The Pet Dog Barky (1)
"Come at me again."
"Yes, sir."
Selen coated her sword in Aura and swung. The blade traced a smooth, flowing arc—nothing like the empty flourish of before. There was no technique to it, no ornament. Just a clean, heavy cut. The Aura sheathed around the steel shimmered platinum, smaller in scale than it used to be, but far better suited to actually cutting something.
Her approach hadn't changed: kill the enemy in a single stroke. A slash aimed at the throat. Simple, and threatening.
In every respect, she was different from the girl who had fought the Banished Saintess. Rebuilt from the ground up, Selen's swordsmanship and Aura had made real, measurable progress.
"You need to get sharper than that."
She still had a long way to go. Looking at her blade, stopped dead by Giph's bare palm, Selen felt her own inadequacy all over again.
"This is Aura Stage 1."
"You mean you simply gathered mana in your hand?"
"That's right. Truth be told, it's not even a level you'd call Aura."
Giph closed his fist around the blade. No blood came. He didn't look wounded in the slightest.
"When the gap in ability is this wide, even this much is enough."
His Aura control was, as ever, in a league of its own.
"When will I be able to do something like that?"
"With your talent, it shouldn't take all that long. Keep working hard."
So saying, Giph settled himself on a flat rock—a silent order to rest. Selen sat down in the grass, privately glad for the break, and immediately began inspecting her sword with careful, almost reverent hands.
How can it be this beautiful...
A longsword she had bought by emptying nearly every coin she owned. A blade forged with Holy Power wasn't suited to Aura-generation training, so she had purchased a new weapon. She came from a well-off family, but this was the first time she had ever spent that kind of money. Attachment had followed as naturally as breathing. She had even given it a name, and she polished it diligently every day. She was beginning to understand, at least a little, what people meant when they said you should treat your sword like a lover.
"Stop making eyes at that sword and get some rest."
"Ah—yes."
Selen stretched out, and the fatigue she had been putting off came crashing in all at once.
"You all right?"
"I'm tired..."
The road to meet the Sage was rough, the path treacherous and thick with monsters. On top of that, they had to keep up Aura training along the way. By evening, she was always a wreck. It couldn't have been otherwise.
"Once we join up with the Sage, ask them to teach you some recovery magic."
"I will."
Solve the stamina problem, and the return on effort and willpower would multiply several times over. Her growth would leap forward. She found herself looking forward to meeting the Sage more and more. She knew nothing about them yet, so curiosity bloomed thick and natural. She would have liked to ask the Goddess directly, but unfortunately the only person who could communicate with Her that way was the Saintess.
"Do you happen to know what kind of person the Sage is?"
So Selen asked Giph, the veteran adventurer. They said a senior adventurer heard enough stories in passing to set up shop as an information broker.
"I do know one thing. Last time I was out on a commission, I spoke with a mage from the Purple Magic Tower."
Selen's ears pricked up at once.
"This Sage is an unusual character."
She waited. Nothing more came.
"That's... that's all?"
"The Purple Magic Tower is keeping their identity locked down tight. That's high-grade information as it is."
The only new scrap she had gained was a single adjective: unusual. Nothing had really changed.
"I suppose I'll have to see for myself."
"Isn't it more exciting to meet them without knowing?"
"That's true."
Hopefully they were a good person. The Goddess wouldn't make a wrong choice, so there was probably no need to worry.
"Let's get back to it."
Selen rose and took her stance. Right now, training mattered more than the Sage.
"So you're the new mage?"
A middle-aged man narrowed his eyes at me. The Vice Tower Master, was it? He clearly found me suspicious.
"That's right. I started working as the Tower Master's secretary yesterday."
Moments like this called for a straight face and a lot of nerve.
"I'm Eria, a mage from one of the branch offices."
A cover identity for staying at the Purple Magic Tower—the result of going along with Riella's suggestion.
"Which branch?"
"The Serda branch."
"I'll have to verify that."
We'd already taken care of it. The Serda branch chief was someone who knew how to take a hint.
"And why are you wearing a robe indoors?"
"Is that a problem?"
"I think it'd be faster to find the parts that aren't a problem."
The Vice Tower Master didn't bother hiding his suspicion.
"The Tower Master goes out to deal with the Banished Saintess and suddenly comes back with some mage she claims is her secretary. Don't you think that's a little unnatural?"
It was pretty sloppy. Better than my original plan of just breaking in, though.
"What are you trying to say?"
"I want to know what you and the Tower Master are after. Banished Saintess."
Accurate deduction.
"Riella says if you don't want your research funding cut, keep your mouth shut."
Wisdom didn't mean much in front of the person holding the purse strings.
"...What's your relationship with the Tower Master?"
"Let's just say I've got something on her."
A white lie, for Riella's honor. This way, if things went sideways later, we could paper it over.
"Keep up the good work."
I left the frozen Vice Tower Master where he stood and took the stairs going up. Annoyingly, I had to climb quite a way. Everywhere else in this place they chased convenience with magic, but the staircases alone were stubbornly old-fashioned. Didn't want to lose the identity of being a "tower," maybe? Whatever the reason, it didn't change the fact that it was a pain.
"If they used teleportation magic to go between floors, everyone would have an easier time. Mages really do have their strange little quirks."
"Tell me about it."
I half-listened to Sun-bask's chatter as I arrived in front of an iron door painted purple. The Tower Master's room. I threw it wide open without a second's hesitation.
"I'm back."
"Mm."
A halfhearted answer drifted over. Riella didn't even glance my way, buried in her work.
"Busy?"
"The documents I asked for?"
