Chapter 154. Is It Loneliness Among the Crowd
After deciding to go to Blande.
Before I knew it, a week had passed.
“You primitive thing, can’t you hurry up a bit?”
I leisurely stepped out of the room at Shine’s urging.
For reference, ‘primitive thing’ had been the title Shine used for me ever since we left the Sword God’s Tomb.
“The weakest one is also the slowest. And yet you’re so relaxed about it. Do you have no sense of shame at all?”
I stared straight at Shine, who was blocking the doorway, ranting away.
‘What’s with this bastard?’
Ever since the Sword God’s Tomb, Shine’s arrogance had not just reached the sky, it had punched a hole straight through it.
Every single day, without missing one, she would go out of his way to come find me and pick a fight. I couldn’t help but find it strange.
‘Just what the hell did he bring out from the Sword God’s Tomb?’
She was arrogant before, but now she was unbearably so.
No, arrogant isn’t even enough of a word anymore.
She’s like a goblin that doesn’t know the meaning of restraint.
The source of that confidence was clearly the arrangement of the 13th Patriarch that she had brought out from the Sword God’s Tomb…
‘…Tch, and she refuses to open her mouth about it.’
“Hmph, I don’t like the look in your eyes. Can’t you look properly, you insolent thing?”
“…Stars.”
Leaving behind Shine, who was picking a pointless quarrel, I started walking.
“Coward?”
There was a brief moment of crisis, but I let it slide.
They say, don’t overstay your welcome when the applause is loudest.
There was no need to go head-to-head with a full-of-herself Shine to prove my strength. My past record already spoke for itself.
Anyway, with that noisy guy in tow, we reached the front entrance of the Sword Pavilion.
There, we found those who had arrived earlier, Parun, whose fatigue was practically radiating through his half-mask, the small lord with a refreshing smile, and Sir Zeke.
The small lord and Sir Zeke were there to see us off as we left Lorutel.
“Are you fully prepared?”
“More or less.”
“You could stay a bit longer, you know.”
“I wanted to, but honestly, it’s too much of a hassle.”
“Haha.”
The small lord let out an awkward laugh.
Well, understandable.
‘How much of a nuisance must I have been?’
Ah, to clarify, it’s not that the small lord personally annoyed me.
It was more… indirect, I guess?
The moment I told him I’d be leaving Lorutel, from that very day, he started introducing me to every influential figure within his reach.
It was a considerate gesture, really.
‘Opportunities to form connections with Lorutel’s figures aren’t exactly common.’
Well, I do have the Platinum Token, so whether I make those connections or not, it’s not like I’ll gain or lose much, but there’s still a difference in influence.
After all, even with a Platinum Token, an ally you’ve shared a face and conversation with feels far warmer than one you’ve never met.
Still, kindness should have its limits. Endless rounds of social gatherings without a moment’s rest were downright torturous.
“Still, the hardship may prove useful someday. You may not remember all those faces, but they will surely remember you.”
At the small lord’s embarrassed expression, I let out a faint laugh.
“I didn’t mean it as a complaint. It was actually thoughtful of you.”
“Then I’m glad to hear it. Still, wouldn’t you like to stay a bit longer? Soon, members of the Fengshen Family will be gathering at the estate. It’d be good for you to get acquainted with them as well…”
“Is this some kind of new form of harassment?”
“Haha, such jokes.”
Unfortunately, that wasn’t a joke.
The past week had truly been hellish for me.
Leaving the small lord behind, I turned my gaze toward Parun.
“Are you sure it’s fine to leave now? You could stay a little longer if you wanted.”
“I’ve already grasped the basics of the Infinite Chain. And besides…”
[…If I stay here, how exactly do you plan to find the Heavenly Principle Thesis? Try using that thing you call a brain.]
[If you just tell me where it’s hidden…]
[I’d rather trust someone trustworthy, thank you very much.]
I smirked at Parun’s biting remark.
‘Trust may get your foot chopped, but distrust will split your skull open.’
If the day ever comes when I raid Parun’s secret vault, it’ll be entirely his fault, for not trusting me.
Anyway, leaving Parun aside, I shifted my gaze to Shine.
“You primitive thing, why are your eyes like that?”
“You’re really not staying here?”
“Are you afraid of me?”
“No, it’s just… you seem happy these days.”
“Not funny.”
Not funny, my ass.
