Through the Fire

The aromatic scent of strange herbs, dried in an oven before hot water was poured over them and a candle kept the mixture simmering, created a relaxing atmosphere in the shop. It was a plant from the southern cities called 'Majowna'; the more it dried, the stronger its fragrance. Strangely, this plant was illegal in this world, yet Milanya had a stockpile that would last her a lifetime. I wasn't sure if she'd survived by hiding it from patrols or because if she were caught, no one would carry on her business and all her knowledge.

From the outside, her shop looked small, the opposite of her ten-thousand-year-old reputation. It must have been an area-expanding spell that made the interior so vast, storing numerous rare woods together like a rainforest, along with ordinary tools seen in any craftsman's shop. Walking through it with a ten-thousand-year-old witch linked arm-in-arm felt strangely

awkward. If Anya saw this, she'd probably chew her wand in half.

At the same time, I noticed something.

"Her ears are pointier than other wizards'," I observed. A sudden flush of red appeared on her pointed ears.

"You are so observant," Milanya purred. "It's been so long since anyone noticed that." She pressed her soft, ample chest against my arm, causing a certain part of me to stir and my body to heat up. "I'm a half-elf wizard, little puppy. This is the secret to my immortality."

"Weren't elves supposed to have left the world of Caronia a long time ago?" Sola was just as surprised. "I think I learned that in world history class."

"Well, I'm the last one," Milanya declared. "It's kind of cool, though. My nickname, 'The Last Elf,' is so awesome!" She squeezed my arm tightly, making my muscles bunch up, before giving me a sultry look. "Don't you want an elf for a wife, you adorable little dog?"

"Enough, Milanya, enough. I didn't bring him here for you to eat," Sola said, snatching me away like a child grabbing a toy, her eyes narrowing. "This dog belongs to my daughter."

"Little Anya? Isn't she with you today?"

"That can wait. Right now, I want a wand for this one," Sola interrupted, urging the elf wizard to find a wand for me.

"Alright," Milanya shrugged, extending her hand towards me with a serious look that shifted the atmosphere completely. "Give me your hand."

I looked at Sola, my eyes questioning. She nodded in response, reassuring me that if I offered my hand, I'd still have all thirty-two fingers afterward.

As I placed my hand in hers, she grasped it briefly and then released it, murmuring something silently before tapping my forehead with her finger. Then, she drew out a wisp of white light.

My mouth hung open in speechless amazement. It was as if she were performing magic that made even all my spells look like child's play.

"This is a fragment of your soul, little puppy," she said, flicking a finger. Four finished wands floated over from her desk. "You can choose the one you want. From right to left, we have rosewood, known for bringing good fortune to its owner and being the most loyal of the four. Then oak, famous for casting all sorts of spells, easy to bond with but rather fickle."

My eyes flicked to Sola.

"The oak wand used to belong to your husband, Sola, who has now fallen to the dark side," Milanya said, turning her gaze back to me. "Next is ironwood, renowned for its ability to draw out the user's full potential, as well as latent power. And the last one, applewood, is known for being very stubborn. Once you possess its heart and soul, it will squeeze out every last drop of your hidden power."

"So, I have to choose one of these four?" I smirked before grabbing the applewood wand without hesitation. Sola and Milanya stared in surprise but said nothing. Then, the fragment of my soul's light was inserted into the applewood I had chosen. The wooden handle of the wand vibrated in my hand and emitted a white light again before I felt a sudden gust of wind. My fur shifted with the force before abruptly stopping, even though the shop was sealed off from the outside air.

"Now the wand is yours. Use it well from now on. Become the master it deserves. A wand wielder whose inner spiritual power aligns with the wand's will be able to unleash its full potential..." Milanya said with a serious and powerful tone before stopping abruptly, hearing a scream from outside. "What was that?"

My human form's time ran out, and I reverted to my dog form. I took the wooden-handled wand in my mouth and ran outside with the two adults. We saw a large number of demon minions wreaking havoc on the marketplace. Several wizards tried to fight back but were defeated by life-severing curses. My jaws tightened around the new wand as I leaped forward, single-handedly tackling a demon minion. A Stupefy spell hit it squarely in the chest, and it fell to the ground, unable to move.

