Chapter 7
Chapter 7
THE REST OF OUR JOURNEY to Yulei Village passed without incident.
If I had to guess the season, it was probably the beginning of summer. The temperatures was a little warm, but the wind was cool, and it was good weather to be walking along the plain. As the hours passed, the tiny shadows on the horizon grew to be a village surrounded by farmers’ fields. Slightly to the north of the village loomed a large white structure.
“There it is! That’s Yulei Village!” said Mora. “See that over there? That’s the Castle of the White Blade, home to the Calbanera Knights.”
“It looks like we’ll be able to have lunch at the inn,” remarked Sedam. “I always did like the Knight of the Iron Skillet.”
As Mora and the others grew used to my ignorance, they got in the habit of explaining things before I even asked. But really…Knight of the Iron Skillet? What a name for an inn…
Yulei Village was a lot larger than I’d expected. Most of the buildings were concentrated around the main road, and there was a wooden defensive barrier around the perimeter. There were even a few watchtowers at various points along the wall.
However, the gate to the village had been left wide open, and there wasn’t much of a defensive presence in terms of guards. However, since we figured a floating bag and statue would attract unwanted attention, we hid Jargle’s statue and Mora’s bag in some bushes outside of the village.
As we headed through the gate, the watchman called out to us.
“Sedam! Is that Miss Mora with you? So, you were able to rescue her from the bandits?”
“No, the one who rescued Mora was this here grand wizard!” Sedam replied.
“That’s right!” Mora joined in.
“Hey, wait a—”
“Wizard? Well, anyway, that’s great! Thanks!”
“Um… Uh… You’re welcome…”
Really? I thought. Don’t you want to keep a suspicious guy like me a secret?
“Ild should still be at the Knight of the Iron Skillet inn,” said Sedam, walking ahead.
The main street through the village was paved with stone like the main road outside it, and I could spot horse carts and those who looked like traveling merchants. A few such merchants in particular caught my eye. They had stout figures, long beards, and only came up to my chest in height. There was no mistaking them. Dwarves, I thought. The dwarves were talking with other merchants, moving goods here and there, and completely blended in with the other people in the town.
“This village is the easternmost member of the Ryuse Alliance, so it has become an important center of trade between us and the dwarves,” Sedam explained.
“My father has all kinds of trade agreements with dwarves,” Mora added.
“I see… By the way, I would appreciate it if you didn’t make such a big deal out of me…” I said, turning to Sedam.
I’d met Mora only through sheer coincidence, and I’d only saved her through the power of my spells. I’d hardly gone through any trouble to save her. Just then, I felt like I didn’t really deserve any praise. And aside from all that, it was kind of…embarrassing.
“Really? I’m sorry about that,” said Sedam, “But…”
“But it won’t be long before everyone finds out about the amazing deeds of the great Lord Margilus!” piped Ted.
“You say that,” I protested, “but even so, I—”
“Give it a rest!” spat Clara. “You’re getting on my nerves! Come over here and listen!”
“Wh-what are you…?!”
Clara dragged me into the shadow of one of the buildings and pulled my face close to hers.
“Quit acting so timid! That ‘wizardry’ or whatever it is you call your magic? It’s powerful. Incredibly powerful. That’s been made plenty clear. So act the part! The way you’re acting right now is just going to make people even more nervous! Do you understand what I’m saying here?”
“Sh-she’s right! You’re amazing, okay, Mister Geo? So you’ve got to act like you’re amazing!”
For some reason, Mora had followed us, and now she was lecturing me, too, physically wedging herself between me and Clara. Djirk and Ted looked on anxiously, but it seemed that they weren’t willing to interfere with Clara.
“You know, if you don’t let him go, he’s not going to be able to do what you’re asking.” Torrad came calmly to my rescue, pulling Clara and Mora away from me. Not a moment too soon, either; the two of them seemed about ready to go off on each other.
He’s really got that calm, mediator-like aspect of the warrior-priest character down, I thought, with a sigh of relief, but Torrad wasn’t done.
“Lord Margilus, you said you were not anyone important. However, you understand you cannot pass as an unimportant person here in our land, don’t you? As Clara said, if a hero does not act as one, he worries those around him. Furthermore—though I wish not to say this—if you are thought of as a weak person, there may be some people who will try to take advantage of you.”
Torrad’s priestly sincerity gave his words a lot of weight.
Hmm…
“In other words, you’re saying that a great and powerful hero will put people at ease, but a weak and timid person with an incredible amount of power will do the opposite?”
