EP8. New Journey (1)
EP8. New journey
“Ah, I am full. After all, I think this store is the best.”
“Me too. I understand why Gania-san recommended it that way.”
“Yes. . . . What is Gania-san doing now?”
Levy erased his pleasant smile and muttered a little subdued. Hearing that question, Sean thought for a moment before answering.
“Well… Still, I wouldn’t have gone that far. Hasn’t it only been a day since you left?”
“Well, I guess so.”
“Perhaps, as Mr. Kren said, we will meet again soon. That might be really awkward.”
“Yes. . . . But I think it would be nice to meet you.”
Hearing Levy’s words, Sean smiled happily. Even before the journey started, there was definitely a heart that was worried about Levi, but seeing her like this, I thought that she was definitely good at leaving.
Sean said to Levy as he slowly prepared to leave the restaurant.
“Should we start now?”
“・・・・Yes. We must leave now.”
It’s quite early in the morning, and the two are planning to leave Laes today.
***
After leaving the restaurant, the place the two headed was not outside the city. Rather, the two arrived at a mansion in the back of the city. This mansion, which Sean and Levi were familiar with, was the home of Shriegel, the owner of the Golden Carriage.
“Welcome. I was waiting.”
“Yes. Thank you for the invitation.”
Unlike what he said, Sean’s expression showed displeasure. The evaluation of him has hardly changed since I encountered him in the city. He’s a man you can’t tell the inside out. In the end, he was close to an ally in the end, but he was a man who was certain not to give up easily.
“Hmm. I heard you are leaving the city today. What a pity.”
“····Is there any reason for you to regret it?”
“Yes, of course there is. Aren’t you the heroes of Laes?”
Shriegel, who deftly praised them, wasn’t happy, but Sean got to the point, and then he wanted to move on quickly. Levi didn’t listen to Shriegel’s words and said it right away.
“So why did you invite us?”
“It’s simple. I felt like I had to end the conversation I had with Mr. Sean.”
“Talk…?”
Levy turned her head to look at Shawn. I know something has been talked about between Sean and Shriegel, but I don’t know what exactly. Before Sean could even open his mouth, Shriegel answered the girl’s question first.
“It was a conversation involving Miss Levy.”
“You mean that?”
“To be precise, it was the subject of Miss Levy’s magic book.”
Only then did Levy get a rough idea. If so, is it because of him that Sean was so eager to participate in the war? Levy frowned as he thought about it.
‘I can’t do it. If I don’t give you a prickly ponytail…!’
I haven’t had a fight with Shawn since I was a kid, but this one was something I couldn’t let go of. Of course, since it was a problem to be solved when the two of us were alone, Levy asked a question.
“In other words, he will tell you about the magic book.”
“Merchant must keep the deal. It is a matter of trust.”
Whatever it was, it was clear that it was a good opportunity. After saying that, there is a possibility that Shriegel will lie, but there is nothing to lose by listening.
“Then, first, let me tell you what the three spells in the spell book mean.”
That question was asked by Sean right before the war began. Meanwhile, listening to Shriegel’s words, Levy tilted her head with a mysterious expression.
“Actually, I don’t know either.”
“・・・・Yes? Are you saying that was a lie?”
When Shawn, who had been listening quietly, asked that question, Shriegel shook his head in denial.
“No. ‘I’ means I don’t know about the content. That’s right, I just recited exactly what he explained about the magic book.”
“Who explained it?”
“That’s the second thing I’m going to say about the source of the magic book.”
It was the content of the deal that Sean had received from Shrigel, that he would tell him about the magic book if he participated in the war.
“I paid money to buy the magic book from an unknown explorer. The magic book itself was bought a very long time ago, when I was young, with almost all of my possessions.”
Shrigel added his impressions with a bitter smile as if he recalled those days.
“This is the first failure in my merchant life. Maybe I was crazy at the time, but I just bought it based on my intuition. I imagined becoming rich by reselling the magic books I bought to explorers who didn’t know the value at a much higher price.”
That wasn’t too far-fetched for Shawn to hear. Buy it from an explorer who doesn’t know the value of a magic book and sell it for a much higher price. I didn’t know how expensive the magic book was, but I thought it was a reasonable decision.
“There was a problem. There was no wizard willing to buy the spell book. No, I couldn’t even find a wizard who could read that spell book in the first place.”
“····What does that mean? Didn’t anyone read the magic book?”
Not even a normal person, but a wizard?
“Yes. The spell book is similar to rune language, but it’s a completely different language. There was speculation that it might be an original cryptogram developed by the author, which seems to have certain rules but cannot be deciphered.”
Sean looked at Levy and asked quietly.
“Did you know?”
Levy looked at her for a moment before whispering into Shawn’s ear.
“I don’t even know what a rune language is.”
“·······.”
It wasn’t unusual. That’s because Levi never learned about magic. The reason she was able to use her magic was because she had only one burnt spell book. From her Levi’s point of view, that spell book is all she has of magical knowledge.
