She Professed Herself The Pupil Of The Wiseman (LN) - Volume 2 - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

HAVING GRANTED HIS TRUEST WISH, Mira grasped Tact’s hand and began to briskly walk away. Emella stared after them in horror before shouting at the pair.

“Whoa, hold up a minute! Are you planning on going with just the two of you?!” she yelled as she sprinted around to block their path.

“That’s the idea,” came Mira’s immediate reply, stunning Emella again for a moment before she could regain her bearings.

“You can’t take a child with no combat experience into a C-Rank dungeon!”

Emella’s reasoning was sound. Gods knew it was reckless to take a child into any dungeon, and the difference in danger between a D-Rank and a C-Rank dungeon was massive. Everyone in the guild would agree—as evidenced by Tact’s continuous rejections.

“He’ll be fine as long as I’m protecting him.” Mira’s words were blunt, and she had no interest in (or experience with) the guild’s policies. Even with an escort in tow, she knew that her skills alone were more than enough to handle whatever arose on their journey to the fifth level of the catacombs.

“How can you be so rash?” Emella agonized over Mira’s confidence. Somehow, this magical girl was showing more bravado than even battle-worn veterans.

A spellcaster’s abilities weren’t measured by their appearance—she knew that much. But even assuming that Mira was a skilled mage, Emella couldn’t comprehend why the girl was taking the situation so lightly. Was it false bravado…or could she truly back it up? Emella had no way of knowing. 

Mira was a C-Rank, despite being a rookie adventurer who had just registered with the guild. That was so unprecedented that it was clear she had to have some amazing skill. But Emella also couldn’t dismiss her trepidation that Mira was simply being reckless. Finally, she made up her mind.

“Very well, then I’m going with you!”

Mira nodded in agreement, deciding that this compromise was better than standing in the street and arguing about it all morning.

With Emella’s decision made, the three retreated to a café to hash out the details. The establishment was called Café du Chocolat, and its menu was true to its name.

“So I have to ask, what type of mage are you? I mean, you are a mage, right, Mira?” 

Emella’s first point of order was trying to discern Mira’s abilities. Since the Ancient Temple Nebrapolis was filled with undead, certain types of magic users would have an advantage there. Were Mira a priestess or an exorcist, she would have the upper hand against the monsters…and that would go a long way toward explaining her boundless self-confidence.

“I’m a summoner,” Mira said before turning back to the café’s signature dish, the Chocolatique Overload. 

Emella had ordered it for Mira as a treat, but it was a bit large. The little summoner was currently sharing it with Tact, and occasionally, she would reach over with a napkin to wipe whipped cream off his face. Despite the cute sibling vibe, Emella’s expression was frozen in place.

Summoners as a class were practically extinct. Emella didn’t know of anyone who was pursuing the discipline, other than a few scholars employed by the Linked Silver Towers.

After staring at Mira for a few moments, perplexed, she managed to ask, “Um, I’m not the most well versed, but are summoners…strong?” 

Mira felt her pride swell at the question, but she also remembered her conversation with Cleos, acting Elder of the Tower of Evocation. The summoning arts had faded away. Emella was a C-Rank adventurer—clearly considered someone of great skill!—yet she spoke as if she’d never seen a summoner in combat.

Looking up to the heavens, Mira pursed her lips. To think the world had come to this! She resolved to reclaim the dignity and respect of her discipline with her own two hands.

“You’ll understand when the time is right,” she replied with a faint smile. 

The response only served to increase Emella’s anxiety. “I’d rather understand before it’s too late,” she grumbled.

Their chat concluded, the three left Café du Chocolat.

“Well, then, let’s get going, shall we?” Mira proposed, squinting in the bright sunlight. Taking Tact by the hand, she set off in the direction of the Ancient Temple, leaving Emella standing behind them, her face frozen in shock.

What have I gotten myself into? she asked herself silently as despair threatened to overwhelm her.

“Hold up! You do understand we’re talking about a C-Rank dungeon, right? We can’t just go strolling in there unprepared. It will take us at least a day to get things ready.”

That should have been common sense. Everyone knew it took time to prepare, and for advanced dungeoneering, it sometimes took up to a week. What was Mira thinking if she planned to head off the same day?

Mira paused to consider it. “Very well, then. We’ll set off tomorrow.” She had planned to complete the expedition within the day but was willing to make the concession—it was a minor annoyance, but the hotel was comfortable enough, and she wouldn’t mind having another night’s rest.

That meant it was time for Emella, experienced adventurer extraordinaire, to show her stuff. 

She insisted that the party should go shopping for supplies, and she knew all the stores to visit. From necessary restoratives to adventuring equipment, her knowledge was encyclopedic. If the need arose, she was more than prepared to use every last potion and tool to cover their escape. She dutifully showed Tact the basics of how to use each purchase, so he could assist as a last resort.

Conversely, Mira bought some bug repellent.

“Are you sure that’s enough, Mira?” Emella asked.

