The World Stage (4)

The silence was deafening, imposing a sense of finality that made it difficult to speak up. At least for me, had I still not been reeling over Elvira’s appearance. It was impossible to describe how off putting it was, seeing familiar mannerisms in a foreign body. But Maeva’s father…

“Uh, so what’s all this supposed to mean?”

“Hmm? Oh right. You have absolutely no idea what I’m talking about,” Elvira nodded her head, as if understanding something that he didn’t just blatantly state.

“Is that a bad thing?” he questioned cautiously.

“No, it’s fine. Honestly, it shouldn’t matter to any one of you. The only reason I explained that much anyway is because Mr. Thinker over here won’t be satisfied by half answers. He’d rather have all the knowledge or be purposely oblivious.”

I don’t need you pointing that out! But honestly, that explanation was hysterical. Or perhaps the correct word was unbelievable. A planet orbiting two dwarf stars? All countries in the middle of a cold war with each other? It sounded like a video game, one trying to graft itself onto reality, rather than another world.

Honestly, her scientific knowledge seemed far too advanced as well, but I couldn’t confirm whether those were the exact words she said. Everything I heard was subconsciously translated through mana, picking and choosing the words to best help me understand the context. It was a requirement back in my old world as spellcasters often worked with foreign ones. If I consciously turned it off, then–

“Zcezz xGfk! Bzlhz shlfs fvhai ziufs befih ichef svpfv h!”

“Gehfb htfel azdsv zaahb b. Fuh rzpsz izmbh uwjsv rzpum zroujhsa?”

Yeah, it sounded like gibberish. Or maybe it was some affine cipher.

Actually, are they even talking? I do not see their lips moving.

“Ah, right. I need to pay you two for your hard work. It’s been about four hours?”

“Five hours, dad.”

“Right, five hours. Well, two hundred sounds reasonable for that long.”

“...huh?” Did I hear that right?

“Two hundred? Sounds good,” Elvira agreed, though it didn’t look like she cared all that much. Wait, that’s not important.

“Hold on a second. That’s way too much!” Even I knew about the horrors of the food industry, at least from streams. Five hours of work barely netted fifty at an average eatery, and this was four times that!

“Why are you complaining about more pay? Are you stupid?”

“Uh… well… good point.” I shut my trap and figuratively sat back down. My mouth moved faster than my brain. Why shouldn’t I be happy about more money? I was literally looking for exactly that.

“Ha ha. I do agree it’s a bit on the higher side, but your recipe is the boom that caused this.”

“Plus, four hundred reales is nothing compared to how much we made,” Maeva laughed greedily.

…why did I complain again?

“Also, would you both mind helping out around the same time for the next few days, at least until we hire a few servers and kitchen staff. Same pay, of course."

…seriously, why in the world would I complain about this?

“Sure.” “Sounds good.”

“Huh? Don’t you have a store to run?” I asked Elvira.

“What of it?” She tilted her head as if genuinely confused by my question.

“You have to work there. At the place you own.”

“And? What’s your point?”

“...never mind.” She wasn’t making sense, and she was making me believe I wasn’t making sense. So, I just dropped it. Her whims and woes didn’t matter to me.

We finished eating our omelets – well, Elvira fed me mine in the most annoying way possible – as Maeva and Elvira talked about some fashion tips I would never understand. I then returned to my room for the night, ready to pass out in the hotel bed. Well, returned as in dragged up the most humiliating way possible, and I was conscious for it this time. I was too tired to care: eggs, wars, and kidnappings were too much for a single day.

Like before, my room was black, only the faintest bit illuminated from the light of the brow-gray dwarf. It still wasn’t enough to see, but apparently, as I found out a few minutes ago, everyone carried around lanterns for that reason. They were typically lit with candles, but spellstones had become more popular due to the inherent mana all humans were born with in this world. I’ll have to buy one of those before I leave the capital.

“Have a wonderful night, O Jester.”

“Get out of here Elvira.” The light from the hallway disappeared as she closed the door shut. While my body should’ve been in comfort, I could barely feel the bed compared to the numbing pain rolling through my arms.

“So, you’re planning on leaving this place?” the familiar voice asked. Somehow, I could still feel her weight.

Isn’t that obvious? Of course I am. Those (probable) guards were trying to kidnap me, and I knew I couldn’t avoid them forever. Although the use of magic was unbalanced, an unlucky situation would easily seal my fate. Though, I couldn’t fathom why she asked–

“Alone?”

…who else would I bring with me?

“You already know the answer to that.”

…there’s nothing I can do. I’ve already told you that. My spells were only illusions and contracts, nothing that could affect the physical world. Even if some were kidnapped or about to die, what could I do? Sure, with some kind of commotion, I might be able to escape with someone else, but even then, she would have to trust a complete stranger. No one was crazy enough to take that risk.

“Are you sure you can’t do anything?” A question she asked many times before. A question she knew I wouldn’t answer, not because I couldn’t do anything.

But because I wasn’t sure whether I could take that final step.

…

So, all I did was lay there in silence, knowing it was going to be a sleepless night.