Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Journey to Serif
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The journey to Serif was made aboard the vehicle provided by the White Mage Tower.
"So...... what is this?"
However, as expected from a mage tower, the mode of transport was anything but ordinary.
It resembled a carriage overall, but there were no horses to pull it.
Instead, there was a slightly larger driver's seat and a round body encircling it for protection.
'It looks like a car.'
It was probably the most apt comparison to describe it as something between a car from his previous life and a carriage.
Jeon stared at the vehicle in wonder, and Tasha, whose stuttering had improved somewhat, began to explain.
"Ah, it's your first time seeing one, isn't it, Jeon? This is called a mana carrier, made by our White Mage Tower. Most people just call it a carrier."
He had felt it when he first saw the elevator inside the mage tower.
The technological gap between a remote mountain village and a city that possessed a mage tower was staggeringly huge.
Anyway.
As the three boarded the carrier, Ralph headed straight to the driver's seat.
"Then we'll depart."
Woooong!
Ralph sat in the driver's seat, gripped the handle, and infused mana, causing the vehicle to vibrate lightly.
'It uses mana as its power source.'
A mode of transport powered by mana instead of horses.
It could be seen as a car that only mages could drive.
The ride was quite similar to that of a car, in fact.
This sparked quite a bit of curiosity in Jeon about how to drive the carrier.
"Could I try driving it sometime?"
"It won't be easy to learn...... and we don't have much time to spare, so practicing on the way might be tricky."
"Then I'll just watch from the side."
"......That much should be fine."
Originally, Jeon had been excluded from driving due to his lack of experience.
But after his eager insistence, he was allowed to observe from the passenger seat next to the cockpit, learning over the shoulder, so to speak.
And before long, Jeon had taken over the driver's seat itself and was operating the carrier quite proficiently.
"Not bad, right?"
"How do you master driving just by watching?"
"Wow...... y-you're a real genius!"
Normally, it took at least a week to a month of practice, followed by several test drives, before one could actually drive a carrier.
But Jeon succeeded in driving the carriage-like vehicle after observing for just a short while.
'It's similar to a car.'
And rightly so, since aside from using mana as the power source, it wasn't much different from the cars he had driven in his previous life.
By the time half a day had passed, he could drive it proficiently enough without anyone watching over him.
"Hmm, this should cut our travel time significantly."
With Jeon able to drive as well, the three decided to take turns in shifts, sleeping and waking in rotation, to keep the carrier moving nonstop.
As a result.
They arrived in just two days on a road that would normally take four or five.
"I felt it on the way, but...... the scenery is truly spectacular."
"I've only heard about it, but it's really beautiful......"
Serif was renowned as the top city where politicians, businessmen, famous mages, or knights wanted to retire, and its natural scenery was accordingly stunning.
High, verdant mountains encircled the village, with lush rice paddies and fields stretching out.
Arriving early in the day added clear, crisp weather to the mix.
It felt just like stepping into a peaceful, well-tended village from a fairy tale.
The only downside was that they didn't have the luxury to enjoy such splendid natural beauty.
"Who are we meeting this time, again?"
"Ah, yes. Well...... Khalid and Rector. Khalid is a high-ranking mage who reached the 6th Circle at age 64, and Rector is 36 with experience up to the 4th Circle."
Tasha wasn't as sharp as she had been at the mage tower.
But now somewhat relaxed, she recited the details of the two already on the mission.
'Come to think of it, this'll be my first 6th Circle mage.'
Among the people Jeon had actually met.
The highest level mage was only up to the 5th Circle.
Of course, including aura users, Alexar Silvermont, who had reached the master's realm comparable to a grand mage, was the highest.
But since Jeon himself was learning magic, meeting a 6th Circle mage felt a bit more exciting and intriguing than encountering a master swordsman.
"We arrived a bit earlier than scheduled, so we should head straight to their lodging."
"Yeah. Sounds good."
Jeon's group had to stay here for a while anyway, so they needed lodging.
They figured if the two were there, great; if not, they'd book the same place and wait. With that in mind, after arriving in Serif, they headed directly to the lodging.
"Welcome. Just the three of you?"
Upon entering the lodging, a server with a faint smile approached the three.
As expected from a tourist city famous for its scenery.
Even just stepping into one of the many lodgings in the city, the facilities and the server's polished service were impeccable.
The problem lay with Jeon's group.
"......Yes. Three."
Ralph, seemingly unused to such experiences, stood there blankly.
Tasha, who had shed some of her tension and clumsiness, started fumbling again the moment she faced the server.
In the end, Jeon had to step up.
"Yes. We operate both a restaurant and inn here. Will you be using just the restaurant?"
"No. Both."
"Then, how many rooms will you need?"
"Three, please."
"Right this way."
Thanks to Jeon's lead, they secured rooms smoothly.
Naturally, with his increased speaking role, Jeon added to the two.
"Unpack lightly and come right out. We need to find Khalid and Rector soon."
"Understood."
"Y-yes! Got it!"
The two nodded without objection.
Jeon shook his head unwittingly as he entered his room, leaving them behind.
'......Maybe highly talented people from a young age lack social skills.'
