WETRIED TRANSLATIONS
Is It Bad That the Main Character’s a Roleplayer?
[Translator – Aren]
◈ Chapter 350 I Shall Convey it to God (8)
Wise Golden Wind. At the sound of a title she had left behind in the distant past, the Archmage closed her eyes for a moment. Perhaps time had taken some of the pain from her, because her heart was not shaken nearly as much as she had expected.
She quickly opened her eyes again.
"So much time has already passed. It’s been a long while.”
"Hmm…looks like you’re doing better now.”
"They say time is the best medicine.”
Still, that nasty habit of his hadn’t changed. Deliberately poking at scars when he knew they were there.
"So, what brings you to my Magic Tower?”
But she knew by now that it wasn’t born from malice. His personality was simply rotten to the core.
"There is something I wish to find."
So, rather than reacting as sharply as she had in the past, the Archmage explained why she had come.
"Merciless Bitter Wind’s research material. You must have taken some of them away, no? I won’t blame you for it, so lend them to me for a little while.”
It was time to recover the knowledge buried beneath the ashes.
* * *
“You mean we’re supposed to go by ourselves?”
That evening, the Archmage, who returned later than anyone else, dropped a shocking statement on us. “I believe I will need to remain in this city for a while.” Even if she intended to rejoin us later, that still meant she was leaving the party for the time being.
“C-can we really manage by ourselves?”
“What would stop us?”
Well, that was true. People climbed Mount Everest back on Earth without the use of magic, so there was no way this journey would suddenly become impossible just because the Archmage wasn’t with us.
“But if that happens, then we……”
Still, it was true that the Archmage leaving gave us more things to worry about. Losing her didn’t simply mean losing one person. It also meant losing all the magic she had been providing us.
Things like warming spells, tracking spells, alarm spells, barrier spells, and even her subspace magic.
“Please don’t worry too much. I’ve already arranged for a wizard and some items to take my place. I’m told the wizard knows the Norda region inside and out, so they’ll probably be far more useful than I would be.”
I guess that was reassuring. The Archmage had already considered the effects her absence would have. The fact that she had found a substitute wizard was proof enough of that.
"Still……”
Of course, that alone wasn’t enough to erase all that shock. The Inquisitor’s confused reaction made that more than obvious.
She stiffened like a puppy whose owner had vanished from sight.
"It'll be alright, Inquisitor. Haven't you done well until now?”
"......"
The Archmage reassured her a couple of times, making her settle down a little…but still, did it really have to be now?
Thinking of the crying I had occasionally heard in the early hours of the morning, I opened my mouth.
"Madam Archmage, is this a decision you made after considering everything?”
Even I had heard it all the way from a different tent, so there was no way the Archmage hadn’t. The Inquisitor was strong, but there were still parts of her that needed looking after.
"...I can’t say I’m entirely sure. But…I believe this is something that absolutely must be done… if we’re to reach the end of this journey.”
If she had still made this decision despite that, then she must have had a good reason. I gave her a slight nod at the Archmage’s answer.
"I’ll respect your decision, Madam Archmage.”
Come to think of it, this might actually be the only time we could do this.
Once their business in Norda was over, Meister and I would be leaving the party. The Archmage wouldn’t be able to disappear as well.
"...I’m sorry. I was trying not to burden you.”
"It doesn’t really burden me.”
"Even so……”
"It’s really fine.”
And would the Archmage's absence really make things that hard for me? Not really.
Even putting aside the conveniences her magic granted us… The Inquisitor wasn’t the sort of person who required constant special care.
At least, the person she was now wasn’t.
"More importantly, I think we should check the wizard who’ll be replacing you.”
It would probably be fine. I dropped a piece of candy in front of the face that kept switching between concern and determination. It was a maple syrup candy I’d impulsively bought earlier while I was out shopping for a dagger.
"Oh. Thank you.”
The Inquisitor popped one into her mouth, her cheeks turning faintly pink. I had given her two more.
"Troublemaker, you have one too.”
"...Y-You’re giving me one too?”
"Meister, would you like one as well?”
"I’m good. You should have it, Hero.”
"Inquisitor Daniel……?”
