Giph the Orc (1)
It was the hour of dawn when the warm sunlight still hadn't clocked in for work. I'd finished every last bit of packing and arrived at the foot of Mount Ellepub.
"Are you certain you needn't stay longer?"
Eluke had come to see me off, and she asked in that same serene tone as always.
"I'm fine. Time I got moving."
I had work waiting on too many fronts. I'd rested enough. It was time to start running myself ragged again.
"How unexpected. I had imagined you would enjoy doing nothing and resting at your ease, much as I do."
"I'm a workaholic."
In truth, I'd spent the last few years chasing defeat in a breathless frenzy. That was probably how the infamy of the Banished Saintess had piled up.
"Workaholic, my ass."
Riella, who'd come along to see me off as well, muttered it at a slant.
"Got a problem?"
"You're just running away because the hero's party is about to show up."
"...That's part of it, yeah."
We'd parted on such a solemn note. Bumping into them again this soon would be a problem. I needed to keep up a slightly more imposing image for later.
"There. That sounds like you."
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
"The way you get strangely sordid about the smallest things."
She delivered the insult so politely I couldn't tell what she was aiming at. A joke? Or had she just said exactly what she thought?
"Ah. That last remark was intended as a harsh insult."
Just a straight-up slam, then.
"Isn't the power of automatic speech correction remarkable?"
"Can't you undo that yourself?"
"A vile manipulation of Holy Power, jointly worked by the Cardinal-Archbishop and a paladin of the highest order, has been applied to my brain."
So Holy Power could be used for that kind of dirty trick too. Aside from Aura, every power in this world really was something else.
"I could force it out, but then my mind would become a garden of purest white."
"Rough luck."
I was grateful I'd never have to become Pope. The vanishingly small chance of my excommunication being lifted was a problem in its own right, though.
"How long are you two going to stand there yapping?"
Riella, who'd been left out of the conversation, cut in and killed it.
"Just go already. I'm swamped prepping for the Public Enemy conference."
"Can't you just show up and call it done?"
The Public Enemy conference. An irregular gathering where the heads of the Empire's most prestigious organizations convened in one place. It had been formed to deliberate on who ought to be designated a Public Enemy. In practice, it was the Emperor farming the work out, which meant the conference wielded considerable influence.
"You wouldn't know this, but there is a considerable volume of material to prepare."
"That so?"
"Riella and I barely have time to sleep these days."
Fair enough. I'd only ever heard of the thing. I'd never actually attended.
"We've poured our very souls into the preparations, so you may look forward to it."
Why would I look forward to a meeting I wasn't even attending? It was odd, but I let it slide. My best friend and another version of myself. There was no way two people I trusted and relied on would pull anything strange on me.
"I'll head out first, then."
"We shall see you in Serda."
The Public Enemy conference was being held in Serda. Conveniently, I needed to stop by there anyway.
"Please don't cause any trouble."
"Riella, do you really have that little faith in me?"
"If you were trustworthy, you wouldn't be a Public Enemy."
She had a point. I couldn't even open my mouth.
"I'm going."
I got out of there before I could take any more hits, settling into a light jog that doubled as decent exercise.
"We're going to a crowded city for the first time in ages!"
"First time since you woke up, huh?"
"Yes! I can't wait!"
Hearing that excited voice made me feel a little guilty. Sun-bask loved crowded places, and all I'd done since she woke was drag her through a magic tower full of gloomy mages and a western front packed with nothing but corpses.
"Let's wrap up the work fast and enjoy ourselves as much as we can."
"Okay! But are you sure you're fully prepared?"
"Of course."
I answered with confidence, but just in case, I ran through the checklist as I kept running.
"Swapped the robe for an inconspicuous brown."
"Good thinking."
In truth, I'd just changed the color of a Purple Magic Tower robe.
"Holy Power's been veiled by a sacred incantation from Eluke."
"Perfect."
A precaution I wouldn't have needed under ordinary circumstances. I'd asked for it anyway, just to be safe. The Public Enemy conference meant a lot of church people would be gathering in Serda.
I'd doubted how useful it would be, but it turned out to be quite handy. The Pope's wisdom was as vast as the heavens, and I was the ignorant clod who hadn't grasped her profound intent.
"Is that everything?"
"Isn't it?"
"Think carefully."
I thought it over again, but nothing particular came to mind.
"Just tell me."
"Money! Money! Are you planning to sleep on the street?"
"Ah."
I'd gotten so used to camping outdoors that it hadn't even occurred to me.
"Shall we turn back?"
I almost obeyed without thinking, then just kept running.
"It's fine. I've got a rich friend in Serda."
"Well, that's a relief."
"I'll handle it, so just sit tight."
I wrapped Aura around my legs and picked up the pace. A few days of nonstop running and I'd be there in no time.
Moonlight poured through a glass window set in the ceiling. In a room lit by the soft glow of mana-stone lamps, an orc was trying to get some sleep.
I'm exhausted.
Giph's body and mind were both worn thin — all because of the adventurer's license reissuance process, an unnecessarily long and convoluted affair. There were documents to prepare and a demonstration of skill to get through. It wasn't difficult. Just tedious and irritating. An experience he never wanted to repeat.
What grated on him most was the unfair treatment. An S-class adventurer was a precious asset, welcomed with open arms wherever they went. And yet, far from receiving any special consideration, they'd been strict with him in the name of following procedure — while looking the other way for adventurers who sat around loafing every day. A bizarre way of running things: neglect the important talent and give the deadweight a free pass.
I can't do this anymore.
