Chapter 49: Chapter 49: Business Trip Request

Translator: ShiroiKaze/Soyokaze Translations

The one who visited was mister Oreas, who we had not seen for a month.

Relying on his connection with us, he seems to have come with a job request, but… First off, since Haster’s appearance has vastly changed, we shall have him hide for now.

“And that’s why I’m here. Yuuri, would you help us out?”

“That’s how I usually drag people into things, but unless you give me the full story, I can’t say. So please explain it ‘politely,’ to me, ‘from the start’.”

“… Ugh, understood.”

According to mister Oreas, after we parted ways, the ‘Forest Bear’ party headed to the port town of Cornus, and spent some time there.

And then, as if timed perfectly with that, an issue bubbled up… The appearance of the Phantom Thief, “Livyatan”.

Hey, don’t droop your head down like that. They really exist in this world!

“So we, being called ‘Wyvern Killing’ heroes, received a request to capture the thief.”

“Well that is nice; you’re getting more work.”

“It’s not really that great though? Even if our physical abilities increased, we’re still middle rank. We can’t use our abilities for these kinds of jobs where the opponent sneaks around.”

“I guess there wouldn’t be much of a way to power through it.”

Their opponent isn’t going to come out and fight face to face for them in any case. They wouldn’t be able to make much use of their strength to handle it.

Their lack of experience probably makes this request a heavy load for them.

“Why did you take on such a complicated request in the first place? I’m sure there were more straightforward extermination requests or the like.”

“Kale uh… He drinks too much. We ended up having to take a request quickly. Thanks to that, we didn’t have time to wait for something we preferred.”

“You guys have way too many characteristic problems.”

“I’m well aware. That’s exactly why I’ve come, in shame, to ask the [Sage of Wind] for help.”

If you’re aware of it, then the first thing I want to say is ‘don’t just accept it’. Good grief.

“Cornus is pretty far if I remember right, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it’s further west than Comb City; it should take about a week.”

Alec explained to me. Come to think of it, Cornus is where Alec went to become a knight.

Wouldn’t he be more qualified with his knowledge of the area?

“Alec has some experience living in Cornus, you know? I think he would be able to help you more than I could.”

“I was planning on making this request to Mister Haster. Not much I can do about him being absent.”

“… I’m so sorry for being sheltered.”

“But boy, the fish was so delicious. Feels like something you’d expect from a port town.”

Upon hearing ‘fish’, my ears perk up in response.

I can’t help it, can I? I grew up in Japan, surrounded by ocean, and lived a life of eating fish every day.

Living in the mountains, far from the ocean, eating meat and vegetables every day like this, it makes sense that I would start missing rice and fish.

“Now that I think of it, we haven’t gone on a honeymoon yet.”

“… Huh?”

“No, just talking to myself. Don’t worry about it.”

“So, when will mister Haster be returning?”

“Aahh—, well uhh—“

“He died!”

Abruptly cutting in was a voice I had been hearing a short while ago.

“Where did you come popping out from?! And seriously, please don’t make comments that could be taken as bad omens! Why did you come back in the first place?!”

“Well, I actually realized that I failed to pass something essential on to you.”

In the doorway, standing exactly where he disappeared from before, was Bahamut.

Yeah, he just said one thing, and I already had to lay one retort on after another.

“… And he is?”

“He’s Baha… Bart, is his name. I suppose he’s something like my senior?”

“I had no idea there were other apprentices of mister Haster… I apologize for addressing you rudely. I am called Oreas. I am one who aspires to walk the path of the magician.”

“My, quite the polite one. Way different from you folk.”

“Shut it. ‘course I’d attack you with the way you just appear like that.”

Though he regarded Bahamut suspiciously, mister Oreas immediately changed his attitude when he heard the world ‘apprentice.’

Isn’t his attitude a little different from how he treats me though?

Also, it seems Alec is indeed still on high alert. Not knowing at what moment he appeared is probably making him mentally squirm as a warrior.

“Why are you being so polite with him, and not with me?”

“How to put this… you’re oddly easy to talk to. It feels wrong to treat you like you’re above me.”

Aah—, it might just be that a subtle hint of fascination is leaking out. The ‘Sealing Magic Mirror’ is something Haster made in a rush in the early days, after all.

It comes off easily in the shape of glasses; it might be best to think of a different form for it.

“So? What is it you forgot to pass to me, Bart?”

“Right, right, actually it’s this thing…”

Saying that, the dragon king Bahamut sticks his hand into his pants and digs around between his legs… What am I even watching?

When he removed his hand from inside his clothes, he was gripping something like an old parchment.

“Where were you keeping that?!”

“Hm, weelll… I figured if I put it in there, the he-sage would surely get angry.”

“Please don’t think of storage places based on how to make people angry.”

“Excitement and amusement are the spices of life, aren’t they?”

“We’ve only just met, but I can already tell. Making jokes is probably all you do in life.”

“Yep.”

Don’t affirm it! And what kind of life is that?! You’re not a human, right? On top of that, even Alec quipped at you to cap it off.

This is no good. Dealing with this guy is just gonna make you go mad, and in a different way than Haster. Let’s hurry and finish this business of his, and then get him to leave.

I snatch the parchment out of his hands, and check what’s inside… Its contents was one magic circle.

It’s complex, intricate… And I can’t understand its substance at a glance.

“What is this?”

“… … What… Is—No.”

I was going to ask ‘what is it?’, but I have my pride in being called the acting ‘Sage’. Without asking, let’s try using “Appraisal” to see through it.

Huh? Foul play? Nonono, it’s one of those things we call ‘cheats’. Could you please say it’s ‘effective use of my abilities’?

