Chapter 4: Repel, Part 3

"Come on, Sir Ignis. It wouldn't hurt if you tell me, you know?" said Mariana.

Mariana had been bugging Ignis about how he became a fire mage for about half an hour ever since she witnessed him cast a fire spell. She — of course — failed miserably. She couldn't even annoy him, hoping that he'd accidentally spill the beans. The only moment Mariana somehow made her face twitch was when he answered her "no comment."

'What a tough nut…'

It was already noon, and Mariana and Ignis were still on the road. They were lucky that sparse trees covered the road they were traversing. Mariana, however, couldn't understand why — despite the intense heat — Ignis never once took off his robe. Talk about sheer determination, or at least that was what Mariana thought. She just couldn't put herself in his shoes, no matter how hard she imagined.

But Mariana wouldn't give up that easily. She figured she would need only a few more nudges, and he'd eventually tell everything to her.

"Hey, Sir Ignis!" Mariana poked him on his shoulder. "Are you ready to share your knowledge? Come on, don't be so stingy. I promise I won't tell anyone even if I die. Trust me!"

Mariana never received a response. If this was Marcus, she probably had thrown rocks on him long ago. Mariana tried a different approach.

"S-sir Ignis, please have m-mercy. My throat is h-hurting, you know..."

"Then stop talking." He said, his eyes glaring, or at least that's what it looked to Mariana; his eyes didn't even wince. So how would she know?

'Would he leave me alone if he gets annoyed? Nah, I shouldn't even wait for that to happen.'

So Mariana finally decided it was time to stop and — for now — she should keep her mouth shut. Having left with no choice but to converse with herself, Pago suddenly crossed her mind. Mariana just missed the people. She missed her mother, who made shouting at her a daily routine before when she was the height of being engrossed in magic. She missed Marcus, who made shouting at her a daily routine when she used to crash into his home every morning to borrow his library; all so that she could learn more about magic…

'Wait, why do I only remember the bad stuffs?'

Now that Mariana'd thought of it, she now wondered how her constant tomfoolery, for some reason, never worked against Ignis. She was sure she never failed to annoy someone (even if she wasn't aware of what she was doing), but with Ignis, it just didn't work. This was confusing Mariana so much, she didn't even know how would she react about it. Would she be happy or not? The thought only tired her.

Suddenly, Mariana's stomach grumbled, a reminder that she hadn't eaten yet. She didn't know how she would say this to her "approachable" companion, though. He might only get annoyed.

"You should've told me you're hungry…" Ignis said.

'How did… nevermind.'

Ignis took his pouch and pulled out the skewered pieces of meat he prepared last night. Mariana now believed the pouch could stop time as the meat he took still appeared and smelled fresh. Its odor would've been unbearable if the artifact was a fluke.

Ignis held the skewered meat over his other hand and muttered a spell that cooked it. Mariana could hear the meat's sizzle, and soon her nose was also being bombarded by its smoky scent. Ignis then handed it to her when it got cooked. The moment she tasted it, her tastebuds immediately appreciated its mild salty taste and slightly burnt taste. It was just a simple dish, but for Mariana, it was heavenly.

"Shir Ignish, thish ish sho good… and whaf ish that shpell?!"

"Don't talk while you're eating..." he said. "And it's called 'kindle.'"

'So he even knew handy spells like that? Neat!'

Mariana continued savoring the tasty meat while Ignis just watched. She tried ignoring him, but she just couldn't. Didn't he know that what he was doing felt uncomfortable? She decided to ask.

"Is there something wrong? Your staring feels uncomfortable."

"Why do you never run out of things to say?" Ignis asked, ignoring Mariana's question.

Good thing Mariana had swallowed her food first or she would've choked.

"Um, I don't know?" Mariana bit her last piece of meat. "To be ho- shorry…" She decided to swallow my food first before talking, since Ignis' glare was starting to hurt her.

