Chapter 33 – Making a Person

Making a Person

The Hector I had seen so far was the epitome of a person filled with pride in his own abilities.
The characteristic of such people is…
‘They hate losing the most to someone they thought was inferior to them.’

“What are you doing. Come at me.”
When I beckoned Hector, who had lost his balance and fallen, to come at me, the enraged guy immediately started rushing at me.
“You fucking bitch!!!!!!!”
Hector spits out curses in an excited voice.
…I had anticipated this and cast a sound-blocking spell so that others wouldn’t wake up.

Whoosh─! Whoosh!
Hector’s fists continue to cut through the air.
I deliberately didn’t counterattack Hector’s attacks. To shatter his pride from the roots.
“Huff… gasp….”
Eventually, he’s panting, exhausted on his own.
“What? Is this all you were boasting about? Hector?”
I don’t forget to mix in provocations in between.

“Damn it!!!! I’ll kill you!”
I can feel the rippling of mana around the excited guy.

It seems he’s trying to kill me in earnest. Seeing as he’s even enhancing his body with magic power.
Swoosh─!
Hector’s fist, enhanced with magic power, was quickly thrust towards my face… but I lightly knocked away his fist.
Thud. Then Hector fell over ridiculously, overcome by his own strength.

“Huh…?”
For the first time since the fight began, a sound that wasn’t a curse escaped from his mouth.
“You, just who the hell are… Kuhurk!”
Thinking this was enough, I planted my fist into the solar plexus of the guy who had gotten up again before he could finish speaking.
…The impact was enough to dent the iron plate of the armor he was wearing.

‘Break time’s over.’
Towards the guy who was dry heaving and suffering, I began the full-fledged education.
Smack─! Smack!
“Kuhurk…..Kuhuk….”
Crack─!
“Kuhk….”

It was a mistake for him to enhance his body with magic power. Because…
“Pl…please spare me…”
…He’ll just get beaten for longer.
Originally, buff spells that magicians cast on themselves aren’t very efficient.
They consume quite a lot of magic power, and how much stronger can a buff on a magician’s frail body make them anyway?
It’s better to use one more attack spell instead.

…The reason I can beat him to dust like this is simply because my total amount of magic power is bizarrely high.
“Stand up.”
Hector’s face has become bloodied in an instant.
“I…I’m sorry….please spare me…”
It’s not just his face. His whole body is covered in injuries.

Despite my order to stand up, Hector just kneeled, pressing his head to the ground and begging for forgiveness.
I whispered to such a Hector casually.
“You have a health potion, don’t you?”
I remember catching a glimpse of it in his luggage. I guess he didn’t like getting his own body hurt.
“Yes….yes yes….”
“Bring it. Quickly.”

Hector headed towards the carriage, dragging his limping legs after hearing my words.
“You fucking bitch…..I’ll kill you…”
A moment later, when he returned to where I was, he was holding a greatsword in his hand.
Hector’s appearance, unable to pronounce properly due to his missing front teeth, is quite ridiculous.

‘Yes. This is how it should be for proper education.’
The reason I told him to bring the health potion in the first place was to induce this situation.
…I knew from the start that he wasn’t the type to be corrected just by getting beaten.
Hector approaches, limping while holding the sharply honed greatsword with both hands.
“Grrrr……”
I lightly pressed him down with gravity magic.

“Hector.”

Hector, pressed down like a squashed frog on the ground.
I slowly approached him and lightly sat on his back.
“Supplementary lesson, begin.”
The night is still long after all.

———-

A morning with warm sunlight shining down.
“The guy who said he’d take night watch slept until morning?! And even snoring?!”
“I’m, I’m sorry! I suddenly felt sleepy and…”
We were preparing to head towards Cleanver again.

‘I feel a bit sorry…’
I forgot to lift the sleep magic.
…Seeing the merchant group member getting scolded makes me feel a bit guilty.
“Hector-san. Go help them.”
“Ye, yes sir!!”
Hearing my words, Hector headed towards where the merchant group members were gathered, limping slightly.

