Re:Crafting in Another World
Chapter 136: Mandira’s conflict

Chapter 136: Mandira’s conflict

Mandira stood at the center of Shennong’s main chamber. The place was surprisingly warm and welcoming for a underground dungeon. The walls glowed softly with enchanted magic crystals, and the decor was a blend of practicality and elegance. Shennong walked beside her, arms behind his back, offering a faint smile.

"This will be your room," he said, pushing open a door with a gentle creak.

Mandira stepped in, arching a brow. "Huh. I was expecting stone walls, chains, maybe a skeleton in the corner."

Shennong chuckled. "That is just normal dungeons. This is main room where i live so of course this is better. The books are Romina’s too—she’s gathered a massive collection."

Mandira eyed the towering shelves that lined one wall of the room. She walked to one, trailing a finger along the spines. "Hmm. ’Mysteries of the Void’, ’The Forbidden Garden’, ’Elvish Love Ballads’... Wait, what?"

Shennong blinked. "Don’t judge. Romina said it’s all ’for cultural education’."

She smirked. "Well, at least I won’t be bored."

"You really don’t plan to return to the surface?"

"Not yet," she said, plopping herself onto the plush armchair near the desk. "I want to keep an eye on you. And that thing on the second floor. Djinn or not, it’s dangerous."

Shennong nodded slowly. "Fair enough. Just don’t overwork yourself. You’re still recovering from the last fight."

She waved him off. "I’ll be fine. I’m not like you—I don’t run into cursed weapons for fun."

He gave a small laugh and turned to leave. "If you get bored, feel free to explore. I left some golems to assist, and Cassandra’s been organizing supplies. Dinner will be in a few hours."

Mandira gave a small wave as he closed the door behind him.

Later that evening, the sound of footsteps echoed in the main chamber. Cassandra was sipping tea near the corner, Romina was humming while flipping through a book, and Christina stood sharpening her sword when the room’s calm was shattered.

Step. Step. Step.

All eyes turned toward the corridor.

Mandira walked out of her room... wearing nothing but a naughty bra and lacy panties.

Lady Cassandra’s teacup paused mid-air. Romina froze, her eyes wide. Christina stopped sharpening, staring in disbelief.

Even Shennong, who had just walked in from the far end of the room, blinked.

Mandira rubbed her eyes and yawned. "Haaaah... I swear I read something about mages having unlimited energy, but I’m exhausted—"

"Archmage Mandira?!" Lady Cassandra exclaimed.

Mandira blinked. "Huh?"

She looked down.

Her sleepy eyes widened.

"Oh no," she whispered, face paling. "I—I forgot—!"

In a flash, she turned on her heel and sprinted back into her room, her voice echoing, "I usually live alone, okay?! It’s a habit!"

Romina was covering her mouth, clearly trying not to laugh.

Shennong, meanwhile, tilted his head and smiled. "I don’t mind."

Mandira burst back out a few moments later, now wearing a proper robe and hair tied back. She cleared her throat dramatically.

"I sincerely apologize. That won’t happen again."

Christina crossed her arms and raised a brow. "You sure, principal? We’re not going to find you cooking eggs in a towel tomorrow morning, are we?"

Mandira gave her a flat look. "No dear! that won’t happen."

Cassandra chuckled, then turned to her daughter. "Christina, see? He’s not a womanizer. He didn’t even look at Mandira."

Christina narrowed her eyes. "Mother. The man just smiled after a woman ran around half-naked."

"He’s just... curious," Cassandra insisted with a dreamy sigh.

Christina groaned. "How blind can love be..."

But even as she said it, she found herself stealing a glance at Shennong—at his calm posture, the way he had silently helped her during the crisis, how he never demanded thanks. Had she been too harsh on him?

Shennong noticed her look, meeting her eyes for just a second.

She quickly turned away, face reddening.

Dinner was held in a cozy corner of the chamber where Romina had arranged a long table. Rilith and Velara worked hard, setting dishes of roasted vegetables, meats, and warm bread. The smell was inviting, and the tension from earlier had faded into casual banter and laughter.

Romina sat near Shennong, a bit more composed now, but there was something heavy in her eyes.

Shennong tapped his spoon on his goblet gently. "Alright. Since we’re all here... Romina. It’s time."

"Time?" Cassandra asked.

Shennong nodded. "To hear her story as the princess. And... how she ended up here."

Romina sat still, hands folded in her lap, the flickering candlelight painting warm hues on her pale face. For a moment, she said nothing. Then, slowly, she exhaled and looked up.

"I suppose it all began the day I was born," she said softly. "My father... he wasn’t a warm man. Not cruel, exactly. Just distant. Focused."

