23. Drawn by the Calm, Feeling Fate
23. Drawn by the Calm, Feeling Fate
Yes. What now snared my gaze was surely a glimpse of a future soon to arrive.
A prophesied future could only change when a Transcendent's whim introduced a variable, or when the one who witnessed that future intervened to alter it....
'W-why... it's certainly true I came to this Empire partly to revive my clan... but surely it couldn't be because that person is Mister Hyosung?'
If all she considered was the goal of finding a companion, the scene unfolding before her eyes fit that condition perfectly.
Furthermore, even if he seemed unremarkable right now, he was already entangled with one Transcendent and had wound up meeting her twice over.
That alone made it impossible to deny the possibility that he had been born bearing an extraordinary destiny.
'N-no. The future can be changed, so there's no need to let this become reality as-is. It's something that demands a prudent decision in the first place... No, wait. It demands prudent thought and decision — does that mean any attempt to change the future shouldn't be made rashly?'
The moment her confusion deepened, bringing on a wave of vertigo.
Yet even within it, her gaze stayed fastened to the crystal ball.
To the scene that was difficult to accept, but would unfold in the near future if she made no decisive move.
-Fufu~ Do you like doing it like this?
"I-I, doing something so shameless...."
-Ah, aahng~ Right there, that's good~ Touch me harder, more~♡
"Eh, ehh? Th-th-that far? Why are you putting it in your mouth... Oh, wh-whoaa!?"
Airi trembled, covering both eyes with her hands yet spreading her fingers apart to peek.
Her voyeurism — utterly incapable of tearing her eyes away despite the shame — persisted for a while longer in the empty street after he had departed.
***
The moment I stepped into the Adventurer's Guild, a wall of noise and motion hit me.
As befitted a dark fantasy world boiling over with incidents and calamities, the building that managed adventurers teemed today with people flooding in to take on the endless requests.
Naturally, since so many who worked rough trades gathered here, bumping shoulders and outright brawls were common sights whenever I visited.
"Huh? Hold on."
But even the adventurers whose atmosphere had been murderous moments before began reining in their tempers the instant I set foot past the entrance.
The clamor died swiftly, cooling into a spreading chill.
And it took only seconds for that ripple — starting from the doorway — to wash across the entire guild.
"Th-that guy going by, is that really...?"
"Seems I'm not the only one thinking it."
"His face looks familiar. An adventurer like that, in this guild?"
Undisguised interest and suspicion prickled from the scattered looks aimed my way.
I gave them no reaction, simply closing the distance to the reception desk opposite the entrance.
Whatever effect this atmosphere might have later, the priority right now was finishing the adventurer registration process first.
"Alright, then I'll proceed with the final confirmation."
With everyone's attention fixed on me, the receptionist handling my case scanned the documents and spoke.
"Mister Woo Hyosung, from another world, has requested a temporary transfer of his affiliation from the Labor Union to the Adventurer's Guild effective this day. All required procedures have been completed at this branch, and if there is no intent to reverse this decision within one month, your identity record within the Empire will likewise be changed to the Adventurer's Guild...."
The receptionist recited the obligatory contract clauses in a businesslike cadence.
Normally, such explanations would be swallowed by the surrounding noise and pass clean through one ear and out the other. But right now, most of the adventurers in the hall were focusing their attention squarely on me.
Which meant every word the receptionist uttered rang crystal clear to them as well.
"Woo Hyosung — that's the name, yeah?"
"Yeah, the one from those rumors going around lately...."
Damn it. So being on the adventurers' blacklist hasn't changed one bit, independent of the registration process.
Recalling that forgotten fact, I opened my status window to enter the information required for the contract.
And in the same instant, that irritating phrase met my eyes.
======
[Unique Trait - Existence Imprint]
[People you encounter will not forget your existence. No matter who they are, no matter what happens.]
======
...Even seeing it again, it's a truly baffling ability.
A power that does nothing but ensure people you met don't forget you.
