Chapter 52: Adviser and Student and Adventurer
I am currently holding a face-to-face with the servants who want to come along with Irudo and Mora.
“Since our job is to serve Danna-sama and Ojou-sama. It doesn’t matter to us where they go, we will follow.”
“Of course, Wizard-sama will become our Oodanna-sama, so we will also serve you to our utmost.”
(T/N: Whereas Danna in this context means ‘master,’ Oodanna means ‘great master.’ As in, they acknowledge him as the highest authority, since he is the master of their master.)
This smiling couple in the prime of their lives who are bowing to me are Sam and Anna.
They are the ones who had been accompanying Mora the time of our reunion at the city gate. They are the most senior among all the servants, hearkening from Irudo’s father’s time, and are the indispensable main force behind all of the mansion’s housework and miscellaneous tasks.
“It'll be my first time working at a castle, but I’ve give it my all.”
The young man with sparkling eyes and a good physique is Zek.
He, too, is the son of a servant couple who had been with Irudo's family since many long years ago. He is proficient at servicing the carriages used in caravans as well as making repairs to the mansion.
“It will indeed be a completely different environment. Though the change might require some effort getting used to, I place myself in your care.”
In addition to Irudo and Mora, these three people’s lives are now also riding on my shoulders.
Feeling the pressure of that great weight, I naturally found myself bowing deeply before I knew it.
♥♦♣♠
For the moment, that’s enough personnel to handle the interior workings of the castle.
With that out of my mind, I can now focus on the handing off of the former magic soldier trainees.
Me taking over their custody is due to the arrangement that I had discussed with the Magician’s Guild.
In exchange for having them give up on training magic soldiers and letting the trainees go, I have to teach them how to make golems. Furthermore, for those who want to come to my place but lack the aptitude, I also need to secure their employment at the Carbanera Knight Order or anywhere else they wish to go.
Among the 18 3rd generation trainees, only 3 asked to receive training from me at Jiiteias Castle.
There’s Log, that boy who acted like the leader of the 3rd Gens, and his follower and friend Teru. Then there’s Daya, who wants to bring down the Shadow Demons that killed her father.
To be honest, I’m slightly relieved at the low number, because I don’t know for sure whether or not I can really teach Sedians how to make golems.
In regards to the remaining 15, 7 wanted to join the Carbanera Knight Order, and the 8 others wanted to return to a normal life. The latter I entrusted with the Council Chairman, who found merchants and craftsmen able and willing to take them in. As for the former, I will be temporarily bringing them to Jiiteias Castle also, while I find time to go to White Sword Castle in person to host negotiations.
“To think that there really were Demonists within Lelis…… We of the Magician’s Guild will also have to give thought to our own countermeasures on this issue.”
So said Heldol, guildmaster of the Magician’s Guild, Lelis branch when I paid him a formal visit. As always, his hostility against me is still alive and well on the flip side of that handsome face of his. However, there have been so many changes recently that there’s no time to worry about that.
“There really isn’t much that I can do against such people. Although this might be a burden, I wish to entrust this to the Magician’s Guild, who will always be standing beside the people of this town.”
“...... And such is only natural. From now on, don’t think that you’ll be able to continue monopolizing the spotlight.”
There was strength in his reply and his handshake. That strength made me think that, his feelings towards me aside, I can really trust this man in regards to his vigilance and sense of responsibility against Shadow Demons.
“Oh right, which reminds me. In regards to the magician that we are going to dispatch from our guild to learn those golem production techniques……”
♥♦♣♠
“So it really is you.”
“Why do you sound so matter-of-fact about it?!”
As expected, it’s Claura.
With her usual wavy blond hair, almond-shaped green eyes, and great style. She is a magician (a profession worthy of high esteem by this world’s standards), and she’s the daughter of a Count.
Having a girl with such high specs officially staying under the same roof with me would undoubtedly be something to be happy about.
However, it’s just that she is the person closest to me from the Magician’s Guild, so there isn’t even a shred of the element of surprise about this selection.
Whereas it was exactly as I had expected, frankly speaking, I find myself also a tiny bit disappointed.
“I bet you wanted someone submissive like those dark elves, didn’t you? Having pretty and loyal servants kneel to you must have felt quite satis-”
“No, it’s the opposite.”
“-fying…… Eh?”
Indeed I am both glad and thankful for the dark elves swearing loyalty to me.
But.
“No matter how much I act as a Great Wizard, you and Sedam would never just follow my instructions blindly, right? What I really need from here on are such ‘collaborators’ who would give me their frank advice and honest opinion.”
If there are only people like the dark elves around me as I walk this path that I am on, I can say with certainty that I will ruin myself. Having someone who isn’t afraid of my power and who would point out my mistakes to me is highly important to me.
Which is why I think it very appropriate that she join me not as a subordinate, but with the standing of an outsider.
I think she understood everything that I’m trying to convey.
Looking bewildered, her eyes dart all around.
“A-, actually, I don’t really, er, mind, kne-, that’s, I mean……”
“Nn? What?”
Her face is uncharacteristically red and she is mumbling unintelligently to herself. I try to peer into her face to see what’s wrong.
“Not that I didn’t think about it! I approve of the way you think!”
