The First Step into the Sewers

The Underground Waterway. Flora, a beautiful young girl with twin-tailed hair who looks like she stepped out of a wealthy household. She is a novice mage from the Affiliation School. The only spell she has learned is Magic Missile. ...Just one. Estelle Frostwind. Cute, but a bit short. A former Lich. A current mage-in-training. She hasn't learned any spells yet. She carries a single dagger as a weapon. Judging by the information above... 'We're too weak.' We aren't ready yet. To conquer the Underground Waterway, we need to be stronger than this. So, we headed to the back alleys of the frontier town.

"I've never been here before." Flora craned her neck, looking left and right. Of the six starting points in Nine Stars, the Garden Western Frontier isn't very popular. Located on the edge of the Empire, it’s difficult to access, and the town’s infrastructure is lackluster. Furthermore, the fact that NPCs who handle various functions are tucked away in random corners like this is another reason why it isn't preferred. How would a newcomer know that the NPC selling magic books is hiding in a back alley like this?

"Wow! There are so many books piled up!" In a corner of the alley where the sun barely reached, there was a mountain of books that could rightfully be called a castle of paper. We approached a crow sitting and leaning against the pile. The creature, which had its face buried deep in a book, lifted its head with a gloomy expression.

"We're here to buy books."

"...Everything piled up in front of you is a book, so pick whatever you want. Thin books are 1,000 gold. Thick books are 2,000 gold... No haggling whatsoever." The crow muttered in a voice barely audible and fixed its gaze back on the book it was reading.

This guy is a pretty unique breed even among crows. A weirdo who has no interest in weapons or precious metals and obsessively collects only books. Even though he's an NPC who sells magic books, he probably doesn't even realize it himself. Finding a magic book among the vast pile of thousands of volumes is entirely up to the player.

"Seonbae, you've seen Fundamentals of Magic at the Magic Tower, right? We need to find that book now, so please help me."

"Of course, I'll help. But is that magic book really here?" Flora looked doubtful.

"It is. Definitely." I am certain that a magic book is sleeping somewhere here. It’s information I’ve personally verified dozens of times in the game. It’s just a matter of time—whether we find it late or early. And so, an hour after we started searching...

"Estelle-ssi. We have a problem." Flora said with a sullen face.

"What is it?"

"The next volume is missing. Volume 3 of Sortie☆Supernova Magical Girl Squad."

"..."

"I mean, it ended right at the scene where Crimson Leo was in danger! How on earth is she going to overcome this crisis... I'm so nervous I could die!"

No wonder she’d been tucked away in a corner being quiet since earlier. You, have you been reading comic books this whole time? I tapped the top of Flora's head with the corner of a book I was holding.

"Ouch-"

"Seonbae, we’re looking for a magic book right now, not a comic book."

"R-right..." Flora shrank her shoulders, glancing at me.

"Do you want me to tell you what happens next?" The Magical Girl Squad comic Flora was reading is a story-within-a-story, and it’s set up to be quite famous in the game's world. Of course, I've already read it to the end.

"No, that's okay! I want to read it myself."

"Really? Seonbae, then..." I wore a cruel smile on my lips. "If you keep slacking off, I’m going to spoil the next volume."

"What? No! Please don't!"

"You said it was volume 3, right? Here's what happens next... Twilight Gemini the Magical Girl appears and-"

"W-waaaah!"

The effect was tremendous. Flora covered both ears with her hands and screamed. And perhaps because she really didn't want to be spoiled, she searched through the pile of books at a speed that looked like 2x fast-forward. Her movements were almost close to the Acceleration spell...

Thirty minutes later.

"Whew... E-Estelle-ssi, haa... I found it, I found it! Here-"

Flora, covered in sweat, held a book up over her head. See, you can do it if you try. I took the magic book from Flora, who had collapsed in exhaustion. Fundamentals of Magic: Concept Principles Starting from the Basics. It looks like a tattered old book, but the value of this book is immense. 'If I didn't have this, I wouldn't be able to learn magic until much later in a big city.'

However, the crow didn't seem interested in the book's value.

"It's thin, so 1,000 gold." He just cast a fleeting glance to see if it was thin or thick.

"What are you reading?"

"..."

When I asked, the crow slid the book cover toward me. The Fairy and the Sea. It’s a story about a fairy who went out to sea in a rowboat to catch a marlin. Like most books in Nine Stars, it’s a parody of a book that already exists in reality. The original The Old Man and the Sea must be that famous Hemingway novel.

"Have you read it?"

"Yeah."

"Then you know the ending."

"Even if I don't remember it in detail, I know the gist."

The crow showed interest for the first time. The crow showed me the torn back page of the book and said, "As you can see, the back is torn, so I don't know how it ends. I've read it over and over and guessed for myself, but... it's not easy."

"That must be frustrating."

"It's a good thing you're here. Hey, if you know the ending, won't you tell me? So, what happens to the fairy?"

There was desperation mixed in the crow's voice. He really seemed curious about the rest of the story. 'He's like a real living person.' That thought crossed my mind. In the game, this crow was just an NPC. An NPC who endlessly repeats the same actions in the same spot every day. But the man I’m facing right now was by no means a mannequin reciting fixed lines. I can feel desire. I can feel lack. This guy has a life of his own, and it will exist entirely on its own regardless of my actions. 'It's not that he's like a living person. He is alive.'

I realized anew that Nine Stars had become another reality itself.

"The fairy barely succeeds in catching the marlin."