But at this very moment — while I was trying to register as an adventurer — I could feel that worthless ability winding itself around my neck like a noose.
Because not forgetting my existence meant my name was likelier to surface even in the cheapest gossip.
And adventurers, through their work, inevitably end up in impromptu parties with strangers, sharing drinks and trading camaraderie with people they've never met at taverns.
In those social rituals, they'd chatter: there was this one guy, or they went on a party with this guy and the Hero ended up dead.
As they fed those topics and someone else who knew me eventually appeared and common threads emerged, sooner or later they'd start piling speculation and exaggeration onto the story with a creeping thought of 'Wait — could it be?'
'Isn't it actually this guy's fault that the Hero in our party wound up dead? No, even if it wasn't intentional, Heroes in parties we both were in died — so isn't it possible?'
Conclusions like that would be passed on to total strangers without the slightest process, circulating endlessly within the group and spreading like ghost stories.
And facts or evidence wouldn't matter.
After all, this is a fantasy world where magic and curses genuinely exist; isn't being wary of jinxes and omens only natural?
"They say nine out of ten parties that guy joins get wiped out?"
"A guy who partied with him said he intentionally backstabbed Heroes and embezzled the dungeon rewards."
"His equipment looks nice. He get all that from backstabbing Heroes too?"
"Right. How else would a mere porter score gear like that? Means he was plotting to slave-drive the Heroes."
"What the hell was he thinking becoming an adventurer? Planning to openly squeeze his party members dry now?"
The muttering — which had sprouted from anxiety and fear — gradually snowballed, and by the time my registration wrapped up, it had bloomed into open criticism and disgust.
Even so, I ignored it and moved to sign the consent form the receptionist placed before me. But even that was interrupted by what I heard next.
"What are the guards doing? Gonna arrest that bastard already or not?"
-Crack!
Excess force surged through my hand.
The pen shaft snapped, and the receptionist's eyes went wide and round — but my attention had already left the documents for the voices surrounding me.
The hell? What did those motherfuckers just say?
All this time in this goddamn world, I've never once broken a law — and they're saying what? That the guards should arrest me?
"They'd need evidence to arrest him."
"Evidence my ass. With rumors this widespread, it's obviously true...."
-Thud!!
Because they happened to tread on something I considered a raw nerve, I slammed the butt of the spear on my back against the floor and turned to face them.
The noisy room went silent with a single impact. Spear still planted against the ground, I turned and let my patience off its leash.
"Hey. You lot."
I pitched my voice as low as it would go.
But I let the displeasure I was feeling right now show through clearly.
"Stop grinding on my nerves and shut your mouths. Whatever you were doing, get back to it. Don't ruin the atmosphere with your worthless grumbling."
"Uh, uhh...?"
"Ah, yes. Yessir. S-s-sorry!"
The adventurers flinched in shock, shuddering and backing away.
Considering the temperament of men who live rough, you'd expect them to bark back immediately. Instead, most of them either stepped away or kept their mouths firmly shut.
Well — the malice aimed at me fed on the viciousness of the rumors. How could the guys who genuinely believed and spread them not be scared stiff and lose their nerve?
"Registration's all done, right?"
"Ah, yes. Here's your adventurer identification plate. And, um, for class changes or adventurer rank promotions, there's a separate department — please go there for those...."
"...Right. Then I'll be off."
After giving the flustered receptionist a curt farewell, I turned away from her and walked off with a stiff gait.
If I had my way, I'd have said goodbye properly, since she helped me with this — but if I dropped this sharp edge, I had a feeling the cowards around me would start nipping at my heels again.
"What? You got a show to watch?"
"N-no, sir."
The idiots quaked and backed off the moment I shot them a fierce glare.
I pulled my gaze off them and moved forward, deliberately striking the spear in my hand against the floor a couple of times for effect.
Thud. Thud.
The adventurers stirred silently at the heavy sound.
When I shouldered the haft right after, the crowd gathered along my intended path began parting on its own.
