Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Merits (3)
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Pyrka visited the mansion again exactly one week later.
This time, properly showing herself as she passed through the front gate.
"Uh.... We are infinitely grateful for your cooperation last time...."
"Hey, tax thief. Isn't that the first thing you should say? What about an apology?"
"Kuhk...!"
Pyrka's face twisted in humiliation in an instant.
Even after being spoon-fed the answers, she hadn't just been grasping at straws—she had reached the proper conclusion.
Fortunately, it seemed he wouldn't have to worry about relocating the merchant house's outpost.
"No, honestly, unless it was some self-staged act, there's no way a regular human who's not even a mage could solve a problem caused by magic...!"
"Your tongue's too long. Shorten it a bit?"
"S-Sorry! I completely got it wrong! The misunderstanding, the rude things I said—I'm sorry for all of it!"
"Maybe your knees are too low. You kneel easier than you look."
"Eek...!"
Lian unwittingly felt the corner of his mouth twitch upward.
This familiar sense of impact for some reason.
Her actions were just like a child's, reminding him of his childhood friend who had acted all grown-up despite being only two years older.
Because of that, he kept feeling an urge to tease her more.
"Well then, goodbye."
"Wait! I haven't finished my business yet!"
Ignoring Lian's attempt to send her off, Pyrka rummaged through her bag and pulled out a scroll, unfurling it.
She then cleared her throat with an incongruously solemn expression.
"Ahem! In the name of His August Majesty Valua II... blah blah blah, omitted. I promise great rewards to those who have made significant contributions to resolving the incident. End of proclamation!"
Two eagles embossed in gold foil on the scroll gleamed.
"Rewards? What are they giving?"
"I don't know either. Anyway, you've been selected as the meritorious individual this time, so you have to come with me to the capital."
"Hold on. You're telling me to go to the capital myself?"
"The king is personally bestowing the rewards, and you think you can just sit comfortably at home and receive them arrogantly?"
There was no room to argue with that.
Moreover, gaining the opportunity to meet the king face-to-face was a tremendous honor.
This must be included in the rewards as well.
"Oh my goodness! If His Highness is personally granting the reward, does that mean you're receiving a title?"
"Who knows? I don't think so."
"No way. It has to be!"
Letty beamed with joy, even happier than the person involved, Lian himself.
But she was overlooking a crucial issue.
"More importantly, can you handle things if I'm away? It won't be just a day or two to go to the capital and back."
"Ah.... That is...."
Unfortunately, with so many ongoing projects, it was hard for him to step away now.
He didn't know what the king's rewards were.
Honestly, they didn't seem attractive enough to make him abandon this venture.
"I'm good. Just pass the credit to Aide Simon or something."
"Hey! Are you telling me to forge the investigation report? Make some sense!"
"Didn't do a proper investigation? If that man hadn't sealed off the old town in advance, this disaster would have spread across the entire island. So he's plenty deserving of a reward."
"Hmm? I heard you made him do that?"
She really was overly straightforward.
That was her strength, but right now it was a slight obstacle.
"Anyway! Lian of the Lapis Lazuli Merchant House, heed the king's summons!"
Pyrka flapped the scroll as if urging him to take it quickly.
The moment he accepted it, he'd be bound for the capital without exception.
"Hey, civil servant."
"What, merchant?"
"Have you already submitted the investigation report?"
"Not yet, but.... What does that have to do with you?"
"Perfect. Delay it by a month. It wasn't going to wrap up after just a few days of investigation anyway."
"What? Why should I?"
A disaster that had claimed thousands of lives.
It was an issue that required clearly determining responsibility.
They must have been planning for an investigation period of up to several months.
Rushing to conclude it like this was actually a bad choice.
"If you go up with the current investigation results, people will question if it was even properly done. Then even I, with my promised reward, get dragged down with it."
"N-No, that's not it? My investigation is perfect! Nothing more to touch!"
"That's only because I spoon-fed you everything. Cut the nonsense and slowly gather supplementary evidence over the next month."
"Eeek...! You really piss me off!"
Unable to contain her anger, Pyrka stomped around in place.
For a mage, she somehow gave off the vibe of a small dog throwing a tantrum.