Mister Oreas doesn’t seem to know what it is either, so it must not be a commonly known magic, but… Actually, this spell is way too advanced, isn’t it?

It meddles with a substance, causes a change… and keeps it that way? Moreover the range is limited to contact. No, actually it’s limited to the caster?

“Its contents are… [Mutation]—No, [Transformation]?”

“Oh, very well deduced. It’s a spell that shouldn’t be spread among people though.”

“But this… It’s not finished, is it? Whoever uses this will die.”

The spell in this magic circle doesn’t have a shred of protection for the caster inscribed in it.

In other words, if used to transform the body, the damage caused by that shock will put the caster’s life in danger.

“Yep, I suppose so. But don’t you think some people could get through it just fine?”

“No way! If someone’s fine after using a spell like this, they could basically be called immortal, right?”

“—I see. That’s what this is.”

If it’s magic that kills its user, then it just has to be used by someone who doesn’t die. If it’s Haster or myself, we could use it without any problems.

“It would seem there is a way to use it. Thank you very much.”

“Weeelll, you did treat me to a delicious meal, so we can call it even now. The carrots are a separate matter.”

“You’re going to hold that against me, huh. If you’re too picky, then you won’t live very long, you know?”

“How am I supposed to live longer than I already do?!”

I won’t lose out when it comes to playing the fool. I have seen M-1 and the like.

“Anyway, it looks like I’ll be able to find a way to use this. As thanks, I’ll make something for you without carrots next time.”

“Hooray! Then I’ll be back tonight.”

“Isn’t that a little fast?!”

No good. I really can’t follow the rapid fire barrage from a natural idiot. I need to drive mister Oreas and everyone else out of here for now.

I mean, I just got my hands on an interesting spell!

“Anyway, Haster’s current engagement will keep him away for a few days, so I’m sorry, but could you come back another day mister Oreas?”

“Yes, I suppose. Oh, I didn’t mean to ask for the impossible. I shall come visiting here some other time.”

“Now you, appetite devil; we don’t have any more food here, so please, go away. I want to study ‘this,’ and you’re wasting my time.”

“Aren’t you being a little too honest?!”

When talking with this guy, I don’t feel even the slightest need to gloss things over.

In a sense, he could be called a prodigy at pulling out a person’s true nature I suppose? If he’s doing it on purpose, then that’s amazing.

“Weeell fine. In that case I’ll leave now. See you next time. Well then, tonight.”

“You were serious about that?!”

“Nope, joking.”

“Get out of here.”

I really can’t read him. Not his intentions, his expressions, nor his mood.

“The door is that—and he’s gone already.”

“He vanished…?!”

Like usual, I can’t tell exactly when he disappears. It seems like he’s blocking our recognition of it or something.

Alec and mister Oreas, who saw this for the first time, both dropped their jaws in shock.

Their gaping open mouths looked a little too stupid, so I closed them with the egg lade I used for cooking.

Alec aside, I still can’t touch mister Oreas directly after all.

“Who in the world… is he?”

“Well, he’s just like that. He has amazing ability, but mentally he’s a bit off-kilter I guess.”

“Isn’t that… A really dangerous person then?”

“I—guess so.”

“Since he’ll definitely see through what you’re doing at some point…”

Alec, are you looking at him from the perspective of a rival? He is basically a hero, so you’re setting a pretty high bar for yourself.

He doesn’t look like it at all, but he’s the first hero of this world, who challenged a thousand floor labyrinth with one hundred braves, and was the only survivor.

Moreover he has knowledge of magic that I, of course, don’t know, but that even Haster doesn’t know too.

What does the world look like to him, after living for thousands of years I wonder?

Of course something like that would bother me. Both I, and Haster… We’ll be walking the same path as him from now on.

“I’m feeling this anxious from the get-go…? Is this what they call the ‘marriage blues’?”

“Yuuri, it’s definitely not.”

“Now that you mention it, I heard you were married, but… Uhhh… I mean… You’re really an adult?”

“How rude! I became a true adult just a while back!”

I certainly still look like a little girl though! I’ve already cut off all hope of growing though!

But I’ve been walking together with him for a proper five years. We’ve done a heap of things together.

That’s why I’m sure, with my appearance not mattering, he chose me.

“So what mister Haster took in wasn’t an ‘apprentice,’ but a ‘wife,’ then?”

“Wife…”

Blood rushes to my head from that one word. I’m still not used to it.

“Ahem, anyway, I’ll need to plan on staying in Mareba for a while.”

“Mareba doesn’t have any lodging facilities though. Maybe you could stay at mister Halt’s house? Or if you need to, you could come by my place?”

“Your home is still just that little shack though, right Alec? You have some decent income, so you would really be better off getting a decent house.”

“It’s no trouble for my lifestyle, so it’s fine as is. And Marle comes over sometimes to clean the place, so it’s tidy too.”

“So you have secured a love shack, huh… Make sure you wait until she grows up, okay?”

“I ain’t gonna do nothin’ like that?! I’m not like Master.”

The moment that carelessly slipped from Alec’s mouth, a dreadful bloodthirsty feeling could be felt coming from the floor… Aah, Haster’s angry, isn’t he?

“Ahwawawa… No uhh, I didn’t really mean…”

“You don’t have to panic about it; it’s not like he’s going to actually harm you. He will hurt you enough to make you feel like dying though.”

“That’s exactly what I don’t want!”

“Uhh, anyway, I’ve had a long trip. I’d like to rest at a nice place, so I’ll pass on your offer.”

It would seem that, being a Magician, mister Oreas didn’t notice the bloodthirstiness coming from the basement.

And so, having driven Alec and mister Oreas away, I immersed myself in studying magic together with Haster.