“What can I say? The punishment seems lighter than expected.”
“Those full of youthful energy often end up fighting over simple differences of opinion. It’s similar to brawls between drunkards. It looks worse due to the sheer power of those involved, but at its core, it’s actually a pretty common occurrence.”
“True.”
“Do such incidents usually end like this?”
“For the most part, yes. So long as those involved come to an agreement, there’s typically no further punishment. They might be subject to punishment should a third party get dragged in and suffer damages, but even then, if they reach an agreement peacefully, that resolves things most of the time.”
Listening to that conversation, I lowered my eyes.
It turned out that not only had the Archmage defended us, but he’d also shouldered part of the compensation we had to pay.
Of course, I didn’t want to shirk my responsibility, and considering my character’s high pride, I voluntarily paid about 3 million Gal.
However, the Archmage, who wasn’t even directly involved in the fight, paid two million Gal, claiming this happened because he’d failed to manage his party properly.
For someone like me, who’d been treated like an adult ever since reaching the age where I should be able to take responsibility for myself—over a decade ago—this was nothing short of overwhelming.Archmage. You, you really…!
“Well then, let’s get going. Even if it’s better than prison, staying in the guards’ interrogation room for too long isn’t exactly pleasant, is it?”
Although unintentional, I did cause trouble that was not only time-consuming but also quite financially burdensome.
So, if I had any sense of shame left in me, the right thing to do would be to shut up and follow him.
I quietly followed the Archmage. Since the whole group was moving together, it wasn’t too noticeable.
“Urgh, the investigation sure took a while.”
“How surprising. I thought you’d know about this more than anyone.”
“Why would you think I know about the guards’ way of doing things?”
“You look like you might have gotten caught by them before.”
“What did you say, iron wall?”
“Wahahaha! The air outside is amazing!”
Sigh, fine. For the next few days, I would act like the Archmage’s dog, within the bounds of my character, of course. If anyone asked me if I wasn’t practically his subordinate already, I wouldn’t really have much of a response.
“Haha. By the way, it seems the sun is already setting.”
The evening glow spread across the sky as we exited the guard station. The Archmage was right.
It hadn’t been that long, but the sun was already setting.
“We should hurry and get something to eat.”
“Ah, true. Dinner time is almost over.”
“Are we going to eat? Perfect. Berserk’s been hungry for some time. This little friend here also needs to eat.”
【Did you call me?】
“At this hour, only the taverns are probably open. Shouldn’t we just head back to the Temple?”
The Temple? That would be a bit awkward.
I was thinking about those people who’d come all the way down to the lower district because of the fight between me and Bers, only to be sent back.
They only came just in case, and since they didn’t really have anything to do, there was no need to compensate them, either. However, since this world’s Temples worked like emergency services, this felt like calling 911 and then just sending them back, saying, “Oh, we managed to take care of everything on our own…”
Ah, the consequences of playing around a bit sure were severe. I swore never to fight inside of a town again.
“No… There’s no need for that.”
Meanwhile, the Archmage glanced around. As he did, the streetlamps lining the road flickered on.
“This place stays quite bright even at night.”
“…How beautiful.”
“Seriously. Wow.”
“It got brighter!”
【There are stars on the ground…】
They were fueled by Arcane Power. To someone like me from the modern world, this just seemed like streetlights turning on with electricity.
Wait, hadn’t these guys spent a few days here already? I left as soon as we arrived, so I didn’t get to experience this town properly, but didn't they have more than enough chances to see these things?
“If I’d known, I would’ve come out here at night even once.”
I kind of figured out what had happened from those words.
Like in other cities, they probably stayed holed up in some building after sunset. Seriously, they sure were unnecessarily principled in that regard. Even Deb didn’t know about this.
“Little friend, look at that. The lights are moving!”
【W-Woooow.】
“Oh my. Had I known you would like it so much, I would have mentioned it earlier.”
Bers, carrying Akata on her shoulders, dashed forward.
I was somewhat annoyed to see her so carefree and cheerful after causing so much trouble, as did I, but at the same time, it was a bit amusing because it was very much like Bers.
And in a way, her mental age seemed similar to Akata’s.
“Don’t go too far. That’s the workshop district!”
“Workshop district?”
“Yes. It’s where the artisans gather. There are shops selling all kinds of crafts. It’s quite a sight.”
I see. Then perhaps I should come here tomorrow if I have the time. Spending all day just drawing felt a bit wrong, so some window shopping might not be a bad idea.
I watched Bers continue rushing ahead. It seemed she hadn’t heard a word the Archmage said.
