The Scent of the Western Sea
The plan for Philia, the gateway city of the West, had been a success. The moment I spotted Shinshia smiling beneath a sky dyed in twilight, that was the first thought that came to mind.
“Shinshia’s picked up on the emotion.”
“That lays down the basic foundation, at least.”
Part of me wanted to push things further right then and there, but relationships between people are incredibly delicate and complicated. If I interfered too obviously and got caught, their fresh, budding connection could shatter. So, regretfully, I decided to wrap it up here.
“It’s a shame, but there’s no helping it. Still, communication magic tools are being distributed now, so I can have them send regular messages that way.”
“The timing really is unfortunate. If this were a peaceful era, I could’ve just left Neon here by himself to let their relationship develop naturally.”
It wouldn’t be strange for Magranas to begin its southward march tomorrow. According to the scholars and strategists of the North, it would likely descend within three years. As a northern adventurer, I couldn’t turn my back on that crisis. So my plan was to prepare everything possible over the next three years, defeat Magranas, and then focus on advancing our relationships once we had the time.
“Are we heading back up to the North now?”
“No. Before we return to the North, I want to meet Mister Delian.”
“Mister Delian… you mean the northern representative of the Ancient Civilization Excavation Team?”
“That’s right. We have a personal connection, and there are some things I’m curious about.”
At the Luci siblings’ question, I thought of the scholars who were probably running around the site even now. The Ancient Civilization Excavation Team. Formed after the academic conference held several months ago, it was a collaborative effort between the North and South, backed by multiple factions and operating on a massive scale. With the entire North and South as its primary sponsors, plus the involvement of massive merchant guilds drawn by the scent of profit, politically sensitive nobles, and even the unexpectedly supportive Holy Kingdom, it had become an untouchable organization.
Naturally, every member of the excavation team was a battle-hardened scholar, and the enormous costs of their digs came straight out of the North and South’s pockets. It was an amount an ordinary noble couldn’t even dream of touching, but to the two regions that possessed overwhelming technological prowess and military might, it was barely worth a snort.
“It seems the excavation team has made some recent progress. They’ve discovered one of the ancient civilization’s ruins.”
“They found one? When none had been discovered until now?”
“That’s because Mister Urek, the southern representative, prepared so thoroughly that they could form an excavation team of this scale.”
Urek, the mystery scholar who had presented clues about the ancient civilization at the academic conference, was both an outstanding academic and a talented mystery user. The mystery he possessed was Crystal Divination—the ability to glimpse fate through the reflection of the sky on water. Having devoted his entire life to searching solely for the ancient civilization using that power, it was only natural that he would produce results. He even possessed decent leadership skills; there was an entire school of ancient civilization studies built around him. According to rumors, he had even hired the Yellow Tower elder who could read the memories of the land, so it would have been strange if they hadn’t achieved anything.
“After all, they came up to the North to find investors precisely because they’d uncovered clues about the ancient civilization.”
“True.”
“Even taking that into account, Mister Urek’s abilities are truly impressive.”
Thanks to securing the Libertas Grand Duchy, the North’s largest investor, he had managed to draw massive investment from the South as well. Using that as a foundation, he gathered investments from countless factions and essentially built a politically invincible force.
“If he’d worked as a merchant instead, he probably would’ve created the continent’s top trading company.”
“Makes sense, since he managed to win over that many investors in just a few months.”
Since I had a strong personal interest in the ancient civilization, I planned to visit before heading back north. I also needed to look into the origins of my own abilities. A vague, uneasy feeling that I had forgotten something related to the ancient era flickered through me, but I quickly dismissed it as nothing.
Since the operation had succeeded, I decided it was time to part ways.
“Then I’ll head over to the Blue Tower. Something came up there before I leave.”
“Why the Blue Tower?”
“There are still some people who haven’t come to their senses, so I need to wring them out thoroughly until the very end.”
I had to shake them down to their very souls so they wouldn’t even think about lining their pockets for a long while.
“Storms always strike twice, after all.”
It was time to deliver the final blow to the Blue Tower mages who had relaxed after the auditor(?) sent by the Edenberg Countship had left.
“Preparations complete.”
“Same here.”
I walked toward the Blue Tower with the two princesses who had somehow appeared at my side. I would show them exactly what the essence of the adventurer guild that had managed the entire North for a thousand years truly looked like.
The Luci siblings stared blankly at our imposing departure before shaking their heads with helpless smiles. Having learned through long experience that there was no stopping Argo in this state, they quietly prayed for the Blue Tower’s souls.
A few days later.
“What a refreshing morning! Shall we head to the West now?”
“After wringing the Blue Tower dry like that, you can still say something like that…?”
“That’s exactly why it feels so refreshing. You felt satisfied too, didn’t you?”
“…I can’t exactly say you’re wrong.”
