Chapter 29 – Life and Magic (1)

Life and Magic (1)

Occasionally, I have nightmares about that day.

Truth be told, I’m not one to dream often. I never had dreams before coming to this world.
Perhaps that’s why the occasional dreams I do have leave a powerful impression.

For instance, they bring back memories of past events, the most horrific ones. Like when a loved one died, or moments right before death.

But the most recurring dream is of that guy’s death.

“Ugh… Huh… Ah…”

Suddenly waking from sleep, my whole body was drenched in sweat. My hands were trembling. Where am I? The room is too dark. Too, too, too, too, too dark.

There’s not a single light. It’s the worst.

Have I finally died?
No, I can’t die yet.

So, where is this…

Ah, right.
It was an inn.

I managed to suppress my shaking hands. Looking around, I saw a faint glow in the darkness. I thought it might be a ghost, but there are no ghosts in this world. They’ve all attained nirvana.

Still, the feeling of being watched in the darkness is terrifying. I let out a small yelp, but my expression didn’t change. She was always the same, expressionless.

The owner of the glow was Valkvogel.

She seemed to be sitting far away by the front door, staring at me without sleeping. Well, since she couldn’t attack, watching was the only thing she could do.

“Hey, it’s scary. Just come and lie down. You’re small, so it doesn’t matter if you lie down.”

“……”

She hadn’t said a word since we descended Mt. Muak. It would have been stranger if she suddenly started talking now.

“…Fine, do as you wish.”

It doesn’t matter anyway. After we travel together to the Dragon Kingdom, we’ll part ways. Since I’ve forced the master-servant contract, I won’t be in danger.
As long as the worst-case scenario the eccentrics from the Tower of Magic warned me about doesn’t happen.

I stretched a bit and got out of bed. My back wasn’t as stiff as I expected. I rubbed my face and pulled back the curtains. The sun was weak due to the heavy clouds.

This slightly gloomy place is Derios, at the very southern tip of the empire.

Two days by carriage to the magic-filled country with the Tower of Magic.
Not much time left until I’m out of the empire.

It’s been almost two years since I’ve last been to the Tower of Magic.

That’s also where we recruited our first companion.

It was Aeon, the one we went to recruit first at Troka’s strong insistence. I thought we had found a decent companion since she was so restless around Troka from the moment we met.
Looking back now, we should have looked for a different magician.
I never imagined that her restlessness was due to a superb human battery walking right up to her.

Troka turned out to be the perfect human battery, unable to live or die.

After I saved her who was dying from a magic-related illness due to exerting too much effort in research, is the best she can say to me, ‘become a vessel for magic power’?

…Here I go again.
When I return to my original world, I should head straight to a mental hospital.

Perhaps it was because I slept too long, but my stomach felt like it was caught in a storm, and my throat was burning up.
I rummaged through my bag for something to soothe my dry throat and found a couple of water flasks from the White Knights.

These flasks also have a very long history, like a country at a ceasefire. Drinking from them is said to let you feel the spirits of ancestors from the old wartime.

Why am I here, drinking water from such a flask…
Does it make sense for me, a hidden contributor to the empire, to be leaving the empire in secret? Is this my karma?

Still, I have to deliver all the letters. There’s no other way to get home.

The return magic circle is in the imperial capital…, I can open all the letters and think about it later. By the time I’m ready to go home, the emperor’s anger should have cooled down. Although I don’t really understand the current emperor’s thoughts, considering that damn old man’s personality.
Hmm, I shouldn’t meet him.
It’s concluded that it would be dangerous to meet. My body, which has survived even the Demon King’s castle alone, tells me that encountering the emperor would lead to disaster.

Well, he wouldn’t really kill me, but the unease is the same.

It’s about late morning. Not a bad time to start moving.
I looked at Valkvogel. She was still glaring at me.

“We’re leaving. Keep your hood on.”

I had just finished getting ready. The holy sword was, as always, in my pants pocket. The dagger was inside the pocket of my outer garment. And the bag containing various other items was slung over my right shoulder.

My pockets were still full. I don’t know how much I’ll spend on the journey ahead, but at least I won’t have to worry about money. If things get tight, I can sell some of the magical tools Nico gave me.

I’ll have to settle for a simple meal at the restaurant on the first floor of the building. Even though I can afford it, I detest unnecessary expenses.

Maybe it’s because of the time during my hero party days. Some damned magician insisted on buying a necessary magical tool and squandered all our money, nearly starving us to death. It seems I’ve developed a sour disposition.

“Get up, move.”

“……Ah.”

I kicked her aside as she was staging a sit-in by the front door. She fell over weakly and then slowly got up, leaning against the wall.

It’s better not to get attached to someone who’s leaving. In this case, instead of affection, I’m stuffing her with resentment. Well, she probably feels more comfortable being treated this way.

-Clang.

As I opened the door, the dim corridor came into view. That’s when my memory started to return a bit. After reading the newspaper, I had nowhere else to stay, so I decided to kill some time at a nearby inn. And that’s where I fell asleep.

My memory has been problematic lately. I need to get it sorted out quickly, whether that means getting treatment from the Order when I go to meet the Saintess or buying some potion for mental health from the Tower of Magic. At this rate, I might die from it.

Just as I stepped outside the door, two soldiers dressed in the Imperial Army uniforms appeared and blocked my way.

“Hello? Are you the one with many scars on your face, traveling alone…”

“You’ve got the wrong person.”

-Bang!

I closed the door naturally.
Quiet chatter could be heard from outside. It’s scary.

