The Magic Tower's Strange Investigation Quest #5

"Consideration?"

"Yes, consideration! All the boys at the Magic Tower are completely immature—catching frogs and shoving them at you, or yanking on your hair without asking. Honestly, it's so childish you can barely stand to be around them."

Consideration, huh.

Well, I guess it's true that adolescent boys lack that kind of consideration. But that doesn't mean a twenty-something grown adult like me is any master at escorting a lady, either.

I'd merely happened to save her life, yet Lili had a rather generous assessment of me.

"......."

A strange silence hung between Lili and me for a moment. But the moment Rebecca spotted us and called out, that odd atmosphere vanished in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, Lili had returned to her usual placid demeanor.

"I searched all the hovels in the goblin den. I couldn't find any more giant goblins. I think these goblin corpses here are all of them. But... did something happen? Why are you with Lili?"

At Rebecca's question, asked with furrowed brows, Lili quickly answered.

"Luke here rescued me when I was attacked by a goblin! I was standing near the entrance when a giant goblin grabbed me, and I nearly got killed."

"Is that so? That's a relief."

The moment Rebecca nodded, I tossed a question at Lili.

"Lili, we just need to collect the samples now, correct?"

"Yes! That's all for collecting samples of the giantification phenomenon. If we can also secure samples from the giant goblins, I'm certain I'll get an A+. Would you help me draw blood from the goblins and fill the vials?"

"Of course."

Rebecca and I helped Lili draw blood from the goblins and store it in small containers. In total, we'd slain fifteen giant goblins in the den. Aside from the ten that had appeared at the start, several more had shown up afterward.

Soon, we had fifteen blood samples.

Lili stacked the blood samples neatly into her backpack. Before we knew it, Lili's backpack was bulging with all the various samples she'd collected in Morris Forest.

It was clearly too much for a small-framed girl to carry, so I decided to hoist the backpack for her.

This much I could throw in as a freebie.

That was my mindset when I picked it up—and regret flooded in instantly.

Lili's sample-filled backpack was as heavy as a boulder.

I sighed inwardly and strapped the pack on tight.

"Thank you so much, Luke!"

"Let's get moving. The sun's going to set soon. We should get back to Yoen-su City before nightfall. If we're too late, the guards will just grill us for no good reason."

I'd once been stopped by a prickly guard at the city gate and ended up denied entry entirely, forced to sleep rough until sunrise.

People who haven't been through it don't know the feeling of having to camp outside the city ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠even when you've already booked an inn.

I hurried my party along, and we promptly left Morris Forest.

On the road back to Yoen-su.

As we walked, my party and I initially maintained a fixed formation. I took point at the front, Lili walked in the safe middle, and Rebecca brought up the rear—that sort of arrangement.

But perhaps Lili's walking pace was faster than I'd expected.

Before I knew it, Lili was walking side by side with me.

With her short stride, she scurried diligently to keep up with me.

Once the distance between us had closed considerably, Lili began to speak to me.

"I'm so glad the investigation quest ended safely! Choosing you and Rebecca as my party members was definitely the right call."

"It was an easy quest. An E-rank quest is something anyone could clear, no matter who you brought along."

"But if you hadn't been here, Luke, we never would have found the goblin den, would we? The quest went smoothly exactly because I accepted you as a party member."

"Hm... you make a good point."

Now that I thought about it, maybe so?

If I hadn't been there, Lili would have struggled to secure the monster samples.

The goblin den near the stream was a place that didn't exactly stand out. It was knowledge known only to me, someone who'd frequented Morris Forest often.

Who'd have thought my experience from my solo days would turn out to be so helpful to a client?

I felt a swell of pride and squared my shoulders without thinking.

"Honestly, when we first met, I was really uneasy when I saw you were an incubus, you know."

Lili confided her true feelings to me in an offhand tone, as if mentioning it in passing.

"Not that there's anything wrong with you, Luke, but there are so many bizarre rumors floating around about incubi. Like how they sexually harass female party members and such."

"I can't speak for other incubi, but that's not me. I'm a Dream Demon who knows how to separate business from pleasure. Any incubus who harbors ulterior motives on the job deserves to be beaten to death, as far as I'm concerned."

"That's fascinating. It's completely different from what the rumors say... and the fact that you have a female partner in your fixed party, too."

