Chapter 4

Viola felt the unfriendly looks and treatment in her direction from the remaining bandits.

They teased and flirted with her, apparently hoping for cheap cure potions. Their eyes read greed, and their words of praise only sounded like a cover for their true intentions.

- Hey, beautiful witch, what's so interesting? - One of the bandits asked, winking at Viola.

Viola kept her cool, but her heart beat faster at the sudden threat they posed.

She was well aware that the bandits wanted to use her services for free or at a reduced price.

-These cure potions aren't cheap, friends," she replied firmly, "so don't count on free deals.

However, the bandits didn't give up. They continued to approach Viola, feigning gallantry and baiting her to come to them.

- 'Girl, give us a couple potions and we'll show you what true pleasure is,' said another bandit, smirking and looking at Viola with greedy eyes.

Viola stood her ground, not giving in to the threats and molestations of the bandits.

She knew she couldn't give in to them or they would demand more and more.

- If you want the cure potion, then pay the full price, or go your way. - Said Carina.

The bandits exchanged smirks among themselves, hinting that they could force Viola to cooperate.

They tried to intimidate her, but Viola wasn't going to give up.

- Little witch, do you think you can refuse us? - said one of the bandits, coming closer to Viola.

- We can make your life very unpleasant.

Viola took a step back, preparing herself for further action.

She knew she could protect herself and her interests, but she didn't want to resort to violence.

- I am not afraid of you, – she replied calmly.

- And I will never give in to your threats. If you want my potions, you must pay for them.

The bandits exchanged perplexed glances, apparently not expecting such determination from Viola's delicate appearance.

Viola's heart raced as she felt the rough hand of the bandit grabbing her wrist hard.

Her face contorted with fear for a moment, but she quickly gathered her thoughts and decided to act.

- Let me go! - Viola clutched her staff, ready to use her magic.

- Oh, oh, oh, little witch wants to play? - The bandit snorted, showing off his power, but Viola didn't let him answer.

With the power of her elemental gift for water, she created a small ball of water and threw it at her attacker.

The ball of water hit the bandit's face, and he coughed in surprise. The water spray filled his mouth and nose, making him temporarily lose his balance.

The bandit let go of Viola, and she quickly bounced away to a safe distance.

- Damn witch! You're going to pay for this! - The bandit yelled, wiping his face, which remained wet and irritated.

The rest of the bandits quickly sprang into action, preparing to attack Viola.

They weren't going to forgive such a challenge from the girl.

Viola felt her fate hanging in the balance as the bandit threw her to the floor and raised his flaming knife.

Her heart beat faster and his eyes reflected cruelty and rage.

- Do you really think this knife can scare me? - Viola said with determination in her voice despite the fear that gripped her.

- Ha! You speak boldly, little witch, but my magic could destroy you! - The bandit chuckled, moving closer to Viola, the fire on his knife blazing frantically.

Viola quickly assessed her options. She knew it was dangerous to resist fire magic, but she wasn't going to give up without a fight.

- This is the last thing you're going to do! - Viola focused her water magic, ready to defend herself.

Lox aptly jumped onto the bandit's shoulder, perplexed at what he had just accomplished. He marveled at his new ability, sin absorption, that he had acquired since coming into this world. Such a feeling of power made his heart beat faster.

- What was that? - The bandit whispered in surprise, feeling his magical power fading instantly.

Lox, keeping his balance on the bandit's shoulder, concentrated lightning fast and activated his Absorption ability.

He felt a stream of magical energy flowing into his essence and began to absorb the bandit's magic.

Suddenly, the doors of the shop rattled open and a fierce knight with snow-white hair walked in. His eyes shone with anger, and his voice was harsh.

- Stop, now! - shouted the knight, aiming his sword at the bandit.

The bandit was stunned, and his knife went out, losing its magical power.

Lox, seizing the moment, deftly jumped off the bandit's shoulder and gave the position to the knight.

"No, one suspected a thing," Lox thought with a smile as he disguised his new ability.

The knight paid no attention to Lox, concentrating on the bandit.

- You're under arrest for your crimes! - yelled the knight, preparing to strike.

The bandit realized that it was useless to resist the knight and raised his hands in surrender.

- Okay, okay, don't be so serious. We were all just joking, weren't we? - The bandit tried to pretend that everything was just a joke.

The knight wasn't going to listen to excuses. He grabbed the bandit by the arms and began to lead him towards the door.

- You will answer for your deeds before the court," the knight said, not giving the bandit a moment's respite.

The others made no resistance leaving behind their boss.

His eyes glittered at the thought that he could use his powers to help others or defend himself when needed.

Lox, contemplating his newfound ability, felt his knowledge increase by 2%. It was truly amazing: by absorbing the magic of creatures, he was gaining their knowledge.

It opened up new possibilities for him and gave him an advantage in this unpredictable world.

When the bandit tried to cast a spell on his knife, Lox was faster.

He simply looked at him, and the bandit's magic was instantly canceled. It was amazing - he was controlling the power of other beings by merely channeling his will.

"That's how it works,"Lox thought with satisfaction.

