Chapter 215: [215] Freedom
There was a crisp whistling sound as Eliron’s blade cut through the air. The move had been executed with stunning grace, unlike anything that Ariel had ever seen before.
Strangely, even with the sword charging towards her head, she couldn’t help but think about how beautiful it was.
Perhaps it was to distract herself, but she was just realizing that Lord Eliron may not just be a gifted mage alone, but a sword master as well.
Swish!
Ariel closed her eyes at the last second. She felt a gust of wind blow her hair back, accompanied by a low thump as something slipped down her wrist.
"Huh?" She opened her eyes and quickly touched her neck to ensure that it was still attached. It was... thank God.
Then she noticed that her sleeve had been sliced open, and on the ground—
"The slave bracelet..."
Eliron smiled as he watched how shocked she was by it. While he was talking to her, he had gotten just a brief glance of the bracelet.
That was how he knew it was underneath her sleeve. She was probably shocked by how easily he had sliced through it.
Even a lot of advanced magic would have failed to cut through it. In the past, Eliron had to use spatial manipulation to destroy Sabrina’s collar...
But that one was far more advanced than this, and he had grown considerably stronger since then.
"W-what is this me? Are you accepting me then—"
"Of course he is. You’re pretty slow, aren’t you?" Ariel was interrupted by Artie’s sharp voice.
Ariel’s eyes widened as she watched them, unable to believe what she had heard.
Then a small smile appeared on her face, just before she fell to her knees, laughing in joy.
Artie clicked her tongue, then stared at Eliron’s head. "Let’s get going, Yen will be angry if we stay any longer..."
"Th-thank you!" Ariel bowed. "Thank you..."
Eliron nodded as he walked past her, heading back to the main road. Ariel on the other hand stood up, her smile broadening just before she jogged up to them, walking a few steps behind.
He stopped, and she stopped as well, maintaining the distance. It was as though there was an invisible barrier between them.
He frowned. "What are you doing?"
Ariel cocked her head to the side, completely confused. "D-did I do anything wrong?" she nervously asked, her arms flailing frantically in the air.
"Why are you walking behind us like an attendant?"
Eliron would have understood if it was Ash. The ever cautious knight was always trying to spot out any danger.
But Adira was not his guard. He had an idea why she had developed that habit, and he did not like it one bit.
"Come, let’s walk side by side. I won’t have you kidnapped on your first day." He joked.
Ariel was hesitant. But after a few seconds and some deep breaths, she jogged up to him and adjusted to his pace.
Then she raised her head to meet Artie’s annoyed face. "Thank you, Miss Artie."
If Artie had not suggested that she joined them before their fight, then she would have never summoned up the courage to speak to him
"Shut up." Artie snorted. "...and that is Lady Artie to you!"
<•••>
"Hummmmm... So she is a second class mage?"
Yennefer was seated on Eliron’s bed as though she owned it. Tsukiko was lying on her lap, both of them scrutinizing the half-elf Eliron had brought in.
He had just given her and Ash a brief breakdown of what had happened, since Artie was already fast asleep, and this was her first question.
"I a-am..." Ariel felt like cracking under Yen’s intense gaze.
"I see..." Yen patted Tsukiko’s head.
Normally, the fox would reject head pats from people in general. But it seemed she and Yennefer had been growing more fond of each other in recent days.
Maybe since they were both lazy bums, they saw themselves as kindred spirits...
’I still haven’t tested her capabilities...’ Eliron thought.
She had shown an uncanny skill back in the magic tower— the ability to alter her size.
Eliron couldn’t help but wonder how big she could grow and if she was hiding any other tricks inside that plump belly of hers.
Yen leaned a little closer. "Can you cook?" Her eyes glinted with the wrong type of curiosity.
"C-cook?" Ariel glanced at Eliron, who shrugged. Her eyes moved to Ash, but she could not keep eye contact with him for more than a second.
"Not really..."
Skkkkkkkkhhhh—!
Tsukiko suddenly hissed. Ariel flinched, pulling her hat down to cover her face as though she could hide inside it.
The spirit slowly shook her head in utter disappointment. Clearly infuriated by how ’useless’ Ariel was.
To Tsukiko, if a person couldn’t feed her, then they were as good as a pile of fermented poop.
"Alright, it’s okay with the teasing." Eliron stepped between them and held Ariel’s shoulders.
"Let me show you to your room..."
They had the innkeeper add an additional bed to Artie and Yen’s place. Since it was already very spacious, they were not inconvenienced in the slightest.
•••
There were two days till the day Eliron was expecting his order from the merchant’s guild, meaning for the entirety of two days, they were largely free to do as they liked!
Eliron spent the days touring the city with the full group, including Ariel.
They visited a number of restaurants, enjoyed an educational tour of the city by a particularly crafty guide, and even visited the local hot springs.
Since he had decided to accept Alexander’s plea for help, Eliron knew that in the coming days, there would be little to no chance to enjoy themselves like this, so he decided to make the most of it.
And speaking of Alexander, Eliron had expected to have at least one run-in with the bandit prince.
The cunning man had likely not given up after Eliron’s refusal, at least that was what he believed.
But strangely, he did not see a peep of him in those two days, and now, the day they were meant to get their goods had arrived...
<•••>
Everyone dressed up early that morning, and before 8AM, they were about to head out.
In front of the inn were two carriages. One was the coachman Eliron had been using since he got into the city. As for the second one, the carriage was a lot more distinguished.
Etched on the door in platinum gold and royal blue was a large insignia representing the magic tower.
"So what will your day be like?" Eliron asked Artie as she walked up to him.
Yesterday, she had gotten a letter from the tower informing her that today was her official indoctrination as a witch.
Her robe, complimentary staff, and ring that signified her membership were to be handed over to her today.
"Long." Artie replied, already sounding tired.
"All new witches and wizards are to be presented to the king of Donia immediately after their indoctrination ceremony. I’m going to be gone for at least two days..."
Eliron could sense the dread in her voice.
"Well, at least Yen is going with you."
Since the indoctrination was a type of celebration, the tower allowed each participant to bring at most one companion to accompany them.
Artie sighed. "She only agreed to come because of the food..."
As if on cue, Yennefer burst out of the inn’s front door, carrying Tsukiko in her hands, an animated grin on both their faces.
"Let’s get going! I wonder what type of food they will serve at the palace." Yen hooked her arm with Artie’s and turned to wave Eliron goodbye as they headed into their carriage.
Now Eliron was left with just two people, Ash and Ariel.
"Alright, I guess we should be on our way as well."