Seeing Hector, who has become an obedient student, makes me feel proud. Is this what they call a dramatic change?
‘A mad dog needs a good beating.’
The education targeting Hector yesterday continued until late at night. At the end, I sprinkled the health potion he had brought, and it seemed to be quite an expensive item as its effect was quite good.

Thanks to that, except for limping slightly, Hector’s appearance wasn’t much different compared to last night. Although his inner self must have changed a lot.
“Yawn….”
Sleepiness comes over me as I yawn. It’s because I couldn’t sleep properly due to educating until too late last night. I should take a nap in the carriage.

“What’s with that guy?”
Just as I was about to get on the carriage, I saw Mari staring at Hector with an unbelieving expression.
…It seems she can’t believe the sight of Hector voluntarily helping the merchant group members.

“It seems Hector-san reflected on how harshly he treated us last night. He came to apologize this morning.”
“Impossible.”
I made up an excuse to her, then got on the carriage with my sleepy body.
Creak.
Just as I was about to fall asleep after roughly sitting down, the carriage door opened again.

“…”
Slightly annoyed at having my sleep disturbed, I slightly opened my eyes to check, and saw Eddie holding the same rye bread we ate last evening and steaming milk.
“Um… Mari-san?”
“Yes?”
“The merchant group people prepared breakfast for us… so I brought it. Ah, they said they won’t charge for it this time… of course.”

How kind. I feel a bit ashamed for almost getting annoyed unconsciously.
“I’ll enjoy it. Thank you, Eddie-san.”
“Eek!!!”
After putting the rye bread and warm milk in my hand, Eddie hurriedly left the carriage.
Why is he acting like that, is Eddie not fully awake either?

“It’s quite edible when soaked in milk….”
It’s delicious.

“We’re departing!”
The voice of a merchant group member announcing the departure.

After finishing a simple meal, the carriage loaded with all the luggage started running towards Cleanver again.
‘Ah. I feel refreshed.’
Maybe it’s because I drank warm milk, but I feel like my fatigue has completely disappeared even though I didn’t sleep for long.

“May… can you cast the magic… urgh…”
In contrast, Mari sitting next to me is already melting from motion sickness even though the carriage hasn’t been moving for long.
When I cast a simple spell on her, Mari closed her eyes comfortably, seemingly feeling a bit better.
“Thank you….”
Seeing her smile painfully, I was somehow reminded of Saya and Puel who would be at home.

‘I want to go home quickly….’
I wonder where we are now.
Out of curiosity, I asked Eddie how long it would take to arrive.
“Eddie-san. Do you know how long it will take to arrive?”
“Huh?! Ah, probably about two more hours. Maybe.”

‘Huh?’
Eddie is surprised a bit too much when I speak to him.
…He even avoids my eyes.
Seeing this, an ominous premonition flashed through my mind.
‘Could it be that he saw what happened last night?’

Just in case, I quietly asked Eddie.
“Eddie-san. Did you perhaps last night…”
“I, I didn’t see anything!!”
…It’s certain. Eddie doesn’t seem to be good at lying.
I’m sure I confirmed that everyone else was asleep, how did he end up seeing it?

‘Should I have just put everyone to sleep with magic?’
I think I lacked carefulness too much because I was so angry at Hector’s misconduct. To make such a mistake.
…Was the reason Eddie’s behavior was strange this morning simply because he was scared of me?
‘No wonder he brought bread on his own. What is he, a bread shuttle?’

Even if he saw last night’s scene, there’s no possibility he would realize that I’m Ariel, but if he reports to the Adventurers’ Guild, things could get a bit troublesome.
From Eddie’s personality that I’ve seen so far, he doesn’t seem like someone who would go around blabbing about such things, but you never know with people.

