Sitting awkwardly in one of the empty rooms in the Lee estate, Ja Yun lamented—not for the first time—that she felt entirely out of place in the household. The An couple and Lee Jung kept asking increasingly worried questions that she didn’t know how to answer, and Narae kept bugging her for training. Or at least, she did until Ja Yun had revealed that she only really knew magic—Narae had decided that one study session with Ja Yun was plenty.

“At least you understand me, isn’t that right? We’re mud buddies.”

The mud-elemental slime creature in her lap wobbled impassively, giving no indication that it had understood or even heard Ja Yun. She gave it a gentle hug.

“Good girl.”

When Lee Jia and Takeda Rika had rushed off to the palace, leaving Ja Yun alone to watch over the house, she hadn’t expected them to be gone for nearly as long as they had been. They’d left her alone for weeks to wonder when or if they’d ever come back! She had so many questions. What was happening? Why leave her of all people in charge? Is Rika her girlfriend now?

Ja Yun’s face grew hot as she considered that last question, squeezing Muddy, the elemental, to her chest for comfort. The question made her feel stupid. It was just a kiss! She was too old to be getting worked up over that sort of thing. It’s not like she hadn’t done that and more with Rika already, just—that had been in private. They had never really formalized their relationship, and that last kiss had been decidedly more public.

But did it mean they were together? Ja Yun had thought that Rika had a thing for Princess Eunae, and maybe it was just her overactive imagination but she was also pretty sure that the feeling was mutual. Did that make Ja Yun the Princess’ love rival? Ancestors, what a terrifying thought! As if Ja Yun stood any chance. One glance and she’d be little more than the princess’ personal plaything—just a pet that she could share with Rika while they—

Ja Yun shook her head vigorously and stood up straight, accidentally sending Muddy splattering onto the ground. She cringed as the poor elemental literally pulled itself back together, bending down to help it reconstitute.

“Oops! Sorry about that! I, um, got a little carried away there.”

Ja Yun sighed as she carefully scooped Muddy back up into her arms. She’d been letting her fantasies get out of control lately. Ever since her reawakening, she’d been having a hard time keeping her emotions in check. Lee Jia had warned her about that, but it seemed to be way more severe than the odd cultivator had credited it for. Or maybe Ja Yun just sucked at managing her own thoughts.

She was still kicking herself for not talking to Hyeong Daesung while she’d had the chance. He seemed so pleased to be reunited with his friends, and she felt too awkward to intrude on that—not to mention she’d been, er—occupied by Rika at the time. Master Hyeong was the creator of the mental compartmentalization technique she used to manage her own wandering mind, but she wasn’t very good at it. No matter how many of her thoughts she packed away she always seemed to struggle with the same panic and anxiety. She’d been hoping to get some advice on the technique, but she’d never gotten the chance to ask. Or rather, she’d never worked up the courage to take the chance.

Feeling a bit listless, Ja Yun sat back down and gently stroked the goopy creature in her lap. Muddy had been a pleasant surprise. Aside from the fact that both of them shared an elemental affinity, Ja Yun appreciated just how cuddly the thing was. At first, she’d shared Missus An’s fears that it would create messes wherever it went, but it turned out to be quite the opposite. While Muddy did indeed feel vaguely wet and squishy to the touch, the elemental was very particular about not leaving parts of itself behind. Everything Muddy touched was left perfectly clean and dry in its wake.

And, it didn’t talk. Ja Yun had no idea whether Muddy could hear or understand her, and that suited her just fine. Muddy didn’t judge her, it didn’t expect her to do the impossible, and it happily listened to her when she needed someone to talk to. It was the perfect companion! It was also extremely huggable, and even occasionally hugged back—though Ja Yun wasn’t entirely certain that wasn’t some form of attack, and it tended to leave her skin feeling uncomfortably dry. It was a small price to pay for such a lovely friend.

Ja Yun’s thoughts were interrupted by a sudden pulse of magic from a formation that was connected to her—the proximity alarm. Ja Yun sat up straight, ignoring Muddy as it rippled and wobbled, reaching out for the residual mana from the formation’s trigger. She closed her eyes and focused on the image the alarm sent her. It was a low-priority alarm that would let her see who was approaching the house before they could trigger the more—well, alarming alarms. Her brows furrowed involuntarily when she saw who it was, and she rushed to the front of the house, carrying Muddy in her arms. She passed An Chunhei on the way and hesitated for a moment before addressing her.

“Missus An, could you please find the rest of the family and gather them in the training courtyard?”

An Chunhei blinked at her in surprise.

“Miss Ja, is there something wrong?”

Ja Yun shrugged.

“Maybe not, but that’s the safest spot in the house and I don’t want to take any chances. I’m nowhere near as strong as Lee Jia or your daughter.”

She didn’t bother mentioning that if it was an attack, she’d already be a quivering pile of nerves—An Chunhei looked worried enough as it was.

“I understand. Thank you for staying to watch over us, Miss Ja.”

