Chapter 35: Natural Change #1

Chapter 35: Natural Change #1

「Newly learned Telekinesis magic.」

I had a rough idea of what I would learn.

The magic templates provided by the Principles of Magic are fixed at about 100 patterns.

The magic I’ve learned so far are Magic Arrow, Frost Blade, and Emotion.

Based on the patterns, the next magic would be Telekinesis or Fog of Magic.

Considering my current skill proficiency, Telekinesis was more likely to receive an aptitude bonus.

‘That’s fortunate.’

It’s the result I wanted. Telekinesis is better than Fog of Magic.

A basic magic for manipulating objects.

It’s useful for both offense and support, but this magic is useful to me for another reason.

‘With this, I can disguise my necromancy.’

Now, even if I manipulate corpses, I can just say it was done with Telekinesis.

After all, most people who don’t know much about magic won’t be able to distinguish between Telekinesis and Necromancy.

There are very few people on the continent who can properly use Necromancy.

“What magic did you learn, Estel?”

Instead of answering, I pointed at Estel’s coffee cup with my finger.

I felt invisible, intangible mana extending from my fingertips.

It felt unfamiliar at first, but I quickly grasped the knack.

「Using Telekinesis.」

Clink.

The coffee cup began to float in the air.

“Ah, this-“

Flora exclaimed with delight.

“Our teacher also used this magic. It looked very convenient, I’m envious-“

As Flora said.

Among various magics, Telekinesis boasts extreme convenience.

Numerous applications stem from the simple mechanism of manipulating objects without touching them.

A typical use case would be…

You can turn off the lights while lying in bed without getting up.

You can eat snacks without getting oil on your hands.

‘I’ve acquired a great magic.’

As a test, I spun the coffee cup with just mana.

Once I got the hang of it, I could perform more complex manipulations.

‘This much is easy.’

I showed off a bit more.

The coffee, clumped into a sphere, floated around me. At first glance, it looked like the moon orbiting the Earth.

“Do you want to drink coffee, Senior?”

“Yes?”

“Ah, try it. I’ll pour it down your throat.”

“What? No! It’s hot.”

“It’s not that hot- Try it, I said?”

As I held out the steaming coffee sphere, Flora quickly pulled her face back.

The problem is that I keep wanting to play pranks on her.

While teasing Flora for a while like that.

「Mastered the Principles of Magic. Learned all magic that can be acquired from this spellbook.」

「Acquired the trait ‘Magic Novice’.

-Magic Novice: Permanently increases mana by 10%.」

The magic book, having fulfilled its purpose, finally emitted a bright light and turned into an old, blank book.

“Thank you for everything, Principles of Magic.”

Flora stroked the spellbook with eyes full of emotion.

Now, the next stage of the spellbook can be obtained in a large city.

“Senior.”

“Yes?”

“The Adventurer’s Guild, are you going to challenge it with me?”

I subtly pointed at the notice board attached to my back with my thumb.

The notice board stated that the guild recruitment test would soon be held in Garden as well.

It seemed the Prometheon Guild, famous in the Empire, was recruiting new talent.

“If Estel does it, I’ll do it too.”

“Then I’ll take that as a yes.”

In any case, I need to make Flora capable of pulling her own weight.

If she gains experience at the Adventurer’s Guild and acquires magical skills, she won’t die meaninglessly somewhere.

‘I’ve grown fond of her somehow.’

A chuckle escaped my lips.

She’s just a common adventurer girl.

At first, I just intended to hunt with her a few times and then profit, but…

However, people’s hearts aren’t like machines that can be cut off cleanly. I realized this anew.

“⋯Huh?”

Flora stretched her neck and looked towards the cafe entrance.

Her eyes widened as if she had seen someone she knew.

“Estel, aren’t those the people we saw at the bar before?”

At Flora’s words, I also turned my head.

The faces were familiar.

Dawson and a group of Vigilantes were entering the cafe, baring their yellowed teeth like a pack of hyenas.

‘Why are those bastards here?’

First, I pulled my hood down low to cover my face. I also instructed Flora, who was still unaware of the situation, to do the same.

Fortunately, Dawson didn’t seem to notice us.

He approached the cafe counter with his subordinates, striding confidently.

“This is a nice cafe. I didn’t expect a place like this to open in Garden.”

Dawson said, leaning his arms on the counter as if it were his own home.

The cafe owner smiled awkwardly.

It was obvious that he was nervous.

“Ah, uh- I’ve heard a lot about you. Mr. Dawson, I look forward to working with you.”

It felt as if I could clearly read the cafe owner’s thoughts.

He was desperately praying for us to just have a cup of coffee and leave quietly.

However, Dawson ignored the cafe owner’s earnest wish and leisurely looked around the cafe.

“It must be tough. Running a business in a place with such a rough atmosphere like Garden can’t be easy.”

“⋯Ah, yes. Well, it is.”

“But don’t worry. From now on, our Vigilantes will protect you. So you can focus solely on your coffee business. Trustworthy, right?”

Dawson casually placed his hand on the cafe owner’s shoulder.

“Y-you’ll protect me-?”

“Yes. If any petty troublemakers try to cause a scene, tell us immediately. We’ll show them who’s boss.”

“Ah…”

“Of course, we’re not doing this for free. We have to make a living too. We’ll be collecting protection fees every month. But you can pay that much money to guarantee your safety, which is the most important thing, right?”

The smile that was barely hanging on the cafe owner’s lips gradually disappeared.

He muttered in a dark voice.

