“Well, my final destination also happens to be Nelferia.”
“You too?”
“Yeah. I have a lot of information I need to gather, and I though the Empire would be the best place to do it.”
“I see. I don’t know when it will ever be, but I’m looking forward to our paths crossing again.”
“Yeah, I’m looking forward to it too.”
“Well then, I should be going. Suimei-kun, your fight was enlightening.”
With those as her parting words, Lefille turned around with a sweet, elegant air and her red ponytail swaying behind her. Suimei caught himself staring as she walked away, and Lefille seemed to notice his gaze. She stopped and turned back around.
“Is something wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing. Take care.”
“Yeah. Thank you. Well then, see you.”
With that, Lefille exited the training grounds. Suimei watched her elegant figure as she left and shut his eyes... Considering who it was, there should be no problems leaving her to her own devices. She didn’t seem like the type to gossip, so he would leave her be. It shouldn’t be an issue. She also happened to be headed to Nelferia, so at the end of the day, rumors about Suimei wouldn’t spread around this area. After watching Lefille leave, Suimei spoke to Dorothea without shifting his gaze.
“Well then, I’d like to ask something simple. With this, what would my rank be?”
As she couldn’t see his face, Dorothea was a little on edge as she looked up at the ceiling.
“Um... Let’s see. You did win a decisive victory over both Rikus-san and Enmarph-san at the same time.”
One of them was acting like a petulant child, and the other was just silently staring at Suimei. Rikus was the one who had his face turned away, and Enmarph was grinding his teeth. Both were duly mortified after two crushing defeats in a row. As Dorothea glanced back at them, she took on her persona as a proper staff member and spoke in a business-like manner.
“Normally, I believe a C-rank would be appropriate, but you certainly have the abilities to take on activities as a B-rank. I believe that will be most suitable.”
“Hmm...”
Hearing this unexpected evaluation from Dorothea, Suimei unintentionally let a note of surprise. It seemed she was giving him the status of B-rank. He’d expected about that much, but it was still a rather high valuation. And then, as if extremely pleased with her evaluation, she put on a brilliant smile and turned to Suimei.
“Amazing, right? You’ll become famous in an instant, Suimei-san.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. I guarantee it.”
Dorothea thrust out her chest proudly, as if enthusiastically telling Suimei she would personally see to it. If a new member received a high evaluation like that and had a meteoric rise to success, it seemed only obvious that his name would spread, but...
“However, that would only happen if you and the other three who were present spread rumors about what happened here today, right?”
“Even if we don’t spread rumors, any B-rank suddenly appearing would easily become famous―”
Dorothea couldn’t understand what Suimei was suggesting and was idly talking it out to herself. By the time anyone realized it, Suimei, who hadn’t been looking at them, was suddenly wearing a well-tailored jacket with long coattails. Next, they were all afflicted with a sudden, callous pressure that froze all their muscles to the point they nearly began convulsing. Rikus, who noticed this quickly, glared at Suimei with hostility.
“...You punk...”
“It’s alright. I won’t become famous. Just a moment ago during the evaluation, I was completely and utterly defeated by the two of you and received a very befitting D-rank. The three of you will convey these facts to the other guild members. I am simply a completely normal, second-rate mage without a single redeeming quality and was just happy to join the guild... Right?”
“...Huh?”
Dorothea couldn’t understand just what was going on, and stood there completely dumbfounded. Rikus and Enmarph were gripped by the tension in their bodies from the overwhelming pressure seizing them. From the atmosphere alone, they could guess what was about to happen—what they’d just been told would become reality. That was precisely what Suimei intended.
“I must apologize a little to the three of you. Nevertheless, I’ll be entrusting you with relaying the correct message here.”
“Like it’s going to―hrggh, ugh...”
“Ah...”
Suimei turned around and held his hands to their heads. And just like that, he invoked his magicka in the blink of an eye. Rikus who had jumped towards him with the intent of stopping any violence, and Dorothea who had just been standing there completely dumbfounded, were unable to offer up any resistance as they fell under Suimei’s magicka which was designed to grant his desires.
The two of them did not have any strong innate resistance towards magicka. This result was a matter of course. Then, after falling under the effect of Suimei’s magicka, their eyes lost focus and stared blankly off into space. And just like that, they stood stock still without moving. The only one who hadn’t fallen under Suimei’s spell was Enmarph, and he could only demand to know the reason for this as he shook in fear.
“...Why?”
“Hmm? Why, you ask? It’s just as I said. All I want is a suitable rank.”
“Ridiculous. The better your rank, the better the jobs you’ll get as a guild member. What do you intend to do by throwing that away for yourself?”
As Enmarph asked him this, Suimei just stood there indifferently.
“No, I don’t really intend to do anything.”
“What...?”
“I simply prefer things this way. I’m not interested in any more fetters to bind me.”
“Fair enough... but...”
