Chapter 96
Chapter 96
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: Black Feather Hawk
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As we approached the city gates leading the massive turtle golem, soldiers came rushing out in droves. Every one of them wore a stiff expression. But none carried weapons. They lined up in two long rows, as if to welcome us.
"Whoa... are they welcoming us?"
I let out a silent chuckle at Olbern's question. It had been a while since I'd seen a sight like this. I'd momentarily forgotten about it while traveling through foreign lands.
People in the Ber Kingdom were generally like this.
'Still, this feels a bit over the top.'
Other countries feared and respected mages too, but the Ber Kingdom took it to another level. It was undoubtedly because of the mages' association here. I halted the turtle golem for a moment and spoke up.
"Olbern, is this your first time in a human kingdom?"
"Yes!"
"It'd be good if you made it obvious you're a mage while walking around. You brought your mage cloak, right?"
"Of course!"
Olbern nodded at my question and pulled a cloak from her bag. The cloak fluttered slowly in response to the mana in her hand.
The moment I jumped down from the turtle golem and began retrieving its core, one of the tense-faced soldiers came running up, breathless. He shouted in a stiff, forceful voice.
"W-We sincerely welcome you, esteemed mages!"
"The welcome's a bit much."
"I'm sorry! We've had orders lately to do it this way...!"
The soldier stepped aside as he said this. No one mentioned any procedures for entering the city. As if it was only natural for mages, everyone moved to the sides of the gate, forming long lines.
Watching the scene, Durel naturally stepped forward.
"We can proceed like this. Shall we go?"
No one reacted to Durel's words. They bowed their heads and held their breath, as if confirming it was right. It was like they were waiting for a typhoon to pass.
Starting with Durel at the lead, our entire group passed through the massive front gate. Only then did the soldiers gathered at the entrance disperse.
"Wow... so this is a human city...! The architecture is so different from the dwarves'. It's all built so tall!"
Olbern was the most excited of the group. She was honest about her feelings. Her eyes sparkled as she looked around, clearly itching to dash off. After a moment's hesitation, I turned to Durel.
"Durel."
"Yes."
"Take Shimo and Olbern and look around the city for a bit."
"But..."
"It means gather some information. You know why we're here, right? And buy some food too. We finished the fruit we saved last time."
I added a small errand so they'd actually go. He was quick on the uptake and would understand the implication. Durel hesitated unenthusiastically for a moment before finally nodding.
"Understood. Then what about you, Master?"
"I'm heading to the adventurer guild to get some info. And I want some time alone for a bit. Oh, come straight back to the Black Feather Hawk once you're done. That's my plan too."
"We'll do that."
It meant don't worry about me and have fun. Durel and the other two disciples nodded in response. Before Durel walked away, I pulled the turtle golem's core from my pocket and handed it to him.
Left alone like that, a pleasant silence settled in now that my usually noisy disciples were gone. Even I needed some personal time like this occasionally. No need to worry about the disciples. There wouldn't be any crazies here dumb enough to mess with mages.
Of course, there might be the occasional fool who couldn't tell heaven from earth and charged in, but my disciples weren't weak enough to lose to trash like that.
As I started walking, a massive clamor followed behind me. After the commotion at the entrance revealed my identity as a mage, there were plenty of witnesses. Right now, rumors were spreading through the voices of the people.
-Mages have come...?
-How many are there?
-Hey, watch your mouth. They're esteemed mages.
-Over there... that's him. See the unusual clothes? Don't approach.
-Shut your mouth...! They say a mage's ears can hear conversations from neighboring countries...!
Ridiculous nonsense spread as if it were fact. Even though it wasn't true, everyone thought all mages were omnipotent. That was the common perception among the uneducated masses.
Nothing to be done about it. Magic was a closed-off discipline. When people moved earth and shot flames with their hands, how else would it look to ordinary eyes?
I had Gentle Wind wrapped around my body. Leaning into the soft breeze pushing at my back, I reached my destination in an instant.
The words on the sign were the same as the ones I'd seen before. Even in different regions, the adventurer guild's name didn't change.
'This place has an upper floor too...'
The interior layout was similar to the guilds I'd visited previously. I sensed traces of mana from the upper floor. Five in total. No mages, just mana users who strengthened their bodies with it.
None seemed particularly strong, so no need to be on guard. I naturally approached and opened the guild door.
Whoooosh-!
