4 『Flowers』

"What the fuck is that smirk on your mouth? Little shit?" that's what Mavis heard as soon as she returned to her 'home.'

This is where she lives, a place that, if she has to be honest, is not the best.

However, it is a strange relationship that she has with this place. On the one hand, she hates it, but on the other hand, she is grateful, after all, they gave her everything she needed, even if in a slightly different way than she imagined.

Mavis, without changing her expression, looked at the person who called her in that particular 'way.' She is used to this treatment by now. After all, she has heard a lot from this person.

She is treated in this way, not only by this person but by almost all the people in this place. Her life is not easy, but despite this, she has decided to face life with a smile, to never cry.

"Master Zeeself ..." Mavis murmured, looking at the 'mighty' figure in front of her.

A truly 'raw and unrefined' face, Mavis would say this if she could express herself. Clearly, it is not at all similar to that of the person who calls himself Merlin. A nose out of proportion to the face, a chin that comes out, and two big eyes. Not to mention the large tattoo printed on the side of his face, even that is not very 'refined.'

"You're too happy lately, you know? I don't know what the fuck you are doing. You have to remember that I, the leader of this guild, have control over you, so don't get crazy about certain things, understand smartass?" he exclaimed in a hoarse tone to the little Mavis who, at that vision, only nodded.

Mavis, after these days with the magus, would like to leave this place, leave it, and run away to Merlin. The little girl has understood who she can trust, and the magus, according to her heart, is a sincere person, even if funny sometimes.

"What are you thinking? Eh ?!" the guild leader immediately yelled at Mavis, seeing that she just nodded without giving him a concrete answer.

"Look at her, look at her!" a voice exclaimed, and then immediately laughed, "She still thinks to behave like this with the Master, a stupid hopeless child!"

At the same time as that voice, another reached the child's ears, "Does she think she is important in here!"

"Her look is just too funny!"

Every single person inside that place immediately laughed at Mavis, who, hearing these insults against her person, did not change her gaze.

Mavis, raising her head, looked the 'boss' of the place straight in the eyes and showed a smile, "I understood Master Zeeself, I'll pay more attention."

Seeing how his screams did not 'scratch' that brat's smile by one iota, Zeeself immediately turned around and then sat down on the sofa.

After sitting down, Zeeself looked at Mavis again for a brief second to only turn his head again with a dissatisfied expression, but not before making a sound indicating his annoyance with that attitude so lacking in reaction, "Tch ..."

Zeeself and all the members present within his guild started making fun of Mavis and insulting her as soon as they saw that she did not reply. No matter how much he yelled at her, she didn't answer. And this situation, day after day, scream after scream, got worse, arriving at what we have today.

No matter what she does, every single thing is something she can be yelled at. She is reading a book, and they shout at her to close that book and clean up. She's cleaning, and they shout at her to clean unimaginable places.

Mavis, now, after meeting the sorcerer, has added a goal in her life along with that of being able to meet the fairies, and that is to know all the stories he knows.

So I can't give up now, Mavis will fight to the end, thought the little girl looking in the direction of the entrance from which she entered a little while ago.

Immediately afterward, going near the wall, she took the broom with which she usually cleans. A rough and worn broom, two symbols of its frequent use. Sign of how much they make the little girl work.

In this way, Mavis started with her 'usual cleaning,' but this time with a hopeful smile.

This life she has to face is because apparently, her parents were in debt to the guild. This meant that, once they died, Mavis had to start paying back her parents' money through work of all kinds, from the most humiliating to the most strenuous.

Mavis, not yet knowing magic, cannot afford to do jobs that require the use of magic. She would really like it. She really wants to know how to use magic, she tries and tries again every day to try to use it but ... to no avail.

Plus, the comments about her ignorance and magical incapacity don't help her one bit.

Just at that moment, a voice, also small, similar to that of a child, entered Mavis's ears. In this way, turning around, she looked in that direction.

"I'm home, dad!"

What she saw left her 'with a bitter taste in her mouth.' She too wants something like that.

"Oh, my little Zera, I'm so glad to see you here, do you know I really missed you so much?"

What Mavis wants is a person that she can consider family, to whom she can tell all her secrets, a person with whom she can laugh and joke to no end.

Once she had it too, her parents, but everything has changed since their death.

Precisely for this reason, at the first viewing of that scene, she lowered her head, trying not to look. She cannot bear such a thing. Even though her heart has promised not to cry, it's still something that hurts her deeply.

