The Scent of the Wind

The luxury inn where I stay in Luise costs 420 marcas a night. Four hundred and twenty marcas. It’s insane money. When I remember risking my life as a mercenary just to earn a hundred marcas a day, this feels like ridiculous extravagance. Yet it’s exactly as comfortable as the price suggests. Cozy, even. Once you’ve tasted it, there’s no going back. That doesn’t mean I couldn’t fall asleep in a ten-marca room. I’m used to rotten floorboards and bedsheets of questionable cleanliness. At least there’s a ceiling, I’d tell myself. Still, I can’t give up this life anymore.

The one saving grace is that I can hunt Grade 6 magic beasts whenever I want. That brings in tens of thousands of marcas at a time, so I can afford a little luxury. Over the course of the day I finished every magic book the shopkeeper had recommended. I was starting to get the feel for them. My mana regeneration hadn’t increased yet, but I still devoured the other two volumes. I couldn’t wait to finish them.

I was opening one of the books when my eyes suddenly met Ar’s. She was curled up on the bed, watching me. She flinched and quickly looked away, pretending she hadn’t been staring. The moment I saw that, every thought of reading vanished. All I wanted to do was tease her.

“Ar.”

I closed the book and set it on the side table. She flinched again, then cautiously glanced my way. Her brows furrowed. She must have noticed I was smiling. My grin was probably quite wicked right now.

“Come here.”

She let out the tiniest sigh and stood up, moving as if she had no choice. Her steps were slow, reluctant. But ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she still came. That was what mattered.

When she drew close, I pulled her into my arms.

“Is it that perverted?” I asked, holding her.

Ar gave no answer. She seemed unsure what to say. At the same time, she didn’t feel like she hated it.

“If you really hate this, you can tell me. I already said I don’t see you as a slave. You’re allowed to express that much. You can.”

Even after all that, she stayed silent. Strangely, that only gave me confidence. I’m not sure where the confidence came from, but it was there.

“You don’t hate it, right? If you do, you don’t have to answer. Just get down.”

She was nestled against me while I sat in the rocking chair. I was holding her, but she could slip away anytime she wanted. I wasn’t restraining her. In the end, Ar didn’t move.

So I hugged her tighter. She could have left but chose to stay. That meant this was okay.

She still smelled of meadows and forest. Like running through green fields beneath a blue sky and white clouds. A refreshing, open scent.

“Ah. I get it now.”

At my sudden words, Ar slowly lifted her head to look at me. Her crimson eyes sparkled like jewels—jewels that could enchant a person’s soul.

“I thought you smelled like grass and woods,” I said, looking enlightened. “But that wasn’t it. This is the smell ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the wind. The pleasant breeze that blows across open plains.”

I spoke with a refreshed expression, as if I had solved some great mystery. Yet Ar’s face grew sad. Bitter, even. I panicked inwardly. Why? Why that look?

Then a thought struck me. Maybe it had something to do with her family or tribe. It was only a guess, but it felt right. Nothing else seemed likely to make her look that sad.

I hugged her again and gently stroked her back. Ar stayed quiet in my arms. After a while she rested her head against my chest, as if accepting that it was allowed.

We stayed like that for a long time. At some point I noticed her breathing had grown calm and even. Was she asleep? She really fell asleep.

I moved my neck as little as possible so I wouldn’t wake her and stole a glance at her face. Her eyes looked damp. Maybe she had pressed her face to my chest because she didn’t want me to see her tears.

Someday she would tell me about it. With that thought, I looked at her again and fell into a new dilemma.

What now?

I considered reading like this, but my arms couldn’t reach the book. And I didn’t want to wake her. I just wanted to stay like this. So I leaned back comfortably and tilted the rocking chair. It reclined slowly. Ar twitched once but didn’t wake.

That night, the two of us slept in the rocking chair instead of the expensive, comfortable bed. The funny part was that when I woke up the next morning, my body didn’t feel stiff at all.

Wow. Even the rocking chair in a luxury inn gives you a perfect night’s sleep? Unbelievable.

After a simple breakfast, Ar crawled back into bed and curled up again. Strange. Was it just Ar, or a characteristic of fox beastpeople? She seemed to sleep a lot. Or maybe she just liked curling into a ball like that.

I tried to read the magic book I hadn’t finished yesterday, but Ar looked bored. At least, that’s how it seemed to me. I didn’t know how she actually felt.

“Ar. Want to go outside and look around?”

Her ears perked up instantly. Her tail gave a little sway. But her face remained expressionless, as if she couldn’t care less.

