The Black Magician (2)
The Empire was humanity’s first unified nation. Naturally, its capital had become the largest city in all of human history.
And what exactly did that mean?
The Bombardment Fairy cannot contain her admiration at how incredible this is.
It meant there was an absolute mountain of things to see.
Wearing the Holy Shroud with the hood pulled up felt a little warm, but the moment I took in the capital’s scenery, that minor discomfort was shoved straight to the back of my mind.
“……It’s amazing.”
How should I put it? It felt like I’d stepped into one of Europe’s greatest tourist cities—except none of the buildings looked old, and that created a strange dissonance. Structures that seemed pulled straight out of a historical landscape, yet somehow free of any nostalgic weight of the past. That gap itself felt fresh and exciting.
I knew full well I was supposed to be searching for a black magician, but my brain had already flipped into full tourist mode and there was no stopping it. All those months of grinding through training while suppressing every selfish desire had left a mountain of pent-up restlessness that was now running wild.
Andreus understood that feeling of mine far too well.
“In that case, why not take a full circuit of the capital today? It would also serve to familiarize you with the city’s layout and geography.”
The Bombardment Fairy reacts with intense enthusiasm, declaring this an excellent idea.
It was a sweet offer, no question. But the other Holy Knights were out there working hard hunting for the black magician. The thought of me alone strolling around the capital like a tourist felt… a little wrong.
“Do not concern yourself. I will continue spreading holy power without fail.”
“……Then shall we do that?”
My conscience, however, proved no match for pure tourist greed.
And so the capital sightseeing tour—no, the capital reconnaissance—began.
“This is delicious. What’s the name of this dish again?”
“Astaria.”
Astaria. A pasta-like dish with a gentle spicy kick that hit a Korean palate right in the sweet spot. I filed the name away carefully. Once I got back to the Holy See, I’d have to request it for lunch every now and then.
The Bombardment Fairy makes a pouting face, saying she wants some too.
I’d love to give you a bite, but how exactly am I supposed to do that? Rub food into the Holy Shroud? Still, it was a little sad. Not being able to enjoy fine dining meant she was missing out on half of life—or fairy-life, I guess. So the least I could do was eat extra deliciously on her behalf.
I polished off every last strand, wiped the sauce from my lips, and stood. The true joy of tourism was always the food crawl. True to its status as the largest city in human history, the capital was packed with good restaurants—far too many to conquer in a single day. I’d have to invent excuses to leave the Holy See more often just for restaurant hunting. What kind of official reason would work for that…?
I rose from my seat still turning the problem over. Andreus had already settled the bill with a church promissory note, so we could simply walk out. Was that misusing church funds? Well… my medal pension went straight into the church’s coffers, so technically I was just spending my own pension money. Perfectly fine, then.
“Where to next? Any recommendations?”
I asked the man who had now fully descended into the role of my personal tour guide. Guilt? Andreus got to rest as well this way, so wasn’t it actually a win-win? Or not. Whatever!
“I know a place with an excellent view. Would you care to stop by?”
“Oh, really?”
If you were sightseeing, you absolutely had to visit a scenic overlook. But first there was one more stop that needed making.
“Then how about we grab something nice for dessert on the way?”
After something spicy, you needed something sweet to cleanse the palate. Calories? With how much I moved on a daily basis, worrying about gaining weight was just stupid.
“In that case, there is a famous crepe shop nearby. Shall we pick up a few?”
“Let’s go right now!”
Today was a feast day. No one could stop me!
We secured the dessert crepes, and only a few minutes later we arrived at the scenic spot Andreus had recommended.
“……The view really is incredible.”
The entire capital spread out beneath us at a glance. I didn’t know much about architecture, but one thing was obvious: whoever designed this city had poured serious effort into it. Even at a casual glance the layout felt orderly and beautiful. If even a complete amateur like me could sense that level of polish, I couldn’t begin to imagine how much care had gone into every detail. They’d probably maximized practicality right alongside the aesthetics, too.
Time to try one of those packaged crepes. I turned my head to ask Andreus for one—and that was the exact moment I heard it.
“…That route still has a high chance of being discovered.”
A familiar voice. My head snapped toward the sound.
