“You’ve come upon Lord Shadowstep’s manor. Leave.”

  Alicia blinked at the guard’s gruff voice. She had been wandering aimlessly through town, letting her feet take her wherever they pleased. Now that she was sure she’d become a mage, she figured it was time to search for the best employment.

  Naturally, only the local lord could offer something worthy of her talents.

  With that in mind—and a very simplistic logic—Alicia had walked straight to the rgest, most extravagant building in town.

  And lo and behold, she was right: it was the lord’s mansion.

  See? I am a Genius. Alicia smirked to herself. She even considered applying to the royal pace. With her innate magical power, becoming a court magician wasn’t a dream.

  But no, politics sounded like a pain. Backstabbing nobles, power games… she wasn’t ready for that yet. Instead, she would begin with something simpler: seeking the protection and employment of the local lord.

  Unfortunately, she was still just a dirty girl in ragged clothes. The guard didn’t even gnce at her properly before waving her away like a stray dog.

  However, something stuck out.

  Shadowstep…

  That name stirred something in her memory.

  “Hm… Shadowstep, huh?” Alicia muttered, pacing around the town square. “Where have I heard that before…”

  It took a solid ten minutes for her to process the information—ten whole minutes of frowning and mumbling in circles—before her tiny brain finally connected the dots.

  “Ah! It was from that mediocre novel on Royalroad!” she excimed, her voice practically triumphant—and also extremely insulting to the original author.

  At that moment, a crow flew by overhead like a stealth bomber.

  With expert precision, it dropped its payload—toward Alicia's head.

  *Spt.

  “Shit! Again?!” Alicia yelled, wiping at her now-soiled hair. “Am I cursed?!”

  She probably was since she kept speaking ill about people's work. But since that wasn't important, we won’t dwell on it.

  Thankfully, she wasn’t far from the town pza fountain. She rushed over to rinse her hair, grumbling the entire way.

  Her white hair helped disguise the mess… but the smell? Not so much.

  And to make matters worse, she was the only one—out of all the people littering the pza—to receive divine retribution from the bird even though she had never done anything against a bird. Even though she had never done anything... anything at all against birds.

  “Sir Mage! Please, come in. Thank you so much for coming! We wouldn't know how to make a living without our oven!”

  Alicia paused mid-step, overhearing the bakery owner excitedly welcome a man in a red robe.

  “A mage... fixing an oven?” she blinked, puzzled.

  One had to wonder whether Alicia had actually read the webnovel 'The Reincarnated Viliness Assassin Only Wanted Friends' properly. Because if she had, she'd know that mages weren’t just walking artillery for battlefield explosions. They were the lifeblood of civilization.

  Fire Mages supplied energy to ovens, forges, and even street mps. Water Mages helped with refrigeration, irrigation, and weather control. Wind Mages served as radio operators and long-range communicators in town halls. Earth Mages worked in construction—ying roads, raising buildings, and strengthening walls. Life Mages or better known as Light Mages served as healers. And Dark Mages? Entertainment… and sometimes, illusion or espionage. Well, Dark mages are the dark sheep of the mage's society. Pun fully intended.

  Mages weren’t just powerful. They were essential.

  Without Water Mages, food spoiled in days. Without Fire Mages, bakers and bcksmiths would need to raze entire forests just to cook or forge metal. Without Earth Mages, there would be no paved roads or durable housing.

  They weren’t just national defenders—they were the engine of the economy.

  And because of that, mages were extremely valuable. So valuable that even the most arrogant nobles would humble themselves if it meant securing a mage’s favor. The government had to step in and regute mage deployment just to prevent nobles from threatening, kidnapping—or even assassinating—rivals to monopolize a mage’s service.

  Even the fountain Alicia used earlier had an arcane stone infused by a Water Mage. It purified the water to prevent disease. The smooth road beneath her feet? Formed by Earth Mage bor.

  If mages disappeared, society might colpse overnight.

  “I wonder if that’ll be my job in the future…” Alicia murmured as she peeked through the bakery window.

  This wasn’t the shabby bakery she usually visited. This one sat near the town square and sold fancy bread—sweet, expensive loaves she could only dream of tasting. But today, it wasn’t the bread that caught her interest.

  It was the mage.

  “The charging’s done,” the Fire Mage said.

  Alicia watched as the once-dim arcane stone beside the oven glowed a bright red. The mage had only pced his hand on it for a few seconds, yet now it pulsed steadily—like a powered LED light.

