Chapter 262 - What If (10)

Ekua watched the departing figure. The wheat-colored hair tied loosely back looked a little unfamiliar, but that was all. The upright resolve in that straight back was no different than before. Though his appearance had changed and his distinguishing features were hidden, he was still the knight they knew.

He probably always would be.

【So, are you truly not going to show yourself, even now?】

[Hmph.]

And this creature who refused to be honest would remain their eternal pillar of support as well. Ekua chuckled at the turtle creeping out onto the Mountain Lord's back.

[Why should I bother showing myself for him?]

【You aren't very honest either, Yukkwi. Not after everything you did to make things easier for him.】

[No, that was...]

[Hehe. Why not just say goodbye? Who knows when you'll see him again?]

Yukkwi snorted at the Mountain Lord's remark.

[Why would I see him again?]

Both Ekua and the Mountain Lord knew perfectly well that he didn't mean it. They laughed again.

[So you're never going to see him again?]

[No. Never. I've done more than enough for him. Why see him again?]

[Yet you blessed his items?]

[Oh, come on. I only did that so the money wouldn't go to waste.]

Well now. If one were to list the things worthless to Yukkwi or the Mountain Lord, human currency would rank quite high.

And even if Yukkwi truly hated to waste money, it could hardly compare to the power he had only just recovered. In other words, unless he was thinking of the recipient, he had no reason to expend that hard-won power on a blessing.

So Ekua concluded that Yukkwi was lying, and smiled quietly.

[What are you smiling about?]

【I generally do smile...】

[Why, you little brat.]

Oh, of course, that didn't mean he would say something like 【You're not being honest.】 again.

Indeed, why tell Yukkwi everything on his mind when even a smile made him angry? Ekua had no intention of asking for a beating.

[Ugh, honestly. And I can't even punish you.]

Well, it seemed the turtle had already read all his thoughts from that smile alone.

In perfect conspiracy, the Mountain Lord and Ekua grinned again.

[But what blessing did you give them, exactly?]

[... None of your business!]

[Pleeease.]

[Ugh, you're unbearable.]

At the Mountain Lord's wheedling, Yukkwi spat and slowly huddled up. Despite everything he had said, his gaze remained fixed in the direction the knight had gone.

[... Durability that will not crumple beneath a mighty mountain, buckle in the deep sea, or melt in lava.]

[... Oh?]

[That's all I gave them.]

As expected, however much he pretended otherwise, Yukkwi cared for the knight. From hinting to the Mountain Lord to bring him food to spending his power to ensure those two items would never break, no matter what happened.

[That's an amazing blessing! You really do like Sir Knight, Ancestor—ow!]

[I've let you off a few times, and now you just keep getting cheekier!]

[Ah, no lifting my scales! No lifting my scales!!]

Ekua smiled brightly at the squabbling pair. It really did feel good to know that someone he liked was loved by others, too.

[Waaah. You always pick on me...]

[You're asking for it.]

[Waaaaah.]

May only good fortune follow that man from now on. May the world bless him.

Praying to fate, Ekua turned away. It was time to go back.

* * *

"Ha! Finally, I can breathe!"

Murloc, the Fierce White Wind, stretched, holding down his enormously wide-brimmed hat.

"I know..."

The head Mage, who had become his accomplice by following him rather than stopping his escape, felt much the same. Instead of stretching, the Mage covered his mouth with both hands, his entire body expressing his emotion. One would think the sunlight and breeze against his skin were a sublime honor.

"People need a little sunshine in their lives."

"Absolutely. Absolutely."

"I love money as much as anyone, but being locked in a tiny room for more than ten days is simply impossible!"

"Hear, hear!"

Anyone who heard what they had been through would understand their reaction. The flood of item commissions had kept the two of them underground for no fewer than twenty days. Even after all that time, commissions were still piled high, with at least another ten days of confinement awaiting them.

"Now, onward! Onward, to get a blanket of my very own!!"

"Onwaa ard!!"

But did it make any sense for a person to spend a total of thirty days underground?

White Wind, at least, could not accept it. The head Mage, imprisoned alongside him as his assistant, felt the same. They needed freedom. The freedom to get some fresh air, to buy one of the blankets that had begun trending in the Magic Tower. Things like that.

"By the way, where did they say they sell those blankets?"

Perhaps being buried in work was to blame, but he couldn't remember their destination. At White Wind's question, the head Mage following him tripped over a stone.

"... The Chiriti Trading Company."

"Ah, right. I must be getting old. I keep forgetting things like that lately."

