The evening wind blew across the empty plains.
“Ah...”
“Uncle Baroque, I really can't do this anymore.”
Lin Ling lay spread-eagle on the ground, the light having faded from her eyes.
Her platinum blonde hair was scattered across the grass, and the hem of her Saintess vestments was twisted to one side.
If it weren't for the slight rise and fall of her chest, Baroque would have suspected she had literally trained herself into a dried salted fish.
Baroque stood not far away, arms crossed, his expression extremely solemn.
On the plains behind them, several large, charred craters had appeared.
The largest one was still smoldering.
The story had to start from after lunch.
“Thank you so much for the meal!”
Lin Ling sat at the dining table in Mrs. Nashi’s house, her hands pressed together in a sincere gesture of gratitude.
For the first time, she had eaten soft bread with jam in the home of an ordinary resident of the Demon King’s Castle, and she felt she was one step closer to a beautiful life in another world.
She had even engaged in a deep discussion with Dashi about the question of “exactly how much jam is the perfect amount for soft bread.”
Dashi insisted that “it has to be a thick layer to have flavor.”
Lin Ling proposed that “if the amount of jam is limited, one should use the small-amount-frequent-dipping method, so that every bite brings a sense of happiness.”
Mrs. Nashi watched the two of them huddled together discussing jam, a gentle smile remaining on her face.
Baroque sat nearby, finishing his soup with a complex expression.
When lunch was over, Lin Ling patted her stomach with a look of satisfaction.
“You’re full, then?”
A deep voice came from above her head.
Lin Ling’s body stiffened.
She felt as if a large hand had once again been placed on her head.
Why say “again”?
She slowly looked up.
Baroque was standing behind her.
He wore a smile that made Lin Ling instinctively feel that something was wrong.
Lin Ling silently shrank back into her chair a bit.
“Uncle Baroque?”
“Lin Ling.”
Baroque’s tone was very steady.
“Uncle Baroque is going to take you somewhere.”
“Eh?”
Before Lin Ling could ask where, she was hoisted up by Baroque.
“Wait!”
“I just finished eating!”
“I’ll throw up! I’m really going to throw up!”
Baroque remained completely unmoved.
He carried Lin Ling in one hand while walking toward the door.
Before leaving, he didn't forget to nod to Mrs. Nashi.
“My thanks. The food was delicious.”
Mrs. Nashi bowed with a smile.
“I am glad you liked it.”
Dashi stood by the door, clutching his wood carving, watching Miss Saintess being carried out of his house on Baroque’s shoulder.
For some reason, he found this scene somewhat familiar.
Dashi blinked.
Then, he looked at his mother.
Then he looked at Lin Ling being carried away by Baroque outside.
He suddenly understood.
Ah.
So that was what he looked like to others just a moment ago.
Dashi silently hugged his tail tightly.
Suddenly, he felt a bit embarrassed.
...
Baroque carried Lin Ling all the way out of the residential district.
By the time Lin Ling was finally set down, the surroundings had turned into a very level plain.
The silhouette of the Demon King’s Castle could be seen in the distance.
The wind blew through the grass, the view was wide, and there were almost no buildings nearby.
As soon as Lin Ling stood firm, the first thing she did was soothe her stomach.
Fortunately, she didn't throw up.
The lunch she had eaten was still down.
“Uncle Baroque.”
She looked around warily.
“What is this place?”
“The outer edge of the training grounds,” Baroque said.
“It’s usually used to test large-scale magic and weapons.”
Lin Ling blinked.
“Then what are we doing here?”
Baroque didn't answer immediately.
He turned around and looked at her seriously.
“Lin Ling.”
“Yes?”
“You’re wearing a disguise artifact, aren't you?”
The expression on Lin Ling’s face froze.
Baroque stared at her.
“The abilities you’ve displayed have far exceeded the limit of what your mana capacity should be able to handle.”
“Holy Light Stasis, suppression stones, levitation magic, massive mana absorption.”
“If your Appraisal values were real, you should have collapsed long ago from absorbing that much mana.”
