Diverging Paths
Chapter 26
Everyone walks their own path, and here I was, excommunicated and thrown out onto the streets in a single day. There were many complicated circumstances behind it, but my identity as Lapiel's disciple was now a dead one.
"The world sure is full of twists and turns."
Events revolving around me never seemed to stop. No, more accurately, I had stuck my head into incidents that were already unfolding. The matters involving the Black Dawn were bound to happen eventually. I had simply gotten caught up in them by chance. A person cannot overcome a typhoon. All one can do is hope it passes safely.
"I should find a room first."
The rooms available through the transmigrator association's support were probably all full. The place where you had to share a room with cockroaches was always packed. They wouldn't provide a room unless it was a new transmigrator benefit. Still, I was fortunate that Lapiel had filled my pockets generously. She had also given me books and tools related to holy magic. This was already more than enough, even after I told her not to give me anything more. At this rate, I half-expected her to build an entire new holy magic tower instead of just excommunicating me. Anyway, Lapiel's love for her disciple was unmatched.
More importantly, if I walked around carrying this much luggage, there was an eighty percent chance I'd run into thieves. Right on cue, as soon as I left the noble district, a group of thugs appeared. They stood at the entrance to a back alley, jerking their chins at me to follow them.
This uncivilized otherworld. Law and order had been thrown to the dogs. A sigh escaped my lips. Naturally, I didn't feel the slightest bit of fear. After provoking the Lord of Red Flames following Cosmic Jack, the Slothful Great Sinner, a few street thugs didn't scare me in the least. Especially now that I had the dignity of a holy mage. Thugs like these? I absolutely couldn't beat them. Even one might be manageable, but against multiple opponents, a holy mage's odds dropped sharply. Ah, the sorrow of being the weakest class.
"What are you dawdling for? Get over here."
The thug's eyes twisted menacingly.
"You come here."
But when it came to sheer audacity, I could confidently claim to be the best in the world. Why should I go to them when my luggage was this heavy? If they wanted me, they could come themselves.
At my words, the thug's eyebrows twitched before he finally stepped out into the light. His lackeys followed in a line behind him. It looked like the thug had spawned a whole litter. There were more of them in the alley than I'd expected.
"I'm out. What now?"
"What do you mean, what now? Go back in."
At that moment, a miraculous voice rang out. I quickly turned my head to see Aranseol walking toward us. The killing intent radiating from her wrapped around the thugs. Cold sweat instantly beaded on their faces.
Aranseol hadn't been able to display her full strength because her opponents had been too powerful until now—Cosmic Jack, the Black Dawn. They were fledglings who hadn't even properly debuted in the world yet. But against mere street thugs, Aranseol was an opponent they couldn't even dream of challenging. Soun's disciple wasn't something you could buy with pocket change.
"Not going back in?"
The moment Aranseol's eyes flashed with even stronger killing intent—
"W-we're going back!"
The thugs scrambled away. At the very least, their crisis detection instincts were excellent.
"Harua."
After chasing off the thugs, Aranseol turned to me with a slightly smug expression. Perhaps because her recent performance had been lackluster, she seemed pleased at having subdued them with just a glare. She was the very picture of being strong against the weak. No, wait—that wasn't right. Even against the strong, this girl was a head-butting dinosaur.
"Thank you, Head-butting Dinosaur."
"……What's a dinosaur?"
Aranseol tilted her head in confusion, but I didn't answer.
"What brings you here? Did you come to see me off?"
"I was thinking of staying with you for a while."
That was unexpected.
"You're a holy mage, Harua. Wouldn't it be dangerous until you get settled?"
To think such a fine child could be born in this uncivilized otherworld. The news of the head-butting dinosaur joining me was like a savior.
"I left a letter for Master. She'll probably be busy for a while because of this incident anyway."
As expected, the Black Dawn hadn't caused just one incident. They had carried out simultaneous terrorist attacks across the world, including at the Grace Magic Tower. Thanks to that, the entire world—including Gladion, the human empire—was in an uproar. Though it hadn't escalated to war, there were constant calls to wipe out the Black Dawn once and for all. At the same time, hatred toward transmigrators had surged even higher. The Black Dawn's origins were, after all, transmigrators. Even though many natives had joined them, all the uncivilized otherworlders could see were the transmigrators. I was living in an era of widespread transmigrator hatred.
"So I plan to stay by your side during that time."
Soun was pursuing the Black Dawn. It would take considerable time to capture them. Therefore, Aranseol acting independently wouldn't be a problem.
"Thanks. You're the only one who thinks about me, Aranseol. Even though you're an uncivilized otherworlder, I'll give you a slightly higher evaluation."
"If you're going to praise me, do it properly."
