68. Getting a Job Is Hard Here Too (5)
68. Getting a Job Is Hard Here Too (5)
"It was amazing! Every time you swung your shovel, the examiner got pushed back, and everyone was shocked!"
Millia spun her arms around as if trying to imitate what I'd done. At her utterly childlike behavior, I chuckled and said,
"He was weaker than I thought."
I wasn't bluffing. I really meant it.
The examiner had been weaker than Reni while she was drugged. His raw physical ability was superior to mine, but my experience, forged through life-and-death struggles, wasn't inferior to his. I doubted many people had spent more time grappling with monsters than I had. There had even been periods when I fought them around the clock.
Of course, I did benefit somewhat from the unique nature of the shovel as a weapon.
It could thrust, slash, and bludgeon. Who in this world had ever encountered someone who used a shovel as a weapon? In my old world, shovels had a history as useful close-combat weapons in the military, but this was a fantasy world.
People here ran around with swords, spears, guns, and bows. No one ran around with a shovel.
I had originally used the shovel to take advantage of my abilities, then ten years of relentless Shoveling turned it into a weapon. I might have been the only person in this world who seriously used one as a weapon.
Or maybe not.
"Still, it was a pretty interesting place."
"Everyone had such bulging muscles, it was amazing! Does wielding a sword make everyone turn out like that?"
"If you wielded a sword, you'd turn out like that too."
The members of the Warrior Guild had all been tempered by life-and-death combat, so it was only natural that men and women alike were muscular. Swinging weapons naturally built muscle.
"Then I don't want to use a sword!"
"Sure. Don't use one."
I had never expected her to, my little mascot.
We kept chatting as we walked. Our next destination, the Wizard Guild, stood on the exact opposite side of the Warrior Guild, so we had a long way to go. As I exchanged idle remarks with Millia, I thought back to the Warrior Guild.
The Warrior Guild. In the original story, it was a place the protagonist first visited with Elina. Students from the Knight Department often took requests there to hone their skills. I'd assumed Elina's death meant there would be no reason to visit, yet I'd ended up there anyway. Seeing a place I'd frequently visited in the game under these circumstances felt strangely moving.
The Wizard Guild we were heading toward also appeared in the original game, so I expected to see another nostalgic sight when we arrived.
"Hey, Yohan, what kind of test do you think they give at the Wizard Guild?"
"A magic test, probably."
"Yohan, do you know how to use magic?"
"Isn't my Skill practically the same as magic?"
"Hmm, I guess that's true?"
My Skill was more of a workaround, and its power and versatility were limited compared to real magic, but that was unavoidable given its nature. At least it looked like earth-attribute magic from the outside. I planned to insist that it counted.
Earth magic came out of the ground, and so did my Skill. How was it any different?
It didn't use mana, of course, but I could probably explain that away by saying I borrowed the power of a Skill.
Hundreds of Skills existed in the game, including ones that assisted magic. I only had to insist mine was one of them.
"I want to try using magic too~"
Millia's sudden declaration made me look at her. She genuinely seemed to want to use magic. That was understandable. Who in this world would not dream of it? Anyone would want to try magic at least once.
And this world was truly one where magic could be used.
Not a mere fantasy, but a place where she might actually be able to use magic.
...But could she?
We'd have to test her to know, but magic depended heavily on innate talent. Had natural-born Wizards been as rare as one in ten thousand? I repeated the setting that had come to mind, then spoke to Millia.
"There might be a way at the Wizard Guild to find out if you have magical talent. I'll look into it."
"Thank you! I'll do my best!"
If Millia could use a useful kind of magic, it would be a great help in reaching the True Ending. Her eyes sparkled as she nodded so vigorously that her head looked ready to fall off, and I grabbed it.
No matter how tightly the band held it on, that much shaking might make her head fall off. I only released her after straightening it again. I really couldn't take my eyes off her for a second.
"Hee hee. Magic, magic~"
"If you could use magic, what kind of magic would you want to use?"
"Hmm~ Magic that helps you, Yohan? Hee hee..."
"Magic that helps me, huh..."
"I also want to shoot fireballs, and I want to fly in the sky! And also..."
Millia let her imagination run wild beside me.
