Chapter Thirty: The Archmage and Science (Part One)

"Ruby, please, please."
In the dim basement, the pleading young girl and the indifferent young man created what could have been a perfect tableau—of course, it didn’t really exist. Mayuna had abandoned her dignity solely for the sake of delicious sweets.

It began when Mayuna recently discovered a new use for Dracon—she treated him as a search engine dedicated to finding Earth’s culinary treasures. Naturally, Dracon’s resistance had been crushed after many desperate confrontations, but that was another story altogether.

Perhaps Earth’s technology isn’t advanced, but its food industry is absolutely at the forefront of the universe. Whatever Ruby could find, she could recreate. She’d set her sights on a dessert called Black Forest cake. Her woman’s intuition told her this cake was superb, absolutely unrivaled compared to any she’d tasted before.

“No. Go away.”
Ruby wanted to scold Dracon for betraying him—he could bake cakes, the best in the world, but that didn’t mean he was willing. The ingredients alone were tricky to acquire. Still, seeing the battered Dracon, Ruby relented—they were both exploited, after all.

“How can you be so heartless? Such a beautiful woman is begging you! Anyone else would have been grateful for the opportunity!”
Mayuna puffed her cheeks in anger. She was a Grand Mage! Even if you disregard her status, shouldn’t you at least honor her beauty?

“Then go find someone else—if anyone can actually bake it.”
“Ugh, what will it take for you to agree?”
Mayuna, knowing she was at someone’s mercy, softened her tone. It was the only way to deal with Ruby; she couldn’t overpower him.

“Let me think.”
Ruby’s gaze swept over Mayuna’s figure. Then he stepped into his laboratory and returned with a handful of leaves, crafting something by hand before her.

“Give me your hand.”
Ruby soon finished a bracelet woven from green leaves. Even in haste, it was exquisitely made, and Mayuna felt it suited her.

“Oh.”
“Hey, isn’t this Magic-Test Grass?”
Mayuna quickly recognized the bracelet’s composition. This plant was typically used by the Academy to measure a novice mage’s magic power, as it would wither instantly upon contact with magical energy. Different grades of Magic-Test Grass responded only to magic of the same level. Ruby had given her the lowest grade—one that would wilt even with the simplest spell—instilling Mayuna with a sense of foreboding.

“Yes. I want you to wear it and spend a day in Delis. If it breaks, you can say goodbye to the cake.”
“No! You can’t do this! How could you come up with such a twisted condition, forbidding a Grand Mage from using magic?!”
Mayuna cried out. Magic was her everything, indispensable in daily life. Ruby’s demand was tantamount to breaking her limbs.

“It’s precisely because you rely too much on magic that you do foolish things. This is your chance to experience life as an ordinary person. Don’t worry, I won’t let you come to harm. Look, I’ve prepared plenty of tools—you can try them and sense the spirit of science.”
For once, Ruby had the upper hand in his daily interactions with Mayuna. Dracon discreetly gave him a thumbs-up, his own conjured digit expressing approval.

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“So I agreed after all. What an idiot I am!”
In a corner of Delis Town, the Grand Mage girl squatted by a wall, cursing Ruby. Thanks to him, she couldn’t even use a simple spell to clear away loiterers; walking through the streets made her a striking sight. The mixed glances she received nearly drove Mayuna mad, but for the sake of cake, she endured it, planning to stay put until sunset.

“Hey, big sister, are you alone?”
Just as Mayuna began counting ants out of boredom, a child’s voice reached her. She looked up to see a boy of about ten standing before her.

“Go away, I don’t have time to talk to kids.”
In a foul mood, Mayuna waved off the boy’s attempt to chat.

“You’re so pretty, you must be a powerful mage. Can you help me?”
“I used to be a powerful mage, until my knee... No, never mind. What do you need help with?”
Mentioning mages made Mayuna melancholy. But as she was bored anyway, she decided to humor him.

“My ball is stuck on a branch. Can you use magic to get it down?”
The boy pointed to a tall tree nearby—five or six meters high. A black-and-white ball was lodged among its branches.

“Hey, isn’t that a soccer ball?”
“You know? A big brother with spiky hair gave it to me. I spend all my time playing with it and my friends. He’s a good man.”
“That guy again...”
Mayuna hadn’t expected to see Ruby’s handiwork even here. As for retrieving the ball, she had no solution at the moment, so she and the boy stared at each other.

“You can’t get it down?”
“I can’t climb trees.”
“No, you could use a second-level spell—Spring Breeze—to blow it down, right?”
“Well, actually I...”
“You don’t even know second-level magic? At your age? You’ll never be an advanced mage, big sis.”
The boy was stunned. Second-level spells were basic necessities for any adult. He couldn’t fathom how Mayuna had survived this long. His address shifted from ‘big sister’ to ‘big sis.’

“Ouch, my heart...”
Every word from the boy pierced Mayuna’s heart. For a Grand Mage to be described as ‘unsuited for advanced magic,’ ‘this is all you’ll ever be,’ ‘just a pretty face from now on’—though the last was only imagined.

“Forget it. I’ll go find another grown-up.”

“Wait—maybe there’s a way to get the ball down without magic.”
Mayuna stopped the boy. If he left, it would be a stain on her life as a Grand Mage. Ruby had given her plenty of odd tools; surely one would suffice.

“Really?”
“Let me see. This ‘telescopic rod’ looks promising.”
Mayuna rummaged through her spatial ring. Ruby had thoughtfully attached instructions to every tool, so she didn’t have to guess their use. Soon, she produced a rod about the length of her arm.

“Big sister, you have spatial items? So cool!”
“Yeah, well, fortunately activating the ring doesn’t require enough magic to wilt this thing.”
Mayuna was relieved. Following the instructions, she extended the rod’s segments one by one, making it longer and longer, until it easily reached the tree’s height.

“What is this? It looks amazing!”
“It really is...”
Mayuna stared at the rod in surprise—its simple exterior gave no hint of its remarkable abilities. With a gentle poke, she dislodged the ball, which the boy quickly caught.

“Thanks, big sister! You have lots of strange things like that big brother. Goodbye.”
Satisfied, the boy thanked Mayuna and ran off. She was merely a passerby in his life; there was no need to even ask her name.

“To think I made a child smile without using magic. Maybe science really is something extraordinary.”
Mayuna put away the strange tool and prepared to keep wandering. As she mused, she unexpectedly heard the boy’s cry. She turned to see him surrounded by several burly men.

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PS: Why bother naming minor characters? Who needs a bike!
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