Side Story Part 4

And he must make that decision based on reason, without being influenced by emotion.

* * *

Shopping went smoothly.

Aubest inspects the necessary items with his own eyes and offered to purchase them at a price he deemed to be appropriate. There was no negotiations involved at all. If he couldn’t get the desired items at a price that he specified, he was simply moving to another store to try the same tactic again.

In Elam, Mages can be considered to be the most privileged class of citizens, so most stores accepted the price suggested by Aubest. Of course, it was also because he offered a reasonable price. He could have haggled harder to get a better deal for himself, but he didn’t want to do that. In his opinion, what was most important was not to get the best bargain possible, but to find a merchant who could provide a stable supply of desired items at a fair price. In the long run, such merchants are the ones that benefit the buyers and, by extension, the region as a whole.

However, after he finished shopping, he realized that something was wrong.

(Wasn’t I supposed to buy more than just things that are absolutely necessary for this girl so that I could communicate more with this girl in the process?)

Now that Aubest realized his mistake, he honestly regretted it, but unfortunately, it was already too late to change that.

Aubest grabbed his luggage and decided to go to an inn. The restaurant employs union-trained chefs, so at the very least they won’t be treated to some subpar or questionable food.

「Just feel free to order whatever you like. 」

As they sat across from each other at a small table that jutted out onto the street, Aubest nodded at Aishela. However, since there was no response from her, he had t resort to asking the restaurant’s staff for the food and drinks that children might like, as well as some food and water for himself.

Also, before they came here, Aubest had Aishela change into the clothes that he just bought for her. It was just a simple child’s dress, but Aubest could see that it suited her very well. She had had her hair tied and ornaments added to them at the store, and now she looked like a proper young lady from an upper-class background. Although she does not look nearly as good as lady Marine Kraische, the daughter of the Archduke Kraische whom Aubest serves, she still had a proper aura of nobility around her.

「How old are you, exactly? 」

Aubest thought a lot about it before finally deciding to speak it out loud, but there was still no reply from her.

「Answer me. 」

Aubest urged her sternly.

「I’m 7 years old. 」

She finally answered, because Aubest didn’t give her any other choice.

Aubest was a little surprised when he heard that, because he thought she was about 10 years old. She was tall for a seven-year-old, and had a properly girlish figure, so that’s why he assumed as such.

However, this didn’t change much in the grand scope of things, and Aubest still thought that it would be the best if she could start learning magic as fast as possible, because it is more important to be able to sense Chaos than to understand it. It is said that knowledge can be acquired at a later time, but for the best possible effect, the sensibilities need to be honed since the early childhood.

「Tell me what you remember. 」

From the beginning, Aubest chose to speak in a commanding tone. He knew that even if he asked gently, he wouldn’t get an answer out of her, so he needed to force it out of her, since this girl seemed to have stopped acting of her own volition for some reason.
「As the child of the Sea God, I stood at the bow of the ship, protecting the safety of the voyage and its passengers… 」

Aishela muttered. Some of these words Aubest had never heard before, but he guessed that she must have been using her ability to sense Chaos to keep the ships travelling at sea safe from Chaos Disasters.

According to Aubest’s knowledge, there must have been such a custom among sailors in the Far East. The shrine maidens that they have there are probably their variant of Shamans, r perhaps something more akin to a Witch or a Druid. is often said that they’re connected to their homeland’s indigenous beliefs.

「However, the ship I was on sank. It was attacked not by Chaos, but by a ship with people on it… 」

Aishela said with no emotions in her voice at all, which made Aubest think that it was as if he was seeing a version of himself in her. The people around him also felt eerie and creeped out by his mannerisms and behavior, and some of them were even wondering if he was really human or not. However, since he is a magician, he mustn’t allow himself to be affected by the opinions of others. For the people living in Elam, Mages are not uncommon, but they are still a foreign existence that people remained wary of.

The ship she was on was probably attacked by pirates. Aubest thought once again that humans were scarier than Chaos.

「What happened after that? 」

「I was transferred to a ship that attacked the one I was travelling with along with the cargo, and then I was taken to a strange city and left all alone there… 」

So she was most likely sold there and worked as a servant. It was probably then that one of the Mages from the Meletes family must’ve heard the rumors about a shrine maiden from a foreign land being brought to the continent, and then they were ordered to bring her back to Elam with them.

For someone who was living their entire life up until that point in the Far East, Elam must’ve looked like a really foreign place.
「I understand that you have gone through a difficult experience. However, since the beginning of the Age of Chaos, there have been countless people who have been tossed around by harsh fate, so you musn’t get hung upon it and live a life in which you’re going to be true to yourself and the goals that you set up for yourself. But that is something that you will not be able to accomplish unless you’re going to work on it out of your own will, not because someone else have ordered you to. 」

Aubest said in a tone that left no room for arguments.

「Of my own will… 」

Aishela muttered to herself, repeating Aubest’s words.

「Because otherwise, it’s just going to be taken from you again. 」

Aubest said while staring at her.

(Since her free will has been taken away before, she learned how to get by through obeying orders, but she won’t do anything herself.)

This girl had a blank expression on her face all the time, but Aubest thought that in her heart she must’ve been screaming for help.

(Isn’t that what a strong will is supposed to be all about?)

Aubest felt that way.

Although this girl maintained the front of nonresistance against her fate, she must’ve been actually violently protesting against it.

At that time, the food was brought to them, so Aubest told Aishela to focus on eating for the time being. After Aishela made a gesture as if she was praying to something, she clumsily began to eat. Right now, eating was the best way for her to survive, and although she’s given up on doing things of her own volition, then at the very least she hasn’t given up on her will to live.
(Now, what should I do next?)

Aubest thought to himself.

He understood the logic that the girl was following, but she either needed to change it or accept her own fate. Until they finished eating, he started thinking if there was anything that he could do to help her with that, but nothing was coming to his mind. All he could do was speaking his own mind honestly.

However, at that time…

Suddenly, a small figure approached them, and snatched Aubest’s luggage and ran away as fast as it could. Aubest was surprised, but his body reacted to the sudden situation on its own immediately.

He took out his magic wand and thought about the spell that he wanted to cast. The motion of running of the small figure was extremely unstable, so they’d most likely trip and fall over with just the slightest bit of force applied to them.

「My arms may be short, but the arms of my heart can stretch to infinity… 」

Aubest imagined the effect of the spell and wanted to activate it, but…

「No! 」