“That’s right!”
“Exactly!”
“Correct.”
Damn it. They do have a point…
Soon, we arrived at the Knight of the Iron Skillet inn. There were several round tables in a dimly lit hall just past the entrance, in what seemed a cross between a bar and a mess hall. There were several men of different shapes and sizes at the bar, and the busy woman behind the counter appeared to be the owner.
“Father!”
“Mora?!”
Mora, who had been at my side, suddenly ran over to a man in the hall.
“Father! Father!!!”
“Mora! I’m so glad you’re all right! I’m so glad!”
The man had brown hair and a face that resembled Mora’s. Clearly, he was Mora’s father. He appeared younger than I expected but had the air of a successful and accomplished merchant. All of that quickly fell away as he embraced his daughter with tears of joy in his eyes.
“I’m not hurt or anything! Not even a scratch, I promise! I was saved before anything happened to me!”
“Sedam! Thank you. Thank you! I can’t thank you enough!” Ild turned to Sedam and bowed his head several times.
“Well, actually… A lot’s happened. Let me explain,” said Sedam.
From Ild’s reaction, it was clear that he was very worried about his daughter. He has to be at least ten years younger than me, I thought. I wonder. If I’d had children, would I have been able to become a father who cares this much about his daughter?
“Come now, how about you all take a seat and relax?”
The owner spotted us, and, at her suggestion, we all took seats around a table.
***
“…and that’s the gist of it,” Sedam said, tying up his explanation of events to Ild, who sat beside Mora.
“So, you are the one who saved Mora?” Ild turned to me, with tears in his eyes. “Thank you, sorcerer—I mean—thank you, great and powerful magician!”
Even though Sedam did not go into great detail, it should have been clear that my magic went against the common understanding people in Sedia had of sorcery. Nevertheless, Ild believed Sedam without question. I expected that Sedam must have built up a lot of trust over the years as an adventurer.
“D-don’t mention it. I only did what any other wizard would…” My voice trailed off as I got an evil eye from Clara. I was still hesitant to accept such a powerful display of thanks, but considering our most recent conversation, I tried to project a more heroic image.
“Anyway,” I said, projecting a little more force and authority into my voice. “I’m just glad to see justice was served!” For me, talking like that wasn’t easy.
I glanced at Clara. She didn’t exactly look satisfied, but her overall expression suggested I at least got a pass.
Afterward, it came time to dole out the reward for the adventurers’ work. Sedam respectfully declined (though he did say he would be keeping the down payment). He instead suggested that the reward should go to me. I tried to refuse as well, but Ild repeatedly pleaded that I take it, so in the end I accepted his three thousand gold coins.
“By the way, how much exactly is three thousand gold coins worth around here?”
“Well, in general terms, one gold coin is enough to feed a family of four the best food in town for a day,” replied Sedam.
“Three thousand gold coins is enough to buy a house in Relis, you know?” Mora added, “A large house, big enough for two people to live comfortably! Maybe I could have my father make some introductions for you.”
“Interesting…”
From the input I got from them and from a few other people, I determined that one gold coin was approximately equal to ten thousand Japanese yen, or maybe ninety US dollars. However, in a medieval world like Sedia, where currency was not used throughout the entire economy, the comparison was a bit like apples and oranges. From what I gathered, farmers and hunters largely lived without using any currency at all.
Still, with those caveats, my payment roughly translates to thirty million yen.
“Damn, that’s a lot!”
Thirty million yen…hundreds of thousands of dollars… That’s more than all my savings back home!
“You think so? It certainly is above average, but it isn’t abnormally high. We risk our lives for this work,” said Sedam.
“Hmm…”
When you put it that way… I thought. Three thousand gold coins split five ways is six hundred apiece. If you consider it payment for life-threatening work, it’s hard to argue it’s too high. It’s probably wrong to view the amount in the context of a game, or modern Japan.
“That said,” continued Ild, “I don’t have the payment on my person, so could you come pick it up in Relis at a later date? Naturally, I’ll prepare you a promissory note for the full amount, but please take this in the meantime.”
Ild took out a leather bag filled with one hundred gold coins to give to me. I wasn’t in want for money; in line with Geo’s character sheet, I’d received more than three million gold coins along with the rest of my inventory. However, refusing would only serve to sour our relationship, so I accepted it with thanks.