Then Shaun had a question and asked Shriegel a question.
“If not all wizards can read the book, don’t you doubt that the book is fake?”
Of course, since Levi, who didn’t know magic, learned magic through that book, she must have been a magic book, but aside from that, isn’t it reasonable to ask such a question?
“I thought so too. However, since I had already poured all my money into it, I went to Elioden with the feeling of grabbing at least a straw.”
Elioden. It was a famous area that everyone had heard of at least once. Except for the Mage Tower, which was impossible for ordinary people to enter, it was the only area that symbolized magic.
Elioden, the city of magic.
“There I was lucky enough to meet a famous mage. I showed the magic book and he said in surprise. He said he had never seen a magic book of this level. It is the best book of my life.”
“But it could be a lie.”
At Sean’s pod, Shriegel resolutely denied it without hesitation.
“There was no one in Ellioden who did not know his name. It is unlikely that such a brilliant wizard would dare to lie at the risk of tarnishing his reputation.”
“…If he knew it was such an excellent magic book, shouldn’t he have bought it?”
Levy’s question was very reasonable. However, Shriegel’s answer overshadowed the girl’s question.
“He said it wasn’t very helpful to him. He said he had already mastered all the magic listed in the magic book.”
“All the magic?”
Levy asked with his eyes wide open. At this point, although the two of them except Levy may not know how great the meaning is, she knows as much as she does. This magic book has been completely burned and is not in perfect condition. So I can say for sure. There must be far more magic that has disappeared than magic that remains in this book.
There were a lot of magic that Levy had learned now, but if the book were intact, she would have learned many times more magic than this. However, the magician of Elioden learned all the magic without reading this book.
If that is true, he must be a great wizard. So Levi had no choice but to ask.
“What is the name of that wizard?”
“It was a long time ago, but I still remember it. . . . Leo Droka.”
“Leodroca…”
Levi recalled the name and etched it into his memory. Also, I was able to realize through the conversation so far. Where the next destination the two of you should head to is.
“Looks like you don’t just listen and move on.”
Perhaps because of his experience as a merchant, Shriegel noticed the intentions of the two boys and the girl and placed a small gift he had prepared in advance on the desk.
“····This?”
“Elioden’s map and my letter of introduction.”
“A letter of introduction…?”
“In its own way, even outside of Laes, the golden carriage is stretching its feet. Besides, even though it’s temporary, it’s also the owner of Raes, so it will have some effect.”
I have no intention of denying his explanation. But why is he doing them a favor? Sean questioned, not understanding why he was doing this.
“Why are you doing this to us?”
“Do you remember what I said earlier? That buying a magic book was the first failure in my merchant life.”
“Yes.”
“It may just be self-consolation, but I’ve decided to change my mind.”
Looking at the two boys and girls who still had question marks on their faces, Shriegel smiled and continued.
“Thanks to the fact that I bought that magic book and sold it to you, this result has been created.”
“·······.”
“If you think that way, there is not a single blemish in my life as a merchant, right?”
I thought it was sophistry, but Sean couldn’t refute it. As expected, the only thing I felt was that this merchant was no ordinary author at all.
“My business ends here. Whether or not you will listen to me and head to Elioden is a matter beyond my hands.”
“… Whatever it is, thank you first. We will decide later after discussing it among ourselves.”
“Yes. Now I want to say goodbye, but there is still someone who wants to talk to you.”
As the conversation didn’t end and they moved on to a new topic, the two of them grabbed their hips and sat down again.
“I’m sorry I seem to be wasting your valuable time.”
“No. There is no reason to leave in a hurry… Who would you like to talk to anyway?”
From noble mtl dot com.
“Well, let me give you a brief explanation first.”
After taking a break from talking for a long time, Shriegel began to explain.
“Do you remember what I said before? The cave in the monster’s nest.”
“…Are you referring to those who command monsters?”
I couldn’t forget it. Of course, it’s true that he put it aside because he was too focused on the civil war, but that was a topic that couldn’t help but be deeply embedded in Sean’s mind.
“The investigation has been completed to some extent.”
“····Did the person who controls the monsters really stay?”
“Yes. For us to judge.”
“·······.”
Shawn felt his hands tremble. But he has to stay calm. Because I need to hear more. Even if there really was a person who commanded monsters in Raes, it is still unknown if he is the same person he saw in the forest as a child. Even if it is, it is not possible to meet right now.
“Actually, I’m not sure. Because there are so few clues, other interpretations are possible. Perhaps we should call a professional investigation team…”
Shriegel, who was uncharacteristically slurred, carefully added an afterword.
“One thing. There was one very peculiar thing.”
“····What is it?”
“Hmm. To be honest, I think it’s a bit strange, even when I say it.”
Thanks to his attitude of continuing to wait, Levy couldn’t overcome the frustration and urged.
“Tell me now! So, you are more curious.”
“You guys, by any chance. . . . Do you know about ‘The Great Adventurer’?”
“…A great adventurer?”
Why that name popped up now, Sean couldn’t understand.