Episode 9: Sorcerer’s Guild Leader
Chapter of Arkdragon, Episode 9: Sorcerer’s Guild Leader
The Sorcerer’s Guild that the girl attended had a long history of uncovering the mysteries of the ancient arts to use them as a basis for modern military power. The guild’s purpose was to monopolize the hidden arts, knowledge, and sorcery, and although it seemed to have the full support of the country since olden times, that was a common misunderstanding. More accurately, the guild was the one that developed the country itself, and it was also responsible for handling disasters caused by war. In other words, the guild was the one doing the supporting. This was why its security was extremely stringent. There were all sorts of barriers against physical and magical breaches, as well as protection for sensitive information.
“That’s why you won’t even find insects there. Isn’t it strange that barriers are even effective against bugs? But rats have nests all around, so we can never seem to get rid of them completely.” Marie sounded more cheerful than usual as she led the way. She must’ve been proud to be showing me around the place where she studied, spent time, and grew up for so long. Even more so, considering its connection to the root of the country itself.
“The ceiling is higher than I expected. It looked pretty scary from outside.”
“I hear it was cleaned up when some important people from a foreign country came visiting. That guard actually isn’t human, either... Ah, don’t touch that!”
I nearly jumped when a guillotine-like blade was pointed toward me. I thought the interesting-looking silver, gleaming armor was just an ornament and made the mistake of trying to touch it. I tried to convince it I was just a harmless Kazuhiho by showing both my hands, and it lowered its weapon. As I let out a sigh of relief, I felt my ear getting pinched painfully.
“Keep your hands to yourself. Why can’t you be more composed when you’re in this world? Hmph. I thought it was embarrassing to do here, but I guess I have no choice. Here, hold on to my hand.”
I glanced at her exasperated face as she puffed her cheeks and began walking alongside her. She was the one guiding me by my hand instead of the other way around, as usual. And so, I was seeing the Sorcerer’s Guild for the first time.
There were various buildings all around us, like facilities for lodging, reading, and conducting experiments. It had better accommodations than most colleges did. Of course, there were many areas that were off limits to visitors, and a vagrant like me never took the rigorous examinations required for entry. Not only was I surprised when they easily let me in, but Marie was, too.
“Maybe the requirements for entry got more lax before I knew it. Or maybe your face was so sleepy-looking that it made everyone around you lethargic and uncaring? Actually, that’s very likely.”
“I-I don’t think that’s it. Now that I think about it, Wridra seems pretty calm, too. Have you been here before?” I asked as I turned around, and the black-haired beauty’s lips curled into a smile. I noticed she had a tendency to become quiet whenever there were more people around. She always kept a certain distance from humans in general, but she seemed to enjoy herself when interacting with us. The draconian woman was mystical, indeed.
We climbed the gently inclining steps and reached the top floor. General entry was not allowed here, and there were human guards standing at the entrance this time. Now, how to explain the situation...
I was there to explain that I was qualified to be an escort, but they let us in without any resistance, making me wonder if they even heard me out. As the thought nagged at me, I noticed someone walking down the long hallway. Marie’s long ears perked up.
“Mariabelle. And you must be Kazuhiho. Thank you for taking care of my disciple. And the lady in the back, as well. Please, come this way.”
“Master! Will you be joining us for our meeting with the guild leader?” Marie must have been pretty surprised, because she went running while still holding on to my hand. The woman’s serene eyes like lakes glanced down, then narrowed in an amused fashion.
“Haha, perhaps no one will be calling you the Fairy of Ice any longer. Personally, I think this suits you much better. I must say, it’s quite precious.”
We heard chuckling from Wridra behind us, too. Marie finally noticed she had been holding my hand the entire time and became red up to her ears. She turned to me, and her pale purple eyes seemed to be saying, “You will behave now, won’t you?” I nodded, and she released my hand.
It was my first time meeting Mariabelle’s master, but I was surprised by how composed she seemed. I was picturing a wrinkly old man in my mind.