Resentment rose all the way to the tips of his tusks. Giph knocked back the liquor sitting on his nightstand, trying to cool his anger. He'd put up with it long enough. Years of accumulated grievances against the Adventurer's Guild had finally boiled over.
Maybe I should transfer to the Evergreen Mercenary Group.
The warrior collective devoted to protecting nature — the one that so conspicuously favored Aura users — kept flickering through his mind. He'd certainly be treated well there. His heart was slowly leaning that way. But changing affiliations was not a decision to make on impulse. This was a time for cold, clear judgment.
To cool his head, Giph let his eyes rest on the star-strewn night sky. Beautiful, no matter how many times he looked. A vista that put the same thought in anyone who saw it. Even in Clitia, twisted as she was. The way she'd staggered around drunk and still heaped praise on it without holding anything back had left a deep impression.
I wonder if that friend of mine is getting by all right.
The rumor that Clitia had single-handedly driven off the Public Enemy known as the Nightmare of the West had already spread far and wide. A fighter on the level of a monster. As a fellow warrior, a measure of respect had even taken root. But he had no desire to get tangled up with her now. He was planning to take it easy for a while.
"Coming in!"
A sudden, cheerful voice cut through his train of thought.
"Hello!"
What kind of uninvited guest announced themselves so brightly? Giph reached for the axe he'd kept close at hand. A moment later, a water spirit who looked like a child popped up from the floor.
A pure spirit, clearly far removed from any malice, even at a glance. He eased his guard.
"Are you Master Giph?"
"I am. What's this about?"
"Delivery from the Ashwood Inn! Here you go!"
The spirit held out whatever it was carrying in its tiny hands.
"...Thanks."
Pink stationery. He knew who the sender was before he even read it. Giph checked the contents at once. A single sentence was written there.
I'm here.
It was such an absurd little message that a laugh almost slipped out of him.
"It's the guest's turn to throw!"
"I'm not going easy on you this time."
I rolled the two dice in my hand with deadly seriousness.
A two and a three. The exact roll that left me one space short of capturing my opponent's piece.
"Oh my! So close!"
A voice that rippled like water taunted me with infuriating cheer. Wotty, a lesser water spirit. An opponent so strong she made me feel powerless.
"You challenged me so confidently, and yet your skill is just the same as ever!"
"...You win."
I finally conceded. It had been a reckless challenge from the start. A water spirit could nudge events to flow in whatever direction she wanted — so-called Flow Control. A modest ability with a narrow range of application, but in a board game where luck mattered, it packed quite a punch.
"As I thought, you'll never beat me at dice."
She was right. No matter how many times I threw myself at it, this was a wall I couldn't climb. Which was exactly why I'd challenged her.
"I was wondering why you started playing with the staff the second you arrived late at night... You really are something."
Sun-bask's sarcastic tone didn't bother me in the slightest. A faint but unmistakable thrill. No one could separate me from this feeling.
"Thanks for the game, Wotty."
"That was fun!"
We really did get along. She must have felt the same, because she'd told me her true name even though I wasn't her contractor.
"Shall we go again sometime? I'll crush you just as thoroughly!"
An employee who volunteered to thoroughly defeat her customers. Outstanding service. She deserved a raise. Being a spirit, she'd take mana instead of coin, but still.
"Oh? Someone's here to see you."
Just as Wotty said, there was a knock at the door. I opened it immediately and found an orc standing there, his solid muscle on full display.
"Hey."
Giph's clothes weren't much different from last time. Maybe that was why he felt as familiar as if I'd seen him just yesterday.
"I didn't expect we'd be reunited quite this soon."
"That a problem?"
"I wouldn't go so far as to say that. Here. Take this, for now."
Giph held out the sack he'd been carrying.
"Your lodging fees."
"How'd you know I was broke?"
"Because you're always like this. Please, live a more upstanding life."
His tone was oddly sharp. Even I had to tread carefully.
"You mad?"
"Just tell me what you came for this time."
The atmosphere was sour enough that I dropped the jokes and got straight to the point.
"I'm looking for an elf. You ran into one on the way to the hero and the Magic Tower, right?"
"The mutant elf? I take it the Tower Master told you."
Our master. He'd ended his seclusion and seemed to be wandering the world, but his whereabouts were a complete mystery. Where had he gone after training the Great Warrior? He was such an eccentric that speculation was pointless.
"Did he mention where he was headed?"
"Not that I recall. But why are you looking for that elf?"
"My future depends on it."
Master had lived a considerably long time, as befit an immortal elf. Past the age of a thousand, he'd gotten too lazy to keep counting. Along the way, he'd picked up all sorts of rare knowledge. He would surely know the information I wanted.
"Your future? Are you dying or something?"
"Something like that."
Giph fidgeted with a tusk, then spoke.
"I can't tell you for free."
"...You want money?"
Giph, famous for his frugality, asking for compensation? I hadn't prepared anything, and it threw me.
"That's cheap."
"I'm an adventurer. Complimentary service is a one-time courtesy. This time, you pay your dues."
He wasn't wrong. I figured I ought to go along with it.
"How much do you want? I'll earn it."
"Keep your money. What I want is a contest with you."
Giph locked eyes with me, his gaze cold.
"How about we settle who's better with a dungeon clear?"
A clearing race. A contest adventurers often held among themselves.
"If I win, you'll tell me what you know?"
"I'll tell you even if you lose. But then you work as my assistant adventurer for a month."
The terms were clearly stacked against me. Dungeon clearing had nothing to do with raw strength. As an S-class adventurer, Giph had a massive advantage.
"No reason to refuse."
Which made it perfect. A fight I stood a good chance of losing was always welcome.