"See, this is what happens when you keep pushing. Who are you to order me around!?"
Pyrka suddenly rolled up her sleeve and rubbed a bracelet embedded with an amber gem.
A faint light flowed from the bracelet.
At the same time, a familiar noise brushed Lian's ears.
"Kyaaah!"
"Heh."
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a massive fireball blazed fiercely above Pyrka's head.
Crimson flames licked like tongues, threateningly.
It seemed ready to engulf everything around it at any moment.
"You! Just because you saw through my magic once, you keep looking down on me. If I get serious, someone like you would turn into charcoal in an instant!"
Before they knew it, Letty had crawled under the desk, trembling.
On the other hand, Lian stared calmly at the fireball without changing expression.
Then he casually stood from his seat.
"Do it."
"Huh...?"
"If you can, then do it."
A sneer on his lips, Lian approached Pyrka.
"W-What are you doing? I'm gonna launch this! It's super hot! The whole place will burn down!"
"Yeah. Launch it. Hurry up."
Lian's completely unexpected reaction.
Instead, Pyrka backed away with a face full of fear.
Then Lian boldly reached out toward the fireball.
"Eh? Wha—?"
"Hiiik! No, don't! It's dangerous, Sir Lian!"
But he only felt a slight warmth.
His hand unscathed as it stirred inside the fireball.
"If you're gonna bluff, pick your opponent carefully. This is just an illusion."
"Ueeeek...!"
He had long since seen through that she was a mage who handled illusions.
The magic she used to hide her appearance when she first sneaked into the mansion.
And this flame before his eyes.
Both produced similar noises, meaning they were from the same school of magic.
If Pyrka had any real offensive capabilities, she would have counterattacked at least once back when she had pegged him as a dangerous figure.
"One month. Just think of it as taking a vacation while you're at it."
"Ughk!"
Lian chopped the back of Pyrka's head with his hand blade.
For a mage whose specialty was deception, Lian—who was immune to it—was the worst possible matchup.
"Ueeeek!"
Pyrka glared at Lian while trembling, but there was nothing she could do right now.
For the moment, she had no choice but to swallow her anger and leave.
"Y-You! Just wait! I'll definitely drag you up by the collar soon enough!"
"You think you can physically grab my collar?"
"Eeek!"
Bam!
"Ow! My toe!"
Pyrka, who had tried to kick the door on her way out, crouched down clutching her foot.
"...What an idiot. How the hell did someone like that become a mage?"
Lian looked at her pitifully and kindly opened the door himself to see her off.
"Get lost. See you in a month."
"Hmph!"
With that, the pint-sized, surprisingly noisy uninvited guest departed.
Letty, who had been hiding under the desk, peeked her head out.
"Wow. The mage couldn't hold a candle to you, Sir Lian. So that's why they call you the Mage Hunter."
"Isn't she just particularly immature?"
"But she's from the royal court. Is it okay to treat her like this? What if there are repercussions...."
"With all the taxes we pay? Worst case, we just leave the country."
This was the boldness only someone earning suspiciously large sums of money could afford.
A small inn on the government office street.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
From the room where Pyrka was staying, came the sound of her punching an innocent pillow.
"Hmph! As if! Why should I listen to that guy? Ha! I can just report that he dared ignore the king's grace! I'll record his evaluation as the absolute worst!"
In truth, Pyrka had one secret mission.
A background check on Lian.
But that too had failed spectacularly on the first day when her specialty magic was seen through instantly.
At this rate, tailing him secretly for investigation was hopeless.
Sticking around longer would only yield obvious public reputation info at best.
She couldn't waste her precious time on something so pointless.
"What? A month? That'll be past midsummer! It's the one holiday we get a year, and no way am I spending my precious festival day in this fishy island town!"
Her pillow punches like cotton swabs weren't venting her anger.
Pyrka grabbed the pillow and slammed it furiously onto the bed.
"Kehok! Cough! Ugh, dust!"
She hurriedly scurried to the window and flung it wide open.
Then she dangled her head out like a puppy.
The cool breeze washed away the acrid dust smell, improving her mood a bit.
"Hmm? That house has a really unique roof? That guy's mansion was kinda special too."