An increase in rank would mean a proportional increase in the burdens placed on him. As his senior as a guild member, Enmarph could certainly understand this point. To Suimei, an increase in responsibility from the guild wasn’t what he wanted, so he was taking action to prevent that.
“For the time being, I just wanted to increase my experience fighting against the people of this world, even if it was only a bit.”
“This world? You...?”
“That’s not something you need to know.”
Anyone would have picked up on the strange nuance in those words. However, Suimei cut his question short curtly. There was no need for a complete stranger to know his situation. But then Enmarph burst into a fluster of words.
“But even if you do something about all our memories, it won’t matter. The guys I talked to earlier about what happened at the reception desk all know about you, right? Just because you deal with us―”
“That’s right. But it’s not like anyone will closely examine the matter. If anything, the results that come of this will have a greater, stabilizing effect on my reputation. What happened at the reception desk will simply be written of as some kind of fluke, and people will move on. Isn’t that right? Humanity is filled with people who only like to demean others. If they don’t know someone’s actual situation, instead of believing that person is strong, they would much rather think that they’re weak.”
Enmarph had fallen silent, or rather speechless. It was like his voice had been completely stolen away. His eyes were opened wide like he’d just seen something completely unfamiliar while staring right at Suimei. Suimei felt just a little bit of sympathy for him and continued the conversation.
“Well, when all is said and done, I will simply be known as a mage who knows nothing of the world that ran his mouth a bit at the reception desk. It’s an easy enough story to swallow, right? I’m known for my self-confidence, after all, so I don’t think people will have much trouble buying it.”
“...Just what are you intending by becoming a low-ranked guild member who doesn’t take requests? No matter how many requests come into the Twilight Pavilion, jobs that you would be a
ble to make a living off of are―”
“There aren’t any. Certainly. However, in that regard, I have also already planted the seeds. Regardless of the number of requests, if I say that I know recovery magic, then I’ll be called on for jobs, right? The power to heal people, no matter where you go... There’s always a deficit of people who wield it. If you don’t remember hearing about it... I can do much more than that.”
While bragging, Suimei took a step forward. To Enmarph, that one step must have felt like the approach of the devil.
“Tch, did you think a mage like me would so easily―Ugh!”
As Enmarph fixed his posture, he suddenly realized something.
“You’ll fall for it. You’re completely exhausted, after all. Right? Kalavinka’s sweet voice is just that kind of magicka.”
“Ah...”
Magicians fundamentally have some resistance towards magicka. A certain level of it is required to touch upon the mysteries, after all. Also, assuming that they regularly expose their bodies to the magicka of others, it’s necessary to research methods of protecting oneself from potential curses and the like by making it difficult for magicka to be applied to themselves. But it’s not like that resistance can be maintained at all times. It, naturally, is dependent on the state of one’s body and mind. So what could Enmarph possibly do after being completely drained of his magicka?
“It’s just a strong suggestion. There’s no need to worry, and there are no after-effects. You’ll go to sleep, and after you wake up, everything will be exactly as I told you. You’ll even retain your honor. There isn’t be a single disadvantage for you.”
Suimei was a magician. If he were to fight against the mages from this world, it was inevitable that magicka would be fired back and forth between them. On top of that, Suimei also desired to test his regular fighting ability. Managing both of these things would prove to be difficult. However, if he refused to fight against mages and stuck to warriors, his chances of analyzing fights with other mages would decrease. This was counterproductive to his goal of obtaining more information. And finally, to seal their mouths, in the end, mages were resistant to magicka and would have to be thoroughly exhausted of their mana for him to apply his magicka on them. So to meet all those conditions...
“I see... That’s why you―”
“Yeah, that’s why I had to fight both of you at the same time.”
Suimei sharpened his gaze to the point that it felt like it could cut the very world in half, and held his hand up to the mage’s head.
Chapter 2: Towards the Stormy Journey
It had been a few days since Suimei met Lefille, got his rank evaluation, and happily registered with the guild. After waking up early in the morning, he was currently in the inn’s garden doing practice swings with his mercury katana.
“Haa! Hyaah!”
He was systematically swinging from top to bottom, properly exhaling with every swing. His form was textbook. He was clearly quite used to such exercise. But despite everything he’d learned from his father, it was not his father—a magician—who had taught him swordsmanship. No, he’d studied it at the dojo near his house. His father put a lot of emphasis on close-combat abilities, but if Suimei had to be taught, his father had thought it would be better to have an expert teach him.
With that in mind, Suimei had been attending the dojo since his early childhood. And the reason he was so openly practicing with his sword now was because it was part of what he’d learned there: An unswung blade is a dull one. Thus Suimei had found a time when there weren’t many people around to practice with his sword and martial arts.
“Phew, that should about do it...”
After completing his practice drills from start to finish, Suimei let out a sigh. He’d gone a little light compared to his usual routine, but today he couldn’t afford to exhaust himself first thing in the morning. After this, Suimei would be joining an escort mission that would take him towards the Nelferian Empire.
