These stories occur before Lina's meeting with Gourry Gabriev. She had just started on the road to fame with some reputation. Any young upstart who can create an entire bay where nothing will grow will get attention.

The Lina Inverse/Naga the Serpent relationship was truly a mutual one. We frequently see true friendship, as well as frustration, rivalry, competition and anger between them. I think of it as a sisterly, but slightly ( massively) dysfunctional, relationship. They were in the same business, sorceresses for hire. This put them as both colleges and competitors. Lina in her control of magic held back her power to, constantly, teach Naga a lesson and not hurt her.

Lina had the spell power and common sense while Naga had the experience and business sense. In the novels, Naga could pay off damages by selling Orange Sherbet from a fruit cart she froze. It was Naga who showed Lina the value of taking the a job of hunting the vampire for gold, jewels and magic, not what the villagers would pay. It was Naga who could show Lina that they could sell the sea cucumbers and jellyfish for some serious money.

The funny problem of Naga being Princess Gracia, never in the series with Lina and Naga, does Lina find out Naga's true past as Princess Gracia Ul Naga Saillune. There was no need to. Naga is Naga the Serpent, a new chosen identity, who had left the castle life behind.

It is my deduction that it was Naga who was Lina's, "Reliable Source," sending her on the path to meet Prince Phillionel el di Saillune. Saying how there was a great and gallant prince would come this way. Talking in third person about a child's view of her father leads Lina to her crushed allusion of the prince. The Dragon Fangs and town were a side trip for some quick cash on her way to meet him. I think that Naga was not yet ready to meet her father, Prince Phil, unless it was on her own terms. The same forces that caused her to leave, namely, the memory of her mothers death, are still at work.

Conclusion: From the beginning it was the ability to turn a prophet in a bad situation that caught Lina's interest in Naga. Lina also herd in a dream that she was to chase someone, (QPDiana summeries). It was Naga's ability to get lost in her own castle that prompted her to tack onto Lina, after all she merely had to say the name, "Lina Inverse," and Naga was never lost. Who was following whom realy does not matter, the truth is somewhere in the middle and a bit of each of these. For two young girls traveling anyone there is safety in numbers. Repeatedly the foes were vanquished by a team effort where one would have fallen, Naga actually saved Lina's life with the use of a baker projectile in ,Slayers Return, as only one example.

I heard that, in the books, Naga once ran a railroad into the ground. Naga may have the ability to recognize and start business oportunities but lacks the managierial skills to keep anything going.