The True Waste
As if there had been good reason to demand a full two hundred thousand gal, the items Meister designated for delivery were quite numerous. The materials to purchase were no different.
But who was I? The owner of an inventory, was I not?
Since I had yet to stock lunchboxes and drinking water, space was still ample. A few things I could simply leave at the workshop and collect on the return trip.
I made full use of the inventory and stepped out empty-handed.
The way Meister’s face twisted in pure outrage at the sight is a side note. Well, later he flipped to delight, deciding at least nothing would get damaged that way.
“There’s no reason for you to insult my inventions—!”
While buying materials I realized the funds were short—despite having delivered every commissioned piece and collected full payment—and returned to the workshop for a moment.
For some reason the door stood open, and a sharp cry rang from inside. Meister’s voice.
“Ha. Calling advice an insult. That’s exactly why you’re still young. The fact that you’re wasting time is true, isn’t it?”
Is it even okay to walk in right now?
I hesitated in front of the building. Inside, the conversation rolled on without pause.
“Now my research is a waste…!”
“Then if this isn’t a waste, what is? Nine years of nothing but money poured in and zero results?”
Whoa… look at the level of that remark.
“Your research goal is just as bad. Magic items that run without mana? At best they heat water, give off a weak light—little trifles like that. What value do they even have? Do you think ordinary people getting their hands on them will change a single thing?”
“At least they won’t have to beg mages like you for help!”
“Ha. Anyone who plans to beg a mage already has proper wealth. And they come to us not to light fires or heat water—they come for things far beyond that.”
Separately, that man clearly had no idea how valuable simply heating water or even a weak light could be, or what it meant for ordinary people to possess such things.
“Look at reality already! Stop clinging to the impossible and do something bigger! Why throw your talent away on trash like that? What you should be developing is stronger magic and better magic items—not this nonsense!”
I was struck dumb listening to him.
Telling someone else—using talent that wasn’t even his—to abandon what they wanted and do something different instead, declaring it wasn’t their proper work… the sheer gall of it left me speechless.
“Use your talent in the right place!”
He had no idea how rare a fortune it was simply to be able to pursue what you loved, or how much greater a stroke of luck it was to have been born with the talent to match.
“You fucking son of a—!”
“Blaming your own lack of intelligence and ability on others is pretty ridiculous too. Were you trying to prove the only thing you can move is your tongue?”
“……!”
“What…?”
Even knowing we weren’t that close, and that this firmly crossed into character-breaking territory, I chose to step in anyway.
“If you’ve got time to stick your nose into someone else’s business unasked, wipe away your own incompetence first, trash.”
If the argument had been about anything else I might have let it go—but this topic I could never yield.
“Do you even know who I am to speak to me like that?! I am a Sage—!”
“The Magic Tower’s rotten through, hasn’t it? A so-called Sage whose only skill is flexing his rank instead of actual ability.”
“Y-you bastard. What the hell do you know—!”
“At least I know you’re incompetent and powerless. Whether you’re a Sage or a Great Sage, if this were something you could handle yourself you wouldn’t be begging a Grandmaster Craftsman to develop it for you by proxy.”
Yes. Even if it wasn’t my business, I couldn’t simply back down.
“And the world usually calls that incompetence, trash.”
Because I already knew just how wretched a person becomes the moment they possess talent yet are barred from realizing their dream.
“…Pfft. Puhahaha!”
After I had refined and re-refined my rage into a full-throated rant, Meister, who had been listening the whole time, finally exploded with laughter. Probably found it hilarious that the mage was getting thoroughly dismantled without landing a single proper comeback.
Though from where I stood, Meister looked perfectly capable of handling it himself.
“Did you hear that, incompetent trash of a Sage? If you heard, I’d appreciate it if you got the hell out now.”
Well, staying cool when you’re the one on the chopping block is hard. Strictly speaking, I could talk so easily only because it was someone else’s problem.
“…But that doesn’t change the fact that what you’re doing now is worthless! Do you really think the world will change in any meaningful way just because you make those little toys possible?!”
More than that—why was this mage so pathetically clingy? Was he a maggot?
“Even foolishness turns into comedy once it reaches its limit. Get lost. The world will change far more than you think.”
“Ha! What does a non-mage know about any of it!”
I raised an eyebrow at his words.
Right now, a modern person who had lived through the transformation electricity brought to human life was being asked about the developmental value of something essentially equivalent to the battery? As far as I knew, that battery was nearly electricity-level revolutionary.
“Even without being a mage I know that light banishes darkness. That once this spreads, anyone can make efficient use of the nights they once had no choice but to sleep through. How can that possibly lack value?”
