Farewell to Coris Village

A magic tome.

In the old games, this would have been what they called a skill book—an item that taught you the corresponding skill the moment you used it. Simple. Straightforward. Easy to understand.

In WM, they work a little differently.

Using one still lets you learn a skill, that much is the same—but you don't just pop the item and instantly know the magic. A magic tome contains the method for learning that particular spell. The method varies slightly depending on the world's setting, but the principle never changes: follow what's written in the book, and you'll learn the magic.

...Or so they say. Players, depending on their settings, can just use it like an item and learn the spell on the spot. That's what I do, so everything I know about how NPCs actually use them is secondhand.

It might be easier to think of it this way: a magic tome isn't an item in itself. It's just a book, and what matters is what's written inside. Since it's just a book, it isn't a consumable—and that means far fewer of them drop. They're rare items.

Prices vary depending on the rank of the magic written inside, but as a general rule, they're expensive. Even a cheap tome for a low-tier spell is something an ordinary farmer would have to steel themselves just to afford. High-rank magic tomes are so valuable that I've heard mage couples use them as engagement gifts.

And he's giving one of those to a girl he's barely even dating yet?

Isn't that a little much?

Everyone seemed to share that impression. As the atmosphere turned suddenly, delicately awkward, Luon scrambled to add—

"N-no! It's not that expensive! There's no way a magic tome I could save up and buy would cost that much!"

"Then what's it supposed to mean? Why a magic tome in the first place?"

"Ah. Right, Soira wouldn't know. I'll explain."

Kiven jumped into the conversation.

"When we were kids, we tried out a basic status scroll."

"Yeah. I think I heard something about that."

"Luon and I came out completely ordinary, but Sophie? Her magic power was high. High enough to become a mage. She's a hunter's daughter, sure, but being a mage is way cooler than being a hunter, right? You get treated better, too. So after seeing that, Luon started telling Sophie she should become a mage every now and then... I just didn't know he'd gone as far as buying her a magic tome."

"Kiven, you make it sound like I was pressuring her. I just said something like, 'Sophie, if you had a magic tome, I bet you'd try learning it~'"

"Me? Well—I mean, I did say that, but I never thought he'd actually go and buy one..."

Just how high was her magic power for him to go that far?

Curious, I pulled up Sophie's status as well.

Strength, Vitality, and Agility were all ten. Huh—unexpectedly high. Then again, she was a hunter's daughter. All that running around and learning the trade must have been as good as a decent workout.

Intelligence: nine. Same number as Luon, though hers sat just a hair higher. Still nowhere close to mine. Couldn't be helped. Intelligence was calibrated against me as the baseline. If someone who earned excellent evaluations even in the modern world scored lower than a village girl in a medieval setting, the whole system would be broken.

And lastly—Magic Power: ten.

Oh... yeah. I could see why Luon would talk her up like that. It wasn't outstanding, but it was enough for a mage to handle beginner-level spells comfortably, and with effort, intermediate magic wouldn't be out of reach. If she worked at raising the stat, she could make something of herself.

Wait. She had an Ability, too.

Luon had one as well. Was there something significant about the first people you met after starting the game?

Abilities themselves weren't that rare. What was rare was running into someone who had one. Anyone with any real influence in this world tended to have one—famous adventurers, royalty, people like that. In that sense, Sophie was one of those hard-to-find cases.

I'd never seen this Ability before... but it looked incredibly good for a mage. There were so many moments that demanded focus—chanting spells, researching, all of it. Her stats weren't bad, and she had an Ability on top of that. Yeah. Steering her toward becoming a mage was definitely the right call given a status like this.

"I like you. That's why. I wanted to do something for you."

"Luon..."

While I'd been reading Sophie's status, a sickeningly sweet atmosphere had settled between the two of them.

Oh, for fuck's sake. Give me a break.

They hadn't even confessed yet and they were already acting like a couple out on their first date. What, did this twenty-something with a dating history of exactly nothing need her grudges rubbed in her face?

I already know it won't work, so I can't even confess. I feel like I'm too busy. The girls around me would make fun of me. I'd heard every excuse in the book. Not that they would have said yes even if I had made a move...

Who would understand this contradictory heart of mine—wanting to be forced and dominated in bed, yet craving a deep, devoted romance? Hell, I didn't even understand it myself. It was an inconvenient kink, that's what it was.

