Summer Heatstroke is Terrifying
Lapiel's summons.
Hearing that, I headed straight for her office.
When my master calls for her lovely disciple, how could I laze about? The proper thing was to visit her promptly.
The moment I stepped into Lapiel's office—
“Who are you? Bring our master here.”
“If you still have the energy to talk nonsense, you must be doing better than I thought.”
Lapiel, who had pulled an all-nighter or two, was there. She sat slumped in her chair, looking utterly exhausted.
I went inside and opened the curtains and windows first to let in some fresh air. Lapiel's complexion improved noticeably.
I brewed a cup of coffee with skill far superior to the crude methods of this world's natives and placed it in front of her.
“Is work really that busy?”
Lapiel had been so swamped she couldn't even witness Shishiroka's final moments. Even so, she had managed to see me every day, though she had arrived too late in the end and could only swallow her tears.
“The Magic Tower has been in complete chaos lately. Work keeps piling up on my end too. Believe it or not, I'm the Vice Tower Master.”
I knew she was of the Grace Magic Tower Master's bloodline, but I hadn't expected her to hold the position of Vice Tower Master.
“Anyway, this recent mess has been nothing short of hell.”
“So, did you call me here because you can't stand looking at your unworthy disciple anymore and want to kick me out?”
“Want to leave?”
“I've already buried my bones here.”
No way I was giving up a roach-free place to sleep.
Lapiel's expression softened a little, perhaps thanks to my joke. I quickly moved behind her and gave her a shoulder massage, and her face relaxed even more.
“I picked a good disciple.”
“A capable one, at that.”
“Right. So, I have a favor to ask this capable disciple of mine.”
“I think I should help you bathe first.”
“W-wait, do I… smell?”
I didn't answer.
Lapiel checked her own collar, and the tips of her wing-like ears turned bright red.
So the angel race's ears flush when they're embarrassed. First time I'd seen that.
“Ahem, ahem. Anyway, the favor itself isn't difficult. It's just going somewhere, saying my name, and bringing one person back.”
“Why ask me, of all people?”
“Right now, everyone who can use my name is too busy to move.”
I see.
Well, I was technically Lapiel's disciple. Using her disciple's status would at least save face in whatever situation this was.
“Fine. It's not like going somewhere is hard. I'll get some fresh air for once.”
Now that I said it, I could guess Lapiel's real intention. She wanted me to get out of the mansion since I'd been cooped up there lately.
Anyway, Lapiel really did care about her disciple.
“Soun's disciple will be going with you, so it shouldn't be a problem. She's an acquaintance of his too.”
“You mean Sohan?”
“Huh? No.”
A bad feeling crept over me. A very bad feeling.
“It's Aranseol.”
Damn it. That fucking racist fox.
* * *
I roughly understood the situation.
Aranseol had obviously pretended to be kind in front of Soun and Lapiel, hiding her true nature. So she couldn't refuse Soun's proposal.
In the end, Aranseol and I ended up traveling alone together.
I held the letter Lapiel had given me.
Summer had already arrived.
We stood under the blazing sun in silence, waiting for the regular carriage.
The public transportation of this world was carriages. Not ordinary ones, but massive carriages that could easily seat thirty people. They were pulled not by horses but by some large rhinoceros-like creature.
We would take this regular carriage to the airfield. From there, we'd board an airship to reach our destination.
The distance was far enough that Lapiel had sent me instead.
My eyes flicked toward Aranseol.
I'd heard the Outer Horn Tribe's homeland was relatively cold. The human capital had distinct four seasons, so summer here was hot. Perhaps because of that, she—who was weak to heat—had beads of sweat forming on her face.
The droplets ran down her cheek, past her pale neck, and disappeared into the valley of her chest.
I looked away, not wanting to get caught staring.
Aranseol and I hadn't exchanged a single word since leaving the mansion. I didn't compromise with racists. I should've never pretended to be friendly with her from the start. I only worried because Lapiel might be concerned, and now the situation had become a headache.
If only Sohan were here, at least we'd have someone to talk to, but Soun had taken him away for work. Useless when it actually matters.
Buzz—
Cicadas existed in this world too. They chirped obnoxiously, as if desperate to mate. Thanks to them, the awkward silence was at least filled with something.
Shhhk—
To escape the silence, I unfolded the map. The place Lapiel had asked me to go was the forest where the fairies lived. The leader of the fairy race there was the acquaintance Lapiel wanted help from.
The distance was considerable, so the journey would take quite some time.
Just then, I felt a gaze and turned to see Aranseol glancing at the map too. She must have been wondering how far we had to go.
I didn't like that she was a racist, but we were still traveling companions. When I handed her the map, Aranseol accepted it without a word.
This wasn't some contest over who would speak first. I had no idea what we were doing.
I absolutely refused to lose.
I didn't even part my lips.
Aranseol seemed to share the same thought and silently returned the map.
Soon after, the regular carriage arrived. We each paid our fare and boarded. The carriage was crowded, so there was only one empty seat. I quickly sat down in it.
Aranseol shot me a glare for a moment. Of course, I ignored it. She stood every day during training anyway, so standing a little more wouldn't hurt.