A girl wearing a full-body hood just like mine, accompanied by a massive male escort.
……No way.
“Char?”
“……Huh? Maria?!”
Why was Chartia here? She was supposed to have returned to the imperial palace.
She looked just as startled as I felt; her eyes were wider than I’d ever seen them. Chartia struck first.
“Why are you here?”
The instant the question landed, every alarm bell in my brain started screaming. What was I supposed to say? Searching for a black magician? But that was church confidential information, wasn’t it? Then again, they’d probably already coordinated with the imperial family to some degree. So maybe it was fine if Chartia knew?
After a brief storm of frantic calculation, I settled on the safest move.
“……Rest? Then what about you, Char?”
I answered a question with a question. Chartia’s mouth opened and closed for a second before she finally mumbled,
“……Uh, me too… rest?”
The second those words left her mouth I understood. Rest was absolutely not the real purpose. Our eyes met, and a silent agreement passed between us.
Let’s not dig any deeper.
I gave Chartia a bright smile.
“Oh, perfect timing. I bought a bunch of crepes—want to share?”
“What a coincidence. I picked up some fruit drinks.”
Only then did I notice the large man standing behind her was holding something. That must have been the fruit drinks she’d mentioned.
…It felt a little cold to just swap snacks and part ways after not seeing each other for so long.
“We can eat together over there.”
I pointed to a nearby park. No benches, which was a mild shame, but sitting on the grass would be fine.
I shot Andreus a quick glance to check whether a short chat with Chartia was acceptable. He gave a small nod; no problem, then.
“W-wait—?!”
“Hmm, where looks good?”
I grabbed Chartia’s hand and started hunting for a spot. It didn’t take long—we found a patch of grass already flattened by previous visitors.
“Here should work.”
“…You grabbed my hand so suddenly I jumped.”
“……Ah. Sorry. Was that rude?”
“I was just surprised. It wasn’t rude, so don’t worry about it.”
As Chartia carefully lowered herself onto the grass, her escort stepped forward and held something out.
“Please use this.”
“Ah, thank you. Maria, you sit on one too.”
It was a handkerchief. I was honestly a little impressed. So an imperial princess’s escort even carried things like this. I gave a small nod of thanks—then felt a peculiar atmosphere and turned my head slightly.
…Andreus, you don’t need to look so competitive over something like that.
I set the large leather bag I’d been carrying down beside me and sat.
“That’s a Holy Relic, isn’t it.”
“Well, I can’t exactly walk around the capital with it out in the open.”
I wasn’t trying to advertise myself as a suspicious person, after all. At first I’d considered just wrapping it in cloth, but that actually made it look even weirder. In the end I’d prepared a leather bag big enough to hold the Holy Relic. With an escort walking beside me, I probably just looked like some rich young lady carrying a musical instrument.
Leaving the Holy Relic behind entirely? A Saintess walking around without her Holy Relic was simply unthinkable by church common sense.
Anyway, once seated I picked up a crepe and took a big bite. Definitely sweet. A pure calorie bomb—but the kind of taste that instantly lifted your mood.
I took a sip of the fruit drink Chartia had given me. …It was similar to mango, but a little brighter and fresher. Delicious either way.
Chartia seemed to feel the same; her expression lit up completely. Moments like that made me think she was surprisingly expressive for a princess. Pure, almost. Bad at lying, maybe?
“So good…….”
“Don’t you get to eat plenty of delicious things as a princess?”
“That’s that, and this is this, right?”
I understood what she meant. Eating outside had its own special flavor. Or not. Whatever!
Just sitting in silence and eating felt a little awkward, so I searched for a topic.
…Ah, right. I should ask about this.
“Char?”
“Hmm? What?”
“I heard a righteous thief has been popular in the capital lately. Have you heard about it?”
“Pffft!!!!”
……Uh.
Uh?
“Ah, um, r-righteous thief? I’ve been stuck in the palace ever since you left for the front lines, so I hadn’t heard… uh, um, there was a rumor like that? I didn’t know!”
……Ah. Yeah. Watching Chartia’s reaction just now, I finally understood.
The true identity of the righteous thief currently making a name for herself across the capital.