She Professed Herself The Pupil Of The Wiseman (LN) - Volume 7 - Chapter 14

Chapter 14

MIRA JUMPED OFF the roof of the building and landed lightly on her feet, then plunged into the crowd of adventurers with complete nonchalance.

Adventurers who had finished their work for the day strolled the street in front of the building. Up above, the stars were muted by the bright streetlights. Though the building looked modern, the people streaming in and out of it all looked like they belonged in a fantasy world. Though it was an odd sight at first, it became fun to watch before long.

While the crowd gawked at the girl who had fallen from the sky, Mira slipped through the door.

The first-floor hall was wide with many couches, and was used as a reception area and waiting room. In front of the entrance was a large staircase with windows and signs for guidance on either side.

Most Union buildings were reminiscent of public offices, and this building’s style only amplified that impression.

Mira smiled at the adventurers obediently waiting on the couches and chatting with each other as she stepped up to the directory.

Oho. It’s bigger on the inside.

According to the sign, the second floor was the Warriors’ Guild, the third was the Mages’ Guild, the fourth was for sale of goods, and the fifth was an infirmary. The sales and infirmary floors especially were far bigger than those of the Karanak Adventurers’ Guild Union.

Given the number of people here, I suppose it’s necessary, Mira thought as she surveyed the hall once more. As she was making her way to the stairs, she overheard adventurers discussing something.

Apparently, a Deadeye Scorpion had appeared in the valley to the southeast. The guild was gathering a hunting team to deal with it.

Deadeye Scorpion, hrmm? That’s the strongest monster around here. I think it used to pop up once a week…? But it’s anyone’s guess now.

Mira thought back on those days. The Deadeye Scorpion spawned once a week and dropped valuable materials. It was a reasonably formidable foe. Or at least that was her memory of it; in this world, it seemed dangerous enough to send hunting parties out.

Yet based on what she’d heard as she walked, they had found some capable adventurers to deal with it. Mira decided her assistance would not be necessary and began climbing the stairs.

She paused with her foot on the first step. Gregor was a swordsmith. Even among adventurers, the Warriors’ Guild would perhaps be more knowledgeable. Mira climbed to the second floor.

***

Despite its name, the Warriors’ Guild was awfully diverse.

Mira had expected it to be overflowing with burly men with stubbled faces hoisting large axes. She was surprised as she looked around the room; out of forty or fifty warrior-class adventurers, only two or three matched her expectations.

Handsome knights who might elicit the squeals of women, taciturn swordsmen, lightly armored dagger-wielders—even lancers clad in magical girl outfits—it was a mixed crowd indeed. Mira had also expected to find a lot of hot-blooded folk hooting and hollering, but it was far quieter up here than in the first-floor hall. And given the interior design, it really was like a government office.

…What Mira didn’t realize was that the place had been much louder until she’d suddenly appeared.

Mira reconsidered her mental image of a “warrior” as she looked around, searching for any shrewd adventurers. Some of them might know Gregor or even have received a sword from him. Mira locked eyes with adventurers here and there. Why were so many people staring?

Hrmm. I suppose it’s rare for a mage to have business here. Unfortunate, Mira decided, but nothing she could do about it. She was beginning to get used to being the center of attention, so she pressed on in search of any knowledgeable swordsmen.

“Huh? Mira, is that you?” Suddenly, someone addressed her from behind. Mira recognized the voice.

“Ooh, it’s you!” Mira turned and found exactly the person she’d expected to see—Emella, vice-captain of Écarlate Carillon. She was a kind-hearted adventurer Mira had met back in Karanak. They had gone together to Nebrapolis in search of Soul Howl, and then they’d been reunited at Hunters’ Village near the Forest of the Devout not long ago. 

“I knew it was you, Mira! You’re easy to recognize from behind.” Emella stepped over happily.

“And I recognized your voice, too.” Mira returned a smile.

“What brings you to the Warriors’ Guild?” Emella asked, leaning coolly against a wall.

Mages naturally couldn’t receive requests at the Warriors’ Guild, so she would normally have no business here. Something else was up, and Mira’s obvious survey of the room had piqued Emella’s curiosity.

Emella was a swordswoman and a helpful friend. This was a stroke of luck. Mira rapidly explained her reasons for coming.

“Hrmm, good question. You see…”

She related how the blacksmith Gregor was away from the city, and how though she had searched for him, her investigation had ended up fruitless. And then how she’d wondered if someone here might know the location of a sword-forging blacksmith.

“So, do you have any leads?” she asked. 

A big smile spread over Emella’s face. “Oh, I have a lead. To tell you the truth…I just came back from seeing Gregor myself!”

“Truly?!”

When Mira pressed for more details, Emella revealed that she was the very warrior who had requested the one-of-a-kind sword. She and Gregor had agreed that he would forge a fire-elemental blade using the demon materials Emella had recovered at Nebrapolis.

Emella had spent the day in Gregor’s hideout swinging her own sword in order to help him grasp her quirks, center of balance, and swordplay style. His swords were perfectly calculated to maximize the wielder’s power, so this was an important part of his process.

Mira had hit the jackpot.

She leaned in excitedly. “Then that would mean you know where Gregor is. Can you please tell me?!”

Emella recalled Mira’s prideful rant about how she’d never use weapons back when they first met. She hesitated. “Umm, I do know where…but why is a summoner looking for a swordsmith?”

“There’s something I want to show him. It won’t take long at all, I promise.” Mira hurried to reassure Emella that it wouldn’t intrude on her own sword’s creation.