“Uoh…… wait a-”
She suddenly brings her face up, causing our noses to be almost touching.
When I try to draw my head back, her hands shoot out and firmly grasp my collar, stopping me from doing so.
“For the next while, I will be stationed at the castle as a trainee from the Magician’s Guild as well as your magic adviser. If I ever catch you being silly like you always are, I’ll make sure to give you a thorough scolding. Prepare yourself!”
“Now that’s the Claura I know. I’ll be in your care.”
When she stares straight at me with her usual proud attitude, I think her very beautiful. If only I was 10 or 15 years younger, or if she was older, I might actually have felt conscious about it.
That aside, I can’t help but to smile a little at the very Claura-like response.
“Wha-, close! You’re way too close!”
“Okay, you’ve got to be able to see how unreasonable that complaint is, right?”
After that, I was immediately slapped with a lecture on ‘proper etiquette towards noble-like ladies.’
♥♦♣♠
Despite her official standing as an outsider, Claura has properly become my nakama.
Which means that now I should go talk to the other person that I really want to join me.
So thinking, I went to…… Sedam the adventurer’s house.
“It’s the real Wizard-sama!”
“You beat all the Shadow Demons together with Dad, is that true?”
“We want to see a meteor!”
“Oh, please pardon the cramped space. To think that you would come all the way here in person……”
A completely unexpected scenery greeted me at Sedam’s place.
The building itself is a pretty generic 3 storey house from among the relatively richer citizens.
But the three children running around making the place feel even more cramped, and the beautiful lady gallantly trying to take care of them……
“I’m really sorry for saying this, but this I did not see coming.”
“Yea, I get told that often.”
I had totally expected him to live in some removed hut inside the forest, or at least be single. But here he is, smiling wryly at me.
I mean, he did mention that he’s now 32, so it shouldn’t be surprisingly for him to have a wife, but……
Now it somehow it feels hard to broach the subject.
“I already heard from Irudo. You’ve come to invite me to be your nakama, right?”
“Quick on the uptake as ever……”
“I’m fine with it.”
It seems that rather than just waiting for my visit, he’s already been giving the idea some thought. His wife and kids are not particularly raising a fuss about it (well, his kids are raising a fuss, just not about this).
“Are you sure you’re not being a bit hasty with your decision? I mean, you’ve a family and all……”
“My wife is totally fine with it. Of course, they can’t head over right now, but please think about making it so that my whole family can live there together within the next five years.”
“That’s something that I would have done even had you not requested it. Very well. I still don’t know what shape or form it will take, but I promise to arrange everything as soon as I can to make the place hospitable enough for entire families to stay together.”
Once I sort out the living environment over at Jiiteias Castle, then I might be able to call them over even before the 5 years are up.
“That would be a great help. By the way, what will my position be?”
“It’d be bad for you if you don’t get your salary, right? Which is why on paper, you will be an adventurer that I’m hiring for the while. However, I personally will be treating you as a ‘collaborator’ with equal authority as myself.”
Just like with Claura, what I hope for from Sedam is someone to keep watch over me so that I don’t grow self-conceited. Unfortunately, in his case, my only way to keep him on is by being his employer, but I doubt he’ll let that affect him much, for which I am grateful.
“Now that’s quite some role indeed. But well, no problem, I’ll take it on. Oh, one more thing. I actually have another request.”
“I’ll give it every bit of consideration that I can.”
“This one is just like a little extra something, since it’s related to my dream……”
“Dream?”
Hearing this extremely practical and logical person bring up such a word caused me to tilt my head in bewilderment.
“Don’t laugh, alright? So, my dad was actually a relatively famous scholar from Shulendal.”
“Hou, is that so. I can totally see it.”
That explains his un-ranger-like breadth of knowledge. Since he must have grown up in a house littered with books and scrolls all over.
“Now he’s already dead, but there was something that he was searching for throughout his entire life. To be honest, the reason why I became an adventurer was also to look for that thing.”
“What is it? It sounds like something quite amazing.”
"Amazing? I mean, yea, I suppose it is, but……”
After Claura, now I get to see an unexpected side to Sedam too. He is embarrassedly scratching his head.
“Its name is Kadol Bruez [Library of the Age of the Gods]. It was built by the first people who came to Sedia, and is the repository where all the knowledge about the beginning of the world is stored. Of course, the official opinion of the academic world is that it doesn’t exist.”
“But you believe that it does, don’t you.”
“I’m not sure, to be honest. But it’s just that if either of us ever come across information related to it…… I want to ask for your help with looking into it. Can I ask this of you?”
From his facial expression, it seems that even he does not fully expect to find this Kadol Bruez place. The fact that he is bringing it up must mean that he hopes my wizardry may turn up something, which in turn means that there really is a part of him who still yearns for the thrill of chasing a dream.
“I give you my word. We’ll definitely find it, some day.”
“Ye-, yea.”
To my ears, it sounded more like I was just asked to ‘find it and search for the mystery of this world.” Although it hasn’t come to my mind much recently, this might also give me a hint in regards to the intentions of the ‘The Guardian’ entity who transferred me here.
I was apparently a bit too enthusiastic while promising to search for Kadol Bruez, to the point where even Sedam drew back a bit. But regardless, we still exchanged a firm handshake over it.
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