Suimei’s current goal was to investigate a way to return to his own world, and then create the spell that would take him there. For the time being, his plan was to leave the Kingdom of Astel and make his way to the bountiful Nelferian Empire to collect information and materials. But instead of heading straight for the Empire, Suimei was planning on stopping at Kurant City on the western edge of Astel. And to get there, he would be relying on a group known as a trade corps who had knowledge of traveling and the lay of the land.
Suimei had been browsing the requests at the guild for this kind of opportunity, and just the other day, he managed to officially get involved on one such commission. The competition for the job was fierce, but the reason they readily agreed to take him on was largely because of recovery magic.
When the D-ranked Suimei went up to the teller window to take on the request, the requisite number of escorts for the job had already been met. Nevertheless, the organizer had said that there was no such thing as too many people who could use recovery magic, and swiftly approved of Suimei’s participation. And that settled Suimei’s plans. All that was left now was to depart on his journey from the royal capital of Metel.
“Now then, time to go back.”
While contemplating how the next few days would go, Suimei put away the mercury katana he had been practicing with and straightened himself out. He then returned to the inn to make his final preparations before embarking. While walking towards his room, he turned a corner... and bumped into someone at full stride.
“Ow... Sorr―?!”
For a moment, Suimei saw stars. He was staggered from the sudden impact and immediately went to bow and apologize, but he was stopped in his tracks before the words could finish leaving his mouth. The person he had bumped into was the swordswoman he’d met who was coincidentally staying at the same inn, Lefille Grakis.
But that wasn’t the reason Suimei stopped his apology. He knew they were staying at the same inn, after all. Bumping into each other wasn’t all that surprising. More specifically, it was her outfit that had stunned him. Lefille had come running, presumably from the outside of the building, in only her undergarments despite any possible onlookers. Also, for some reason, large teardrops were falling from her puffy, red eyes.
“Ah...”
Lefille had realized that Suimei was staring at her in her current state, but she was still standing there dazed and aghast at the sudden encounter. To Suimei, the sadness written on her face was far more important of a matter than accidentally bumping into her.
“I, uh... You, uh...”
Suimei finally started to come out of his complete stupor, but was still scarcely able to wrap his head around the situation. Lefille was crying in nothing but her undergarments. This was completely baffling to him.
“S-Sorry...”
Lefille finally came to her senses as well. She shook off her tears and muttered an apology. Without listening to what Suimei had to say or ask, she simply ran off further into the inn. Suimei stood there for a few moments, alone and utterly bewildered, before he mumbled to himself.
“Just what happened to her...?”
It was still early in the morning. It was early enough that most people weren’t even awake yet. And sadly, there was no one around to answer Suimei’s question.
★
A few hours had passed since the incident that morning. Suimei was now wearing the local clothing that he’d bought the other day at the clothier’s, and was carrying his school bag from home which closely resembled a doctor’s briefcase.
He was currently outside the wall that surrounded the royal capital of Metel. After following the highway leading out of the city gates, he came upon the meeting place specified by the commission from the trade corps. From there, he casually looked back at the town behind him.
Specifically, he was looking at Metel’s most stalwart and vigilant defense: its large walls. Even where Suimei was from, many cities, castles, and fortresses during the Middle Ages had protected themselves with similar types
of structures. Defensive walls were the most basic form of security a town could have. This world had its share of foreign aggressors, but it seemed a wall like that was most likely in place to keep monsters at bay. However...
It’s not made of the advanced materials that Dorothea talked about. It doesn’t have any resistance against mana.
Suimei recalled a particular conversation he’d had with his guild advisor about building materials as he gazed at the wall. And it was just as he surmised. The wall around Metel wasn’t made of the same mana-resistant material the floor of the guild hall’s training room was. Instead, it was made of simple concrete much like the Pantheon and was fortified only by bricks. Dorothea had said that the mana-resistant materials were something of a recent discovery, and apparently it was recent enough that they hadn’t added any to the city’s defenses yet.
“As it is now, all it would take to topple it is a couple of powerful spells in the right place.”
If the wall was attacked with magic, the completely mundane materials it was made of would easily collapse. Not only were they not particularly resistant or strong, but the wall itself seemed to have been built with very little knowledge of engineering. Despite its majestic appearance, considering the potential dangers of this world, it made Suimei nervous. No matter how large and grand it was, it would be useless once it crumbled.
Realizing he had no place worrying about it, Suimei shook his head. The defensive capabilities of the city didn’t have anything to do with him. It wouldn’t affect him, even if the walls did fall.
Suimei shook off such thoughts and refocused his attention on the nearby meeting place. A crowd was already gathered. It was mostly people dressed normally, but there was a group among them all dressed in neat and tidy clothes. There were also about twenty people in the front and rear who formed the armed escort, making for a crowd of a few dozen people in total. They all stood around a group of several wagons, looking like something of a mobile community. This was the trade corps that Suimei would be using to reach his objective.
The Magic in this Other World is Too Far Behind! Volume 2 Page 7
