Don't Trust the Heroine

“No matter the outcome, I’ll still be proud of you.”

Although his bold decision had shocked her initially, Madenna resolved to conceal her concern, perhaps due to Farren’s firm determination. .

“I place my trust in you, so let’s complete the task Mother has given us.”

“Yes! Oh, come to think of it, you mentioned you were tired. I’m sorry to have held you back for so long. You should go back and get some rest.”

“…it was just a passing remark – do you take note of everything I say?”

“You asked me to remember everything you say. That’s why I did. I wouldn’t disobey your requests.”

“It’s a bit eerie when you phrase it like that. I guess I’ll have to watch what I say from now on.”

“No, there’s no need! Please, don’t have any qualms about your words,” Farren shook his head frantically. He seemed worried that Madenna would speak less because of him.

Although he was truly brilliant in some aspects, in situations like these, he was still naive.

Madenna realized she was gradually warming up to Farren, and she didn’t hate the idea at all.

 

* * *

 

A few days later, as Luciola had arranged, the two set out for Retti Shire.

The merchandise was scheduled to arrive a few hours after their arrival, so before the goods arrived, they went to visit the site where the bridge collapsed.

Traveling to Retti Shire by carriage took them five days without stopping.

It was quite a long journey. Although spending the night at a village mid-way would be more comfortable, they were in a hurry.

Madenna, who had just arrived at the scene, sighed as soon as she checked the bridge’s condition.

“It’s worse than I thought.”

The bridge’s structure had collapsed entirely, leaving only its broken form by both of the ends.

New materials were piled up around the bridge for restoration work, and several workers were bustling around.

However, the river’s water level had risen, so there was little to no progress made at the reconstruction site. The only headway Madenna could see was on the bridge’s foundation.

“I heard it was a typhoon that caused the bridge to fall.”

“It must have been a local downpour. I’ve heard that the damage inside the city isn’t so dire. But, the bridge’s legs are beyond repair…” Madenna sighed in frustration.

“It’s not summer nor fall, it’s unusual for a typhoon to come during this season.”

“I agree, but we can’t help it. The harm has already been done. Can you start repairing the bridge right away, Farren?”

“Yes, there’s no problem.”

Madenna and Farren, accompanied by their servants, approached the construction site. Among the busy workers checking the materials, a person spoke up.

“Who are you?”

“Someone should have already sent a telegram of my arrival in advance. I am Madenna Rodenherg.”

“Oh! You’ve arrived,” the man, who turned out to be the construction manager, bowed his head in courtesy.

But he sensed something was amiss and immediately spoke, “By the way… I was told that you’re going to deliver merchandise to Retti Shire today. We will try to cooperate so that the construction won’t hinder your transport.”

“Alright, thank you.”

“Are you delivering the goods by boat? Why can’t I see any people or goods?”

“The goods will come later. However, we’re not transporting them by ship.”

“What? You’re not going to bring the merchandise yourself, are you? You can’t, Miss. The water level of the river is too high. Even a good swimmer will be in danger if they try to challenge the current.”

“I know, I’m not going to try such a reckless method. Before anything else, please clean up the materials between the road and the tracks to not disturb the carriage when it passes.”

“Yes, we’ll do as you wish.”

The supervisor wanted to ask, ‘What’s the point of clearing both of the bridge’s ends if they’re so far apart?’ but he withheld his curiosity.

Madenna motioned at the servants as they quickly handed over food, liquor, and silver coins to the supervisor and the workers.

As soon as the gift was received, their spirit instantly improved, and the workers hastily began clearing out the area.

After a while, the roads were opened up, and the two of them managed to reach the edge of the collapsed bridge.

“The water level is quite high. Please be careful when you are using magic, Farren.”

“Yes, I will. Thank you for your concern, Miss.”

Farren smiled as he knelt. As his hand came into contact with the floor, a green light radiated from Farren’s hand, drawing a thin, long, irregular line.

The light extended until it was impossible to fully take in.

The short green line gradually grew long enough to reach the other end of the riverbank. It was as if Farren made a long bridge out of light.

The spectators buzzed in amazement at the sight.

‘…his plan has been going well so far, but the problem is from here on.’

The line was now a transparent bridge made of light. However, it was nothing but an illusion. People wouldn’t be able to walk on it as it wasn’t made of solid particles.