Just to be safe, I took out one of the gold Getaeus coins I had from my robe and showed it to Ild. The design was different from his, but because the composition of precious metals was the same, he said I should have no problem using the coins in Sedia, though some vendors might take time to appraise them.
After we all finished our discussion, we relaxed, sipping the sil tea the owner had brought us.
It wasn’t long before Mora broke the silence. “Mister Geo, I want to ask you something!”
Thereafter, she reminded me of her father’s goods left at the bandits’ fortress and requested my help to retrieve them. I had raised the fortress up on a cliff, after all, so they wouldn’t be able to get up to it without my help.
“Come now, Mora, we can’t trouble Lord Margilus anymore than we have already,” said Ild.
“B-but,” said Mora, crestfallen.
“We have a saying in my home country,” I said, interrupting. “‘Once on a ship, you must see it to shore.’ I will help you, once everything is done here.”
“Are you sure?” asked Ild, hesitantly.
“Thank you, Mister Geo!” said Mora, brightly.
I looked at both of them and nodded resolutely. “Yes, I’m sure,” I said, replying to Ild. “But, as I said, there are a few things I have to take care of first.”
“We have something we’d like Lord Margilus to help us with as well,” said Sedam.
We still had the daemons’ nest to destroy. That was an even bigger ship I had to see to shore.
“I don’t mind waiting, but don’t forget about us! We’ll be in trouble if we don’t get those goods back!”
Though I’d obliterated their vanguard, it was still very likely that the daemons would regroup and launch another attack. Sedam and the others met privately with the village leader to warn him of the threat. Sedam and the mayor had a strong relationship built on years of trust, and the mayor promised to prepare for an evacuation if needed.
Plans were also made for Djirk, Ted, Fijika, and Torrad to accompany Ild and Mora back to Relis to ensure their safety.
Well, it looks like I’ve accomplished my first goal, I thought, with a sigh of relief.
“Now then, can we carry on with our previous discussion?” asked Sedam.
“Um… Yeah, I guess… I mean, uh… Proceed.” I fumbled my words pretty badly, trying to project something like gravitas. Sedam, Clara, and I had moved to another room to discuss our next move.
“Our number one priority to is to find and destroy the daemons’ nest,” Sedam declared, looking from me to Clara. We both nodded.
“Glad to see we’re on the same page.” Sedam turned to address me directly. “I understand there is a lot you might not know, so I’ll explain my thoughts and rationale. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask.”
“Understood. Thank you.”
I was again impressed by how well-spoken Sedam was. The president of my old company could take a few lessons from him, I thought.
“When adventurers encounter daemons or discover a daemon nest, they are required to report the incident to the Calbanera Knights or the Relis City Council. Given the location of the daemons we encountered, normally we would file a report with the knights.”
I nodded. So, first, people file a report, and then they let the authorities take care of it. That sounds like a reasonable system.
“However, there are some problems. As I mentioned before, it has been over ten years since the last legion or nest appeared in this area. Many in the council and knightly order do not view their responsibility to exterminate daemons as a serious obligation.”
“Are you saying we may not be able to enlist their help? We saw it ourselves,” I protested. “A whole legion of daemons has appeared.”
“It depends in part on whether they believe us,” said Sedam grimly.
Clara nodded with a similar expression on her face.
“Huh? But why wouldn’t they…?”
“We found a legion of daemons, but a wizard—a magician whose like has never been seen before—just happened to be nearby and exterminate them, with a shower of meteors. Do you think anyone would readily believe that story?”
“Ah… Yeah, I see what you’re saying.” I really need to get it through my head: This isn’t Japan. This isn’t even Earth. We can’t assume the police are coming to help us.
From the perspective of the council or the knights, the appearance of daemons is unconfirmed information, attested by only one source. While evidence of the legion and the methods by which they were destroyed do exist, they exist only out in the field. The daemons didn’t actually butcher a village, and none of the knights saw any daemons themselves.
“I’m not saying that the knights and the council completely distrust us, but I suspect that they won’t believe our story. Even if they do believe it, they probably won’t take the threat seriously. There’s a good chance they’ll delay taking action.”
Hmm… I’ve heard similar stories of inaction many times before, even in Japan.
“If we were willing to take our time and show them the destruction in the valley, or wait until the daemons reappeared, eventually they would have to believe us, but that really isn’t an option,” continued Sedam.
“If we did that, there would only be more unnecessary casualties,” said Clara.
Oh, but in that case, I thought, before speaking aloud. “What if I just show them that I am a magic user capable of destroying a legion of daemons? Do you think they would believe us then?”
