The small village of East was conquered by a Lord who held great influence due to his family's Superior Rank. The lord's family indulged in cruel practices such as collecting unnecessary taxes, breaking property, increasing taxes, and abusing their power. Despite this, the people of the village feared the wrath of the Superior Rank and respected them in fear. The Ambrose family lived in the village and made a living selling medicine. Richard Ambrose, 32 years old, was an unranked water mage who specialized in making medicine by controlling the extracts of herbs. His wife, Kathaly Ambrose, 28 years old, was a pharmacist, and they had a daughter named Bernadette, who was eight years old and had blue eyes.
Their family business was doing well, and even though Richard was an unranked mage, he had earned the respect of the villagers due to his many contributions. Bruno Ambrose, Richard's 14-year-old son, wanted to be like his father and had taken after his father's specialty in medicine making. However, he had not yet awakened his own magic, and the village kids often mocked him. They called him 'Fool' as he had not yet unleashed his magic. According to the village's belief, to unleash one's magic, one had to make use of their imagination and will to believe in their potential magic. Despite the mockery, Bruno did not give up as his family encouraged him.
One day, while running an errand, the village kids stopped Bruno along the way. "Oh look, it's the 'Fool'," said one kid to the other. As they kept mocking him, Bruno felt a chill behind his back with a dark shadow figure. "Come on guys, give Bruno a break," said Thomas, the son of the village lord who abused their power over the villagers. It was understandable that these kids were friends with a cruel kid like Thomas because they did not want to be in trouble. "Don't let them get to you, Bruno," said Thomas, reaching his arm out to pat Bruno's shoulder. As Thomas touched Bruno's arm, it burst into flames, burning Bruno's clothes in that part of his arm. "Don't think I'm on your side, Bruno. I just told you not to let them get to you, but not me," they burst into laughter as Bruno tried to put out the fire in his shoulder with panic.
Suddenly, a big explosion of water hit Bruno, washing him away, along with Thomas and the other kids. "Who was that?!" Bruno shouted as he stood up from the wet ground. "It's me, cousin. Why are you using your magic towards innocent people?" A beautiful girl with a silver dress and silky hair caught Bruno's attention. "Kelly? What the hell are you doing here?! You dare mock me in front of them?! You think I'll let you get away with this?!!" Thomas shouted in anger. "Probably not, but I don't think you will like me telling your father that I don't want to make a deal for our family business because of you," Kelly replied. Kelly was the same age as both of them, but her father left her to do his business deals since Kelly was the oldest daughter on their side. Thomas knew what was in that deal and was even warned by his father to never make Kelly angry. He kept his composure and left angrily.
Kelly reached out her hand to Bruno on the ground and said, "Are you okay? I'm terribly sorry for my cousin." "I'm very sorry, Miss. You won't see me around here ever again," Bruno bowed. Knowing Kelly's status, Bruno didn't want another noble harassing him, especially since he already had Thomas on his tail. Kelly giggled, "It's fine, I'm Kelly Wormswood, the eldest daughter of the first pillar of the Wormswood family. That jerk was my cousin, Thomas Wormswood, the youngest son in the twelfth pillar of the same family."
Bruno was shocked by her admission. Why would the daughter of a family with connections to a superior rank be talking to him without any malicious words? They stared at each other for a moment. "I believe it's your turn now to introduce yourself," Kelly said with a sigh.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Miss Wormswood," Bruno replied. "My name is Bruno Ambrose. I'm the eldest son of my family, and we live with my mother, father, and sister. We run a small pharmacy for a living."
"That's nice," Kelly said. "Please call me Kelly. I haven't been to this village before, and before I settle a deal with Thomas' father, I'd like to know the whereabouts of this village, including the villagers' attitudes."
After that moment, Bruno just stared at her. He didn't know what to say since it was his first time talking to a stranger, let alone a girl. "Soooo?" Kelly added, breaking the silence.
"Soooo, uhm, good luck, Miss Wormswood?" Bruno responded, unsure.
"I'm asking you to give me a tour, you genius," pouted Kelly. "Of course, you know most of the villagers because your family owns a pharmacy, and you should call me Kelly if you don't want me to call you names."