Being a mage was an enormous backing. That's why I didn't use the authority of concealment. My mana flowed out as is, and the breeze from Gentle Wind lightly swept through the building's interior.
The buzz inside, clear until I opened the door, cut off in an instant. I slowly stepped into the hall shrouded in heavy silence.
No need to line up for requests. As I walked straight ahead, the long line parted to both sides. I slipped through naturally and stood before the reception desk.
"Welcome, mage. What is the purpose of your visit?"
Her calm, steady voice was impressive. She seemed familiar with it. She'd probably dealt with a few mages who'd come to the guild before. This was better. I nodded and spoke.
"It's been a while since I returned to the Ber Kingdom, so I want to know the overall situation..."
"The overall situation, you mean..."
"Nothing specific. Any major incidents will do. Though if I had to pick, stories involving mages would be good."
"I understand. Estimated time..."
"I'll come back tomorrow. Prepare the documents by then."
A day should be plenty. As I said that, I pulled a handful of silver coins from my pocket and poured them onto the reception desk. Ever since I could craft magic tools, I'd had financial leeway. My spending had naturally increased too.
Only after pouring out the silver coins did I realize I hadn't exchanged them. But her reaction suggested it wasn't a problem. The receptionist stared at the silver coins for a moment before nodding.
I added with a light smile.
"And if there's info among it that I like, I'll pay extra. The guild can relay that, right?"
"Yes..."
The receptionist nodded and began filling out paperwork. A mage had come and prepaid. I'd said I'd return tomorrow, so they'd handle it properly. Confirming the paperwork, I turned and headed for the exit. A few adventurers who'd been watching cautiously surged toward the reception desk.
The city tour didn't end until late evening. We'd wandered all over the place. I'd stashed the mage cloak and hat in my bag, wrapped myself in concealment to pass as an ordinary girl, played dice games with money on the line, and even watched a shoddy puppet show for kids.
As I was leaving the city to return to the Black Feather Hawk, something shiny on a street stall caught my eye amid the evening crowds. It was a small hair clip crudely decorated with a flower.
"Do you want that one?"
I looked up at the voice from across the stall. An old woman, apparently the owner, smiled faintly and pointed at the hair clip.
'Not so much want it as...'
I hesitated in my response and lightly touched my bangs. Smooth strands slipped softly between my fingers. My hair had grown a lot lately. Since I hadn't properly trimmed it, my bangs kept getting in my eyes, so I needed something to fix that.
"Want to try it on?"
"Is that okay?"
In that sense, the hair clip was a pretty good choice. I used the pin the old woman handed me to push my bangs to the side and secure them lightly. It felt decent. As I fiddled with my hair like that, the old woman held out a cracked mirror.
"Very pretty."
"Hm..."
Definitely. It was cute. Staring at the girl in the mirror, I nodded and asked.
"How much?"
"Got any gallet coins? Just two of those."
I froze.
I hadn't exchanged currency, so I had no Ber Kingdom coins. After a brief hesitation, I pulled a silver coin from my pocket. It was Azgal Rock currency.
"I haven't exchanged yet... will you take this?"
"That's... dwarf money, eh? I could take it as payment, but I don't have change for it."
After a moment's thought, I picked up every hair clip on the stall.
"Now?"
"Heh heh... that'll do... wait a sec."
Change wasn't necessary. I was satisfied, so it covered the shortfall. As the old woman bent down, I lightly kicked off the ground. Gentle Wind unfurled like wings around me, and I glided smoothly down the street.
It was instantaneous to exit the city and reach the canyon where I'd moored the Black Feather Hawk. As I drew near, I caught a foul stench of blood.
'Did monsters come...?'
Tilting my head, I passed through some thick bushes, and the scene around the Black Feather Hawk came into view.
"Ah! Master's back! Master!"
"Master...! We've been waiting!"
"Master! There's a bit of a problem...!"
Fortunately, my three disciples were unharmed. Following the smell of blood, I spotted a massive octopus golem. It stood aloof under the moonlight, and at its base, a huge pool of congealed blood had formed. Scattered around it were a mage's cloak tangled in blood and mud, along with a large bag.
"What the hell is this."
"It was like this when we arrived. A few nearby trees were broken, so we figured the mage must have fought the golem... That's our guess."
Durel, who had hurried over, naturally took my bag as he spoke. Just as he said, a few trees nearby were snapped and lying around. I ordered the octopus golem to move aside, and its bulky body carefully shifted.
"Whoa..."
The revealed sight was utterly gruesome.