Chapter 203 — In the End (5)
As though there were a reason Meister had offered as much as two hundred thousand gal, there were quite a few items designated for delivery.
The same was true of the materials I had to purchase.
But who was I?
Was I not the proud owner of an inventory?
I hadn’t stocked it with packed meals and drinking water yet, so there was plenty of room, and I could always leave a few things at the workshop and pick them up when I returned.
Making maximum use of my inventory, I left the workshop with both hands completely free.
As an aside, seeing that annoyed Meister tremendously.
Well, later on, their reaction changed to relief because at least the goods wouldn’t be damaged.
“You have no right to insult my invention—!”
However, while purchasing the materials, I realized I didn’t have enough money—even after delivering every commissioned item and collecting all the payments—and returned to the workshop for a moment.
For some reason, a sharp shout came from inside the workshop, whose door stood open.
It was Meister’s voice.
“Ha. Calling advice an insult. That is precisely why you’re still a child. It is a fact that you are wasting your time.”
Am I supposed to go inside right now?
I stood in front of the building and deliberated for a moment.
The conversation continued inside all the while.
“You’re calling my research a waste……!”
“Then what else would you call it? You’ve spent nothing but money on it for nine years without producing any results.”
Wow…
Listen to that.
“And the objective of your research is another matter. Even if you create magical items that function without Mana, all they’ll be capable of is heating water, producing a weak light, and other petty things like that. What possible value is there in any of it? Do you truly think anything will change just because ordinary people possess them?”
“At the very least, they’ll no longer have any reason to beg mages like you for help!”
“Ha. Anyone who thinks to ask a mage for help already possesses the wealth required to do so. And when they seek us out, it isn’t because they want us to light a lamp or heat some water. It’s because they need something beyond that.”
Putting everything else aside, that person apparently had no idea how valuable even heating water or creating a weak light could be, nor what it would mean to put that ability into the hands of ordinary people.
“You need to face reality already! Stop clinging to something impossible and do something greater! Why are you wasting your talent on something like this?! What you should be doing isn’t this kind of nonsense! You should be developing stronger magic and better magical items!”
Listening to that left me dumbfounded.
It wasn’t even their own talent, yet they were telling someone else to abandon what they wanted and do something different, saying that wasn’t what they were supposed to be doing.
The sheer audacity left me speechless.
“Use your talent where it belongs!”
They didn’t even understand how unbelievably fortunate it was to be able to do what you wanted.
Much less what a stroke of heaven-sent luck it was to possess the talent for it as well.
“You f**king bastard—”
“It’s rather amusing to blame someone else for the problems with your own intelligence and ability. Were you hoping to prove that the only thing you’re capable of moving is your tongue?”
“……!”
“What……?”
Even though I knew we weren’t close enough for me to do this, and even though I knew this was well within the territory of breaking character, I ultimately chose to intervene.
“If you have enough free time to meddle in someone else’s affairs when nobody asked you to, then use it to erase your own incompetence, trash.”
If they had been arguing about anything else, perhaps I could have ignored it.
But on this particular subject, I absolutely refused to yield.
“You know who you’re speaking to?! I am a Sage……!”
“The Magic Tower must have rotted quite badly. To think someone called a Sage can do nothing but flaunt their rank instead of their ability.”
“Y-You bastard. What could you possibly know……!”
“At the very least, I know that you’re incompetent and incapable. Sage or Great Sage, if this were something you could accomplish yourself, you wouldn’t be asking a Grand Master Craftsman to develop it in your place.”
Right.
Even if it wasn’t my business, I couldn’t bring myself to back down.
“And out in the real world, trash, that is generally what we call incompetence.”
Because I already knew just how miserable a person could become when they had the talent but lost the chance to achieve their dream.
“…Pfft. Puhahahaha!”
Had I finally transmuted all my irritation into that impassioned tirade?
Meister, who had been listening, suddenly burst out laughing.
Maybe it was funny seeing the mage unable to properly refute me and simply taking the beating.
Though from my perspective, Meister seemed perfectly capable of saying all of that too.
“You heard that, esteemed incompetent trash Sage? Now that you’ve heard it, I’d appreciate it if you could finally get lost.”
Well, it was probably harder to respond calmly when you were the one being attacked.
Come to think of it, I could speak so easily precisely because it wasn’t my problem.
“…That still doesn’t change the fact that what you’re doing right now is worthless! Do you seriously think the world is going to change dramatically just because you make those insignificant little things possible?!”
More importantly, why is this damned mage so pathetic?
Are you a maggot or something?
“Foolishness becomes comedy once it crosses a certain threshold. Get lost. The world will change far more than you imagine.”
“Ha! What would someone who isn’t even a mage know?!”
I raised an eyebrow at the mage’s words.
Did she just ask a modern person who knew how drastically human life changed after the development of electricity what the value of those batteries was?
As far as I could tell, the development of those batteries was nearly on the level of developing electricity itself.
“Even without being a mage, I know that light illuminates darkness. I also know that once this becomes widespread, anyone will be able to make efficient use of the nights they once had no choice but to spend sleeping. How could that possibly have no value?”