In the end, Aranseol chose to stand, gripping the handrail instead of sitting.
“Regular carriage number 103, departing now.”
With the conductor's voice, the carriage began moving, kicking up dust.
The regular carriage had cooling magic, but it wasn't as cool as an air conditioner. Combined with the summer heat and the number of passengers, it was sweltering.
Shouldn't someone develop air conditioning for these primitive otherworlders? There were plenty of mages, so I wished someone would just do it already.
While I was earnestly hoping for that, the carriage kept moving steadily. People got on and off at stops, but the number of passengers never really decreased.
I realized it again—Koreans really didn't have much body odor. On top of that, these damn otherworlders had far lower standards of hygiene compared to modern society, making it even worse.
I wished I'd get rhinitis so I couldn't smell anything at all.
While thinking that, something dripped onto my head.
When I tilted my head up, I saw Aranseol with her face drenched in sweat. Her collar was soaked through, revealing glimpses of the skin beneath.
But her face was the real problem.
It looked like she was on the verge of melting.
Her face was flushed bright red, and her breathing was ragged.
I knew it the moment I saw her.
“Shit, stop here! Stop the carriage!”
It was heatstroke.
Before things got worse, I shouted and dragged Aranseol off the carriage. I took her to a nearby teahouse and sat her down in a cool spot. She was so dazed that she just let herself be pulled along.
Lapiel had given me plenty of money for meals on the way. I ordered something cold to drink and activated holy magic on Aranseol.
To think the first person I'd ever heal would be Aranseol.
Once the holy magic took effect, her expression eased a little. The heat flush on her face subsided, and her red skin faded considerably.
“Would you like a fan?”
The server, noticing Aranseol's condition, brought one over.
“People from the Outer Horn Tribe and beastkin often suffer from heatstroke around this time.”
So that's why they kept fans on hand.
“Thank you. We'll use it well.”
As I fanned Aranseol, her eyes gradually regained focus. Then she met my gaze and asked blankly,
“……What are you doing?”
“Saving a life.”
Aranseol slowly looked around. Realizing she was in a teahouse, she tried to stand up.
“I thought we were still on the carriage……”
“You have heatstroke. Don't move. Just sit and rest. That's the answer.”
When I fanned her more, doubt filled Aranseol's eyes. She was wondering why I was taking care of her.
Well, Aranseol and I didn't get along. More precisely, she had drawn a line between us.
“Someone's dying. That kind of thing doesn't matter.”
I had no intention of letting pride get in the way when someone's life was on the line.
This was something I'd learned after coming to this world.
I'd been thrown here with nothing, been killed, had my pockets picked clean. What I realized was that people couldn't survive alone without others' goodwill.
The reason I could eat and sleep in peace now was because of Bulldog's goodwill and Lapiel's goodwill.
If I'd survived thanks to goodwill, then I should return it with goodwill.
Of course, I'd stab anyone who tried to stab me. But I had no intention of ignoring someone dying just because we didn't get along.
Just as I didn't want to die, neither did anyone else.
Aranseol stared at me blankly. Then she slowly opened her lips.
“……Thank you.”
At least she knew how to say thank you. Good to know she wasn't completely shameless.
“If you're weak to heat, say so in advance next time. Heatstroke is scarier than you think.”
People didn't die from heatstroke in the summer for no reason.
“……”
Aranseol seemed to recognize she'd been wrong and didn't say anything else.
After that, Aranseol and I talked a little more. It was only about necessary things, but it was a huge improvement.
Before long, we finally arrived at the airfield.
“This is the airfield. Please exit through the right door and watch your step.”
People poured out onto the airfield. Aranseol had an otherworld-style cooling patch stuck to her forehead. It looked a little funny on her pretty, expressionless face.
“……Don't laugh.”
Sharp senses.
The airship was even larger than I'd imagined when I saw it up close. After paying and boarding, it quickly rose into the sky.
The airship's power source was magic. Just how far did magic in this world extend?
They said sufficiently advanced science was indistinguishable from magic. Conversely, sufficiently advanced magic was also indistinguishable from science.
Of course, even if magic advanced, the citizens' awareness was still far removed from modern standards. These primitive medieval otherworlders remained the same.
Even now, many people were glancing at Aranseol. Her appearance stood out too much.
If they knew what was inside her, they wouldn't look at her like that.
When I glanced at Aranseol, our eyes met. She stared back for a moment before shrugging and looking away.
For some reason, she seemed smug, which annoyed me a little.
Well, she probably knew best how pretty she was. Still, out of spite, I decided not to tell her she still had the cooling patch on her forehead.
I just wanted to finish this job quickly and go back.
The airship continued onward.
“Ah.”
Following Aranseol's voice, I looked up to see a dense forest and an especially massive tree. It was so enormous it nearly touched the clouds in the sky.
The symbol of the fairy forest and the fairies' home.
The Tree of Breath.
The tree said to contain the world's breath.
The airship would pass over the fairy forest and land in a nearby village. We'd be able to get off soon.
Or so I thought.
“Hey, isn't something flying toward us?”
Until a child who had been pressed against the airship window spoke up.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
And something that flew in destroyed the airship's power source.