"I’m fine too.”
I’d bought quite a few, so I could give them more if they wanted.
I met their eyes and found a certain lukewarm reluctance there. ‘If we’re going to steal someone’s candy, we should at least steal from an adult. How could we take it from kids…?’ That was the kind of expression they were making.
I should give those guys one each later too.
"Then you should have the last one, Madame Archmage!”
"I’m fine, so you should have it, Inquisitor……”
"I can’t have two when everyone should only get one! That wouldn’t be fair!”
Anyway, the awkward leftover piece ended up going to the Archmage. The Inquisitor’s eyes were sparkling far too brightly, and her sense of fairness was too earnest for the Archmage to bring herself to refuse.
"Back on topic, how capable is this wizard?”
"Actually…I haven’t met that wizard myself yet. Apparently, because of certain circumstances, I won’t be able to see them until tomorrow morning.”
"...We’re supposed to leave tomorrow morning.”
As the Archmage spoke while holding her candy, Meister raised an eyebrow in disbelief. It was a fair question.
"Are you sure they’re actually any good?”
"According to the person who introduced them.”
"Personally, I can’t think of many things more foolish than trusting a northern wizard.”
Though, in a way, finding a replacement wizard in a single day was impressive enough already……
Considering the goal of this journey, someone whose skill and reliability weren’t guaranteed would be worse than having no one at all.
I didn’t agree with Meister’s prejudiced view, but I did agree that his concerns were valid.
"I personally don’t care what kind of person this wizard is. But since we’re transporting something important, I think we should be a bit more careful.”
Strictly speaking, this request wasn’t really my business…but with the safety of mankind at stake, I couldn’t just stand by and ignore it either. In the worst case, I could just go home, but these people had to keep living in this world.
When I subtly pointed that out, the Archmage accepted it without resistance. “That’s true.” It was the nod of someone who had already expected this conversation.
"That’s why I said earlier that I arranged both a wizard and supplies.”
"...We’re allowed to turn the wizard down?”
"Indeed."
"Then, well…”
Ah, so we didn’t absolutely have to take anyone with us. In that case, this might be fine. We could meet them tomorrow and refuse if they seemed completely unsuitable.
"Inquisitor.”
"Yes?"
"You’re the one making the decision, aren’t you?”
Of course, everything so far was just my opinion. I had no idea what the Inquisitor thought. I glanced over at the young woman who had done nothing but quietly chew on her candy.
Her clear eyes blankly stared back at me.
"Aah, I think that sounds fine too.”
"...I’m saying this just in case, but don't simply follow whatever we decide. Form your own opinion properly. Taking advice from the people around you and being swayed by everyone else’s opinions are two different things.”
"Ah."
Looking back at how things had gone until now, the Inquisitor made the decisions when it came to major incidents, but with smaller matters, she often got swept along by our opinions.
But how was that normal? The true core of this party, and the person who ultimately had to lead it, was the Inquisitor.
Nothing was forcing me to leave it alone because of my character concept anymore, and it wasn’t like I didn't realize what was happening. It was time to fix it. At my remark, the Inquisitor straightened her posture.
"Then…before I decide, Madame Archmage, did the person who introduced this wizard say anything else about them?”
"They said the wizard knows far more about magic compared to the number of spells they can actually use. Apparently, their Arcane Power reserves are rather low for a wizard.”
"...Doesn’t that mean they’re not very good?”
"Ah, I was assured there was no need to worry about that. Since they can use a limited number of spells, they trained extensively in swordsmanship instead. Apparently, they can beat most mercenaries even without magic.”
"Eh......?"
"They took advantage of the fact that the more Arcane Power one possesses, the harder it becomes to control the body. Considering how much rougher the terrain will become as you head north, they may actually be more useful than I am.”
True… at that level, they probably wouldn’t be a burden. Frankly, even slightly rough terrain was enough for the Archmage to have trouble keeping up. There had been plenty of times when that slowed down our journey.
"...If we don't need to worry about them physically, they certainly sound easier to travel with. But if they can only use a few spells, doesn’t that make them kind of lacking as a wizard? It feels like setting the cart before the horse.”