“Really? Well, okay. I’ll show you the way…but can we do it tomorrow? When I left, Gregor said he’d draw up the blueprints in one spurt. I don’t wanna bother him right now.”

Something she wants to show him. Emella was pretty curious as to what that might be…and truth be told, she was unwilling to refuse a request from Mira. It was also more than a little gratifying that Mira had finally taken interest in her field of expertise.

It was already nighttime anyway, so it would be rude to push Emella to take her now. “Yes, that will do just fine.”

“Tomorrow, then. Uhh, so, where should we meet? Are you staying at an inn somewhere?”

“I believe it was called the Epicurean Excess, or something of that sort. Not to spoil the surprise, but their dining hall is a real sight to behold.”

“That’s the same inn I’m staying at!” Emella put her hands on Mira’s shoulders. “Hey, wait here a sec. We can go back together!”

Mira looked around while she waited, fascinated all over again by the myriad adventurers in the guild.

***

“Thanks for waiting!”

A short while later, Emella had finished her paperwork and returned. The two departed side by side.

The inn was a stone’s throw from the Guild Union building. Between its prime location and its showstopping food offerings, it was plainly very popular among adventurers.

“I’m amazed that we’ve run into each other in such a faraway place,” Mira murmured joyfully. Emella and the others were so delightfully down-to-earth.

Even at night, the business district was dazzlingly bright. Its streetlights and signs lit up the night sky. The early evening was brimming with adventurers returning from their day’s work. Compared to the daytime’s merchants and shoppers, it was lively in a fresh and rowdy way.

The two weaved through crowds as they proceeded along the bustling nighttime road.

“Maybe you and I are tied by fate!” Emella replied just as gleefully. Her words seemed to imply that she hoped it was so.

The two swapped tales of what they’d seen after they’d dealt with the distortion in the forest together.

Mira described her first ride by rail, going into extra detail about the comfort of first class. Emella listened enviously. She replied that she’d only ridden in economy a few times and premium once.

After Mira shared her adventures, Emella told Mira about what she’d done after Hunters’ Village. She and her group had accompanied the merchant caravan to Ozstein, then proceeded farther west. They’d arrived at Sentopoli just days ago. Emella sounded ecstatic when she mentioned that she’d gotten the Écarlate Carillon’s leader, Cyril, to use his connections to ask Gregor to forge a sword for her. Emella was far more devoted to swords than anyone should be, and talking about them brought a certain gleam to her eye. When it came to obsession, she was rivaled only by Mira, who was just as bizarrely devoted to summoning as Emella was to swords.

***

They strolled, chatting happily, until they reached the inn. Before the entrance was an enormous, glowing sign that read EPICUREAN EXCESS in large letters. To Mira, it looked like a skyscraper. Something common where she came from, but a rare style of construction in this world.

“Ah!”

When they came to the door, for some reason, Emella reflexively assumed a fighting stance. Curious, Mira followed her gaze. She saw Emella’s guildmates, Flicker and Zef. It seemed they’d just returned, as well.

“Ooh, hey!” Zef caught sight of them and immediately recognized Mira alongside his guildmate. He smiled innocently and waved as he jogged over.

“It’s Miwaaa!” With an odd scream, Flicker shoved Zef aside and charged at Mira—Mira could practically see the hearts in her eyes. Driven by lust, she charged toward Mira at jaw-dropping speed. She was no longer a mage—she was a beast.

Flicker had assaulted Mira many times by now, but each time, Emella dealt with her. Emella would surely do something this time, too…or so Mira thought.

Emella stood in a ready stance and unleashed a knife-hand strike with perfect timing. Yet before it could reach Flicker’s head, the lovestruck mage dodged minutely to evade the direct hit.

Faced with such beautiful reflexes and split-second decision making—and Flicker’s raw desire for Mira—Emella hesitated before her next attack.

“Aaah, that’s the smell! Mira’s musk!” Flicker slipped by Emella and yanked Mira into a hug, burying her face in the summoner’s chest and taking deep sniffs. Her hands began to wander all over Mira, and bewildered eyes watched from all directions. 

Subjected to this treatment, Mira screamed, “Hurry up and do something!”

The swordswoman struck once more, this time precisely hitting Flicker’s head and dropping her.

***

They moved their reunion to the lobby, where Emella tossed Flicker onto a couch and looked away, ashamed.

“Umm… Sorry about that.” According to Emella, this was Flicker’s first time being so…obsessed with someone. Her feelings for Mira were only growing stronger by the day.

With a wry grin, Emella guessed that the power of her love gave her the ability to evade the first attack. As she talked, she wiped Flicker’s drool from Mira’s chest.

“Well…fine…” Mira watched Flicker rise up like a zombie and sighed. If not for her obsession, she would be a lovely person.

“Still, it’s been a while,” Zef mused, changing the subject. “Heck of a coincidence, running into you on the edge of the continent!”

Distracted by Zef’s casual attitude, Mira ignored Flicker’s gaze and answered, “Indeed, it has. I’m glad you’re all…in such high spirits?”

After the first minor disaster, the four shared a happy reunion. Flicker was uncharacteristically obedient, perhaps because she’d finally gotten a dose of Vitamin Mira. But that didn’t quench the flame still burning in her eyes as she gazed at the small summoner.

“Since we’re all here, how about you come eat with us, Mira? The captain’s here too,” Zef offered.

Perhaps it was natural for rare meetings to lead to meals together, but Flicker’s desperate look seemed a little too impure. Still, running into friends in far-off lands and enjoying their company was one of the many perks of adventuring.

“Of course. You don’t get opportunities like this often,” Mira happily agreed. Besides, she had something she wanted to discuss with Cyril.