With thoughts of her mission gone from her head, the street finally caught her eye.
"...Since it's a rare chance, maybe I should sightsee the town before I go?"
During her entire stay for the investigation, North Harbor had only felt boring and dull.
But South Harbor was visibly different from the start.
As a port where ships from various countries came and went, exotic vibes permeated the streets everywhere.
A unique charm impossible to feel in the capital, Casar.
"Alright! I have to catch a ship tomorrow morning anyway, so might as well refresh my mood!"
Pyrka rubbed her amber bracelet.
A haze enveloped her body, and her figure vanished.
She was a half-elf, a mixed breed of elf and dwarf—treated as a mongrel.
Wandering the streets invisibly like this was the most comfortable for her.
'Huh. The streets are cleaner than they look.'
South Harbor's streets brimmed with energy.
Foreign merchants in diverse attire.
And equally varied goods.
It felt like strolling a festival street she loved, easing her mind a little.
In a place where so many different things mixed, maybe even a mongrel like her could blend in without issue.
Such thoughts crossed her mind briefly.
'Eh? What's that? An outdoor show?'
A crowd gathered in an open lot caught her eye.
Curiosity drove her to hurry over, but she was quickly disappointed.
It was an outdoor school pointing at letters for people.
'What. Literacy class? Boring.'
That thought lasted only a moment.
Something unusual drew her gaze.
'That necklace.... Slaves?'
Learning to read at the school were none other than slaves.
If it were slaves who already knew how to read from the start, fine.
But going to the trouble of teaching slaves to read was a sight she'd never seen even in the capital.
And in such a group setting.
'What? Weird town.'
Maybe a local trend.
Pyrka passed by the outdoor school, thinking it was simply that.
"What. They're still at it? Geez. Do they think their slaves will turn out like Sir Lian if they do that?"
"True. That one was a rare slave worth 300 gold coins from the start, right?"
"Pfft! That's all a waste of time! Better have them unload one more crate at the port!"
"Come on. It's not even your slave—why get so heated? Hey, let's just go."
"No. What if the slaves get ideas and stop listening!"
Overhearing passersby, it was a culture born from Lian's influence.
There were those harboring resentment like that, but the number of slaves at the school wasn't small.
Quite a few seemed to dream of striking it big by raising a slave well.
'Honestly, that guy's the abnormal one.'
Pyrka snorted and quickened her steps.
Of course, she didn't think teaching slaves letters or arithmetic was wrong.
Learning was always right.
It could even be called a positive change.
'Hmph. Annoying guy.'
But knowing that positive change stemmed from Lian's influence only made her irritation boil.
A certain jewelry workshop.
Invisible via magic, Pyrka freely inspected the displayed crafts up close.
"You idiot! What the hell are you doing right now?!"
Startled!
A sudden loud voice made her jump in place.
Had someone pierced her magic again?
Clutching her pounding chest and looking around, fortunately not.
"If it hurts, say it hurts! You dumbass!"
"Urgh. Sorry...."
"Go home and rest! You think you can work properly burning up with fever?"
"But to meet the Lapis Lazuli Merchant House's deadline, time is...."
There it was.
This must be capturing the reality of a poor craftsman squeezed by that damn unscrupulous merchant.
"You fool. Don't you know Sir Lian's temperament? If you collapse, that'll make it worse! Forgot what happened last year at that sawmill accident?"
"He.... Said he couldn't work at a place where people were dying and flipped the whole thing over...."
"Exactly! So don't worry about the deadline and rest up! We'll cover your share anyway!"
"Sniff. Thank you."
Pyrka grimaced upon eavesdropping on the artisans' talk.
Somehow, wandering this guy's streets always led to hearing his praises with high probability.
At first, she thought they were deliberately feeding her only such stories, pre-arranged.
But that couldn't be.
Lian's influence simply permeated South Harbor everywhere.
'Who'd think that guy was the lord.'
Prospering thanks to a mere merchant who wasn't even the lord.
While North Harbor had faced annihilation from the lord's folly.
And even that crisis was averted by the same guy.
What a twist of fate.
'Maybe I should slowly redo the investigation....'
In her over fifty years of life.
Occasionally enjoying a festival in an exotic place didn't sound bad.