Chapter 234
Chapter 234
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 234
Chapter Title: Langritsa Magic Tower
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Hmm..."
Judah watched him quietly. What was his name again?
Lime. Lime de Tritan, was it? He shot Judah a confident look, as if urging him to choose already.
Judah pretended to mull it over, delaying his answer just a bit as he checked the man's status window.
──────────────────────
「Status Window」
[Name: Lime de Tritan]
[Title: One Blessed with Magical Talent]
[True Name: None]
[Level: 50]
[Job: High Archmage (B)]
[Race: Human]
[Strength: 44 (C) / Potential C]
[Stamina: 47 (C) / Potential C]
[Agility: 40 (C) / Potential C]
[Mana: 73 (B) / Potential A]
[Magic Resistance: 70 (B) / Potential B]
[Knowledge: 68 (B) / Potential A] ◀ Special
[Luck: 61 (B) / Potential B] ◀ Special
[Affection: 0 (Neutral)]
[Trust: 34 (Interested)]
「Traits 6/6」
[Magical Talent] - Rank: B
[Culinary Talent] - Rank: B
[Frozen Tears] - Rank: A
[Member of the Magic Tower] - Rank: B
[Focus] - Rank: A
[Repository of Knowledge] - Rank: B
「Skills 6/6」
[Basic Magic] - Rank: B
[Attribute Magic ? Ice] - Rank: B
[Snowflower Blooming on Ice] - Rank: A
[Self-Defense Technique] - Rank: C
[Memorize] - Rank: C
[Subspace] - Rank: B
──────────────────────
'Not bad...'
Not bad by any means, but hardly exceptional stats. A regular player in the game would've used him only until snagging a top-tier archmage, then swapped him out without a second thought. They might raise him out of affection to the end, but who knows. Without any standout traits, skills, or looks, no one would bother grinding a middling male character over a cute female one.
'Right. Come to think of it, if it wasn't a female character, we'd just use male ones out of necessity. Dump 'em the second a replacement showed up.'
This wasn't a game where you could swap companions on a whim, so choices had to be careful. Ideally, someone like Arhil with insane stats would show up, but banking on that kind of luck was unrealistic. Still, landing a high archmage with these stats wasn't easy, so Judah had no choice but to accept gratefully.
"Alright. Let's do it."
"A wise choice! In that case, may I go ahead and lay out my terms right away?"
"Hm... as long as it's not too much."
He swiped his hand through the air and pulled out a sheet of paper, showing it to Judah. It looked pre-written, covered in lengthy text.
"Take your time reading it. If anything doesn't sit right or seems off, just say so. We can adjust."
Hm. Judah slowly read over the text on the proffered paper. He hoped it wouldn't demand an outrageous sum.
"Huh?"
The terms were better than expected. The monthly pay he hoped for was a mere five gold coins. Not chump change, but dirt cheap for hiring a high archmage. There was a lot listed, mostly things he'd like noted rather than outrageous demands.
"Cooking and dishes by yourself...?"
Most people would pawn off chores like that, but he was volunteering for them.
"You're really okay with these terms?"
"Working with the Spirit Sword's owner is reward enough. The five gold is just the bare minimum so I can eat later. As you know, that's incredibly low."
"...You any good at cooking?"
"As good as at magic."
With Culinary Talent as a trait, the taste was probably trustworthy. Judah pretended to reach into his pocket while opening <Bag>, pulling out a pouch of gold coins. He'd amassed a fortune gambling in Uruun, more than enough to cover this. It still amazed him how he'd pulled off those wins, but right in front of the man, he took out fifteen gold coins and handed them over. The gold's gleam was beautiful.
"You're giving me three months' pay upfront? Without even a contract?"
"If I get scammed in the Langritsa Magic Tower, that'll be a story all its own."
Lime chuckled.
"In that case... I'll gratefully accept. Oh, when do we leave? All my personal gear's in my subspace, so we could head out right now if you want."
"No, it's late anyway, so let's depart tomorrow. Use the money to buy anything you need."
He stroked his chin thoughtfully, then nodded. They agreed on a meeting spot and time for tomorrow morning, shook hands lightly, and parted ways.
"He's a unique one."
"What do you mean?"
As they finished eating and headed to their rented room, Arhil spoke up. She tilted her head at Judah's question.
"Normally, no one puts cooking or dishwashing on themselves in a contract. Actually, it's safe to say no one does at all."
"Nothing bad about it for us."
If he's handling the annoying stuff himself, just be thankful.
Of course, cynically speaking, volunteering for cooking could be a ploy to poison them later. But Arhil's holy magic, blessed by Gabriel's choice and saintess status, could detox most poisons. Judah had basic resistances too, so unless it was some legendary toxin from myths, they'd be fine. Plus, the glaring [Culinary Talent] trait inspired some trust.
Maybe he trusted too easily, but overanalyzing everything left no one trustworthy. Better to watch and stay cautious while traveling together.
A day passed. Plenty of time before the appointed hour. He didn't want to leave the soft bed and warm blankets, but who knew when he'd next hit a massive bath like this, so he headed to the tubs. Early hour meant no crowds. The baths brimmed with warm, clean water. He soaked like an old man, enjoying the heat, then stepped out, woke the still-sleeping Arhil for breakfast, finished prepping, and went to the meeting spot.
Langritsa Magic Tower's third floor bustled with people around the teleportation magic circle, active nonstop since morning. Wonder where everyone was rushing off to.
"There he is."
Ten minutes early—he'd arrived sooner than expected. Judah figured no luggage with his subspace, but he wore a backpack. Whatever was inside bulged out, stuffed with travel essentials.
"You're early. Been waiting long?"
He flashed a friendly smile.
"No, we've only just arrived."
"But... where's your luggage?"
Empty hands, no packs on their backs. Light as could be for a quick outing, he looked puzzled. Since they'd be companions now, Judah figured he should know. Right in front of him, he opened <Bag>. The rift in the air was familiar to the man.
"How?"
"It's my ability. They say some people awaken special powers by chance. Lucky me, I got a subspace. Means no hauling heavy gear."
"Amazing. Guess I didn't need to lug this pack after all."
Lime shrugged off his backpack and tossed it into his subspace. He'd left extra room in case Judah and Arhil needed storage, but no need now. Surprisingly, he took Judah's subspace in stride.
"So, what's the plan?"
They hadn't discussed itinerary. All he'd heard from the Tower Lord was their goal: the land of blazing sun.
Judah smiled at the question.
"First, to the Byron Empire. Head south to Calypso—they've got a magic tower there with teleportation circles, right?"
"Hm. South is doable, but crossing into Byron means the border. It's pretty rou—never mind."
Lime caught himself mid-sentence and laughed. The young man before him wasn't some naive noble, but the Spirit Sword's owner. Borders might mean hassle and headaches for others, but not for him.
"...No need for us to worry about that. It's nothing. Let's go."
[You have recruited High Archmage Lime de Tritan as a companion.]
The message popped up belatedly as Judah followed Lime's lead onto the teleportation circle. He'd half-expected to see the Tower Lord one last time before leaving, but no one appeared. Not that he craved special treatment, but after surviving the elven forest and leaking some intel, he'd thought they'd reach out more.
Judah gave a wry smile as the magic circle's light flared, departing the Langritsa Magic Tower.