presence in the Magic Tower—the most superior, the most dangerous.
Though in truth, Cassel’s wariness of Belkiers stemmed from deeper reasons.
“Stop it, Cassel. Belkiers Belegot is at least not a threat to Liri. So drop this nonsense and let’s focus on finding the components and magical artifacts she needs.”
Caliona swept away the black mist with a gust of wind, cutting through the tension.
Cassel still looked dissatisfied, but after a small click of his tongue, he refocused on searching the area.
“L-Liriope! Look at this! Isn’t this what you wanted?”
Fortunately, it wasn’t long before Liriope found what she’d been seeking.
“That’s it—Mandaira’s Green Horn. Thank you for finding it, Milena.”
“H-hehe! My eyesight is pretty good, after all!”
[Excellent! With this, we can now restore the broken artifact.]
“Then let’s head back. The mist is getting thicker.”
Liriope continued purifying her surroundings relentlessly, but the darkness crept back in almost instantly.
Click.
Then a sinister sound came from beneath Milena’s feet.
“That… I didn’t just step on something weird, did I?”
Milena froze, sensing the wrongness.
‘Od!’
[Reckless as always! Wait just a moment!]
The next instant, Liriope’s mouth fell open at the information Od displayed before her eyes.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————