Chapter: 14 Debate and Attitude
“Erika!”
All of a sudden, Gladys had returned.
When she saw a group of people gathered at the door and a human soldier reprimanding Erika, her expression instantly changed.
Quickening her steps, Gladys swiftly pulled Erika into her arms from before the soldier’s eyes. In her deep blue gaze, there was a flicker of hostility.
“What do you intend to do?”
Facing Gladys’s question, the leading soldier didn’t respond immediately. He simply sized her up a bit.
“You’re this child’s mother?”
“Is there a problem?”
“Heh, it’s like this…”
The leading soldier, not feeling troubled, briefly explained to Gladys what had just happened.
Upon hearing the account, she glanced down at Erika, stretched out a hand to gently stroke her head, and asked in a soft, caring voice.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine…” Erika bit her lip and said aggrievedly, “Gladys, I really didn’t lie. There really was someone inside just now, you have to believe me.”
“I believe you.”
Hearing Gladys answer like this, the soldier became displeased. “Hey, beautiful lady, didn’t I just explain things clearly enough?”
“She wouldn’t lie.”
Gladys narrowed her eyes and said in a low voice, “I know better than you whether she lied or not.”
“Miss, I understand. Elders all love their children, but indulging them like this is wrong.”
The leading soldier felt helpless in the face of Gladys’s attitude. “If this young girl didn’t lie, then tell me—how did the person in the room leave?”
“There are many ways.”
Gladys replied, “For example, magic—there are many methods that allow one to leave without a trace.”
“You’re saying that person used some invisibility-type magic to fool us?”
“Not just invisibility. I said, there are many methods.”
With a cold glint in her eyes, Gladys stated this calmly, then carried Erika into the room herself.
Her sapphire eyes began scanning the surroundings.
Erika, in her arms, noticed—
Gladys’s sharp gaze didn’t miss a single corner of the room.
“Gladys?”
Erika softly called out, a little urgently hoping Gladys would help prove that she hadn’t lied.
Hearing the voice, Gladys gently rubbed Erika’s soft hair and gave her a slight smile, without speaking.
In an instant, Gladys extended her fair arm, and a surge of magical energy gathered at her fingertip.
“Tap.”
Her fingertip lightly touched the air, and with a sound as crisp as a drop falling into water, a ripple of invisible energy spread outward.
In an instant, a cold aura filled the room.
Although the weather had been hot, under Gladys’s magic, the entire room became as cool as if air conditioning had been installed.
“A…a non-chanting mage!?”
Seeing this, everyone was stunned, including the soldier captain who had been arguing with Gladys.
The scene fell into silence.
Gradually, the coolness deepened, turning into cold.
And within the room, a few frost-covered footprints appeared out of nowhere.
These footprints first appeared at the windowsill.
As things shifted, the footprints gradually led to the bedside, stopping halfway to the door.
……
Everyone stared dumbfounded at the changes before them.
No one expected that this young woman before them was actually a mage—and a non-chanting one at that!
Although mages were not uncommon in this world, ordinary mages typically had to chant spells to cast supportive magic, like Invisibility Spells.
But this woman had clearly not chanted, and the magic she used wasn’t a mere buff—it was destructive magic capable of altering the environment!
Who exactly was she!?
At that moment, everyone was not only shocked but also deeply curious about the woman’s identity.
Generally speaking, a mage who could cast without chanting was already a significant figure, and this woman’s magic wasn’t even of a common type.
Sweeping a glance over everyone’s astonished faces, Gladys said flatly, “See those footprints? That person must’ve still been hiding inside and escaped the moment you opened the door. You just didn’t notice.
Clearly, they’re a man’s footprints. Erika didn’t lie. It was your own incompetence, yet you shifted the blame onto someone else.”
At these words, the lead soldier looked rather embarrassed.
“Or maybe… those footprints were from before.”
“The Tavern Owner said this room only had us living in it.”
“Regardless of whether there was someone here before, your magic alone doesn’t prove this child definitely didn’t lie.”
“Heh, if I’m not mistaken, you’re a soldier tasked with protecting this town.”
Gladys’s tone was ice cold, her sharp gaze locked onto him. “If all the warriors of this town are like you, then the lord here ought to seriously reflect.”
“You—!”
Hearing such an insulting remark, the lead soldier turned red with anger. He wanted to argue but stopped himself before speaking.
Argue with a great mage?
The lead soldier realized how foolish that was. If you could use magic, whatever you said was right.