Everyone at the table listened in silence. Even the golems paused, their floating trays hovering midair.

"He used to call it ’destiny,’" Romina continued. "He said I had been chosen. That a great spirit would one day dwell inside me. That I was... special. Back then, I believed him. I was just a little girl, desperate for his approval. He smiled at me more often, gave me gifts, held my hand during ceremonies. I thought—maybe—he loved me."

She paused, her lips tightening.

"But as I got older, I saw it for what it was. That attention wasn’t for me. It was for the spirit inside me. He was preparing me like you’d sharpen a sword, not raise a daughter. And once the spirit awakened, it wasn’t about protecting me. It was about using me."

Mandira’s expression darkened.

Romina turned to her. "Aunty... did you know?"

Mandira looked away for a moment, then sighed. "I suspected. Your father—my brother—he always had ambition. Ever since we were children. He wanted to follow in our father’s footsteps. Our father... was obsessed with spirits and magic too, which was his downfall in the end."

Christina blinked. "So being curious about magic runs in the royal family?"

"Yes," Mandira nodded. "But not talent. That was rare. I had it, so the Mage Sanctuary took me in before my family could turn me into some kind of vessel."

Romina’s eyes lowered. "Then I guess I wasn’t as lucky."

Mandira’s voice softened. "I’m sorry. I should have been there. I shouldn’t have let you make a contract without knowing the consequences."

Romina shook her head gently. "It wasn’t your fault, aunty. Honestly... I thought I could control it. For a while, I did."

Shennong spoke for the first time, his voice calm but firm. "You still can. The spirit hasn’t manifested in full. It’s sleeping... waiting. Your control is impressive."

Mandira breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. At least it hasn’t consumed her."

Romina looked up again, her eyes meeting Shennong’s. "It was going well, actually. I impressed Father with my magical ability, my restraint. I thought... I could make something of myself. Be more than a vessel."

Lady Cassandra folded her arms. "And then?"

Romina hesitated. Her eyes burned—not with tears, but with something deeper. Pain. Shame. Rage.

"Then came that day," she said quietly. "The day it all burned."

She took a slow breath.

"It started with my mother. She was a concubine, nothing more in the eyes of the court. King Soris never treated her kindly. She was always nervous around him. She told me once, ’Romina, stay away from that man. He smiles with his mouth but not with his eyes.’ But I didn’t listen. I thought... I thought he saw me as a person. Not a tool."

Cassandra’s eyes narrowed. "He tried to harm her?"

Romina nodded slowly. "One night, I walked into a room. He didn’t know I was there. I saw him raise his hand to strike her. She was crying. I... I lost control. Not fully. But enough. The flames responded to my will. I wanted to scare him."

Mandira covered her mouth in shock.

"He never forgave me for that," Romina continued. "He knew then I was no longer obedient. No longer his puppet. So, he made a decision. If he couldn’t control the spirit... he’d remove it."

Christina whispered, "How?"

Romina’s voice grew colder. "With mages. Half a dozen. They surrounded me one morning, told me it was a ’purification ritual.’ I thought removing the spirit would let me live peacefully. But it was all a lie. When the ritual began, I felt them trying to tear it out of me. Piece by piece. It... it hurt. Like my soul was being carved open."

"And the spirit?" Cassandra asked.

Romina’s voice dropped. "It fought back. Through me. I went berserk. The flames... they weren’t mine anymore. I barely remember it. Just screams. Burning walls. Melting steel. When I woke up... they were all dead. The mages. The knights. Everything was ash."

Silence.

"I tried to run," she said, her voice now trembling. "I grabbed my brother. My mother was injured, but she still helped us escape. But the soldiers followed. They set fire to the mansion. Said it was an accident.’"

Tears welled in her eyes but did not fall.

"My brother died shielding me from an attack. My mother... she was already too weak. I carried her until she begged me to run. I didn’t want to. But she told me... ’You must live. Even if no one believes in you, live. Prove them wrong.’"

She paused. Swallowed.

"That’s how I ended up here. Burned. Alone. Hunted. I stumbled through forest after forest until I collapsed near one of the abandoned dungeon paths. Shennong found me."

Romina turned to him. "You could’ve killed me. You should’ve. But you didn’t."

Shennong’s eyes were steady. "I saw someone fighting to live. Not a monster."

Mandira leaned back, a shadow on her face. "All this time... and no word ever reached the surface. Brother kept it quiet."

Cassandra gritted her teeth. "Of course he did. He buried the truth to protect his reputation."

Romina smiled faintly. "That’s why I stayed hidden. I thought, maybe this time, I’d be more than a tool. More than a vessel. Just... Romina."

The group sat in heavy silence knowing the silent girl wasn’t a silent one at all.

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