She imagined fire, water, lightning, and even the possibility of controlling multiple elements. The childlike excitement naturally made me smile. People around us also seemed to find her adorable and watched her warmly.
"Or like, diving underground..."
"Millia. We've arrived."
"Oh? Already?"
Only then did Millia notice the Wizard Guild sign up ahead and gasp. Its glittering sign resembled neon from a modern city, giving the guild an entirely different atmosphere from the others.
If the Warrior Guild smelled of sweat, and the guilds for Carpentry and Construction had a solemn feel, the Wizard Guild exuded an intensely eccentric vibe.
It had a neon sign, a fake bird made of some unknown material tap-dancing beside it, a lunatic stuffing paper into his mouth by the door, and people with mohawks constantly coming and going. Most astonishing of all were the people who ignored everything as though it were perfectly normal.
How long had this been going on for everyone to ignore those lunatics so casually?
No, more importantly, had it always been like this? The guild had its share of eccentrics in the original game, but wasn't it still reasonably sane?
"Whoa..."
Seemingly sharing my feelings, Millia also stared blankly at the Wizard Guild, her constantly chattering mouth silent for once.
Maybe I should just give up on this one.
I could afford to skip at least one exam.
I was going to become an Escort Knight anyway. I did not really need a Wizard license too.
Something about going in there to get one just reeked of me getting snagged by those weirdos and put through the wringer.
"Millia, let's just skip the Wizard Guild for today and—"
"Oh, what's this, what's this! Awyoo here to visit the Wizard Guild?"
...Awyoo?
I looked at the person who had addressed me with that bizarre pronunciation, and the sight dazzled me.
...A lunatic with a blue mohawk looked me over curiously. A shiver ran across my entire body.
"Who are you?"
"Oh my, who else? I'm a Wizard, of course!"
"No, I asked who you are."
"Just a friendly Wizard who happened to be passing by!"
"Just keep going. Don't make my head spin."
I sighed and glared as hard as I could. It was my attempt to drive the mohawk away with my murderous stare. But the mohawk paid no attention to my words and carried on.
"Yohan, let's go inside! We came all this way, we can't just turn back now!"
"That's right, that's right! It's not a dangerous place, so don't you worry and come on in!"
That avant-garde hairstyle destroyed every scrap of credibility the words might have had.
"Yeah, let's go back... What?"
No, Millia. What in the world were you saying?
I sighed as Millia followed the mohawk inside. Nothing would happen, right? I went after her. The Wizard Guild interior I entered with such worry and unease was... chaos itself.
"You have to write the magic formula like this..."
"Are you crazy? You write the formula like this!"
"Behold! My rainbow dyeing magic!"
Was that a gaming mohawk? I stared at the rainbow-glowing hair and gave up trying to understand.
"Hoho, it's a bit chaotic, isn't it? But everyone here is a good person!"
They were making me uncomfortable. Could they not back off a little?
I barely swallowed the stream of vicious profanity that rose to my throat and asked the overly friendly Wizard with the blue mohawk,
"I came to take the Third-Class Wizard License Exam. Where do I apply?"
"Ah! Third-Class! You can apply by getting in line over there!"
I glanced at the line the Wizard indicated, then turned to Millia, who was busily looking around the guild.
"...Millia, let's go back."
"Huh? Why? What about the test?"
Forget the exam. I wanted to leave!
I did not want to stand in a line packed entirely with mohawks!
"There's no need to be frightened just because they look unusual. Those children only styled their hair that way because they want the Third-Class Wizard License!"
"...What does a mohawk have to do with passing?"
"It's this month's luck-bringing hairstyle, personally selected by Great Sage Kullin! Everyone wants even the tiniest scrap of luck. The Wizard exam is truly difficult! Surely you've heard that its pass rate is below ten percent?"
No, I had never heard that.
"Yohan! How about you try that hairstyle too?"
"Absolutely not."
I'd rather shave my head.
"...Millia. I'll take the exam, so stay here and look around."
"Oh my, you're going to take it?"
"I've come this far; I can't leave empty-handed."
A Wizard Guild license carried more weight than the others, after all.
I took a deep breath and walked toward the end of the line of mohawks.