“That’s already possible enough as it is! With just that, what—!”
“Ha. Do you truly not grasp what it means to light the night freely without burning through expensive oil and candles? With a head like that, how did you ever become a Sage?”
I looked at the mage with pure, unfiltered contempt. He rattled. Whatever else, my contempt seemed to land cleanly.
“Get lost. I will not waste my time on someone who cannot recognize gold even when it sits right in front of him. That would be the true ‘waste.’”
I had no desire to speak further. I walked inside past him, spine ramrod straight and every muscle tensed so I would look as large as possible—another side note.
The mage, who had been about to say something, simply shut his mouth and watched me pass. This bastard is scared. The intuition hit with near-certainty.
“…Hoo. You’ll regret this!”
Look at that. If he weren’t scared he would have kept barking stubborn rebuttals instead of that tired old line.
“You’ll regret treating me this way—!”
“I clearly told you to get lost.”
“Hic—hik!”
Separately: please leave already, you old fogey. I get called an old fogey myself sometimes, but you’re a completely useless old-fogey-of-old-fogeys.
Clatter.
That guy was even weak to nearby fists. I clicked my tongue inwardly as I watched his back retreat the instant I rested a hand on my sword hilt and spoke a single word.
If I’d known it would end like this I should have kicked him out this way from the start. A brief regret flickered.
Bang!
Anyway, if he was gone, that was enough.
I clicked my tongue again and pulled out the materials Meister had ordered. There were still things left to buy, but for now these needed to be left here.
“Do you really think so?”
Then a question struck me like a thrown spear. Meister’s voice sounded distant, yet desperate.
“Do you really think this will change the world—people’s lives—that much?”
It was the question of someone who needed to hear that the path he walked was the right one.
“…Yeah.”
Ordinarily I would never answer so easily. You don’t casually speak words that could decide another person’s life.
But this had already been proven and concluded on Earth. Answering was fine.
“Yeah. As expected, I was right.”
In the end Meister was the type who would continue even if I denied him. So it was all right.
If someone will keep walking forward no matter what you say, better to cheer them on so they can walk with their head high.
“And you… are the only one among those idiots who actually knows how to think.”
But hearing “I’ll acknowledge you” instead of “thank you” still felt a little annoying. It was exactly like something my friend would say—nostalgic, yet still irritating.
Maybe I shouldn’t have helped.
“More than that—why are you back so soon?”
“Not enough money to buy everything.”
“What…?”
“Hand it over.”
So take the karma you brought on yourself.
Give me the money.
“Here. Payment.”
Six days after accepting the delivery request, I finally received the commission fee. What a drawn-out calculation that had been.
“Interest was calculated using the Adventurer’s Guild standard method, so check it.”
Really, the image of Meister trembling because he didn’t even have material costs was still vivid. When had he grown this much?
I tossed out a half-hearted jab and stored the money in my inventory. Over those six days I had completed several other requests—Meister had been busy with other work, so there was no need to linger at the workshop—and my wallet had grown quite thick.
Though Meister, who had cleared just as many requests as I had, remained completely broke.
Honestly, even with requests coming in from the castle itself, if he still had no money, how much was he pouring into materials?
“Checked.”
Well, I had the money; that was enough. I turned to leave the workshop.
“What, where do you think you’re going?”
What stopped me was Meister. “I finally have time to research your equipment.” Of course the reason was research-related.
“Postpone it.”
“You think my time is that cheap?”
“Then does my time seem cheap to you?”
Unfortunately I had a prior appointment. One with money riding on it, no less.
“Tsk.”
Catching on, Meister let me go. Since he had been the one to postpone research in the first place, he had no room to complain.
“What, why so cheap?”
“Haven’t you heard? When Biryuho died she burned her final life and brought abundance to this land.”
“What? Why would Lady Biryuho…?”
“Dunno. Heard the temple hunted her down…”
“Are they insane?”
I left the workshop district and cut toward the streets packed with ordinary shops. This route was the fastest to my destination.
“The mermen have gone quiet too… it feels just like the calm before a storm. Makes me uneasy…”
“Does worrying like that create any special solutions? If you’re buying, buy. If not, hurry up and move along. For people living day to day, that stuff’s all useless.”
“Eii… then at least show me those grapes.”
More than that, the vegetables and fruit looked truly fresh. That Sangun guy—was he actually doing his job properly?
“Welcome… sir!”
“How much?”
I turned toward the greengrocer’s stall at the sight of the produce laid out. The blueberry-like fruit gleamed so brightly I simply could not walk past.
“One thousand five hundred gal a handful… sir.”