“That’s already perfectly possible! How could something that trivial possibly—!”
“Ha. Do you truly not understand what it means to illuminate the night as much as one wishes without consuming expensive oil and candles? How did someone with a mind like yours ever become a Sage?”
I looked at the mage with genuine contempt.
The mage visibly jolted.
I didn’t know exactly why, but apparently my contempt had struck home.
“Get out. I have no intention of wasting my time on someone who cannot recognize gold even when it is placed directly before her. That would be the true ‘waste.’”
I had no desire to say anything more.
I walked farther inside, passing the mage.
As an aside, I straightened my back as much as possible and tensed my entire body so I would look as large as possible.
As a result, the mage, who had apparently been about to say something, closed her mouth and simply watched me pass.
This bastard’s scared.
The intuition was so strong it bordered on certainty.
“…Y-You’ll regret this!”
See?
If she weren’t scared, instead of throwing out a stale cliché like that, she would have kept furiously arguing.
“You’ll regret treating me this way—!”
“I believe I told you. Quite clearly. To leave.”
“H-Hiiik!”
And while we’re at it, hurry up and go, you old fart.
People may call me an old fart sometimes too, but you’re a genuinely useless old fart among old farts.
Crash, clatter.
That bastard was even weak against the threat of a fist at close range.
The moment I rested a hand on my sword hilt and spoke, I watched her turn and hurry away while inwardly clicking my tongue.
If I’d known this would work, I should have chased her out like this from the start.
A brief pang of regret struck me.
BANG!
Either way, she was gone.
That was enough.
Clicking my tongue inwardly, I took out the materials Meister had ordered.
There were still more things I had to buy, but I wanted to leave these here first.
“Do you really think so?”
Then a question suddenly struck me.
Meister’s voice sounded strangely distant, yet desperate at the same time.
“Do you really think this will change the world… change people’s lives that much?”
It was the question of someone who wanted assurance that the path they were walking was the right one.
“…Yes.”
Under ordinary circumstances, I wouldn’t have answered so easily.
I couldn’t casually say something that might determine the course of another person’s life.
But this had already been demonstrated and proven on Earth.
I could answer this one.
“Yes. I knew I was right.”
More importantly, Meister was the kind of person who would continue even if I denied it.
So it was fine.
If someone was going to keep moving forward no matter what anyone said, then it was probably better to encourage them so they could at least move forward feeling good about it.
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“And you’re… the only one among all those idiots who actually knows how to think.”
Still, hearing “I’ll acknowledge you” instead of “thank you” did make Meister feel slightly obnoxious.
It was so much like a certain friend of mine that it felt strangely familiar, but it was still annoying.
Maybe I shouldn’t have helped.
“More importantly, you came back quickly?”
“I lack the money to make the purchases.”
“What……?”
“Hand it over.”
So reap what you’ve sown.
Give me the money.
* * *
* * *
“Here. Your payment.”
Six days had passed since I accepted the delivery request.
I finally received my commission fee.
That calculation sure took a long time.
“I calculated the interest according to the standard method used by the Adventurers’ Guild, so check it.”
Seriously, I could still vividly remember Meister trembling because they didn’t even have enough money for material costs.
Look how much you’ve grown.
I made a joke I didn’t mean and put the money into my inventory.
Over the past six days, I had completed several requests—Meister had been busy with other matters, so there had been no need for me to remain at the workshop—and my wallet had grown reasonably fat.
Meister, despite clearing requests just like I had, was still completely broke.
Seriously, how much money did those materials cost for someone to remain penniless even after receiving commissions from the castle?
“Confirmed.”
Well, I had my money.
That was enough.
I turned around to leave the workshop.
“What? Where are you going?”
Meister stopped me.
“I finally have time to research your equipment.”
Naturally, the reason was research-related.
“Postpone it.”
“Do you think my time is that cheap?”
“Do you think mine is?”
Unfortunately for Meister, I already had plans.
Plans involving money, no less.
“Tch.”
Meister realized that and let me go.
Since Meister had been the one to postpone the research in the first place, there wasn’t even any room to complain.
“What? Why is this so cheap?”
“Haven’t you heard? They say Biryuho burned away its final life as it died and brought abundance to this land.”
“What? Why would Lord Biryuho do that?”
“No idea. I heard the Temple hunted it down…….”
“Are they insane?”
I left the workshop district and headed toward the part of the city filled with ordinary shops.
This was the fastest route to my destination.
“The mermen being so quiet makes me nervous too. It feels like the calm before a storm…….”
“As if worrying about it is going to give us some miraculous solution. If you’re buying, buy. If you’re not, move along. Those of us who live day to day don’t have the luxury of caring about any of that.”
“Bah… then show me those grapes.”
More importantly, the vegetables and fruit really were fresh.
That Mountain Lord bastard—was it actually doing its job properly?
“Welc—welcome, sir!”
“How much?”
Looking at the vegetables displayed at a greengrocer’s stall, I turned toward it.
The blueberry-like fruits looked far too plump to simply walk past.
“One thousand five hundred gal for a handful… sir.”
