Signs in plain sight

After a long journey through no man’s land later, we finally set foot in the grassy fields… Compared to the dry, sandy and devoid of color that the desert hadーIn contrast, the forest was glamorous and full of green, the air being refreshing to breathe in.

“How far away is the nearest town here?!! I want to rest!!!!” Marieka slouched as we walked along the grass path.

“Not to worry, we’re only a minute away from the nearest village. It’s a small town, but it’s enough to restock for the journey. I already taught you how to use pocket magic so you don’t have to carry anything at all.”

“But, I didn’t know it takes up so much mana…!!”

“You just haven’t figured out how to use it efficiently, Varieka… Run through the motions, just remember what I taught you about mana control.”

“Making it sound so easy again…” She pouted.

“I mean it’s true you know…? Once you get the hang of it of course… Either way, we could do another practice for controlling your manaー”

“ーOh~~? Wandering mages…?” A woman suddenly appeared in front of us, holding a basket full of fruits as she straightened her posture. “My~~, This is the first time I’ve seen adventurers here.”

Marieka stepped in front. “Yes!! We’re travelers from the Kingdom of Ryven! It’s our first time in the Imperial Vascht and we heard there’s a village around here…!?”

“Oh!? The Kingdom of Ryven! …Ahh! Are you three here to stay? I can lead you to the village! Come and follow me.”

The lady turned around and walked gracefully along the grassy floor, we sped up our steps to trail behind herーFollowing behind as I stared at the woman’s back, narrowing my eyes… Zoned out before Marieka whispered to me, covering her mouth to the side.

“Varieka… The people in Imperial Vascht are so pretty, is Mistress Nixie the same too…?”

I exhaled, answering her question. “....Nixie looks okay, she’s not ugly or anything. It’s just that nobody talks about it.”

Cause when it comes to appearance, I ALWAYS get dragged. Like I’m the benchmark for beauty or something. It’s to the point where Lotea gets overshadowed, and I feel bad for her.

“Is there a reason why…?”

I gave Marieka beside me an obvious stare, to see if she would catch the hint. She squinted her eyes and her expression shot up.

“Oooohh… So that’s why… I can totally see that… I’m with everyone here~~”

“Oh my goodness, not you too..”

⇔ ⇔ ⇔ ⇔

Stepping on the cobbled pathway with our shoes scraping the flooring, ahead of us lies a humble villageーthe architecture was similar to Port Schtark, and like any other village, bore the same urban structure.

The lady went in front presenting the entrance with her hand, giving off a gesture. “Welcome to the village! Would you like a tour around the place?”

“ーNo no… We’re fine from here. We appreciate it, sorry to have bothered you while working.” I shrugged her offer, waving my hand.

“....Really? That’s a shame… Then, please enjoy your stay here!” The lady bowed her head smiling before turning and mixing in the crowds behind her, leaving us to ourselves.

Scoffing, I thought to myself. Guess I was wrong… What a kind and pretty lady. Wait, I should’ve asked her which shop sells food supplies…

Clearing my throat before assessing the next stop. “Let's at least find a shop around here. We came here to stock up on food since we’re gonna cross the mountains… There’s rarely any mountain boars at a thing THAT high.” I pointed at the sky where the mountain resides.

Clouds surrounding the summit, its width covering the entirety of the forest. Due to its size it became a natural barrier protecting the capital from the south and east. The same reason why people traverse through no man’s land and pass through the valley is because of its shorter distance.

Though, I’d rather not talk about the valley, partly because some of it was my fault… Uhm… Back when Nixie had shown me chantless magic and thought of trying it out… Well.

I cleared my throat.

ーI accidentally blew the mountain off… Turning it into a valley… What can you do…? I couldn’t control my unstable mana at the time… It’s not me who is to blame…

Marieka scratched her head, turning to the village. “Hmm… Maybe I’ll look around the market!!”

Just as she took a step forward, I grabbed the back of her robe and pulled it just before she sprinted. “ーWE are going… I don’t trust you now that you know how to use pocket magic. You might be carrying anything and I wouldn’t know. So the three of us will go.”

Marieka crossed her arms and pouted, accepting her defeat. “Fine… It’s not like I’m gonna buy anything random…”

“I know you’re gonna be using my money for that exact reason.”

Just then a local wearing a basket backpack ran from the opposite side, passing by and stopping to stare at the three of us.

His mouth opened. “Ah! Wandering mages!!! It’s rare to see ones like you three… Is it okay to ask, if you could offer us a hand? Of course, we won’t offer without payment. We can hand out rewards of any kind.”

Marieka gasped, her eyes wide opened, glistening. “ANY PAYMENT!!! THENー”

I hit her head and cleared my throat.

“You said any form of payment, yes? Any specifics…?”

The man placed a hand to his chin. “Let’s say… A grimoire of any kind, and a generous payment?” He tilted his head.

“....Hmm, that’s quite a nice payment, but. I’m sorry I’ll have toー”

“ーWE’LL DO IT!!” Marieka cut me off.

I gave a puzzled look, my mouth drooping as my brows furrowed.

H… huh…? Why would…?

She glared at me with an expression pleading, like a child requesting something from her parents.

“Marieka… You…” I exhaledーslouching my shoulders and giving a pensive expression before closing my eyes shut. “...Fine, we’ll accept… The grimoire is fine, and we have enough expenses.”

The man straightened his posture, nodding. “Thank you so much wandering mages! I’m sorry for the sudden request, but you see… it’s really urgent…!!!”

“Urgent…? Could you assess us on the situation?” Tilting my head as I crossed my arms.

“Well… You see… Our carriage supplying resources for the village has been tipped over… And we don't have any mages here, so we’re having a hard time taking the carriages out of the water.”

“Tipped over? Is there no barrier surrounding the village?”

“Nothing. The barrier only stretches across the mountain and stops there. Here, we’re not safe. So we always do night patrols.”

I was baffled. I thought there would be at least a barrier here…? Be it a weaker variant.

“How far away is the location? And how long will we get there?” I asked.

“Ah… W… well… I was only informed now… But roughly three hours.”

Huh…??! Three hours…? The sun will set by then.

I exhaled, shaking my head while closing my eyes.

“Then… Me and her will head with you to the carriage’s location…” I turned to Annaliese, requesting a favor. “...Annaliese, It would be a bit rude of me to ask this. But please stay here to guard for any potential threats.”

Annaliese lowered her head. “Understood, Mistress Varieka.”

The man raised a brow, tilting his head to Annaliese's response to me. “Mistress Varieka…?” He muttered to himself.