Chapter 17
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: The Adventurer's Private Lessons for Her - 2 -
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"You don't have to attend classes until the end of this week..."
"..."
As if the academy meant nothing at all to her, she stated it boldly and without hesitation.
"If I were your instructor right now, I'd have to give you a stern talking-to... but as an adventurer, it's not really my place to meddle."
"Thank you."
I naturally pushed open the door to the reception room and stepped inside, with Rike following close behind.
The receptionist clearly didn't like it, but what could she do? She'd already taken my money.
Besides, the guild officials who might've caused a fuss were probably off getting drunk somewhere else.
"Before we head out, there's something I want to ask. Do you know anything about black mages?"
She pondered it with utmost caution.
Public knowledge on black mages was pretty much limited to "they're dangerous," "they use living sacrifices," and "they worship demons." No matter how carefully she picked her words, she wouldn't come up with a satisfying answer.
Only those deep in this line of work knew the real details.
"They perform human sacrifices or use people—or other creatures—as offerings for vile magic...?"
"That's the standard definition you'd find in any book, but if you're going after black mages, that's not the knowledge you need. Listen closely from here on out—"
Black mages shared the same ultimate goal as the openly practicing mages of the Empire and the Federation.
Transcendence.
Their methods were worlds apart, though.
The aim of all who wielded magic was to awaken the core essence and roots of magical knowledge—to surpass the frail shell of humanity.
Whether that meant achieving immortality in human form, or eternal life as a skeletal lich, the goal of transcendence was one they all chased.
With such a singular objective, but wildly divergent methods, black mages splintered into factions like warring tribes.
They were anything but unified.
First, the Black Circle.
A band of lunatics who believed they walked the true path.
They saw subjugating the terrifying demons as the pinnacle of evolution.
Second, the Mendes Pentagram.
Worshippers of the inverted pentagram crowned with a goat's head.
They aimed to summon a supreme archdemon through human sacrifice.
And to tear open "Pandemonium"—the demonic battlefield—allowing themselves to evolve into demons.
Third, Nematos.
They spread curses rooted in black magic, using them as leverage to demand sacrifices.
They even took commissions to cast curses and were deeply entrenched in the power structures.
More worldly than the other two, they exploited human desires masterfully.
And they boasted the longest history among black mage groups.
Beyond these three, various splinter factions dotted the landscape like freckles, but none posed a real threat.
"And these three groups absolutely despise each other. They'd kill on sight if they could."
"...Why is that?"
Rike strained to commit this golden knowledge—information she'd never heard before—to memory.
Mana condensed in her eyes, sharpening her gaze to a piercing clarity.
"They all look down on each other. No grand reason for it.
In black magic, each thinks their way is the absolute truth. Just look at the Empire's mages outside—they feud based on their affiliations, don't they?"
Rike closed her eyes and took slow, deep breaths.
She opened them gradually and turned to me.
"...Then, do you know which one is connected to me?"
"Putting together various testimonies... an illusion, a half-rotted old man, and an incomplete transformation."
"..."
She'd know "transformation" referred to her mother.
"Not the Pentagram, for starters. They dream of evolving into demons, but only through exposure to Pandemonium—following divine providence, not some artificial method. They never try anything else."
The crazier the fanatic, the more unyielding their convictions—like forged steel.
Put a blade to their throat, and they'd still insist they were right.
In a way, it was faith.
"And not the Black Circle either. They want demons, sure—but through formal contracts, as familiars."
Of course, that left only one possibility.
I'd known from the start.
"Nematos..."
That nightmarish day carried the sharp taint of someone's malice.
Crunch—
Rike's nails dug into her palm, blood trickling out.
"The ragged old man belongs to Nematos too. Could be different people, but that distinctive look isn't common."
"Do you know where he is?"
"If I did? Would you charge off there right now?"
"..."
Among the Swordsmanship Department cadets, Rike barely clung to the lower-mid ranks—she'd never touch the top.