"...Good to see you catch on quick."
The corners of my mouth tugged upward as I moved through them, because — to some degree — I did feel a genuine thrill in that moment.
That I, a worthless Foreign Worker, had become an object of fear that even high-flying adventurers shrank from.
Honestly, wouldn't it be stranger not to enjoy it?
"...But don't you forget it, Woo Hyosung. The moment you get cocky and forget your place, you just die."
Yeah — what happened just now was only because those law-abiding citizens hurled insults that crossed a line. If a guy shows up who's not just jeering but outright picking a fight, I'd better shut my mouth and plant my forehead on the ground first.
My target should be a Mithril walking stick, not some legendary holy sword.
Keeping firmly in mind that I must minimize stepping up to others whenever possible, I smoothly pulled out the note I'd placed in my pocket to carry out what I had planned.
"Let's see... I was told to look at the note once the registration was finished, right?"
Airi Haeven.
She — possessing the ability to see the future — had read a future in which I would meet my death in the first mission I undertook after becoming an adventurer.
What had been written on this note in my hand was a key to survival....
[After you finish your registration at the guild, head to the tavern connected to it and form a bond with the bard performing there. Whether that person accompanies you on the mission you will undertake will serve as a critical factor determining whether you survive it.]
"...A bard?"
The first thing I felt studying the note's contents was doubt.
Recruiting companions is naturally something you keep in mind when taking quests.
I acknowledge it has that critical an impact on survival. But it was hard to swallow that the target was a bard, of all people.
Generally, bards travel to just as many places as adventurers do, but they're a non-combat class that doesn't step into situations where lives are on the line....
Ah — wait. There's one more note.
Maybe this one says something I don't know yet? That thought crossed my mind and I nearly unfolded it, but the moment I saw the phrase written on its surface, my hand stopped.
[Please unfold the second note only when a danger you cannot handle strikes during the mission.]
"...So I'm not supposed to open it now."
Right — she had also said it's best to minimize variables unless viewing a prophecy at a decisive moment....
Damn it. Aside from this note, there's too little information; it gnaws at me.
"But a bard really does seem a bit...."
Even as that anxiety prickled at me, the moment I stepped into the tavern connected to the guild came faster than I expected.
Abruptly, I realized the inside of the tavern — which should have been rowdy — was quiet. I hurriedly pulled my attention from the note and looked up.
Normally, an adventurer's tavern should be a chaotic mess of drunkenness and gambling.
But the tavern I stepped into was not merely quiet — it was serene.
-Tiriring~
Through it all, the clear sound of plucked strings reached my ears.
And the voice of the woman weaving that sound echoed softly throughout.
"La~ Bira~ Rurira~♬"
Yes — there was a woman there.
From her skin and hair to the cloak and robe draped across her body.
A woman with an impression of purity, dyed completely white in everything visible.
"La~ Ta~ Ta~♬ Labiri~ La~♪"
As her voice — as clear as the impression she gave — filled the quiet tavern, I felt my gaze fix itself on her, just as everyone else around me had done.
She was simply sitting in one corner of the tavern, singing a song.
And yet even the lantern light hanging from the walls and ceiling, illuminating the room, felt as though it were a spotlight prepared for her alone.
-Tiriring~
The thought came to me naturally, because every soul here was so utterly immersed.
As if the world revolved around her.
Around those fingers — which even closed her eyes in focus as she plucked the strings — and around the voice that harmonized with the sound they wove.
"Laaaaaaa~♬"
As I sank into that ear-tickling serenity, something began to flutter in a corner of my chest, and my grip tightened on the note in my hand.
Yes. That's the person.
Realizing she was the one who would share my approaching destiny — and feeling my heart surge at the thought....
"Who's making a racket singing in here!?"
That atmosphere shattered in an instant.
-Crash!
In the next breath, a man who had barged into the tavern roughly shoved a chair aside.
And began directing vicious malice toward her.