Ch.62The Artisan of the Wilderness

The sun hung high in the sky. Following the dwarf craftsmen who had departed early in the morning, it was the wizards who left the royal castle next. Saeirin watched them from her perch on a large tree.

They were all relatively young wizards. Magic is a discipline that accumulates over time. While there were certainly some who had risen to high ranks through exceptional intelligence in their youth, most powerful wizards tended to be older.

The fact that young people were being sent out meant they were assigned the physical, dirty work. Saeirin herself had to run errands for her seniors when she was a junior member.

The magic tower began to move. Since the tower possessed the current power engine, Saeirin needed to focus on their movements. The small girl left the tree like a squirrel.

Hop!

Why had the young wizards gone into town? That was something she would find out soon enough. Saeirin left the royal castle and followed the wizards.

Her eyes naturally gravitated toward familiar faces. She followed Sheibe, who was with Envi. It seemed the rest of the magic tower personnel had arrived at dawn. According to rumors, they had been delayed after encountering monsters.

Judging by their expressions, nothing serious had happened. Saeirin maintained a certain distance to avoid being detected by others. The wizards mainly sought out miners. After they left, she approached a miner and asked what they had inquired about.

“What were the wizards looking for? Hmm… they seemed to be searching for some special metal. Something with high mana conductivity, durability, and heat resistance. They also asked if there were any gems that could replace mana stones…”

“Does such a thing exist?”

“How could such a perfect metal exist?”

This was coming from a dwarf who claimed to have felt an affinity for metals since birth. Moreover, his profession was mining. Someone who spent all day digging into the earth, working up a sweat.

And such a person said he didn’t know of it. The magic tower was searching for something that didn’t exist. To fix that strange mechanical device. Saeirin stroked her chin, recalling her mission details. It was essentially: destroy it if it gets fixed, otherwise leave it be.

Perhaps the higher-ups had anticipated this situation. Thinking about it, there were several strange points. Supposing the power engine was repaired, could she alone break through the magic tower’s wizards and destroy it?

No. She couldn’t win. Maybe against five or six Serendipity-class wizards, but if higher-ranked wizards stepped in, her chances would decrease exponentially.

‘Strange… it’s almost as if they gave me this mission assuming it couldn’t be fixed…’

Strange as it was, orders from above were orders. Whatever the underlying intention, she had to follow them for now. Saeirin nodded.

“Thank you for your kind answer.”

The girl lightly leapt into the air. Her cape fluttered in the wind behind her as she disappeared between buildings.

Considerable time passed. Several wizards who had been busily moving around the city began to leave their posts. They headed toward the entrance, seemingly intending to exit the city.

It was time to make a choice. Should she follow the wizards leaving the city, or those remaining inside? If there had been more personnel assigned to the mission, it would have been better, but Saeirin was alone.

Which should she choose? When decisions were difficult, she followed the White Frost tribe’s tradition. Saeirin picked up a fallen twig from the ground and stood it upright.

It was a game called “Finding the Path of Destiny,” where one prays to the Wolf God and releases the twig, which then indicates the right path. It had such a high accuracy rate that all members of the White Frost tribe trusted it.

“Wolf God, please show me the right path…”

She waited for the moment when the wind blew. Saeirin’s small hand released the twig.

Thud-

“That way…!”

The direction in which the twig fell was toward the city entrance. The Wolf God had shown her the right path. Saeirin crossed the street. Just then, a familiar dwarf suddenly appeared before her.

As if he had just emerged from a narrow alley, he looked visibly startled. Saeirin reduced her speed and pushed off the ground. A small impact spread, and the girl’s figure soared into the air amid a cloud of dust.

Swoosh-

Saeirin’s appearance was beautiful. That meant she drew attention. As the beautiful girl’s figure spun through the air, gasps of admiration came from all around.

Soft landing-

Even her landing was perfect. Behind her gently fluttering black cape, her snow-white hair settled like falling snow. Saeirin placed her hands on her hips and looked at the dwarf she had just leaped over.

