Welcome to Magna City, Part 3

"I still have matters to attend to. I have to go," Ignis declared.

"What…"

Ignis finally said it.

He didn't know why he couldn't just say goodbye. He planned to leave Mariana on her own as soon as they entered the city gates, but something pulled him closer to her once again.

Was it her cheerful nature? Ignis didn't know. However, he was certain Mariana could influence anyone to do her bidding, no matter what it may be. Thankfully, he was used to this.

"Don't worry, I'll accompany you until you reach Nightingale. Let's go," Ignis said.

Ignis nonchalantly path towards the direction of Nightingale Inn that Robert mentioned. Soon enough, Mariana was already on his tail, and he was absolutely sure about what she would reply to him.

"Hey, wait Sir Ignis, do you want me to join you?" Mariana asked.

Bingo.

This was what he was talking about. Ignis was unsure if it was her face or the way she talked, but Mariana had this ability to persuade him to everything that she asked. It truly annoyed Ignis, but what was more vexing was the fact that it always worked its wonders. Ignis wouldn't even be surprised if she revealed that all this time, she cast him under a hypnotism spell — even if he knew that spell never existed.

Was it her personality? No, Ignis didn't think so. Her antics were only irritating at best, and rage-inducing at worst — maybe. He hadn't experienced that yet, and he didn't want to.

Ignis glanced at Mariana from the corner of his eyes and there she was, flashing a charming smile under the light of illuminant pillars.

So it was her charm. The Lady of Sickle used to smile at him like that, too, every time she needed him for anything, and it never failed her — not even once. Unfortunately for Mariana, she lacked the experience to use it to its utmost potential.

Ignis shook his head. "I will have to decline. This does not concern you anymore."

A firm refusal.

Unless Ignis gave her a plain refusal, Mariana wouldn't quit. Four hours of her nonstop bombarding had given him enough wisdom on how to deal with her.

Mariana scratched her chin, seemingly thinking of another plan. Then, she suggested, "Then how about I just accompany you until before you reach your destination?"

What was she saying?!

Ignis almost buried his hand in his face. Why couldn't she see he didn't want to get involved with her anymore?

"Stop saying nonsense. Didn't you say that you risked your life so you could study in Arcanus?"

This left Mariana speechless. Her shoulders noticeably slumped, and her lips pouted as she said that she understood.

Negotiations over. Now, all Ignis needed to do was escort Mariana to Nightingale. Then he'd be free from being her caretaker.

According to Robert, Nightingale Inn was near the inner wall which separated the Mixed and Common district and was on the other side from where they were. There were many closer inns from where they were standing, but he said that it would be too expensive for a girl who claimed she only had 50 silver coins in her pocket.

The road Ignis and Mariana were currently treading on was unlike the one that could be seen on the main road. This road was only fit to be traversed by pedestrians. The houses here were also close-packed, unsanitary, and some were even dilapidated. There were still illuminant pillars that can be seen around, so the path was still visible, although it felt like it wasn't enough to guarantee that trouble wouldn't ensue from the place.

The people, on the other hand, looked much different. One glance and Ignis already noticed that almost everyone here was walking with their eyes nailed to the ground. The smiles and laughter that could be heard from the people on the main road were absent in this area and it made the place dead-quiet. Ignis' ears could distinguish only the horseshoe of Mariana's mount hitting against the cobblestone road.

When Ignis landed his eyes on Mariana, he realized she must have been thinking of the same thing. This became even more clear when she suddenly dismounted and walk alongside me without uttering a single word.

Unsurprisingly, Mariana was the one who broke the silence. "Isn't this place a little scary?" she whispered while leaning close to Ignis.

Ignis signaled her to be quiet.

"O-okay…"

It's fine if Mariana felt that way, but Ignis worried the surrounding people might hear, and he didn't want to attract any attention.

As they approached an intersection, Ignis overheard a conversation of two men standing under the light of one of the illuminant pillars.

"Hahaha! Man, it was really fun last night. I told ya to come, but you left me all alone in there. You missed the opportunity to taste-"

"Hey, someone's comin'…"

It appeared that they noticed Ignis and Mariana. The two stopped their idle chatter and studied them with their rat-like eyes before opting to approach.

"What brings the both of you 'round these parts?" The guy who was laughing a while ago spoke first. This man was quite tall, standing at around three adults' arms' length. His muscles were also bulging in all the right places.

"Yes, and you, young lady. How can we help you?" The other man said with a sinister grin displaying his rotten teeth. This man was so skinny, Ignis could visibly see his bones around his arms and shoulders.

Mariana slowly crept behind Ignis' shoulders without answering. Seeing this, the two men chuckled in unison and assured them they wouldn't bring any harm. The duo told Ignis and Mariana that it was their first time seeing their faces so they'd like to assist them in reaching their destination, saying that the place was still dangerous despite these artifacts scattered alongside the street.

They looked highly suspicious, but Ignis gave them the benefit of the doubt. One should not judge others based on their appearances, the Lady of Sickle once said.

Ignis told them where they were heading to. The two smiled as they happened to know the location, so they suggested that they'd guide them to reach the place safely. Naturally, Ignis gladly accepted their offer.

'Forgive me, my Lady, if someone died tonight.'

***

"Hey!" Mariana whispered to Ignis. "Are you out of your mind?!"

