Chapter 58

Lir and I, leaving that almost-not-an-event behind us, stopped by a music shop.

Violins, guitars, cellos – grand stringed instruments of every kind were displayed alongside pianos and sheet music from famous compositions.

Most of the scores were hymns and chants for the church, and written in neumes, a notation so different from modern staves that they were of no use to me.

I ordered a piano, asking them to deliver it when I sent someone. The shopkeeper’s eyes were dubious, regarding my simple attire, but a gold coin brought a courteous smile to his face as if suspicion had never crossed his mind.

…What is the difference between social classes, before capital?

Adding a guitar and several scores to my purchases, I left the shop. Lir, of course, bore the responsibility of carrying the guitar.

Her expression hinted at discontent, but she knew I couldn’t carry such a heavy load, and without a word, she slung the guitar case over her shoulder.

After the instrument shopping, Lir wanted to buy coffee beans and tea leaves, wandering from shop to shop, sampling coffees.

I couldn’t discern the differences, but she meticulously compared the aroma and flavor of each bean before choosing. The delicate senses of an Elf clearly did their job, even when drinking coffee.

With our respective shopping complete, we waited for a carriage on the road, now cloaked in twilight. The coachman, right on schedule, brought the imperial carriage back to where he had dropped us off.

It was a day without note.

Or perhaps, rather than a day without note, we had encountered a robber?

But since that robber was a nobody, it could still be considered a day without note.

Perhaps that’s why I dozed off in the carriage on the way back to the castle. I closed my eyes and opened them to find the immense castle gates, large enough for dragons to pass through, welcoming us.

I greeted the guards with a smile, as always.

“Ah, right. Please, verify this.”

“Coffee beans, are they?”

Lier readily handed over the coffee beans she’d purchased to the guards.

It was standard procedure; any food from outside needed to be inspected, ensuring it was safe, toxin-free, and fit for consumption by the important figures within the castle.

Giving them the bag, Lier smacked her lips, a hint of regret coloring her expression.

“What’s with the disappointment? You’ll get them back in an hour or two.”

“I was hoping to brew a cup as soon as I arrived.”

…Anyone would think the castle was barren of coffee or tea.

“Aren’t you satisfied with what the castle provides?”

“While the quality is top-notch, the taste and aroma are always the same, you see? Sometimes, one simply craves a different flavor.”

“Hmm…”

Honestly, I didn’t quite understand. My senses weren’t as acute as an elf’s.

I simply took Lier’s word for it and returned to my quarters.

A plush bed, warm tea, a cheap guitar, and sheet music of dubious origin.

Gazing at the serene ceiling, I savored what I possessed, trying to forget I’d be dragged to a living hell in a few days.

My hands, devoid of calluses, protested with every press of a string. Each fingertip quickly became marked with sore spots.

I loathed the pain, but I didn’t entirely dislike the feeling of the guitar strings scraping against my skin.

‘A strange fellow,’ one might think, but truthfully, the sensation was closer to pleasure than pain.

…No, using the word ‘pleasure’ makes it sound far too perverse.

Let’s find another word.

Release? No, that feels just as twisted…

“Beeeean!”

“Oh, damn.”

Like a son caught watching something he shouldn’t, I shielded my hands, marred with cuts.

No, this isn’t some strange thing – it’s just a few nicks from guitar strings, so why this sense of embarrassment, shame, like I’m being found out, like it’s some secret, private matter? Maybe *I’m* the weird one.

“…What. What is it?”

I yanked the door open, glaring at Lir, having shoved my injured hands under the blanket first.

“I, I ranked up in Circles.”

“Huh?”

“Fifth Circle, me!”

“…Huh?”

Bursting in like that, what’s she even saying?

“Look, look at this!”

Lir held out a blue crystal orb, pushing it toward me.

“What’s that?”

“This, there are five circles drawn inside the crystal ball!”

“…Ah.”

Listening to Lir’s explanation, I examined the inside of the orb closely. Five pure white circles were floating within the blue crystal.

In the game, you could just right-click a mage and see their Circle level in the character info – never knew they had magic tools for measuring this stuff.

“I did a test after hearing what you said today, just in case, and my Circle went up! I felt like the lightning had more power in it than usual, too… Thank you!”

Why’s she thanking *me*?

It feels like I haven’t done anything to truly help you.

Lille’s attainment of the 5th Circle is an achievement earned solely through her own power. Even if, by some chance, I imparted some influence or inspiration, it was only her own effort that molded that inspiration into result.

I witnessed her tearing through parchment after parchment in the Akiliptus Forest, blood trickling down the hand that gripped her staff, utterly consumed by her inspiration.

This was solely her achievement. There’s no need to direct gratitude my way; it would only cause discomfort.

“They say reaching the 5th Circle at twenty-one is the youngest, even among humans.”

“Though it’s limited to the Electromancy school…! With an achievement like this, those damned old fogeys will have to take another look at me, won’t they?”

Old fogeys? I don’t know who Lille is referring to, but she seems to harbor a deep resentment towards them. The fact that the word ‘damned’ escaped Lille’s lips says enough.

“Who is it that Lille is trying so hard to gain recognition from?”

I was curious. Who did she hate that much?

“Pardon?”

From my perspective, it was a question tossed out without a second thought.

However, it seemed Lille didn’t take the question so lightly.

“…What did you say?”

Lille stared blankly at me, as if rendered speechless by the unexpected question, then asked again.

“Who are you trying so hard to get recognized by?”

I assumed she simply hadn’t been concentrating on what I said, that she hadn’t heard me correctly.

