As a Reincarnated NPC, I Want to Live a Peaceful Life - Chapter 24

Let things take their natural course; do what you need to do. — Blackfire Edit

Even an immature attempt is better than a strategy aborted before birth. — Feathermoon Shiling

…Need to be Ready PERFECTLY!! — A Certain Brave

Some people always think giving themselves a foreign name makes them seem so much more high-class. — Red71

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Fire. It is needed for the birth of all things, and it is needed for the destruction of all things. But I don’t want to be destroyed this early.

The crimson phoenix flames bloomed open around me, instantly scattering searing sparks that set the entire street ablaze. They were everywhere—on the walls, on the stone pavement. I was a bit startled at first, flustered by this “kitten’s” sudden attack, but I had already been mentally prepared, which is why I managed to dodge unscathed through the erupting inferno.

I really couldn’t understand why it was attacking me, but its killing intent was definite. I frowned, had no choice but to spread my hands and prepare for battle.

The Mana contained within those flames was a very special kind of magical power, definitely not ordinary magical energy. Given its size, it shouldn’t be able to sustain such power for long. Then again, the concentration of Mana inside it was incredibly dense. Just what did this “kitten” grow up on? And the speed of that flame was as fast as lightning—

‘Little girl, don’t just stand there dazing off, you know! Ola!’ Only after it spoke did I notice it was now floating effortlessly in the air. Nothing invisible was holding it up; it was purely relying on the ordinary magic in the air… With a flick of its hand, a magic circle appeared and vanished in an instant, replaced by another spark of flame ready to be unleashed.

Using fire on the streets was bound to affect uninvolved bystanders. Surely a highly intelligent magical creature like it should understand that… Huh? The ground “ignited” by the flames wasn’t damaged at all? And this wall too, not a single black mark?

It was as if the fire had never existed, just like Hui Hui’s spells—What’s going on? Ugh… There seem to be more and more magic circles.

While I was lost in thought, the “kitten” had already summoned even more flames. It stretched its hands out to the sides, and those flames obeyed its control like puppets.

‘Go!’ It thrust its palms forward vigorously, and the sparks shot towards me as if on command.

To be honest, I could have just used [Time Stop] to escape. But ever since this started, it felt like numerous eyes were focused on me. That feeling was unmistakable—there were people nearby, a lot of them.

I can’t let them know the secret of this skill. Absolutely not. It would cause an uproar.

I entered the [Universal Stealth] state, intending to circle behind it—but was struck by a spark, followed by countless more slamming into my body.

‘I am a magical creature—an Elemental Spirit, you know. I’m very sensitive to the Mana and magical energy in the surrounding air. Little girl, I can even sense the magic you expend when using your spells~’ It perfectly demonstrated how to use the most innocent tone to say the most annoying things.

It was then I realized the intensity of the flames on my body wasn’t as fierce as I had imagined. Although the temperature and perception increased quite a bit due to [Thermosensitivity], the actual damage received was… minimal. Soon, the flames vanished with a wisp of white smoke, leaving only a few scorch marks on me, nothing seriously harmful.

It was largely due to the effect of [KRYY’s Blood], and also because the “kitten” was holding back.

I see. The reason was probably that it wanted to capture the target alive, so it had to hold back to avoid killing them, right?

I abruptly reached out, locked onto the “kitten”, and pressed down hard—Unfortunately, probably because the skill level wasn’t high enough, the Force didn’t slam the “kitten” straight down but got stuck mid-air. Of course, it was also somewhat stunned, not understanding what was happening.

If it used its Mana to readjust now, it could probably resist this force. That’s what I thought. A magical creature like this must possess a vast amount of Mana; I wouldn’t believe it otherwise.

‘Woah there~ Little girl, your [Mage Hand] is quite impressive. To push me to this state, you must have specialized in it for a long time, right?’ Its expression was still relaxed, as if it didn’t care about my Force at all. Then, it raised its small hand, condensed a shard of ice, and hurled it at me—That shard was no different from a saw. If it hit, half my body would probably be gone.

Wait a second, an ice shard? Ice magic? It… can’t only use fire? …Ah, I forgot that anyone can use various kinds of spells. But, it shouldn’t be possible—in theory, elemental magic is usually limited to one type. The specific element within one’s Mana becomes fixed. Even if other elemental spells can be used, they shouldn’t be wielded so naturally and deftly.

Dodging the rapidly flying ice shard with a sidestep, I stared blankly at the multi-colored magic circles surrounding the “kitten,” feeling both shocked and bewildered.

‘Mhmm, little girl, it’s perfectly normal to be surprised… My elemental magic is far more diverse and dangerous than you can imagine.’ It was right. The flexible application of elemental magic is indeed deadly. Of course, that’s only for ordinary people.

If I could get serious… If I could be ruthless… If I could be decisive…

Shivering slightly from the icy chill left by the shard, I rubbed my hands together, and my gaze turned resolute… If I only reveal a little bit of my power, then it should be fine, right?

‘Oh? Little girl, it looks like you’re getting serious. Then I’ll stop holding back on my end too—Mmph?’ I instantly rushed right in front of it, grabbed its soft head, and hurled it hard against a nearby wall.

With a crash of crumbling stone, the “kitten” slammed into the wall, creating a shallow indent. I hadn’t used too much force, just enough to make it feel a little pain—I hoped it might buy me some time, but it didn’t seem very effective.