  “Thank you for your help, Sir Mage. Please come again next week, alright?” the bakery owner said with a bow.

  “Hmm? Maybe. I still need to travel to Shadowstep Crossing to recharge some ovens there,” the mage grumbled. “Hah… why can’t they just bring the arcane stones to the town hall? Am I the only Fire Mage in this county?”

  “We’ve tried that,” the baker replied apologetically. “But sometimes they refused, saying that we have exceeded the quota.”

  “Ugh… can’t argue with that,” the mage sighed. “Well, I am ranked five, so I get some leeway. Let’s see… that’ll be four silver coins—no, make it three, and I’ll take one wastel bread. Haven’t had lunch.”

  “Thank you! We need the oven running, especially since we serve nobles and merchants. We can’t be giving them rye bread, can we?”

  “Of course not. It’d be a tragedy if the only white bread bakery in town went out of business.” He stretched his back. “Alright, I’m off to the fruit juice stand, then back to charging stones at the town hall.”

  The Fire Mage exited the bakery, leaving a faint scent of sulfur and warm mana in the air.

  Alicia gaped at what she’d just witnessed.

  That mage had just casually spent almost half a commoner’s weekly income on lunch. Wastel bread—fluffy, sweet, and made with milk and eggs—was nearly ten times the cost of the rye bread Alicia usually bought. Fruit juice was just as expensive, sitting comfortably at a full silver coin per cup.

  And he didn’t even hesitate.

  “Well… I’m going to live like that, too,” Alicia whispered to herself, eyes sparkling.

  Even in my old world, she thought, some people spent 100 on lunch while others lived off that for an entire week.

  She nodded in determination.

  This was magic. This was status.

  This would be her life.

  The town square was more crowded than usual as borers set up a stage for the upcoming mana examination.

  Even though the chances of success were only one in a thousand, the mage exam remained a major event. For the territory and its people, gaining a mage was a massive boon. Everyone wanted to know: Who would support Shadowstep next?

  At least one mage was born in Shadowstep every few years, so the crowd always came. Merchants peddled their wares. Parents watched anxiously. Officials and clerks took quiet notes on which children to ftter early—because it was always easier to win over a child than an adult.

  “Mister, who’ll be testing me tomorrow?” Alicia asked brightly.

  The man turned to her with a smile. “Ah, already ten years old, little dy? Good luck. If you become a mage, be kind to us common folk, alright?”

  “Sure! I just saw a mage walk out of that bakery,” Alicia said, nodding solemnly. “They eat fancy bread every day, don’t they? And drink fruit juice too.”

  The man chuckled. “They’re certainly well off.”

  He wiped his brow as he id a heavy cloth over one of the tables. “Anyway, are you just here to watch? Draping these tables with curtains and ying out carpets and flowers probably isn’t that exciting.”

  “I just wanted to ask who’ll be testing us tomorrow.”

  “A church official and an imperial clerk will be coming by carriage,” he replied. “They oversee the tests and record the results.”

  “If I become a mage, I won’t be taken away, right?” Alicia asked, a little concerned.

  “No, no. You’ll stay here until you’re fifteen. Then you’ll attend mage school,” the man expined. “After that, you’ll register with the Mage Guild. Count Shadowstep will likely offer you a position afterward.”

  “I see… Elidranthia will probably become a mage too,” Alicia said thoughtfully. “I think I’ll serve under her.”

  “Oh? You know the Lord’s daughter? That’s rare. Nobles don’t usually introduce their kids to the masses.”

  “I haven’t seen her,” Alicia admitted. “Not yet.”

  But now that she knew she was in a world of the webnovel, she could finally pn ahead.

  In the story, Alicia had been Elidranthia’s friend. She was important. She even had a few dramatic moments. Alicia could hardly wait to meet her.

  After all, even in her previous life, she’d been a fan. She had almost bought the Patreon subscription just to see the ending.

  Almost. The thrifty Alicia never subscribed even though she liked it very much. She didn't even leave comments, follows, and ratings. What a horrible reader she was.

  As a result, She never got the chance to see the conclusion of the novel. Because her life had ended before the free version of the novel did.

  A carriage drawn by four white horses rolled through the town square. Alicia could only stare, wide-eyed, at the polished wood gleaming under the sunlight, its gold trim catching every glint. Near the door, a finely painted coat of arms shimmered on the cquered surface. Through the carriage window, she caught a glimpse of a middle-aged man in a crisp bck tuxedo—stern-faced and noble in posture.

