Chapter 157
Chapter 157
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Joining
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"Wait."
Lilliana grabbed us just as we were about to leave the mansion.
"Huh?"
"Turning down my offer to be my assistant... no, experiment... Fine, how about being my disciple instead? This is a truly groundbreaking proposal."
"......"
Wasn't that basically the same thing?
I wondered if I could tempt her with my body...
"Not interested."
"What? Did I hear that wrong? Or did you? Becoming the disciple of the great archmage Lilliana. Disciple. Do you not understand what that means?"
I didn't know.
But I could tell Lilliana was an incredible mage.
And while she'd changed the label from assistant to disciple, what she really wanted was still just one thing.
"......You're more arrogant than I thought. No helping it."
"Giving up?"
"Yes... Guess the desperate one has no choice but to tag along. You're the most enigmatic being I've ever encountered in my life. You're worth me moving for research purposes."
"......You're coming with us?"
"That's right. As you know, I'm an archmage. And now I'm offering to join your party."
Lilliana, whom we'd planned to part ways with, was saying she'd travel with us.
She was an amazing mage.
Bringing her along would definitely be useful.
'I could get advice on magic too... Though her bragging is a bit much...'
But she was a beauty, so it was forgivable.
Was there any reason to refuse?
"Hmm... If you promise to obey my every word, I might just allow it."
"...Cocky, but... I suppose the desperate one has to endure that too."
"What about your mansion? You seemed really attached to it..."
She'd even stopped a battle because it got scratched.
If Lilliana left it behind like this, her fancy empty mansion was bound to end up trashed.
"Hmph!"
She smirked arrogantly, folded her parasol, and tapped the ground.
The mansion crumpled like paper and shrank down...
Until a tiny model of it appeared in her hand.
The space where the mansion had stood was now just an empty lot.
Lilliana stored the model in her subspace.
"There."
It was such an astonishing sight that even the two elves' jaws dropped.
I was just as awestruck, of course.
This was what a true archmage felt like.
"Incredible."
"Hehe... Now do you finally grasp my greatness? Well? I'm still willing to take you as my disciple."
Disciple my foot—it was clear she meant test subject.
"Hm? Hold on."
Lilliana suddenly approached with a serious expression and touched my chest.
"Now that I look closely, this tacky robe... Th-this!! What material is this?"
Then she leaned in close to my neck and sniffed.
"Huh? Sniff sniff..."
Her ample breasts and pleasant fragrance pressed against me.
"Your scent... is quite nice. You... You're no ordinary human... What race are you exactly? You look human, but you don't match any known demi-human... And that subspace of yours... You're just full of research material!!"
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Ayla shoved Lilliana away from me.
"Hm? Why the fuss? Oh! He's your man? Don't worry. I had zero personal feelings right now. That said, could you lend me your man? I'd love to study him."
"No way!"
"Shame."
Even elves got jealous, huh?
Good to know.
"What about the miners you captured?"
"Do I need to care? If they don't want to starve, they'll find a way."
"Y-you took care of the witch?"
We returned to the village and reported the quest completion to the chief.
"Yeah. Go check for yourself."
"Th-thank you. B-but... what about the villagers who were taken?"
"Heard they're in some mine."
"A mine? There's no mine around here..."
"Don't know. Just repeating what the witch said. The request was to deal with the witch, not rescue anyone."
"R-right."
I held out my hand to the chief.
"......"
"......"
An awkward silence passed between us.
"Um, well..."
I could guess what he wanted to say.
It was a lot of money for them.
He wanted to verify the witch was truly dealt with before paying.
"You think I'm lying right now?"
"N-no, sir."
At my glare, the old chief teared up, trembling as he placed the gold pouch in my palm.
-Clink.
It might look like a thug shaking someone down, but I wasn't a thug.
This was fair payment.
They'd have to wait hours to check, and I had no intention of sticking around.
"No need to worry. You'll find it all neatly taken care of. You won't have to fear the witch anymore."
Though they'd have other things to worry about.
"Y-yes... Th-thank you."
According to Lilliana, among the monsters she'd held back were trolls and ogres.
If she was telling the truth...
Monsters this village couldn't possibly handle.
But it was their mess.
Nothing for me to worry about.
We left the village under the chief's uneasy gaze.
Once it was out of sight, Lilliana slipped out from beside us. She'd been following invisibly with magic.
"Un-ho, do we really have to bring that human mage along?"
Ayla sidled up and whispered.
"She's a high mage. She'll be useful."
And pretty too...
The more money and women, the better.
"If you say so, Un-ho..."
I pulled her slim waist close and patted her butt to soothe her dissatisfaction.
"Jealous? Don't worry. You're still the only one for me."
Ayla blushed at my words.
*For now...*
I omitted the afterthought to keep the mood good.
"Watching you two cling like that gives me this inexplicable irritation."
Lilliana remarked, eyeing us.
"Hm? You jealous too? I've got a big heart—my arm's always open."
Ayla and Lilliana both gave me incredulous looks.
"Jealous? Me? No. Your lovey-dovey antics... yes, they're extremely annoying. That's the right way to put it. What do you think, silver-haired elf? Don't you agree?"
"Huh? M-me? W-well..."
Luna panicked at the sudden spotlight, glancing at me but not denying it.
Sorry, but...
I had no intention of curbing my affection for Ayla just because they were annoyed.
Perkuna Magic Tower's tower master, Berna Perkuna, came to visit Marquis Alex, who was recuperating.
Her face looked no older than her twenties at most.
A beauty with wavy light sky-blue long hair and blue eyes, Berna wore her usual mischievous expression.
"T-Tower Master!"
Marquis Alex's face wasn't exactly bright as he greeted her.
"Met a Transcendent, huh?"
Berna cut straight to the chase.
'So it's about that.'
It was a question Marquis Alex had heard from countless people already.
Count Kyle was probably still getting hounded about it.
"How was it?"
Berna looked utterly fascinated.
"I-I nearly died."
"But you took Heaven's Fury head-on and survived unscathed, right?"
"Yes..."
"Surviving that means it's the real deal. Alex, you met a Transcendent, lost an arm, and lived? Lucky guy."
"Y-yeah... I guess..."
"Tracking him?"
"Sent people toward Erpu."
"See his face?"
"Full plate armor... All I know is he's huge."
"Alone?"
"No. He ambushed us with three subordinates in similar full black plate. Their builds suggest women."
"A swordsman?"
"Thought so at first... but... not sure."
"Not sure?"
"Yes. He flew."
"Artifact?"
"Felt different."
"Magic swordsman? Hm... If the Transcendent was one, you wouldn't have survived... Guess I'll have to see for myself. Probably recruiting him anyway?"
"Worth trying for the kingdom, right? If we snag him, no need to worry about the empire."
"Don't do anything stupid and piss him off... Report to me immediately if you find him."
"Y-yes, ma'am."
Marquis Alex glanced at Berna cautiously before speaking up.
"Um, Tower Master... No, Master!!"
"What... So cringey."
"C-could I get some... money..."
"Oh... You lost your staff, huh? Fine, for my disciple, 30% off."
"Bi—"
"Bi?"
Marquis Alex swallowed the curse that almost slipped out.
"P-please have mercy on this lowly disciple! Master!! 30% is too harsh."
"Sigh... Fine, for my disciple. 20% off max. You know what happens if you don't pay up. And one more time: report to me first if you find that Transcendent. Got it?"
"Y-yes, ma'am."
Marquis Alex replied to Berna, sweating bullets.