When two or three other demon minions saw what happened, they relentlessly fired purple beams of light at me. I dodged and then cast a Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu, creating five copies of myself before we all Arshaed a barrage of spells, incapacitating the demons. Then, I looked around and saw that the marketplace was in ruins. Some wizards were fighting the demons, who were looting, killing, and raping, spreading terror among the villagers.

"Not now, Guardian Mode!" I cursed inwardly as I faced another five demon minions, ordering my clones to deal with them using Stupefy spells. Screams, sobs, and curses echoed throughout the marketplace. I couldn't help everyone at once. Finally, I ran to stop a demon minion who was frantically tearing the clothes off a female wizard.

"Aqualanne!" I conjured a water blade and Arshaed the demon's throat, severing its head before leaping and using my hind legs to kick it to the ground. I then gestured for the half-naked woman to flee.

The situation worsened as a fire broke out in a wooden shop. Naturally, the surrounding wooden buildings would become excellent fuel, allowing the flames to spread rapidly. Fighting and extinguishing the fire with water spells while holding the wand in my mouth was incredibly difficult, even though I was used to such training from my time at Escuria Academy.

"Nappo! Over here!" Sola's voice reached my ears, and I turned to see her waving not far away. Behind her was the pet shop where I had stayed for a while; it was on fire, and the flames were spreading rapidly inside.

Just as I was about to leap to help, a demon minion slammed into me with a fist, sending me skidding across the ground. I quickly got back on my feet, grabbed my current wand, and cast an attack spell, which it blocked perfectly.

"Hey, it's the Corgi from Escuria Academy! Let's see how tough you... urgh!" A beam of light struck the demon minion in the back, sending it crashing face-first into the ground. Its front teeth probably shattered against the brick pavement with the force of its body weight, causing blood to gush. The one who had dealt with the demon was 'Carlos'. He held a light brown wand, skillfully deflecting the attacks of another demon minion without blinking before spinning and casting a powerful attack spell that sent the dark figure flying into a statue's spear, impaling it through the stomach, killing it instantly.

"Need some help, little dog? Hop on my shoulder," Carlos smiled, but suddenly a large hand smacked the back of his head, sending him looking at the ground in surprise.

"This idiot is busy talking to a dog and not watching out for himself!" Raymond jumped in to support his rival, scolding him. "Absolutely useless!"

"Carlos! Raymond! What are you guys doing here!?" My eyes widened with excitement at the sight of my upperclassman and classmate.

"Nappo! Are you alright!?" Sola joined us just then, but Milanya wasn't with her. She looked at the two young men, a question forming in her mind. "Are these two friends with Anya?"

"Who's the old lady?" Raymond raised an eyebrow with a mischievous grin. Naturally, Sola smacked the young man's head and sternly warned him not to mess with her daughter. I ignored the situation in front of me. The pet shop was what mattered. With that thought, I leaped towards it. Looking closely, I saw that the fire had spread inside, and I could hear the cries for help from the animals trapped in their cages.

"Expel-simus!" I cast the Disarming Charm, but if I put a little more magic into it, it would become an exploding charm, blasting the door into pieces. The heat stung my skin. I clenched the new wand in my teeth and went inside, seeing the animals in their cages crying in agony, thrashing as they sensed death.

At the same time, I saw the shop owner lying face down. I knew then that I could only save one thing... but how could I save them all?

"Uncle! Uncle! The fire's spreading everywhere! Wake up quickly!" I nudged the old man's body with my head, but he didn't stir. Finally, I cast an unlocking charm. "Disculber!"

All the magical creatures burst out of their cages, free. Some of them fled out the shop's front door into the wide world without looking back. Now, only the unconscious old man and I remained. I looked at the cage of the fire lizard, my nemesis from the early chapters of the novel, but it was gone. And with a fire this small, it probably wouldn't have been affected. It must have been sold after I left or escaped just now, forgetting about me.

But that didn't matter for now. The ceiling was about to collapse, so I focused on casting a spell.

"Eionna!" The old man's body floated above the ground, and then I ran out of the pet shop. It was a close call. The burning ceiling Arshaed with a loud bang, soot and dust filling the air and going into my nostrils, causing me to cough and drop the wand from my mouth. The old man fell out of the levitation charm and landed with a thud, but since he was only a few centimeters off the ground, he wasn't seriously injured. As for me, I sat there panting, but countless demon minions surrounded me, pointing their wands, blocking every possible escape route.

"Crap..."

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To Be Continue Ep.31