Chapter 138: The Trial
Mykes had no choice but to unleash the power of his Life Seed and carry the huge bundle of hay on his back.
He glanced at Levi, worried that he might not be able to keep up, only to find him looking completely at ease.
Mykes froze for a moment. He assumed only the hay on his own back had been enchanted, while the baskets Levi carried were perfectly ordinary.
Little did he know, Levi was secretly using magic.
Wizard's Hand!
A Third-Ring Spell—Wizard's Hand.
The moment the spell's magical fluctuations appeared, Barbara glanced back at him with a meaningful look. She said nothing before calmly turning around again.
The one Barbara intended to test was Count Mykes.
To her, Levi was merely an unexpected young wizard carrying secrets of his own.
So even though Levi was cheating by using magic, she had no intention of calling him out.
The wind had already warned her that although Levi was only a Third-Ring Wizard, he was dangerous.
For the wind to make such a judgment meant he possessed trump cards powerful enough to threaten even her.
Barbara naturally showed greater tolerance toward someone with that kind of strength.
The strong were always treated differently.
And so, Levi leisurely carried the baskets while Mykes struggled beneath the enormous bundle of hay, the two of them following Barbara across the wilderness.
As long as the ground remained level, Mykes could still manage by drawing on the explosive strength of his Life Seed.
But when they reached the mountain and had to climb upward while loose rocks rolled down beneath their feet as though alive, he finally reached his limit.
Sweat streamed down his face.
His clothes were completely soaked through, and when the wind blew across his drenched body, he alternated between feeling freezing cold and burning hot.
What Mykes didn't know was that the wind blowing against him wasn't an ordinary mountain breeze.
It was a magical wind imbued with mysterious power.
As it passed through his body, subtle changes quietly took place without his knowledge.
A faint blue light flickered in Levi's eyes as he watched everything unfold.
Barbara suddenly turned to glance at him before casually looking forward again.
Meanwhile, Mykes remained completely oblivious.
Sweat was pouring into his eyes. Panting heavily, he said to Barbara,
"Ma'am... I can't keep going anymore. I need to rest."
"No!"
Barbara answered imperiously.
"You may rest after we arrive. Until then, you keep walking!"
"What, are you trying to slack off?"
"You're not even as capable as a traveling merchant!"
"And you still wanted to prove yourself to me?" she mocked.
Mykes looked at Levi, who still appeared completely relaxed. Shock and disbelief filled his face before he began doubting himself.
'Did those drinks damage my body that badly? Am I really so weak that I can't even match a mere merchant? Starting today, I'll...'
'Forget it. I'm exhausted. No matter what, I need to rest.'
Thinking that, he tried to lower the bundle of hay from his back.
"Come on, ma'am, be reasonable, will you?"
"I really can't carry this anymore!"
But to his horror, the bundle seemed to have grown directly onto his back.
No matter how hard he tried, it wouldn't come off.
He twisted one way, then the other, desperately trying to shake it loose, but nothing worked.
Panic immediately set in.
Realizing something was seriously wrong, he hurriedly called to Levi.
"Quick! Help me get this thing off!"
"He can't help you."
Barbara's voice turned cold.
Although she was answering Mykes, those words were really directed at Levi.
It was a warning not to interfere.
Levi could only shrug helplessly.
He had already figured out what was happening.
Barbara was testing Mykes while simultaneously tempering his physical strength through hardship—much like how Son Goku trained under extreme gravity in Dragon Ball.
Mykes, however, had no idea his body was quietly changing.
All he knew was that Levi had refused to help him.
His expression immediately changed.
Barbara, meanwhile, burst into delighted laughter, hopping around with her walking stick like an excited child.
"Don't worry, child!" she laughed.
"Your face is as red as a turkey. Just carry everything to my house, and I promise I'll reward you."
Having no other choice, Mykes resigned himself to his fate.
He frowned at Levi before silently following behind Barbara once more.
By this point, if he still hadn't realized Barbara was a witch, he'd have been an idiot.
Not only that—
He had begun to suspect Levi was Barbara's accomplice... another wizard.
Convinced he had fallen into a deadly trap and could lose his life at any moment, he decided the only way to survive was to obey Barbara's orders for now and continue carrying the hay.
The bundle grew heavier and heavier.
Meanwhile, Barbara seemed to become increasingly nimble.
Then suddenly—
She gave a light hop.
Her body floated upward as lightly as a feather, lifted by the wind itself, before landing neatly atop the bundle of hay.
She looked little more than skin and bones.
Yet to Mykes, she felt even heavier than the fattest farm girls back home.
The count's son, who had never endured much hardship in his life, nearly collapsed as his knees buckled beneath the weight.
But Barbara refused to let him kneel.
