Chapter 3: The Pendant’s Secret and a New Beginning

Elara had instinctively squeezed her eyes shut, yet the white light was as swift as an arrow, piercing through her eyelids and making her see stars.

The intense radiance lasted only a few brief seconds before the pendant reverted to its normal state, appearing even duller than before it had glowed.

“Master, are you alright?”

Hilvyn asked, her fingers clutching the pendant with concern.

“I’m fine, truly,” Elara murmured, rubbing her eyes until her vision finally cleared.

The most pressing matter now was clear.

Appraisal!

[Name: Pendant of Temporal Memory]

[Effect: None.]

Elara stared at the word “None,” her mind swirling with questions.

‘So, had the effect of those three question marks already been used up? And I still had no idea what the effect actually was?’

“Master, did I cause trouble?” Hilvyn asked timidly, her eyes already red-rimmed as if she might burst into tears at any moment.

She couldn’t fathom Elara’s thoughts, but she sensed that her master’s mood was far from pleasant.

“No, you didn’t,” Elara gently shook her head, then asked with a serious tone, “Do you feel anything different now? Compared to before the pendant glowed?”

Hilvyn merely took a moment to sense, and then an expression of disbelief bloomed in her eyes.

“I can use magic!”

“What?”

“I… I can control magic!”

She was so excited that her words tumbled out incoherently, and Elara, too, was slow to react.

“Master, look.” Hilvyn created a small gust of wind in her palm, gently blowing it towards Elara.

The cool breeze on Elara’s face and her fluttering hair were undeniable proof.

‘The incurable disease, cured just like that?’

It was truly beyond all reason. While she might have distrusted the s*ave merchant’s claims, she had confirmed the ‘incurability’ with Serene just fifteen minutes prior.

Serene, a well-informed receptionist, had stated she had never heard of a single case of recovery.

Hilvyn, meanwhile, was joyfully experiencing this unprecedented sensation, her magic erupting from within.

The flow of magic in the air, everything felt novel and new.

“Pendant of Temporal Memory…” Elara murmured, the item’s name surely wasn’t mistaken.

The inclusion of the word ‘memory,’ coupled with Hilvyn’s amnesia, led to an obvious conclusion. This was very likely a healing magical artifact, one that would only activate if the target suffered from amnesia.

Magical artifacts boasted a myriad of strange effects, especially those unearthed from ancient ruins.

Elara once saw a longsword-shaped magical artifact whose effect was to continuously release harmless white smoke, functioning solely as a smoke bomb.

Dwelling on it was pointless.

She refocused her thoughts on the ‘reborn’ Hilvyn.

“First, retract your dispersed magic. Only mindless magical beasts freely disperse their magic.”

“Oh…” Hilvyn quickly gathered her errant magic.

“Besides wind, can you sense a second magical attribute?”

Hilvyn nodded in response, then conjured a wisp of frosty white mist.

“Wind and ice dual-attributed,” Elara said, a hint of surprise in her voice.

In this world, a creature’s magical attributes were predetermined from birth, and only a very small fraction of beings could wield two attributes simultaneously.

Whether favored or pitied by the gods, humans were unique in that all attributes could manifest within an individual. Other subspecies, however, had their children locked into a specific few attributes.

For instance, elves could only manifest light, dark, wood, wind, or ice attributes, which was already considered a relatively broad attribute pool.

On a side note, Elara’s attributes were dark and the rare spatial type.

This was not a perk of being a transmigrator but rather an innate talent of the body she now inhabited.

Hilvyn’s eyes were sparkling with light, and a wide smile played on her lips. She could foresee that she could now genuinely assist her master.

Elara re-evaluated Hilvyn. In just a few minutes, she had become an entirely different person.

Now, she was a wind and ice dual-attributed elf, still young, possessing a vast pool of magic, and, due to the s*ave contract, utterly obedient.

Her future was incredibly bright.

“Go on, eat your omelet. It’s almost cold,” Elara said, handing the omelet to Hilvyn.

She, meanwhile, swiftly began to re-plan her schedule.

Hilvyn sat on the edge of the bed, eating the omelet, her body swaying slightly, betraying her exceptionally good mood.

Elara stood behind Hilvyn, tying her hair into a ponytail identical to her own.

‘This hair truly is both smooth and beautiful.’

“Master…”

“Don’t speak with food in your mouth,” Elara paused her actions.

“Mmph.”

(Chew, chew, chew) (Swallow)

“Why not?”

“Because…” Elara paused for a moment, seemingly recalling something. “Anyway, it’s impolite.”

Perhaps feeling her explanation was unconvincing, she added, “You’re a beautiful lady; you shouldn’t do that, alright?”

Hilvyn finally nodded. Whatever Elara said, she would simply follow.

“Your silver hair is also quite eye-catching.”

Fortunately, Elara had a solution for that.

“Don’t move.”

Elara extended her hand, casting ‘Color Change Magic’ at Hilvyn from a distance.

She preferred to call it ‘Free Hair Color Change Magic.’

This magic was incredibly convenient; it didn’t require constant maintenance but rather directly adhered to the hair.

“Oh, wow! My hair turned the same color as Master’s!”

Hilvyn exclaimed, looking down at her now-dark hair.

Her hair color had transformed from silver-white to raven black.

“Want to learn? I’ll teach you later.”

“Yay!”

‘What a childlike temperament.’

Elara smiled. “Come on, let’s go get your adventurer information registered.”

****

At the Adventurer’s Guild.

“Your identity and team information have been recorded. Please pick up your guild emblem before tonight,” Serene, the receptionist, recited the standard procedure with a smile, then switched to a warm, friendly grin.

“Miss Black Rose, your companion is truly adorable.”

Serene reached out, intending to pat Hilvyn’s head.

But Hilvyn was quicker, dodging behind Elara like a startled kitten.

“Don’t mind her; she’s very shy,” Elara explained promptly.

“It’s quite alright.”

Serene waved a hand. “Also, the magic scrolls and beginner staff you requested will be delivered shortly.”

“Understood.”

These magic scrolls were all purchased for Hilvyn.

They included elementary spells: Wind Blade, Haste, and Ice Shield.

And intermediate spells: Healing Wind and Ice Shard.

Covering support, offense, defense, and healing. For now, these would suffice.

Elara noticed a noisy commotion in a corner of the hall.

She glanced over—it was Pete the Hyena, laughing jovially with an unfamiliar face draped over his shoulder.

“That’s the Hyena Squad’s new vanguard they recruited yesterday afternoon,” Serene explained in a hushed tone.

Elara didn’t respond. The Hyena Squad’s reputation had never been good, but she didn’t care, as long as they didn’t involve her.

Once the scrolls were delivered, Elara led Hilvyn directly out of the guild and headed to the forest’s edge to practice magic.

“Master, why did she call you Black Rose?”

‘It sounds quite fitting for Master,’ Hilvyn thought, but didn’t voice.

Elara stretched. “B-rank adventurers can apply for a codename, but I’ve always been too lazy to think of one. Everyone just started calling me that, and over time, it stuck.”

“Master, your demeanor just now was different from how you are at home.”

Hilvyn recalled carefully, then added, “It felt… unapproachable, a bit scary.”

Elara gazed into the depths of the forest, her expression serious, and said earnestly, “Maintaining such an attitude can prevent a lot of trouble.”

Hilvyn didn’t quite understand.

“Ow!” Hilvyn cried out in pain. “Master, why did you hit my head?”

“I told you not to call me Master, and hurry up and practice your magic.” Elara shoved the next scroll into Hilvyn’s hand. “I’m counting on you to earn me some gold coins.”

“Oh…”