Settlement
Settlement
At the end of the not-so-long embrace, Esmue, who had risen from her seat, fanned her slightly reddened ears and spoke.
"Ah, anyway. Since cases like yours are honestly so rare they're practically nonexistent, I can't be certain, but I can guarantee you won't be dragged into any public functions."
"Did I, uh, hug you for nothing...?"
"D-don't talk nonsense. I moved because it wouldn't be good to appear disheveled when I have to go straight to the royal palace. Depending on the outcome, you should be prepared to embrace me even more tightly!"
It sounded like she was saying if there were good results, she'd hug me again... Was she embarrassed about hugging yet bold enough to declare that with her own mouth?
Since I was getting a little embarrassed myself, I decided to just pretend I hadn't noticed.
"Is there anything else I need to know?"
"There doesn't seem to be anything in particular. Honestly, if you had any dissatisfaction about the reward, my goal was to negotiate various things, but you showed no interest at all. It ended up being time spent solely satisfying my own selfish desires."
Esmue checked her complexion, which was rapidly returning to normal, in the mirror provided in the room, taking a deep breath as she continued.
"I'll send word once things are sorted out, so rest comfortably. Honestly, ever since you visited the Empire, I've thought you've been treating your body far too recklessly."
"I suppose I have been a bit..."
"I know you're working toward your goals, but don't forget that if you die, it all means nothing."
Her last words, at least, were delivered with a firmness devoid of any playfulness, so I simply nodded silently.
With that, Esmue concluded her visit and, with an utterly expressionless face as if nothing had happened, descended the stairs, led her Black Knights, and boarded her carriage.
I could see the faces of the kingdom nobles following behind her were brimming with curiosity about what sort of conversation we'd had, but since that was none of my business either, I decided to focus only on seeing her off.
After Esmue's whirlwind visit, nothing much happened. Only the high-end furniture, changed through the blood and sweat of the servants, remained awkwardly in place.
The sudden visit had left me a little restless, but I pulled myself together and decided to spend the remaining time, since I'd already washed up, reading the magic texts the maid had borrowed for me.
And by the time evening approached, I was grinding my teeth and beginning to express my fury.
"Someday, I will definitely throw this book right in the author's face..."
[Concise and Easy Magic Studies for Beginners]
Author Tanevelro Bistal.
Judging by the title alone, I'd thought it would surely be a great help to me now, so I started turning the pages. I trusted that title and endured and endured until I finally realized I'd been had.
"In what fucking world is this a book for beginners, you shit!"
Even the book I'd seen Ragnis carrying around briefly at the Imperial Academy was easier than this!
Technical terms I couldn't make head or tail of popped up haphazardly, mingling with the complex prose characteristic of this era. I'd spent hours poring over it, but the results were miserable.
Wondering if I'd suddenly developed dyslexia, I focused all my attention and read it again, but nothing changed. I could only grind my teeth and place the book on the table.
I wanted to throw it, but I held back since it was an expensive item!
"Are all magic-related texts like this...?"
It hadn't been this bad when Asilie taught me directly...? If this really was the average, self-study might be asking too much.
"Once things are settled, I'll have to find a way to learn."
What I knew about magic, apart from fragmentary knowledge, all stemmed from the fantasy I'd read and seen in my past life.
But perhaps because it was a field of study that drove an entire world's civilization in place of science, the reality here was that you couldn't claim to understand magic with just that much.
Simple things like kindling a spark were possible, but magics like shooting fireballs or erecting protective barriers, as commonly imagined, were performed based on dedicated formulas and theories. So, unless you were a considerable genius, using 'real' magic without such theories was impossible.
"...Huh? Asilie told me something about history related to this, I think."
It was hazy since it was long ago. We'd talked about the process of how most species learned to refine Mana and aura, awakened to magic, and civilization developed...
Was it passed down by dragons, or passed down by someone who learned magic from dragons? It was a bit fuzzy.
In passing, we'd also talked about how magic was built on formulas composed of Mana, so there was a chance I might not be able to learn it, and how books researching magic closer to its origins might actually help me more.
"Could I get some help from Sir Radnelbandes?"
Truthfully, up until now, I hadn't thought it was particularly necessary.
