NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 23: A Little Illusion
Chapter 23: A Little Illusion
“That should be enough; with these materials plus the dragon’s organs we had before, we should have plenty.”
In the treasure vault, Aierjisi selected the materials needed for the magic device and handed them over to Yake for safekeeping. Then, she used a transfer spell to move the remaining treasures in the vault to another space.
“Let’s go.”
After completely pillaging the vault and leaving not a single gold coin behind, Aierjisi took Yake and left. Of course, before leaving, Aierjisi deliberately wreaked havoc to cover up their tracks. If anyone found out they had been here, it could lead to unnecessary trouble.
“We’ve hit the jackpot! All these treasures belong to us now! With this much money, we can totally live comfortably in the royal capital!”
Having suddenly acquired such wealth, Yake couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear. With this amount of money, his family would never have to worry about food or drink again.
“Cough! Cough! I advise you not to spend this money unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
Seeing Yake already plotting how to use the money, Aierjisi reminded him to hold off on spending it. The reasoning was quite simple; given her recent stay with Yake’s family, it was clear that they weren’t wealthy. If a large sum of unknown money appeared out of nowhere, it would definitely attract attention and cause trouble. In that case, her identity as the Blood Clan Princess could be exposed.
“Ah, I see your point. But can’t I at least fantasize a little?”
Aierjisi’s cold splash of reality put Yake in a bit of a funk. After finally obtaining such a huge sum of money, he couldn’t use it, and that was indeed frustrating.
“As long as you don’t spend too much at once, it shouldn’t be a big deal. Just use a little each time—no one should notice. Here, take these fifty gold coins for now.”
Seeing Yake’s glum face, Aierjisi couldn’t help but feel pity. She thought that if he spent a little bit each time, it would go unnoticed. Besides, as an adventurer, Yake often had expenses for maintaining equipment and buying supplies. Even if he spent a little lavishly, it didn’t matter. Aierjisi felt this way and used a magic circle to pull out fifty gold coins from her space for Yake to use as living expenses.
“Fifty gold coins? That’s not a small amount!”
Looking at the fifty gold coins in his hands, Yake felt his hands shake. It was his first time holding so much gold. Before, his coins were mainly copper and silver, and while he did have gold, the number never exceeded ten. Now this little princess had just given him fifty gold coins outright!
“Just fifty? Is that a lot?”
Aierjisi tilted her head; her previous life was one where she simply had to ask servants for anything she wanted. Currency was something she hardly needed.
Hearing Aierjisi’s words, Yake could only laugh and shake his head. For this sheltered little princess, fifty gold coins might not seem like much, but for an adventurer like him, it was an immense sum that would ensure his family’s well-being.
“Uh-huh, I see. If fifty coins are a lot, then I should be careful not to give away too much next time.”
Aierjisi also took out three gold coins from her space to keep as pocket money—after all, it’s always handy to have a little cash on hand.
Naturally, in a remote area outside the city, with a lone adventurer and a child-like girl—who was also holding three gold coins—safely returning to town wasn’t going to happen. Before long, a group of people blocked Yake and Aierjisi’s way.
“Hm? Yake, what are those people up to? It’s so hot, and they’re covering their heads so tightly. Aren’t they burning up?”
Aierjisi curiously asked Yake about the group of cloaked figures covering their heads, revealing only their noses and eyes. Didn’t they feel hot?
“Um… I think we might have run into some robbers.”
Yake quickly realized their situation upon seeing the group before him; they were definitely a bandit group. He’d heard in the Adventurers’ Guild that solo adventurers often became targets for such groups, and now it seemed he was caught in their net.
“Ahem, kid, I’m Baisha, the leader of the West Wind Bandit Group. I suggest you hand over your valuables, or it might take a turn for the worse. And that little sister next to you? You should probably give up those three gold coins too; they aren’t meant for kids like you! Don’t make me take action; I don’t want to hurt a child.”
The bandit leader named Baisha looked at the boy and girl before him, hoping they would comply and hand over their money. He really didn’t want to hurt the kid; even as a bandit, he had his bottom line.
“So, Aier, what do you think? How about you handle them?”
Seeing the likelihood of getting stomped by their numbers, Yake knew he was outmatched. In the past, he might have complied with their demands, but things were different now; he had a powerful little princess by his side! These bandits were asking for trouble.
“Ah? Me? Okay. But I don’t want to use anything too complicated; I’ll go with a gentler method. I want to get back to sleep soon, you know.”
Aierjisi yawned, walked casually up to the bandits, and extended her left hand toward them.
“Huh? What kind of trick are you trying to pull…”
Baisha stared at Aierjisi, confused about what she was up to, but before he could finish his sentence, he and the other bandits froze in place. One by one, they started stripping off their clothes, standing there completely naked in front of Yake and Aierjisi, creating a scene of a large-scale male camaraderie meeting.
“What did you do to them?!”
Yake looked dumbfounded at the group of bandits, utterly baffled by what the little princess had just done.
“Nothing much, just a simple illusion spell. Now they see each other as their dream partners and will keep… ‘exchanging’ until they drop dead.”
Aierjisi casually explained, mentioning that the illusion was merely a simple spell she cast. It was a perfect way to deal with such sorts without any fuss.
“Yake, I’m tired. Carry me.”
Aierjisi walked over to Yake, tugging at his sleeve and yawning, requesting him to carry her home.
“Sure.”
Having just witnessed the terrifying new power of this little princess, Yake felt a mix of fear and awe at her abilities, promptly agreeing to carry her as they walked past the entranced bandits toward the small town.