“Hey, Eddie. Can you see me for a moment after the request is over?”
“Huh?! O-okay!”
“…Please lower your voice.”
When I told Eddie to see me for a moment after the request is over to shut him up, he answered in a loud voice, surprised.
Mari tilted her head, seemingly finding his behavior strange.

‘How scared is he…’
It feels like I’ve become the bad guy.

——-

Cleanver was a port city located at the southern end of the empire, and due to its proximity to the coast, it was a city with a high concentration of floating population.
The characteristic salty smell carried by the wind, and the bustling crowds.
…As someone who doesn’t prefer crowded places, it’s a bit uncomfortable for me.

“Here’s the promised reward.”
After safely arriving in Cleanver, the pi… client handed us heavy pouches.
‘…Twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty.’
A total of thirty silver coins.

Although he said he would deduct the cost of the meals we ate yesterday from the reward, it seems he thought that wasn’t right after all, as the client paid us the full promised reward.
‘This is how it should be.’
Hector ran away as soon as he received the reward, and I heard that Mari was planning to stay here for a while since she’s here.

“…You worked hard. And May, thanks for the magic.”
“You worked hard too, Mari-san.”
‘She’s cute……’
Mari’s appearance, waving her slightly short hands back and forth while saying goodbye, is quite adorable.

“Then I’ll follow Mari-san too…”
“…Where do you think you’re going?”
“Ha, haha.”
Eddie trying to sneak away following Mari.

I grabbed Eddie’s hand and led him to a place with few people.
The place we arrived at was an alley with no one around.
“I, I promise!!”
There, I made Eddie swear not to admit what happened last night, and only after casting a contract magic did I let him go.

‘Now it’s really over….’
Compared to the previous goblin subjugation request, this feels several times more difficult.
With a resolution to avoid this kind of request as much as possible in the future, I headed home feeling the weight of the pouch containing the silver coins.

——–

“Viktor-nim. I’m curious about something, what exactly is this ominous ore used for?”
“I don’t know. I heard it’s an ore that naturally contains magical energy… we just need to deliver it.”
Where I pointed with my finger, there were ominous black ores.
The identity of the cargo our merchant group had moved from Lonzville.
…These ores, which seem to absorb the surrounding light, are so creepy that just being near them gives me goosebumps.

‘That road wasn’t originally a place where werewolves appeared….’
I can’t shake the feeling that the werewolves attacking us in a place where they don’t usually appear is related to these ores.
It could have been a big problem if it weren’t for the adventurers.

Our originally small merchant group was able to grow in size since we started delivering these black ores.
To be precise, we’re just transporters, and there are separate suppliers.
“They’re here. Tell the others to move those things.”
“Yes.”

Step, step.
People wearing hoods with peculiar patterns slowly approached us.
“Hello.”
“…The goods?”
Those people, to whom even that arrogant pig Viktor bowed his head respectfully, were customers who buy these black ores at high prices.

“They’re over there. The porters are moving the cargo now, so please wait a moment.”
“…”
After unloading all the cargo from the carriages, the hooded person nodded, seemingly satisfied after checking the goods.
He handed a pouch containing money to Viktor, then headed somewhere with the ores along with his companions.

“Let’s go, Cain. Bring the others too. Since we’re here, we should look around to see if there are any goods worth buying.”
“Ah. Yes.”
‘Hm?’
One of the hooded people, who I thought had left, approached me.
“Here, a gift. It’s good for your body.”

The woman with unusual purple hair, although hard to see clearly due to the hood, looked about the same age as my daughter.
The cube-shaped ore she held out.
‘…Is it a processed version of that black ore? It feels a bit awkward to refuse.’
I accepted the ore she offered, intending to throw it away later.

“Kyahah. See you later.”
She smiled as if pleased.
Afterwards, she returned to her companions.
‘See you later?’

“Hey, Cain. What are you doing there? Quickly bring the others. We need to finish work here quickly so we can return to Lonzville.”
“Ah. Yes sir!”
I put the ore she gave me in my pocket and moved to call the other companions.