Only Him, Solely Him

Bustling.

Noisy.

Chaotic.

Allenson City today remains as prosperous as ever.

At the steel and gear-crafted city gates, merchants come and go in steam-powered magic carriages, their faces brimming with smiles and joy. The residents, too, chat with their families and friends as usual.

No one noticed.

Among the crowds entering and leaving Allenson City today, there wasn’t a single high noble.

To ordinary people, high nobles are incredibly rare, so even if they vanished, few would take notice.

Now, at this very moment.

This steam-powered city, standing tall in the northern part of the world.

Inside, only a large number of commoners and mid-level individuals, unqualified to know the truth, remain. The true elites have long since departed.

“I need… to buy what I need… quickly…”

In the sky above Allenson City.

Krisha no longer concealed herself, pushing her magic output to the limit as she cast a wind spell to fly faster, heading straight for the bustling market at the city center.

When she landed, she immediately drew gasps of surprise.

About Krisha.

About this girl with a lovely face.

The market vendors all knew she was connected to a formal mage, possibly as a relative or the mage’s personal maid.

It was precisely because of this ambiguous relationship that the witch had never been harassed.

But today.

Witnessing Krisha use magic firsthand.

The ordinary vendors in the market were utterly shocked, their eyes wide as they stared at Krisha holding her wand, their voices trembling.

“A mage, that child is actually a mage?!”

“Hiss… If I had known, I should have been more polite to her before.”

“Blessed be the Goddess of Harvest, this is truly unbelievable!”

People chattered away.

Some were envious, some jealous, and others completely dazed.

But soon.

As if in unison, everyone began showering Krisha with all kinds of praises, calling her beautiful, kind, and compassionate.

Some even boldly offered her free goods.

There were delicate mechanical pocket watches, crisp and fresh vegetables and fruits, and even outrageously gorgeous women’s clothing.

The vendors desperately.

Fought to be the first.

With fervent expressions.

Trying to force their best items into Krisha’s hands.

“…How dull.”

Krisha calmly watched the spectacle before her.

Was it because the thick steam from the machines no longer obscured everything?

For some reason, even though it was the same market, the same vendors, the same buildings, the ugliness and ferocity on people’s faces had become glaringly obvious.

Everyone crowded into the same space, flattering her to curry favor.

But.

Wasn’t this the very scene she had once longed for?

No one hitting her, no one spitting on her, everyone vying to be her friend, everyone eager to get close to her—wasn’t this the life she had dreamed of?

Why did it now fill her with such disgust?

“Ah, I see…”

Looking down at her delicate hands, then at the exquisite wand.

Krisha suddenly understood.

The people here, the surging crowd around her, didn’t like Krisha. They liked a beautiful female mage named “Krisha,” a mage with a bright future compared to ordinary people.

They didn’t like the witch, nor did they like Krisha herself.

From beginning to end.

The one who would extend a helping hand to the witch, who would embrace her like the sun, offering warmth and hope.

Was always that person.

Only him, just him, who didn’t care about getting his hands dirty, who would take the foul-smelling witch by the hand and gently lead her home.

“I need to finish Master’s task quickly,” Krisha thought, waving her wand and using wind magic to forcefully disperse the surrounding vendors.

Under the vendors’ fearful and cowering gazes, Krisha quickly identified various items.

Food.

Daily necessities.

Clothing and tools.

She swept them up with wind magic, sorted them into categories, and stored them all in her spatial ring.

The entire process took less than three minutes.

Magic was truly a convenient thing.

“Now I can go back.”

Krisha glanced at her spatial ring, sensing its fully packed interior, and nodded lightly before tossing out a bag of coins, distributing them among the vendors.

Equivalent exchange.

This was the first lesson Xu Xi had taught the witch.

The witch remembered it well.

“Wind spell, gather,” Krisha waved her wand without giving the vendors a chance to speak. The howling wind wrapped around her once more, carrying her back toward the courtyard.

She had completed her task quickly, the round trip taking less than ten minutes.

Perhaps she would earn her master’s praise?

With this thought in mind, Krisha increased her magic output, making the wind fiercer and her flight faster, eager to return to Xu Xi’s side.

But.

But why.

Did her chest feel so heavy?

“Whoosh—” The wind roared in the sky.

Krisha rode the gale, flying faster and faster as she approached the courtyard. She was almost there, so close, yet the unease in her heart grew stronger.

She clutched her chest, her eyes blank.

She didn’t understand, didn’t know why, but the weight in her heart was unbearable, and she instinctively sped up.

This familiar pain.

Made the witch panic.

“Return… return to Master’s side…”

“As long as Master is there, everything will be alright,” the witch, unable to comprehend what was happening, instinctively chose to rely on the person she trusted most.

Xu Xi, her master, her sun.

As long as she returned to Xu Xi, all her unease and pain would vanish. Krisha truly believed this.

Soon.

The rapidly flying Krisha caught sight of the familiar courtyard.

Just the thought of the man inside lessened the weight in her chest.

So, Krisha sped up, flying with a desperation she couldn’t explain, as if her life depended on it, even forgetting the caution Xu Xi had always taught her.

Faster.

Even faster.

Please, faster.

The witch frantically pushed her wind spell, and finally, she reached the vicinity of the courtyard.

But just then.

The sky darkened.

“BOOM!!!!!”

An unimaginable barrage of fireballs rained down from the sky, like thousands of falling meteors, suddenly appearing above Allenson City.

Roaring, raging, and destroying everything in their path.

And one of those blazing fireballs was headed straight for the courtyard Krisha was trying to reach.

“No, wait!… No, no… You can’t!”

Sensing something terrible, Krisha’s pupils contracted, and she let out a cry of panic she had never uttered before, her voice trembling.

The weight in her chest reached its peak at that moment.