Black Mage Subjugation War (1)
A small, insignificant snowball.
The tiny snowball rolled by an unremarkable adventurer began to roll.
The city's secrets finally revealed—black mages lurking beneath the glamorous lights.
We couldn't pinpoint exactly what they were doing or what scheme they were plotting.
But at the very least, we left behind a solid clue to unravel the city's blessing and curse.
People flock to the fresh news swirling around Tebris.
Seasoned mercenaries gunning for one final big score before retirement.
Not grand mages or sword saints, but skilled mages and knights for sure.
The hordes of adventurers already there before the word even spread.
Even vagrants who'd despaired of ever escaping the city again.
They covet the treasures hidden in the underground ruins, the rewards promised after lifting the curse.
Or they hunger for the black mages' century-old research logs, or whatever fruits a hundred years of experiments might yield.
And.
A woman steps into the fray of the already underway black mage subjugation war.
The gray mage, Asha.
Her identity tightly concealed beneath robe, necklace, bracelets, and anklets, she slips into the chaotic city to claim what her beloved desires.
Will she.
Safely seize it?
From the darkness finally exposed, amid the masses who've flocked in droves.
Can she keep her gray identity from being uncovered?
At the moment of decision, can you pick the right choice?
Asha.
Please, make the right call.
A choice that lives up to our expectations.
The carriage rattled along.
Eileen had whined about staying in the village where letters flew in for just ten days to wait for her own, but.
"That's too much."
"I've heard 'too much' at least a thousand times already. Isn't it about time to drop it?"
I flatly refused her plea and turned the carriage straight toward the city of Tebris.
I wouldn't know what problem needed solving until I got there, but my gut said to follow the prophecy's lead.
Which meant.
For days on end with barely any rest, the only sound from the carriage was Eileen's grumbled "too much."
"I wanted to get a letter too..."
"..."
"Too much..."
So I had no choice but to say the one thing I'd absolutely refused to utter.
Honest to god.
At this rate, I'd collapse from combat incapacity before we even reached Tebris, so I gave her the words she craved.
"Phew... When I have some leeway, I'll swing back there for sure and stay ten full days. So please, cut it out now."
"...Really?"
"Yes. Even if it's a bit late, I'll come back for sure, so stop sniffling."
Sometimes, chatting with Eileen while dragging her along feels just like raising a kid.
"For real...?"
"Yes, for real."
"Whoa! Lady Asha, they say Tebris is a tourist paradise—aren't you excited?! A city where night never falls! Glittering lights everywhere, all sorts of fun to dive into! If we just bring back the night, I'll be a millionaire?!! Talk about the land of opportunity! Let's hurry up, get rich, and return in glory!!"
"..."
One promise was all it took to revive the spark in her eyes, dulled for days by gloom.
The girl who'd only muttered "too much" now unleashed a torrent of pent-up chatter right into my ears.
Which is to say.
She's not quite an adult yet, so treating her like a kid is fair game, but maybe I've hooked myself to the most childish girl among kids.
"Hmm, what should we do first when we get there? Oh, wait—since the prophecy's about solving some problem, we gotta focus on that, right?"
"Sigh... Yes. We'll probably wrap it up quick and leave the city. Don't wanna linger where crowds gather."
Sure enough, despite slumping moments ago, she perked right up, yanking at my clothes from the driver's seat and firing off words nonstop.
"Ah, then—after solving it, just two days—no, one day! I wanna wander around sightseeing for one day!"
"Got it, so be quiet."
"Yep!"
Beaming with anticipation, Eileen gazed at me, lips curved up even as she clamped her mouth shut and bobbed her head.
But.
"But Lady Asha!"
"Shut it."
"Yep."
That cursed mouth couldn't last five minutes, forcing me to spit out a curse.
Our carriage pushed hard and reached the outskirts of Tebris.
"No way, the line for carriages... Lady Asha, this has gotta be ten times Litera's scale...?"
"..."
The entry queue for Tebris started right where the walls tapered off—a sight so absurd it was almost funny.
I turned to Eileen, who clutched and tugged at my hem.
"Wanna ask the carriages ahead or behind why so many people?"
"Please."
"Yep!"
The moment I nodded, she flashed a grin and dashed off with a do-do-do to the one behind us.
Chatting with the driver, nodding, gasping in awe, bouncing with excitement—she threw a full tantrum.
She came sprinting back yelling "Jackpot!" like a puppy thrilled over a treat, and honestly, I had to stifle a chuckle.
But the news she brought wasn't funny at all.
"Lady Asha! The city's secret's kinda out, and they're forming a subjugation force against the suspected black mage culprits! Everyone's gathering to join it!"
"So then..."
"Yeah! This has gotta be the problem we're meant to solve!"
"..."
Probably spot-on, what Eileen and I figured.
Wherever Ain passed, some undeniable change followed, so if it was a shift in that city, this had to be it.
I bit my lip hard.
If all these people swarmed for the same reason I had to handle... wasn't it a bit dangerous?
"Lady Asha? What's wrong? With a subjugation force, solving it'll be way easier... Oh."
"..."
Eileen caught on late, her excited chatter cutting off as she glanced between me and the surrounding carriages with an "uh-oh" look.
Two problems, plain as day.
First, even with artifacts hiding me, my identity exposure risk just skyrocketed.
Second, could I snag what Ain wanted amid this mob?
Stuck with both headaches, could we still reach the outcome the prophecy—and Ain—desired?
I pondered long and hard, but nothing solid surfaced. It scared me a little.
As the line shrank and our carriage inched forward, I tugged my robe hem tighter over my face.
Anyway.
Our carriage made it inside the city unscathed.
Maybe chaos nixed proper checks—the guard just glanced at the adventurer card and waved us through.
"Whoa... The sky's so bright. It was getting dim for sure."
"..."
Entering the city, Eileen stared blankly at the suddenly radiant sky and murmured as much.
What a bizarre phenomenon.
For a century, no night fell—no sleep needed, no fatigue felt.
Everyone pouring into this anomalous city streamed one way.
"Lady Asha, that big building way over there's probably the rally point."
"Yeah, I see it."
No breather in sight, apparently.
Not that we needed one—no fatigue in a place like this.
So.
I flicked the reins to follow the other carriages.
Fussing with my robe hem to mask unease, I gripped the glowing sapphire necklace tight.
Then a quiet voice from the luggage compartment.
"Lady Asha, it'll be fine."
"What's fine out of nowhere."
"If it comes to it, we grab the reward and bolt!"
There was Eileen, grinning wide with her weird pumped-up gestures.
"That'd be a crime."
"Hmm, but getting a bounty on your head sounds pretty romantic, no?"
"...You're hopeless."
"You bet! Even if you turn criminal, I'll tag along! That's romantic too!"
She kept clutching and shaking my robe hem.
I couldn't help but chuckle.
Because.
Even as the carriage rolled up to the rally point.
Eileen's playful words and antics never let up.