“Of course. I’ve been planning this trip for a while. Everything I need is in here.” Mira rolled up her left sleeve to display her Control Terminal, or the User’s Bangle, as it was known to the natives of this world.

Her statement was technically true, but not reassuring in the slightest.

“That’s all well and good but…” Emella added a few extra potions to her purchase, just in case.

With the shopping taken care of, the trio made their way to the food market. Emella made a beeline for one shop in particular.

“Well, if it isn’t Emella. Come on in,” called a sturdily built woman from the back of the stall. Its shelves were lined with prepared foods and seasonings. “Where are you off to this time?”

Emella couldn’t help but smile back at the friendly greeting. “We’re heading to the Ancient Temple tomorrow.”

“Oho! Big trip, eh? With your guild, you’ll be fine, but do take care, all right? I’d hate to lose my favorite customer!”

“Of course! Thank you.” Emella pointedly didn’t mention that Mira and Tact would be joining the expedition, but the shopkeeper still turned an appraising eye on the pair.

“I didn’t know you had kids,” the grocer said with a twinkle in her eye.

“I absolutely don’t!” Emella blushed and sputtered at the jest.

As Emella spoke with the shopkeeper, she placed a selection of dried meats, freeze-dried vegetables, and canned fruits on the counter. Mira kept an ear to the banter of the two while perusing the wares to see if anything looked particularly tasty.

The next stop was the armory. Weapons and armor crafted from various metals lined the walls. Customers browsed the selection, stopping occasionally to check the condition of the goods.

“So, Mira, you aren’t carrying any obvious weapons,” Emella said, knowing that if Mira did use any sort of weapon, it would be stashed inside her User’s Bangle. “What kind of weapons do summoners usually wield?”

Most adventurers kept their weapons within easy reach in case of emergency. Emella unconsciously placed her hand on the pommel of the sword strapped to her hip.

“Don’t need one. Summoning is my weapon.”

“Oh. Really, now?”

That might have been true for Mira, but many summoners carried staves or wands to increase their store of mana and recovery rate. Mira’s abilities had surpassed those needs years ago, and more importantly, she was dual-classed as a Sage. Sages fought barehanded, and holding a staff would prevent her from using her full range of attacks.

But Emella knew even less of Sages than she did of summoners, so she chalked it up to another of Mira’s idiosyncrasies as she browsed the armory for armor in Tact’s size. So far, she had been covering most of the purchases out of her own pocket. It didn’t seem right to let children fend for themselves.

Mira did nothing to correct that notion.

Shopping finally complete, Emella plopped herself down on the stone fence surrounding the monument to the deceased that stood in the town square. The sun had dipped beneath the horizon, and streetlamps illuminated the shapes of townsfolk on their way home beneath an indigo sky.

“Well, that should do it…even if I would have preferred more time to prepare,” she said with a tired sigh. “We planned for tomorrow, but shall we meet in front of the guild buildings at ten?”

“Indeed,” muttered Mira as she hopped up on the low stone fence herself.

Tact bowed deeply to the two women. “Yes! I’ll be there!”

Emella’s smile concealed the worry she had about tomorrow’s expedition. Even with the preparations, she wasn’t entirely comfortable with the situation.

“Well, it is getting quite late, so why don’t we call it a day?” she suggested. “Where do the two of you live?”

“I live with my grandpa. His house is behind the guild buildings.”

“And I…hrmm, where was it again?” Mira realized she hadn’t bothered to learn the name of the hotel she was staying at. Even if she asked an officer for directions, she wouldn’t know what to say. “‘The best hotel in town,’ I think he said.”

She absentmindedly stroked her chin while trying to remember what Garrett had told her.

Emella had to steady herself on the fence to keep from falling off and put a hand to her forehead in exasperation. Tact just tilted his head to the side, puzzled.

Sighing, Emella pointed up at a massive building across the town square, which was lit up by streetlights. The sight of the hotel at night was an entirely different wonder compared to the daylight spectacle.

“Ah, yes, that’s the place. I didn’t realize it was so close.” Mira nodded as she spotted the familiar yet altogether different façade of the hotel.

“I just…don’t even know why I’m surprised,” Emella mumbled as she stood and took Tact by the hand. “Well then, I’ll see you home, Tact. You should head back too, all right, Mira?”

As Emella spoke, she stared Mira straight in the eyes until Mira looked away in discomfort.

“I-indeed. I am quite hungry after all, so I think I’ll be on my way,” Mira said, backing away from Emella, who was suddenly a little too close for comfort. Despite her current form, she couldn’t help but get a little flustered being so close to a stunningly beautiful woman.

“That sounds like a wonderful idea. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Right, tomorrow it is. I’ll see you tomorrow as well, Tact. Get a good night’s sleep.”

“Thank you so much, Miss Mira! I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Hrmm.”

Completing her farewell with a curt nod, Mira turned and walked off toward the hotel. Emella watched until Mira had entered the building’s front gate before she tugged on Tact’s hand and led him in the direction of the guild buildings.