5. Marian
5. Marian
Bellua, true to its reputation as a trading city, is a place where you can see all kinds of races. It's not uncommon to encounter beastfolk or dwarves on the streets, and occasionally you might even witness the rare sight of a socialized orc sweating as they pull a cart.
Although the majority of the population is human,
it's a city where everyone lives mixed together in a hodgepodge atmosphere that's surprisingly not bad. What matters isn't race, but money.
Money, money, money...
In such a city, there's one particularly conspicuous presence.
If you bring up elves in Bellua, nine times out of ten, you're referring to the elf mage named Noah.
The only elf existing in this city.
Bellua, located on the complete opposite side from Edelgard, called the homeland of elves at the northern tip of the continent.
Why an elf, who lives in harmony with nature, has separated from their community and lives alone in such a worldly city is unknown.
From dungeon clearing requests to minor magical needs within the city.
They always handle everything cleanly with a consistent attitude.
— I feel uncomfortable when that woman looks at me. It feels like she's looking down on me. Don't you think?
— Hey, take that back...! Noah-nim is much better than those mages who just act high and mighty without showing any magic!
— Ah, come to think of it, have you heard? I heard that these days, they're teaching children at the church.
— Aah... as expected...
It might not have been intentional,
but now that it's been about two years since Noah started living here,
no one finds it strange that an elf with pointy ears is openly walking around the streets, and the city residents regard them as a great mage.
Even if they have a somewhat (?) fussy side, they often take on and solve the troublesome requests of the city residents... perhaps a mage who might actually be kind 'at' heart.
So,
just by looking at how someone treats Noah, you can usually tell how long they've been here.
"... Hey, mister."
"Still have business? I can't go any lower, pal. Do you know how good the ore is that this dagger is made from!"
The blacksmith owner, Bargas, muttered indifferently.
"No, I'm done haggling. Over there."
The adventurer Ban, who had been negotiating the price of the dagger, adjusted his bow and pointed with his chin toward one side of the market.
Bargas made an annoyed face but followed Ban's gaze and turned his head.
There, the elf Noah, with silver hair neatly tied back and a long staff in one hand, was holding a shopping basket and picking out ingredients.
"That, isn't that an elf?"
"... That's Noah-nim."
"A mage?"
"What, are they going to hit people with that staff? They're considered the best mage in this area. Just in case you're thinking something unnecessary, drop it. Friend."
"Aish. Can't I just ask? Fine then. I'll look for a dagger somewhere else, whatever."
Ban waved his hand dismissively and left the blacksmith. Watching him go, Bargas clicked his tongue.
"Hans! Bring some salt and sprinkle it around!"
===
"Excuse me. About three pounds of this cut, please. Ah, I'd like the bones separated if possible."
"Oh, Noah-nim! Are you feeding the church children again today? In that case... I should give you an especially good cut."
"... Thank you."
Word sure travels fast.
I never went around boasting about it myself, but already the market people were adding their own comments, showing kindness by putting an extra handful of vegetables in my basket or something similar, saying they wanted to contribute too.
But honestly, it's a bit puzzling.
It's not like I've been particularly kind to these humans; rather, I've kept my distance as if annoyed.
Maybe these people...
Have they collectively awakened to some masochistic preference or something?
'... Surely not that.'
Anyway, getting extra meat as a service is a good thing, so thinking that what's good is good, I bought a suitable amount of vegetables to eat with the meat.
The shopping basket grew heavy.
A body enhanced by magic is sturdier than you'd think.
Carrying the basket, I crossed through the market and slipped into a quiet alley.
Then suddenly,
I made eye contact with an adventurer who had been staring straight at me from ahead, and the guy grinned at me.
'... Me?'
Sure enough, he immediately strode right up to me and started talking.
"... I heard you're a great mage."
"And so?"
There are kind residents, but troublesome things like this also happen often.
I answered indifferently and kept walking forward without stopping. But the man persistently followed alongside me.