"To be honest, I'm actually not this talkative back home. I do talk, but not this often, and I do not force someone to talk to me when they clearly don't want to talk to me."

"I see."

'Wait, that's it?'

"Are you expecting something else?" he said, which startled Mariana.

"Wait, did I say my thoughts out loud?"

"No. It's just written on your face. If you're done, then let's go. We're almost at Magna City," Ignis said before he left Mariana.

"Hey, how- wait!" Mariana yelled. She grabbed Star's reins and followed him after.

'Is my face really that easy to read?'

Mariana had experienced this all the time from her mother and her late grandma; they sometimes even finished sentences she couldn't continue for her. However, they're her family, and Mariana thought it was understandable. The next person with who Mariana had lots of interactions was Marcus. They had been friends for almost a decade, but they never had a moment like what had just happened.

Well, Ignis was just that good at reading expression, Mariana concluded. She decided to forget about it and go back to her usual horseplay. She believed that she'd get the answer this time.

"So, Sir Ignis, are you ready to tell your secret now?"

***

"Let him in," Marcus ordered the man standing by the large wooden door. His name was Hector, the mercenary his family hired to guard him when he moved to Pago.

Without delay, Hector called the man outside; a middle-aged man entered the room. He was wearing mismatched armor sets; he might have either stolen or looted it from who knows where. Marcus could also see three empty scabbards, hanging on his waist, for a long sword and two daggers. On his left cheek, a two-inch scar.

"Ah!" Marcus exclaimed. "You must be..."

"Scarface, Master Miller." He bowed afterward.

"Scarface, yes! Come and have a seat." Marcus invited him to sit on the sofa in front of where he was seated. Then, Marcus ordered Caitlin to grab something for his guest to which she followed immediately.

Caitlin brought back tea and biscuits with her. Its aroma tickled their nostrils. After she had served them both, Marcus took a sip from his cup. It was sweet, which was not the flavor he usually sought, but for this moment — it was perfect.

"So," Marcus said, addressing Scarface. "Where is Goldtooth, by the way? Is he still busy with your victim?" Marcus sneered. He just couldn't help it. He was sure Goldtooth's men were busy playing with her right now.

She really was unlucky. Had she been born as a noble in Magna, she would've been free to utilize her newfound powers and might have also become one of the greatest mages in the future. Marcus was sure of this because he saw how foolish Mariana was for blindly pursuing magic to obtain knowledge. She even taught him sometimes, and he remembered how sickened he was for being taught by a pathetic villager girl. However, Marcus just convinced himself that whatever knowledge Mariana shared with him would only help him reach his destined future — become the most powerful individual in Paradis and rule over the Paradisians. Surely, they would realize how wonderful he was and would inevitably bow once they witnessed his grandeur.

But to achieve that, Marcus needed power. Fortunately, an insignificant insect near him obtained a ring and not just any elemental ring; she received a water ring! It was a widely known fact that whoever received a blessing from the water spirits must be exceptional individuals — individuals who were destined for greatness. Marcus truly believed that before. After all, his father was a water mage. The strongest mage in that damned school, Arcanus, was also a water mage. Something must have changed in the spirit world, for that would be the only reason the spirits decided to bless a nobody.

No, Marcus was mistaken. It was a test — a test for him. Yes, that could only be the most plausible answer, Marcus thought. The great water spirits must be testing his limits. That was why they chose to give it to Mariana instead of him. They wanted to see what magnificent plan he could conduct to get back what was rightfully his!

Marcus suddenly felt disappointed at himself for even doubting his absolute talent and wisdom. The spirits' decisions were truly unfathomable for an ordinary mind, but not for him. The spirits gave him a challenge, and he accomplished it! After his guest handed him his prize, the people would all cheer For Marcus Miller's name!

But why did this idiot look distressed? Marcus thought. Surely, they would've gotten the ring. That girl would pose no threat to the bandit and in front of Marcus — even more so with his friends. Without practice, that ring she got was nothing but shiny jewelry.

