After Wrapping Up a Fruitful Conversation
Having finished a profitable conversation, Ian stepped out of Anorilsil in high spirits—only to spot a fresh-faced youth and flinch in surprise.
“Hey, wizard! All done?”
“...”
This guy, showing zero reservations and oozing familiarity, was none other than Bernard. It was downright terrifying how that slippery face was starting to feel familiar.
“Headed back to the village? Let me give you a ride!”
“No need to go to the trouble. Just ask that knight from yesterday...”
“Ahh. Sir Hanson’s off on holiday today. Heard he’s finally going out with his wife.”
Tch. Ian clicked his tongue briefly. Sir Hanson, was it? He actually wanted to see that knight. The man was a hundred times more trustworthy than Bernard.
“Today, I’ll personally show you around River Bill!”
Ian found Bernard’s offer annoying. He was staying in River Bill to rest, but tagging along with this guy would turn it into anything but. What? Roaming around during downtime? That wouldn’t be resting at all!
Still, Ian couldn’t just brush Bernard off rudely. He’d just received a gift from Baron Kaltz, who was clearly trying to butter him up. Ditching the guy right after would probably thrill the baron. Annoying as it was, playing along a bit was basic manners. Touring the village wasn’t a big deal anyway.
“Alright. Lead the way.”
Ian followed Bernard back toward the Misty Inn. The two strolled leisurely down the street. It was already lunchtime, so savory food aromas wafted from every house. Lively merchants hawking wares, kids racing about with gleeful shouts, parents watching with smiles...
“Nice place.”
Ian voiced his honest impression on impulse. River Bill was a good village. Still just a village for now, but with its growing population and expanding farmlands, it had the potential to become a proper town.
“Of course it is! Who do you think runs it as lord?”
Bernard’s tone dripped with respect for his father. New nobles—especially contract lords granted land by higher powers—didn’t love their territories much. To them, the people weren’t humans but walking wallets: shake ’em for coin, smash if desperate. But local nobles like Baron Kaltz, who’d built the community from the ground up, saw things differently. Their land wasn’t some handout; it was the village they’d always ruled, now just formally recognized by other nobles. That bred real ownership.
Villagers tipped their hats and bowed whenever they passed Bernard. Not a hint of mockery, disdain, or fear among them. Deep down, they already accepted him as Baron Kaltz’s heir.
“Which brings me to this: if you settle in River Bill, my cousin sister could—”
“I’m not getting married.”
As they chatted idly, they reached the inn. But as they drew near, quite a commotion spilled out.
“Ian!”
Lucy came dashing up, breathless. Ian eyed her suspiciously.
“What’s up? You cause another mess?”
“I didn’t cause any trouble, okay?! What do you take me for?!”
Elder ambled over too.
“Figured you’d show up around now.”
“Why? I could’ve grabbed lunch at the castle.”
To Ian’s question, Elder replied shamelessly.
“You’re a wizard, aren’t you? Knew you wouldn’t miss something like this.”
“...?”
Something like this?
“Ian! I need your opinion!”
Lucy’s eyes sparkled as she said it.
“So, what’s the fuss?”
Elder cut her off.
“Hunters went for a morning stroll in the woods and bagged a bird. Asked the innkeeper to cook it up, but this young lady jumps in and tries to stop them.”
“???”
Ian’s expression turned peculiar. Even after the explanation, he had no clue what was going on.
Lucy yelled in frustration.
“It’s not just any bird! It’s a raven! A raven!”
“Bird or raven, same difference.”
Ian couldn’t fathom why Lucy was blocking the hunters’ lunch. They wanted some bird meat—so why stop them? No way...
Was Lucy a vegan or something?
“Lucy. You think eating meat is violence?”
“Huh...? What’s that mean? Y-You’re using such tricky words! Meat-eating... violence?”
“Kidding.”
Good, she wasn’t a vegan. And from Ian’s view, Lucy probably didn’t even grasp the concept.
“Meat-eating as violence... Wizardly thinking, alright. Quite the unique phrasing.”
“Elder, what did Ian mean?”
“Well, livestock for meat needs pastures. Pastures come from war conquests, right?”
“Ah...”
“So meat symbolizes violence... Something like that.”
Elder grinned smugly at Ian, face screaming, How’s that? Pretty smart, huh? Ian was too lazy to engage and just nodded along.
“Anyway, why the raven specifically?”
