episode_0018

Honestly, I didn’t expect them to come at me so suddenly.

I waited until my strength returned, then used some kind of artifact to momentarily neutralize the magic that was restraining me.

I had carefully woven the spell to prevent it from being easily dispelled, but it was clear that I was lacking in some way.

As I thought about it, I cast the spell.

[Barrier]

Although there was already a barrier in place, it was evident that something was trying to break through.

So, I infused mana into the spell of the barrier magic.

As a result, the barrier became even stronger.

“Die!!!”

With a flash of light, the barrier surrounding me began to peel away layer by layer.

“…I don’t feel like I’m going to die.”

I had been using the [Acceleration of Thought] spell whenever I could find an opening, and when I thought about it during the time created by that spell, the speed at which the one-eyed bandit was breaking the barrier wasn’t that fast.

So, I immediately cast the barrier spell again.

Since I was already in this situation, it seemed like a good idea to cast the barrier spell again.

I also wanted to test the limits of the barrier.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

How much time had passed?

The one-eyed bandit who had been continuously breaking the barrier collapsed from exhaustion.

The light flickering from the dagger in their hand also disappeared.

They must have overexerted themselves.

As I watched the one-eyed bandit, they uttered a word and were subdued by their comrades.

I’m not sure who they were addressing with that last word, but it was a terrifying one.

Monster.

There was no one here who could be called a monster.

“…That’s a bit much to say, you really are crazy.”

“Me?”

“No.”

“You seem disappointed to say that.”

It was only natural to test things when the opportunity arose.

If there was a chance I could die, I wouldn’t have done the experiment.

Feeling unjust, we handed the bones over to Teron.

He had promised to dispose of them all at once and distribute the money.

Now, I had a lot to do.

I had to go to the lord who ruled over Baruk’s 3rd district to receive the reward.

I also had to go to the adventurer’s guild and report that I had completed the mission.

And personally, I felt dirty, so I needed to go to the inn and take a shower.

“Ugh… so annoying.”

When would I have time to do all this?

It was endlessly annoying.

I wanted to use teleportation to go there instantly, but if I used teleportation in Baruk’s 3rd district, it wouldn’t end with just a warning.

I would have to pay a fine, so I had to walk around like this.

“Sigh.”

But I had to do what I had to do.

First, I decided to visit the adventurer’s guild.

Meeting the lord could wait.

I didn’t really want to meet the lord in my current state.

“By the way, I was a bit surprised back there. Suddenly releasing the magic and attacking.”

“…That was quite a joke.”

“Oh, I wasn’t joking. I just couldn’t see any chance of dying, so I was testing the barrier’s performance.”

“Magicians are truly insane.”

“Haha…”

I don’t know why I said that.

If you have the opportunity, why not take it and save time?

If you wait to make time later, you won’t have time or opportunities in most cases.

That’s why I used the one-eyed bandit to test many spells.

With that thought in mind, the four of us, including myself, opened the door to the adventurer’s guild and entered.

Then we approached Elysia.

“Oh, you’re here? Have you completed the mission?”

“Yes. Lord Theron went to deal with the waste in Busan and went to another place. Is this evidence enough?”

The orc’s noses were cut off.

There were five of them, so five noses were cut off.

If they had accidentally burned them, they would not have been able to cut off the noses.

Then there would be no mission reward.

Thinking that, I spoke to Esilly.

“And… I caught the bandits. Is there any reward for that? I caught several bandits of the Gold rank.”

If they were such skilled bandits, the bounty on their heads would be quite high.

So, with expectations, I looked at Esilly.

And the answer that came out of Esilly’s mouth.

“Oh, are you talking about the bandit with several Gold ranks on his head?”

“Oh, yes. Is he a famous person?”

“He’s famous in Baruk. His name isn’t known, so we call him the ‘One-Eyed Bandit.’ The bounty is 100 gold.”

“Oh.”

I was impressed.

Surely I would receive a bounty when I went to the lord, but to also receive a bounty from the Adventurer’s Guild.

I felt so happy.

At that moment, Theron, who had dealt with the monster waste, came in scratching his shining bald head.

“Hmm, now I remember where I saw him. He’s the one with a bounty of 100 gold.”

“That’s right. I also remembered where I saw him, he was the One-Eyed Bandit, haha.”

Donatas was sitting in his seat, drinking beer.

As the day was getting darker, everyone was coming into the Adventurer’s Guild for a gathering.

Seeing that, I also wanted to have a gathering.

Aren’t these the first people I’ve met in this world?

If I make connections here, it will be helpful in the future.

Thinking that, I proposed to the others.

“Well, since I’ll be treating today, why don’t we all sit down and rest for a bit? We can chat too.”

“Sounds good.”

“Great, then shall I order some beer?”

“Haha, the wizard is quite generous!”

Indeed, there were no adventurers who refused free drinks.

So, we sat down and ordered various snacks and beer.

“To be honest, this is my first time drinking alcohol, so I’ll take it slow.”

“What, you haven’t even tried alcohol? You’re such a baby?”

Violet came over with a slightly tipsy face and touched my cheek.

I felt a little embarrassed.

I wasn’t immune to things like this.

Thankfully, I was wearing a robe.

While thinking that, the beer arrived suddenly.

But…

“Hmm…”

The beer was lukewarm.

Even if I didn’t know much about alcohol, I knew that beer should be cold.

So, I performed a spell, infusing mana into the beer.

Soon, the beer had a layer of ice on top.

It seemed like a good photo opportunity, so I took a picture and wrote a post in the gallery.

Then I said, “Would anyone like this?”

When I made a beer with ice, Dontas’ eyes sparkled.

He definitely seemed like a race that enjoyed beer.

“Well then… can I drink it, noble wizard? I don’t usually ask for favors like this.”

“Well, it’s fine for everyone to drink. Should I freeze everyone else’s too?”

Saying that, Violet handed me the beer glass she was holding.

Theron also handed me his beer glass.

[Frost]

Adjusting the spell, infusing mana just right, I created a beer with just enough ice on top.

It looked easy on the surface, but it required great technique.

Creating a balance between warmth and coldness was quite difficult.

As I made the beer cold, the atmosphere quickly became lively.

“I actually don’t like wizards, but a wizard like you is quite likable. I’m sorry for being cautious at first.”

“Oh, no. Wizards do have strange personalities.”

I didn’t even realize that I was being watched.

I’ve always been the type to not pick up on those things.

As I sat there feeling a bit lost, sipping on my beer, Violet, who was sitting next to me, chuckled and whispered in my ear.

“..Are you drunk right now? Why are you so quiet?”

“Haha..”

Since I didn’t have anything to say, I just laughed it off.

And so, we sat there, ordering more beers and spending the night away.

*

“Ugh…”

My head was pounding.

I clearly had some kind of eventful night yesterday.

Feeling dizzy, I looked around and realized I was in an inn.

Even though I was drunk, I must have found my way back to my accommodation.

As I pondered this, memories from yesterday suddenly flooded back.

“Just a moment.”

As we were all drinking beer together, I got drunk and started swaying, marking the end of the night.

But who could have carried me in that state?

It couldn’t have been Dontas, as he’s too short.

If I had been carried on Dontas’ back, he would have collapsed.

That leaves Theron and Violet.

As I thought about this, I heard someone knocking on the door from outside.

Despite my headache, I wrapped a barrier around myself and opened the door.

And there it was-

“Oh, hello..?”

I could recognize the person who brought me to this inn yesterday.