Malnourished muscles too weak to rely on.
A half-baked breathing technique and basic swordplay learned through self-study.
She couldn't even break past the entrance guards right now.
If she rushed in and got cleanly killed, that'd be a mercy.
But if captured...
What followed would be a fate worse than death—a life where even dying became a luxury.
"Say whatever you want. Move my heart enough to make me want to help. Do that, and I'll jump in without a second thought."
I planned to help anyway.
But I wanted to see every hidden corner of her heart—the parts the game never showed.
"Say whatever you want. Move my heart enough to make me want to help. Do that, and I'll jump in without a second thought."
I knew it too.
My skills were downright pitiful—hard to watch with eyes open.
Abysmal.
From a strong person's view, probably laughable.
"..."
If I let this opportunity slip—the one that came knocking—I might never get another.
"What on earth should I say..."
Move his heart? I wasn't some silver-tongued orator; my way with words was below average at best.
And I'd already spilled my entire past.
(Money's great the more you have, but once you're drowning in it, you start craving things beyond cash.)
Just like the receptionist said.
To budge a mountain of platinum rank, I needed to spark his interest.
To sway an adventurer known for loving women, what could I offer?
"I'm... a virgin."
"I know."
He replied flatly, as if it wasn't what he wanted to hear—but that only flustered me more.
"...How?"
"It's been five years now since that incident. I drank unicorn blood back then. It cured my chronic ailments and sharpened my senses... but the side effect's infamous, right?"
The scandalous tales of famous knights and merchants who drank unicorn blood for vitality—only to end up suicidal.
In the investigation that followed, the effect leaked to the public.
Those who drink unicorn blood—virgins, or those who've taken a virgin's purity—lose all sexual desire.
For him to know I was a virgin meant he'd felt desire for me once before.
"Then... I... um..."
My virginity, my body—they were just assets.
Commodities I could trade anytime for revenge.
But the unknown, the unexperienced... it terrified me.
My gaze drifted downward instinctively.
"Don't overthink it. Forcing someone who doesn't want it isn't my thing."
I lifted my eyes to meet his again.
A faint smile played on his lips as he looked at me.
A profit-driven adventurer we'd only met recently—yet he respected me more than anyone I'd ever known.
Get it together.
He was an adventurer who could have a helpless girl like me without breaking a sweat.
He hadn't laid a hand on me, and here I was, flinching away on my own.
An embarrassing burden, cheeks burning with shame.
What words would move his heart—what did he want to hear?
A great man like him... expecting something equally great from me?
"Heart... move his heart..."
When was the last time my own heart was moved?
The memory came sharp and clear the moment I reached for it.
Sitting in the garden with Mother, reading a book.
I'd cried in embarrassment before the servants and her.
Not moved by flowery rhetoric.
The novel's protagonist—honest, unadorned words that struck straight to my core.
-
Now I knew what to tell him.
He didn't pressure or rush me as I gathered my thoughts and began to speak.
His gaze remained steadily warm, fixed on me.
"...There are people who lose someone precious, wait out the time, dust themselves off, and get on with their lives."
My chest rippled like waves.
Vision blurred white, like fog rolling in.
"I'm not one of those amazing people. I couldn't become that way... and I don't want to."
My voice trembled.
My breath grew ragged.
"Lying in bed brings that day's nightmare. Drinking water, eating food—it all reminds me of Mother's smile..."
"I want to end this somehow, one way or another. But I'm so small, so weak... I can't do it alone."
Liquid trailed down my cheek, splattering onto the back of my hand.
"I know it's shameless... If that's what you want, I'll give you everything I have. Please... just help me... save me..."
Sniff—
I draped a baggy robe and hood over Rike, who was still sobbing, and tied the strings as I asked,
"I said it's fine to skip the academy until the end of this week, right?"
Nod, nod.
I'd planned to clear out the branch organizations one by one, spacing them to build up to the main episode...
"Let's do as much as we can this week."