The First Commission

The next morning.

At the rendezvous point, the three people I had met yesterday were already waiting, fully armed.

First, Gerik.

He was a swordsman. However, instead of a normal sword, he wielded a rather large and heavy greatsword. The peculiar thing about it was the Mana Remnants clinging to it.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

The moment I saw them, I almost reached out to consume them without thinking. Fortunately, I managed to hold myself back using the sheer patience of a wise alchemist—and the only intellectual left in this world.

Next was Kairon.

I had a feeling from the way he spoke yesterday, and as expected, he was a martial artist. Was he bald because styling hair with tools was too much of a hassle, so he just shaved it all off? The "mistake" he mentioned yesterday that didn't actually exist was probably just the blunder of a martial artist who didn't know how to use tools.

Finally, Sera.

A bow as tall as she was hung from her back. I couldn't help but wonder if her large chest got in the way when she drew the string.

"Hello, everyone. Good morning."

"You're here."

"Yes, I am."

As Gerik and I exchanged greetings, Kairon—the tragic martial artist next to him who couldn't use tools—laughed boisterously.

"Mage Lulu! Good morning! That's a very fine robe you've got there!"

"Giant chimpan— I mean, Mr. Kairon the martial artist, good morning. Your head looks very nice."

"Hahaha! I tried my best to shave it yesterday! I even got a wound of glory out of it!"

"Would you like some ointment?"

"Spit cures everything!"

It seemed Kairon, the martial artist who couldn't even shave his head properly, didn't know how to use ointment either.

"Hey."

Sera, who was strangely friendlier ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠than yesterday, waved her hand.

"You're on time. Good morning. Sorry about yesterday. I hadn't slept well for two days, and it happened to be that time of the month. Sorry again."

"Yes. Good morning. I don't mind at all."

While the four of us exchanged brief pleasantries, Palmon, who had finished preparing for departure, came running over in a hurry.

"Ah, you're all gathered! Can we head out immediately?"

The four of us exchanged glances and nodded. Gerik was the one who answered.

"Let's head out right away."

Although we hadn't explicitly discussed it, Gerik was naturally established as the leader for the journey. It was just the vibe.

After receiving an advance payment of five silver coins, we boarded the carriage that would lead Palmon's caravan.

And then, I realized something.

So that's why he recommended the cushions.

The seat was so hard it practically cried out for a cushion. It wasn't just slightly stiff; it was carved out of a solid block of wood without a single shred of padding.

I immediately pulled out my cushions. Not just one, but four. I had thought the shopkeeper recommended four so I could rotate them, but it turned out he had a much deeper intention.

"Please, take one each."

"W-what? I get one too?"

"Hah, as expected of a mage. You're remarkably well-prepared."

"Hm? Mage Lulu! What is this? I don't need it! You use both of them, Mage Lulu!"

The cushion meant for Kairon—the tragic soul who couldn't use tools—ended up back with me. Thanks to him, I got to ride in double the comfort.

The other two sat down with my cushions under their bottoms. They had already been friendly, but this gesture made them look at me with even warmer eyes.

"Hmm, I feel a bit bad receiving this right at the start. Would you like some of this? It's dried fruit I made myself."

Gerik offering me dried fruit was proof. I wondered if we were close enough for me to eat the Mana Remnants on his greatsword, but decided to hold back a little longer since we weren't that close yet.

"Yes, thank you. I'll enjoy it."

"...Lulu. Thanks for the cushion. The quality seems really good, too. I think I'll have a comfortable trip thanks to you."

Even Sera expressed her gratitude. It was worth the effort of testing it yesterday and transmuting it to be slightly softer and sturdier.

"So? When are you going to show us your face? We're going to be together for almost a month and a half. Don't you think it's about time?"

"Does it take that long?"

"And that's on the faster side. If we run into trouble along the way, it might take over two months. Of course, the pay will go up accordingly, so you don't have to worry."

I knew the distance was vast, but I hadn't realized it was that far. It also meant Aaron had carried me across that entire distance.

At this rate, I'll never be able to repay my debt to him.

