Chapter 5 How could it be a child!

Edith was almost laughing.

Very good, her good luck probably ran out the moment she got the talent, and even her neighbors could point a finger at her.

She had no choice but to reach out to the crack in the door and whisper a manipulation spell.

She had heard of the existence of slave traders: those people were keen on finding children with no family background and the potential to become wizards, and would steal or buy them, keeping them in secret, and let them overdraw their magic power to make potions or various tools for their masters, and eventually die prematurely in their thirties or forties.

These two men didn't look like aristocrats, but they were obviously not poor either. They came for her, so they were probably in this line of work.

The magic power in his body was quickly mobilized and probed in the direction of the woman. The woman's wrist trembled slightly, and she turned slightly, turning to the shed on the left of Edith's house.

Perfect!

She raised her eyebrows, quite satisfied with her results.

She had pinched that magic line so thin that it was invisible to the naked eye. Unless one was a high-level magician, it would be difficult to detect it from the perspective of magic sensing.

When the man finds out that his neighbor is not the person he is looking for, he will probably realize that the woman is lying to him, and he will just leave, completely resolving the crisis.

While Edith was thinking, the man who was suspected to be a slave trader had already walked to the neighbor's door. After knocking on the door to no avail, he pushed the door open with an intriguing expression.

"The people in the house are dead."

He turned around and raised an eyebrow in the woman's direction.

The winter was too long, and many people in the slums died quietly on a winter night. It was normal to find dead bodies.

So the woman was not afraid, and she and her husband performed the three words shameless to the fullest. "The person is dead, but the light is indeed coming from there." She shouted, "Maybe he died when you hesitated whether to give the money or not - I pointed out the way, give me the gold coin!"

The man dressed as an assistant stepped forward, his face flushed, and he obviously wanted to have a good argument with the two. But the "slave trader" stopped him, turned his wrist, and three gold coins appeared in his palm, which he gently threw into the woman's hand.

Edith's eyelids suddenly began to twitch uncontrollably.

She looked up and saw the gold coins flash by, leaving only a shadow behind. However, the strange green light emanating from their surface set off alarm bells in her heart.

Damn it, she actually ran into a wizard!

The woman subconsciously stretched out her hands to receive it. The joy of this unexpected fortune made her grinning, but soon she could no longer laugh - the golden coins suddenly scattered before her eyes, turning into a handful of snow mixed with mud and water, and slid smoothly through her fingers.

The laughter that hadn't come out was strangled in her throat. The woman looked up dully, but instead of waiting for an explanation, she bumped into the man's interested expression.

"Interesting." The man drew out his staff and cast a spell to knock away the husband who was howling and rushing over to ask for an explanation. He grabbed the woman's arm with his free hand. He raised the hand to his eyes and found traces of magic on the index finger.

"Basic Transfiguration spells will dissipate when encountering a magical environment. No wonder the gold coin returned to its original shape in your hand." He made no secret of his intention of using snow to get rid of the woman. He looked at it carefully, and his expression became more and more solemn.

"...Is it a manipulation spell?"

He actually didn't notice such a powerful spell at the first sight - if it was really a child who made this noise, then his talent cannot be measured simply by "high".

Although Edith had cut off her connection with the silk thread immediately, Gray still walked to Edith's house through the remaining traces in the air.

He pursed his lips, signaled his assistant not to come over, and took out a small pendant from his pocket.

I didn't sense the presence of the staff, but judging from the fluctuations of magic power, the person should be here.

It's just... so weird.

He knocked on the door tentatively, but there was no sound from inside. The door was not locked, so he opened the door while shouting his apology, trying to communicate with the owner face to face.

The door opened.

Gray quickly straightened his clothes and smiled: "Hello, let me introduce myself, my name is Gray——"

"boom!"

The loud explosion interrupted the man's words, and before Gray could react, he was hit on the head by a fireball.

It was fast and direct, with no magic lag, and he did not sense the presence of any other wands around. The fiery ball of light rushed straight towards his face and burned all his hair.

How could it be so fast!

Gray's hair stood up in an instant, and cold sweat broke out from the back of his neck, wetting his collar.

Having stayed in this peaceful and tranquil town for too long, he almost forgot the sense of crisis that his life was being invaded.

"Disengage!"

He was afraid that casting an attacking spell would displease the opponent, so he only dared to find the right opportunity to cast a disarming spell. However, the opponent did not pause at all, and dazzling spells hit him one after another. Finally, one of them broke his defense, and a skinny hand penetrated the mist created by the spell and nailed Gray's throat like a nail.

My disarming spell, unexpectedly, didn't work... Gray, with his trachea held down, felt his mind spinning groggily. This shouldn't be the case... Could it be that the opponent was of a higher level than me?

"I have no intention of disturbing your life, I just want to visit!" He shouted with his last bit of strength, stretched out his hand to add a layer of protective shield to himself, the feeling of suffocation gradually disappeared, the smoke surrounding the place also gradually dissipated, and the owner of the hand finally appeared in front of Gray.

His gaze froze in place.

……?

How could it be a child?

The shock caused his magic power to fluctuate, and the girl instantly seized the flaw. A pink halo spread from her palm and penetrated the protection on Gray's neck.

Still casting spells without a wand!

