"So she used a Magic Crystal Stone to jam my magic sigil. Looks like Unis is a little smarter than her useless husband..."

Flora emerged from the woods, panting, and shot Jim an irritated glare.

The interference from that Magic Crystal Stone had caused her to lose his trail for a while. Even with her powerful magic, which prevented the sigil from being blocked completely, she could only vaguely sense his general direction.

"But her attack dog is as stupid as they come."

It wasn’t until a moment ago, when Jim used the Magic stored inside the Magic Crystal Stone and exhausted its Magic Power, that Flora was finally able to pinpoint his exact location and close in.

"Didn’t your master tell you not to use the Magic in the Magic Crystal Stone so freely?"

"You..."

Jim stared at the woman before him, breaking out in a cold sweat.

’The Fiery Flame Witch—Flora!’

’Before he set out, Miss Unis had indeed warned him to never, under any circumstances, use the Skill in the Magic Crystal Stone. But he’d been mid-sprint at the time and hadn’t heard her clearly. Recalling it later, he’d just assumed she was telling him to conserve it. To complete the mission, surely using it once was justifiable? Who would have thought the Magic Crystal Stone actually had another function?’

Flora walked right up to him. As Jim trembled in fear, she began to speak, her voice slow and deliberate. "Now, tell me, what did Unis send you here to do? And why did you attack these Adventurers?"

Jim forced a placating smile. "Lady Flora, this is all just a misunderstanding... These Adventurers offended the Lawrence Clan, so Miss Unis sent me to... clean them up."

Jim knew full well he couldn’t possibly win a fight against Flora. His only option was to try and stall.

He had mentioned the Lawrence Clan on purpose, hoping it would make her hesitate.

"Besides, these Adventurers have nothing to do with you, do they?"

"Don’t you dare use the Lawrences to threaten me!"

Flora, of course, saw right through his veiled threat, and her tone became even icier. "I told Unis the same thing. Even if Caroline herself were standing here, she’d still have to give me a clear explanation."

Jim’s brow furrowed. His gaze darted around, and he suddenly bolted to the side.

Flora sneered, not even bothering to move. With a slight lift of her hand and a few muttered words, her Magic Wand flashed red. A wall of pure Flame erupted from the ground, blocking his escape.

"Let me guess—"

She walked slowly toward Jim, Flames flaring up around her body with every step. By the time she reached him, she looked like a witch emerging from Purgatory. "Are these Adventurers... connected to my missing—or should I say, murdered—student?"

Jim trembled all over. "I don’t know, I really don’t know... I was just following orders, Lady Flora..."

The moment he finished speaking, he suddenly snatched the nearby sword hilt, lunged to his feet, and stabbed at the Mage in front of him.

’Mages may be powerful, with devastating attacks and defenses, but if you catch them off guard, their bodies are notoriously Fragile—even more so than a Ranger’s. If this sneak attack works, I might actually be able to...’

The ripples that spread across a crimson Magic Shield shattered Jim’s futile fantasy.

"Courting death."

Flora looked down on him with contempt as the Flames rising from her body surged toward Jim, coalescing into a giant Fireball that enveloped him completely.

"AHHH—!"

Amidst Jim’s screams, the searing Flames actually melted the Plate Armor from his body.

"No, you can’t kill me, I’m—"

Jim’s words were cut off. Flora had no desire to hear any more from him. The flames erupted with sudden intensity, consuming him completely.

A dozen or so seconds later, Flora waved her hand, and the Flames dissipated, leaving behind nothing but a puddle of molten iron and a scattering of ash.

So this was a Mage!

Lin Mo had witnessed the entire spectacle with his own eyes, and his yearning for the power of Magic surged to a new height.

"Thank you."

Leaning against a tree to rest, Lin Mo watched Flora walk up to him and managed to squeeze out a pained smile.

"Oh, it’s you..."

Flora raised her eyebrows in surprise. She remembered this young man. She had seen him when she first arrived in Roland Town and went to the Adventurer’s Association to post a quest. At the time, it seemed he had snuck a peek at her chest.

Lin Mo, of course, hadn’t forgotten this "well-endowed" Mage before him, either. He even clearly remembered every word she had spoken after she walked into the Association that day.

And the most important piece of information he’d gleaned was her origin.

Saint Antonia Magic Academy!

’And the reason she was tracking that unfortunate blond fellow... it seems she’s also investigating the death of one of the Magic Academy’s apprentices...’

Flora slowly approached Lin Mo, so close that her "ample" bosom was nearly touching his face. Then, a warm breath tickled his ear.

"So, little guy, tell me. Where did you get that Scroll?"

Her tone was gentle, her movements almost intimate, but her words held an interrogative edge that, for a moment, brought back all the terror of being at the mercy of his homeroom teacher.

A slender, pale finger tapped his chest. Lin Mo glanced down and saw it: a corner of the Magic Scroll he had hidden was peeking out from the hole the Magic had burned through his clothes.

He didn’t panic, however. With a calm expression, he simply took out the Scroll.

’If this had happened earlier, when everything was still uncertain, I would’ve been worried she wouldn’t even listen to an explanation and just blast me to death with Magic.’

’But now, after being hunted by a noble’s lackey, the situation is perfectly clear.’