Chapter 124: A Being Who Can No Longer Be Called Anything Less Than a God
“U-um… Miranda-san?”
Feeling a bit guilty for interrupting, I called out hesitantly.
Miranda-san immediately noticed me and, for some reason, exclaimed, “Perfect timing!”
“Geo! You tell them too! Tell them that I’m just a worthless human who’s only interested in lazing around, drinking, and wasting my time!”
“Uh… you’re saying that about yourself?”
Nothing she said was technically wrong, though.
“Master, what happened? Did you… get a new apprentice?”
“This lot? They’re not apprentices or anything of the sort.”
When Sena asked, Miranda-san spat out her words with unmistakable disdain. The group of mages who had been standing nearby stiffened, eyes widening in shock.
“C-could it be… that she already has an apprentice…!?”
“That such a little girl, of all people, has become Miranda-sama’s apprentice before us…!”
“Shut up. Unlike you lot, she meets every standard I demand. That’s why I accepted her as my apprentice,” Miranda said firmly.
The mages fell silent, their jaws slack, then slowly turned to look at Sena with awe and reverence.
“To be recognized by Miranda-sama…”
“I’m… so jealous…”
I couldn’t help but think: she might be an apprentice, but it’s probably not the kind you’re imagining.
Still, hearing her called “Miranda-sama” felt… strange. Could she really be famous—and admired—in the magical world? I had always known she was good with magic, but…
“I thought maybe she’d been exiled from the magical world… and that’s why she drank alone every day out of loneliness…”
“…You’re mocking me on a level beyond my expectations, aren’t you?”
Wait, isn’t she literally just mocking me right now?
“Uh, h-hello. I’m Geo, the owner of this garden,” I said, barely managing to introduce myself.
“So, that means you’re the one who set up that barrier?”
“Well… technically, yes…”
Though really, I had just asked Gift to do it.
“That was quite an impressive barrier. I almost thought it was your magic, Miranda-sama,” someone remarked.
“It was tough to get through. Five of us tried for hours”.
There are actually quite a few people who break through barriers like that, aren’t there…? I wondered if that barrier could be doubled or even tripled.
〈Double the barrier?〉
Oh… it really can be.
“Uh, but… what about all of you?” I asked.
“We are, as you can see, followers of Miranda-sama,” one said.
“We have been searching for her, wishing to study magic under her guidance.”
It seemed that Miranda-san was an even more incredible mage than I had imagined.
“Truly, she is someone worthy of being called a god.”\
“G-god…?”
…Maybe I should stop making light of her in front of these people. That’s just scary.
“And this tower…?”
“We built it together, pouring all our skill into it. That little cabin simply wasn’t suitable for Miranda-sama,” one of them explained.
“Honestly, I thought the cabin was fine,” Miranda muttered, taking a sip of the drink her familiar handed her.
To construct such a tower in just a few days… perhaps these people really are powerful mages in their own right.
“Anyway, I have no intention of teaching anyone anything,” Miranda declared and continued drinking.
“Ah, but—”
“Of course, I won’t give up. No matter how many times she refuses, I’ll keep persuading her. So, we plan to live in this tower, and we hope for your understanding,” one said earnestly.
“Oh… sure… do as you like,” I replied.
Knowing Miranda, I had a feeling no amount of effort would make her yield.
“Hah! And if Miranda-sama proves too difficult, then we may… ask her for guidance…”
“Y-yes… but only as a last resort…”
“Huh?”
No, my little sister isn’t really a magical apprentice—she’s more of a lazy apprentice. She won’t be of any help.
“Then these mages… could it be… that Miranda is actually the legendary…”
“Lilcarlia-san? What’s wrong?”
“…Something incredible is happening…”
“Lilcarlia-san?”
Lilcarlia-san had been acting strange this whole time. Maybe I was imagining it.
Eventually, we returned to the First Garden.
“…It’s gotten really lively, hasn’t it? Weren’t you going to keep Gift a secret as much as possible?”
“I planned to… but… well, no one was supposed to come to that place. And yet, they did, so it can’t be helped,” I explained, feeling a bit guilty as Anii scolded me.
Moving it near the wilderness at the lord’s request only ended up attracting more people than before.
“They just… gathered on their own? That group… what kind of coincidence is that…?”
Lilcarlia-san was still acting odd.
“Lilcarlia-san? Lilcarlia-san!”
“Huh? W-what is it?”
“You’ve been muttering to yourself…”
“I-I was just thinking… it’s fine, really.”
“Are you sure? You look a little pale…”
“D-don’t worry… I-I’ll take my leave now.”
With that, Lilcarlia-san hurried away as if escaping.
…Is she really okay?