"Got them all."
"Put them down."
"......"
She was actually treating me like a real secretary. I couldn't exactly pick a fight with someone this swamped, so I set the stack of papers on her desk.
"What should I do now?"
"Sit down and rest until I'm finished."
Judging by the mountain of paperwork, "finished" was not happening anytime soon. I did as I was told, sat in the chair by the window, and looked outside. The sky was thick with clouds today. No sunlight coming through. It left me feeling oddly lonely.
"It's supposed to rain today. Please stay inside."
"I was going to anyway."
I glanced over. Riella's back, hunched over her work—the kind of focus that made you feel guilty for interrupting. Still. I had things to say. I watched for an opening, then spoke up quietly.
"When can we start the Sage's mental training?"
"Ah. Right."
Riella finally lifted her head and looked at me.
"What do I do? I'm going to be buried for the next few days."
"That much work?"
"Don't even get me started."
The way she leaned back in her chair told me exactly how exhausted she was.
"You used a massive amount of mana attacking me. That's why."
"What's that got to do with it?"
"There's a recent imperial decree. You need prior authorization to use large amounts of mana."
I got the picture.
"They want to stop anyone from causing large-scale disturbances."
"Probably. But since we broke it..."
Looked like I wouldn't be getting any help for a while.
"Sounds like you're in for a rough time."
"...You're the one who broke in."
"You brought this on yourself."
Who told her to go around casually firing high-powered magic like Great Annihilation? Clear case of reaping what you sow.
"And I'm a victim too."
"What damage?"
"My robe. The bombardment didn't even leave a scrap."
"I gave you one of our Tower robes. You're wearing it right now."
The Tower robe. The symbol of a mage belonging to the Purple Magic Tower. It was light, and it could store magic circles and mana, so it was genuinely useful—the kind of robe that made my old one look like a rag. But value isn't built on function and convenience alone.
"That robe was a gift from Erin."
"Ah..."
"She said people staring holes through my face made me uncomfortable, so I should cover up. Gave it to me as a present."
That was why I had kept wearing a robe even back when nobody knew my infamy. A precious treasure I almost never took off except when I was fighting. Now it was dust, buried on Mount Ellepub.
"Sorry..."
"If you're sorry, finish up quick and make some time. When do you think you'll be free?"
"Three days from now. That's the best I can do."
Even one extra day already felt boring. Three? The stretch of time ahead of me looked bleak already.
"Don't you have anything for me to do in the meantime?"
"I do, actually."
Riella snapped her fingers, and light seeped from her robe.
"What is it."
"I've set it to connect to my personal space."
"You want me to go rest?"
Another snap, and a photograph flew into my hand. A glance showed a small puppy—golden fur, compact little body. Didn't look like it had been born all that long ago.
"That's Barky. Cute, right?"
"Sure, but... what about it?"
"It's in my personal space. Go take care of it."
In other words: go watch the dog.
"It's shy around strangers, so be careful."
"...Fine."
I should have just pushed things my way and fought the Sage instead of giving in. A regret that came far too late.
A wooden platform sat beside a mountain lodge built along the valley. Water trickled past like background music, warm and familiar. The sky was high and cloudless, and the sunlight poured down gentle and gold. Perfect weather for lying still and doing absolutely nothing.
"This is all fake?! That's actually incredible!"
"Yeah."
This valley was what Riella used as her personal space—a spectacular view spun entirely out of magic. This was why they called it the power that worked wondrous miracles. I'd heard she had adapted the illusion magic she'd used on me. I had no idea how any of it worked, but the level of mastery was obvious. If I could stay in a place like this, being a dog-sitter wasn't so bad. Ever since the excommunication, I had spent all my time in uncomfortable places.
"How long is that one going to keep that up, though?"
"Beats me."
Barky, the puppy Riella had left with me, was hiding behind a tree, keeping well out of my line of sight. Wary of a stranger.
"You don't think it's scared of you, Lady Clitia?"
"Me?"
I had never once been told I had a scary face. I had heard more than enough about not living up to my looks, though.
"Personality aside, I look fine, don't I?"
"Not your appearance. Your atmosphere might come across as a little... very frightening."
Was that so. You can't smell your own scent. Apparently you can't sense your own atmosphere either.
"Try walking over with a smile."
"That'll make it drop its guard?"
"Of course!"
We were going to be stuck together for three days. Better to get friendly sooner rather than later. Following Sun-bask's advice, I put on my biggest, brightest smile and walked toward Barky.
"Oh dear...."
Whatever I had done wrong, Barky took one look at me and started trembling in terror.
"Lady Clitia, that is not a smile. That is death."
"I did my best."
"You have to smile with actual goodwill in it."
Suddenly I wondered why I was even doing this.
"She said take care of it. She didn't say make friends with it."
"Are those two different things?"
"They are."
There was no reason to force a friendship with something that was scared of me. Backing off here was better for both of us. I finished rationalizing and turned around.
That was when something slammed into the back of my neck.
Grrrr....
Teeth sinking into flesh. Barky growled, chewing on my throat—already transformed into something the size of a tiger.
"That hurts."
I met its eyes like it was nothing, and I felt the body flinch.
"So you're a monster, huh?"
I wrapped Aura around my elbow and smashed it into the thing's head. Barky rolled across the ground and went down limp.
"I just so happened to be interested in communing with monsters."
Something to throw myself into for three days. At least I wouldn't be bored.
"W-wait a second."
A frantic voice spilled from Barky's mouth.
"You can talk?"
I ignored it and coated both fists in Aura.
"Even better. Shall we commune?"
First up was a lesson in manners.