Since experiencing the effect of the “Vessel of Radiance” where its laughter wouldn’t stop, there’s been something I’ve been concerned about all this time.
Of course, protecting one’s own dignity is important, but considering the other party’s pride is equally important.
Though it may seem cool to suddenly barge in without an appointment and make demands, it can also lead to oneself being viewed poorly, and the receiving party might be seen by others as someone who tolerates such rudeness.
What I’m trying to say is, conventions and formalities are important. At the very least, I’m not living in a lighthearted world where I can call a king “Old Man” and not have my head roll.
“Is this fine? Margit… you worked hard, didn’t you? Lady Kaya, could you help proofread it?”
At our usual corner spot in the cafeteria—which naturally became ours because we always used it—I pass the letter I’ve finished writing to Lady Kaya. Recently, it seems I’ve gained a bit of renown, so even without saying much, I’ve improved my <Court Language> skill to <Advanced Court Language> and pushed it further to <Mastery>, allowing me to now write letters that wouldn’t embarrass me even when addressed to the nobility.
Still, nothing humans do is perfect, so having another pair of eyes look it over is crucial. In fact, when it comes to anything I do, it’s probably safer to assume I’ve messed something up somewhere. With all my god-awful, fatal mistakes, I’ve lost count of the times my whole party went up in flames due to one misstep or another.
Memories flood my mind—one where I accidentally killed my frontliner with a botched recovery spell, the night I failed an essential clue check and gave up humanity, or the time our entire party forgot a crucial flag and challenged the final dungeon without our key person.
“Honestly, I think it’s well-written. Some of the expressions were a bit difficult for me though.”
“Well, I thought it would be fine since it’ll be read by nobility, but if they’ll think I’m too pompous, maybe I should tone it down with more common, uneducated language.”
“There’s no problem, even if you go for something more casual, like ‘Takabee,’ right, Blondie?”
“Don’t be so harsh, Siegfried…”
I pout, claiming I’ve never acted arrogantly, but instead of laughing, Siegfried just makes a sound through his nose and turns away. I don’t get it.
Anyway, if there’s no content-related issue, I’ll send this out.
“Oh, good morning, Sorcerer.”
“Good morning, Madame. May I have a cup of black tea?”
As I carefully fold the letter to put in the envelope, an elegant, resonant voice rings out. The high, clear voice belongs to someone who bears no hint of a hangover, their usually tidy hair now slightly more unruly as they arrive.
“Good morning, Mika. Did you sleep well?”
“Good morning, Erich. Indeed! Thanks to the fine room you arranged for me. The sleeping comfort was as if I laid among the clouds themselves… Ah, and who might this young lady be?”
My friend, dressed impeccably without a single thread out of place, seems to have immediately noticed that Lady Kaya wasn’t present at last night’s celebration. Quite skillful, given he’s also a frequenter of the mage salon.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you… fellow professional. I am Kaya of Erlfoot.”
“A delightful pleasure, elegant fellow practitioner. I am Mika, an auditor at the Magic Academy and a friend of Erich. Thanks to his introduction, I have the honor to stay here for tonight.”
“Ah, your name is well-known, as our leader often speaks of it. But your charm far exceeds what I have heard.”
“Likewise, I’ve heard much about you, Lady of Compassionate Grass. Indeed, the poets must lack eloquence; they have failed to fully capture your essence.”
“Truly, you’re quite eloquent. I fear I may pale in comparison while sitting next to you. The leader’s words have not exaggerated a bit, it seems.”
With a refined and polite smile gracing her face, our party’s healer, and Mika, a debuffer who could make a name for themselves, both present a graceful and splendid sight, brightening the early morning considerably.
The sight of beautiful men and women smiling together is truly a delightful one. Though it doesn’t affect me yet, I’m sure it will bring on a blissful haze and even counter poisons in the future.
However, seeing his partner compliment another man doesn’t seem to sit well with Siegfried, judging by the obvious look of irritation on his face as he starts tapping his fingers on the table.