The woman led us down the hallway and ended up at the guild leader’s room soon after. She knocked, and the door opened. The room had many bookshelves lining the walls up to the tall ceiling. The room was designed to not let in much sunlight. There was a heavy desk in the center, and the place looked more like a personal library. The guild leader, who had a long white beard and gentle eyes, was sitting at the desk. He was one of those so-called Archmages, but he was a lot shorter than I imagined. We seemed pretty young, appearance-wise, but he was still shorter than us. The hat he was wearing made him look like a gnome, too. Seeing us approach, the old man smiled and spoke with a somewhat high-pitched voice.
“Ah, Mariabelle. Let’s hear why you’ve chosen them to be your companions instead of finding substitutes.”
“Yes, Guild Leader. I chose these two because I trust them wholeheartedly, and they’re more capable than anyone I know. There are no suitable substitutes for them in my mind.”
The girl was standing one pace in front of us, her elven ears wavering as she spoke clearly and confidently. The old man let out a “Hm,” then turned his beady eyes toward me.
“It appears she’s placed her trust in you two. But you still haven’t earned my trust. I can’t expose a talented child like her to danger so easily. I’d like to know just how skilled you are, young one.”
Marie’s ear twitched. Even without her turning around, I could tell she was worrying about me. I was glad I had kept “it” with me for times like these. There were very few things in the world that could be proven with just words. I touched my bracelet and unlocked just a portion of the viewing permissions for my stats to the public. Then, the results I had gotten at the Adventurer’s Guild the other day were displayed in the air. It showed that I’d earned a Rank A in close combat, which looked unfitting for a seemingly young boy. Mariabelle was the most surprised out of all of them, and I winked at her widened purple eyes. I had few chances to show off like this, so I was happy to take up the opportunity.
“Hm... So you are not quite as you seem. But you can find a mere Rank A just about anywhere. It doesn’t quite prove you are up to the task, but... very well.” He nodded a couple times and seemed to be halfway convinced.
Marie mouthed, “When did you get that?” from behind him, and I mouthed back, “Yesterday.” She seemed to be itching to know the details, but that would need to wait until later.
“Mariabelle is usually such a serious one, but it seems she’s found an interesting companion. The rumored Phantom must be a reliable ally, indeed.”
“...Phantom?”
The girl and I furrowed our brows at the unfamiliar name, and the old man waved his hand dismissively. It seemed his personality was more difficult than one would initially think.
“So, who might this woman be?”
“A-Ah, yes. That would be Wridra, our Tank.”
The old man’s eyes moved over to Wridra, and Marie cut in to introduce her. The draconian had an interesting appearance. Her horn and tail were hidden for now, reshaped into the form of an outfit resembling a dress. She would have drawn far too much attention walking around town otherwise. One could tell just by touching the armor that it was incredibly rigid and durable. It had a wide range of motion and could move with the user’s will, making it fundamentally different from the equipment of this world. The old man observed and touched her armor, deep in thought as he nodded. Then, he turned his wrinkled face toward Marie.
“Do you have any guarantee these two will not betray you?”
“I don’t have any such thing, Guild Leader. But I’m absolutely sure that would never happen. When all is said and done, I’m sure I would still be able to say the same.”
He watched silently as she straightened herself and replied as such. I wanted to point out that we were the ones who found the labyrinth first, and they were the ones who were benefiting from it. We all knew it, but no one was talking about that, of course.
“Very well, I will allow it. My evaluation is now done... Why do you look so surprised?”
“N-No, it’s just that... I thought you would need several days to decide.”
The old man gave a muffled laugh.
“And here I thought you had planned this all out. Arilai will be starting their exploration of the labyrinth shortly. We have no choice but to send you to the labyrinth rather than waste time on the evaluation.”
A look of realization hit her. He was right. There was no merit in it for them to delay our participation. We hadn’t even thought about that, but the timing did seem almost too convenient.
“Hah, such cunning would do you some good. In fact, your straight-laced nature is what I worry about most.”
