Chapter Thirty-Six: Identity Exposed and the Fool’s Growth

“School?”
Mayoona’s mind was full of question marks. She was an Archmage, after all—if she ever set foot in a school, it would be to teach those little brats, not to compete with children who couldn’t even cast second-level spells! It was like sending a demon lord to the beginner’s village.

“I’m destined to leave here. The academy is too far to come home every day, so I’ll probably be living there. What will you do then?”
Ruby had thought this over for a long time before resorting to such a plan. In truth, even if he hadn’t acted, Mayoona would likely have chased him to the academy anyway. Rather than letting her create a storm after her identity was exposed, it was better for her to enroll as an ordinary student from the start.

“I simply can’t be without you!”
Mayoona declared with utmost seriousness, though she found it odd that she felt none of the heart-fluttering she once did—she could now speak to him as calmly as anyone.

“You mean you can’t live without the things I make for you.”
“Ninety percent true. I’m heading out for a bit.”
Mayoona did not deny her desires. Without another word, she vanished from the basement. She was still bothered by what Ruby had just done—no matter what, she didn’t want him to be misunderstood as a greedy, petty man.

Meanwhile, Eve and Ceylan had finished strolling around the small town of Delis and were ready to return. Eve kept insisting on finding Ruby to give him money, until Ceylan, utterly exasperated, scooped up her petite frame and prepared to fly back to the imperial capital.

“Why, Ceylan, why won’t you let me find that man?”
Even in mid-air, the pink-haired girl struggled incessantly, her words forcing Ceylan to press her palm to her forehead with a sigh.

“My lady, how is it that you, a human, have the intellect of a gnome? We humans are supposed to understand one another, yet I can’t comprehend your thinking at all.”
The Starlit Clan, being the continent’s wealthiest family, attracted no shortage of villains. As their sole guardian, Ceylan’s main duty was to protect the family’s seedlings. But somehow, this seedling had grown into a poisonous weed—a fault perhaps traceable to the head of the family’s methods.

Eve had always been the head’s favorite, yet she lacked any sense of her position. It wasn’t a matter of intelligence—her financial acumen was extraordinary—but she was simply too naïve. In Ceylan’s words: “With a lady like this, I could trick her into bed ten times in one night!”

“Don’t you think he looks a bit like my brother?”
“Other than the same hairstyle, how exactly do they resemble each other? Your brother has pink hair too, you know!”
Ceylan, for once, couldn’t help but retort. Though Eve’s brother was often teased as a pink hedgehog, he was quite the handsome fellow. Ruby, on the other hand, had the most ordinary appearance—Ceylan couldn’t see the resemblance at all.

As their bickering reached a fever pitch, a figure suddenly appeared ahead. If Ceylan hadn’t stopped in time, they would have collided.

“What is it, after our money?”
Ceylan eyed the newcomer—it was that white-haired woman, come after them. She’d already sensed Mayoona’s power was extraordinary, but hadn’t expected her to track them in the sky. She didn’t bother with pleasantries.

“Don’t get me wrong. I don’t consider a mere Archmage worth my time.”
Mayoona spared Ceylan only a glance before looking away. Ceylan was a seasoned Archmage, older even than her own teacher’s ascension, and one of the Holy Empire’s few Archmagi, but in Mayoona’s eyes, she was nothing special.

“Kid, although my partner took your money, our family never likes to owe anyone. Take this, and make good use of it.”
With that, Mayoona tossed a pouch of crystals to Ceylan and strode away, leaving the two of them staring at each other in confusion.

“What did she give you?”
Eve, as always oblivious to danger, only asked after Mayoona had left.

“Venom crystals, and of extremely high purity. Could that woman be…?”
Ceylan examined the pouch, her expression shifting. Even their own merchant guild had little of such a substance in reserve, yet this woman handed over a whole pouch as if it were nothing. Coupled with her tone, Ceylan felt she was onto something.

“So she isn’t dead after all. But why fake her death?”

“Ceylan, what are you talking about?”
“My lady, you may not know, but this woman used to be a frequent presence in the imperial capital. Maybe you’ll understand if I remind you of the second son of the Duke of Harman?”

“Of course. He was left hanging on the cathedral’s cross for days! It was hilarious.”
Eve burst into giggles at the mention of the Harman family’s infamous second son—a laughingstock everyone in the capital remembered.

“You know the result but not the cause. He only invited her for a drink, was refused, and then called her ungrateful, not knowing her true identity. Because of that, His Majesty the Emperor almost personally executed that wastrel.”