“Sweet?”
“Of cour… se they are. If you really don’t trust me, try one.”
I won’t refuse that kind of kindness.
I popped one berry into my mouth.
Sweet and tart.
Jingle.
“Oh! Thank you very much!”
I paid fifteen thousand gal.
This should improve Frederick’s mood a little.
I pictured a certain horse that had been stuck in the stable and was consequently in a foul mood.
“Anything else catch your eye, sir?”
“Cherries.”
“Oh, you’ve got a good eye. Those were freshly picked this morning.”
After gathering the blueberries into a cloth, I picked up some cherries and a few apricots as well.
Those were for me.
Crunch.
Wow, look at all that juice.
Feeling my mood improve slightly at the deep, ripe sweetness, I bit into a second apricot.
Before long, my destination came into view.
“Civilians are forbidden beyond this point. Identify yourself.”
Clack.
The soldiers guarding the entrance shifted their spears.
The two weapons crossed into an X over the entrance almost looked like something from a painting.
These people were properly disciplined.
“I came regarding a request.”
“A request… Are you an Adventurer? If so, show us your insignia.”
Well, if a city that regularly saw combat didn’t maintain strict military discipline, that would be a problem in its own right.
I handed over my Adventurer’s Insignia and waited in front of the entrance while they verified it.
Apparently the gatekeeper didn’t perform the verification personally, because the soldier who received my insignia left a colleague behind and darted off somewhere alone.
“…….”
“…….”
More importantly, this soldier’s lips kept twitching slightly, and they continued sneaking glances at me.
Did they have something to say?
“…Um.”
I was debating whether to ask, What are you looking at? when the soldier who had been glancing at me spoke first.
As though afraid someone else might notice, the soldier kept the rest of their body rigid and moved only their mouth.
“Thank you for what you did last time.”
But their gaze was remarkably gentle.
Even though I’d never seen this person before.
I had no idea why.
“You probably don’t remember me, Adventurer… but if you hadn’t stepped in that time, I probably would have died or lost a leg. I survived thanks to you. Thank you again.”
…Ah.
I see.
But when exactly did I help you?
I haven’t done much in this city……
“Ah, I mean… during the suppression of the Demon Worshippers.”
…Right.
I did do that.
Yeah.
But did I ever save a soldier?
All I remembered was helping the guards subdue them.
It had been dark, and I’d been sleepy too, so I hadn’t really paid much attention to my surroundings while assisting them.
Still.
“…I merely did what needed to be done.”
If this person said that was what had happened, then I supposed it had.
And hearing that my meddling had allowed someone to survive with their body intact certainly wasn’t bad news.
So I answered somewhat awkwardly.
The soldier’s eyes curved slightly.
“You’re exactly like I heard.”
Now that was the statement that made me most curious about what was going on.
What do you mean?
Where did you hear about me?
Who did you hear it from?
“Verification complete!”
Meanwhile, the soldier who had taken my insignia returned.
“Take this, please. I’ll guide you inside. Do not stray from me.”
Apparently, even someone visiting because of a request they themselves had issued wasn’t allowed to wander around freely, because the soldier accompanied me.
Meanwhile, the one who’d spoken to me had already turned back into a statue as though that conversation had never happened.
That was kind of funny.
“Huh? Isn’t that……?”
“Someone you know?”
“I told you about him last time. At the checkpoint…….”
“Ahhh.”
Either way, under their strict control, I stepped inside.
Apparently discipline wasn’t enforced so rigidly during breaks, because the soldiers resting off to one side whispered among themselves.
For some reason, they all seemed to recognize me.
“You’re on time.”
The same thing happened when we reached what appeared to be our destination, a training ground.
While the person who seemed to be the captain dealt with me, some of the soldiers lined up nearby rolled their eyes toward one another and whispered.
“Who was talking?”
They were immediately caught and received a sharp glare.
“You’ve already heard the details of the request, I assume?”
Still, apparently the captain had no intention of reprimanding them further in front of an outsider.
The captain turned back toward me and continued.
“There would ordinarily be no need to use outside personnel for reconnaissance… but given the current circumstances, and because a recommendation came in as well, we have made a special exception this time.”
The tone was rather overbearing.
The captain clearly wasn’t especially favorably disposed toward me.
There was also a particular emphasis on “no need to use outside personnel for reconnaissance” and “recommendation.”
Apparently this person had no intention of hiring me, but someone higher up had pressured them into it.
I had absolutely no idea who could have pushed my name forward.
“However, being an Adventurer will not excuse disobedience, violations of regulations, or acting on your own initiative. Make sure you understand that.”
No, seriously.
Who was it?
The captain’s attitude wasn’t any of my concern since we would part ways once the job was done—I’d met people far worse while working anyway—but I did want to know who had forced them to hire me.
After all, I had no one backing me, and this was my first time in this city……?
“We depart in thirty minutes. Until then, receive an explanation of the unit regulations from the vice-captain and collect your harpoon.”
If the Hero’s party had put my name forward…
they had no reason to do that……
Seriously, what was going on?
I sank into a question I had no way of answering.
It truly made no sense at all.