‘My, little girl, you’re surprisingly strong for your appearance. Unfortunately, physical attacks aren’t very effective against us magical beings who rely on Mana for survival. At most, it hurts… But I won’t die so easily from it, you know?’ The tone of its voice had changed, like milk freshly put in the fridge being contaminated by sour cheese the next second.

Its tone was rather unpleasant.

Put another way, I seemed to have made it angry—Climbing out of the indent, the “kitten” continued floating in the air, but its aura and presence had become different.

Frigid air and fierce flames erupted simultaneously, not creating steam but rather a stark contrast of ice and fire. Ice and fire were violently hurled towards me, while dangerous ice pillars and fiery streams sprouted from the cobblestone ground… For now, it was okay; at least I wouldn’t lose my life to these long-range attacks. But the feeling of being watched had been intensifying since earlier. Were the guards observing from the shadows?

This mixed assault of fire and ice didn’t seem entirely random either. Although I could easily dodge it by spinning around a few times, I was still worried it might be planning something.

Even if it is a magical creature, an Elemental Spirit or whatever, this level of spellcasting already exceeds the capability of ordinary mages, even high-ranking ones… Setting aside their practicality, these elemental spells are indeed very threatening in combat. And if that amount of Mana wasn’t converted into elemental energy but released directly…

I might be erased until not a single molecule of my body remained, and then be reshaped like a monster—That would mean a game over for me. So I absolutely must avoid that.

Most of the ice streams melted due to the scorching sparks, splattering onto me and losing their original potency. I really didn’t understand why the Elemental Spirit was doing this; it should be fully aware of this cause and effect.

Continuously evading the incoming flames and ice, I didn’t feel a trace of fatigue. I was both grateful for and resentful of my abundant stamina—Thanks to it, I wasn’t tired out yet; and thanks to it, I couldn’t even remember the last time I fell asleep naturally.

‘This little act has gone on long enough, don’t you think? It’s time for the curtain call.’ After saying this, the Elemental Spirit tilted its head slightly and then reached out towards me—

In that instant, several blindingly bright singularities appeared out of thin air around me. They flashed with white light, then quickly attached themselves to my body…

Simultaneously, I felt an intense cold, and my body stiffened—Looking down, I saw my clothes, my leggings, my boots, even my hair, all covered in large patches of frost. It was like armor worn by warriors, the frost reflecting my astonished expression.

Wasn’t this just, “Frostrobe – Rooted in Place”? Haha…

‘I don’t just randomly throw fire while scattering ice, you know, little girl~’ The Elemental Spirit laughed, a human-like laugh. Its smiling face was genuinely innocent, completely disproportionate to the power it wielded.

“It seems I’ve fallen into your trap…”
‘Just a difference in experience. I’ve been through more battles, and for longer, than you have been alive.’
“In that case, I should call you Uncle Cat.”
‘I don’t particularly like that kind of joke… My name is Pat Michelle. Remember my name well while you’re in your cell.’

No sooner had it finished speaking than guards came pouring out from the adjacent alleys and side streets. So it was their gazes that had been pressuring me.

I wasn’t too injured from the fight, just terribly frozen. [Chilled] was already applied; luckily it hadn’t progressed to [Frozen Solid]. I could still manage to escape in this condition.

I haven’t… even used my full strength yet…

Hearing my uncontrollable laughter, Pat stretched out its hand and erected a barrier of frigid air between me and the other guards. The guards were taken aback for a moment, then wisely retreated a short distance away.

‘Little girl, you don’t seem scared, or ready to surrender. Let me make this clear, my frost won’t be pleasant for you.’
“Mhmm, well, you can try.” I stomped the ground forcefully, channeling the energy of [Blue·Honesty] as I willed it into the stone steps beneath Pat, and then—

Several deep blue, blade-like spikes rapidly extended from the flooring, closing in on Pat’s small form. Just before they could pierce it, I forced the blades to stop their expansion.

Now, it was a stalemate. I wasn’t particularly worried about the soldiers sneaking up on me; the real threat was the Elemental Spirit named Pat right in front of me.

‘…I suppose we’re “sharing weal and woe” now?’
“If I wanted to, those blades could pierce your skin right now…”
‘Let me say this first: ordinary physical attacks can’t harm me directly.’
“They aren’t ordinary things. They are [My Most Prized Spell]. They can ignore any magic negation or resistance properties. It’s a spell designed specifically to target magical aggregates.”
‘If what you say is true, then I suppose I’ve already lost?’ Pat’s tone became forceful, but I wasn’t scared. Even if it meant exposing my true identity, I couldn’t end up in jail over some baffling accusation.

We stood in对峙 like this for dozens of seconds. The guards’ hands holding their weapons trembled. Someone tried to approach me but was blocked by the cold air. And then…

“Pat! Don’t do it! You’ll exhaust your Mana!” The girl who had been silently watching the battle from the sidelines stepped forward. She wore noble attire that wasn’t overly ornate, embroidered with unfamiliar patterns… A beautiful face, flowing pure white hair, and heterochromatic eyes—one red, one blue—made her stand out intensely in the crowd.

‘But, Dale, if we let this girl go here, there might be trouble later.’

Was it preparing to use its ultimate move? This Pat seemed to have some relationship with that girl… Probably a contracted Spirit Master relationship—

Not my business. All I needed to do was leave quickly, find my true place, and fulfill my promise. That was all.