Man, that’s cute. Are foxes similar to dogs? Even if they don’t show it on their faces, their instincts still leak out?

“Let’s go. This is the City of Magicians anyway. If you wear your hood, no one will know you’re a beastperson. And even if they find out, it doesn’t matter much. Most people here only respect magicians. Well, adventurers and monster hunters might think differently.”

Ar’s face stayed blank, but her eyes shifted slightly. She was thinking it over. Thinking meant she wanted to go, right?

“Get dressed. We’re leaving.”

In the end she slowly got up, put on her cloak, and pulled up the hood. I dressed simply as well and we stepped outside together. Her steps seemed lighter. See? She was happy. I just wish she’d show it more. It would be nice if she were a little more honest.

It was still a bit early for lunch, but Luise already had the atmosphere of late morning. That made sense. Most magicians stayed up deep into the night. They slept at dawn and only opened their eyes around this time. So the shops ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and guilds in Luise were just now opening their doors.

We had come out together, but I didn’t have any particular destination. We headed toward the bustling streets just to browse. Shops were opening one after another. Adventurers, monster hunters, and magicians walked between them. While we walked among them, I noticed a crowd gathered at the corner ahead.

Wondering what it was, I moved closer. People were waiting in front of a show window for the store to open. Inside, staff were preparing something, and the crowd kept craning their necks to see. What could it be? Why were they so desperate to watch?

I listened to the conversations around me. Soon I understood why they were waiting.

Tirion Artifact Shop. The Roderick Kingdom was famous for magic tools and artifacts, but this was Luise—the City of Magicians. Supply and demand were both strong here, so naturally there were many excellent artifact shops. This was one of them. On top of performance, its beautiful designs had made it quite popular lately. Today was the release day for their new product. That was why so many people had gathered.

How impressive was it to draw this kind of crowd? There had to be around a hundred people. And they weren’t random passersby. Just looking at their clothes told me that. Even though it was essentially early morning for magicians, quite a few skilled-looking ones were present. Most of all, the proportion of women was remarkably high. It felt like every female magician and monster hunter in Luise had shown up.

Now I was curious. More than I expected.

“…so they’re announcing a new product. Shall we take a look?”

When I briefly explained to Ar, she nodded. We didn’t have anything else to do anyway.

I looked back at the shop. The preparations seemed finished. The doors opened. Neatly dressed staff stepped out, greeted the crowd, and threw the doors wide. The waiting people filed inside one by one. They all seemed determined to maintain their dignity. The prices were apparently steep, so that made sense. This was the kind of place where even browsing was difficult—the fantasy equivalent of a luxury boutique.

Ar and I went in too. The interior was clean and elegant. Spacious. Even after everyone entered, the showroom still felt roomy. Once all the customers were inside, another neatly dressed man stepped forward and bowed.

“Thank you to all the valued customers who have come to Tirion today. Today we will…”

He repeated what I had overheard earlier. He seemed to be the store manager. After the short explanation, he gave a signal toward the side. A female staff member pushed out a cart covered with white cloth. The manager looked at the crowd and declared with pride:

The crowd let out a collective gasp of admiration. The women’s reactions were especially strong. Almost every woman in sight was visibly impressed. Well, except one. Ar’s face was still completely blank.

“This new item, named Arsela’s Tears, is a platinum bracelet meticulously crafted and decorated with the horn of the Grade 7 monster Tarkara. Its performance is every bit as excellent as its appearance. When worn, Arsela’s Tears grants the permanent effects of Grade 7 Strength and Grade 7 Hard Skin.”

The crowd gasped again. I could understand why. Two Grade 7 spells, permanently active? Of course they were shocked.

“Arsela’s ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Tears will be on display for three days. The highest bidder during that time will receive it. The announcement of the winner will be at this same hour three days from now. The starting price is 300,000 marcas. Thank you.”

When the manager finished, people nodded and began talking among themselves. Three hundred thousand? And that was just the starting bid? Considering the materials, design, and effects, it actually seemed reasonable.

People lined up to get a closer look. Everyone wanted to see it up close, especially the women.

“Want to go look?” I asked.

Ar shook her head. Not interested? Maybe because she was a beastperson? Even beastpeople should like pretty things.

“No? Then let’s head out.”

We left the store together. On the way, I decided I should start paying more attention to artifacts I had previously considered too expensive. Being able to have two Grade 7 spells as permanent passives? That kind of power was worth the money. It was definitely worth looking into.