Well... if his memory really was deteriorating with age, wouldn't he forget the list of four thousand magical ingredients circulating within the Magic Tower first? The head Mage thought so, but saw no need to say it. White Wind was the sort of person who would reply, "Aren't you just stupid?"

"Hmm. More importantly, if we're going to the Chiriti Trading Company... we can see that cute little kid, too!"

"Cute little kid?"

"You know, the child I agreed to look after."

The client might have become a wanted man, but that was no excuse to pretend nothing had happened and abandon the commission. Not with the amount of money he had received—or, more precisely, the other party had declined to accept.

"Judging by the regular reports, she's doing quite well, though."

The Demon Knight had only asked him to keep an eye out until she could stand on her own, not to keep her under surveillance, so he didn't know the finer details of her daily life. Besides, rather than invoke the Magic Tower's name when getting her a position at the company, he had gone through an acquaintance of an acquaintance of an acquaintance. He didn't really have a channel for getting news.

Still, he had occasionally sent errand runners to check on her, and the child remained cheerful and energetic. After he invested a little in the company under his own name, her food, clothing, and living conditions seemed to have improved considerably as well. Naturally, it was fortunate that the head of the trading company cared about employee welfare.

Surely that meant he hadn't taken the fee for nothing? The child had settled in so well that White Wind hadn't needed to do much, but even so.

"If I give her some pocket money, that should keep me from losing face, shouldn't it?"

"Depends on how much you give her, doesn't it?"

"I'm earning plenty these days. I'll give her about five hundred thousand gal."

His only problem was having no time to spend it. With the increased commissions and soaring item prices, his fortune kept growing. Under those circumstances, what was five hundred thousand gal out of his own pocket? Selling just one item would bring in twice that much.

"Only five hundred thousand gal?"

"I'd like to give her a million, but I think she'd refuse that much because she'd feel indebted."

"That's true."

Even five hundred thousand gal was an enormous amount for pocket money... but they could at least insist she take that much. Unfamiliar with ordinary people's living expenses, the Mages entertained such thoughts without a care.

"Come on out!!"

By then, they had arrived at the Chiriti Trading Company's building. An excited White Wind kicked the door open and bellowed. His robes, marking him as a Mage, billowed, and the people inside scrambled in panic. Even amid that confusion, their bows and shouted greetings were almost instinctive.

"Never mind the greetings. I'm here to commission a patterned blanket."

"Y-yes!"

"Oh, right. I hear you have an employee from the Great Forest. Could you call her over, too? I have some questions about the forest."

"Yes. I'll bring her at once."

It wasn't that he didn't know Akata's name, but mentioning it here would only put her in an awkward position. So White Wind had her summoned as though they were strangers.

"I'll show you to the reception room."

"Very well."

Fortunately, the employees seemed to have fallen for that flimsy pretense. Having barely collected themselves, they led the way.

JINGLE.

Around then, the entrance White Wind and the head Mage had passed through opened again. The newcomer appeared to be a customer. "What brings you here?" An available employee moved to attend to him.

"Wow."

"What is it?"

Of course, another customer's arrival was no reason for White Wind or the head Mage to take an interest. He was just someone passing through, after all.

"Oh, it's just that the man who came in is incredibly tall."

But the newcomer's size was too striking to ignore. The head Mage marveled, and White Wind turned to look.

"You rarely see someone that tall among the Middle race. He's practically a head above everyone else."

"..."

A physique like that wasn't merely a matter of individual luck. Unless he had some trait that allowed him to keep growing into adulthood, someone raised in a family without enough to eat could hardly grow that large.

Moreover, the head Mage could already see two magical tools on him: silver-rimmed glasses and an ear cuff on one ear. Without a closer look, he couldn't tell what kind of magical items they were, but owning them alone meant the man was no ordinary person.

"A mercenary? But he doesn't have a weapon..."

Still, the cloak concealing his figure made it difficult to be certain he was a fighter. Especially since there was no weapon hanging from his back or waist.

On the contrary, the combination of soft wheat-colored hair, gentle green eyes, pale skin, and glasses even suggested a sheltered scholar who had spent his entire life studying. The young man was difficult to place in many ways.

"... Thirty years."

But the head Mage could pursue the thought no further. Beside him, the Great Sage was trembling and muttering something incomprehensible.

The head Mage was bewildered.

"Great Sage?"

White Wind didn't even seem to hear him. His trembling intensified as the new customer gave the employee attending him a radiant smile.

The Great Sage clenched his fists.

