Chapter 38: Laila’s Great Adventure part 1

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Translator: Soafp

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Laila was born as the third daughter of the Count Lute’s family. The Lute family, a prestigious lineage, had been producing wizards for generations, and it was only natural that Laila received an outstanding education from an early age.

As soon as Laila became aware of her surroundings, she began displaying extraordinary talent in magic, much to the surprise of those around her. Her aptitude for magical fluctuations was particularly remarkable, likely due to her exceptional “eye” for discerning the essence of things.

Praised as a prodigy, Laila’s parents, contrary to the prohibition of teaching magic until the age of 10, broke the rules and raised her as a “special child.” She was given preferential treatment throughout her sensitive childhood, exceeding the treatment given to other children.

Moreover, Laila possessed not only magical talent but also captivating beauty from a young age. With her striking appearance, she always drew the attention of those around her. The only flaw might have been her hair’s color, a shade of purple and dark tones, but even that couldn’t be considered a drawback.

As the head of the family, the Count himself treated Laila as someone special, and there were no dissenting voices from the adults around her. No one dared to express criticism directly to Laila; she was handled like fragile goods.

As a result, Laila inevitably grew arrogant. She developed into someone who looked down on others, genuinely believing that there was no one superior to her…

As is the common course of human life, the once-child prodigy’s evaluations gradually diminished—once in ten years, once in five years. Eventually, Laila couldn’t help but realize that there were others who were also outstanding.

Normally, one would either accept the reality that they are not special or choose to turn a blind eye and escape. However, Laila chose “effort.” Despite her genuine talent from a young age, she believed that with diligence and a caring heart, she could become a perfect human being.

Yet, due to the distorted environment created by her parents, Laila lacked consideration for others significantly. Consequently, a highly capable individual with a disdainful attitude and a towering pride emerged.

As Laila reached marriageable age and began looking for a spouse, she started expressing her dislike for men less capable than herself. However, men more capable than Laila were scarce, and even if they existed, they already had partners or had a lower social status. Thus, she missed her chance for marriage.

Laila herself thought that rather than marrying a less capable man, she would prefer to remain single. However, the loneliness of ending her life as a woman began to weigh on her.

In the midst of this, her family also found Laila increasingly burdensome. Despite her high abilities, being a woman meant that if there were male heirs, they would naturally take over.

She found herself resented by her siblings, whom she had once looked down upon, and even her family began to feel her presence as a burden. In contemplating her future, Laila had a dream—a dream where she was surrounded by a loving husband and adorable children.

Yet, it was just a dream, devoid of any real significance. Strangely, she felt a conviction that her happiness lay to the south. From the Lute territory, the southern destinations included the capital, Sandra, Kashu, and Blue ring.

Using the few connections she had, Laila decided to journey to Blue ring. Having learned from past mistakes and leveraging her inherent high abilities, she gradually built human relationships. Eventually, she became the leader of a squad in the Mage Brigade, and with supportive subordinates, she began to feel a semblance of ordinary happiness.

Just when she began to think that maybe this was enough, an incident occurred.

It was the appearance of the “fated partner.”

Initially, Laila dismissed him as an arrogant brat.

She was surprised when he single-handedly charged at goblins, and her astonishment turned to fear when he annihilated a goblin on his own.

The next day, she found him to be an ordinary child.

However, witnessing him fighting against the Goblin King, she admired him like the heroes of tales.

On that day, the 3rd unit was assigned to the northwest from the camp. Sending out scouts, they quickly realized that there were too many goblins.

Considering the possibility of a nest, they increased the number of scouts, eventually discovering the nest. To investigate the nest’s size, they sent out another scout.

The report from the scout revealed around 200 goblins, with the biggest threat being a Goblin General. However, the day before, a child had single-handedly defeated the Goblin General, so they didn’t want to consider it a significant threat.

After consulting with the squad leaders in a field meeting, they unanimously decided to exterminate the nest. The plan was simple: Laila would unleash her area-of-effect magic at full power to eliminate the stragglers.

Everyone took their positions, waiting for Laila’s magic. She confirmed that everything was ready and cast her area-of-effect magic at full power.

The magic hit the center of the nest as planned, enveloping over a hundred goblins in flames. However, when they attempted to eliminate the remaining stragglers, “it” appeared with a roar.

The sudden roar caused a third of the unit members to enter a state of panic, completely disrupting the unit’s functionality. Despite the efforts of the remaining mobile unit members, “it” continued to break through their defense lines.

Laila tried to regain control by casting magic, but it seemed ineffective. Considering the possibility that magic itself was not working, she resorted to using earth magic to alter the terrain, buying time.

One by one, the teeth of the comb diminished, like a cruel omen.

“When all else fails,” cries of despair began in her mind. It was at that moment one of the squad members found a cave.

“There’s a cave! A cave over here!”

“Everyone, retreat into the cave! The mage, quickly use earth magic to bury half of the entrance. Knights, don’t let the enemy breach our defenses!”