"Is this your first time seeing an incubus, by any chance?"

The moment I stared at her quizzically, Lili honestly admitted that it was.

I thought about Lili's affiliation and could understand her circumstances.

Mages belonging to the Magic Tower generally led lives isolated from the outside continent. It was perfectly understandable that she'd never met a member of a rare demi-human race.

I had visited the Magic Tower for corpse-cleaning work, but I'd been bundled up in work clothes, so recognizing me as an incubus would have been impossible anyway.

"Remember this well. An incubus named Luke is a trustworthy guy. If you have another quest from the Magic Tower next time, come find me. I'll give you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a discount."

"Hehe, then I'll come looking for you with another quest next time."

I'd only said it as a joke.

Somehow or other, I'd ended up exchanging a quest promise with Lili.

I realized that a benefit I'd never even expected had materialized.

Lili was a benefactor who shelled out silver coins ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to adventurers in order to earn her credits.

If we had the chance to meet again, she'd undoubtedly bring a decent request with her.

'Nice. Very nice.'

I turned my head slightly toward Rebecca, wanting to gloat about having snagged a benefactor.

Since we were a fixed party, if I received a request from Lili, that meant Rebecca would also get work as a matter of course.

If she had any sense, she'd naturally realize that Lili's proposal was a stroke of luck.

"Rebecca, did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Lili said she'll look for us again next time."

"Yeah, that's good. Stop talking and just walk."

But Rebecca's voice was curt.

She must have heard my entire conversation with Lili, yet there wasn't a trace of delight on her face. Walking alone in the rear, Rebecca seemed, somehow, like she felt left out.

Was she unhappy that the two of us were chattering on our own?

Then she could just come up front and join the conversation.

Of course, I didn't bother to voice that thought aloud.

To keep the mood from souring, I turned my head forward again.

And then I resumed my conversation with the chattering Lili.

Besides, shooting the breeze was a good way to kill time on the return trip anyway.

"Luke, c-could I ask you one thing about incubi?"

"Ask away. If I know the answer, I'll tell you."

"There's a bizarre rumor I've heard about incubi. Is it true that incubi can fire beams from their eyes?"

"Huh? Beams, you say?"

"Impregnation beams! I heard they can shoot a beam that lets them impregnate any woman whenever they feel like it."

"That's not a thing, ma'am."

I let out a sigh and added,

"Lili, that's incubus hate speech. In short, incu-phobia."

"I'm terribly sorry if that was a rude question... but I was just too curious. Then, I have another thing I'd like to ask—"

From Lili's mouth, bizarre rumors about incubi began to pour out like a flood. True to her Magic Tower upbringing, Lili seemed to be the type who couldn't rest until she'd personally verified things she was curious about.

The entire way back to Yoen-su City, I confirmed the truth or falsehood of the strange rumors Lili brought up.

Most of them were rumors rife with fabrication and sensationalism, of course.

Though a small handful were actually true.

"Ah, that one's real. Incubi emit a unique body scent that can excite women. It's a supernatural ability called pheromones."

"R-really? That's amazing."

I kept walking while continuing my conversation with Lili.

Even though the sight of Rebecca walking silently behind us nagged at me.

*

Before the gate guards tightened their scrutiny, my party and I managed to return to Yoen-su City.

The street in front of the west gate bustled with people.

According to our agreement before we'd departed, Rebecca and I were only supposed to accompany Lili until we returned to the city. The moment we set foot on the city streets, the Magic Tower investigation quest was officially over.

Rebecca and I received the payment we'd been promised from Lili.

"Here's one silver and fifty copper! One silver is the base quest fee, and the fifty copper is a bonus for helping me collect the goblin samples!"

Jingle.

The cheerful jingle of coins.

Rebecca and I each received one silver coin and fifty copper coins.

The moment I stashed the money away, my pouch grew satisfyingly heavy, putting me in an excellent mood. Even Rebecca, who had been acting prickly the whole time, settled down the moment she got paid.

A total haul of one silver and fifty copper!

By my standards, that's enough money to cover a month's living expenses!

I wanted to share this joy with anyone, whoever it might be.

Obviously, I wasn't sharing the money—just the joy.

"Rebecca. Let's grab a meal together for dinner later. I know a good place that makes excellent skewers—"

Ugh.