Using Magic Power the way I used Aura was already formidable enough. The very fact that both mages and warriors were respected showed that neither Aura nor Mana held an overwhelming advantage. And while it might have been a little complacent, most knights here didn't know magic either, so I'd figured I would be fine.
But after experiencing that Demonfolk bastard and seeing Rellie's magic, my thinking changed a fair bit.
Every magic I didn't understand was a variable in itself. Even with that crazy singing woman I met in the Empire, I'd had no way to stop it even after seeing it with my own eyes.
Living an ordinary life, maybe not, but for me, living with a grand dream of revenge, that was a fatal weakness. Even if I couldn't use magic myself, I needed to grasp, at least superficially, how magic was employed in combat.
"For this, at least, I'll have to gather advice wherever I can and ask around."
Who knows? There might be another unexpected encounter, like with Shadow Foot.
After worrying that far, I began to feel the time spent confined in the detention center was precious, but since there was no quick fix for this, I just decided to sleep early and wake up early.
After repeating that routine for three days, I was finally able to leave the detention center.
◈
"Well then, may you be at peace."
"I hope you stay healthy too, Miss Meshiella. I rested well thanks to you."
The biggest factor that made the long and tedious hotel vacation feel like a hotel vacation, the calm and capable Maid Meshiella, showed the greatest emotional shift I'd seen from her during my stay in response to my cheerful farewell. She actually curled the corners of her mouth slightly and smiled.
"That's the first time I've heard such a greeting while working here. I will pray that we never have cause to meet again."
After all, no matter how comfortable, this was a temporary detention center. Leaving this place without any problems meant you'd been falsely accused or framed, so it was simply a warm farewell wishing I wouldn't experience such things in the future.
It didn't mean she was sick of my guts and telling me to fuck off because I'd acted up or flirted with her.
...Right? I really did behave quietly.
After finishing those brief farewells, I'd only taken about ten steps away from the detention center when—
Suddenly, a high-end carriage raced up beside me and stopped. Someone climbed down from the coachman's seat and bowed their head to me in greeting.
The person, who wore a butler's uniform that looked expensive even at a glance, was unusually a woman.
She politely bowed her waist in greeting and, as if it were the most natural thing, opened the carriage door. But I could only tilt my head in confusion.
"Who are you?"
The moment I stepped out, a random person appearing didn't look like they intended to kidnap me, but since I hadn't heard anything beforehand, I couldn't help but be suspicious. I'd been planning to walk back and check what had changed while I'd been holed up for nearly a week, so I was just utterly bewildered.
But the other party gave no answer. She simply stood there in the same posture, holding the carriage door open like a butler. Worse, the curtain at the carriage entrance showed it was an extremely high-end carriage. But neither Sheryl nor Ragnis would send some taciturn stranger to fetch me if they were coming to pick me up—they'd come themselves.
The thought crossed my mind that she might be mute, but that was her problem. I had no reason to get into an unidentified carriage, so I looked at her with an expression that said I'd seen all sorts of weird shit and moved to avoid the carriage.
"Please get in. I will escort you to Ogatorf."
She still didn't raise her head. But confirming that my footsteps were growing distant, the unidentified woman finally opened her mouth.
And with that alone, my hostility began to skyrocket toward MAX.
"I asked who you are. Did I ask for the destination?"
People who answer my questions with non-sequiturs are mostly bastards who'll cross me or have something shady going on in the near future. I openly displayed my displeasure, but the woman still maintained her bowed posture, not showing the slightest flinch.
Fine, be silent and taciturn. One way to prepare for contingencies would be to silence her forever. She seemed to already know who I was and where I was headed, so it would also make a useful example that trying to contact me through suspicious methods could get you stabbed.
With that mindset, I drew Gish's sword from my waist, and only then did the bowing woman flinch, but the voice that spoke came from elsewhere.
"You truly are as bold and decisive in action as the rumors say."
The voice from inside the carriage belonged to a young woman.
"Due to circumstances, I'm not in a position to speak loudly. Could you spare just a moment of your time?"
With that request, what pushed through the carriage curtain was a folded woman's fan.
But the crest embedded at its tip was the royal crest of Itisel.
"Regarding this series of incidents..."
"Ah, no thanks, not buying it."
And the moment I confirmed that crest, I turned right around and walked the hell away without looking back.
I don't need any more politicians in my life!