“Thank you, Guild Leader. We will be sure to uncover the ancient secrets.”
“Very good, but don’t overwork yourself. The most important thing is that you return safely. And... Ah, yes. Wridra, was it?”
Suddenly called out by name, Wridra turned her obsidian eyes toward the old man.
“I’m surprised to see you’re visiting our world again. These young ones must have piqued your interest quite a lot to bring you here.”
“Ha, ha, and you have aged much since our last meeting. I almost burst out laughing when I first saw your face here. You’ve shrunk both vertically and horizontally.”
Marie and I watched with our eyes wide as the two chuckled together.
Warm tea and snacks were brought out, and Wridra began telling us some surprising tales. According to her, she and the guild leader had once been equals.
“Ha, ha, it was more like we had play dates.”
“Actually, I would say we just tended to get into trouble together. You know of Lake Oran to the south? That was created when I angered Wridra. It’s quite useful now, with all the fish that can be caught there in the winter, but it was quite a lot of trouble to stifle what had happened. Half of the wrinkles on my face are because of Wridra.”
All I could do was sigh. It was now obvious why I had been accepted so easily. We already had his trust long ago, and he wanted us to go to the labyrinth already. Looking into his beady eyes, I wondered if he ever had feelings for Wridra. Even when talking to us, those eyes were always looking at her. Mariabelle’s master, who had been silent all this time, suddenly cleared her throat. Realization hit the guild leader, and he gestured to her with his finger. As I wondered what was about to happen, the door opened, and our eyes widened when we saw who it was.
“Nnh! Nnnh!”
“Nnngh?!”
There were Sven and the necromancer, both of whom were gagged and bound to chairs. The bindings must have been reinforced with magic, seeing how they stayed completely still as they struggled.
“There are two reasons I had these fools brought here. They’ll get their punishments for attacking you on another day. First... Shaddap, I’m talking!” He smacked Sven on the head with a staff, knocking him unconscious.
S-So strong...
The old man then reached into Sven’s chest pocket and pulled something out.
“Rank A’s and above must take these from opponents they’ve defeated in a duel. Which means this now belongs to you.”
He tossed the object toward me. It was a ranking certificate. My eyes widened as I saw the dully gleaming ornament in my hand. That must have been why he said I was “a mere Rank A,” but approved me anyway. His beady eyes became hidden under his wrinkles, but it seemed like he had just smiled at me.
“As for the second thing, it’s just as I said earlier. Do you remember when I mentioned the incident with the lake? I will do the same thing to them.”
What did he mean by that? I watched, confused, and his eyes turned toward Wridra. Maybe I was imagining it, but he seemed to be a little upset.
“Hmph, you knew this would happen and left them alone, didn’t you? Not only do we control the flow of information, but we are adept at erasing information that has been leaked, as well. You should have simply turned them into ashes on the spot. We would turn a blind eye if you decide to devour them from the top down right now.”
“Nnnnnngh!!!”
I felt a bit of pity for the necromancer, who was violently shaking their head sideways. But Wridra only laughed, amused.
“Ha, ha, that may fill my stomach, but unfortunately, my palate has become rather refined after our last trip. Whether you decide to brainwash them or punish them by other means is up to you.”
“Yes, if we can resolve this without anyone getting eaten, that would be for the best. Then, I will handle this on my end, and I will leave the ancient labyrinth to you three. Do your best.”
He walked over with his short legs, then offered a wrinkly hand. We each shook his hand, took a bunch of their snacks, and he walked us outside. Marie and I bowed, and the dragon waved her hand. It was a quick meeting and goodbye, but the old man was smiling happily as we left.
And so, we had gotten permission to explore the labyrinth without incident. I watched the sky absentmindedly as we walked through the grounds.
“That was pretty surprising, but I’m glad we were able to get approval. I just didn’t think it would go so smoothly.”
