Episode 131 – What you Desire (4)

What you Desire (4)

──First Day.

Elise stepped outside as soon as she unpacked her luggage at the hotel. The heat was overwhelming, being surrounded by a desert, but she rather enjoyed it.

Thanks to the heat, people flocked to the large cities where the population density was high.

She walked the streets. First, she found a market.

As expected, it was crowded. A few locals smelled of rotten food waste, but it was bearable.

“How much is this?”

Elise picked up a pretty-looking turban. The shopkeeper smiled broadly and said,

“200 Ren…”

“Let’s make it 100 Ren.”

Elise negotiated with the market vendor with sharp eyes.

“…170 Ren.”

“140 Ren. No more than that.”

“…Alright.”

The market vendor handed over the turban with a controlled expression, and Elise wore a victorious smile.

Her next target, after donning the turban instead of a hat, was the traditional attire, Izarba. It’s a desert outfit that covers the entire body with cloth.

Elise chose the Izarba that seemed to be of the best quality among many.

“500 Ren-”

“300 Ren. No more than that.”

“400-”

“310 Ren. You’ll take the extra 10 Ren, right?”

“…Yes. Well, alright.”

She had cut the turban price by 30%, but she went a step further with the Izarba, slashing almost 40% off.

Indeed, a ruthless negotiation without blood or tears. But it couldn’t be helped. She was out to experience the world.

After dressing like a desert dweller, she visited the pyramid, a sanctuary of archaeology, took hundreds of photos, and then returned to the hotel.

“I feel refreshed…”

Late at night.

After showering, Elise was about to review her travel photos with Cookie on the bed when…

“…Huh?”

Outside the window of the hotel suite, on the precarious high-rise, there was a cat.

“Dangerous…”

But it didn’t seem so. The cat was comfortably sitting with its buttocks against the window frame. It even scratched its face with its hind leg, then turned to look at her.

Their eyes met.

Without realizing it, Elise raised her hand awkwardly.

Meow-

In response, the cat waved back in the same way and then disappeared somewhere.

“…What a strange kid.”

Elise smiled quietly.

This trip might be lucky.

She lay down on the bed. She fell asleep while looking at the photos, hugging Cookie.

──Second Day.

As soon as she woke up, she swam for morning exercise, practiced magic breathing, and then started her travel itinerary.

Today’s course was a food alley. She was going to eat all day. Only eat.

“…Huh?”

As she walked through the street vendors with determination and resolve, suddenly.

Someone caught her eye on the side of the road.

The familiar figure was walking with its tail straight up.

“Hey.”

Elise called out to the cat. The cat turned around.

“You, I saw you yesterday…”

A white cat with black spots. The cat grinned and then climbed up onto the roof and left.

Elise stared blankly upwards.

“Try our gopchang noodles before you leave~”

Gopchang noodles?

“Where.”

She quickly turned around.

She doesn’t refuse any food. She constantly craves new tastes. As someone who diets every day, on a day like this when the limit is lifted, her craving surpasses anyone.

Elise approached the boy at the bustling stall.

“How much?”

“5 Ren, no, 10 Ren.”

“You just said 5 Ren?”

Elise slightly furrowed her brows.

“We, well, Venti size is 5 Ren. Grande size is 10 Ren.”

“Ah, so there are sizes like that here too.”

“Yes.”

“Grande. For 8 Ren.”

Elise haggled even further. The boy seemed to shrink under her ruthlessly cold gaze, forcing a bitter smile and nodding.

She took a bite of the noodles. Her eyes lit up.

“Delicious.”

One of the great joys of travel. Strange but beautiful flavors.

─Try the sweet red bean cookies~

Sweet red bean cookies?

“Where?”

That day, Elise spent 2,000 Ren in the food alley alone for 12 hours.

──The third day.

She felt a bit bloated from eating too much yesterday.

But today’s schedule was tight, so it was okay. She was heading to the middle of the desert.

The destination was the ancient magic temple, now a museum, ‘Partium’. It was incredibly far from the capital, as it was a museum built by Renovating and restoring the actual site of the magic temple.

Moreover, there were no roads. Magic phenomena occurred so frequently that any road built would be destroyed within a year.

Thus, she arrived at a ranch to Rent a camel, the means of transportation for crossing the desert.

“……”

Elise stared blankly at the camels inside the fence.

She loved camels. She didn’t know why. Just the humped back, the dumb face, and the way they chewed their food thoroughly was quite cute to her.