She struck his legs with a tree branch and a hemp cane, forcing him to stay on his feet.
Every strike sent searing pain shooting through Mykes's body like an electric shock, making every muscle lock up as agony twisted his face beyond recognition.
What Mykes didn't know was that another force accompanied each blow.
It seeped into his body, stimulating his muscles, bones, and even his Life Seed. Little by little, his strength continued to grow.
The pain left him too terrified to resist Barbara.
All he could do was stagger forward, exhausting every ounce of his strength until he finally made it over the mountain and reached the foot of the slope.
A small cottage stood before him.
But what Levi saw was something entirely different.
A transparent barrier had opened an entrance just for him.
At last, Levi understood why Detection had failed to locate Barbara's home before.
The barrier had concealed it.
Although it wasn't nearly as flawless as the barrier protecting the Flower Fairy Kingdom, it still lay beyond the capabilities of a Third-Ring Detection spell, which was why he hadn't discovered it earlier.
Now, however, it had opened before him.
Barbara looked at him with a faint, knowing smile, as though waiting to see whether he had the courage to step inside.
Levi calmly met her gaze before walking through the barrier without hesitation.
Mykes had actually entered first, completely unaware that he was already inside a magical barrier.
As soon as the two of them entered, a flock of geese raised their wings, stretched out their necks, and came waddling toward them, honking loudly.
Following behind them was a young woman carrying a tree branch.
She was tall and broad-shouldered, with a face as fierce as a she-demon. After glancing briefly at the two visitors, her gaze settled on Barbara.
"Mother, why are you so late today?"
She was simply saying Barbara had returned later than usual.
Barbara looked at the fierce-looking young woman and smiled.
"Nothing happened, my daughter."
"On the contrary, this kind young man helped carry my things home."
"When I became too tired to walk, he even carried me as well."
"The trip wasn't tiring at all. We chatted and laughed the whole way back. It felt like nothing more than a pleasant stroll."
Mykes felt as though he were listening to someone else's story.
Still...
As long as Barbara was happy, that was fine.
He himself was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion.
Barbara seemed to realize he had finally reached his limit.
She lightly jumped off his back, casually lifted the bundle of hay off him as well, then smiled warmly.
"You've worked hard all the way here. Go sit on the bench by the door and have a rest."
"As for the reward you've earned, I certainly won't shortchange you."
Then Barbara turned to the Goose Girl.
"My daughter, go inside."
"It's not proper for you to stay alone with these two young men."
"You're so young and beautiful. I'm afraid they might fall in love with you."
Mykes nearly laughed out loud.
'Her? Beautiful? Even if she were thirty years younger, I wouldn't feel the slightest attraction toward her.'
Still...
Barbara's words seemed to imply that Levi wasn't one of them.
Mykes's expression grew thoughtful as he looked toward Levi.
After setting down the baskets, Levi had remained quietly standing there, calm as ever.
Barbara then gently stroked her flock of geese as tenderly as if they were her own children before sending the Goose Girl into the house.
By now, Mykes was utterly exhausted.
He didn't even have the strength to exchange a single word with Levi.
Instead, he dragged himself over to a bench beneath a wild apple tree beside the cottage and collapsed onto it.
The air here was fresh and pleasant.
Stretching all around them was a vast expanse of lush green meadow.
Primroses, wild thyme, and countless other flowers bloomed across the grass.
A crystal-clear stream wound lazily through the meadow, its surface shimmering with gentle ripples.
Some of the white geese were catching small fish in the water, while others splashed and played.
'What a beautiful place...'
'But I'm so tired I can barely keep my eyes open. I need to sleep for a while.'
'Just don't let the wind pick up. It might blow away these legs of mine—they're as soft as marshmallows.'
With that thought, it felt as though an enormous burden had finally been lifted from his shoulders.
He fell asleep almost instantly.
Levi quietly watched from not far away, a faint blue glow flickering in his eyes.
He knew that when the count's son awoke...
He would have broken through to the Great Knight realm.
That was one of the rewards Barbara had promised him.
The other reward...
Was the Goose Girl.
At least, that had been Barbara's original plan.
But Levi's unexpected appearance had left her puzzled.
A Third-Ring Wizard.
And one so young at that.
Appearing at such a crucial moment, it was difficult for Barbara not to suspect he had an ulterior motive.
She looked steadily at Levi.
"Young wizard, what is your name?"
"My name is Levi. Lady Barbara, it's an honor to meet you."
Levi gave a slight nod as he spoke.
"You know who I am?"
Barbara's eyes narrowed.
Levi then explained how Rapunzel's godmother had told him about her.
"Her?"
Barbara frowned and looked at Levi again.
The hostility and wariness in her eyes, however, had diminished considerably.
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