His voice was deep.
“Therefore, you must have something on you that conceals your true status.”
Lin Ling fell silent.
Seeing her not speaking, Baroque’s brow furrowed slightly.
He seemed to suddenly realize his tone sounded a bit like an interrogation, and he raised a hand to scratch the back of his neck.
“Er.”
“I didn't mean to interrogate you.”
“If you don't want to say it, then don't.”
He coughed.
“Whatever, everyone has secrets.”
“You don't have to answer just because I asked.”
After Baroque finished, his expression was actually a bit awkward.
He was truly worried that his words just now had touched on something Lin Ling didn't want to mention.
After all, Lin Ling had been discarded as soon as she was summoned, and she had a whole bunch of messy secrets on her.
But at this moment, only one thought was in Lin Ling’s mind.
I’m dead, I’m dead, I’m dead.
How could she have forgotten about Kavia's Disguise earring!
Lin Ling could only silently raise her hand.
Under Baroque’s gaze, she took off the earring.
Then, she looked up at Baroque and gave a very sheepish smile.
“Um, Uncle Baroque.”
“I, actually, well, I just forgot.”
After saying that, she even stuck her tongue out at him.
Baroque looked at her.
Silence.
A long silence.
“You...”
Baroque looked like he wanted to scold her, but he ultimately held back.
He took a deep breath.
“Stand straight.”
Lin Ling immediately stood at attention.
Baroque raised his hand and cast an Appraisal spell on her.
A faint magical light swept over Lin Ling’s body.
The next instant, the Appraisal results appeared before Baroque’s eyes.
Mana: 999,999.
Health Points: 1.
Baroque’s expression froze bit by bit.
The mana value was ridiculously high.
He had actually been mentally prepared for that part.
But the Health Point column was still a glaring number.
Baroque looked at Lin Ling.
Lin Ling felt a bit guilty under his gaze.
“Um...”
“Uncle?”
Baroque couldn't help but speak:
“With the way you play around.”
“You’re going to play yourself to death one of these days.”
Lin Ling shrank her neck.
“I’ve been very careful to rest lately.”
“Your so-called careful rest is flying out the window the moment you wake up in the morning?”
Lin Ling stopped talking.
Seeing her bowing her head obediently, Baroque’s head hurt even more.
Ridiculously high mana.
Ridiculously low Health Points.
And she liked to run around everywhere.
This kind of setup, if left unattended on a battlefield, would be a walking disaster.
No, it would be a self-destructing disaster.
Baroque glanced at the empty plain.
Then, he made a decision.
“Lin Ling.”
“Present!”
“Starting today, you need to learn a few things.”
Lin Ling looked up.
“What things?”
“Basic self-preservation,” Baroque said.
“And how to control your mana.”
Lin Ling blinked.
“But I know Holy Light Stasis.”
Baroque said coldly, “An enemy could easily finish you off even if they lost their magic.”
Lin Ling’s body stiffened.
“Do we have to start training now?”
“Now.”
“But I just ate.”
“Perfect.”
Baroque cracked his wrists.
“You only have strength after eating.”
Lin Ling: “...”
She suddenly felt as if that lunch had been her final meal.
...
Back to the present.
Several more craters had appeared on the plain.
Baroque stood to the side, his voice still full of vigor.
“Put some effort into it!”
“You expect to be a Saintess like this!”
Lin Ling stood opposite him, hands raised, looking like she was about to cry.
Baroque pointed ahead.
“Again.”
Lin Ling took a deep breath.
She tried to extend her mana outside her body according to Baroque’s instructions.
Clearly, the version of her in last night’s dream had been able to do it so easily.
As long as she got angry, that mana would extend like arms, grabbing soldiers and pinning down carriages.
But now, the more she tried to imagine arms, the more chaotic her mind became.
Arms.
Magic arms.
Transparent ones?
Lin Ling’s thoughts strayed further and further.
In the end, only a limp lump of mana emerged from her palm.
It looked like a piece of dough that had just been kneaded poorly.
