The Guild Master's Call
"Where am I……?"
When I slowly opened my eyes, what greeted me was a deep brown wooden ceiling. Only after staring at that ceiling did I realize I had been carried back and laid down beside a roaring fireplace.
"Agh…… w-water."
The moment that fact sank in, I forced my body over onto my side and summoned a stream of cold water.
Gurgle———
The icy water that formed in the air slapped and massaged every inch of my feverishly hot body. Once I had doused myself thoroughly, the muscle ache eased just enough for me to push myself upright with another involuntary groan.
"Augh……."
Sitting up, I found Sigrun dozing in a chair right beside the bed. She must have stayed up all night nursing me.
Waking someone who took care of you all night feels a little wrong, doesn't it……?
I was still debating whether or not to rouse her when the knight, who had been sleeping sitting up, suddenly stirred and lifted her eyelids.
"Mm…… you're awake, Elia."
"Ah, did I wake you? I'm sorry."
"I tend to wake the moment I sense a presence nearby. It's always been that way, so there's no need to apologize."
Sigrun answered with a small smile, then stretched both arms high overhead, clearly stiff from the long vigil.
"Hup……!"
Crack, pop———
The satisfying sounds of joints realigning filled the room. Watching her shake off the last of her sleepiness with a single stretch, I carefully asked,
"Would it be all right if I asked how long it's been since we returned from Bramante Volcano, Sigrun?"
"Of course. If my memory serves…… a little over ten hours have passed since we came back from Bramante Volcano."
"Ten hours…… I was out longer than I expected."
Sigrun glanced at a clock before giving her answer. Outside the window the morning sun was just beginning to climb, confirming that roughly ten hours really had gone by.
Normally I would have come around after six hours, eight at the absolute most. Passing out for a full ten told me just how thoroughly my body had been wrung out.
Probably because it was the first time I went all-out while using True Name Release.
That had to be the reason. I carefully stretched my still-throbbing limbs, which had improved a little but remained sore.
A brief silence settled between us. I was the one who broke it with another question.
"Come to think of it, where is Morana?"
"Ah, that one?"
The subject of my question was the woman we had almost certainly bound and dragged back with us. She was nowhere to be seen in the room, so I asked, and Sigrun began explaining in her usual calm tone.
"She is currently locked in Himrave's prison. Right after the volcano erupted, all traffic in and out of Himrave was sealed off. Carrying you on my back and dragging her along as well, I had no choice but to explain the situation to the militia at the gate."
"Ah, the volcano…… that makes sense."
I nodded at once, understanding perfectly. The earthquake that followed the eruption would certainly have reached Himrave. And the massive stone pillar I had raised to plug the volcano must have been visible even from the city. With both internal and external passage sealed, Sigrun showing up with me slung over her shoulder and a magically restrained Morana in tow would have left the militia with no option but to demand a full account.
"So I told them everything that had happened at Bramante Volcano. Once I finished describing everything I had seen, they took her into custody, saying they would look into the matter again by tomorrow. I stayed long enough to watch them finish the paperwork. When I saw them slap both a mana restraint collar and a mana-suppressing drug on her and immediately contact the royal army, I decided their handling was cleaner than expected and brought you back to the inn."
"That sounds reliable enough. Himrave's militia really do seem better than I thought."
The squad leader who had treated me so kindly yesterday was one thing; Himrave as a whole appeared far more upright than other free cities. And if they had gone so far as to use a rare mana restraint collar and suppressant before handing Morana over, I had nothing left to worry about.
Once my questions were answered, Sigrun turned the tables.
"Then I have a few questions of my own. First of all…… Elia, are you truly only fifteen years old?"
"Yes, I really am fifteen. As I told you before I collapsed, that technique is a self-made overload skill. I simply have a little more talent than most people."
"Even so, to possess that kind of strength at fifteen……"
"Well, every once in a while someone like me turns up, don't they?"
Of course, someone exactly like me almost certainly never would. Being reborn into the body of a game character was hardly a common occurrence.