"I know that."

"But he can't bring it back to the harbor. The sharks that followed him on the way back eat it all."

"...What?"

"When he arrives at the harbor, the marlin is nothing but bones. That's the end."

The crow narrowed his brows, thought about it for a moment, and spat out, "You're joking, right?"

"It's true."

"You're teasing me. Forget it, if you're done, go away now." The crow pouted and started reading The Fairy and the Sea again.

Deep beneath the Garden frontier. We are walking through the foul-smelling Underground Waterway. "Estelle-ssi, wait a moment!" As a corner of the path appeared, Flora ran ahead first. Then she poked her head out and carefully examined the front. "No problem! It's okay to come." She gestured for me, who was behind her, to come. Even so, she seems to want to set an example in front of her junior, acting like a senior. However, unlike her admirable mindset, Flora's legs hadn't stopped trembling since earlier.

"Seonbae, don't push yourself. I'll take the lead."

"Huh? Why? It's okay- I'm fine."

"This is better. I have a good sense of direction."

The complex, twisted paths of the Underground Waterway are no different from a labyrinth. If you take a wrong turn by mistake, you might wander endlessly in the waterway until you collapse from exhaustion. And, for the sake of maintaining the party's combat power, it's better for me to take the risk. I can die and be resurrected, but for Flora, once she dies, that's it.

"But-"

"Seonbae is the core combat power of our party. You're our trump card. You need to save your strength during normal times for the important moments. You know what I mean?"

"A trump card...! Understood!"

She laughs happily again as soon as I flatter her. She's a very easy girl to handle. While ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠avoiding rat droppings, we were moving through the Underground Waterway when...

"Stop." I held up one hand. Flora, who was following, whispered, "Is there something?"

"There's a rat. A big one."

"Eek..." Flora winced. She was disgusted even by the small rats she encountered on the way, so it's understandable that she'd be reluctant to hear that a giant rat had appeared. But for me, this is the moment I've been waiting for. The real hunt starts now.

"The guy doesn't know we're nearby yet. Seonbae, are you ready?"

"Yes."

Perfect. A single giant rat is the perfect prey to test the party's strength. Flora swallowed hard and created a small sphere of magic on her hand. Magic Missile, the most basic offensive spell for a mage. "Look, Estelle-ssi. The point to be careful about when gathering magic here is, don't be too hasty and make sure the form is clearly-"

"Seonbae, forget it, just focus on the enemy in front of you."

"Ah, yes!"

Flora wanted to teach me some tips like a senior, but now is not the time. There's no need to, either. "Aim ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠well, like this-"

Pang—

With a bright flash, the bullet of magic darted forward like an arrow. The giant rat turned around suddenly at the bright light approaching, but it was already too late to react. Crunch. The giant rat, struck in the side, spat blood, and its whiskers twitched. Not a bad blow. Unlike a drifter mage, it showed that she had diligently learned the basic magic operation methods at the Magic Tower. 'The power is a bit disappointing, but still, this much is fine.'

The giant rat didn't collapse in one hit, and it glared at us, its nose twitching. "U-uh? Why didn't it die?"

"Stay calm, Seonbae. Don't look at me. Don't take your eyes off the giant rat."

"A-all right!"

Good grief, who's the senior here? "Seonbae, you have that new spell you learned earlier, right? Let's test that too."

"You mean Magic Shield? Okay!"

Fundamentals of Magic: Concept Principles Starting from the Basics teaches new spells that match the reader's level. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠You could say the magic book itself has its own will. It's a kind of personalized education. Therefore, even if you read the same book, the magic suggested by Fundamentals of Magic is different for everyone. In Flora's case, since she had already learned Magic Missile, she was recommended Magic Shield as her next spell.

Zzzzt—

The giant rat, groaning in pain, limped and crawled quickly toward Flora. "Ugh- I hate it! Please don't come this way!" Flora overlapped her hands to form an X shape and thrust them forward. The Magic Shield was cast immediately. The giant rat that was running toward her slammed its head with all its might into the transparent barrier that had suddenly appeared.

'Oh? Magic Shield is quite useful.'

Is it because she's a mage from the Affiliation School, which specializes in auxiliary magic? It must have been the first time she'd ever used the spell, but it was much higher level than Magic Missile. Her application was also quite sensible. 'She must be getting good aptitude bonuses.'

It might be good to set Flora's growth direction toward auxiliary and defensive magic. To do that, the items should be... No, even if it's difficult, I should try to get a spirit item... I briefly thought about Flora's growth direction and then shook my head. It's an unnecessary worry. 'Well, I probably won't be traveling with her for that long.'

After finishing off the giant rat that had knocked its head against the Magic Shield and fainted, we continued to move forward. We soon discovered another giant rat. This time it's my turn. As I focused my will into my heart, using the trick for calling up the status window, magic began to gather on my palm like Flora's. 'I see. It feels roughly like this.'

A sphere of magic twice as large as the one Flora showed earlier floated up. "Estelle-ssi, that's it! You have a knack for it!" Flora, who had been chattering excitedly, soon began to lose her words. "...Is this really your first time using magic?"

It is my first time. But it seems this girl named Estelle was quite talented back in the day. They say even a rich man can last three years after going bankrupt. Anyway, casting magic like this would be enough to catch one rat. But since I've already surprised her, should I show her something more fun? I made my hand into the shape of a pistol and aimed at the giant rat.

A large sphere of magic began to concentrate on a single point above my index finger. I aimed calmly. Bang.