“Uhm, Mister Wizard. Miss Fighter already ran off with the kid.”
“Hm? Oh dear…”
Deb pointed this out instead of me, who’d kept silent despite realizing it. Confirming Deb’s words, Archmage rubbed his forehead.
“Let’s go after them. I’m afraid they might cause trouble.”
For some reason, my heart ached even more.
“Little friend, do you like things like that?”
【They use such pretty colored threads outside.】
Fortunately, Bers hadn’t gone too far.
Or maybe Akata had shown interest in something, slowing her down.
Either way, we managed to catch up to them without any trouble.
They’d entered a store filled with clothes, fabrics, and threads.
“Why did you run off like that?”
“Ah, wizard.”
It wasn’t a big store, and I didn’t especially feel like going inside, so I stayed outside.
Meanwhile, the two dumplings poked their heads in, apparently interested in the clothes-making process.
“Hmm. I heard there’s a fabric that can reflect a person’s face, but I don’t see any here.”
“Why are you looking for that? You won’t find something like silk here. This place is for ordinary people.”
“Is that what it’s called?”
“Yes.”
“Then why wouldn’t silk be sold in a store for ordinary people?”
“Because it’s expensive. Only very wealthy people can buy silk.”
“I see…”
They were also doing some social studies on the side.
“Were you going to buy thread for the child?”
“No. I wanted to, but she said she didn’t want any.”
“Is that so? 【She says she wanted to buy you some thread, but you declined. Is that true?】”
【Ah… Yes. It’s not like I need it, and I don’t want to be a burden. I was just curious about the kind of thread they have here.】
【You don’t need to worry about being a burden because of something like this… but if that’s how you feel, I understand. Do you want to look around some more?】
However, what exactly was Akata looking at so intently? I observed the thread the child was staring at. It was dyed red.
Considering she’d made me a bracelet, did she like this kind of thing?
【No, it’s okay.】
I watched the child put down the thread she’d been fiddling with.
“Goodbye.”
“Thanks for letting us look around. May your business prosper.”
As everyone left the shop, my gaze briefly lingered on the shop’s sign.
“Now then, let’s go get some food.”
I wondered what time this place opened.
“Berserk wants to go to a place with good drinks!”
“That just sounds like a tavern.”
“I don’t really mind a tavern…”
“No, we can’t go there. Taverns only serve meat dishes.”
After memorizing the store’s surroundings perfectly, I carefully followed the rest of the group.
“…Let’s go somewhere that serves fish. Hudelen is also famous for its freshwater fish, so it’ll definitely be delicious.”
“Oh.”
“But fish doesn’t taste that good.”
“Meat is meat. Let’s just give it a try, Miss Fighter.”
【Are you okay with having freshwater fish for dinner?】
【I don’t mind.】
It seemed tonight’s dinner would be fish, which wasn’t a bad choice. Freshwater fish were known for their strong odor, but then again, so was all the food here.
“Wooow. The dining district sure is packed.”
“The sky’s gone completely dark, but people can still walk around like this… Magic truly is incredible. It would be great if more of these were installed.”
“Well, their installation cost is still pretty high, so I’m not sure if that’s possible.”
But there really were a lot of people here. I had to be careful not to lose sight of the group in this bustling crowd.
“Hey, that place’s food isn’t that good.”
“I’m sorry, I swear I won't look at any other woman again. Really.”
“As you get older, you need less, and it’s really sad that you can't eat properly anymore because you've lost your appetite.”
“Pasha!”
Amidst the noise flooding in from all directions, I was reminded of the path I used to take every morning in my original world. My eyelids drooped slightly.
“Mister, we’re here!”
【So many people…】
“Will it be good?”
“With this many people here, it’s doubtful the food will be bad.”
“Meat!!”
But when I lifted my eyes again, the weight I was carrying no longer felt so heavy.
This was enough.
I could endure for a bit longer.
* * *
* * *
While dozing off on a roof, Deathbringer fully awakened upon hearing a faint noise.
Listening more closely, he could hear footsteps quieter and steadier than an ordinary person’s. They had to belong to a trained warrior.
But only two warriors were staying at their lodging.
Among them, Berserk made louder and heavier sounds due to her build. She had also woken before dawn to train, so it couldn’t possibly be her.
Therefore, those footsteps had to be the Demon Knight’s.
Deathbringer lowered his body. To follow someone this sensitive, he had to be even more careful than usual.
Did he feel guilty about following an ally? Well, once he was certain the Demon Knight wouldn’t harm himself when alone, he would stop. Until then, he wouldn’t be leaving him on his own.
That was all he could do.