“Wait—is she a princess?”
“Far scarier than a princess. She’s the only person in the world to have set foot in the realm of gods. But why fake her death? Hmm… fake death, a man?”
Ceylan pondered for a long moment, recalling the man by Mayoona’s side, and her eyes suddenly lit up with understanding.

“Though her talent is enough to spark envy, she’s still just a young girl. Concealing her identity to fall in love—such things are precisely the kind of mischief a child of her age would get up to.”

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Mayoona was oblivious to the fact that she’d been misunderstood as a girl chasing after romance. When she returned to the underground room, she found Ruby packing several large bags, preparing to leave. She didn’t bother to ask what he was up to, but quietly followed him to the lakeshore.

“Aquaria.”
Ruby called softly at the water’s edge. Immediately, a sky-blue figure emerged—a beautiful mermaid, who broke into a smile the moment she saw Ruby.

“Ruby, you’ve come to play with me again? I can smell delicious food!”
“Aquaria, you’ve been away from home for a while. Don’t you ever miss it?”

“Sometimes I think about my mother,” she replied, swishing her tail and sending ripples across the water, not sure what Ruby was getting at.

“Then let me send you home.”
“Huh?”
“I’m about to leave for the academy with Mayoona. We won’t be back for a long time. I think it’s best to return you to the sea.”

“…No.”
The silly smile vanished from Aquaria’s face, her head drooping in reluctance.

“Be good. I only had you stay here because I had no other option before. Now I have the means to return you. You’ll be happier with your own kind.”
Ruby truly had her best interests at heart. If he wasn’t around, Aquaria would be lonely, and this little mountain wasn’t always uninhabited—if anyone found her here, she’d be doomed.

“You villain!”
Aquaria suddenly leapt from the lake, pinning Ruby beneath her, her lower body pressing into his chest as she shouted angrily.

“Aquaria—hey! What are you—stop it!”
Before Ruby could struggle, her blue tail came down hard on his face, smacking him repeatedly in a fit of pique.

“Villain, villain, villain! What do you take everything we’ve been through for? You think you can just send me away? Am I some pet to you?”
Though a bit slow-witted, Aquaria had feelings too. Even if they weren’t lovers, she and Ruby were the closest of friends. She simply couldn’t believe he was about to send her away, and tears welled up, falling as pearls.

“I’ll come visit you in the future…”
Ruby’s face was bright red and swollen from the blows, but as the aggrieved party, he could only try to soothe her.

“Liar! You don’t even know where my family lives—how will you find me? Are you just throwing me away because you’re tired of me? You only found me by chance. Without you, I’d have died already!”

“But if you stay here, you won’t see me either.”
“…Huh?”
Aquaria stopped crying, tilting her head to study him, as if trying to figure out his angle.

“Hey, you silly mermaid, didn’t I say from the start that I’d be away for a long time?”

Ruby finally managed to push Aquaria off. As payback, he flicked her firmly on the forehead.

“Whatever. I still refuse! If I don’t see you for three days, I’ll die!”

“Are you a child?”
“I’m not going anywhere until I’ve had your child! Go if you want, but soon you’ll hear that mermaids are being hunted. Just leave us mother and daughter behind and walk away!”

With that, Aquaria squeezed her eyes shut and played dead. Who said fools couldn’t grow up? They just hadn’t had the right opportunity. Now, she had suddenly awakened, putting on a scene worthy of a prime-time drama.

“So you’ve learned to threaten people now…”

“You two are so annoying. The academy has holidays every week—just come back then.”
Mayoona finally interjected, having watched the farce unfold. She enjoyed bullying Aquaria, but couldn’t deny that life would be less entertaining without her. So she spoke up.

“The academy is at least two days from here.”
“Are you an idiot? You have me, don’t you? My space magic isn’t just for show, you know.”
Mayoona reminded Ruby not to forget what a convenient Archmage he had at his side. For her, teleporting with space magic was as easy as a game, and taking Ruby along was no trouble at all. In the end, Ruby and Aquaria agreed to meet once a week.

“What is it now?”
On the way home, Mayoona suddenly poked Ruby’s cheek with her finger, provoking his annoyed question.

“You guessed Aquaria wouldn’t agree to leave, didn’t you? That’s why you packed so much food for her.”

“Well, it never hurts to be prepared.”
“Just as I thought—a real scoundrel, tricking her out of a pile of pearls.”

Their shadows stretched long in the sunset—soon, it would be time to leave the little mountain that had been their home for so long.

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