“I’m the one who was surprised. I had no idea you secretly took a ranking exam. You’d best be prepared for a pinching later.” She made a pinching gesture with her fingers, and I broke into a cold sweat. Well, it didn’t actually hurt when she pinched me, but... being in such close proximity to her made my heart race.
Now, we’d done what we came here to do, so it was time to return to Arilai. I proposed the idea to the girls, and they nodded in agreement right away.
Arilai, the land of infernal heat...
All things there were duty-bound to be scorched by the sun, and even simply breathing was painful during the day. The creatures living there had fundamentally rebuilt how they operated just to survive. Such was the life there, but our time in that area was spent in comfort.
Marie controlled water spirits to disperse mist all around us, which evaporated, releasing heat. She was utilizing vaporization to cool the temperature, a technique she had learned just the other day. We were able to use my long-distance travel skill, Trayn, the Journey’s Guide, to transport ourselves to a monument of travel. There happened to be a well near us, so we went ahead and made use of the water.
“Ah, I’m so glad I learned how to do this. Now we can walk around in comfort.”
“Y-Yeah, but it doesn’t really feel like a desert anymore... Ah! I mean, it’s really nice! You’re incredible, Marie!” I hurriedly changed my mind mid-sentence when Marie stopped vaporizing water only around me. My discomfort increased dramatically, and the girl turned away and put her nose in the air. Yup, that meant my only available option was to apologize.
As I enjoyed the scent of water, a large shadow suddenly loomed around us. I looked up to find Wridra flapping her wings once as she descended nearby. Her wings flapped several more times to adjust her falling speed, sending debris into the air. Instead of riding there with us using Trayn, the Journey’s Guide, she had transformed her armor into the shape of wings and flown by herself. It only took her about 30 minutes to arrive, which was honestly surprising.
“Hey there. You got here quicker than I thought. Sorry my skill has such a strict weight limit.”
Her dragon wings made heavy metallic noises as they reshaped themselves into armor. I wasn’t really into transforming mechs, but seeing it in person made me realize how cool it looked.
“Either way, I am unable to enter the domain of a god. Since I am a being similar to them myself, they will not allow me to enter.”
Huh, I didn’t know that was a thing. Maybe the gods just didn’t get along? If she was unable to accompany us even without her equipment, we had no choice but to go separately when traveling large distances, despite the inconvenience.
“We’re not too far from the labyrinth, so why don’t we visit Mewi before we go?”
“Sounds good. Oh, Mewi is a Neko tribesman. He can refine magic stones, so we’ll probably be seeing him more often from now on.” I told Wridra as such, and she seemed to give it some thought.
“...I suppose you two are blessed with such meetings. Let us go, then.”
What did she mean by that? I was about to find out the answer to that question soon enough.
Our comfortable travels continued all the way to Arilai.
Creak...
The door opened, and a brightly-lit room awaited us beyond. There were several stones laid out on the table, which were like additional magic stones taken from the labyrinth. The Neko held them one by one with his furry paws, then turned toward the visitors. His round blue eyes blinked several times.
“Welcome back, mew!” He spoke in his freshly-learned universal language... with the addition of the cat-like speech pattern, as per Marie’s orders. I thought it just sounded weird, but I wasn’t about to argue with Marie’s decision.
“My, what a hardworking little cat you are. Come over here.” Despite being bipedal, Mewi was basically a cat. He rushed over to the elf and leaped into the air. He looked like a stuffed doll as he was held in her embrace with his arms still outstretched. “So warm! You smell just like the sun. I’m going to rub the back of your head now.”
Ah, his face looks ridiculous...
Marie the cat lover rubbed the Neko’s head until he was drooling with happiness.
Purrr, purrr.
I was going to ask about any changes that may have occurred to the labyrinth, but I gave up when I heard him purring like crazy. I knew Marie loved cats, but I wished she would ease up on him. However, this moment of happiness was cut short when the black-haired woman stepped inside.
“Sorry to disturb you. Mewi, was it? I suppose this is our first time meeting face to face.”
The Neko’s eyes went round as he saw Wridra, and he slipped out from the elf girl’s arms. Then, he quickly scampered across the stone-paved floor.