Baroque looked at the lump of mana.
“What is this?”
Lin Ling answered seriously, “It might be a failed work of Miss Saintess.”
“Again.”
Lin Ling was dejected.
She condensed her mana once more.
But it still didn't work.
She couldn't clearly imagine the mana becoming “arms.”
The more she thought about it, the weirder it felt.
Right now, even making the mana stay steadily outside her body was a struggle.
Let alone creating a magic arm that could grab things.
Lin Ling looked at her palm, and a thought suddenly occurred to her.
Since arms were too complex...
Why not change to something simpler?
For example, compressing the mana.
And then firing it out.
That was much simpler than condensing an arm.
Thinking of this, Lin Ling’s eyes lit up.
She began to guide the mana to her palm.
A pale blue light gathered in her hand.
At first, it was just a ball of light.
Then, she slowly stretched, compressed, and thinned the ball of light bit by bit.
Baroque had been frowning, but soon, his expression changed.
Because the mana in Lin Ling’s hand was actually starting to form a clear outline.
A pale blue mana sword hovered in front of her palm. The edges weren't quite stable, but it already possessed a distinct shape.
Lin Ling looked at the sword, stunned herself for a moment.
“Ohh!”
“Uncle Baroque, I think I succeeded!”
Baroque narrowed his eyes.
“What did you just make?”
“Well, a sword is easier to imagine,” Lin Ling said with total confidence.
Baroque: “...”
He really wanted to ask what she had been thinking just now.
But now was not the time.
“Don't add too much mana yet,” he warned.
“Just maintain the shape.”
Lin Ling stared at the sword in her hand.
“If I add a massive amount of mana to the sword...”
“And then fire it out...”
Baroque’s expression changed. “Hey, wait!”
But Lin Ling had already raised her hand.
“Miss Saintess Prototype No. 1!”
The mana sword turned into a streak of blue light and flew out.
The next instant.
BOOM—!
A massive burst of light exploded in the distance on the plain.
A shockwave carrying grass clippings and dirt washed over them.
Lin Ling’s hair was blown backward.
Baroque raised his hand to release a defense magic to block the wind pressure, a vein on his forehead throbbing violently.
The sound of the explosion echoed across the plain for a good while.
When the smoke and dust cleared, a new, charred crater had appeared on the ground.
Lin Ling stared blankly at the hole.
“Wow.”
“Was that power a bit much?”
Baroque turned to look at her.
“What do you think?”
Lin Ling immediately stood straight.
“Reporting to Uncle Baroque, the output power needs to be adjusted!”
“You’d better actually believe that.”
Baroque looked at the crater, his gaze turning serious.
The power was immense.
So immense it far exceeded the scope of ordinary magic.
But the problem was also obvious.
Lin Ling’s control over mana was too crude.
Her use of magic was more like lighting a stick of dynamite and just throwing it.
This kind of usage was dangerous to enemies.
But even more dangerous to herself.
Baroque said in a deep voice, “From now on.”
“Reduce the amount of mana you just injected by half.”
Lin Ling nodded. “Okay.”
A second mana sword flew out.
BOOM!
A new crater appeared.
Baroque: “Reduce it by half again.”
“Okay.”
BOOM!
“Again.”
“Okay.”
BOOM!
“Keep reducing it.”
“Uncle Baroque, I think it’s still going to explode.”
“Then reduce it until it stops exploding!”
And so, the two of them practiced for the entire afternoon.
From massive explosions.
To smaller explosions.
To even smaller explosions.
Finally, Lin Ling was able to fire a mana sword that wouldn't blast a crater into the plain, but would only split a distant wooden stake.
The price was that she had practically turned into a dried salted fish with no dreams left.
The sun set.
The plain was dyed a dark red.
Lin Ling lay on the ground, not wanting to move an inch.
She didn't even have the strength to lift her hand.
Baroque stood beside her, looking down at her.
“Get up.”
Lin Ling kept her eyes closed.
“Uncle Baroque.”
“Hmm?”
“I really can't do this anymore.”
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