“Unit price?”
“It’s sweet, of… course. If you really doubt it, try one.”
I would not refuse that kindness. I popped a berry into my mouth. Sweet and tart.
Clink.
“Oh my, thank you!”
I paid fifteen thousand gal. This much should improve Frederick’s mood a little. In my mind floated the image of a certain horse growing increasingly foul-tempered from being stuck in the stable.
“Not interested in anything else, sir?”
“Cherries.”
“Oh my, you’ve got a good eye. These were harvested just this morning.”
After packing the blueberries into a cloth, I also picked up a few cherries and apricots. Those were for me.
Crunch.
Whoa, look at that juice. The ripe sweetness lifted my mood a fraction as I bit into the second apricot.
Before long the destination came into view.
“From here on, civilian access is prohibited. Identify yourself.”
With a sharp clack the soldiers guarding the gate crossed their spears. The two shafts forming an X over the door looked exactly like a painting. Discipline was properly enforced.
“I came after receiving a request.”
“A request… are you an adventurer? Then present your plaque.”
Well, if the military discipline of a city where battles broke out at any time was lax, that would be a problem of its own.
I submitted the plaque and waited in front of the gate while confirmation finished. Apparently the gatekeeper himself did not handle verification; the soldier who took the plaque left his comrade and vanished somewhere alone.
“…….”
“…….”
More than that—this remaining soldier’s lips kept twitching slightly, and his eyes kept flicking toward me. Did he have something to say?
“…Um.”
I was debating whether to ask “What are you looking at?” when the sidelong-glancing soldier spoke first.
As if terrified of being overheard, he kept his body rigidly frozen and moved only his mouth.
“Thank you for last time.”
But his gaze was extremely soft. Even though I was certain I had never seen him before. I had no idea why.
“You may not remember, Adventurer… but if you hadn’t stepped forward that day, I would probably have died or lost a leg. I lived because of you. Thank you once again.”
…Uh, is that so. But when exactly did I help you? What I had done in this city was nothing much…
“Ah, that… during the devil-worshipper subjugation.”
…There was that. Right.
But had I actually saved a soldier? I only remembered helping them suppress the enemy. It had been dark and I had been half-asleep, so I hadn’t properly taken stock of my surroundings while cooperating, but still.
“…I only did what needed to be done.”
If he said so, then that was how it was. Learning that my meddling had let him keep his body and his life intact wasn’t exactly bad news.
So I answered awkwardly. The soldier’s eyes curved subtly.
“Exactly the same as I heard.”
That particular remark made me more curious about the circumstances than anything else. What? Where had he heard it? From whom?
“Confirmation complete!”
In the meantime the soldier who had taken the plaque returned.
“Take this, and I’ll guide you. Please do not leave my side.”
Apparently even someone visiting because of a request they themselves had issued was not allowed to wander freely; a soldier tagging along was the bonus.
Meanwhile the one who had spoken to me was a stone statue again, as if he had never attempted conversation at all. A little funny.
“Huh, that person…”
“Someone you know?”
“I told you last time. At the checkpoint…”
“Ahh.”
Anyway I stepped inside under strict control. Whether they didn’t force perfect discipline until break time, soldiers resting off to one side whispered among themselves.
Why was that? Everyone seemed to recognize me.
“You arrived right on time.”
It was the same when I reached the drill ground that appeared to be the destination. While the man who looked like the captain dealt with me, some of the lined-up soldiers rolled their eyes and whispered to the person next to them.
“Who opened their mouth?”
They were caught immediately and glared into silence.
“You’ve already heard the request details, yes?”
Still, he seemed to have no intention of scolding them further in front of an outsider. The captain turned his gaze back to me and continued.
“There is no need to use external personnel for reconnaissance… but the timing is what it is, and a recommendation even came in, so I made a special request this once only.”
But his tone was high-handed, not particularly favorable. The emphasis on “no need to use external personnel for reconnaissance” and “recommendation” made that clear.
Apparently this man had never intended to hire me, but had been pressured from above. I had no clue who had shoved me into the job.
“However, just because you are an adventurer I will not tolerate disobeying orders, breaking rules, or acting as you please. Make that absolutely clear.”
No, but seriously—who was it? The captain’s attitude was none of my business since we would part ways after the job—I had met far worse people on the job—but I rather wanted to know who had forced the hire.
Anyway, I had no backer and this city was completely new to me…?
“We depart in thirty minutes. In the meantime receive the unit rules from the vice-captain and collect a harpoon.”
If the hero party had stuck me in here… they had no reason to… Really, what was going on?
I sank into an unsolvable question. Truly a baffling affair.