"My sin absorption magic works like this - I absorb the magic of a creature whose power is held with rage and various types of sin. After absorption, my cognition percentages increase. And best of all, I can cancel the host magic at any time, I just need to touch the creature to read all the skills."

After Lox canceled the bandit's magic, the white-haired knight quickly resolved the situation. He walked up to the bandit and sent him to the ground with a strong fist strike.

- The likes of you have no place in our kingdom! - said the knight, a look of severity on his face.

The bandit, confused, tried to get up from the ground, but he was too stunned to give the knight a fight.

- What happened? My magic didn't work! - The bandit shouted in rage, blaming Viola.

Viola, standing in her seat, looked at what was happening with an impenetrable face. She didn't bother to explain that she wasn't the one who canceled the bandit's magic. Instead, she addressed the knight.

- He is dangerous and disruptive to our kingdom. You must arrest him and bring him before the court, your lordship,'' she said to the knight.

The knight looked at Viola and saw the fury in her eyes. He nodded and ordered his companions to arrest the bandit.

- You are right, madam. This man has no place at large. We will bring him before the court to answer for his crimes," the knight stated.

The bandit struggled and screamed, but his strength was insignificant in front of the knights. They twisted his arms, preparing to take him to custody.

Viola found herself intrigued to meet Rai Ayres, an ice mage. He was fascinated by her skill at undoing magic and introduced himself immediately.

- It is a pleasure to meet you, ma'am. My name is Rei Ayres, and I possess ice magic. Your gift of canceling magic is truly unique and valuable. There are very few witches who can do such a thing. Perhaps you have encountered other witches with a similar gift before?

Viola shook her head with a smile on her face.

- No, Rei, I really don't possess such a gift. I don't know how my magic works, but it doesn't cancel spells. Maybe you imagined it ?

Lox listened attentively to their conversation, trying not to attract too much attention, he wagged his tail.

- That's interesting," Rei said, frowning. - Perhaps it really was some outsider who interfered. Still, I'd like to study your gift more closely. Maybe together we can figure out how it works.

- Of course, I'd be happy to help," Viola replied. - If we have a chance to understand and improve my abilities, that would be wonderful.

Rei liked Viola's sincerity and openness.

- In that case, let's get started," Rei said, moving closer to Viola. - Try to summon your magic and I'll see what happens.

Viola concentrated and slowly raised her hand. A pale blue glowing aura began to emanate from her palm. Rei watched with interest as Viola's magical power manifested.

- This is truly a unique phenomenon," Rei said, "Your magic is similar to the gift of elemental affection. However, it doesn't cancel out the magic of others, but rather it's more like it's an element of water.

After the situation calmed down, Viola and Lox returned to Carina, who was standing in the back room, smiling and laughing.

- Carina, what's so funny about this? - Viola asked curiously.

- Well, it's just unexpected to see a witch possess such magic that can undo magic! - replied Carina with surprise in her voice. - Usually witches have their own unique gifts, but such an ability is rare.

Viola remained calm, ignoring Carina's chuckle.

- 'Rei, I don't mind testing,' Viola replied, looking at Rei with a smile. - But be careful.

- I'm not afraid of danger," Rei said confidently. - 'I'm always willing to test my abilities.

Lox continued to touch Rey's feet, feeling his power begin to weaken under my influence. I realized this was a chance to break through the shadows.

- Okay, let's get started," Viola said as she approached Rey. - Try to use your powers on me.

Rei waved his hand, and a flash of ice magic erupted from his palm.

But it was useless against Viola. She easily repelled his attack with her own magic.

- Impressive, Rei, but my water power isn't bad either," she smiled.

The cat meanwhile continued to slowly increase its influence on Rei, making him weaker and more amenable to battle.

- Let's try something else," Rei suggested without giving up. - Show me your magic, Viola.

At that moment, Lox quietly recoiled.

She nodded and began to demonstrate her abilities with water control. The water obeyed her like a living force and she created beautiful shapes and patterns out of it.

- That's it Rei, now try to control it," Viola said as she created a water storm around Rei.

Rey tried to resist, but his power had just been canceled. He realized he couldn't handle Viola and her magic.

Lox canceled the ice magic with a glance for a moment.

Many people had gathered on the road to watch the unusual duel between Rei and Viola. Everyone's gazes were fixed on the two mages who were preparing for the fight.

Viola stood motionless with her wand in her hand, preparing to attack.

Her face expressed calmness and confidence. She was completely focused on her magical abilities.

Rei, on the other hand, was tense and aggressive. He adopted a fighting stance and focused his magic on Viola.

When Rei tried to use magic from a distance, the cat instantly reacted and started absorbing his magic. Viola noticed that his attacks were getting weaker and smiled.

- Did you think it would be so easy to defeat me? - she whispered, genuinely surprising Rei with her control over the situation.

Rei became increasingly frustrated and unsuccessful in his attacks. His magic was disappearing as soon as the cat absorbed it.

The magic knights that came with Rey were also surprised to see Viola easily handling their ringleader's attacks.

The people on the road were whispering and discussing what was happening. Viola continued to control the situation, remaining calm and confident.

Finally, Rei realized that he could not defeat Viola. He stopped his attempts to attack and stepped back, breathing heavily.

[Knowledge:3% 1/10]