She had just confirmed her advancement to the circle, after all; it wouldn’t be strange if she was too excited to have heard me well.

“…No.”

But out of the blue, she said something different, her expression resolute.

With the atmosphere suddenly stiff, I belatedly went back to my words and actions, wondering if I had made some kind of slip-up.

But, there wasn’t a bothersome point, so I resolved to just think this strange elf was acting of her own accord again.

“Indeed, those elders aren’t so important.”

“Ah, yes?”

What’s with her suddenly making that enlightened face? It’s not that her circle leveled up, but that her mind is broken?

“Thank you.”

For what, exactly?

Seriously, act in a way I can actually understand.

“I study magic because I like magic.”

Lir said those final, incomprehensible words and left her seat.

She suddenly burst into the room and then only strung together statements that defied explanation until the very end.

“…Ah, yes.”

I watched Lir leave through the doorway and answered with a listless voice.

So, what was that really about?

* * *

The next day, Lir, Alter, and I began packing in earnest in preparation for the expedition in five days.

The majority of supplies and rations could be obtained through provisions, so we drew up lists focused on special accessories, grimoires, robes, and books that we couldn’t receive through military supplies.

The servant said that we had to submit the list of necessary items by today if possible, so they could be prepared before our departure. We had to somehow finish compiling the list before lunchtime today.

“First, I’ll write down the guitar…”

“Should we take coffee beans… and tea leaves as well, just in case?”

“Request that they pack plenty of chocolate to provide us with sugar.”

It was an unexpected choice. Alter, even at his age, still favored chocolate. They say your taste for sweets dwindles with age…

“……”

Lirr turned his head towards me without a word. I met Lirr’s gaze and quietly nodded.

“What is this, a picnic? Chocolate, Master?”

“That’s right, Valerland is a battlefield, Alter.”

As if sharing the same thought, the two of us ganged up on Alter’s childish selection of goods.

Not that the two who put guitar and coffee beans at the very top of their lists had any right to say anything…

But what could we do? Our natures were like this.

“When blood sugar drops, the brain is highly likely to underperform. For us mages, the speed of our mental processing is practically life itself, so don’t give me that look.”

“Master, you can just admit you like sweets. It’s nothing to be ashamed of…”

“Yeah, I like chocolate too.”

“……The phrase ‘near ink, one gets stained black’ feels like it was created for moments like this.”

Alter deflected our attacks with the composed reaction befitting his age.

Well, whether he deflected them or not, our mouths didn’t stop.

I continued to scribble items onto the list, teasing Alter about how cute chocolate was, how Valentine’s Day was more than half a year away, relentlessly needling him.

“…Oh. But do we really need a separate escort force?”

Before handing the list to a servant, Lirr gave it one last check, questioning the words “Escort Force” written at the end.

“The military will send an escort specifically for the mages, won’t they? I think we can remove this from the list.”

“That won’t be enough.”

“…If that’s not enough?”

I took the paper back from Lyr, who was trying to rewrite the list, and continued.

“Valerand is likely a more dangerous battlefield than you imagine. And we’ll be deployed to battlefields like this often in the future. That means there will be difficulties three mages alone can’t overcome.”

“…Well, yes, that’s true.”

“But if the escorting forces keep changing every time, it’ll be inconvenient for everyone involved, wouldn’t it? We won’t know each other’s habits, and we’ll have to pay attention to every little thing like combat styles and detailed positioning.”

“In short, you’re saying we need a fixed party.”

Alter, as if proving that his long years as a mage hadn’t gone to waste, figured out the hidden meaning in my words with uncanny accuracy.

“That’s right.”

“But, Vin, aren’t you officially a mage affiliated with the Sword Saint’s party?”

“You’re suggesting I use the Sword Saint as my bodyguard…?”

I’m not a mage valuable enough to receive the Sword Saint’s protection yet. There’s no need to waste words explaining that, is there?

The Sword Saint is humanity’s ultimate weapon, evaluated as being able to easily overwhelm even a Grand Duke with his bare hands, and to be more than capable of victory in one-on-one battles against Demon Lords or demons.

Even if the frontline’s main task is ‘dealer protection,’ that only applies when the dealer’s level is similar to the frontline’s.

Right now, the Sword Saint is several dimensions ahead of me. To use someone like that to protect a mage like me… it doesn’t make sense.

“…Now that I think about it, that doesn’t seem to make sense, does it?”

Lyr thought for a moment and then immediately corrected herself.

“Then, do you have someone in mind?”

To Alter’s question, I answered directly.

“I want to include Rex for now.”

Rex was destined to become a heroic Orc Barbarian who would make a name for himself across the continent in the near future, even without my intervention. And I had even secured the best-performing Barbarian artifact in the game. His future would only be brighter.

If I’m going to buy low, now is the opportunity.

“Rex is the best deal right now…!”

“Did you ask his doctor?”

“No, I have to ask.”

“…You are quite headstrong. He’s currently a platoon leader in the Velua Company, so you must consider the possibility that he’ll refuse. I’ll look into other capable vanguards.”

“I feel most comfortable with Rex as well. It’s hard to start getting to know a complete stranger again.”

“Don’t worry. Rex probably won’t refuse.”

I said this confidently to Alter and Lir, then picked up the list and rang the golden bell.

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because there’s a monster in Valorende that Rex is just dying to kill.”

Soon, a young servant in his usual attire entered the room.

I handed the list to the servant, then wrote a letter each to Velua and Rex to send.

The following day, Rex’s transfer was officially decided.