Ah... He climbed all the way up a beam. He’s a Neko, all right.
“Sh-Sh-She smells like a dragon!”
“Don’t worry, Wridra is nice. She won’t hurt you.”
“Ha, ha, to think someone would consider me nice. In fact, I would like to see anyone who could still show malice after seeing you two.”
I wasn’t so sure about Wridra being threatening. She could be a bit boisterous, but I thought she was a nice woman. Though, she had burned me to death when I first met her. It seemed Mewi had noticed the dragon’s presence. We had given him the dragon blood and scale, so it wasn’t surprising that he knew the smell. As I thought about this, the black-haired woman stood next to me and called out toward the beams.
“If you do not come down from there in five seconds, you will not be getting any of Kazuhiho’s lunch.”
Fwoosh... Plop.
He leapt down and landed gracefully, and Marie and I clapped. And so, we decided to have some lunch.
“I will now tell you about the Neko tribe,” the dragon said, and Mewi put down his fork. Since he had no companions of his own kind, Mewi must have wondered about his ancestors’ past and why they could refine magic stones. Marie and I were interested too, so we listened quietly while eating some yakisoba. Now that the dragon had gotten everyone’s attention, she put a hand on her chin and stared into the Neko’s eyes.
“Since ancient times, the Neko were known as a tribe that banished evil. They banished evil and protected the people in the past. But now, their numbers have diminished dramatically.” Since Mewi couldn’t speak the universal language too well yet, the dragon was speaking in the half-beast language while I translated for Marie. The Neko watched the dragon with eyes like clear glass, completely unmoving. “‘Why,’ you may be asking yourself. Some say it is because a malicious group had been sent in from a foreign country. But the truth is all buried in the sand by now.”
Wridra looked around at each of us, then returned her attention to Mewi. “There were magic stones resting within the Ujah Peak Ruins, but the heavens would not leave them be. This is because the magic stones belonged to the demons, and they were thought to be unneeded in this world. The Neko tribe was born with the power to cleanse them, and they were eventually exterminated by those with malicious intentions.”
With that, Wridra held the dragon blood in her hand. It was a rock that had absorbed the Arkdragon’s blood and had a blue hue to it.
“And so, the Neko tribe had the power to banish evil, with a handful of them being able to change their nature. Here, I shall give you permission to process my dragon blood.”
“W-Well, I still only know how to refine things...”
“No need to worry. You will only be changing the rock into the form you desire. Try it. It should be a simple task, since the stone has a taken a liking to you.”
She handed the dragon blood to Mewi. The stone seemed to be emitting a faint light, blinking at a pace similar to a heartbeat. Then, we witnessed a magic item being created for the first time.
I sat on the short set of stairs in the workshop, watching the ceremony being performed by the dragon and cat. It was a bizarre sight, and the stone known as dragon blood changed shape before my eyes. Wridra described it as changing into the form he desired, and that was exactly the impression it gave off. It wasn’t as if he was forging metal, but rather, it transformed as if it was assuming its true form. Just like with Marie’s ear covers from the other day, the stone made a fizzing sound and emitted a pale phosphorescence as it changed shape.
“How strange. It’s almost like glassworking.”
“Yeah, it’s similar, but... so much more complicated,” Marie whispered into my ear. We were trying not to distract Mewi as he focused on his task, but it tickled as she whispered with her cupped hands around my ear. Fibrous textures and stick-shaped objects transformed into finer details. The cat stroked it with his hand while the dragon assisted him. He spun the shaft around, shaping it into a more intricate design.
“Remember this, Mewi. You are hearing the stone’s voice and guiding it toward the form it was meant to be. But you will be the one to determine its form and lead the stone toward it.”
“Y-Yes...!”
The final phosphorescence settled into the object, leaving a single...
“Ah! A magic staff?!”
Marie stood up and walked over to the magic item that had just been created. The material was originally black, but it had become an artistic staff that appeared to be made with silverwork.