Feeling a bit troubled, I pulled back the hood of my robe. My light green hair spilled out softly, revealing my face to the world, and a heavy silence instantly fell over the carriage.

I looked back and forth between the three silent companions before asking a question.

"Is light green hair considered a cursed, demonic color or something?"

"N-no... That's not it..." Sera stammered.

"Then are purple eyes the color of a sealed calamity?"

"I don't think... any such legend exists?"

"Then why is everyone so surprised?"

Sera, her lips parting and closing for a long moment, finally managed to squeeze out a voice. "W-why are we surprised? Hey... asking that with a face like yours is just shameless, you know?"

"I suppose this face is rather pretty."

"The way you talk... though I can't even deny it. Lulu, are you some kind of half-elf? No, even the elves and vampires I've met before weren't this beautiful. What on earth are you? Lulu, what do you even eat to look like that?"

I gave a casual reply to her rambling. "I'm Lulu, and I'm human. As for what I've eaten... well, I suppose I've eaten a lot of delicious, high-quality food."

It was only after the carriage started moving that Gerik and Kairon finally snapped out of it.

And so, my first commission began.

I stared out at the city landscape fading into the distance. The feel of the wind brushing against my cheeks was so pleasant that I stuck my head out completely. I felt like I finally understood why dogs always stuck their heads out of passenger windows.

For a while, I amused myself by opening my mouth to catch the wind, trying to eat drifting flower petals, spitting out the occasional bug that flew in, and even catching and chewing on a pebble kicked up by the wheel.

On the first day, I got used to the rattling of the carriage.

On the second day, I felt the excitement of camping outdoors.

On the third day, I learned the discomfort of sweating and not being able to wash, and on the fourth day, I discovered how incredibly refreshing it was to bathe in a cold mountain stream.

And then came the fifth day.

By now, not even a shadow of the city remained, leaving only endless plains in sight.

Traveling through the outskirts meant we occasionally hit rough patches of road that caused trouble for the carriage wheels, and sometimes we even got stuck in the mud, requiring the carriage to be lifted out entirely.

Whenever that happened, it was the merchant guild's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠private guards who resolved the issue. It felt like the kind of grunt work adventurers would normally be expected to sweat over, but they actually told us to rest and even brought us drinks.

They said our only job as adventurers was to protect them from monster or bandit attacks.

The adventurers didn't even have to stand night watch. That duty was rotated among the guild's staff, who could rest during the day's travel.

I was surprised by how clearly defined the division of labor was, but the three non-alchemists seemed used to it and didn't react. It made me realize that the public perception of adventurers was much better than I had thought.

"Is this your first commission?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"After watching you for five days, it's hard not to notice."

"Did I make you feel uneasy?"

"Not at all, so don't worry."

Gerik chuckled softly and went back to his book.

Kairon was snoring loudly, fast asleep.

I wondered if it was really alright to sleep like that during an escort mission, but seeing as neither Gerik nor Sera said anything, it seemed as long as we handled any attacks, it didn't matter.

Sera was looking out the opposite window with her usual aloof expression, just as she had for the past five days. That posture was probably the most comfortable for her. Every time she rested her chest on the window frame, she looked incredibly relaxed, so it had to be.

I glanced down at my own chest, then looked back at Gerik.

"What kind of book are you reading?"

"A book where smart bastards wrote down difficult words."

"Is it a philosophy book?"

"As expected of a mage. The usual adventurer blockheads never get it when I tell them. Do you like books?"

"Yes, I do. Do you happen to have any other books?"

"Of course I do. I can lend them to you if you want to read. What kind of book are you looking for?"

After a brief moment of thought, I spoke.

"Do you have any books about alchemists or black mages?"

Sera, sitting next to me, flinched slightly. Was she interested in them too? I wondered, but didn't bother striking up a conversation. Her head was still turned toward the window, after all.

"I do have a book on alchemists and black mages. It's not very detailed, but it should be a decent read if it's your first time. It even has historical wanted posters included."

"Wow."

Even though it was written by a non-alchemist, it was bound to be interesting since it dealt with alchemy. The moment Gerik handed me the book, I flipped it open.

"Oh..."