After shaking down the Blue Tower mages until they passed out and normalizing their massive problems, I headed with my companions toward the western region where the excavation team’s headquarters was located. Neon, walking beside me, wore an expression that was half delighted and half sympathetic as he recalled the state of the Blue Tower.
The Tower Master’s authority? Excessive internal interference? When you considered the catastrophic amount of research funds the mages burned through every month, the Tower Master should have been on his knees begging. Even the letter from the Tower Master that had come through Shinshia expressed sincere gratitude for resolving the troublesome issue, so there was no need to worry about future repercussions.
Riding atop Ikelos, who had taken the form of a wolf, I looked at Neon with a meaningful gaze.
“So, how does it feel to have left your beloved childhood friend’s side?”
“…Shut up.”
Neon’s face flushed red as he averted his eyes. Still, the guy wasn’t completely clueless. Maybe all those years of facing monsters had sharpened his instincts exponentially. When Shinshia, who had realized her feelings, began acting differently, he had noticed without much difficulty. At the same time, he had also vaguely become aware of his own feelings toward her. Of course, he hadn’t shown it outwardly.
After all, we weren’t exactly normal acquaintances. Having rolled through life-and-death situations together and entrusted our lives to one another, I could easily read his inner thoughts and had subtly encouraged him.
“A woman like that is hard to find anywhere. Are you really going to let go of the childhood friend who’s only ever thought about you?”
“I know that, but the timing is terrible. What can I do?”
An excuse, plain and simple. It seemed the combination of his identity as a black mage, the existence of Magranas, the fact that he had only just realized his love, and various other factors had created hesitation. He was bolder than any hero when facing monsters, yet strangely timid when it came to matters like this.
Since I had no intention of interfering excessively in my companion’s love life and ruining their relationship, I stopped pushing and focused on our journey. Riding the tireless Ikelos, we occasionally ran into bandits, emptied their pockets, and whenever the two princesses caught the scent of black mages, we tracked them to their lairs and cleaned them out. Time passed quickly that way.
After traveling while happily watching my inventory grow heavier by the day, we finally arrived at the western region where the excavation team was stationed—more precisely, at Philia, the gateway city between the West and the Center.
I scanned the distant cityscape once before taking in the faint sea breeze that brushed past my nose and let out a small sigh of admiration.
“I’d heard the rumors, but the West really does carry the scent of the sea.”
“It must be deeply connected to a water-related mystery.”
As far as I knew, there was no sea in this area. Instead, the massive Pinama River that ran through Philia served as the boundary between the West and the Center. Just like the mountain range that divided the North and Center, a colossal mystery existed here as well, though it wasn’t related to the sea. This sea breeze originated purely from the ocean at the westernmost edge of the continent. It was a unique mystery that lacked the fishy smell typical of the sea and instead carried only a refreshing sensation that evoked the ocean.
Having arrived at this fascinating place in many ways, we headed for the entrance of the gateway city. The guards at the gate were startled when they saw us riding Ikelos, but they quickly regained their composure and responded appropriately.
“Welcome to the gateway city of Philia. May we see your affiliation and identification?”
“I am Argo, a Silver-rank adventurer affiliated with the North.”
When I introduced myself and showed them the adventurer badge I had stored in my inventory, the guards’ eyes widened in surprise. The fame of northern adventurers was widely known, but it was rare to see them traveling to other regions. Northern adventurers were usually too busy dealing with problems in their own territory. While it might be different in the Center, the continent’s transportation hub, or the South, where exchanges were active, the West and East had virtually no connection to the North. Recently, the ancient ruins excavation team had set up nearby, so they had begun seeing more adventurers, but the escorts for the excavation team were only Bronze-rank at best.
Of course, even a Bronze-rank adventurer was stronger than most knights in the Center, but compared to the Silver-rank adventurer standing before them, they naturally paled in comparison. The guards, having identified my rank, straightened up with tense expressions.
“It is an honor to meet you!”
“If you are visiting the lord’s castle, please let us know! We will contact them immediately with a magic tool!”
“That won’t be necessary. I’m here on business with the excavation team.”
I politely declined their kind offer and entered the city. The guards watched us for a long time as we dismissed Ikelos and walked inside before immediately pulling out an emergency crystal orb.
A group consisting of multiple high-ranking knights and high-ranking mages had arrived. While they were a step below Sword Masters or Archmages who had transcended the limits of living beings, they were still beings capable of superhuman feats by ordinary standards. Even great nobles who possessed vast territories and countless vassals could rarely keep more than a handful of such powerhouses. Four individuals who could be granted hereditary baron titles and fiefs if they pledged loyalty to the empire had just arrived. For the Margrave of Philia, it was like a bolt from the blue. The guards therefore relayed the news through the crystal orb exactly as they had been trained to do, hoping that their visit would not bring great harm to the city.