Though I should reprimand him for being improper, as a man, I can somewhat understand how he feels, so I’ll let it slide for now.
…Well, it’s more likely that Kaya knows exactly what she’s doing, making this an opportunity best not interfered with.
I once heard her say, during a drinking session when Siegfried was talking at another table, that she found his jealousy rather cute, with a very alluring expression on her face.
That comment made me and Margit exchange knowing glances immediately. We instantly understood that this was an undesirable situation.
She, who had come from the countryside with Siegfried out of concern for her childhood friend, has grown into someone quite skilled at handling matters like these. Perhaps this was always part of her capabilities, and it’s just manifesting now. Currently, she’s impressively guiding Siegfried to confess, using jealousy as a tool, and has been successfully tightening their relationship after several years together.
Ah, she wasn’t born into the wrong family—were she from a certain noble background, I’d fear her having the power to sway an entire country.
For now, I can only hope Siegfried continues to do well.
“Oh, am I intruding? It seemed like you were having a party discussion.”
“There’s no such thing as a meeting we wouldn’t welcome you to, my friend. How about joining us? The breakfast here is exquisite.”
“Is that so? Then I’d love to have a light meal.”
I silently stop Siegfried, who seems about to exclaim that this isn’t a party, then move an empty chair closer, inviting Mika to sit. It’s a spot on the corridor’s side, often called the “birthday seat.”
While Mika orders his breakfast from the proprietress, I inquire about today’s plans. He laughs, saying he’s free for the day since his duties haven’t started yet. Upon confirming his arrival, he sent a message via his “familiar” to seek a visit, and the administrative office requested he appear the day after tomorrow, while the Magic Academy’s branch office asked for his presence two days later.
This spacious timetable is truly noble-like, and the few days of preparation time provided after a long journey is certainly a good thing for him.
“By the way, Erich, there are a few things I would like to ask.”
While enjoying the quickly served breakfast and fragrant black tea, the query raised was about the procedure to become an adventurer.
“Though, it’s kind of embarrassing, I’ve been generously given travel and research funds…”
But living expenses, he sighs despondently. The flirtatious power of his sidelong glances is formidable enough to make women line up offering to support him, even if they have the means.
Thinking back to his more fragile appearance in our younger days, it was already quite impressive. Now, with an air of decadence befitting an adult, his ability to cast a shadowy gaze upon his features makes him all the more enigmatic, even to someone who knows better, making him quite a seductive figure.
“Well, it’s enough to avoid starvation, but unfortunately, the Magic Academy’s purse strings are tight towards a mere auditor. I know it lacks persuasiveness, but my financial situation hasn’t changed much since our days together.”
“So why the hell are you wearing such flashy clothes?”
“These aren’t things I purchased myself…”
Asked with a disapproving look from a comrade, my friend, Erich, smiles self-deprecatingly as he gazes into the distance. I know well what he’s implying with a glance.
Ah… yeah, I get it. A mere few years isn’t enough to change a 200-year-old eccentricity. Even after I left, he must have continued to endure the whims of some persistent people who forced him into costumes.
Looking back, this robe isn’t actually his style. Typically, Mika prefers his active lifestyle and favors functionality over extravagance, leaning towards plain aesthetics that highlight his magical prowess.
Look at this robe now—covered with embroidery screaming “wealthy young master”—his exact opposite in taste if there ever was any. The embroidery uses matching colors, so it’s not garish, but the subtly luxurious quality silently proclaims wealth, a style characteristic of the nobility.
Besides that, the silk used here is unmistakably from the East, brought over by trade routes, and its quality is top-notch—a handkerchief-sized piece would cost more than a farmer’s life savings. The dyed embroidery thread is similarly made of silk. Considering just the material costs, it’s dizzying how expensive it must be.
To add further value, the robes have been blessed by renowned tailors among the nobility, designing something fashionable. Moreover, having had a spell-destroying spirit devise its enchantments, this robe would be highly sought after by nobles, no matter how many gold pieces they throw at it.
However… This is an outfit crafted to highlight him, and very few can truly pull it off.
