Chapter 6: Elements, Faith, and Steel, Part 1

"Have we done something wrong?"

"A mage? Here?"

"Mom, can I have blue hair too?"

"Shh, she might hear you and take you away!"

"No, why would I do that?!" I said, whispering to myself.

It had been almost a month since Mariana's hair changed from black to sapphire blue, but she still couldn't get used to the attention she was receiving. She had been the talk of the entire Common district, and although the gossip had died down a little, it still had shown no signs of stopping.

At first, the gossips were just saying something about a mage investigating in the Common District. This made all the alleyways dead silent, especially at night. This escalated even further when they were now mentioning that suspicious activities must have been happening in Nightingale Inn. Some locals mentioned they saw Mariana leave the inn's door. Soon, the commoners were all avoiding the inn, and it made the owner so furious, he threw me out.

Mariana tried asking the passersby she'd met after getting evicted for information about the next cheapest inn, but they all treated her like a crazed animal and kept their distance from her.

Because of that, Mariana literally wandered the entire Common District until she met Robert once again. Robert and his wife Lucia let her stay in their home temporarily and even gave her a job. So now Mariana was manning their stall in the marketplace, trying to sell potatoes.

Regarding Arcanus — well — Mariana was still not a student there. The guards just wouldn't let her inside the Noble District yet. The day after those two thugs attacked Mariana and Ignis, she attempted to enter the Noble District — where Arcanus was — but the guards scared her off before she could even approach them. No wonder the people of the Common District hate those nobles that much.

After some talking, Mariana convinced them she was a real mage, but they still didn't let her in. One guard also said Arcanus just ended its term, and the students were currently enjoying their vacation. They said she should return after a month when Arcanus would accept new students.

"Mariana, aren't you going to Arcanus today?" Lucia, who was sitting next to Mariana, asked.

"Ah yes, but it's still pretty early, so I'll just go there in the afternoon."

"Afternoon? Would you even have enough time to prepare if you leave later?" Lucia's forehead creased. "I know you're still here because you don't want to leave me all alone, but I've been doing this ever since I left Pago with Robert. I can handle it."

"But I work here, I don't want to — "

"Just go!"

Mariana still hesitated for a moment, but she eventually thanked her and said she'd try to be back soon. Lucia just told her to forget about the stall for today and sent me off with a smile.

***

It took Mariana quite a while, but she finally finished preparing herself just before noon. She wore a white woolen tunic dress that touched her knees, which fit her perfectly. She tied her sapphire blue hair into a ponytail with a white hair tie she purchased two weeks ago. This was the only item that Mariana had spent money on besides food and water since it was a really handy item to have — plus, it was really cheap, too. Her overall attire looked presentable, enough to not be stopped in front of the gates once more.

As Mariana walked towards Noble District, several people were still staring and gossiping about her behind her back — the usual. Mariana opted to ignore them and fastened her pace until she ultimately reached her destination. She greeted the two guards currently posted at the gate and requested permission to enter. One of them plainly ignored her existence while the other said, "Go home, the Noble District is busy today — we don't have time for the likes of you."

Steam came out from Mariana's ears. She didn't like what they called her.

'No Mariana, you can't icebolt them. Calm yourself.'

"I know that, that's why I'm here. I'm heading to Arcanus to be accepted as a new student!" Mariana explained.

They paused and stared at Mariana for a moment and then went howling with laughter. When their uproar died down, one of them said "Okay, that's a good one, but you really should go — you're just making yourself look — Hahaha!" and they both went at it again.

"I'm serious!" Mariana growled. "Haven't you seen my hair? Do normal people have this kind of hair color?"

Mariana got their attention as they finally stopped their guffawing and began leering at her with their dead fish eyes. Mariana didn't expect this, and it made her gulp her saliva.

"W-why are you both staring at me like that?"

"Now that you've said it, you do look nice with your hair, and I like your body, too. We'll let you in only if you're willing to join us tonight." He licked his lips disgustingly.

It certainly didn't need any further explanation to understand what they meant. Mariana felt the hairs on her entire body stand. She took a few steps back as they slowly approached her, but they failed to take the hint and until one of them also grabbed her arm.

"Let me — go!" Panicking, Mariana used up all her strength to release my hand from the guard's grip and pushed him away. This made him lose his balance and collapse to the ground. The people around that were watching the commotion laughed at the guy who just tripped over his own body and even gave aggressive comments like "You deserve that, bastard noble!" or "Make him kiss the ground, Lady Mage!"