“Ha, ha, a gift for the elf who displayed courage at the hot springs. I inscribe the name of Mariabelle, giving new breath to this world.”
She wrote Mariabelle’s name on the staff, and then the girl reached out with her hand. Light suddenly sparked like static as she touched it.
Another surprising thing happened in the same moment. As soon as she touched the staff, her bracelet made a beeping noise.
“A limited secondary skill has been unlocked. Please select a skill.”
“Wizard’s Guidance will be active while in possession of the staff.”
Marie and I widened our eyes at the announcement.
I had been able to open it because we’d shared our status info, but... an additional secondary skill? Since there were “primary skills,” many had wondered if there were secondary skills, as well. That question was finally answered.
“I see, so primary skills are ones you obtain on your own, and secondary skills are obtained with assistance. No wonder I’ve only heard rumors.” Wridra nodded magnanimously in response, which told me I was right. Who would have thought a magic item born from an Arkdragon could even get a skill imbued to it... Wridra looked at me with mischievous eyes as I was reeling from the surprise.
“Hm, it is too early to give you one. The sword I gave you previously should suffice. I will train you first. Your skill level for your weapon is too low compared to your job level.” With that, the black-haired beauty grinned. I realized I was a man after all. The thought of knowing I had a long way to go and the idea of a dragon guiding me set a burning flame in my heart.
“I’m looking forward to it. You’re my superior in the dream world, after all.”
“Ha, ha, I cannot wait. A dragon raising a human child is unheard of. Though, I will not be able to fix that sleepy face of yours.”
Oh, I didn’t think so, but I’d given up on that a long time ago, anyway. More importantly, I couldn’t help but wonder about Marie’s new skill. Having finished eating my yakisoba, I decided to check out this so-called secondary skill, which was pretty much an urban legend, along with Ms. Elf.
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Evil. Evil things existed everywhere, and only differed in the scope of how much harm they cause. Frankly speaking, “evil” was a being that intentionally caused harm to others, and those who lurked in the labyrinth could be said to be beings that caused local harm. What’s more, they should’ve been considered a drain on the country’s resources.
For example, there was a time when a labyrinth’s preliminary search party happened to run into them. They cunningly pursued the party, and all they had to do was give them a little push to drastically alter their fate. It was simple. They slipped by the search party once they entered a wide open space and messed with the door a bit. The door was opened by turning the knob. But if they cut off the knob and poured some oil on it, it would never open again. In the darkness, the search party found a giant looming over them with a dinosaur-like head, slowly turning toward them. They stood dumbfounded, at a complete loss for what to do. Fear and panic set in eventually, their cries echoing all around them.
Oh, and one more thing. Those who were watching the scene were laughing hysterically. The sound of their nails scratching desperately at the door was horrible to hear. Most people in this situation would have prayed to their gods, but they weren’t able to utter even a word of prayer.
Meanwhile, a report was received at the castle. The report stated that they had lost contact with the party that had gone to the labyrinth for preliminary exploration. The man supervising the exploration of the labyrinth stood up with a serious expression.
“Could this be the work of an agent from a foreign country?”
“We can’t be sure yet, but... if so, I’d like to capture them alive. They’d prove to be quite useful.”
The old man next to him stroked his beard and grinned wryly. His expression was joyous, indeed. The old man, who was a Grand Wizard, seemed to be the type who could enjoy such a situation. Conversely, the supervisor stood up with a loathsome expression. With his sword at his waist, he left the room in his light attire. The old man also rose and followed him.
“Hmph, the unscrupulous kind tends to get involved when unprecedented incidents occur.”
“It’s not surprising, considering how valuable the treasure is. Now, it will soon begin... The excavation involving the entire country.”
That day, the exploration began a day earlier than planned. The pride of Arilai, one hundred and forty elite soldiers. Their numbers were tenfold in total with their support troops, and they headed down the west road. The party heading toward the infernal ruins of Ujah Peak included two children and a beautiful woman wearing strange armor.