Ja Yun just stared down at Muddy guiltily—she was a worthless guardian, but any mage would be a comforting presence to a mortal like Missus An. With that seen to, Ja Yun sprinted to the front door and opened it in time to find Captain Sagong So and his Lieutenant, Han Shin waiting for her. They didn’t seem surprised to see her.

“Magus Ja Yun.”

Her former commander greeted her icily, using her academic title rather than her military one. Though he could be quite diplomatic when he had to be, he was actually one of the harshest superiors she’d ever served under—perhaps owing to the fact that he was in charge of a unit that consisted mostly of those who’d run into trouble in other squads. Ja Yun belatedly gave him a salute before responding.

“Captain. What can I do for you, sir?”

“Magus, Ambassador Takeda Rika has not been seen at the embassy in over a week. Report.”

Ja Yun swallowed nervously, glancing at Han Shin, who seemed altogether too pleased compared to his usual surly demeanor.

“Ambassadors Lee Jia and Takeda Rika, as well as Consul An, were called to the palace for an urgent matter. They are still there.”

Sagong So crossed his arms and frowned, though Ja Yun felt an odd sensation she still wasn’t used to. A vague impression that he wasn’t as upset about that as he seemed to be.

“Why aren’t you with them? Foreign agents like An Eui and Takeda Rika aren’t to be left without military supervision.”

“Uh, they asked me to stay here...besides, they’re in the palace. I’m sure they’re well looked-after.”

The captain clicked his tongue irritably, then shrugged.

“Very well, step aside please Magus, I have business inside.”

Ja Yun experienced a sharp spike of panic as Sagong So took a step forward. Without thinking, her hand shot out to grip the edge of the doorway, and she widened her stance to force her relatively small frame to take up as much space as possible. Muddy responded to the movement by enveloping her free forearm and squeezing tightly.

“Wait! W-what’s your business here?”

This time, Ja Yun’s former superior’s scowl was entirely genuine.

“My own. Step aside, soldier.”

Ja Yun shook her head, trying to keep her legs from shaking.

“N-no. You’re not my commander anymore. Uh, s-sir.”

“I still outrank you, Lieutenant. Now step. Aside.”

Already desperately trying to tuck her most nervous thoughts behind the veil of compartmentalization, Ja Yun straightened her posture as much as possible and forced herself to meet the captain’s eyes.

“No sir. I was ordered to protect this place and the people living here. That means nobody enters uninvited. Unless you have orders that can countermand a direct order from a princess...?”

Okay, so that was stretching the truth a tiny bit. Technically the order had come from Lee Jia, but Ja Yun was sure that her boss would agree. Ancestors, she hoped so. Han Shin grimaced and stepped forward, but Sagong So held and arm up to stop him. When Sagong So returned his gaze back to Ja Yun he had his signature smile. She’d always thought it seemed a bit fake, but her new senses confirmed it.

“Right you are, Magus. It seems we’re at an impasse, then. A simple miscommunication among the brass—happens all the time. We’ll come back another time after we get it cleared up.”

Ja Yun barely suppressed a sigh of relief.

“R-right. See that you do. If that will be all...?”

Surprisingly, it was Han Shin who answered.

“Actually...what in the ancestors’ names is that thing on your arm?”

Ja Yun held Muddy up to her chest protectively, and Sagong So raised an eyebrow at her, as if noticing it for the first time.

“Actually, now that the Lieutenant mentions it...do you mind explaining the elemental clinging to you?”

With her face practically trying to light itself on fire, Ja Yun hugged the mud elemental and gave her best attempt at a dismissive shrug.

“The...visitors, I guess—left it with the ambassador. An ‘emissary,’ they said.”

Han Shin covered his mouth and utterly failed to suppress an amused snort before openly laughing.

“Ahahaha! Oh, that’s too good! The high nobles all got their own xiantian representatives, but the elementals just left this farce of an envoy with a useless little blob?! Hah!”

Sagong was trying to keep a straight face, but the corner of his mouth still curled upward.

“Lieutenant Han Shin, control yourself.”

Ja Yun scowled as the two former colleagues made fun of her new friend. She gave it a reassuring pat.

“Don’t listen to them, Muddy. You’re great.”

That just sent Han Shin into another fit of laughter while the captain sighed and shook his head, failing to suppress his own amused grin.

“Right, well, I think that’s everything for now. We’ll speak again, Magus.”

Ja Yun saluted the man halfheartedly, noting that for the second time he failed to return the gesture.

“Yes sir. Thank you for understanding.”

As the two soldiers left, Ja Yun felt queasy, quickly returning inside and slamming the door shut before she slumped down against it and hugged Muddy tightly to her chest.

“Oh fuck. Oh ancestors, shit! They wouldn’t even tell me what they wanted with Jia and Eui’s families—that’s not good. What do I do? Muddy, what do I do?!”

For once, Ja Yun earnestly wished the elemental could speak, but it didn’t respond, except to squeeze her arms back and reach a pseudopod up to absorb the tears falling down her face. As much as she liked Muddy, Ja Yun was on her own for this.