Chapter 21: Kinoko Nasu won't be very happy, you know?

Thadeus immediately became alert and nervous. Although Witchcraft itself didn't seem much different from Magic, with the exception of the lack of Elemental Aura present, and this person claiming to help him... A Witch is still considered bad news!

Heretical existences like them who inherit the Blood of Demons are hunted down by the Church of the Dawn once they are discovered and subjected to holy trials or directly killed In Situs.

That's because they not only possessed magical and physical prowess comparable to their demon parents—albeit an unremarkable lifespan—but could also connect to their demon parents and use sorcery through them, to the extent their bodies could endure.

In other words….They could act as enemy spies against humanity and, in fact, it has happened before!

At least…that's what I heard from an adventurer who claimed to have killed a Witch spy.

Still, warning bells rang loudly in young Thadeus's head, as he cautiously watched the man who continued carelessly enchanting the brooch. Cold sweat ran down his face, unsure of what to do or say.

Being dragged into the home (?) of a Witch…and he was secretly living in his village!

It was crazy!

“W-what are you planning, Warlock!?” Finally questioning the man, Valeni, Thadeus looked around with his eyes searching for something to defend himself with. He gulped in fear, but instead of wanting to run away, he even thought about fighting.

The thought that a Demon, the being who motivated the mad cultists to maliciously destroy human territories, would learn of Maru and his family's existence made his hair stand on end. He also felt deeply remorseful, because this was his fault…

What if he wasn't just any Warlock, but a Cult composed of Warlocks who admire and revere their ancestry from the Dragon of Calamity? It would be even worse, because they would know the location of the descendants of the heroes who fled!

Guilt and despair seemed like they would overwhelm the boy's mind just by thinking about it...and something inside him seemed to react to those feelings, something familiar...no, different from what he was used to.

And at that moment…

“Hey, hey, calm down, brat! I’m not a Warlock!” Valeni said irritably, looking with fierce green eyes that made him shudder after he had finished his thing “I’m a damn Half-Elf, see!?”

With that said, she flipped her hair a bit, revealing pointy eyebrows smaller than the village's resident Elf, only sharing the emerald green elven-style earrings.

Seeing that, Thadeus's body relaxed, falling to the ground weak from the tremendous tension that overwhelmed him in less than a minute.

Thank the gods...you're just a Half-Elf

His mind was at ease, as the Half-Elves' abilities were similar to those of Warlocks, only weaker than the Elves themselves. Anyway, he no longer had any reason to go crazy thinking he'd screwed up big time.

Damn…that was dangerous…what if he really was a Warlock?

The consequences would be dire.

“Why is the lord helping me? What if I told someone he was a Half-Elf?”

Although Half-Elves weren't viewed with murderous intent like Warlocks, many regarded them as impure and isolated beings. Of course, Thadeus wouldn't do that, but he couldn't help but ask her that question.

He immediately felt guilty. What was he saying?

“As if a good-natured brat like you would ever do something like that,” he sneered leisurely as he took the heraldry back, which now no longer emanated any discernible spiritual aura, and passed it to Thadeus. “Even if you did do something like that, I wouldn’t have left you like that, to die over a silly mistake. So what if people wouldn’t treat me as a person because of my mixed bloodline? It’s not like they could really kick me out anyway… There are laws against discrimination against Half-elves and the like, after all!”

“You say that, but you were hiding your ears with your hair…”

“Anyway, child, you should quickly return that brooch to its rightful owner. As I mentioned before, the spell I used is only temporary and will sooner or later release that subtle magical energy that reveals it to those sharp enough to notice.”

The Armorer said with a serious expression, his voice laced with a strong warning, and Thadeus nodded, grateful to hear his concern. Judging by his appearance, words, and reputation, he would never have expected this former knight to be such a good person.

“Thank you very much!” the silver-haired boy said in a sincere voice.

I really couldn't say anything else.

“You’re welcome…by the way, kid…”

“Yes?” He stiffened suddenly. Thadeus, for some reason, wondered if she was suddenly going to ask him to pay for her services… that was something anyone would think when they saw those mischievous eyes and big smile, after all.

But what came out of his mouth was very different from what Thadeus had expected.

“How about after you return this magic brooch to Mari-chan, you come back to learn Alchemy with me?” Valeni proposed, with a hint of amusement in her tone as she leaned against the counter, watching as he opened his blue eyes in surprise.

“A-alchemy!?”

“Yes, yes, that Alchemy; the signature art of my Elven heritage, hehehe”

The Half-Elf man declared proudly, satisfied with the reaction of the future hero of the world to his words.

♦♦♦♦

(Returning to the inn where our protagonist lives)

Magical circuits are pathways connecting the body and soul, through which mana flows—the mystical energy that fuels all mortal life and nourishes all the Nature Spirits within every future Mage or Warrior. 

It is through them that the physical and spiritual planes overlap, allowing humans to interfere with the phenomena of nature using the power of the inherent spirits that only the chosen ones of Mother Earth Gaia carry, achieving miracles….

Reading this far to find out the truth of the Magical Theory, I, Marco Riaz….no, now Maru, could only rub my head in utter dismay, questioning the mind of the developers of this world who put all this together in amazement.

“No way… those guys actually used material from the Typemoon wiki to write this nonsense? Who the hell writes the words ‘Great Mage Nikolos Nasu made this theory’ into the world’s magical theory without anyone thinking of that Nazu , huh?”

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the nonsense that was written on these yellowing pages before my eyes... Did they really think that putting Nikolos would make no one notice!?

No, well, I didn't even notice such things when I was just a humble player playing his role as the hero's guide, but really?

Kinoko Nasu won't be very happy, you know?