Encounter in Caulose
My days grew remarkably monotonous after I joined the merchant caravan.
During the daytime, I traded idle chatter with Mandolo. In between, I crushed the random monsters that popped up like Pokémon. When evening came, while the escorts prepared camp, I studied for the academy's practical exam with Iria. At night I trained alongside the escorts and worked on my own cultivation in small increments.
Clang. Clang!
In the early evening the seven escorts surrounded me, swinging their weapons. I practiced deflecting and redirecting them with the demonic energy coiled around my arms. I circulated the internal energy I had refined through the Three Talents Mental Method and trained the Taishan Giant Strength Axe, which I could now apply to even the smallest movements.
“Everyone, thank you for your hard work.”
Once training ended, Iria would scamper over and hand out water to the escorts while I approached Drex—the escort captain and mage—to learn more about magic.
Lowest-grade Demonic Technique has evolved into Low-grade Demonic Technique.
The moment the skill alert appeared, I tested the new Low-grade Demonic Technique. The demonic energy that once only emerged through my skin could now be generated in open air, coalescing into orbs or daggers.
It was a meaningful step forward, so I thanked Drex without reservation.
“I gained an insight thanks to you, Drex.”
“Demonic energy and mana are fundamentally different, so I taught you nothing. It was all your own realization.”
Drex answered curtly, then tilted the bottle of liquor I had offered as payment for his instruction and gave a hearty laugh.
Anyway, these routine days lasted only so long.
After training, Mandolo approached us clapping his hands to draw attention.
“All right, listen up. We enter the city tomorrow. Once we’re inside, each of you…”
While Mandolo assigned tomorrow’s tasks with everyone’s focus on him, I slipped over to Iria. My only job tomorrow was escorting—training—her, so I had no reason to listen.
“Iria, shall we go on a date tomorrow?”
At the abrupt suggestion, Iria silently reached out and clutched my sleeve.
How adorable.
I shook off her grip only to take her hand properly again.
“You have to look at me when you answer, remember?”
“Um… Yes. I’d like that.”
To the slightly flushed Iria I secretly cast Charm once more. As she fidgeted with our joined hands, she smiled brightly and pressed her body closer. I took one more step, lifting her hand to kiss the back of it. I was already wondering how far I would push things tomorrow.
‘Entering the city’ never carried pleasant connotations.
In the Middle Ages, corrupt gate guards were simply common sense. Just look at them.
“Hey now, a man who should know better acting like this?”
Guards rubbing their fingers together while extorting a peddler dressed like a beggar. They might as well have been picking lice off a flea—what could someone that ragged possibly offer? Because they were committing this nonsense in plain sight, the line stretched on forever.
If only Iria had been sitting beside me, I could have killed time teasing or groping her. Instead, Mandolo had claimed the seat next to me and chattered nonstop. Time crawled like sludge.
After enduring that painful wait, our turn finally arrived. The guards immediately began nitpicking again and approached the driver’s bench where Mandolo and I sat.
“This is… we really don’t want to do this, but…”
The guard rubbed his fingers while pretending to look apologetic. I let out a hollow laugh. Mandolo, catching my eye, shook his head, but I saw no reason to tolerate this crap.
I gave Mandolo a nod, then turned slightly and called out.
“Hey.”
“Hm? Some dirty demon ra—”
Before the racist prick could finish, I raised a fist wrapped in black energy and jerked my chin. Try saying that shit again.
The guard’s body locked up. Cold sweat poured down his face.
Yeah, you should be nervous when you pull that trigger on the wrong person.
“Dirty demon race? Go on.”
“N-no, that’s not—”
“Or are my ears defective?”
“N-not at all. Hehe.”
“Then what do I do about what I clearly heard?”
I raised my demonic energy a fraction. His pupils shook like they were in an earthquake. Only when a threatening black thorn orb began writhing above my head did Mandolo grab my arm.
“Ah, I’m sorry. My friend here is a bit hot-blooded.”
“N-no, ahem, it’s fine. These things happen.”
“Haha, we’d love to cooperate, but as you can see my friend’s patience is rather thin… Could you overlook it? Come on, you hold it together too.”
“Sigh… All right. Since it’s Mr. Mandolo asking. What are you waiting for? Let them through!”
As the carriage rattled past the gate, Mandolo exhaled in relief.
“If we get marked by the city guard it’ll be trouble. Don’t do that again.”
I hadn’t acted without thinking. Openly demanding bribes meant discipline was nonexistent. In places like this the underlings skimmed heavily and wouldn’t dare report upward, so I had rolled the dice.
“Understood.”
There was no point in pointless arguments, so I nodded obediently. I wasn’t ignorant of a commoner’s position; I could afford to be understanding.
“Well then, Iria, go enjoy yourself.”
“Yes, Father.”
Upon reaching the Mandolo Merchant Guild building in Caulose, Iria and I were granted free time. Mandolo waved to his daughter, gave me a meaningful nod that said I’m counting on you, and disappeared inside.
“Iria, anywhere you’d like to visit?”
“This is my first time in Caulose too. Shall we just wander around first?”
“Sounds good.”
I cast Charm on Iria as she stuck close to my side and set my priorities. The most important objective of this date was locating the black magician Abrada Shirobe. Training Iria came second. I couldn’t afford to mix up the order, so I refrained from holding her hand as we walked the streets. Iria kept fidgeting, clearly wanting to hold hands. Seeing her like that softened something in me again.
