The Proposal and the Predicament

After spending a few more days at Elena’s residence, Ziyao moved back to Aiya’s villa.

Following an examination by the Guild Master of the Alchemists’ Guild, Ziyao was informed that she only needed to rest well and avoid overexerting her magic. Within a few months, she would make a full recovery.

Speaking of the old master, Ziyao wasn’t sure how to adequately express her gratitude. After all, he had even brought her a Grandmaster-grade healing potion. With just that single potion, Ziyao’s body had recovered enough for her to use magic normally. This had been an immense help to Ziyao. In an unfamiliar place, true peace of mind only came from possessing sufficient power.

However, Miss Ailin had become quite busy these past few days. Originally, she only had to look after Aiya, but now, there was an additional patient. Although Ziyao insisted she no longer required special care, her pallid complexion significantly diminished the credibility of her words. Fortunately, Ziyao wasn’t like Aiya, who had daily royal duties to attend to. This provided Ailin with a small reprieve.

As for Raphael, she had also grown busy recently. In a little over ten days, the annual Festival of Blossoms would commence, and as the church’s second-in-command, she was expected to make an appearance. Moreover, she bore the crucial responsibility of protecting Aiya. Who knew when or where those shadowy figures might make their move? Aiya’s body was simply too fragile; even if all the assassins were intercepted, the residual shockwaves from a battle could easily claim the young princess’s life.

“My forbidden spell can prevent any accidents from happening,” Ziyao stated one evening at dinner, addressing the three others at the table.

Indeed, Ziyao’s forbidden spell could completely protect Aiya. Yet, there was a fundamental problem: when Ziyao and Aiya drew close, they themselves became the “accident.”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you,” Raphael lamented, a troubled expression on her face. “But the moment you two get close, it’s like kindling meeting fire, isn’t it?”

The most secure method of protection was right beside her, yet she couldn’t employ it. The predicament was truly agonizing.

“Elena, do you have any suggestions?” Ziyao asked, noting that Elena had been coming to Aiya’s residence daily for meals lately.

“I have no idea. You all discuss it; just let me know the outcome,” Elena replied, cutting a piece of steak and popping it into her mouth. She was the most useless person at this table, a fact she had recognized long ago.

“Um…” Aiya raised her hand. “Since there are still a few days left, why don’t I stay with Miss Ziyao for these coming days?”

“Oh? You wish to adapt?” Raphael immediately grasped Aiya’s meaning. “That’s not entirely out of the question.”

If they could truly adapt to each other’s presence, her burden would be lightened by more than half. “So, Ziyao, what’s your opinion?”

“Normally, I wouldn’t want to get involved in this mess,” Ziyao sighed. However, she had caused these girls no small amount of trouble in recent days, so by both reason and sentiment, she felt compelled to help. “Nevertheless, I have no objections.”

“Excellent. Since everyone agrees, when shall we begin?” Raphael clenched her right hand into a fist and gently tapped it against her left palm.

“Perhaps… tonight?”

“Uh, could you at least give me some time to mentally prepare?”

“What mental preparation do you need? What could you two possibly get up to?” Raphael said nonchalantly. “I trust you’re not a beast.”

I’m afraid I might be worse than a beast at that moment!

“Miss Ailin, if either of us makes any unusual moves, please knock me unconscious directly.” For safety’s sake, Ziyao decided to have Ailin keep an eye on her. Otherwise, if she truly committed something monstrous, would she ever be able to face the world again?

Ailin offered a strained smile. “If it comes to that, I’ll do my best.”

Knocking out a Sage, after all, was a highly difficult endeavor.

And so, the matter was decided. Beginning tonight, Ziyao and Aiya would start spending time together, with the goal of allowing them to adapt to their peculiar mutual influence. This would ensure Aiya’s safety at the Festival of Blossoms in just over ten days. It was the most convenient, yet simultaneously most challenging, solution Raphael could conceive of at the moment. If the two were unable to adapt, then she could only pray that the attacking enemies wouldn’t be too formidable. After all, they couldn’t allow the royal princess to be humiliated in public, could they?

Oh, Lord of Radiance, please protect your people. With hands clasped together, Raphael began her daily prayer.

“I thought she already prayed today?” Ziyao whispered, asking Elena.

“Who knows? She prays whenever she feels like it, as many times as she wants,” Elena replied, knowing that at least for now, they were on the same side. “By the way, His Majesty asked me to inquire if you would be interested in serving the Royal Family?”

Ah, so he noticed me… But then again, the stir I caused a few days ago was quite significant.

That monarch possessed considerable ambition, and a young Sage who was also a Seven-Star Alchemist was certainly enough to warrant his personal recruitment efforts. However, serving the Royal Family was hardly an easy task. Who knew how much dirty and arduous work it would entail?

“Please convey to His Majesty that Ziyao is not in good health and fears she would be unable to meet His Majesty’s expectations if she were to serve the Royal Family.”

This wasn’t entirely a lie. The Guild Master of the Alchemists’ Guild had also stated, after examining Ziyao, that she might not fully recover to her original state. After all, the combined effects of those potions and the sequelae of magic exhaustion were no laughing matter.

However, these losses paled in comparison to the achievement of becoming a Sage. What good was perfect health? Ziyao wasn’t boasting, but she could now easily pin down and thoroughly beat her past self from just a few days ago. Such was the chasm between a Seven-Star Alchemist and a Sage. Trading physical health for the success of advancement was the most worthwhile transaction one could make.

Of course, this was solely applicable to Ziyao herself. Her forbidden spell infinitely minimized the disadvantages caused by her physical weakness; as long as her magic wasn’t depleted, her physical shortcomings wouldn’t manifest. If her magic were depleted, she likely wouldn’t stand a chance of winning anyway. Therefore, her physical condition truly didn’t matter much to Ziyao.

However, it served as an excellent excuse for refusal. From now on, whenever she didn’t wish to see someone, a simple “Sage-sama is indisposed today and regrets being unable to receive guests” would suffice to dismiss ninety-nine percent of visitors. As for the remaining one percent, her power as a Sage would take care of them.

Ah, thinking about it this way, perhaps physical weakness isn’t such a bad thing after all.

Moreover, once she found a way to revert to being male, her body would undoubtedly be reshaped. At that point, she would gain an incredibly healthy male physique. Thus, Ziyao was currently unconcerned about her physical state. For her, as long as she wasn’t too weak to concoct potions, it was perfectly fine. After all, her only hope of turning back into a male now lay in creating a potion that could change one’s gender.