Mariana was absolutely sure that the strangers who approached them spell trouble, so she was reluctant about their invitation, even if they claimed that their only intention was to help. However, for some reason, Ignis kindly accepted their offer.

Mariana frantically pulled her hair. What was Ignis thinking?! Did he have a death wish?

"Calm down…" Ignis mumbled.

"What do you mean, calm down? Are you insane?!" Mariana could feel the tears in her eyes well up. "I don't want to die…"

"You're being stupid. Remember when I said that I'll teach you how to cast your magic properly? How about I teach you right now?" he suggested.

Ignis wasn't even whispering anymore, and he looked more carefree. This confused Mariana even more.

"Hey what's happening to you? You're starting to scare me, you know…"

"Just pay attention. I'll only say this once, so you better listen."

Ignis stared at Mariana intently. From what Mariana understood, he wanted to know if she would accept the offer or not.

Mariana pinched her bottom lip. She really didn't feel that it was the right time for this, but…

"Fine!" Mariana said in a resigned voice.

"Good," Ignis said, satisfied. "First, explain to me how your spell 'icebolt' works."

Reluctantly, Mariana briefly explained how the beginner water spell worked based on the explanations she had read in her grandpa's books and simplified it to Ignis.

To cast icebolt, the water mage must first absorb mana from their elemental ring through their ring finger. The books stated this finger was directly connected to a person's heart, allowing the mage to disperse the absorbed mana freely throughout his body once collected.

When enough mana was accumulated, the mage must then concentrate on the image of mana forming in the shape of a spear in front of his palm. However, that was when the explanation became vague, as the book mentioned next, was to keep practicing until the mage got the grasp on forming mana. Eventually, the mage would grasp how to form the shape of the spell properly. The last thing was to cast the name of the spell, which would ultimately lead it to what it was supposed to do.

"That was a lousy explanation…" Ignis commented afterward.

"I just got it from the book!" Mariana grumbled.

"Try doing it like this," Ignis leaned closer to whisper in Mariana's ear. "First, you have to… Then, the water… After that,… Finally, just follow what the book told you and cast the spell. Understood?"

Mariana's head became itchy after listening to Ignis' explanation.

'What are molecules?'

Anyway, Mariana answered, "I did, but how would I be able to know if you're telling the truth?"

"I am telling the truth…" Ignis said with a blank face.

Confused, Mariana quickly scanned the surroundings, and it finally came to why Ignis chose to teach her this out of the blue. These people had lured them into a trap!

"Nobles really are stupid…" The tall guy suddenly stopped and turned around. "Didn't ya learn that the outskirts of the Common district are dangerous for bastards like you?!" he started laughing maniacally.

So this was their plan all along, Mariana thought. They tried to lead them to a dark path to accomplish their nefarious deeds under the pretense of helping us find their destination.

"Ah, the cries of a scum in society. It was all too familiar..."

Ignis' taunt visibly irked the tall guy. He cracked his neck and his knuckles in response.

"You made him angry idiots, hahaha!" the skinny guy cackled evilly.

"Diiieeee!" The tall guy charged forward to Ignis, his fist ready to punch him.

"On my mark, use icebolt on me," Ignis commanded to Mariana.

"W-what?! No, I won't-"

"Trust me..."

After saying those, Ignis tilted his head slightly — enough to dodge the incoming attack.

Having left with no choice, Mariana hurriedly tied Star's reins on her waist and promptly recalled his instructions a while ago.

While Mariana was doing this, Ignis was busy dodging the tall guy's attacks. Every punch, kick and grab almost hit him, but he never once lost balance. His movements were just enough to avoid his enemy's aggression without getting grazed, as if he had this fight perfectly calculated in his head. Because of this, the skinny guy tried to join the fight, but it seemed to have hurt the pride of his friend. The moment he stepped in, he immediately received a punch in the face, which sent him flying to a nearby wall.

"Eeeeekk!" Mariana shrieked.

"Mariana, are you ready?!"

"Give me a minute!" Mariana answered, panicking.

Mariana needed to focus.

She closed her eyes and concentrated her attention on her elemental ring. Mariana imagined the mana getting seeped inside her nerves, slowly being condensed into her chest. After she felt she had enough mana, Mariana carefully released this mana into her palm.

Mariana opened her eyes afterward. She witnessed the ball of water floating in front of her right palm.

Last, with Ignis' instruction added to the mix, Mariana molded the ball of water with mana into the shape of a spear and lowered its temperature until it finally froze.

She pointed her palm toward Ignis and yelled, "I'm ready!"

"On three!" Ignis replied.

"One…"

"Two…"

"Three! Now, Mariana!"

"[Icebolt]!"

WOOSH.

The bolt of ice swiftly flew toward Ignis, but before it could hit him, he immediately dropped his body to the floor — opening the path for the raging spell to hit his enemy to the chest. The impact had sent the large man flying to an illuminant pillar four houses away, breaking the artifact, and leaving him unconscious.

The sheer power of the spell made Mariana's jaw drop.

Ignis, after having recovered from being planted on the floor, wiped the dust off his hands and commented, "Nice spell — and hair. It suits you."

Perplexed by his other comment, Mariana picked up a few strands of her hair and it finally made sense; the black hair that her grandma used to brush before Mariana went to bed was now completely dyed in sapphire blue.