The Case of the Missing Chicken

With a flick of her right hand, Hillisa restored the disheveled trees around her to their original state.

If one were to ignore the missing roasted chicken, the area looked as if no one had ever set foot there that day.

She then departed swiftly, pretending as though nothing had occurred.

Meanwhile, at a manor not far away…

A woman of about thirty, who had been lounging on a recliner and enjoying a moment of peace, suddenly shot upright with a jolt.

My free-range Biter Chicken is dead?!

Who in the world did this while I wasn’t looking?!

You little brat, don’t let me catch you, or I’ll knock your teeth out!

That Biter Chicken had been a gift from that great one, and she had planned to fatten it up before savoring it herself.

But now, someone had swooped in and snatched her prize.

The injustice was unbearable.

Just as her blood boiled and she prepared to follow the magical trace on the Biter Chicken to settle the score, a deafening clap of thunder echoed, and she hastily retracted her forward step.

She looked up at the sky.

A bolt from the blue?

That didn’t seem right.

It had to be man-made.

What should she do?

Give up?

She couldn’t accept that!

But on second thought, she had a perfectly valid reason to go.

Even if she couldn’t get compensation, they probably wouldn’t do anything to her, right?

With that thought, her courage returned.

Just in case, she downed several endurance potions to temporarily boost her defenses—she had a terrible fear of pain.

Then, she took off, flying at high speed over the forest.

Flight was the most basic of all magics; anyone who could absorb and control magical energy could propel their body at great speeds.

After all, she was a second-rate mage, having mastered a level-four spell: [Tempest Inhalation].

Her gluttony had driven her to learn this spell, which in turn had earned her the favor of that great one.

The method for learning magic was both difficult and simple.

First came one’s affinity for the corresponding element, followed by diligent practice.

Take her level-four spell, for instance.

She was always trying to devour everything in one go, so she frequently manipulated the wind element to lift food to her mouth.

Over time, she naturally mastered the spell.

Meanwhile, on the other side…

Liyahiss used [Coordinate Teleport] to return to her bedroom, having gained a general understanding of her own strength.

It was a shame, however, that she still lacked a suitable subject to test some of her other skills on.

Just as she was about to manipulate ice-elemental magic to conjure some ice cream, a knock came at the door, followed by a familiar female voice.

“Master, an unknown passerby is attempting to invade your secret garden.”

“Huh?!”

A mere passerby? Where did she get the audacity to invade my secret garden!

Liyahiss silently chanted Transform! in her mind.

After a flash of red and black light, she was clad in her exclusive princess attire:

A small crown sat atop her head, and her black hair was tied into twin tails.

She wore a black dress adorned with blood-red roses.

A black, over-the-knee stocking covered her right leg, while her left sported a black ankle sock and a garter on the thigh.

Her feet were nestled in a pair of elegant black high heels.

She glanced at her reflection in the mirror, a faint smile playing on her lips, then spun around and kicked the door open.

“Who goes there? State your name!”

“I… My name is…” The woman, who had come demanding an explanation, was startled.

She was just about to give her name when she was cut off.

“Never mind. I can’t be bothered to hear your name. Get to the point. What do you want?”

The woman was taken aback.

You were the one who asked for my name, and now you won’t let me speak? What is wrong with you? she thought, utterly baffled.

“Give me back my thing!”