Chapter 39: Magic City(2)
Chapter 39: Magic City(2)
The journey to the Magic City was peaceful. You really get what you pay for. To exaggerate a bit, it was as comfortable as being rocked in a cradle.
Our regressor, Lina, was staring out the window again today. She really loves looking at the scenery.
Lina aside, Victoria and Natasha were in the middle of a cold war of their own, so the inside of the carriage was completely silent.
The only one comfortable here was the old woman. She was dozing off all by herself.
“Aren't you a little too close?”
“What? Me? What business is it of yours if I want to be close to my husband?”
“I heard he’s not really your husband, though...”
“!”
Natasha shot me a glare. I quickly averted my eyes. I was only stating a fact.
“...He’ll be my real husband soon.”
“!”
At those words, Victoria’s pupils wavered. She looked at me as if demanding an explanation.
“...Natasha. I told you I have no plans to get married yet.”
“But you said you’d marry me if I got pregnant!”
“But you’re not pregnant. Your belly isn’t even showing... What are you talking about?”
“Husband. You’re so mean. Sob!”
In the end, Natasha burst into tears. But I couldn't just say I'd marry her here and now.
Victoria watched this unfold with a triumphant smile.
Just then, Lina, who had been staring blankly out the window, casually threw out a comment.
“Natasha...”
“What is it? Sniffle...”
Recently, Natasha and Lina had gotten along better.
This was because Natasha had realized that Lina had no romantic interest in me.
Of course, she was still a little wary due to Lina’s beautiful appearance.
“Do you really have no memory of that time?”
“That time... Are we talking about that again? I told you not to bring it up because it’s embarrassing... Sniffle...”
She was talking about when Natasha had gone berserk. Lina still found it baffling whenever she thought about it.
In her past life, no one could stop Natasha’s rampage. She wouldn’t listen to anyone, and her berserk state would continue until she drew blood.
If she didn’t, the rampage would go on for a day or two before she finally calmed down.
“If you have no memory... if you were unconscious, how did you recognize Kerry?”
“I don’t know. It’s not like I did it consciously. But I think I know why it was possible.”
“And what reason is that?”
“The power of love. My love for my husband created a miracle.”
“...”
Lina turned her head back to the window, as if she’d just heard something utterly ridiculous.
Still, the current situation wasn’t bad.
They could now control Natasha’s berserk state, which could have been her fatal flaw.
To think they could control the immense power Natasha gained in exchange for her reason.
It was truly an incredible feat.
Lina looked at Kerry thoughtfully.
Because of Kerry, everything was working out. To Lina, Kerry was a goddess of luck—no, a god of luck.
“Kerry.”
“Yes, Lina.”
“I have a favor to ask, if you don’t mind.”
“Go ahead.”
“I’d like to ask you to train Natasha. Of course, this is only if Natasha is okay with it as well...”
“Train her?”
“Yes. Right now, Natasha’s power is unstable. The strength she displays when she’s agitated is immense, but when she goes berserk like last time, it’s extremely dangerous.”
“If that happens, my husband can just take care of me again! Just like last time.”
“That may be true... but the problem is we don’t know if last time was a coincidence or not...”
“It wasn’t a coincidence! It was definitely the power of love!”
“And depending on the level of agitation, she might not recognize you and attack you, Kerry.”
“That will never happen! Husband, believe in me.”
I could see what Lina was getting at. She wanted to control Natasha’s uncontrollable power.
Indeed, given Natasha’s ability, Lina, as her former comrade, must have had a very hard time with it in her past life.
“I understand what you’re saying, Lina. You want to eliminate the unstable elements of Natasha’s power.”
“Yes, that’s right. Just because you were able to stop her once, Kerry, doesn’t guarantee you can do it again. I think there’s value in simply determining what we can and can’t do ahead of time.”
“So you’re saying we should have her go berserk again in advance, to prepare for a real battle?”
“And this is just a hypothesis for now... but if we could command a berserk Natasha to attack our enemies, it would be a huge help on our journey.”
It seemed Lina wasn’t just thinking about stopping Natasha’s rampages, but also about using them offensively.
Not a bad idea.
“So... if you two are amenable, I was proposing that we intentionally trigger Natasha’s berserk state and try to train her in that condition.”
“I’ll do it! I can’t keep hurting other people every time I go berserk.”
“If it helps Natasha, then I’m fine with it too.”
“Then it’s decided. We’ll arrange the training schedule once we arrive in the Magic City.”
And so, the next day, we arrived in the Magic City of Viln.
Viln was a neutral state where magic had flourished, and it was a spectacular city befitting its name.
Shops and buildings floated in the air on artificial foundations, apparently made from levitation stones.
‘So I’ve finally come to the Magic City I’ve only ever heard about... A place where a man’s fantasy comes to life!’
The others also stuck their heads out of the carriage, marveling at the sight.
We were able to enter the Magic City easily thanks to Victoria’s status and travel pass.
Victoria said she had to part with the group for a while.
“I’d love to explore the city with you all... but I must go pay my respects to a person of high standing here. It’s customary for nobles visiting the Magic City...”
Then Lina also spoke up.
“I also have something to investigate.”
Such a workaholic regressor.
The old woman said her knees were bad in her old age and that she would go rest at an inn first.