“It’s not an option I would like to choose, but I think they would,” Clara replied.
“To be honest, that’s the only option we have. What you did defies common sense,” said Sedam.
I see…
In other words, whether the authorities believed our story or not depended heavily on them accepting that I was who I said I was, a common-sense-defying magic user. However, I ran the risk of being thought of as an even more dangerous threat than the daemons themselves through my simple show of force. I was beginning to realize there was a deeper meaning in Sedam and Clara’s push for me to act the role of hero.
“Hmm…”
I understood what they were trying to say. I hadn’t adequately thought things through. I simply thought I would accompany them and the knights and prepare a few spells to cast just in case.
I’d worked as a professional for about twenty years in Japan and dealt with all the discord that occurred naturally in that environment. Comparing this to my prior experiences, I realized this was a persona problem. There was a right way to act in certain situations, and it was necessary to adapt to whatever role you served in, even if that meant donning a mask.
Until just a few days ago, I wore the mask of a twenty-year veteran of the corporate workforce in public, and in private, I donned the persona of a cordial, middle-aged man who liked games. An important part of surviving in the workforce is knowing which mask to don at what time. This is no different.
I looked up and muttered toward the ceiling. “So, that’s why I’ve felt this strange sense of insecurity ever since I arrived…”
Ever since I woke up in that jail cell, I’ve been myself, not wearing any persona. But having no persona at all means having no foundation to stand on.
What aspect should a person like me, transported to another world with unbelievable powers at my disposal, decide to assume?
I brought my gaze back down and looked at Sedam and Clara.
I had the option of simply acting like a foreign wanderer who’d lost his memory, but…I could do better.
“I understand now.”
“Good,” replied Sedam.
Clara narrowed her eyes. “Are you sure you truly understand?”
“At least for the time being, I’ll play the role of a great and powerful wizard. It feels odd to say so out loud, but—it’s true, after all.”
It was never my intention to end up this way, I thought, but I did choose Geo Margilus as my character before the Watcher, so I have to take responsibility for that decision. At least until the daemons’ nest is found and destroyed, I’ll wear this mask.
“Good,” said Sedam. “Keep that up—at least for the time being.”
“Well… I agree,” said Clara. “That’ll be good enough for now.”
***
I was busy preparing to go to the Castle of the White Blade, headquarters of the Order of the Calbanera Knights, when there was a knock on my inn room door.
“Can you spare some of your time?” It was Clara.
“Certainly. Please, come in. Make yourself at home.”
She’s probably come to talk about the differences between magic and sorcery with me—the talk she said might end up shaking the whole Sorcerers’ Guild…
“Could you be a little less polite? Your true colors are showing, Mister ‘Great and Powerful Wizard.’”
It was solid advice, so I tried again. “I suppose I can spare a few minutes.”
“Not bad,” she replied, with the hint of a smile. It may have been the first time I saw her smile naturally.
I took another look at her. She was young, and really quite beautiful. Her beauty, along with her blue eyes and blond hair (a rare sight back home), sparked a reflexive defensiveness in me toward her…but that was slowly beginning to weaken.
“What did you want to ask about?” I said.
“There are many things I would like to ask, but as we’re in a hurry, there’s just one I want you to answer now.” As Clara spoke, she looked straight into my eyes.
“Our history as sorcerers extends uninterrupted from the time the first institutions were established to study the art, over two hundred years ago. Since then, sorcery has been continually passed on and developed. I myself put forth effort for long years and months to get to where I am today. However, if the entire Sorcerers’ Guild were to combine their powers, it would not come close to your magic. What I want to ask is this: Is your magic a power you alone possess? Or…”
Clara’s voice trailed off, and she continued in little over a whisper, like a child sharing a rumor she herself was scared of.
“Is it something anyone can learn if they study it?”
I obviously couldn’t tell her the truth—that I was a character originally meant for a game, and the background for my magic was something my friend and I had come up with.
Seconds passed.
Clara stared at me, her blue eyes watery, waiting for me to answer. It would probably look romantic to someone who didn’t know the circumstances.
What is she really asking? I thought. If my magic were a technique like sorcery, something which could be attained through study, what would that mean to her? Is she asking me whether all her effort to learn sorcery becomes worthless in the face of wizardry?
I see. That certainly would be enough to put the Sorcerers’ Guild in turmoil. If I disrupted their whole way of life, I’d feel so bad I’d want to beg their forgiveness.
Hmm… I really don’t know.
