After looting as many treasures as she can carry from a group of thieves, Lina Inverse—a self-proclaimed genius sorceress and beauty—bids farewell by launching a fireball into the middle of her unwitting benefactors' camp, then heads for Atlas City with dollar signs in her eyes. Not far along, the surviving bandits ambush her, seeking revenge. But before she can finish off these simple-minded thugs, a wandering mercenary appears, mistaking Lina for a damsel in distress.
Lina gladly plays the part, letting the swordsman, Gourry Gabriev, handle all the work. Soon, however, she regrets her choice when Gourry insists on honorably escorting her the rest of the way. The thought makes her shudder, but when the original owners of her stolen goods come to reclaim them, Gourry proves more useful than any of their property. Realizing that the item they seek is being magically tracked and that some major figures are tied to what is quickly becoming a scandal, Lina understands that something far more valuable than money has landed in her hands.