And so, it ended up being just Natasha and me exploring the Magic City.
“Wow... Husband.”
“What is it, Natasha?”
“Um... Now that I think about it...”
“?”
“I think this is the first time I’ve explored a city alone with you.”
Thinking back, she was right.
Quite some time had passed since I rescued her from the bandits, yet we had never even been on a date. And she still calls me her husband.
“Hehe. I love it. A date! A date!”
Natasha seemed thrilled about the date, but I actually had something I needed to do.
The Magic Storage Orb.
While I was looking forward to sightseeing in the Magic City, my hopes for finding a Magic Storage Orb were even greater.
I wanted to get my hands on as many orbs as possible.
Since the Magic City had many shops selling magic tools, I thought I might be able to find one.
I considered shaking Natasha off to search alone, but she wasn’t about to be left behind easily.
She was on the verge of tears in the middle of the street, calling it our first date, so I had no choice but to take her with me.
Besides, Natasha was on my side anyway.
“Husband. Isn’t that a magic tool shop over there?”
Since it was our first time in the Magic City, we didn’t know where the magic tool shops were and had been searching by trial and error.
And then, we finally found one. A magic tool shop.
“I think you’re right, Natasha.”
“I am, right? Right? Praise me.”
“Yes, yes. Good job, Natasha.”
“Wow... so half-hearted... You’re so mean.”
Kerry and Natasha entered the magic tool shop.
It was a rather old-looking shop, filled with strange objects whose purposes I couldn’t even guess.
They all seemed to be magic tools.
An elderly woman leaning on a staff appeared.
“What have you come to buy, my cute little customers?”
Natasha seemed to like being called cute, her cheeks blushing, but I hated it.
“...Do you happen to carry Magic Storage Orbs here?”
“A Magic Storage Orb?”
“Yes.”
“...”
What’s with that look? Did I ask something I shouldn’t have?
The shopkeeper, the old woman, wrinkled her face strangely. Then she looked us up and down.
“You even know what that is?”
“Is there anyone who buys things without knowing what they are?”
“Plenty of fools like that. Half the people who buy magic tools in this city get suckered into buying useless junk. Keh heh.”
With a sigh, Kerry took the Magic Storage Orb out of his pocket.
“This. I’m asking if you have anything like this. Is that clear enough for you?”
“!”
The old woman stared at the orb, her hand trembling as she reached for it.
“C-Could you let me see that up close? Is that really a Magic Storage Orb?”
“...”
Her eyes were like she was looking at a precious treasure. Kind of like Gollum’s ‘my precious’ from Lord of the Rings?
Was this thing really that valuable?
The White Witch told me this was the lowest grade of Magic Storage Orb.
It wouldn’t hurt to show it to her, so I handed the orb to the old woman.
“Ooh... This is genuine. To think I’d get to see one here. Where did you get this?”
“I found it.”
“...Don’t mess with me.”
It’s true, though. I picked it up after a bandit dropped it when he died.
“Well, it doesn’t matter if you don’t want to tell me. Just seeing this today has made my day.”
“...So I take it you don’t have any Magic Storage Orbs here?”
“...You know nothing, young man. This is a rare treasure. A orb that only the legendary archmage, the White Witch, could create a hundred years ago. I heard her followers had quite a few of them back then... but after a hundred years, they’ve become incredibly hard to find.”
The White Witch really is amazing. Even if she gets pouty easily.
“Will you sell this?”
“Not for sale. Give it back.”
“My apologies. You don’t have to sell it, just let me look at it a little longer.”
This was unexpected. It seemed this thing was much rarer than I thought.
I thought I might find some rolling around like antiques in the Magic City, but I was wrong.
What have the folks at the Mage Tower been doing for a hundred years if they can’t even make one of these?
Just then, the old woman said with a sly grin.
“Actually, one of my ancestors managed to get their hands on a Magic Storage Orb.”
“...Is that so?”
“So I have one as well. I’ll give this back. Let me show you mine instead.”
The old woman disappeared into the back and reemerged a moment later.
I saw a orb suffused with a brilliant light. It looked quite similar to mine, but its glow was brighter and more mystical.
“This is...”
“This is also a Magic Storage Orb. Mine looks better than yours, doesn’t it? It’s an item my ancestor acquired after subjugating the White Witch’s followers.”
It was probably a higher-grade orb than mine. I want it!
The White Witch told me that the better the orb, the higher the tier of magic it could store.
“I’ll buy the orb.”
“This isn’t for sale.”
“I have a lot of money.”
This was exactly why I’d stashed away an emergency fund. I had converted the money I skimmed from selling the holy water and the treasure from the monster-grandfather into cash.
“This is my family’s heirloom. It’s not something I can sell for money.”
“....”
I could see the old woman’s stubborn expression. She really didn’t want to sell. I guess it can’t be helped.
Just then, the old woman looked at me and said.
“...You’re an adventurer, aren’t you, young man? Seeing as you have a lot of money, you must be a skilled one. Am I right?”
I wasn’t so sure about the ‘skilled’ part, but I’d play along.
“For the most part, yes.”
“Then do you take personal requests? If you accept a request from me, I suppose I could part with the orb...”
It looked like things were working out better than I expected.