“……Are you going to Rent, or just look?”

The impatient owner asked. She must have been looking for too long.

“I’ll Rent. For the whole day.”

“For the whole day…… Are you from Edsilla?”

“Yes.”

“1,500 Ren.”

“Okay.”

Elise coolly made the deal. She had haggled too hard until now, and more than anything, the camel was worth it.

“……Here. Hold this and ride.”

The owner handed her the reins. Elise, who grasped it, carefully climbed on its back. As soon as she settled, she muttered in a trembling voice.

“I, I’m on. I, I’m on.”

“Yeah. You’re on then.”

At Elise’s innocent words, the owner also smiled a little.

“Hold the reins, and just go in the direction you’re going.”

“Yes……”

Thud- thud- Even the sound of the camel walking was cute.

“There we go.”

Elise looked at the camel from atop the camel. The humped back supporting her was fascinating, and the back of its head like a stick was so cute that she smiled like a child.

“Where’s your destination?”

The owner asked.

“The Partium Museum. Do you know it?”

“I know. Just follow that line. It’s free, so don’t pay anything there.”

Elise looked where the owner pointed. Indeed, there was a line of camels leading out of the city.

“Thank you.”

“Thank me? I should be more thankful. Go on.”

Elise turned the reins in that direction. The owner muttered as he turned around.

……With 1,500 Ren, you could buy a camel.

“?”

Did she just hear something wrong?

Elise looked back, but the camel made a purring sound.

“Are you telling me to focus on you?”

Well, she was going to do that anyway.

She laughed softly and focused again on driving the camel.

* * *

After a grueling five-hour journey with a camel, they arrived at the Partium Museum.

Despite being 40 kilometers away from the city center, the place was teeming with people.

Elise led the camel to the stables, making sure to memorize its face.

“Refuse if anyone else tries to ride you.”

With a soft rumble in response, she shared a bonding moment before heading into the museum.

“Welcome, this is the famous Partium Museum~”

The announcement was in the common language of Edsilla. A guide was leading a group of dozens of people. Most were citizens of Edsilla, and a few were robed figures, possibly mages or apprentices.

Elise blended into the crowd.

Sneakily, she was getting a free guided tour.

“This is a prayer space called ‘Gamnaz’. In ancient times, magic was considered a gift from the gods, and one had to pray to the gods as many times as they used magic.”

Elise hid a proud smile as she listened to the guide’s explanation.

She wondered if she was being too frugal, considering that nobles also benefit from the trickle-down effect.

“This is a relic called the ‘Balumani Horn’. It was once a medium for a grand spell that summoned a level 10 phantom beast known as ‘Balumium’.”

“Is it genuine?”

“Most are replicas. But who knows, the real one might be somewhere?”

While listening to the guide, she looked around at various exhibits.

Indeed, there were many magical relics of significant meaning in modern magical history.

…But.

“Hmm?”

Something was off.

The number of people coming and going was slightly excessive.

More than just ‘coming and going’, there was a suspicious aura about the wandering crowd.

“….”

At first, Elise didn’t think much of it, but gradually she became annoyed. The frequency of their movements was increasing.

Elise looked around.

Hundreds of tourists. A yawning security guard. A guide illustrating.

The sound of people talking. The sound of footsteps on the floor tiles. The full laughter.

It was a typical museum scene, yet abnormal.

It felt ominous.

“….”

She quietly picked up her smartphone.

No signal. No internet, no calls.

She looked out the window of the museum. Everything seemed normal.

There was no sandstorm, so why-

───Chime.

Like the jingle of a coin, a wave of magic brushed against her back.

It was an ambush.

Elise quickly turned around, pulling magic into her body, but-

“Argh——!”

Her body convulsed. It was high-voltage electricity. A heat that seemed to burn her nerves flooded her body.

She fell to the floor.

─B04. Check.

She heard the voice of her attacker. It was a woman’s voice.

Elise looked up at her.

─Yes.

A masked assailant. They were communicating with someone.

They were a tricky magic user.

Electricity is a common weakness among mages. A strong electric shock can mess up the internal nerve circuits through which magic flows, rendering them unable to use magic.

But Elise was no ordinary mage. She quickly restored her magic circuit-

─B04. Standby. Not yet.

They noticed. They staggered over and tightly gripped the back of her neck.

“Ah, don’t-”

Zap──!

She shocked her again, but this time, Elise didn’t just take it. She weakly pushed her away with telekinesis.

─B04. She continues to resist.