The situation turned somewhat awkward.
After all, a mage had shown up. They had no ground to argue on.
At that moment, another soldier patted the captain on the shoulder.
“Let it go, Captain. It’s a small matter.”
“Tch.”
The lead soldier spat on the floor, visibly displeased. He just turned and addressed the Tavern Owner.
“Tavern Owner, don’t call us unless it’s important.
Since there’s a great mage here, there’s no need to trouble us.”
“Yes, yes, I deeply apologize, milady.”
The Tavern Owner smiled while apologizing, “Sorry for the trouble tonight, everyone. If you don’t mind, have a drink downstairs—it’s on the house.”
“No need. We still have patrol duty.”
The lead soldier waved and left with his group. Before departing, he didn’t even glance at Gladys or Erika.
Seeing things unfold like this, the Tavern Owner seemed a bit helpless too.
“Sigh.”
She sighed and shook her head at Gladys. “Miss, not to be critical, but regardless of whether the child lied, you shouldn’t have treated the soldiers like that.
You may be right, but they’ve done their duty responsibly. You should’ve shown some gratitude.”
“But I wasn’t wrong, and they slandered Erika.” Gladys responded bluntly.
“Forget it.”
The Tavern Owner waved her hand. “I won’t argue with you. Anyway, if you still want to stay in this room, go ahead. There are no other vacant rooms. That’s that.”
With that, the Tavern Owner left.
Now, only Gladys and Erika remained in the second-floor corridor.
She carried Erika back to the room.
It had been turned over by the soldiers and was a bit messy, but the two of them didn’t have many belongings, so they didn’t mind.
Gladys gently placed Erika on the bed. The coldness previously on her face had vanished, replaced by a look of tenderness.
Her sapphire eyes examined the girl. Her palm pinched Erika’s little cheek.
“The clothes look nice.”
“Gladys…”
Erika called her name softly, blinking. “Weren’t you too cold just now? You really shouldn’t have acted like that—they were trying to help me.”
“But you didn’t lie, did you?”
Gladys remained indifferent. “They made a mistake and blamed you. That’s their fault.”
“But…”
“Alright, let’s not talk about this anymore.
Erika, you must know—if anyone dares to bully you in front of me, even if he’s the emperor of this country, I won’t show mercy.”
Gladys gently rubbed Erika’s little head. “Hungry? I bought food for you.”
As she spoke, Gladys took out a large pile of dried meat from her coat.
Faced with delicious meat, Erika couldn’t resist. She immediately grabbed a piece and popped it into her mouth.
“Buh ih… dhat guy, did he really leave…” Erika mumbled as she ate, still concerned.
“It’s fine. There’s no one in this room anymore. I used magic to search—ordinary people couldn’t avoid it,” Gladys smiled.
Indeed, with Gladys by her side, Erika didn’t feel as worried. She thought, even if that shadow appeared again, Gladys would handle it.
But recalling how scared she’d been when Gladys wasn’t around earlier, Erika couldn’t help but ask,
“Where did you go today?”
“To earn money.”
As she spoke, Gladys pulled out a large sack of Gold Coins. The bag faintly shimmered, making Erika’s heart skip a beat.
Where had she gotten so many Gold Coins?
She couldn’t have robbed someone, right?
She had questions but didn’t ask. She just kept chewing her dried meat.
After swallowing a few bites, Erika suddenly remembered something. She pointed at the fruit on the table. “Gladys, that’s for you.”
“You bought it?”
“Mm-hmm. I’ve never seen you eat anything, so I brought some back. I don’t know if you like it…”
“Thank you.”
Gladys smiled again. She lowered her head, brought her rosy lips to Erika’s ear, and while Erika wasn’t paying attention, gently took her earlobe in her mouth.
“Hiss~!”
Feeling the stimulation, Erika’s little tail instantly popped out, standing up like an antenna.
Her body softened, and her cheeks flushed red.
“That’s not… a proper way to say hello!”
“It is.”
Gladys gently picked Erika up, her fair jade-like hand caressing the girl’s soft skin. Then she began undressing her.
“After eating, it’s time to wash and rest.”
Erika did want a bath, especially after sweating all afternoon outside.
But having someone else undress her was just too embarrassing.
After finishing with Erika, Gladys began undressing herself. Her smooth, jade-like skin and perfectly curved figure were fully revealed.
“Wanna… bathe together?”
“What else? There’s only one bathroom.”
That wasn’t the proper reason at all…