Gray's brain completely shut down at this moment. But it was obviously not the time to be in a daze - the girl in front of him had murderous intentions, and this move was obviously aimed at his life.

"I'm not a slave trader!" He suddenly realized why the other party was hostile to him, and reported his origins in detail, "I am a certified great magician of the association, and the badge is in my left pocket!"

The title of Grand Mage did play some role. The girl in front of him paused for a moment. She raised her eyes and looked at Gray's face without emotion.

Then she reached out her free hand, pulled the golden badge from his pocket, and held it up to the light.

It's true.

Edith breathed a sigh of relief.

Regardless of their personal character, the great magicians' enthusiasm for magic is worthy of recognition. They are most opposed to the mass production of mages, and naturally will not collude with the nobles to engage in human trafficking.

But if he is not a slave trader...what is his purpose?

She let go of his hand, apologized insincerely amid the other person's cough, and stepped aside to let the person in.

......

Doreen didn't understand what was going on, but she still obediently brought a bunch of straw for her sister to sit on, and lay down to warm Edith's hands. Gray, who was sitting in front of the brazier and dared not move, looked at the frightened assistant, then looked at Doreen who was unusually calm, and felt very disappointed.

Even other people’s children can’t compare to him!

"Name?" Edith asked casually, touching her sister's head with her free hand.

She held her face in a tense manner. Although she felt a little strange with this young girl's face, she still tried to pretend to be in her previous life. Unexpectedly, this really stunned Gray. He was in a trance and didn't know whether he was facing a child from the slums or a powerful aristocrat sitting at a desk.

"Gray Green." He told the truth without hiding anything.

After introducing themselves, the two suddenly fell silent. Finally, Gray couldn't sit still and spoke hesitantly, "Excuse me, were you the one who cast the healing spell just now?"

Edith did not answer directly, but asked, "What are you doing here?"

"A slum actually has something the Grand Mage needs?"

"The eldest son of Marquis Charles will go to Beaujolais College next year and needs a talented study partner. I am looking for one for him." Gray was aware of the other party's concerns and simply stated his purpose in full.

Edith raised an eyebrow. This answer was... unexpected, but not too abrupt when you think about it.

She knew something about the custom of companion study among the nobles. Most of them were children of minor nobles or merchants. They had good talents, but either could not afford the high tuition fees or were not qualified to enter the academy. They were sent to the homes of the great nobles as companions to prevent the young masters and young ladies who had studied under the guidance of tutors since childhood from being unable to adapt to collective life.

In other words, they help guide learning while taking the blame and making a fool of themselves.

Some families would choose to let illegitimate children who are not presentable take up this position so that this bloodline can receive education properly. But no matter how undignified this "position" is, it is not something a child from the slums should imagine.

Why would this person want her to be his study partner?

Gray explained the reason with a sad face, trying his best to dispel Edith's doubts: "...Anyway, I owe Charles a study partner, and there are no more talented children of nobles or merchants in this remote town - I just want to try my luck here."

"So...are you interested?"

Edith fell silent again.

Being a reading companion?

She had never been a noble in her two lives, so going to the academy had never occurred to her. Now it seemed that this was indeed the fastest way for her to get to the capital.

After all, Beunis College is in the royal capital.

As long as she could return to the capital, she would be able to find the people she knew in her previous life, her belongings and various precious medicines hidden in her private vault, and maybe she could also find out the reason for her soul's transfer and find a way to return to her original body.

Well, let's just hope Shelly hasn't buried her by then...

She was thinking aimlessly, but Gray beside her became uneasy again.

He sensed remnants of high-level healing techniques from the girl who looked to be about three or four years old. She must have received treatment within half a day.

So, that beam of light...

He secretly glanced at the furnishings in the room again and did not see any traces of wands or magical instruments, which meant that the girl in front of him was indeed casting spells with her bare hands.

Plus the extremely delicate magic thread I just saw...

Is this girl really just an orphan from the slums?

"I understand." He said suddenly, with a serious look on his face.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

It is normal for a commoner to have talent, but it is impossible to cast so many different spells without learning. This child has a younger sister, but no parents at home... It seems that he has experienced a lot of changes.

Edith looked at the other person's eyes that seemed to know everything, and slowly tilted her head: "......"

What does he know?

Gray looked at Edith's extraordinary demeanor and became more certain of his guess. He took a deep breath, held Edith's hand, and said sincerely, "I know this is a little hard for you to accept... but this is your best chance to return to the upper class."

"Would a noble choose a commoner as his study partner?" Edith still did not give a direct answer.

"They will definitely accept the person I recommend," Gray continued. He looked at Edith seriously, "You have great talent, and I don't want you to be buried here. Being a companion is only a temporary thing. When you get to college, I will find a chance to get you out of the Charles family and become a truly independent person."

Such a talent should not be lost here.

Gray now completely regarded Edith and Doreen as people like himself, and the love in his heart was about to overflow. "Or, if you are not in a hurry, you can be my apprentice for two years. After two years, I will look for a chance to send you in."

Wait two years? Her body would have rotted in the coffin by then!

Edith shook her head decisively.

Gray thought she was refusing and sighed, "It's okay. It's okay if you don't want to return to the upper class—"

"——I'll go and be your reading companion."

They both spoke at the same time, and Gray didn't realize the meaning of Edith's words until he closed his mouth.

"!ah?!"