Elise writhed on the floor. Her body was devoid of strength.

Through his earpiece, a small voice flowed.

…Do it with high voltage. If she can resist you, she won’t die even if you burn her with maximum output.

─Yes.

Elise clenched her fist. She tried to invoke telekinesis, but her magic kept slipping. She jumped up and grabbed her throat.

And then…

“Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

It was the worst pain she had ever felt in her 18 years of life.

Elise foamed at the mouth and passed out.

* * *

When Elise opened her eyes, her mouth was taped shut and her body was bound with electrical wires.

She shivered, looking at her own tightly bound wrists on her bent knees. Regular electrical currents kept coming from the wires.

“……”

She looked around. Many people were suppressed in the museum hall. The faces of the civilians were all pale. Their terrified noises were loud.

About twenty people, including herself, were wrapped in electrical wires.

Had they singled out only the magic users?

Elise looked out the window of the museum. It was dark, as if surrounded by a barrier.

──Please remain quiet. Remain quiet.

The voice from the loudspeaker filled the museum.

Hundreds of confined people turned towards it.

A masked man stood there. Nine masked people lined up next to him. Ten in total.

Whoever they were, it seemed like these crazy bastards had taken over the entire museum.

──Don’t worry too much. We have no intention of harming you. Let’s play some music to help you relax.

The leader snapped his fingers. Then, a classical melody mixed with violin and piano flowed.

A disgusting hobby.

…Crazy bastard.

Elise muttered through the tape.

──I repeat. Please remain quiet. As long as you follow our instructions, you will not be harmed.

Zap- Zap-

Elise shivered, looking somewhere.

There, two men were trying to untie the electrical wires. They seemed to be colleagues, exchanging glances and rubbing their bodies against each other.

Zap- Zap-

The electric shocks were constant, but there was something they misunderstood.

Electricity is indeed a weakness for all mages. However, if it’s applied ‘regularly’ like this, humans can’t help but adapt.

Especially if they’re a genius like her.

──I repeat.

Elise slowly invoked telekinesis. She applied a small, steady pressure on the electrical wires, careful not to get caught.

──We will treat you all peacefully.

If she were alone, it would be impossible. But she wasn’t alone. There were two more. No, if you look at it broadly, there were more than twenty people who could face them.

All of them, like her, were taken by surprise.

If the three of them could escape from the confinement and free everyone else, they could confront them.

──All you need to do is stay with us for a short time. If you cooperate well, it will end sooner.

The secret telekinesis. The electrical wires around her wrist gradually loosened, and just when they were almost untied.

Snap──!

Someone gripped her wrist tightly.

“!!!”

Elise felt her heart drop. No, it had already stopped once.

“Haah, haah…….”

She, who had just woken up from a brief faint, gasped for breath. A masked man was squatting right in front of her.

Chew, chew-

He was chewing gum and caught her wrist. He tapped her bent knee lightly.

Those small actions were extremely humiliating.

She glared at him with tear-filled eyes.

And then…….

Something strange happened.

He suddenly did something peculiar.

Looking around as if checking his surroundings── slightly.

He lifted his mask.

“……?”

That moment.

The moment the masked man revealed his bare face.

Elise’s expression momentarily became dumbfounded. Unconsciously, she tilted her head in confusion.

Blonde hair flowing out from under the mask.

Golden eyes with sharp edges.

She knew him.

He held her wrist tightly and put a finger to his lips.

“Shush.”

And then he showed a smile as if to say don’t worry.

A smile where his eyes and the corners of his mouth curved upward.

“…….”

He put his mask back on, and Elise just blinked her eyes.

She gave up resisting.

Her mind just went blank. Her heart was pounding. It was an inexplicable heartache.

──Didn’t I tell you.

Suddenly, the leader’s voice became rough. He put his hand in his pocket.

──If you stay still, no one will die.

Two daggers. They detonated in an instant.

Zap─!

It grazed the skin. Blood splattered. Elise looked in that direction.

The two men who were just trying to untie the confinement. Their throats were brutally pierced.

Gurgle, gurgle……

The sight of them choking on their blood and dying made the civilians scream.

──If you just stay still.

In the chaos mixed with classical music, screams, and crying, the man continued.

──Your lives are not in danger at all.

Elise slowly raised her gaze. She looked at a masked man in the corner of the museum.

“…….”

The man who had just smiled at her.

It was really unbelievable.

It felt like a dream.

But he was definitely, Shion Ascal.