Although Madenna was already informed of Farren’s plan, the thought of turning the illusion into reality sounded absurd.

Holding her doubts, Madenna folded her arms as she waited for Farren’s next spell.

After confirming the bridge’s shape was sufficient, Farren stood up from his seat and stirred his finger to send a yellow light into the river.

The new yellow light created a round, tube-like structure which acted as a conduit.

It was similar to pipes found in water and sewage systems. The tube connected the transparent bridge to the river.

“…phew.”

Farren carefully completed his magic and spread out his hands. The yellow connection then drew the river water and pumped it towards the transparent bridge he completed before.

The initial light establishment acted as a tank, and the river water began to fill it up. Soon after, the water solidified itself.

“Oh, my goodness… “

Madenna couldn’t believe it even after seeing it with her own eyes. She was dumbfounded..

The idea of building a framework filled with water and solidifying it seemed completely nonsensical.

The architect himself seemed unbothered as he ran over the magic bridge, smiling contently.

He walked to the middle of the bridge, waving towards Madenna after a few jumps to prove its legitimacy.

‘…this isn’t just a matter of magical skill.’

Even if a powerful mage tried, they couldn’t simply make a bridge solely through pure magic. It was because the act of forming ‘solid’ was immensely draining.

Because of the limitation of mana, mages were treated insignificantly. Their magic was considered a clown trick.

Farren, however, implemented magic by making the most out of something that already exists, showing his understanding of the laws of the natural world.

His knowledge was the reason why he could develop this bridge without consuming too much mana.

It was much more elaborate and practical than any other magic Madenna had ever witnessed.

Madenna crossed the bridge. Her heart was pounding with a mixture of surprise and joy.

Farren approached Madenna as he held her hand, looking for acknowledgment.

“How was it? Did I do well?”

“Yes, it’s perfect.”

Farren’s cheeks flushed red from the praise.

His expression was genuine and innocent. No one would think that he was the genius who had created such a bridge.

‘My choice wasn’t wrong.’

Madenna was relieved by her decision to sponsor Farren.

“Theoretically, it won’t give in even after around ten carts pass through. I’ve calculated the sturdiness based on the merchandise’s weight.”

“…where did you learn that?”

“I couldn’t learn in the orphanage, but it didn’t stop me from going to the library. Whenever I had time, I would read several books and learn. There was nothing else to do, and I was bored.”

Based on Farren’s young age and lack of proper education, she’d already judged him to be a precocious and intelligent child, yet she’d never expected that he had gone through such lengths to learn.

“You’ve done very well, Farren.”

“If it’s helpful to the miss, then it was worth all that time reading. But…”

“…?”

Farren knelt again and swept the floor with his palm.

“I found something unusual in the remnants of the bridge’s broken leg.”

“What do you mean by unusual?”

“Um… I found signs of magic.”

If Farren wasn’t mistaken, the typhoon could’ve caused the bridge’s destruction due to magical interference

Madenna frowned and asked, “…did a mage destroy this bridge?”

“Well, I’m not sure. It’s just a magic trace. As far as I know, it would be difficult to destroy such a massive bridge with pure magic alone.”

After Farren’s feat, Madenna didn’t doubt his qualification in magic anymore.

“You don’t know what kind of spell they used?”

“Yes. It was quite a time ago, so it’s hard to find out which magic they used.”

“…is it possible for someone to use magic to break down the bridge somehow?”

Farren got up from his position and thought for a moment before he answered cautiously,

“For now, I can’t think of a feasible method, but it’s not impossible. It might be possible with magic that I haven’t mastered yet.”

“…I see. First of all, let’s report this to the Retti Shire’s City Hall, though I’m not sure if  they’ll take this seriously.”

It would sound ridiculous to most people that such a large bridge collapsed because of the magic they mocked.

Even if they investigated now, it wouldn’t be easy to find the culprit.

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However, Madenna was always attentive towards information that deviated from her previous life and the original novel.

Was it an unimportant detail she missed in her previous life? Or would it lead to something bad in the future?

“What’s bothering you, Miss?” the boy asked. He seemed to have noticed Madenna’s feelings.

 

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Translator: Nox
Editor: Alam
Proofreader: BakaReem