“Well, I can’t sell these to a thrift shop, so it’s quite a quandary.”
“There’s not a single thrift shop in the world that could afford this thing.”
My friend shakes his head wryly. He must have been quite the prey in my absence, enduring the whims of another eccentric person. Thank goodness he wasn’t subjected to anything worse, like being forced to wear swimsuits as thin as a high, brittle book every time he moved. But still, having to be dressed in outfits typically seen on stage multiple times a day must be trying. And if those outfits were also painted to someone’s delight, that’d just push it over the edge…
But still, I think they suit him wonderfully. His good looks have a restorative effect on one’s spirit….
“Ow!?”
A sharp pain runs through my shin, prompting an involuntary reaction from me.
The sensation, without needing to look, is unmistakable. It’s not the pain from a human’s kicking foot. This is the sharp pain from the exoskeleton leg of Margit.
“Oh, forgive me, I was feeling restless, and my foot accidentally swung out.”
Turning to my side, I catch her peeking at me from between her folded arms on the table.
…Reprimanding myself, I realize I was letting my face relax too much. Lesson learned. Must focus!
“Um, are you alright?”
“Ah, don’t worry about it, my friend. Let’s discuss what it takes to become an adventurer.”
“Out of necessity, I fear. I’d much rather not subsist on porridge alone.”
Porridge, a symbol of poverty, was the main diet in the pre-imperial era of small kingdoms, now considered the epitome of a humble diet in our current age of developed culinary culture. Though filling and cheap, without seasoning, it’s as flavorless as food merely meant to keep one alive, and thus I cannot let him subsist on it regularly at only eighteen, an age when one needs to eat a lot.
“Well, coincidentally, we were on our way to the guild. Why don’t we go together?”
“That’s helpful indeed. Though I fear my incompetence, I’d like to ask you to guide me.”
“Why, being a mage alone would make you highly sought after. Most places would rather keep you holed up at home than let you wander freely.”
“Hehe, so you think it would be alright if I were holed up at home with you?”
Resting his elbow on the table, he props his cheek with his hand and smiles irresistibly while saying so, invitingly.
It’s a truly precious offer. After all, a mage such as he, aiming to become a terrain magic user, is a crucial asset, especially for caravan defense missions. Not only does he smooth out rough paths, but he can also impede enemy movement by creating mud, and with his affinity towards wood, he can even repair wagon axles. Having him join our group would make escort missions considerably easier and our value would sky-rocket—our fees could double, even quadruple, and still be well worth it. Depending on our scale, it might even be acceptable to charge seven to eight times more, and still be in high demand.
With his words, there can be no hesitation. Whether we began as coal soot or something else is irrelevant. Now’s the time to use my “golden-haired” reputation for the cause. With my endorsement floating around as gossip, the guild’s rank limitations will seem insignificant.
I’m not one for gratuitously standing out, but I do believe in using power when it’s available—why not make life easier with the right connections? In a world of people fanatically invested in guild ranks, I’ve even licked boots before, but when borrowing someone else’s influence is unnecessary, it’s foolish not to use my own.
Still, overusing this is a risk. It’s dangerous to get carried away, lest I end up losing my character sheet and turning into some obnoxious enemy NPC. Moderation is vital.
Let’s see, I had intended to spend the afternoon leisurely, but if he’s free for the day, I’ll adjust my schedule and head out now.
Will it be okay? I silently pose the question with my eyes. Siegfried releases a sigh, seemingly exasperated.
Though he appears thoroughly uninterested, this is his way of giving consent, after all. Knowing him well enough from our long association, I recognize it. He’s probably in that age where he thinks appearing lethargic and world-weary is cool.
In that case, let’s tackle unpleasant tasks early…
【Tips】 An unannounced visit is considered one of the highest forms of insult.
It implies a disregard for the other party’s schedule, assuming their time doesn’t matter or that they’re sure to be idle, leading to underestimation.
Thinking Saturday afternoon could be a good time for company…
Having confirmed the appointment is crucial—cold-calling is nothing but a nuisance.