"If only I were thirty years younger!"

"Pardon?"

"I'd ask him on a date this instant!!"

Ah. Right. This was the man who was always going on about his preference for beauties with a simple, wildflower-like air. The head Mage's gaze turned thoroughly unimpressed.

* * *

"I'd ask him on a date this instant!!"

That startled me. I flinched at the sudden shout, then was startled all over again when I saw who it came from. Why was White Wind here?

"Yes, yes. Let's go."

"No, no, no! Even if I can't date him, there's no harm in looking! You don't see beauties like that every day!!"

"You're being a nuisance, Great Sage."

"No, my beautyyyy!!"

But, thank goodness, White Wind didn't seem to recognize me.

I scratched my cheek awkwardly. I might have been all but forced to accept them... but the glasses and ear cuff certainly worked well. Unconsciously, I touched the frames. Somehow, the cool metal felt warm.

"Haha... So, who were you looking for?"

"Ah, I heard a child named Akata was here..."

"Oh, Akata."

In any case, I still had something to do here. Resolving to leave as quickly as possible so I wouldn't run into White Wind, I asked for Akata.

"I'm sorry. Someone else has already asked to see her..."

"... Is that so?"

But that plan hit a snag. Someone had gotten here first.

"What sort of work does she do that someone else is already here to see her...?"

"Until recently, she mostly made deliveries, but the head of the company gave her a special assignment, so she's giving that priority."

"Nothing dangerous, I hope?"

"Of course not."

Since it was a special assignment, I probably wouldn't be able to hear the details.

But if the company head was entrusting work to her personally, her standing here couldn't be bad. The employee's face was full of fondness when speaking of her, too, so she didn't seem to be ostracized.

On top of that, customers were asking to see her. Surely I could take that as a sign she was steadily making her way toward success.

"Then... could I ask you another favor?"

The thought stirred something in me. All I had done for her was offer a little support—and even that I'd left in someone else's hands—yet that alone filled me with a curious sense of pride.

"That would depend on the favor..."

"I've been asked to deliver something to Akata, but I need to leave right away. Would that be difficult, too?"

"Oh, that wouldn't be difficult at all."

Still, it would be strange not to feel proud of children making their way forward.

Gladly accepting the pride welling up inside me, I handed the employee the bundle I was carrying. The employee glanced inside the basket and raised an eyebrow slightly.

"What name should I give her?"

"Ah, well..."

My gaze followed the employee's into the basket. Soft, fine threads in all sorts of colors, bought at the same shop I had visited before.

"The thread bracelet. Tell her I'm sorry I lost it, and she'll understand."

I'd bought them because I didn't know what else to give her, but I hoped she would like them anyway. Making thread bracelets had seemed to be her hobby.

"Thank you for agreeing to help. I'm sorry for the trouble."

Even if it wasn't... surely she'd put them to good use? With that hope, I moved my lips.

I had spent so long keeping my face rigid that smiling had actually started to feel awkward... but at least it probably didn't look strange. The employee smiled back, and there was no trace of "What's wrong with him?" in those eyes.

JINGLE.

All right. Time to go.

With the employee seeing me off, I left the building. I was a little disappointed not to have seen Akata, but relieved at the same time.

After all, how was I supposed to act if I met her looking like this? The disguise alone was already out of character. If I showed her my real personality on top of that, I might blow her mind.

But playing my original persona while disguised would be odd, too. As I'd just said, the disguise itself was out of character.

In that case, perhaps it was better to miss each other like this.

With those thoughts, I retraced my steps. I'd stay here for the night and start following the Demon Knight's past tomorrow.

"I suppose I'll start with Chechebator in Manhafelt, since it's closest..."

The first step in that search would be the eastern Knight Academies. If it was true that the Demon Knight's swordsmanship showed eastern training—formal training, at that—and his family really had been knights, that was where the most traces of him would remain.

Is It a Problem If the Protagonist Is a Roleplay Fanatic? (Serial)

Author │ Hae Inseol

Publisher │ Kim Juhyeong

Publishing Company │ Jple Media Co., Ltd.

Marketing │ Han Jaehyeok

Address │ Suite 204, 288 Digital-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong, Daeryung Post Tower 1)

Email │ [email protected]

Website │ http://blog.naver.com/jayplemedia1

ⓒ Hae Inseol 2022

※ This work is published by Jple Media Co., Ltd. under contract with the copyright holder. No part of its contents may be used in any form or by any means without permission from the company and the author.

Violations may result in criminal and civil liability.