Out of the three of us, Shine was the one who’d enjoyed Lorutel the most.
The rumor that he’d passed through the Sword God’s Tomb had spread all across Lorutel within a single day.
And then, another rumor followed.
That the master of the Sword Hall had been personally acknowledged by the family head. It seemed the family head had deliberately spread the rumor to empower Shine, and thanks to that, Shine had quite the blissful time.
Knights seeking her out one after another.
Countless requests for duels.
Some even came to offer rare swords as gifts, hoping to build camaraderie!
‘Man, when you put it that way, it feels kinda unfair.’
While some of us were forced to sit with boring people, sipping horribly bitter tea, others got free training dummies to beat on and piles of gifts.
If I were a knight instead of a mage, would this kind of discrimination exist?
‘Probably not.’
Unfair and pitiful.
Damn knights.
While I was brooding over my misfortune, the small lord’s voice reached my ears.
“By the way, have you ever heard of the ‘Fairy’s Dance’?”
“Fairy’s Dance?”
“Yes, the phenomenon that occurs in the Amera region. You’ve heard of the Amera region, haven’t you?”
It wasn’t that I didn’t know it.
The Amera region, filled with dozens of large and small lakes, was where the magical mineral ‘Moonlight Stone’ was mined, something any mage would know. But still…
“What about the Fairy’s Dance? That’s the first I’ve heard of it.”
“You don’t know the legend of the fairies? It’s a tale from the Amera region, quite a famous story, even made into a children’s fairy tale. About how the fairies, weary of human cruelty, entered the lakes and ended their lives…”
If it’s a fairy tale, no wonder I’d never heard it.
I grew up a vagrant in the Black-White Zone, and the only stories I ever heard as a kid were about the monster that lived in the sewage of the Sael River, snatching up stray children.
Anyway, that’s beside the point.
“Ah, right, just today, news came from the main family. An unusual phenomenon has occurred in one of Amera’s lakes. Thought it might interest you mages.”
So basically, he brought it up thinking we’d be curious.
But, as Parun often said, maybe I really wasn’t a mage at heart, because I couldn’t care less. However, that was when Parun, who had been silent until now, suddenly stepped forward.
“Lord Small Head, could that unusual phenomenon perhaps be…?”
“They say it’s a Mana oversaturation phenomenon. Locally, they call it the ‘Fairy’s Dance.’”
“Would you mind if I asked for more details?”
“You’re interested?”
“Yes, please.”
At Parun’s rare enthusiasm, I tilted my head in curiosity.
[What’s a Fairy’s Dance?]
[…You don’t know?]
I don’t.
I’ve heard plenty about the Amera region and its lakes, but this ‘Fairy’s Dance’ and ‘Mana oversaturation’, never in my life.
Just what about it made Parun so excited?
[It’s a phenomenon that appears sporadically in one of the Amera lakes. There are dozens of them, and it manifests irregularly. I’ll explain the rest later.]
With that, Parun turned his attention away from me.
The small lord then pulled out a thick folder from his breast pocket and handed it over.
“Good thing I brought this just in case. Information collected by our family’s informants. Take it and study it thoroughly.”
“…I appreciate the generosity.”
“If you’re interested, it’d be best to hurry. If our family caught wind of it, there’s no way the other magic houses haven’t. You might find yourself swamped by crowds.”
Parun handled the folder as if it were a priceless treasure, carefully storing it away in his subspace.
Watching that scene in mild bewilderment, I carefully opened my mouth.
“Then, I guess we’ll be on our way…”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“…?”
“…?”
I tilted my head at the small lord’s oddly nonchalant tone. He, too, tilted his head at my reaction.
“Don’t you think you’re forgetting something?”
“Didn’t I already give you the Platinum Token?”
“That, yes.”
I had received the Platinum Token several days ago.
Two tokens engraved with the names of the Tower and the Sword Hall, those ghostly institutions.
“I also handed over the communication crystal, right?”
“I didn’t really need it, but yes, I accepted it.”
“Then what else could you possibly need? Oh, do you require travel funds?”
“…”
I looked at the small lord for a moment before subtly extending my hand. Even if I had enough, one shouldn’t ignore gestures of goodwill.
“…Thrifty one, aren’t you?”
Anyway, after taking a handful of gold coins from the small lord, I finally got to the main point.
“Why haven’t we received the Infinite Chain?”