I'd been blabbering away when a sudden stab of pain made me groan. I'd carelessly reached out to grab Rebecca's shoulder, and the blisters on my palm rubbed against my skin.

Earlier, when I'd discovered the Big Rafflesia in Morris Forest.

Those blisters had come from spinning a stick to start a fire.

At the time they'd formed, I hadn't felt a thing, but as time passed, a dull ache had set in.

I'd probably need to stop by the clinic and get some ointment.

Though the clinic in Yoen-su City was notorious for fleecing patients for all they were worth.

'I can think about the blisters later.'

It was just as I was about to resume what I'd been saying to Rebecca.

"Sorry. I've got something to do, so I don't think I can eat dinner together."

"Something to do? What is it?"

"Just... something. Don't pester me about every little detail."

Without another word, Rebecca cleanly shot down my proposal.

Left dumbfounded and effectively rejected, I shut my mouth, feeling awkward for no good reason.

"The quest is over and done with. Something suddenly came up, so I'm heading back."

The way she emphasized the words "something came up" nagged at me.

What on earth could be so important that she wanted to leave the moment the party disbanded?

Today was supposed to be a day to commemorate our fixed party's first completed request.

Part of me felt like we should at least have a little after-party, but honestly speaking up about it felt kind of pathetic.

It'd make it look like I was clinging to this girl.

"Fine, do whatever."

Rebecca's an individualist, all right.

"See you later, Luke."

Rebecca waved her hand briefly, then turned her back and walked off into the city.

I could see her moving at a brisk pace without a single moment of hesitation.

Staring at her retreating back, I couldn't suppress a nagging, unsettled feeling.

Could she actually be angry?

Did she really get all sulky just because she felt a little left out on the way back?

She's not a child, for crying out loud.

"Lili, we should be heading back now too."

"Thank you for all your hard work. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠You can give me the backpack now."

"No. I'll escort you to the front of the Magic Tower. That backpack is a lot heavier than it looks."

Instead of going after the departed Rebecca.

I decided to help Lili, my future VIP client.

The distance from the west gate street to the Magic Tower was considerable, after all.

Lili, seemingly pleased by my offer to escort her, smiled openly.

When she smiled, the little dimples that formed on her cheeks struck me as cute.

"I was truly grateful for everything today, Luke."

After escorting her all the way to the main gate of the Magic Tower, I parted ways with Lili.

I'd wanted to help her carry things inside the tower as well if possible, but Lili said that wasn't necessary.

She mentioned something about calling some classmates she knew to ask them to carry things for her.

Despite her honors-student appearance, she had a surprisingly wide network of contacts, it seemed.

Jingle!

"Here's ten copper as thanks for carrying my luggage! Please take it!"

"I didn't do it expecting money... but if you're offering, I'll accept it gratefully."

I pocketed the ten copper Lili abruptly held out.

They say that good deeds eventually bring a reward, and the reward that came back to me today was cash on the spot.

I felt a surge of happiness at the sensation of my pouch growing even heavier.

After roughly filling my stomach with food from the market for dinner, I returned to the inn.

All I could think about was hurrying back and catching some sleep.

But the moment I reached the inn's entrance, I reflexively stopped in my tracks.

Someone was leaning against the wall next to the door.

It was Rebecca—the very person I'd parted ways with just a few hours ago.

Rebecca, who'd been twirling a lock of her glossy red hair around her finger, looked my way the instant I appeared and let out a dry cough.

"Rebecca...? What are you doing here? I thought you said you had something urgent to do."

"I took care of it all. That's why I'm here, waiting."

"Waiting? For who?"

"For you, you idiot."

Rebecca pointed a finger at me.

I was frowning at the rude gesture when I realized something.

Rebecca's hand, which was pointing at me, was holding something.

It was a thin, tube-shaped stick.

Inside the transparent tube, a cream-like substance was filled about halfway.

The moment I made a puzzled expression, Rebecca tossed the tube with a flick.

I lightly caught the tube as it sailed through the air.

"What's this?"

"Can't you tell by looking? It's ointment."

"Ointment...?"

"I had some left over from when I bought it at the clinic for my swollen wrist. I asked the healer today, and they said it works on blisters too. Seemed like a waste to just leave it lying around."

Rebecca spoke while clearing her throat.

"You can have it. Just apply it to your palm."