"Come on, dad! You repeat it every day, I'm tired of hearing you say it!" said the brown-haired girl with two pigtails as she was being held by her father, Zeeself.

"And I'll keep saying it until you hate me!" Zeeself said with a big smile in the direction of his daughter Zera.

Zera immediately pouted upon hearing this, "But I could never hate you, dad!"

Immediately the whole place burst out into laughter, but only one of these people did not. Mavis kept sweeping with her head down, thinking about the next day when she could hear the sequel to that story, which, if she has to be honest, is weird.

So, she immediately removed that sad look and replaced it with a smile.

But without Mavis noticing, two small olive-colored eyes with great curiosity inside them were observing her carefully.

-

"I'm here again!" exclaimed Mavis returning again to the same place of the previous days.

But Mavis didn't immediately hear an answer like in the previous days. Immediately her face changed, and without losing any second, Mavis sprinted towards that place.

She's afraid. She is afraid that the only person who seems to appreciate her will disappear just like her parents.

In less than a few seconds, the little girl reached the place, sighing with relief as soon as she saw that nothing had changed.

Merlin was still there, with a calm look looking silently at the trees with a smile.

"I'm relieved ..." Mavis immediately ran in the direction of the wizard who, seeing the little girl running in his direction, showed a smile.

"What is this turmoil today" the magician replied without any hurry.

Mavis shook her head at Merlin's words, "No, it's nothing, just that I was worried since you didn't answer me like the other days. I was worried that you were gone..."

Merlin did not reply. With a calm expression, he rested his gaze on the same spot he was looking at previously.

Seeing Merlin's action, Mavis also turned her small head in the direction of the magician's gaze, but she did not see anything. For this reason, she turned it again so as to look the sorcerer with a curious look and confused at the same time.

"You're wondering why I look so blank right?"

Mavis nodded with a confused air.

"It's very simple. I'm wondering if this place needs some sprucing up; it's not much by my standards after all."

Merlin's words confused Mavis even more, so she said in a small voice, "Beautify? How."

The magician didn't answer. He just gave a little laugh and then got up.

Mavis followed the magician's movements with her little head, and seeing what he did, what he achieved, she was left speechless. She doesn't know how to describe what she saw.

Magic is the only word that comes to her mind that could explain this thing, but she has never seen anything so beautiful. She has only one adjective to describe it.

"Fairy ..." the girl murmured in amazement.

Once Merlin got up and took his stick, he lifted it up and then slammed it right after on the ground.

From that point, light bloomed, flowers began to appear, candid flowers of a snow-white color that were expanding more and more, making that place mystical.

Now, if previously there had been greenish grass, now an expanse of flowers was present in its place.

This stunned the little girl.

It's the first time she's seen a spell like this. It's the first time she's longing for something, so, looking with hopeful eyes in the wizard's direction, she asked, "Can I… can I get one?"

The magician turned his head towards Mavis and nodded.

Without waiting, the little girl immediately picked one up and looked at it with her two eyes.

"Beautiful…"

After an indefinite amount of time, lowering the flower, the little girl looked at the wizard again, "Was this ... magic?"

Mavis already has an answer in her little heart, nothing can be but magic, only magic can create such a masterpiece. But it's bizarre magic, after all, all the various magics she has seen till now were more direct.

Merlin did not answer immediately. He looked carefully at the girl's face, especially her emerald eyes and then, after a few seconds, said in a 'provocative' tone of voice, "Interested?"

Mavis did not understand what the magician meant. She continued to look at him with a confused face.

The wizard immediately put a hand to his face, shaking his head.

Then, looking at the little girl again, bending his torso, he shook his finger in front of her eyes.

"Learn magic!" Merlin said with a twitching mouth.

Only now has Mavis understood what the sorcerer meant, but … even if she has understood, she does not want to believe it, she, learning magic? It's something she couldn't see herself doing; by now, she lost hope in it.

"But I'm not good at all in anything ..."

"You are wrong here," Merlin said.

"What I'm saying is an order, not a request! I want you to learn magic! I do not accept that a person like you gives up their power, their talent because they believe that they are not capable of it!" he went on to say in a big tone of voice.

"Your talent for magic is one of the greatest I have ever seen, perhaps the greatest, and for this very reason that from now on, you will start classes with me."

Immediately afterward, turning in one direction, the wizard with a smile said, "Not to mention that a little bird has overheard a little too much, who knows what I should do in this situation."