“Oh, right. Lucy thought that raven came to meet you.”
“...What?”
Ian stared at Lucy in disbelief. She met his gaze head-on, utterly confident.
“Yeah! You’re Ian Raven! And that’s a raven! Both show up at the same inn? You think that’s just coincidence?”
Uh, yeah, total coincidence. No matter how he thought about it, nothing seemed off. Ravens were common in the woods. Hunters grabbing one on a whim? No issue.
But Lucy saw it differently.
“Don’t you feel some magical force? Destiny! That’s what this is!”
“Wow...”
“Right? Ian? Magic, yeah? Right?”
Ian marveled at Lucy’s astounding leap of logic. Ian Raven and a raven at the same inn equals magic? If that was real, Lucy was a chronomancer.
“You should apologize to the hunters.”
“What?! Why me?!”
“I’m the wizard here, not you. Quit spouting nonsense.”
Elder chuckled softly while Lucy flushed red. Ian ignored them and headed inside.
“You must be Raven.”
The two hunters welcomed him. Poor guys hadn’t eaten lunch thanks to Lucy.
“That young lady said the raven we caught actually came to see you...”
“Ignore the nonsense.”
With Ian’s firm dismissal, the hunters grinned.
“So, lunch from this guy...”
“Wizard, care to join us?”
Spooked by Lucy’s threats, the hunters had kept the raven carefully stowed. Worried about backlash if they mishandled it. But now, no need.
One hunter pulled the raven from its makeshift twig cage.
“Caw! Caw!”
As if sensing its fate, the raven cried out pitifully. Everyone heard the caws, but to Ian, it rang clearer.
[Save me! Human!]
“...?”
Hold up. Did that bird just talk?
“Wait a sec.”
The hunter, about to wring its neck, tilted his head at Ian’s interruption.
“Yeah?”
Just to be sure, Ian addressed the raven in the Maronius Language.
"[What are you?]"
"Caw!"
⟨ [Save me!] ⟩
But the raven didn’t understand Maronius. It lacked the mystery attunement. Creatures like drakes, deeply tied to mysteries, could chat via level 3 Summoning, but lowly birds like this couldn’t grasp Ian’s words.
Ian, however, understood the raven’s.
“...Wizard?”
The hunters reacted warily to Ian’s sudden strange syllables.
Ian explained to calm them.
“Nah, it’s nothing. This guy just started talking to me.”
“???”
The hunters’ brains short-circuited. The raven... talked to him?
What the...? Some wizard metaphor I don’t get? Or did the raven actually speak...?
Doubting it was some mage-exclusive idiom, one hunter double-checked.
“The raven... spoke to you?”
Ian nodded.
“Yeah. Begging to be spared.”
“...”
The hunters exchanged dumbfounded glances. No, it just cawed—yet he understood it? Even for a wizard...
...Yeah, possible. Damn it.
Ridiculous or not, they swallowed their tears and accepted it. Not like local hunters could grasp mage logic. If the wizard said so... maybe ravens could talk...
"[Hey. Raven]"
[Save me! Please don't kill me!]
"[I'll spare you, so shut up first]"
[Please save me!]
“Agh, I said I’ll save you! Just shut it already!”
Ian raised his voice in frustration when the raven ignored Maronius. Weren’t ravens smart? How come it didn’t know Maronius?
But that was Ian’s bias from chatting with powerhouses like drakes. Maronius was the language of mysteries—only those attuned could comprehend it.
The raven didn’t know Maronius but caught Ian’s anger. No idiot would miss a raised voice.
[...]
As the raven fell silent, the onlookers murmured in awe.
“Whoa... is that wizard actually talking to the raven?”
“Incredible...”
The innkeeper approached cautiously.
“Wizard... you’re sparing it?”
Ian eyed the raven intently. Jet-black feathers. Big, bright eyes. And it shut up on command—cooperative too. No obligation to heed a beast’s plea, but Ian decided to spare it.
Mostly... because it was fun.
“Yeah. Eating it feels off.”
With his verdict, the hunters smiled wryly. Lucy cheered from behind.
“See? I was right! That raven felt special!”
“Heh heh. With a wizard as a big brother, you’ve got an eye for the mystical yourself, miss.”
“R-Right! I’ve never studied magic, but I’ve got talent, huh?!”
As Lucy puffed up, the knights and Elder chimed in with praise. Ian just snorted in disbelief.