Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: A Fellow Runner
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I’d half-expected it, but seeing him in person was a pleasant surprise.
"Senior Boris?"
"Yeah. It's me."
He, too, seemed to find it strange.
Both Loan, whom he’d met here, and the woman standing right beside him.
"So it really was you. The name Luan Albre sounded familiar somehow. But then hearing you were a Runner, I thought it was strange."
Boris pointed to the Runner's badge on Loan's chest.
"I figured you were above Oz... but seeing it for real is even more impressive. Congratulations."
"Thank you."
He offered his congratulations, but his expression wasn't exactly bright.
It had been the same back then, too.
The image of his back as he turned away dejectedly after giving his bitter report to Vice Commander Oscar.
Loan remembered it vividly.
"Is this a support mission? I reported to headquarters but hadn't heard back, so I was curious."
"Ah... no. It's not a mission from headquarters. It's related to the undercover identity I'm using here."
"So you're assigned to Rodos now, I take it?"
"You could call it a transfer. The Donton area has stabilized considerably, and with the Libertha forces practically annihilated, they merged two sectors of responsibility into one. Now, one person is in charge of both Donton and the neighboring city of Kimel."
"You've come a long way."
"I'm from Rodos, you know. Well, a good number of the Practical Division are. In any case, I requested it myself."
As Boris continued, his face grew even darker.
"After meeting you in Donton that day, things were pretty tough for me. Especially after seeing you launch those sword fragments."
"Ah..."
"Anyone from Rodos would have been shocked."
Children raised in Rodos were proficient with all sorts of weapons, but they were especially skilled with thrown weapons like daggers.
Boris, who had left the island to join the Union, was simply envious of Loan's divine skill in launching and freely manipulating twelve sword fragments.
"I was disappointed in my own abilities. That's why I requested a transfer to Rodos. Since it's my roots, I thought if I started over from scratch with a renewed mindset, I might gain something."
"So, Senior, are you part of the Rodos Knight Order now?"
Noticing Loan looking at his attire, Boris quickly spoke up.
"The clothes depend on the position. Some wear heavy armor, just like the name suggests. My job is similar to what you do in the Faith Division, if we're comparing it to the Union. I'm still not entirely comfortable with this line of work."
"You have your own struggles, Senior. I admire your constant dedication to self-improvement."
At Loan's sincere words, Boris gave a bitter smile.
The words *'And whose fault is that?'* remained unspoken.
Just then.
"Hey, are you two just going to stand there talking nonstop the moment you meet?"
Bella asked in a blunt tone, tugging at the edge of Loan's sleeve.
Loan vigorously brushed off his sleeve as if something filthy had touched it.
Bella seemed to have more to say.
"Now that I see it, friendly old Loan became all stiff and overly serious after joining the Union, huh? And this senior of yours is even worse. Because you're acting like this, your junior is stuck standing at attention with you like he's being punished, isn't he?"
"..."
They had indeed talked long enough to earn such a scolding.
The sky, which had been bright when they first greeted each other, was now tinged with a deep red.
"And this is?"
After taking the brunt of her tirade, Boris finally looked at Bella and asked.
Normally, introductions would have been made right at the beginning, but Loan had treated her as if she weren't even there.
"She's a puppeteer from Le Tell."
Loan replied in a much softer tone.
He seemed to have realized that if he was too formal, his senior might end up being criticized instead.
"I told you, I'm not."
Bella cut in, speaking as if she were pouting.
"I just happened to poke my nose into the mess those guys made. Don't lump me in with those idiots."
"You're still a being that shouldn't exist in this world, aside from that borrowed body."
"Harsh, aren't you?"
"So get out."
Meanwhile, Boris had already taken several quick steps back.
"A puppeteer?"
There were rumors she was a witch responsible for massacres across the continent.
Her notoriety had grown to the point where she was treated on the same level as the leaders of Grave.
Threat Level 1 - kill on sight.
So, the fact that Loan and Bella were conversing with such a sense of intimacy was all the more suspicious.
"So that's what it was..."
Boris continued, trying to sound composed. It was a stark contrast to his wary stance from a distance.
"I see now why everyone was acting so crazy. It was because of the puppeteer."
"It's Bella. Bella. Bella, Bella."
Boris glanced at Bella, who was repeating her name, and covered his mouth with one hand, as if whispering a secret away from her.
"But... are you okay being so close to her? Does she not use black magic on you?"
"Ah..."
It was difficult to explain that he was using Convection to block the emission of dark mana—to Boris or to Bella.
Loan mumbled that it was to keep her close so she couldn't escape.
He added that maybe it didn't work on him because he was a mage.
"So, what are you two doing in Rodos?"
Boris asked, emphasizing the word 'two'.
To clear up the misunderstanding, Loan briefly explained what had happened.
Though he tried to condense it, the story was so complex that it still took a long time.
Boris said he already knew some of the later parts.
That on the orders of Kostas, the Union Chairman and Philippa's uncle, the knight orders spread throughout Rodos were chasing the two of them.
He added that he was also on that mission.
"We were planning to camp here for the night, but if we're being pursued, I guess we can't afford to take it easy."
"No, no. It would be a mistake to think the knight orders are on the same level as the Union."
Boris added with a bitter expression.