It was extraordinary right from the start.

"Mmm..."

Besides these, there were many other incidents. Some had warped space to create bizarre ecosystems, others had increased the contagiousness of plagues, built golems that automatically fired poison, taught speech to lifeforms born from potions, created artifacts of abnormal power, crafted explosive potions, or attempted to control politics by transmuting dolls that were nearly indistinguishable from humans.

The highest bounty was a whopping 200 platinum coins. It was nothing short of a monumental achievement.

Unfortunately, there was no useful information. I understood why. In a world where alchemy was outlawed, detailing any practical alchemical knowledge would surely backfire.

Still, I could sense the intellect of these alchemists. I felt a strong urge to read the research materials they had compiled to pull off such feats.

I was especially curious about the research of the alchemist with the 200 platinum coin bounty, who had replicated a holy relic of the Holy Kingdom and cursed it to create the ultimate unholy artifact.

After quickly skimming to the very last page, I regretted memorizing all the details.

They were all dead anyway. It was a shame, as I had hoped to track them down and ask about the parts I was curious about.

Besides, the reason for their deaths was suspicious. Subjugation by the Holy Kingdom and the empires? Aaron had told me that ninety-nine percent of the alchemists in this world had been hunted down and killed by him.

In fact, several of the alchemists listed in this book were among those Aaron had hunted. Since there was no reason ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for a wise and great alchemist like Aaron to lie, this sentence had to be a fabrication added by the non-alchemists of the Holy Kingdom and the empires.

Everything in Master's study seemed fine, but I guess I need to be careful about what books I choose to read out here.

Perhaps information was controlled like this because it was a world of kings and nobles. Realizing that I might accidentally fill my head with false knowledge if I wasn't careful, I turned to Gerik.

"Mr. Gerik, do you happen to have any books about the Seven Disasters?"

"Those aren't things adventurers like me can rent or buy."

"Why is that?"

"Well... there are various reasons. But if you go to a library in a reasonably sized city, they should have them. I'd recommend reading them there."

"Yes, I will. Thank you for letting me know."

I put down the book on alchemists and picked up the one on black mages. It was horrifying right from the first page.

They were truly atrocious scoundrels. How could a human being do such things?

This is why non-alchemists are hopeless.

With a short sigh, I closed the book and looked out the window. Before I knew it, the green fields were bathed in the glow of the setting sun.

Gerik, who had also finished his book, muttered as he looked at the sunset-drenched fields. "Looks like we're camping out again tonight."

"Tell me about it. I should've known when the pay was so good, tsk."

Sera grumbled at Gerik's words. She was clearly annoyed by the consecutive nights of camping over the last five days.

Normally, a caravan would stop by various cities along the way, but this merchant guild was taking a strictly direct route, meaning we couldn't drop by any other towns.

As Gerik gathered his camping gear, Sera spoke up. "You two should sleep inside the carriage tonight, right?"

"How could we? You two should sleep comfortably."

"...No, but we've been sleeping inside for five days straight. I'm starting to feel bad."

"A few of the guildmaster's guards were giving us stern looks. So rather than causing unnecessary trouble, just stay in the carriage. It's for the sake of the commission."

"...Fine then. Don't complain later."

Sera whipped her head back around. She really was a prickly archer.

Perhaps Gerik was thinking the same thing, as he shrugged when our eyes met.

"Still, the weather tonight is cool, so—"

"Hmph!"

Kairon, who had been drooling in his sleep until a moment ago, snapped his eyes open.

"They're coming!"

I thought he was just dreaming. But seeing Gerik's reaction, I realized it wasn't a dream; something was actually coming.

Gerik, putting down his camping gear and quickly equipping his light armor, asked, "How many?"

"I hear clicking jaws! About twenty of them!"

"We're about five days out from Karkadum... If you hear clicking jaws, they must be Pincermouth Ants."

Thump, thump! Gerik banged on the carriage wall.

The carriage ground to a halt immediately, and the guard captain from the merchant guild's rear carriages quickly approached.

"Oh..."

With a slightly excited heart, I reached down and grabbed the staff I had placed at my feet.