It was Black Light.

“Oh, oh! Saeirin!”

“Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine! By the way, where are you rushing off to?”

“I have some business outside…”

“Oh… you have matters outside the city. Then why not come along with me?”

At his words, Saeirin slowly examined Black Light’s appearance. He had a large bag on his back and was wearing chain mail that protected his entire body. Was he going monster hunting? Saeirin looked toward the castle gates and nodded.

This worked out well.

‘I was planning to find him to ask about what happened at the palace yesterday.’

The situation was unfolding strangely in her favor. Saeirin walked alongside the dwarf.

“Where is Black Light headed?”

“I’m going to the Grimmit Mine. The iron ore that can be collected there contains mana, unlike other places…”

He rambled on about details she hadn’t asked for. Saeirin pretended to listen and nodded appropriately. Black Light’s walking pace wasn’t slow. Though his stride was short, his legs moved frequently and quickly. At a glance, he almost seemed to be running.

Saeirin had to jog lightly to keep up.

“So, you see. Since it’s a dangerous place, I needed escorts. Fortunately, there were wizards visiting this city, so I could easily find some.”

Among the words she had been half-listening to, something caught her attention. Saeirin tilted her head and asked.

“Wizards?”

“People you already know well. Ah, they’re waiting over there.”

At Black Light’s words, Saeirin turned her head, thinking “surely not.” Two familiar wizards came into view. Envi and Sheibe. They too spotted Saeirin and looked surprised.

They say when coincidences pile up, it becomes fate. Saeirin felt a strong connection to these two wizards.

“Sir Knight…?”

“Saeirin?”

The wind blew. The dry wind of the desolate plains roughly swept through Saeirin’s hair.

‘This works out well…’

She had intended to follow the wizards anyway. If she could naturally join them, there was no need to go through the trouble of trailing them.

Standing before the two wizards, Saeirin asked Black Light:

“Are they your escorts?”

“That’s right! They were frantically running around town, so I went and asked them for help. You and Miss Envi have quite a deep connection, don’t you?”

Black Light said this as he approached the two wizards. Though he was meeting Sheibe for the first time, he was remarkably friendly. His approach was so familiar that they looked like friends of ten years.

“Saeirin, were you hired as an escort too…?”

“No. I’m just accompanying you.”

“Oh…”

Envi nodded at Saeirin’s answer.

“I never expected to see you here… I was planning to visit you this evening…” said Sheibe.

Saeirin nodded lightly and approached the three. And so, a temporary party was formed.

They decided to take a carriage to the mine, their destination. The four boarded a carriage operating near the entrance. After a brief moment, the carriage departed.

Clatter- Clatter-

The ride wasn’t particularly comfortable. It shook and rattled in all directions. The uneven ground of the vast plains was causing the turbulence. However, Saeirin took even this as an opportunity for training. She worked on maintaining her center of gravity inside the shaking carriage.

“Come to think of it, I didn’t ask. Saeirin, what’s your destination?”

“Any mine will do. I came out wanting to see a mine that holds the unique characteristics of this country.”

It was an improvised answer. But it wasn’t bad. In fact, it was good. Black Light nodded.

“For a tourist visiting our country, visiting a mine is certainly worthwhile. A good choice.”

Envi and Sheibe also seemed to accept Saeirin’s answer. Envi just nodded blankly.

Throughout the journey, Saeirin felt Envi’s intense gaze. Even when she turned her head or briefly changed positions, the gaze followed. It was a gaze that had moved beyond jealousy to reverence. Saeirin suppressed a laugh.

To think she could even captivate someone of the same gender—it made her fear for her sibling’s future. Saeiran, what should I do? Your appearance is too much for me to handle.

It wasn’t a bad feeling. Rather, it was pleasant. She almost found herself smiling. Saeirin leaned back in the carriage, adjusting her posture to appear even more beautiful.

Envi, who had been staring blankly, bit her tongue due to the carriage’s jostling. She flicked her tongue and made a sad face, but no one showed concern for her.