"I'm a C-rank mercenary. I hear that Noah-nim operates without a party. I'll give you a good split. Would you consider forming a party with me? I heard a fairly large dungeon has appeared near Rangs lately. How about it? 60-40, with you taking 60..."
"80-20."
"Hmm... I could maybe go up to 70..."
"90-10."
"Huh? 80 might be possible, but 90..."
"100-0."
"......"
The nameless adventurer's words gradually dwindled until he was just opening and closing his mouth like a goldfish.
Hehe, this is secretly kind of fun.
I have no intention of leaving Bellua far behind anyway, but well, if they offered about 500 gold coins as a commission fee, I might at least consider it. If you're going to get rejected, you should bring money that's hard to refuse.
Of course, I only mean I'd consider it.
I'm an elf with an extremely petty bourgeois mindset who doesn't want to die on the streets blinded by magic or stabbed by a sword.
'... He should get the message by now.'
Thinking that, I stepped into the side alley where the church roof was faintly visible. But contrary to my expectations, it seemed the guy had courage—or rather, recklessness.
"This is unreasonable! Even if you're high rank, for a mage who's not even A-rank but B-rank to monopolize all the profits! Isn't that lacking in basic decency?!"
Snatch—
The guy roughly grabbed my arm.
It was extremely unpleasant.
The street exiting the alley with the church right in front. Due to the sudden commotion, the gazes of passersby all focused on us at once.
'... Annoying.'
I swallowed a curse and turned my back.
But then, from within the crowd, wasn't there a familiar figure I never expected to meet here, staring straight at me?
That person strode right up to me.
Blonde hair in a bun, with eyes that looked extremely irritated.
Marian Lowell.
"... Wh, who are you."
Clothes that looked expensive at a glance.
Unless this adventurer is a serious fool, he should be able to guess that the woman before him is a noble of high status.
But before he could assess the situation,
Smack—!
Marian slapped the adventurer right across the cheek.
"......"
"......"
Silence...
An unexpected development for the slapped adventurer, the watching people, the woman who looked like an attendant, and even me.
"How long do you plan to keep holding that hand?"
"... Wh, who the hell are you...?"
"Ahem. Marian Lowell. You should stop here. We're in front of a church."
I deliberately cleared my throat and intervened.
Marian Lowell. At that name, the guy flinched and let go of my arm. It seems he's well aware of the Lowell family name too.
"S, sorry! I was just trying to propose a party...!"
"Proposals are made with words, not hands. I'll give you 3 seconds. Please disappear from my sight."
"Yes, yep!"
At Marian's words, the adventurer disappeared beyond the alley as if running away without looking back.
What remained was the murmuring of the surrounding people.
But Marian didn't seem to pay any attention.
"... Hehe. Your vacation looks very enjoyable? Since there was no sign of you returning, I came to find you like this."
"Thanks to someone, I'm thinking it's become very troublesome right now."
Marian continued with a laugh.
"Lo~ng ago, Noah-nim told me a story. There was a story about slave catchers who went around catching runaway slaves in Noah-nim's homeland. I really like that story."
"......"
There was a time when, after accepting a request from Count Lowell, I stayed in the capital and associated with Marian Lowell.
That was the beginning of everything.
The meeting with a immature young lady who threw tantrums about disliking her engagement. The knowledge from my previous life and stimulating stories I told her out of boredom.
Before I knew it,
Marian had become a brothel manager.
How did I end up getting my nose caught like this.
It's pretty much my own fault for running my mouth and causing this fate, but I do feel guilty at times.
As if I corrupted a young lady who was once pure...
"... Let's go inside to talk. There are too many eyes here."
"I suppose so. Noah-nim has so many secrets, after all."
"......"
Marian wore a sticky smile at the corner of her mouth and gestured to her attendant that there was no need to follow.
And so, just Marian and I moved our steps inside the church.
"... You know, Marian. When I first heard about this, I thought it was Noah-nim's new play. Hmm, a nun costume play?"
"......"
"Or perhaps you couldn't forget having sex with Bishop Valerius and came all the way to the church...!"
"No, no...!"