The Wizard's Story (4)
The Wizard's Story (4)
#
"What took you so long?"
"..."
I just ignored her. Yuri grumbled about it, but it wasn't actually that late, so that was just pointless whining.
When I didn't answer, Yuri tapped my leg with her foot. Fine, she was unhappy about it, was she? Tonight was her turn, so I would make it up to her. I flashed her a grin to convey that, but she furrowed her brow and glared at me. W-was that not the right response?
Yuri kept glaring daggers at me, but the moment Reni came downstairs, her expression turned a little exasperated.
"...How does someone end up like that?"
"Nngh..."
Reni was...
"Pfft."
Apparently, pulling her hood over her head hadn't been enough—she'd wrapped a scarf she'd found who-knows-where all around her face, leaving only her eyes peeking out. Was that why she'd told me to go down ahead of her? So she could pull this? Getting embarrassed now? Yeah, that was hilarious. Truly.
"Is it funny?" "Eep...!"
Maybe they weren't happy about the laugh that slipped out without my control, because both of them started kicking my leg and pinching the back of my hand... You two liked all that so much last night, but now in the daytime you were ashamed of it?! You hypocrites! No—you false-virgins! You two certified-by-a-unicorn types!
...
Reni looked like she was dying of embarrassment, but she must've been hungry anyway because she unwound the scarf from around her mouth and nibbled at some bread. Well, yeah—after spending every night going that hardcore, you were bound to get hungry. Abruptly, Reni raised a hand as if she had something to say.
"What's up?"
"Ah, um, I think I need to go to the Church today. I didn't have time yesterday, so I only contacted Priestess Kate, but today I have to register as an independent priest..."
"Yeah? Then let's go together..."
"Wait. I've got something to do too."
"Huh?"
"Take a look at this."
Yuri rummaged through her bag and then spread a bunch of things out across the table.
"I kept thinking about it last night, and honestly, I think I need to check this place out. If things stay like this, I'm just going to keep dragging everyone down."
What she'd arrayed all over the table were pamphlets for archery academies. She must've collected a whole stack of them from the Guild in the meantime. Skimming the pamphlets, I saw they were packed with advertisements for all kinds of skills.
"..."
Right. It'd be great if I could even pick skills for them, but unfortunately all I could do was boost their stats.
Our skill systems were too different for me to teach them.
When I used skills or magic, it felt like hitting a hotkey. Once I'd memorized the mapping, from then on it was basically the same as using it unconsciously.
Swordplay or throwing techniques—stuff that used your physical body—was a bit more complex. It was a very peculiar sensation.
Using a physical skill felt much like becoming accustomed to playing the piano or handling a knife while cooking. The first time someone sight-read a score, their playing was terribly clumsy, but after dozens of repetitions, the keys gradually became second nature.
Learning a physical skill was like compressing that whole process of familiarization. Something that would take someone else hundreds or thousands of sword swings, I skipped through in just a few. I got used to it without even realizing it, and it felt so natural that it was an eerie sensation.
That was why, even if I learned some archery or mana control, I couldn't teach it to them. I didn't have the experiential know-how that ordinary people gained through training—I was only left with the result.
In the end, whether it was Reni or Yuri, they had to learn from the locals. I'd like to keep them somewhere I could keep an eye on them, but... there was no helping it.
"Okay."
When my expression hardened a little, Yuri caught on and added some explanation, slightly self-conscious.
"I'm going to try looking around a few places today. I don't know how long it'll take, but... at least the mana-aptitude test is free, so I figured I'd go in for a consultation."
"Hmm... in that case..."
"Ah, u-um."
Reni suddenly began flapping her hand.
"M-my, my paperwork—maybe I could do it tomorrow..."
"Reni, didn't you say yesterday that you had to do it quickly?"
"Eep."
"What was it you said? That... Ke-? Didn't you say you had to get it done before that person contacted you?"
"Ugh..."
"So how about you come with me to look at academies, then? Your paperwork doesn't need an observer or anything, right? No reason we all have to go together. Right?"
"Nngh...!"
Reni sank rapidly under Yuri's one-sided barrage. I couldn't see her expression because of the scarf, but the downturn at the corners of her mouth told me she was on the verge of tears again. Reni... you just had to open your mouth, and you didn't even manage to break even.
"So. Who are you going with?"
"..."