"Ugh, forget it! Forget it! Whether you two glue yourselves together or screw each other's brains out, I don't give a damn. We're done here! I'm taking the first escort request I can get and leaving this village. You two figure it out yourselves!"

"S-screw each other's...?"

The more I thought about it, the more it pissed me off. I smashed their sweet little moment to pieces and went back to my room.

There was nothing left for me in this village. I'd pick up a request tomorrow and be on my way...

"Soira. Are you really leaving?"

"Yeah. I can't keep sponging off Luon's family forever."

"You could stay at my house... It's not as big as the inn, but..."

"Nah, I couldn't. I'd feel bad, and besides—I'm not ready to settle down yet."

"Soira..."

The next day.

Luckily, there happened to be an escort request that very day for a regular merchant caravan heading to a nearby city. I took it on the spot, and now I was saying my goodbyes to Luon and the others.

Sophie clung to me like she'd never see me again. Luon was stuck right to her side. They'd always been close, but they were even closer now. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠They'd probably start holding hands any day. Looks like things had gone well after I left them alone last night.

It was irritating as hell, but since it had come to this, I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠might as well wish them happiness.

Wait. Come to think of it, Luon's Ability had a penalty attached, didn't it?

NTR Constitution. A penalty that caused lewd incidents to pile up around any member of the opposite sex he had feelings for.

If I left them be, something extremely exciting was bound to happen. Threats? Coercion? Rape? Whatever it was, I'd welcome it with open arms.

But I knew my tastes weren't exactly normal. Sophie probably wouldn't want any of that, so I figured I should at least give them a warning.

"Luon."

"Yeah?"

"Stay with Sophie at all times. And if anything seems off, you follow it through to the end and deal with it. Got it?"

"Uh, huh?"

"Got it? Say you got it."

"Huh? Uh. Got it..."

Luon was a little overwhelmed by my intensity, but he answered properly. Good. I'd done everything I needed to do.

Finally, I turned to Kiven.

"Don't you have anything to say?"

"Well... thanks. For a lot of things."

"Right? Yeah. You should be grateful. I even gave you an experience you'd never had in your life. Isn't that right?"

"Wh-hey, you—what's a girl doing saying stuff like that?!"

Watching him panic was a little entertaining.

"Ahaha. You seem way too hung up on it."

"Ahem. Anyway. I meant besides that. Thanks. It's only been three days, but it feels like I've known you forever."

"Yeah. I had fun too."

There had been that one situation worth enjoying, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠after all.

"Alright, I'm heading out. Nothing else?"

I gave each of them a hug. Sophie got a tight squeeze. Luon just got a handshake—he had a girlfriend now, after all. Kiven hugged me while sneakily pressing himself against my chest. The way he kept giving these little furtive twitches was pretty funny.

With the goodbyes done, I finally left the village.

It was the first village I'd come to after starting the game, but it had been pretty fun in its own way. If I got the chance, I might come back.

This village... uh...

Wait.

What was the village called again?

"Hold on. What was this village's name?"

"What? You didn't even know that? It's Coris Village."

"Coris. Coris... Okay. Got it. Alright, I'm really going now!"

"Honestly, you really know how to kill the mood..."

And then I actually left.

I mixed in with the merchant caravan, sitting in the back of a wagon, rumbling along. Watching the scenery was more enjoyable than I'd expected. A wide plain unfurled before me, a forest washed in green at the far edge of my vision, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠above it all the sky was a clear, endless blue. It was a landscape you saw all the time playing WM, but no matter how many times I saw it, I never got tired of it.

Swaying with the wagon's rhythm, the wind in my face, warm sunlight on my skin—I could feel drowsiness creeping in. But I couldn't sleep. I was supposed to be an escort, after all.

For all that resolve, about half a day later the wagon arrived at the city without incident. Well, of course it did. It was a nearby city to begin with, and a road where you'd hire an E-rank adventurer as an escort was never going to be dangerous. They'd probably just hired me to shoo away wild animals.

Nearby or not, a city was a city. High walls encircled it. The merchant and I entered just before the gates closed, exchanged confirmation that the request was complete, and headed to our lodgings.

The merchant had to start selling first thing in the morning. As for me—the sun was already going down. I was going to sleep well tonight and start working tomorrow.