It was a sincere compliment, yet she didn't seem to appreciate it. My safety was now secured. What remained was money, including food, clothing, and shelter. Though Lapiel had given me some, I would continue to need funds going forward. Becoming an excellent holy mage required expensive materials. Just as seeds needed nutrients, mages needed to consume high-quality elixirs. Fortunately, Lapiel had written out all the holy mage books for me. I had thought she was staying up all night because of work, but she had been carving out time to prepare for this situation. With this, I could grow step by step as a holy mage. However, purchasing elixirs would still cost an enormous amount of money. Though Lapiel had provided some, it wouldn't last a lifetime. I needed to earn money. A lot of it. And I knew how to make that kind of money.
"Aranseol, have you ever been to the second world?"
This world was divided into two. The first world, Astrape. The second world, Urzea. The first world was where transmigrators appeared and natives lived. The second world was where fantasy beasts resided. The resources from fantasy beasts were valuable in the first world. From magic stones to their various materials, they were used in clothing, devices, and elixirs—nowhere was left untouched. Therefore, there was steady demand for pioneer work. Though it carried risks compared to other jobs, it was also good for making a lot of money. Of course, that was only true for pioneers of a certain caliber. The reality was that low-level pioneers barely made enough to live day to day.
"I've never been to the second world."
Aranseol's face showed a hint of interest. It must have been a fresh feeling for her, who had spent every day training.
"Perfect. Let's do pioneer work together while we're at it."
I had gained an excellent vanguard. Now that I was a proper holy mage, I could be of some help too. All that remained was to find one more vanguard to protect me and a rearguard, and the team would be roughly complete.
"I should ask Bulldog."
When it came to pioneer work, no one was better than that man. Though he had already graduated from being a pioneer, he should still be able to recommend people. He had mentioned his son's wedding was coming up soon, and I hadn't heard from him in a while. I headed toward his house for the first time in a long while to meet him. Though it was far from the noble district, it was in a middle-class residential area. The roads were reasonably well-maintained. After walking for some time along the path, I saw the familiar house. It was the same house I had often visited for dinner. Aranseol followed behind me with quick steps, looking around with interest. As someone from another country, she probably felt like she was on a sightseeing trip.
"Bulldog, are you home? It's Harua."
When I knocked on the door, a sound came from inside. Thinking Bulldog would come out soon, I stepped back, and the door opened. But it wasn't Bulldog who emerged. An unfamiliar woman suddenly appeared.
"……Who are you?"
"Who are you?"
We blinked at each other.
"Isn't this Bulldog's house?"
It was definitely Bulldog's house. The slightly sagging part of the roof was his trademark.
"It is. Though that man has been missing for a long time."
"What?"
My eyes widened.
"Bulldog is missing? What kind of nonsense is that?"
"His wife too, I heard they disappeared on the same day. I'm the housekeeper hired by their son. I come by occasionally to clean."
She must have been cleaning until just now—cleaning tools filled the interior.
"It's a shame about the son's wedding. The son's side canceled the wedding and is in an uproar trying to find his parents."
For a moment, my vision blurred. Bulldog was the pioneer I had formed the closest connection with in this otherworld. For him and his wife to suddenly go missing was no ordinary matter. What had happened while I was gone? I couldn't think of anything that made sense.
"……Thank you. If you happen to see his son, could you tell him that Harua, an acquaintance of Bulldog, came looking for him? If he needs help, please ask him to find me at the Pioneer Association."
"Got it. There were several people like you, so passing on the message won't be difficult."
That was Bulldog for you—well-liked by many. Apparently there were several others like me. With a complicated expression, I left Bulldog's house. I owed him a great deal in many ways. I could only hope he was safe.
"Harua, it'll be okay. If nothing else, we can go look for him together."
Aranseol comforted me from the side. In this harsh otherworld, people died every other day. I had become too accustomed to this world to swing between joy and sorrow over each incident.
"……Yeah, he'll be fine."
Those lacking power could only hope. Knowing this fact, I could only pray that Bulldog was safe. In the end, I set aside my worries about Bulldog. If it was him, he would manage wherever he was. His son had probably already requested a search through the Orthodox Army. It would be fine to wait until I heard from him directly.
"Let's stop by the Pioneer Association and then find a room."
I wanted to store my belongings at an inn, but there was a risk of thieves. Though troublesome, leaving my things and money at the Pioneer Association was the safest option. So I decided to head there first.
It was then, as I was walking, that I spotted a familiar back in front of the Pioneer Association. Red hair tied back with a bird-shaped pin. I recognized her immediately. Babiyen Astoria, the disciple of the Lord of Red Flames whom I had encountered at the Starlight Society not long ago. For some reason, she was pacing in front of the Pioneer Association with luggage in tow.
"It's Babiyen."
Aranseol tilted her head as soon as she saw her. Still, she was the daughter of a baron family. Why was she wandering around looking so haggard?
The answer came more simply than expected.
"She got kicked out."
Babiyen had been expelled from the baron family.