As soon as she said that, they both stared at me. Th-the arrow was turning back on me here?!
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Um, is someone named Yoo-jin staying here?"
Perhaps she'd taken the strange silence as an opening. The freckled server approached us hesitantly. Was she always assigned to us? We seemed to meet her often. Yesterday she'd smiled at me with her eyes and ignored me, but now she looked timid, as though none of that had happened.
Well, the mood among the women at the table right then was pretty hostile, to be fair. Even I was a little scared. Anyway, thanks for talking to me, Freckles. Looking at you now, you were kind of cute too.
"What are you staring at?" "Yoo-jin?"
"Ahem. Ahem. That's me. I'm Yoo-jin. What is it?"
Freckles held out a slip of paper to me.
"It came from the Magic Tower. W-well, I'll be off then!"
She turned tail and fled. The note Freckles left behind was written in an old-fashioned cursive script. Let's see what it said...
"What is it?"
"...That wizard who went missing in Emils before. She says she wants to talk a little about him. The payment, she'll give it to me in person."
"Really?"
That was a little odd. Since this was a quest that had come through the Guild, I'd assumed the reward would be handled through the Guild as well. According to Lize, the quest commission had sounded like that. It made sense—the Guild would want to skim its commission that way. But she wanted to meet in person to give it to me? Was that even allowed?
On top of that, I'd already turned over the journal and the remains. Was there something else she was curious about?
The signature read Ariel Ionia. The name sounded familiar. I was certain I'd heard it before. It was probably worth meeting her.
"...You two take care of what you need to do. I think I should go to this place."
"Th-then, you could g-go with me as far as there, at least."
The Magic Tower was definitely to the north... in the same direction as the Church. Reni's eyes lit up when she realized that.
"Tch..."
Yuri pouted out her lower lip, then suddenly her eyes flashed and she grabbed my ear, pulling me toward her.
"Today's my turn, right?"
"H...huh?"
"You said last time that you'd do whatever I wanted, didn't you?"
"...D-did I?"
"You did, you bastard! I, because of you, I... ngh...!"
...Right. I had shaved her bare down there. Thinking about it got me a little worked up. But Yuri looked so aggrieved that tears had even gathered in her eyes.
"O-okay. Fine."
"...Heehee."
Her face transformed instantly into a grin. She let out a weird little laugh as her eyes glinted....Wait a second. This girl—pulling her hand away from her side like that... she'd been pinching herself!
What on earth was she planning, to go this far? The coming night was starting to feel a little frightening. This was a first. Don't tell me she was planning to wear that goblin mask again?!
"No goblins."
"It's not that."
"...No orcs, no trolls—anyway, none of that. Don't do it."
"Hmph."
Yuri gave a derisive snort and smirked.
Hang on, though. Didn't she say she wanted to set the mood properly?! Last time she wrecked the atmosphere anyway and it ended up a mess—did this girl actually not have much interest in that sort of thing?!
In any case, once she'd gotten a firm answer, Yuri slapped the table and stood up as if the matter were settled.
"Let's move fast. Today's going to be busy."
"Right. Reni, get up too. And at this point, just take that scarf off."
"Hng..."
# # #
We parted at the enormous crossroads that divided the city into four quarters. Yuri headed west toward the Guild and training halls, while Reni and I headed north toward the Church and the Magic Tower.
The moment she'd said goodbye, Yuri took off running like she was genuinely in a hurry, and as soon as she was out of sight, Reni immediately latched onto my arm.
"S-somehow it feels like it's been a long while..."
Reni beamed as she said it. Yeah, it did. Just the two of us being affectionate like that was nice too.
"Yah."
"Ah..."
I disentangled our arms and wound my own around Reni's waist. Her face flushed bright red in an instant. Did she think it was too blatant?
"We shouldn't..."
She grumbled under her breath and glared sweetly up at me, but she didn't try to break free. She just rested her hand on top of mine. Had her tolerance level gone up? If that was the case, then a little squeeze of her belly fat—squish, squish...
"Eep!"
She pinched the back of my hand again, but by now that level of attack was just laughable. I'd gotten used to it, and with my level-up it barely even hurt...
"N-nooo..."
"!"
Th-this priestess, don't tell me right here...! Was she genuinely an exhibitionist?!
-Ding!
And my points were being tallied right then?! Shuddering, I didn't stop my hand...