Geo’s magic was nothing but a fantasy I’d created with the help of the game master, and yet, in this world of Sedia, that fantasy had come to life. The Watcher based my magic on my notes, which detailed all of the things a person had to do to acquire the abilities of a Level 1 magic user, so it wasn’t unthinkable that if someone else in Sedia followed those guidelines, they, too, would be able to use magic. However, it was equally plausible that magic was a skill the Watcher had only given me, and that no one else in Sedia could use it. If that’s my answer, would that put Clara at ease? I thought.
But even after all that thought, I knew it was presumptuous of me to assume I could accurately guess the workings of a woman’s mind. It was better to play it safe.
“Are you…anxious about something?” I asked, cautiously.
“Anxious? I suppose I am. You risk uprooting an entire world I’ve believed in.”
“I see.”
It seemed I was on point. However, that didn’t change the fact that I didn’t know the answer. But then, I thought, why don’t I just tell her that?
“While there are learnable techniques associated with a wizard’s magic, I am not sure whether someone else will be able to use that magic just by studying them. I simply don’t know. But Clara, I want you to know I understand your anxiety. I am anxious myself.”
“You are?” Clara blinked. She seemed at least partly relieved at hearing my inconclusive answer, but she was still interested in the rest of what I had to say.
“You mentioned that the world you’ve believed in could come crumbling down. From my perspective, your sorcery is just as bewildering to me. A sorcerer named Jargle almost killed me with it, too…”
The second half of my statement was my honest impression, not something I said to placate Clara. However, I must admit the first half was a little more underhanded. I was following the playbook of experience I’d built up in the workforce: When approached by someone you cannot give an answer to, first sympathize with them so that you do not lose their trust.
“You have a point. This isn’t a conversation if it consists of me only asking you one-sided questions,” said Clara, with the hint of a smile.
Now is the time, I thought, and decided to go for it. I asked her a question I’d been wondering about sorcery for some time.
“Sorcery is the technique of utilizing hidden power in nature by controlling the mana cycling through your own body,” Clara replied, with more than a hint of pride. “About one in ten people are born with mana and can sense it flowing through their bodies. Those without this ability cannot become sorcerers.”
“I see. So those with mana can see the mana in others as well.”
“That is correct. That’s why I can tell that you have no mana at all, with just one look at you.”
Disregarding that last bit, I thought, she said sorcery uses a power hidden in nature. My magic calls forth the power of chaos from outside the bounds of nature in order to alter reality, so the very root of it is different.
“But does that mean that anyone born with mana can perform sorcery?”
“No, even if you are born with mana, if you cannot sense your sorcery frame, you cannot become a proper sorcerer.”
Sorcery frame? I thought. Apparently, it was something only sorcerers could detect, but while it took a lot of back and forth, she explained it the best she could until I understood.
Our conversation can be summarized thusly:
A sorcerer’s apprentice, with training to enhance their mana sensitivity and control, can see a frame of light, not unlike a window frame made up of various symbols. The frame itself is called a sorcery frame (though it has a much longer official name), and the symbols are called sorcery code.
A sorcerer becomes able to use sorcery by deciphering the code in their frame and rearranging that code to form a spell. Of those born with mana, only about one in ten are able to envision their sorcery frames, so there are few people who are even able to become sorcerers. According to Clara, there were only twenty sorcerers in all of Relis City.
“For instance, in my sorcery frame, there is a number representing the amount of mana I have available, and code with the associated meanings: fire, wind, whip, and arrow. If I were to combine fire and whip, reading the code aloud as Falga Wilm, my sorcery would initiate.”
“I see… Interesting…”
It was much more systematic than I was expecting. It was extremely…game-like. (The irony wasn’t lost on me.)
“Oh, I just remembered something Jargle, that sorcerer, said. Do you know what the Faction of the Wise is?”
“That…is one of the factions of sorcerers.”
“Sorcerer factions, is it?”
It turned out the sorcerers of Sedia had split into factions based on differences in their approaches to sorcery. The Faction of the Wise viewed it the duty of its members to engage in research to further investigate and understand sorcery, and they were most well known for their production of strange materia. Incidentally, Clara belonged to the Faction of Conquerors, whose members viewed sorcery primarily as a means to fight against daemons.
“I am guessing that Jargle was a renegade sorcerer, despised by all the factions,” I said, with a graceful shrug.
Be it sorcery or anything else, the more I learn about this world, the more questions I have. Well, I should just accept that as part of learning all there is to know.