She ran into countless issues on her journey, but her spiritual magic and her sword skills allowed her to continue with little hassle.
And when she walked through the streets, a man looked at her in a strange way.
She was used to getting strange looks on the street, but this was entirely different.
It didnt look like the man viewed her with hostility, but the look she received was unusual.
“Exes….”
“How do you know!!”
“Huh??...Oh…damn! I shouldn’t have said that in front of her. I’m sorry Ulza….Wait…no….I mean….N..nice to meet you? Welcome to Rimaze?”
Kyle smiled and pretended to be a regular villager in the town of Rimaze, but Ulza was insulted. Needless to say, she was very agitated.
Kyle was holding his head. He regretted the fact that he let his tongue slip.
Kyle didn’t forget her. But at the same time, he really didn’t mind her too much.
Kyle had decided that when he had time, he would go visit her, but he wasn’t expecting to meet her like this.
“S…Stop!”
Using this, he was able to close the distance with her in an instant.
To any bystander, it looked like he was giving her a huge hug.
“L…Let go!!”
“Calm down. There’s soldiers nearby. You’ll be arrested!”
“Shut up! Let me go!!”
If this continued any longer, she would do anything to grab the dagger and slash Kyle.
Kyle had no other options but to use magic to calm her down.
Kyle had a trick.
By using her mana* in a sleep inducing spell, he made it work.
You could tell she was still angry by looking at her eyes, but she fell asleep just like that.
To him, this was no different from what happened just five days ago.
“…We meet again….”
Ulza was gently breathing while she slept, and Kyle smiled.
His was lying on the floor and his body was bent. After a few moments, he was finally able to look up.
“You really like hitting me in the guts don’t you!!”
“It’s not what it seems like. Just listen to me. Calm down. Let’s talk about this. She also lost her home and her family…so we comforted each other…and I was lonely because you were gone…or…”
“It’s a misunderstanding! Or maybe not…but it’s complicated!”
“No, it’s not like that! That’s a complete misunderstanding!”
The ensuing argument that continued right next to Ulza’s sleeping body carried on until it was stopped by nearby soldiers.
Lize was preparing tea at Kyle’s house in his reception room.
Ulza was very cautious of the two. She didn’t even drink the tea, but she seemed calmer than before.
Lize and Kyle continued with the argument.
“…….can I talk now?”
“So…um….nice to meet you…I’m Kyle…Your name is Ulza…right?”
She had calmed down a bit, but one wrong move and she’d probably slice Kyle’s head off.
Mana refers to a name other than the one used on a daily basis. It has a magical meaning in it.
The mana is usually known only by close friends, the naming parent, and a significant other. Misuse or abuse of the mana could be fatal.
If the ‘charm’ spell is casted, she would definitely be a slave. On the other hand, if a curse was inflicted using the mana, she wouldn’t be able to resist.
“Nobody knows my mana except my parents. How do you know it!”
In the other world, both Kyle and Ulza had lost important people. They trusted each other more and more and eventually, they covered each other’s backs.
// “My mana is *Exes*…When we’re alone, call me by that name…and as long as you’re with me…” //
(Damn, Ulza was cute then…)
“Why are you grinning…..”
He cleared his throat and straightened his posture before looking straight at Ulza.
What he said was meant for Lize as well; not just Ulza.
“Are you daft?! You think I’m going to believe you?!”
“It’s easy to lie about this…I could make anything sound true…but that would be pointless.”
But he wondered what would happen if he did tell the truth.
The day Kyle tells her this, would be his last day. Ulza would definitely slice him into pieces and tear him apart with magic.
Lize looked at Kyle with the what-are-you-talking-about face, but he ignored it.
He knew that her weakness was being dealt with face-to-face. He also knew that she hated liars.
The lie detection magic was just what it sounds like. It tells the user if the other person is lying or not. But it’s effectiveness is questionable. Sometimes it gives false positives.
Ulza seemed to relax a bit.
“Hey!!”
“I know the how important your mana is to you. But I can’t afford to be killed right now. So in exchange, how about you use the spell: Contract Agreement?”
Ulza’s eyes widened.
Since the use of this magic would result in the human knowing the mana of the one dealing the spell, it’s rarely used. But since Kyle already knows Ulza’s mana, that didn’t matter.
“Here’s the deal: I won’t tell anyone your mana. Nor will I abuse it. What do you say?”
“Of course. I die.”
“I’m not worried about that. I know Ulza wouldn’t do such a thing.”
“And even if it were true, you wouldn’t warn me beforehand.”
Ulza looked away. She clearly was not having any fun.
“Ah, okay. Regarding why I know your real name, I’ll speak when the time comes. I promise.”
Contracts require the power of Muna, the Guardian Elf and Moon God. His power is largely dependent on the phases of the moon.
Ulza let out a sigh, knowing that she’d have to stay in town until then next full moon.
“W….What?”
*Translator’s note: mana written in characters in the original is 真名. Literally, it means true name. First character translates to True/Real/Authentic (read ma). Second character translates to Name (read na). The na is the same character for the first letter of the Japanese word for name namae(名前). The mana used here should not be confused for the mana that most of you associate with magic spells (i.e. HP and Mana).