Bruno was interested in this girl, and he set aside the fact that she was a noble and agreed to give her a tour. As they walked around the village, Kelly started to realize the situation the village was in. Since the deal was about Thomas' father selling the village for a phoenix seal, which costed millions of gold, only high pillars of family can obtain this richness. As the report said, the village was dead but could be restored, not just as a village, but as a perfect location for a factory, since the Wormswood family was famous for their own liquor business. That's why Kelly took the initiative to investigate the village first before making the deal.
As Thomas got home, so mad that vapor was coming out of his head, his father saw him and asked him what happened. "What happened, son? I could see your kettle on."
"Why didn't you tell me Kelly was here? She just humiliated me in front of the other kids and that 'fool'," he replied, pissed.
"What? Kelly's here?" his father asked.
"Yeah, you didn't know? What was she doing here without you knowing?" Thomas asked, surprised.
"Damn it, she must be here to investigate the village before making a deal with me. No wonder your uncle left her this deal. Selling this village was our only way of getting that phoenix seal, and now she will know the true situation in this village. She might cancel the deal or, worse, kick our family out from the pillars."
The Phoenix Seal was one of the most precious artifacts in the four kingdoms. The Wormswood family was looking for a worthy individual to pass it on. When the mage was chosen, he or she would break the phoenix seal and release a phoenix life form that would represent eternal life and absolute power, giving the mage a chance to climb up to the superior ranks.
"What should we do, Dad? I don't want to get kicked out!" Thomas asked in a panic.
" I have a plan, tell our butler to call Ishkafel and have plague of unimaginable amount to hit the village causing the people to deadly condition or die. That way Kelly will think that this land is really dying and will make a deal with us since this land would be lost." He replied with a smirk.
"Wouldn't that also affect Kelly, father? It would be more worst than not getting that deal." Thomas scared
"No it won't you idiot, 1st to 5th pillars of Wormswood family has a spell casted around them which will protect them in any kinds of disease and poison. That's also the only way we can differentiate their aura. So go call him and make it quick!" He yelled.
Little did he know, Kelly's spell was never casted in the first place since the moment she stepped in the village because she was in a disguised, she was also not expecting to meet Thomas along the way and tried to finish her investigation quickly by asking Bruno to give her a tour to the village.
As Thomas scurried off to carry out his father's nefarious plan, Kelly and Bruno continued their tour of the village. Kelly was beginning to understand the dire situation the village was in, and it was clear that her cousin's family had no concern for the welfare of the people living there.
As they passed through the market square, Kelly couldn't help but notice the weary expressions on the faces of the villagers, their tired eyes and sunken cheeks telling the story of a community struggling to survive. "It's heart-breaking to see such a beautiful place in such a state," she remarked to Bruno. "But I won't let my family profit from their misery. We'll find a way to help them."
Bruno looked at her with admiration in his eyes. "You're a noblewoman with a kind heart, Kelly. I never would have guessed from our first encounter."
Kelly smiled, feeling a warmth in her chest at his words. "You know, Bruno, you're not like the other villagers. You speak your mind and you don't seem to be intimidated by me. I appreciate that."
Bruno chuckled. "I'm just a simple guy, Kelly. I don't have any interest in the politics of the nobles. I just want to take care of my family and my community."
They continued their tour, with Kelly asking Bruno questions about the history of the village and its people. She was struck by his knowledge and passion for his home, and the more she spoke with him, the more she realized that he was the key to helping the village.
As they neared the edge of the village, Kelly turned to Bruno. "I have a proposition for you, Bruno. I want to help the people of this village, but I can't do it alone. Will you help me?"
Bruno looked at her, surprised by her request. "How can I help, Kelly? I'm just a pharmacist."
"Your knowledge of this village and its people is invaluable, Bruno," Kelly said. "I want to work with you to find a way to bring this village back to life. Will you be my partner in this?"
Bruno thought for a moment, his mind racing with the possibilities. "I'll do it, Kelly. I'll help you in any way I can."
With a smile on her face, Kelly extended her hand to Bruno, who shook it firmly. "Then let's get to work, partner," she said.
Unbeknownst to them, the butler had already made the call to Ishkafel, and the wheels of Thomas' father's plan were already in motion. It wouldn't be long before the village was hit by the deadly plague, and the fate of the community would hang in the balance. But Kelly and Bruno were determined to find a way to save the village, and their partnership might just be the key to their success.