However, that alone wasn’t enough reason to take them. There was no point bringing along a wizard who couldn’t fulfill their role as a wizard.
"They can use the support spells I’ve been using throughout the journey. That’s why I suggested them.”
"I see."
Ah, so they can sue all the support spells? That changed things. It wasn’t like we’d need large-scale magic very often just to travel anyway…… And the request we were carrying out didn’t exactly seem likely to lead to us fighting.
"Is there any chance the person who introduced them was lying?”
"As a person, they’re not exactly the sort one would call trustworthy…but they’re also not someone who would lie about something like this. You can trust their assessment of that wizard’s abilities.”
"In that case…I don’t think there’s any harm in meeting them at least. The difference between traveling with a wizard and without one is enormous, after all. Still, since we know nothing about them, we should be cautious. I think it would be best to meet them and test the waters a bit.”
I supposed being naive because you haven’t seen much of the world really is different from being stupid. I watched the Inquisitor calmly lay out her reasoning with satisfaction. Whoever raised our seedling to grow so well did a damn good job.
"Considering when we’re leaving, you won’t have much time to test things out. How are you planning to do it?”
I vigorously ruffled the Inquisitor’s hair inside my head while actually handing her a few more candies, then tossed her a test question.
The Inquisitor, her cheeks stuffed with candy like a hamster’s, blinked a couple of times before answering.
"We should at least determine what kind of person they are, so I'll need to prepare questions for that. And even if their character is acceptable, there’s no reason to take them if they lack the ability. We should also watch them use several spells so we can judge their skill. Ah. I don’t know much about magic myself, so I think I’ll need Madame Archmage and Sir Meister’s help with that part.”
The Inquisitor stopped midway through speaking and asked for help. She clearly recognized what was outside of her ability, admitted it, and asked others to fill the gap. Truly excellent.
"Of course, Meister, if that would be difficult for you, you don’t have to—”
"Me? What about me? I can do that much, okay?”
Probably unintentionally, she even managed to provoke Meister’s pride enough to make him volunteer immediately. Perfect. Though I did wonder whether Meister, who seemed to have some kind of trauma involving this city and its wizards, was really alright with it.
"Is that all?”
"It would be good if we could hear what people around them think as well…but given how late it is, that may be difficult. Instead, tomorrow morning…Troublemaker, I’d like you to help. You should be able to pick up several pieces of information even in that short amount of time, right?”
"O-Of course.”
"However, the people who can answer will probably be wizards…so just in case, I would like Inquisitor Daniel to follow the troublemaker. Adventurer, you’re more capable of dealing with danger yourself, but…separate from your ability, you also possess certain traits that might attract those wizards' curiosity.”
"Don’t worry.”
More importantly, she was actually pretty damn good at dividing up the work and assigning people, huh?
I was impressed by how well she matched everyone to their strengths. Our Inquisitor had this much talent, and I never even noticed.
"And as for the item we’re transporting…the target…if you don’t mind, Adventurer, I’d like you to take it on.”
"...Me?”
"Yes."
Okay, but even so, isn’t this a bit much? I’m proud of her, and our Inquisitor is doing a great job, but……!
"First of all, the items Madame Archmage arranged for us were provided by the Magic Tower here, correct?”
"That’s right."
"That’s why. Since there’s no way Madame Archmage found a wizard somewhere other than the Magic Tower, that person will ultimately belong to the Tower as well…if the wizard introduced by the Tower has malicious intentions, then we can’t necessarily trust the items the Tower provided either.”
"That’s…true.”
"So it would be safer to store it using an item or ability we already had to begin with…and among our group, only Madame Archmage and you, Adventurer, possess subspace storage.”
"...That’s also true."
"And even setting the subspace issue aside, I think it would be best for Adventurer to hold it for protection. No matter how capable that wizard turns out to be, I can’t imagine anyone defeating you.”
Her logic was incredibly sound, so I couldn’t even argue. “F…ine. I’ll take it.” With all the enthusiasm of someone swallowing mustered through tears, I accepted the corpse into my inventory.
For some reason, the candy in the Inquisitor’s hand suddenly looked really annoying.
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