Yes, I was talking about that, the Infinite Chain.
More important than the Platinum Token, more valuable than the crystal, and far beyond any handful of gold!
It was the very reason we came to Lorutel, and the very thing to conclude it all, our beloved and cursed artifact.
But why…?
“…? You didn’t receive it?”
The small lord blinked in confusion.
I narrowed my eyes.
“What is this? A patience test? Or a setup for betrayal?”
That was when Parun, who had stepped back earlier, spoke up again.
“I received it.”
“…You did?”
“Yes. I received it safely yesterday. Verified it’s genuine, and it now rests peacefully in my subspace.”
“And why exactly do you have it…?”
“Why do you think so?”
“…”
At Parun’s firm tone, I was left speechless.
Truly, a moment to lose faith in the entire mage profession.
Knights are always backing and pulling each other up, meanwhile, mages? Cold as ice, every single one.
Anyway, as I stood there in mild shock…
“Lord Small Head, Sir Zeke. We’ll take our leave now.”
“Farewell. This body shall depart as well.”
Shine and Parun exchanged farewells with the small lord and Sir Zeke in perfect harmony.
Out of the five of us, I was the only one who didn’t quite fit in.
Neither a knight nor a mage, I belonged nowhere.
“Let’s go, you primitive thing.”
Shine grabbed me by the scruff and dragged me out of the Sword Pavilion.
I let her pull me along silently and looked up at the sky.
We had chosen to depart at midnight to keep things quiet, yet the full moon above was painfully bright.
‘So this is what they call loneliness among the crowd, huh.’
Life tasted bitter.
* * *
And as Aster’s group left the Sword Pavilion, Sion quietly watched their departing figures.
“You seem rather pleased.”
“Do I?”
“Yes, and also…”
Zeke began to speak but stopped himself.
But Sion smiled faintly, as if he already knew what Zeke had wanted to say.
“Are you surprised? Seeing me treat a mage kindly.”
“Yes. Honestly, I was. Has something changed in your outlook…?”
“Changed, huh.”
Sion trailed off, his gaze drifting elsewhere, to where Aster was being dragged along.
“Isn’t he pathetic?”
Zeke glanced briefly at Aster before replying.
“…Frankly, yes.”
“That such a man opposed the First Sword? Or that he even lay on the ground before Father, shouting for death? Would you believe it?”
“If I hadn’t seen him with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have.”
“Right. I thought the same. Had I not met the Master of the Tower myself, I couldn’t have believed it either.”
But those who had faced the Tower’s Master firsthand could only accept it as truth, there was something strangely compelling about him.
“I just thought of this, that’s all.”
“Thought of what…?”
“Ah, that there truly are pitiful mages like that. That not every mage is wicked and serpentine like Deculan.”
“…”
“It was something I only understood in theory, but now I can finally feel it.”
Zeke silently agreed.
It did feel wrong to categorize the Tower’s Master and Deculan under the same label of ‘mage.’
“That’s all there is to it. You understand?”
“…Yes.”
Though it was a moment of growth for the small lord, finally cracking open the shell he’d been confined within for so long, Zeke couldn’t bring himself to be entirely pleased.
The catalyst for it all was far too trivial.
After a brief silence, Zeke asked, “Do you happen to know when the First Sword is expected to return?”
“…? Haven’t heard. But they say the schedule’s been extended longer than expected. Why do you ask?”
“It’s nothing. I just thought there were some things worth discussing, but nothing urgent.”
“…?”
Zeke recalled Hamellan’s grumbling from several days ago.
— “A plague has swept through Lorutel. You’ll understand what I mean someday.”
He’d said that before leaving for Baidun.
Now, Zeke was beginning to understand what he meant.
As that thought passed, another question came to mind.
“By the way, may I ask why you gave them information about the Amera Lake?”
It was unusual.
Normally, the small lord showed zero interest in anything magical.
But Sion’s answer was rather peculiar.
“Come to think of it, I don’t know.”
“…Pardon?”
“I truly don’t. I merely followed Father’s orders.”
“You mean it was the Lord’s command?”
Sion quietly nodded.
He said no more.
But in his mind, he pictured Lord Muhad’s face when he had given that order.
— “If they’re mages, they’ll surely find it intriguing.”
‘He said it so casually, but…’
There had been something flickering in that gaze.
As though he was expecting something.