  “Bow your head. Don’t look him in the eye,” the foreman muttered beside her, pcing a firm hand on her head and pushing it down.“He’s a noble.”

  Alicia gnced up once the carriage passed.“Was that Count Shadowstep? Elidranthia’s father?”

  “Yeah. I heard he’s in town to watch his daughter’s mage exam.”

  “I see... What does he even do?” Alicia frowned.

  The foreman snorted under his breath.“Well, who knows? Probably just sits around eating our taxes. Hahaha. But don’t let any of his men hear you say that—we might end up on the gallows.”

  He fshed a crooked grin.

  “I’d rather bow to mages than nobles. At least they produce real results.” He commented.

  “I’m the same,” Alicia agreed with a nod.

  The foreman returned to his work. Even though the mage exam was a yearly event, the ceremony remained humble and solemn in its setup.

  A simple red carpet was rolled out on the wooden stage. At its center stood a stone pedestal—pin, but polished.

  To the left of the stage, a banner hung depicting six colored circles: green, red, bck, white, gold, and blue—the emblem of the Church.

  To the right, another banner fluttered in the breeze, marked by a fming bird—the symbol of the Empire.

  In both lower corners of the stage, smaller banners were pced: the standard of Shadowstep, bearing a sword plunged into a monster’s skull.

  Alicia took it all in with a grin. Everything was ready. The stage was set.

  And tomorrow, she would stand on it.

  Tomorrow, she would become a mage. Respected. Adored. Envied.

  As she turned to head home, her smile only grew wider.

  She could already imagine it—her luxurious new life, the awe of vilgers, the whispers of admiration.

  Finally, things were about to go right.

  “Tomorrow, I’ll be a mage! And I’ll serve in Shadowstep Manor!” Alicia decred, puffing out her chest proudly.“You won’t have to work this hard anymore, Father! We should treat ourselves to a real restaurant sometime. Eating bread for all three meals can’t be healthy!”

  John chuckled and pulled her into a warm hug.“Yes, my dear. If you become a mage… alright?”

  Alicia skipped to her bed and flopped onto it, still beaming. Meanwhile, John sat on the floor and pulled out his polishing kit.

  “You didn’t even use that sword today,” Alicia said, rolling over to watch him. “Why bother oiling it? Shouldn’t you only do that after using it—or maybe once a week? Isn’t the oil expensive?”

  “Because you never know when you might need it,” John replied, gently wiping down the bde.“I might lose my life tomorrow. Doing this might make the difference.”

  He paused and gave her a small smile.

  “Besides, the oil and cloth were issued by the lord. It’s free.”

  “I see…” Alicia tilted her head, thoughtful.

  She’d been trying to figure out where her father’s sary had gone. He didn’t smell of alcohol—just sweat. There was no hint of perfume either, so he likely wasn’t wasting money on women.

  Gambling? she wondered.

  Alicia reached for John’s sword and slowly unsheathed it. The goddess had promised her sword and shooting mastery, but no such skills had appeared yet. For a while, she’d worried she’d been lied to.

  But the fireball she cast before… proved at least some of it was real.

  Maybe I need to do something to unlock the skills? she wondered, gripping the hilt. The sword felt heavy in her hands—solid, real.

  “Here.” John handed her a used rag, still damp with armor oil.

  The smell was sharp and pungent. She hesitated—wasn’t using this going to make the sword worse?

  Still, she wiped it down carefully. It was a new experience. She didn’t know if she’d ever do something like this again.

  “I’m going to try a practice swing.”

  “This house is too small. Let’s go outside,” John said, setting his tools aside. “Be careful. That sword’s expensive.”

  “Yes, yes,” Alicia waved him off.

  She skipped outside, clutching the sword with both hands.

  “Behold! Ultimate Sword Skill: Quadruple Abyss Ssher!”

  She swung it around in wide, awkward arcs—wild and completely untrained.

  Of course, there was no magical reaction and the swing was far from graceful. It was just her filing in the moonlight.

  Disappointed, she handed the sword back to her father.

  “Good night.”

  “Good night,” John replied, leaning down to pce a kiss on her forehead.

  "Well, at least I am a mage," Alicia muttered as she crawled back into bed, smiling to herself. Tomorrow… she would become a mage.

  Tomorrow, everything will change.