“Iria, I’m sorry I can’t hold your hand while I’m escorting you.”
“No, no, it’s fine.”
“Instead—”
I leaned down and whispered into her ear.
“Look forward to our study session later.”
“Y-yes…”
I stroked her flushed cheek once, then continued walking.
Caulose was a surprisingly vibrant city. Mounted messengers galloped past, golem-pulled rickshaws clattered along, and the lizard mounts we had ridden raced down the roads. The diverse clothing on the streets reminded everyone this was a border town. Those dressed entirely in black were imperial merchants haggling with roughly dressed mercenaries. People adorned with flower decorations—citizens of the Direz Kingdom—handed out blossoms to travelers.
Among the crowd, my eyes caught on a couple standing before an accessory stall.
“Kail, Kail. What about this one?”
“That red flower shape suits you better.”
“Will you put it on me, Kail?”
The woman with the blonde ponytail wore a loose white priestess robe. The light-blond man in a black shirt had clearly dressed up. Holy Kingdom citizens?
As I drew closer the stinging sensation told me the priestess held a rather high rank.
“…”
My gaze had been drawn there, and so had Iria’s. The envy in her eyes made me chuckle. Well, if that was someone’s idea of romance, then it was romance.
“Would you like one too, Iria?”
“Uh, um… yes.”
“Then I’ll buy you one.”
I strode ahead toward the accessory stall, feeling satisfied at the hurried footsteps chasing after me. As I began examining the flower-decorated pieces—
“…Eh?”
The dumbfounded voice from the side made me turn. The priest who looked like a gigolo was staring at me with trembling eyes.
What the hell is this guy’s problem?
I set the accessory down and turned fully toward him.
“What?”
“Ah… that…”
Shaking pupils. Sudden cold sweat. The bewilderment and fear written across his face. At the incomprehensible reaction, my head tilted.
“What? Do you know me?”
I took one step forward; he took one step back.
“Wait!”
The priestess stepped between us. I stared down at the much smaller woman in silence until she took a deep breath, bowed ninety degrees, and lowered her head.
“I’m sorry.”
The priest man followed suit.
“I’m sorry. I mistook you for someone I know.”
That doesn’t seem to be the whole story.
The man clearly recognized me. Was Malphas pulling something again? It was a reasonable suspicion and entirely possible. The moment I thought that, the encounter felt like pieces clicking into place. Still, pressing further felt awkward, so I chose to step back. If this really was Malphas or someone else meddling, another chance would come. I could investigate properly then.
“Ahem. As you can see I’m of the demon race, so I reacted rather aggressively. My apologies.”
“Lord Cardnios, what happened?”
“Ah, nothing, Iria. Just a small misunderstanding. Isn’t that right?”
I turned to the two priests.
“Yes, that’s correct, sister. My companion mistook the person and committed a rudeness.”
“We’re sorry again for reacting discourteously.”
“Since things have come this far, shall we introduce ourselves? I am Cardnios. This is my lover.”
When I openly called her my lover, the slightly blushing Iria gave a polite bow.
“I am Iria Cranes.”
“Thank you for the courteous introduction. I am Maria, and this is Kail.”
Maria and Kail… The names tickled something in the back of my mind. Where had I heard them? They had probably come up in Mandolo’s endless chatter during the caravan, but the man never shut up for even a second, so nothing surfaced immediately.
Before I could recall, Iria covered her mouth in shock.
“Ah, by any chance… are you the Saintess?”
“Ah, haha…”
Maria’s awkward laugh told me Iria had guessed correctly. Then the gigolo behind her had to be the hero—Kyros Penax.
The moment the nagging question resolved, I felt refreshingly clear inside. The hero and the saintess—targets of my main mission. Curiosity surged. The hero looked somewhat foolish, while the saintess appeared spirited and cute. Might as well gather information while I worked on them. It didn’t seem like a bad idea, so I tested the waters.
“Since I was rude as well, I’d like to treat you to a meal. Would that be all right?”
At my offer the hero’s face turned deathly pale for an instant. As expected, the guy really was an idiot. Did he have no intention of hiding that he knew something about me?
I wasn’t the only one who noticed. The saintess slowly shook her head, looking apologetic.
“Strictly speaking it was our party that committed the rudeness first, so we will humbly accept only the kind thought.”
She refused gracefully. With no justification left to detain them, I reluctantly let them go.
To the excited Iria, who seemed thrilled at meeting the saintess and hero, I bought a locket decorated with a crow and lilac. Then I returned to my original goal—searching for the black magician.
I had failed this time, but I would see them constantly at the academy anyway. Starting my work on them then wouldn’t be too late.
“Are you okay, Kail?”
“Haa… Sorry.”
Maria looked up at Kyros with worry, then hugged him tightly and patted his back.
“It’s okay. That man just now felt… unpleasant.”
“Yeah. He was at the Expert rank.”
“There’s more than that, isn’t there?”
At Maria’s question, Kyros pressed his lips tightly shut. That seemed answer enough; Maria didn’t press further. Instead she asked,
“Is he the reason you’ve been so anxious all this time?”
“…Yes.”
“It’s okay. I’ll protect you like I did just now.”
“…Maria.”
He gave her a light kiss and pulled her into his arms.
“Thank you.”
*Maria Helysinax*