She found herself shouting involuntarily. In hindsight, the decision was risky, considering the depth of the cave, potential dangers, and sheer luck. Nevertheless, they won the gamble. The cave served as a makeshift fortress; using earth magic, they blocked the lower half of the cave entrance and defended against intruders with their spears.

With a moment to catch their breath, they counted the surviving members. Initially, there were 20, but now only 10 remained.

The focus shifted from an offensive strategy to planning an escape. Laila’s mission was to gather information and return as many squad members as possible to the camp.

Surprisingly, the goblins didn’t attack during the night, possibly sleeping. They couldn’t afford to wait any longer. After careful consideration, the decision was made to escape under the cover of darkness.

Slowly, they moved the earth at the entrance with magic. No goblin presence was sensed around. However, as they were about to escape from the cave, a scout blew a whistle, calling the Goblin King.

Rushing back into the cave, they began building a barricade at the entrance. Unfortunately, one squad member didn’t make it in time and died.

At dawn, using scouts with night vision, they successfully located and quietly defeated who blew the whistle with wind magic.

Waiting for a while revealed no sign of the Goblin King. Following their instincts, they attempted to escape.

The realization that they had to run or be killed sank in. Everyone cautiously and swiftly moved away. As they all exited the cave and traveled about 100 meads with hope, the sound of a whistle echoed.

Presumably, another scout had blown the whistle. Desperate to gain distance, they ran as fast as they could but were encircled by the Goblin King.

Up close, it laughed. Indeed, it laughed. To this creature, they seemed no more than easily killable prey.

As evidence, the Goblin King swung its sword haphazardly, cutting down one of the knights. Despite being wounded in the side, the knight could still walk. At this moment, they should have been able to cut him in half, but the Goblin King deliberately wounded rather than killed to cripple their mobility.

With a sinister laugh, it accomplished exactly that.

In the face of impending doom, where annihilation seemed inevitable, the captain, once hailed as a prodigy, made a fateful decision to act as a decoy.

Casting the most dazzling magic directly into the Goblin King’s face, the leader successfully diverted its attention. The Goblin King, annoyed, turned its focus toward the leader, recognizing her as the next target.

(I am scared, I am scared, I am scared)

Amidst the fear that inundated her mind, the leader, driven by the weight of her responsibilities, managed to utter a single command.

“Escape now! I’ll draw its attention!”

From that point on, any trace of courage seemed to dissipate, and what followed was a pitiful display—a far cry from the prodigious child of the past.

There was no hint of the once-revered prodigy; she had become a woman desperately fleeing from overwhelming violence, seeking salvation.

Though the desire to scream and cry lingered, even such expressions of fear felt like unattainable luxuries.

Employing a skill she wasn’t particularly proficient in—body strengthening—the leader ran for her life, miraculously reaching the edge of the open camp, whether due to the protection of spirits or sheer luck.

(Thank god! Somebody, please help me!)

The thoughts of being saved lasted only a moment. Before her stood Rafina, a former subordinate, and her children. Even with all her experience, the leader found herself at a loss, managing only to convey a feeble “run.”

Behind her loomed the Goblin King, and in a moment of hesitation on how to proceed, she endured its roar at point-blank range for the second time.

Paralyzed with fear, her body refused to move. Rafina, in front of her, seemed similarly frozen.

Facing a moment of utter despair, the leader contemplated giving up. Yet, a glimmer of hope emerged as a child stepped forward to confront the Goblin King.

Initially anticipating a swift demise for the child, the leader witnessed an unexpected reality unfold. Knights and mages, easily defeated by the Goblin King, was now matched or even overpowered by this courageous child.

[I have been defeated.]

In exceptional dagger proficiency.

In movements that surpassed imagination.

In the mastery of body strengthening.

And above all else… in the courage to stand alone against that Goblin King…

At last, he beheaded the Goblin King with an enormous magic spell, something never seen before.

After casting the magic, the surroundings turned into a sea of flames, and many wizards worked tirelessly to extinguish the fire using water magic. Nevertheless, the Goblin King was defeated by a single child.

There were those stronger than me in the past… I had spoken with noble individuals, charming gentlemen, but none could compare to him.

He looked about ten years old, and that might well have been his actual age.

I felt a genuine sense of admiration and affection for the child.

However, I was nearing 40 years old… an age that could be considered grandparental rather than parental.

I had read about it in my family’s library: the Elixir of Rejuvenation.

One bottle could make someone look about ten years younger…

However, it didn’t affect the lifespan, and those in power didn’t consider it too significant.

It was mostly desired by women concerned about their appearance. Depending on one’s constitution, there could be side effects, and instead of rejuvenating, it might cause aging.

I made my decision.

I couldn’t imagine a life without Aldo-kyun☆.

If I aged, I would gracefully commit suicide…

I was determined to cling to life 30 years longer than I should if the age gap between us became a hindrance.

I am Laila, once a remarkable figure who had risen to the rank of Second Squad Leader in the Magic Corps.

Now, I am just a woman in love with Aldo-kyun☆.

In my quest to obtain the Elf’s secret elixir, I traveled somewhere in the world today.