Chapter 140: Joking

The leprechaun shrieked and scrambled in the pit created by the "Grease" spell. Before he could crawl out of the slick, Joann had already remotely guided the "Greater Mage Hand" to press a crackling electric blade against him.

The young mage’s eyes were like cold blades, causing the leprechaun to shudder involuntarily as he hurriedly held up the pouch, squealing for mercy.

"C-calm down, friend! I was just joking with you!"

"Even if you hadn't chased me, I would have returned the bag to you afterward! Well, maybe keeping a single gold coin as a souvenir..."

"By the gods, it really was just a little joke, just playing around! There's no need to be so angry; a person should have a sense of humor, right?"

"A joke?"

Joann gritted his teeth, his fair, handsome face twisting slightly, appearing all the more ferocious beneath the murderous gaze of the singular eye on his neck.

Joann could not discern whether the leprechaun’s words were a desperate excuse or if it truly had been a prank. Even if it were just a "joke" as the creature claimed, he had chosen the wrong target.

"Are we close enough for you to be joking with me?"

The leprechaun did not know how much that pouch meant to Joann. He did not know it was a precious gift from his grandfather, that it held all of Joann’s possessions and dreams, or how much suffering and hardship Joann had endured to scrape together the tuition money inside. He did not know the depth of the shock and regret Joann felt when he realized he had been betrayed by the very person he had intended to help, and how all those negative emotions had since transmuted into a thousandfold rage.

"You know nothing. How dare you play such a malicious 'joke' on me?"

"A joke?"

"A joke?"

"Joke your damn self!"

...

With every roar, Joann plunged the blade down. By the time his fury subsided, the leprechaun had been reduced to a mangled mess, long since dead.

The blood-soaked corpse filled Joann with a wave of intense nausea. He turned away, retching, barely suppressing the urge to vomit. His heart pounded wildly, and strangely, the malformed eye on the back of his neck pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat, as if a twisted sense of gratification were quietly taking root in his soul.

"No! This isn't right!" Joann reached back, pressing firmly against the pulsing, malformed eye that seemed as if it were trying to detach itself from his body. Using every ounce of willpower to force himself to calm down, he whispered miserably, "Uncontrolled rage and frenzied slaughter—these are nothing to be proud of... This isn't like you, Joann Veda. Do not forget your grandfather's warning: never allow yourself to become a monster!"

Standing quietly in the woods for who knows how long, the young mage’s agitated emotions finally settled, and the eye on his neck grew still and closed.

Joann sighed, pulling his cloak hood back up to cover the eye. The grease from the spell had vanished, leaving only the leprechaun's body lying lonely in the center of the clearing.

Joann retrieved his pouch, took out a shovel, and dug a pit to bury the creature. Afterward, he untied the reins from the tree, mounted his horse, and continued his journey.

The unexpected encounter with the tree-stump monster and the leprechaun had cost Joann much time; the sun was already dipping low by the time he resumed his travel. To make up for the delay, he decided to ride through the night while the weather remained fair.

The horse’s hooves trotted briskly through the grass, following the murmuring stream like the wind, until the moon hung high and the horse began to snort with exhaustion. Sensing the black colt’s pace slowing, Joann pulled the reins and dismounted, taking a towel from his saddlebag to wipe away the sweat from its mane. A horse is a solo traveler’s only companion; to neglect it and push it to exhaustion could cause irreparable harm, making it weaker and potentially a burden on the remainder of the journey.

There is a saying in Delin Town: "Haste makes for cold cheese," which, translated into the more elegant Elven tongue, means "More haste, less speed." Joann was well-read and understood this, but with only three days left before the start of the term and half his journey remaining, he feared he would not reach Leyton Academy in time if he did not press on.

Joann stroked the black colt’s long, sleek neck with an apologetic touch. After a moment of hesitation, he raised his left hand, palm toward the sky, and summoned the "Tear of God" with his mind.

Responding to his call, his palm grew warm, and a crystalline, teardrop-shaped gem emerged, shimmering with a dreamlike luster in the moonlight.

Joann activated the "Philosopher's Stone," a special ability of the "Tear of God," and dipped it into his canteen, creating a potion with the effects of "Lesser Restoration," which he fed to the horse.

After drinking the potion, the black colt’s exhaustion vanished, and it was once again full of vitality. Joann stepped into the stirrups, shook the reins, and urged the horse into a gallop.

Under the moonlight, the wide Efen River flowed turbulently, its surface reflecting the lunar glow in shimmering ripples. The young mage rode the black steed along the bank, casting a hazy silhouette behind him.

Low shrubs grew along the river, with denser forests further afield. Joann kept close to the bank, partly because the Efen River acted as a reliable guide, preventing him from getting lost; and partly because the riverbanks were flooded during the rainy season, making it difficult for tall trees to survive. Furthermore, herds of elk, bison, and even massive herbivorous dinosaurs often migrated along the river to drink and graze, trampling the brush and leaving the banks flat and open, which made travel much easier.

**Vares Monster Manual: Leprechaun**

Leprechauns are mischievous little tricksters. They typically inhabit forests, maintaining a close connection to nature, much like other fey creatures.

Leprechauns enjoy teasing unsuspecting passersby just as much as they love good wine and fine food. They often steal valuable items from adventurers to lure them into a chase, using their magic to appear and vanish, only to reveal themselves openly once the victim is about to give up, sparking a new round of the chase game.

A leprechaun’s nature is not evil; they usually drop their loot and slip away, allowing the furious pursuer to reclaim their property—gold being the only exception.

Leprechauns love gold and often bury it in secret locations. Legend has it that if one finds gold in the forest and returns it to the leprechaun who lost it, they will be rewarded with a "Wish" spell.

Unfortunately, this rumor is false—most likely a lie spread by the leprechauns themselves so that others might hand over their gold willingly.