Hmm.
Can’t be helped, I guess. I’ll have to wait a bit longer before leaving. After all, I’m always late

With that thought, I crawled back into bed. Maybe it’s because I’ve only been napping for hours and finally got a good sleep for the first time in a while, but I still didn’t feel fully awake. It felt like I could fall asleep again at any moment.

Bang bang bang!

[Hey~ Could you open the door~]

Of course, when the knocking reached the level of pounding, I snapped to attention.

“….”

Should I jump out the window?
It’s the second floor, so my legs shouldn’t shatter.

Bang bang bang!

Running away would be pointless. There’s no way I could properly escape with that baggage in tow. I pulled my mask up to just below my eyes. There was no way to cover the scars around my eyes, so this was the best I could do.

When I opened the door and peered out, the two soldiers seemed quite surprised. They probably didn’t expect me to come out.

“I haven’t seen such a person.”

“…You must have been sleeping soundly. We apologize for waking you. But have you seen a man with many scars on his face, traveling alone? He would be around your age.”

Surprisingly, the soldier spoke politely. He didn’t seem to want to take me away.

“I haven’t seen him. Carry on with your duties.”

It was natural. And it went smoothly.
And then, as the wind blew, I slowly closed the door.

“But, are you traveling alone by any chance?”

I couldn’t close it.

“No, I have a companion.”

The soldier had wedged his boot in the door gap. After all, considering how suspicious our first meeting was, it would be strange if they weren’t suspicious.

“Hahaha, the Demon King is dead, but the world is still a dangerous place, isn’t it? Just think of it as a question.”

The soldier unfolded his arms with a friendly laugh, his fingertips reaching a position where they could touch the sword, as if my fate depended on my answer.

“I’m just a traveler, journeying with my younger sister.”

A man traveling alone with scars might be sought after by the empire, but a man with a companion should be fine. Probably.
I subtly turned to show Valkvogel.
A family with nothing in common except sharp eyes. Suspicious, but they shouldn’t have anything to say.

“Hahaha! So it’s your sister. But don’t you love your sister a bit too much? Do you use her every night? She has so many scars on her face.”

Huh?

“It seems you’re not the person we were looking for, but it’s still a fortunate turn of events.”

The soldier on the right took out handcuffs from his pocket.

“Let’s go and talk about this. Given that you don’t have a slave brand, it seems you might be an illegal sex slave or a kidnapping case, especially at your age—”

Ah, that guy had a face full of scars.
From a distance, one might mistake them for wounds.

The soldier on the right slowly approached. Was I going to be taken away just like this?

…No, that couldn’t be.
I had survived even after encountering a high-ranking officer in the tunnels. It wouldn’t make sense to be dragged away so easily.

I slowly opened my Mind’s Eye. My right eye was completely gone, only darkness was visible. With my left eye, I scanned the two soldiers and their flow came into view.

The soldier on the left was unguarded. The one on the right was fiddling with handcuffs in his left hand.
This moment was my opportunity.

I quietly pulled out the holy sword that was tucked in the right pocket of my pants.
My target was the jaw of the soldier on the right. I didn’t activate the holy sword, just swung it using the handle.
I didn’t bother with a stance. I just swung it like a hammer with the sensation of throwing a punch.

Bang!

With a dull death rattle, the handcuffs flew through the air.

Next was the soldier on the left.
Since I had already swung with my right hand, I couldn’t take a proper stance. I struck with my left hand.
The face wasn’t at an angle to hit. At best, I could only aim for the chest or abdomen. The abdomen was the part to target.
Whooosh, thump! I drove a punch just above the navel. For some reason, it felt like the power was transmitted well.

The soldier, struck by the merciless punch, lifted off his feet and bent his head forward. This exposed the back of his head, deliciously unguarded, and I didn’t miss the opportunity to strike down on the back of his head with the holy sword.

Crack!

He hit the floor face-first without even uttering a scream.

Well, he probably wasn’t dead. I hadn’t struck with the intent to kill, and there was no blood. He would get up soon enough.
I didn’t particularly want to kill them. They were only trying to arrest me. And I wasn’t yet a confirmed criminal; killing them would make me one for sure.

Still, once they got up, they would pursue me. And the aftermath… if I say I was chased by the Empire, the Tower of Magic would take care of it.

There’s no need to worry anymore. As long as I leave before any commotion starts. Whether it’s fortunate or unfortunate, it seems today was just a routine surprise inspection, not a chase.

But once they wake up, I’ll have another stain on my reputation.
Child molestation.
That girl who looks like a child, she’s at least five times older than me.

For a while, I’ll have to move through routes that don’t go through the Empire.
Even if it takes months just to deliver a letter… Can’t be helped, really.

Still, that’s not a big concern, let’s get going.

“Valkvogel. We’re really leaving now. Follow me.”

She was looking at me intently. It wasn’t with a murderous intent. Just piercing through to my inner self… Ah. The scales that had formed around her eyes, her pupils wide open. She had dragon eyes.

It seemed she couldn’t resist reading my mind. I’m not particularly fond of that.

“Hey, hey, don’t read. I’m a person with many secrets.”

Her reddish-brown pupils closed. The scales that had appeared near her eyes slowly blended back into her skin and disappeared. Her face, full of fine lines, sent a fierce look again.

“……Die.”

Leaving behind the cute murder threat, I stepped out of the inn.

After all, she can’t stray too far from me.
She’ll follow on her own.

I have one more companion now, but I felt only emptiness.

“I should have been the one at that time….”

I continued to stride forward, reminiscing about a past that had already gone. There was nothing else to do but move my feet.

The sun stood tall at noon.

Only a few more steps to the Tower of Magic.