At my answer Sigrun scratched her head with a hearty laugh and fired off several more questions: whether my body was truly all right, how I had managed to capture Morana, how I had solidified the volcano, and what my plans were from here on. I answered every one of them, and when we finally reached her last question about the road ahead, I laid out my intentions.
"Hmm…… our business at Bramante Volcano is finished, so I expect the next stop will be the Akevia Ocean."
"The Akevia Ocean?"
"Yes. As I mentioned earlier, I'm traveling to collect Elemental Stones for this staff. Now that I have the Fire Elemental Stone, the next one I need is the Water Elemental Stone."
The Fire Elemental Stone was the very reason I had been able to stop the volcano. I had already explained the purpose of my journey—and how I had sealed the eruption—when I told her about the stone. Having secured the Fire Elemental Stone, the natural next target was the Water Elemental Stone.
Sigrun nodded thoughtfully and murmured to herself,
"The Akevia Ocean…… that's quite a distance. It'll take a good half-month at least. Still, from Himrave we should have a decent chance of joining a merchant caravan, so that might be the way to……"
She was muttering as though she herself intended to head for the Akevia Ocean. Before I could ask about that, she rose from her chair faster than I could open my mouth.
Scrape———
Standing, she suddenly bowed low at the waist toward me.
"S-Sigrun?!"
Startled, I cried out, but she remained bent and spoke with perfect gravity.
"Elia. You have saved my life twice. And in my judgment, I have not yet fully repaid even the first of those debts."
"No, just the help you already gave me is more than enough……"
"I only did what I was able to do; I do not consider the debt settled. Therefore, if you will permit it, I wish to join your journey, offer my strength, and repay what I owe."
"Join my journey?"
Sigrun wanted to travel with me on my quest for the Elemental Stones so she could repay the lives I had saved. When I made a small sound of hesitation, her expression flickered with sudden concern and she hastily added,
"Of course, if my company would be inconvenient, feel free to refuse without any burden. I cannot force my own desires upon you. Ah—wait. Phrasing it that way makes it sound as though I am pressuring you, doesn't it?"
She rambled on, words tumbling over one another. The speech was a bit of a mess, but her meaning came through clearly enough. Watching the normally cool-faced knight fluster so thoroughly, I let out a soft, breathy laugh.
"I'm fine with it. I'm not saying yes because I feel pressured—I mean it. I'd be happy if you came with me, Sigrun."
"Truly?!"
Color bloomed across her face at once. And the answer I had just given was completely sincere.
She was an even more formidable swordswoman than I thought.
When Sigrun first offered to help me at Bramante Volcano, I hadn't expected much. But watching her fight, I realized she had not only reached her rank at a young age—her strength far surpassed that of ordinary beginner Sword Experts. She was overwhelmingly stronger than even the apprentice knights of beginner Sword Expert rank in my own family. Until now the volcanic terrain had prevented her from using that transforming armor properly; once she could don the full set, she would make an incredibly reliable vanguard.
So I accepted her company. How long we would travel together remained to be seen, but after fighting side by side we had forged something like camaraderie. With Sigrun along, the road ahead would never feel lonely.
I was thinking that while watching her when her burst of delight finally settled and her usual composed expression returned. Letting out a quiet breath of relief, she said,
"Whew, that's a relief. I should mention this only after you agreed, but…… the truth is, wanting to follow you wasn't solely because of the life-debt."
"Oh? Then why?"
"The debt is still the largest reason, but this time, watching you, I felt something. An instinct that if I followed you, I myself would grow stronger."
"That sounds exactly like something you'd say, Sigrun."
Perhaps the sight of me stopping the volcano had left a deep impression. She claimed she had a gut feeling that traveling with me would make her stronger. I had no idea how simply tagging along would accomplish that, but if she believed it, then the partnership would be mutually beneficial.
I gained an excellent vanguard and traveling companion; Sigrun gained a chance to repay her debt and a path toward greater strength. Nothing but upside for both of us—wasn't that the definition of a perfect travel partner?
I was turning over the shape of our future plans when a sudden knock sounded at the door of our room.
Knock, knock———
Are you within? I have come by order of the Guild Master to escort the two of you.