All these cheers around Mariana made her smile in triumph, but she ended up regretting it almost immediately. As soon as the stumbled guard regained his footing, he immediately unsheathed his sword and pointed it towards her. After one look at him, Mariana could tell that he was extremely furious.

Mariana aimed her palm towards him in an attempt to intimidate him, but it didn't even faze him. He immediately raised his sword and charged at Mariana like a raging bull. All Mariana could do was close her eyes as she waited for her inevitable demise.

'Ah, why am I so unlucky?'

However, the only thing that came was a wave of gasps from the onlookers around. Mariana gently opened her eyes and what she had witnessed marveled her. The guard who assaulted her was in front of her and appeared as if he was still in the middle of charging at her, but he wasn’t moving — or he couldn’t — as he was now encased in a block of ice.

Staring at this odd structure truly fascinated Mariana, so she reached out her hand to have a feel, only for it to be pulled away before she could even brush my fingertips into its crystal-like surface.

It was a woman who pulled Mariana’s hand. She had a short stature, fair skin, and slender body. She has a round face, thick eyebrows, and small round pair of eyes with thick eyelashes. Sky blue hair fell past her shoulders, her long bangs covered almost her entire forehead. There was also a small mole just below his eyes. Her outfit comprised a white button-up over blue pants, a long, blue, black-accented tailcoat, black boots, and a black bow. If someone would ask Mariana 'who is the most beautiful person you have ever met' right now, she'd definitely answer that it was this lady.

What piqued Mariana’s attention the most, however, was her fin-like ears, along with fishlike scales that covered the whole outer side of her arms. Also, her eyes blinked horizontally, which startled Mariana’s the first time she witnessed it.

"Don't touch it," she said.

"What?"

"This prison is so delicate that if you tip it over, it will instantly shatter into millions of pieces — along with the person inside, naturally. Trust me, you wouldn't want to see that happen." She then let go of Mariana’s hand and stood in front of the frozen guard.

"A pleasant afternoon, Edgar Byron. Cool your head inside there for a while, and don't try to free yourself — unless you're tired of living, of course."

So that was the name of that sleazy guard. Judging by his eyes, he appeared to be extremely terrified of his situation. Mariana would be, too, if she were in his place. His partner was now standing upright and gesturing a nervous salute; sweat covered his entire face. The woman then returned to Mariana and bowed her head.

"I sincerely apologize for what these fools have done to you," she said.

"Oh no, you don't have to lower your head, Lady — "

She raised her head before saying "—Theresa of the Leviathan Clan, and as you can see, I am a Siren. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Fairchild. Can I ask for the exact details that transpired here?"

Mariana told her about everything that happened. With every word that she uttered, the other guard’s face behind Theresa grew paler and paler.

"I see. Allow me to handle this noble mutt, personally." She snapped her finger, and behind her, the ice prison broke into tiny bits of fragments, releasing the trapped guard inside. He fell to the road once more, which made the onlookers burst into a cacophony of laughter.

"H–how dare you h–h–humiliate a n–noble?!" He was on all fours, shivering and gasping for air.

"Humiliate? All I did was encase you in ice. You're the one who humiliated yourself when you decided to use your balls to think instead of your brain. To think that you would even harass an esteemed mage, of all people." Theresa shook her head in disappointment.

"A commoner blessed by a water spirit? Don't make me laugh," Byron scoffed.

"Let's make a bet, then. Remove your armor and have Lady Mariana hit you with an icebolt. If she's a fluke, I'll hand my position as the Commander of the City Safety Division to you, but if she is real — let's just say good luck to your puny human body. What do you say?"

Everyone patiently waited for his reply, but it never came.

"I guess you're not a man enough to accept a bet. Too bad. Very well, Edgar Byron, you are now relieved from your duties until further notice." Theresa faced the other guard. "You are suspended for a month. Begone from my sight."

The crowd roared and celebrated when they heard Theresa's decision. Some were even clapping, while others were cheering for their names.

"Settle down, everyone. Please, go back to your homes and stalls. The event is over," Theresa instantly calmed the crowd down and they slowly dispersed until the area looked as if nothing happened.

"You were trying to get accepted at Arcanus, right? Allow me to accompany you." Theresa gave Mariana a knowing smile.

If Theresa was a male human — or siren — Mariana would've asked her hand for marriage on the spot, although she'd definitely get rejected.

Mariana gladly accepted Theresa's offer, and they both entered the Noble District. As Mariana was passing through the large gate, though, a thought suddenly popped inside her head: How come she knew her name, and how did she also know where she was going?