Of course, if he got caught, the Demon Knight would be very… very angry, but surely wouldn’t kill him. The Demon Knight had a surprisingly lenient side.
…He really wouldn’t get killed, right?
Leaving his wavering faith behind, Deathbringer quickened his pace. It was just before dawn, so only a few people were on the streets. He had to hide himself well using obstacles to avoid being detected by the perceptive knight.
“I think I saw that guy yesterday.”
“What?”
“…No. It must’ve been my imagination. Are you ready?”
“Y-Yeah.”
Thankfully, it was surprisingly easy to tail someone in this town. He stepped on the roof of an inn and carefully moved to the next building.
“It tickles!”
“Haha, sorry about that.”
During that process, he overheard all manner of conversations, like travelers chatting with each other, couples affirming their love in the early morning, and so on. But… since he was already used to such things, he didn’t feel too guilty hearing all that.
If they didn’t want their conversations to be listened to, they should have gone somewhere with better soundproofing.
“Hm?”
Anyway, his tailing went smoothly. He followed the Demon Knight undetected until entering the workshop district.
“His sword shouldn’t have broken yet…”
Though he hadn’t been caught, some unanswered questions remained.
Had the Demon Knight come here to change out his sword? It wouldn’t be too surprising, considering he broke one every month.
“Not all Arcane Power users have it that easy, huh?”
He’d initially wondered why those swords broke so often, but he now knew the reason after asking the Tower’s wizards.
The swords shattering wasn’t the Demon Knight’s fault. It was due to the nature of Arcane Power.
Something about it undoing the intrinsic bond of materials. Unlike the body, which could repair itself, materials like iron couldn’t be restored from such damage and end up just breaking.
Of course, normal Arcane Power users didn’t break their swords monthly. He’d heard it was because the Demon Knight’s Arcane Power was too powerful.
Either way, this situation had to be quite inconvenient for the Demon Knight.
“…Wait a second.”
But then, another question came to him.
“Then, just what is Mister Knight’s Zweihänder made of…?”
The wizard had said that a material’s structure weakening due to Arcane Power couldn’t be reversed with magic, so {Repair} spells wouldn’t work.
How had that sword lasted this long?
What could it possibly be made of?
“Could it also be made from dragon scales…?”
A thought crossed his mind if maybe that's why the Demon Knight had so readily offered the dragon-scale items to him and the iron wall… Of course, that couldn’t be the case. This was the first time a dragon had actually been captured.
…Probably.
It wouldn’t be surprising if the Demon Knight had encountered and killed a few Primordial Beasts before they’d met, but still.
Clunk.
At that moment, the Demon Knight entered a building, snapping Deathbringer out of his wandering thoughts.
“Ah, what can I help you with—”
“I want to buy the thread that kid with six arms was looking at yesterday.”
The Demon Knight had entered the shop where Berserk and the kid went the other day.
“She looked at several… Which one, specifically…?”
“All.”
So, he went out to buy thread.
Deathbringer finally relaxed, releasing all the tension he’d been holding just in case.
Despite being so strong, the Demon Knight had a knack for making people needlessly anxious.
“All of them.”
Yet, in the end, it was probably because he was such a kind person that Deathbringer worried about him so much.
If he were only obsessed with hunting Demons, trampling over others and living ruthlessly, no one would have treated the Demon Knight with any sort of kindness, even if they admired his strength.
“I shouldn’t have stayed out all night…”
Despite all the assumptions he’d made, it turned out the Demon Knight hadn’t gone out here to harm himself but for the sake of others.
Somewhat embarrassed by that realization, Deathbringer turned on his heel, deciding to head back to the Temple before the Demon Knight returned.
Since he didn’t get a good night’s sleep, he figured taking a midday nap wouldn’t hurt.
> [Hey, you.]
But just as he turned to head toward the Temple…
> [You with the green hair.]
“Huh?”
Someone called out to him.
> [You have a good look in your eyes. I see potential in you.]
The figure had a white-and-blue snake draped around their neck, and wore layers of silver silk reminiscent of fish scales.
“What are you talking about—”
Meeting a stranger who claimed he had potential right off the bat was hardly pleasant for Deathbringer.
Thinking this was just another weirdo, he again tried turning away.
> [Don’t you want to get stronger?]
Hissss.
However, the stranger was already right next to him.
> [If you want, I can help you.]
Deathbringer narrowed his eyes at the person who’d approached him so quickly and silently.
Wuoong.
The accursed blade he kept in his coat was trembling slightly. It seemed to him like a whale had suddenly appeared in the skies where it shouldn’t be.
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