"The others probably won't even come this way, and even if they did, they'd have a hard time finding your trail."
He implied that only someone of his caliber could have found them.
Loan had to admit that part was true.
Bella had given him the general direction, but he had chosen to move through deserted areas to avoid anyone being harmed by her, and he had erased all his tracks with Convection as he walked.
If Boris had found them despite all that, then he was truly remarkable.
"So, Senior, what are your plans?"
After a moment of thought, Boris replied.
"If it's all right with you, shall we go together? You might need a guide. And even though you're a Runner like me now, as your senior, I'm not comfortable leaving you alone with a puppeteer."
Loan was grateful for his senior's consideration, but he also felt vaguely uncomfortable.
The reason was unclear.
Perhaps it was the awkwardness he sensed from Boris, the flashes of panic in his expression, or maybe the faint gray mana swirling within him, which hadn't been there before.
Boris made a few more attempts to persuade the hesitant Loan.
He argued that he could help them shake off the knights' pursuit, that the direction they were heading was quite dangerous and required a guide, and that a Runner accompanying a Level 1 threat alone was against mission protocol.
In the end, Loan had no choice but to accept.
Bella grumbled profusely beside them, but neither paid her any mind.
"Then let's camp here and leave early tomorrow."
"Yes. You probably haven't eaten either, Senior. If you'll wait a moment, I'll go catch something."
Having said that, Loan gave Bella a slight nod.
Bella shrugged, as if to say it was for the best.
"You two, together?"
"Yes. Leaving her alone with you, Senior..."
At that, Boris's brow furrowed slightly.
"Why?"
"She's dangerous and loud. I'm used to it now, so it's fine. It's also easier to keep an eye on her up close."
He couldn't very well say that his senior might be turned into a puppet.
He was being considerate of his senior's pride, but it seemed his explanation wasn't convincing.
Perhaps Boris felt he was being looked down upon.
Boris abruptly turned and started walking.
"Then I'll go with you. It's been a while since I've seen your skills."
As he headed into the primeval forest, Loan and Bella had no choice but to follow.
For some reason, Bella pouted.
This area had been deserted for a long time.
In other words, it was an ideal environment for animals and plants.
A quick look around revealed numerous moving clusters of light.
Loan had no reason to hide his abilities, so he immediately launched Sheville to hunt some animals.
Boris watched in constant admiration as Sheville elegantly dodged the thick vines and flew precisely to its target.
On the way back, Boris asked.
"Loan, that skill of yours. It's magic, right? Psychokinesis?"
"Yes, that's right."
"I heard some mages talking once, and they said psychokinesis barely even counts as magic. Is it hard to learn? How about you teach me?"
Even if psychokinesis was a 1st Circle spell, explaining it to someone with no magical training was practically impossible.
He was instantly reminded of the dizzying moment when he first tried to explain magic to Lucas.
He had already made a mage's nose bleed once while expounding on a theory he'd developed during a symposium with Schwerin.
It wouldn't be any different just because his audience was a Union Runner.
"It would be difficult."
Boris elaborated on Loan's firm reply.
"No... I'm serious."
"I'm being honest with you."
"Don't be so dismissive. Just hear me out."
"Okay."
"There's a lost art from Rodos, and I feel like if I could just learn it, I could become significantly stronger."
This wasn't just idle curiosity.
Loan asked kindly.
"What kind of technique is it?"
"Yeah. It's a technique for throwing countless hidden weapons at once. There's nowhere to dodge, and each one has incredible power, making it the pinnacle of assassination arts for dealing with multiple opponents at once."
Boris's face was alight with excitement as he explained.
Loan nodded silently.
"But in my experience, it seems like a skill that's impossible to master, no matter how much you practice. I feel like I could pull it off if I learned psychokinesis."
Seeing Boris's somewhat sly expression, Loan understood his feelings to a certain extent.
He could tell because he had often encountered people who admired or looked up to him throughout his life.
That's why he felt a sliver of responsibility for Boris's impatience.
But he couldn't give him false hope.
"It takes talented students with high comprehension and sufficient mana about two years after starting magic to learn psychokinesis. And even then, it's just enough to barely lift an object."
"I get that it's difficult, but I'm not a student. And my mana is probably on a whole different level."
"I was speaking based on the standard for a magic novice."
"So you're saying I'm only at that level?"
"Yes."
Boris's face crumpled.
It was an expression rarely seen on the faces of his seniors.
But he couldn't just say what his senior wanted to hear.
He had been taught it was better to be honest, and he'd even heard that it was a junior's privilege.
They were people of excellent skill and character, magnanimous enough to embrace his youthful shortcomings.
That's what seniors had always been to Loan.
"I mean, to just dismiss it before even trying..."
"Ugh, this is so frustrating. Seriously. What kind of senior whines to his junior like this? If you really want to learn, go find Schwerin, you id..."
Bella, who had been listening, couldn't hold back and interjected, but Loan shut her jaw with Convection before she could finish.
However, Bella's outburst did provoke a change in Boris.
His expression was one of utter dejection.
"Right. Well. I'm sure there'll be another chance someday."
With those bitter words, Boris turned on his heel once more.
Loan stared blankly at his back as he strode ahead.
His inner turmoil was plain to see.
It felt as if darkness was closing in on him.