“Protection fees… Garden has guards too… I haven’t heard anything about that-“

“Guards? Your information is quite outdated. Don’t worry about them. Do you really think those guys will protect you if something happens?”

“⋯.”

“Let me make one thing clear. It’s not them who actually protect Garden’s peace. It’s us. If you rely on the slow guards like turtles, you’ll regret it later, won’t you?”

It was a typical scheme of the Vigilantes.

Their main source of income is collecting fees under the guise of protection.

These schemes, which hover precariously between legality and illegality, were still effective in the frontier town of Garden.

“It’s one hundred thousand gold per month. Don’t forget and prepare well.”

“O-o-one hundred thousand gold?”

The cafe owner’s mouth dropped open. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked again.

“It’s hard to pay that much. A cup of coffee is only a hundred gold at most-“

“Ah, come on, don’t be so stingy. Will you only come to your senses after your shop and everything else is overturned?”

“Ah…”

The cafe owner’s legs felt weak, and he stumbled, leaning on the counter.

At this precise moment, a waitress appeared, holding a tray with coffee cups.

“Here are five coffees…”

Sensing the unusual atmosphere, the waitress’s voice trailed off indistinctly.

The gazes of five men, like hungry wolves, focused on the waitress.

“Is she staff here?”

“Ah- she’s my daughter, helping me with my work…”

“She’s pretty. She’ll attract a lot of customers.”

“Thank you…”

Meeting Dawson’s lecherous gaze, the daughter couldn’t maintain her composure.

A look of blatant contempt.

But nothing changes because of that.

There’s nothing she can do.

She just desperately hopes that these rude men will disappear from her father’s side soon.

“Come to think of it, our Vigilantes are in need of a secretary for accounting work.”

Dawson said, licking his lower lip.

“If your daughter helps us with our work, I’m willing to reduce the protection fee. We’ll only charge fifty thousand gold.”

“⋯That’s-“

“I’m not asking you to decide right now. I’ll give you time. I’ll come back in three days, so decide by then. If you don’t have any intention, prepare one hundred thousand gold.”

Despair flickered in the cafe owner’s eyes.

Dawson and the Vigilantes left the cafe, chuckling amongst themselves while holding their coffee cups.

“I can’t just watch this.”

Flora muttered, shaking her head.

“I want to help, but I don’t know how- It’s not easy.”

“Senior, don’t worry.”

“Estel, do you have any good ideas?”

Flora asked with delight.

Good ideas?

If you’re looking for a clever trick to deceive them with your tongue and turn the situation around, then unfortunately, there isn’t any.

This frontier where we are now is a lawless land governed by the logic of power.

The stronger ones just take everything.

“They won’t get a single gold coin from here anyway. I guarantee it.”

I smiled wryly.

It’s almost time to collect the debts owed by the Vigilantes.

***

Although there was still some time until the next meeting, Flora and I decided to visit our companions’ lodgings.

This was entirely Flora’s idea.

She seemed curious about where and how everyone was living.

“Since we’re companions, it’s time to get to know each other better.”

There was no reason to object.

We had finished our preparations, and there were no urgent tasks to attend to.

“It’s nearby.”

Following the street where Garden’s inns were gathered, as Mitchell had told us.

Before long, a passable four-story wooden building came into view.

“Is Mitchell staying here? Wow- it’s quite nice.”

“Indeed. The accommodation fees must be quite high.”

If it were me, I wouldn’t pay extra to stay in an expensive lodging.

Even if the facilities are good, it’s still Garden level.

The stamina recovery effect doesn’t significantly increase, it’s just luxury.

It was typical of Mitchell to spend money so freely without hesitation.

“Excuse me.”

Flora’s eyes sparkled as she looked around the inn.

The owner readily let us in after we said we were Mitchell’s companions.

He probably didn’t think there was any need to be wary of a young lady like Flora or a little kid like me.

‘If you judge hastily based on appearance, you’ll regret it later.’

The unprofessional attitude bothered me, but since it wasn’t my business, I silently went up the stairs.

“Room 301. Here it is.”

I stood in front of the door.

I could sense movement from inside. I could also hear the sound of water occasionally.

Knock, knock.

I knocked lightly, but there was no answer.

“Mitchell, it’s me. Senior is with me. I’m coming in.”

Opening the door, I saw a rather spacious room.

Still, as expected of an expensive lodging, it was a room that had the necessary amenities even in the poor environment of Garden.

There was a round table next to the bed, and the curtains by the window fluttered in the wind.

“This is worth the money, isn’t it? It’s quite comfortable.”

Flora said, sitting on the plush bed.

“Is that so?”

I also sat on the edge of the bed.

I know the stamina recovery effect is not significantly different.

However, the feeling of the fabric against my buttocks was definitely comfortable.

It feels like I’ll wake up feeling refreshed if I sleep here.

Is Mitchell actually wise?

As I was thinking that.

The sound of water from the bathroom, which had been audible until then, stopped, and the door opened with a cloud of steam.

“Ah- I heard some noise earlier. Was it you guys?”

Mitchell walked out, vigorously drying her fiery red hair with a towel.

No, wait a minute.

But you…

“Kid, why the long face? Like you’ve seen something you shouldn’t have.”

Why are you completely naked?

Of course, it’s natural to be naked after washing.

However, for me, who hadn’t anticipated this simple cause and effect, the momentary shock was too great.

“Are you sick?”

Mitchell approached.

Her pure white naked body, displaying perfect symmetry, approached me.