# # #
Reni and I parted in front of the Magic Tower. The moment she left my side, she scampered away... Was something going on? It even looked as though she'd used Acceleration!
Anyway, I pushed open the Magic Tower's door.
The Magic Tower was a building with a slightly sleek, modern feel. Off to one side was a counter for visitors; on the other side, people who looked like wizards came and went. I handed the note to the receptionist, who told me to sit down at a table on the ground floor and wait.
"...I just wait?"
"Yes."
"No, but still..."
"You simply wait."
...What an ass. Come to think of it, wizards in the original novel had been smug and insufferable too. Yuri's boasting was an endearing act born from bravado, but these people were the real thing.
I was starting to feel like I'd gotten tangled up with the wrong crowd.
The spot the receptionist directed me to was full of tables intended for meetings. Wizards in all manner of flashy outfits. A few among them wore an insignia depicting a woman's torso on a serpent's lower body.
The Lamia Clan was supposedly a major clan, and they certainly stood out. Their equipment looked high-grade as well. I wondered how those three idiots were doing.
The reason I'd helped those idiots whenever I saw them was partly because it was an easy thing to do, but also because at base I figured it fell under the category of good deeds. And since I could randomly earn Golden Tickets by doing good deeds, there was no downside to helping them out.
But even after helping them several times, there was no sign that anything was going to pop. In that case, the next time I ran into them I could squeeze a little more out of...
"Are you the one who accepted the search quest for Rymer Holstein?"
A voice pulled me out of my thoughts. Following the sound, I spotted a plain gray figure that stood out from the other wizards.
The figure was rather short, dressed in a gray conical hat and gray robe and carrying a staff. A silver longsword even hung at the hip.
...A wizard with a sword? Was this some kind of troll build?!
"I would appreciate it if you answered the question."
Wh-what had the name been? Rymer Holstein?
"Er, well, I'm here because of the missing-wizard search quest at Emils."
The owner of the conical hat lifted her head. And then I couldn't help drawing in a breath.
Gleaming silver hair, mysterious violet eyes, skin as white as moonlight, and long ears. Even among all the demi-human races, the most beautiful face.
An elf. I'd seen a few demi-humans in passing, but this was the first time I'd met an elf face to face.
Wait, this getup and impression...
Ariel, was it? Yes. I knew this woman.
#
Ariel Sivter.
A somewhat decadent elf who went about in revealing clothes and acted overbearingly. A wealthy woman, and a prominent local figure who wielded great influence in West Keep.
In the original, she appeared twice.
The first time was when the hero's party arrived in West Keep: she hosted them, pried into each of their abilities, wined and dined them well enough for one night—but once she learned their capabilities, she chased them out as though disappointed.
The second time was at a hot springs city far, far to the north.
Ariel formed a pact with the ice spirit Naias, then drove the spirit into a rampage and buried the entire city in ice. Her epithet at that moment was the Frost Witch.
Once united with Naias, Ariel was no longer someone you could even converse with—she'd simply become a monster that had to be taken down.
So I'd made some preliminary plans about heading north, but... she showed up here?
"I suspect staring at a person's face that openly is somewhat rude."
"Ah, s-sorry."
"Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Ariel Ionia."
"...Pleasure to meet you. I'm Yoo-jin."
Even her name was a little different. No, her family name was different. In the original it was Sivter, but she'd given it as Ionia. Was this really the same elf I knew?
"Rymer Holstein... will you tell me how you found that man?"
"...All right."
I told her what had happened in the Slime Dungeon, phrasing the part about the slimes violating those idiots somewhat indirectly. The journal had mentioned the Aphrodisiac Slime, so she'd understand what I meant. Naturally, I didn't mention that I had made one slime my familiar and taken it with me.
"I see..."
...Her manner of speech was a little odd, but her overall attitude had been normal so far. This elf—the one who was supposed to be that overbearing and later send a spirit on a rampage? Why would she do that?
Ariel bit her lip. Then she abruptly lowered her head, murmuring as though embarrassed.
"Thank you for telling me the story. By rights I should render you payment, but... at the moment I am experiencing some financial difficulties, so I am unable to disburse it. Could you wait a little while?"
"That's..."
I thought for a moment, then opened my mouth. This elf was a part, or a trigger, of a massive future event. I needed to keep her close and figure out what was going on. In that case...
"I don't need payment. Instead, I'd like you to join me as a companion, even if only for a while."