Ralph was hailed as a once-in-a-generation genius, and Tasha had exceptional talent even among her peers at the mage tower.
Thinking about it, Lena Silvermont also had prodigious talent from a young age and was rather scatterbrained, so Jeon's sudden hypothesis might hold some truth.
Anyway, after unpacking lightly, the three soon stepped out.
"How should we go about finding them?"
"It's about lunchtime, so how about checking the first-floor restaurant first?"
"Sounds good."
"Fine by me."
They had arrived in Serif quite early.
Even after booking rooms and unpacking, it was just lunchtime.
The other two agreed to Jeon's suggestion to check the restaurant first.
Descending to the first-floor restaurant of the lodging.
As expected for lunchtime, it was packed with guests and day visitors just there to eat.
"Th-there are s-so many p-people."
"Quite hectic."
And again, the two couldn't—or wouldn't—step forward in such a scene.
Jeon had to take the lead once more.
"It's too crowded, so let's grab a seat first. We need to eat anyway, so we can scan the room from there."
"Y-yes! That sounds good! I-I'll describe their appearances!"
"Whatever works."
Jeon flagged down a passing server, got seated at an empty table.
Once seated, the somewhat calmed Tasha described Khalid and Rector's appearances.
"Um...... First, Khalid has white hair down to his neck and a beard reaching his chest...... Rector has a sturdy build, tanned skin, and short black hair."
Based on Tasha's description.
Jeon scanned around to find them.
But with so many people, or perhaps because they weren't there.
Even with their distinct features, they didn't catch his eye easily.
"Your food is here."
Even as their pre-ordered food arrived, he hadn't spotted them, so he was about to give up and eat.
"Hm?"
In his final sweep, two men entering through the entrance caught Jeon's eye.
"Aren't those them?"
"Pardon? Ah! Yes! That's them!"
Confirming with Tasha just in case, she nodded that they were indeed Khalid and Rector.
But that was it.
Once again, Jeon stood and waved at them.
"Huh? What's that?"
"Is that boy...... waving at us?"
Of course, the bewildered ones were Khalid and Rector, who had just entered the lodging.
"......Isn't that girl next to the boy Tasha?"
"Let me see...... Hmm, the man next to her looks familiar too."
After a moment of puzzled looks at Jeon, they realized the faces nearby were quite familiar.
"Looks like the additional dispatch we were told about. They arrived faster than scheduled."
"But why are those two sitting still, and the kid's the one waving?"
"No idea."
Anyway.
Having confirmed, the two headed to the table where Jeon, Ralph, and Tasha sat.
Jeon lowered his waving arm only after seeing them approach.
"Hello. You're Khalid and Rector, right?"
"Mm, yes...... but who are you? Don't think we've met."
Bowing politely to the approaching pair, the white-haired Khalid stared at Jeon and asked.
"I'm Jeon. I joined the White Mage Tower dispatch team as an apprentice about a month ago."
"Apprentice...... ah, the kid who aced the qualification exam last time."
He had heard about Jeon before, nodding as he heard the explanation.
"Looks like there's space. Mind if we join?"
Rector, who had been listening, suggested sitting once the talk wrapped up.
"Of course. We were looking for you two anyway."
"Haha, looks like you three saved seats for us."
Rector chuckled amiably and took a seat at the table.
Suddenly, surveying the three who came to assist with the mission, he spoke in wonder.
"But seeing you all together, what an odd group."
And rightly so.
"An apprentice on a mission, no less. Tasha, who rarely does fieldwork, and Ralph, you're not even on the dispatch team, are you?"
"Ah, w-we're short-staffed on the dispatch team right now......"
"I'm just here to assist Jeon."
"Assist......"
Tasha's answer was nothing special, but Ralph mentioning Jeon as his reason naturally drew Rector's gaze to him.
"I was dispatched to Ralph's lab for the past month and helped with artifact crafting. That's why he's helping with this mission."
"Ralph volunteering to help? You must be more talented than I thought...... or just as much of an oddball as him."
Rector laughed heartily as he said it.
Apparently, most in the mage tower knew Ralph was a bit eccentric.
'Well, his speech patterns are blatantly weird.'
Anyway, the brief introductions ended.
The additional meals they ordered upon arriving also came.
"Well then, time to get down to business."
With those words.
Snap.
Khalid lightly snapped his fingers.
The surrounding mana rippled once, then enveloped the table.
With just a single finger snap, he had created a mana barrier preventing sound from escaping.
'Whoa.'
It was a divine technique impossible without exquisite mana control and dominance.
From that one snap, he got a glimpse of the realm of a 6th Circle mage.
"To keep it simple: as reported, we've been investigating the villa where Kairon was said to have stayed, and a few days ago, we pinpointed its location."
Kairon.
Likely the Silvermont grand mage suspected of betrayal.
"Did you check inside the villa?"
"Of course. But no one's living there now. Not even a caretaker."
"......Abandoned?"
"On the surface, yes."
Khalid's tone grew subtly meaningful toward the end as he answered Jeon's question calmly.
"In fact, we just confirmed an entrance to a dungeon in the villa's basement on our way back."
Speaking of discovering a dungeon, Khalid's expression turned profoundly meaningful, not just his tone.