Before Marcus could understand why Scarface was sweating bullets, he finally spoke.

"Y-you see, Master Miller," he snorted.

Mildly irritated by this person's antics, Marcus asked, "Is there something wrong? Surely Goldtooth didn't fail to get what I want, right? Where is he?" Marcus leaned closer to him, which made Scarface shudder. Scarface wiped his forehead with his fidgeting hands.

"H-he, uh, our leader, he was… he's d-dead."

"WHAT?!" Marcus rose from my seat. Scarface let out a yelp and cowered in the corner of his seat; the quaking of his hands only worsened. Seeing his pathetic trembling made Marcus pity him a little.

"I'm sorry." Marcus took a deep before having another sip of his tea. "How did a lone girl manage to kill your leader?"

Scarface fixed his foolish image and said, "N-no Master, it wasn't the girl who killed Goldtooth and Poisontip. She was as good as dead."

'Someone interfered? If that was the case, then the person must be a mage or a very powerful individual.' Marcus thought, but didn't have the idea who the mysterious person was. He was trying so hard to control his anger. He still didn't know the identity of the bastard who prolonged his inevitable glory, so he thought he shouldn't let his emotions run loose again, else Scarface might completely lose himself.

"Who is this person, and is he a mage or a skilled warrior?" Marcus asked.

Scarface shivered once again. The mere thought of the person they encountered must've struck intense fear in his mind for him to act like this.

'Useless peon…'

"Sir, it's a m-mage, and he killed us with fire magic!" he cracked.

"Ah! Then that's not a mage, but a demonologist," Marcus said. "Surely, you've heard of their existence-"

"No, Master Miller!" Scarface screamed, but calmed himself and continued, "Pardon my rudeness, however, that person is not a demonologist. Demonologists summon demons to fight for them. These demons' fires are also green or purple depending on their rank, b-but that mage…"

"What about him?!" Marcus couldn't help but raise his voice. Scarface's stuttering was really starting to irk him.

"I'm s-sorry, Sir Miller. What I meant was that mage fire came from his hands! He didn't order any demons and his fire was red! His fire, which burned Poisontip in mere moments and killed him, burned red! His flames are red, Master Miller!" Scarface started sobbing violently.

'Ah, he lost it…'

"Hector…"

Hector, who was now behind Marcus, lowered his head. "Yes, Sir Marcus?"

"Take this pathetic man out and dispose of him."

"As you will, Sir Marcus."

Upon hearing Marcus' order, Scarface knelt in from him, begging for his life. He even tried kissing Marcus' foot, but Hector was fast enough to prevent it. Marcus went back to his room with Caitlin. They both could hear Scarface's wails and futile attempts at struggling as they walk further away from Marcus's office.

Upon entering his room, Marcus started throwing anything he could land his hands on. '

How am I always surrounded by complete idiots?! A mage who wielded fire? Nonsense! Did he think I was stupid? If he had admitted that they lost, I would have had the heart to spare his life, but to make a fool out of ME?!'

Marcus continued his rampage. He was seething. Pray no idiot crossed his line of sight or he would immediately end his life.

Hector entered the room after the noise has subsided and bowed before speaking.

"My men have already handled your order, Sir Marcus. They will dispose of his body in the woods to not raise panic among the villagers. Do you have any more orders?"

Marcus secretly praised Hector. Finally, someone capable of doing his bidding, he thought.

"Wonderful. Then, I would like you to send your best men to handle Mariana. I didn't expect her to be so slippery, but it didn't matter. I won't have any problems once your men handle this, am I correct?"

"Consider it done, Master Marcus." He bowed once more before leaving quietly.

These setbacks were truly vexing, but Marcus would not give up. It was just as he had said: this was just a test. A test — given to him by the spirits to know the extent of his determination. No matter how long it takes, Marcus would certainly grab his prize.