How to Live as a Hero in a Magical World (52)
Madam removed her gold-rimmed glasses.
"Until now, you've only accepted requests mediated by F&F Exchange."
"And even those were limited to escort work inside Vernas Forest."
Kaian nodded lightly.
That had been his agreement with Dominic.
"So?"
"But escort work isn't an exchange's main source of income."
Madam continued.
"An exchange is an intermediary."
"As long as the conditions are acceptable, we don't only arrange escorts."
"We accept all kinds of requests."
Kaian calmly answered the light shining in her eyes.
"If you're talking about Fixers, I already know."
Fixers.
That was the name given to people who accepted all kinds of work beyond simple escort jobs.
Of course, Dominic had always refused to let Kaian take Fixer work.
The logic of Vernas Forest is simple.
Strength.
The strong survive and the weak die.
Dark elves and magical beasts control the land, so there isn't much complexity.
But the wider world isn't like that.
It's much more cunning and cruel.
There are more problems that strength alone can't solve.
You don't need to enter that kind of world yet.
Kaian had partly agreed with Dominic.
He still couldn't step fully into that world.
Not yet.
Cunning and cruel enemies.
To fight the people who destroyed his family...
He needed more power.
But that conversation had already happened a year ago.
"If you already know about Fixers, then this will be easier."
Madam looked directly at him.
"You're skilled enough to defeat Sarvel."
"Having a mage of your level do nothing but escort work is a terrible waste."
Her words seemed to see directly through the desire hidden inside Kaian.
"Kaian, register as a Fixer instead of an escort."
She smiled.
"⟨Saint Dust⟩ will guarantee your identity."
It truly was an irresistible-looking brownie.
But Kaian's answer was firm.
"No."
Madam didn't seem surprised.
"Why?"
"If Dominic is what concerns you, I'll speak to him personally."
Kaian's expression changed.
"...You know Dominic?"
Madam gave him a suggestive smile.
"Know him?"
She tilted her head.
"That's putting it lightly."
"..."
Kaian's eyes shook for a moment.
He had suddenly heard something he absolutely didn't want to know.
He felt like washing his ears.
That damned old man...!
Acting innocent while secretly doing things behind everyone's back...!
Dominic was a single father whose wife had passed away long ago.
Still...
Even so!
Why someone this dangerous?!
Kaian took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
"Haaaah..."
"It's not because of Dominic."
"I'm entering the academy soon."
"I'll be leaving Silvaris, so I can't keep working in Vernas Forest."
"Oh my."
Madam's expression became elegantly theatrical again.
"Then you have even more reason to become a Fixer."
Kaian stared.
"Exchange requests aren't limited to Vernas."
"They exist throughout Mana Gaia."
"The better the exchange, the more varied and valuable requests it can arrange."
She spread her hands.
"No matter where you are, ⟨Saint Dust⟩ can provide you with high-quality work."
"Hmm..."
"And magical tools used at the academy are very expensive."
Madam continued smoothly.
"If you're leaving Silvaris, the cost of living will probably rise too."
She glanced toward the pile of gold.
"Even the wealth sitting in front of you could disappear surprisingly quickly."
"Ngh..."
Expenses beyond tuition.
That was exactly what Kaian had been worried about.
Madam continued gently.
"We'll provide the communication method."
"Naturally, you can reject requests during the school term."
"If you need information, we'd also be happy if you contacted us first."
She smiled.
"⟨Saint Dust⟩ always tries to maintain friendly relationships with its Fixers."
Kaian squeezed his eyes shut.
He pulled at his hair.
Groaned several times.
And finally declared,
"Even so, I refuse..."
"Oh. What a shame."
If the power behind Madam truly was the Silvaris Federation...
Accepting this might accidentally create a close relationship with an entire nation.
I can't tie myself down without even understanding Silvaris's internal politics.
Kaian exhaled proudly through his nose, satisfied with his decision.
But Madam still showed no sign of impatience.
Instead, she made another exaggerated expression.
"Such a shame."
She sighed.
"House Velore submitted a missing-person search request."
"The success reward was rather high too."
She casually added,
"About twice what you earned today?"
"...?"
Kaian wondered if his ears had malfunctioned.
What family did she say?
"According to the rumors..."
Madam continued casually.
"It seems Delio Velore, the head of House Velore, has gone missing."
Who?
Kaian's pupils shook violently.
"Apparently they wanted to conduct the search while hiding the fact that Delio had disappeared."
"But he was a highly respected family head, so suppressing the rumors wasn't easy."
Madam sighed.
"It's unfortunate."
Huh...?
Wait...
This wasn't good.
Finn began kicking Kaian's chest harder than ever.
Thump-thump-thump-thump!
Madam, however, seemed to think Kaian was being shaken by the enormous reward.
She lightly played with the gold coins stacked on the desk.
"I thought you'd be perfect for the job."
She sighed.
"But I suppose it can't be helped."
Then...
Clatter.
Kaian grabbed the bottle of sparkling water from the desk and began drinking it rapidly.
Gulp, gulp, gulp!
Then...
THUD!
He slammed the empty bottle down.
He looked Madam directly in the eyes.
At that moment...
Kaian became an actor performing the role of the purest and most righteous hero imaginable.
"I'll take that job!"
***
Gretel, the gatekeeper of ⟨Saint Dust⟩, stared outside the window with her gray left eye.
The world outside was dim.
As if sunrise were still far away.
Gretel didn't look away from the darkness.
Only when her eye became unbearably dry did she finally blink.
Blink.
It was only a brief movement.
Yet every time she opened her eye again...
The world outside seemed noticeably brighter.
Still the same.
Everything in the world worked this way.
When something felt far away, suddenly it would arrive right in front of you.
When something seemed close enough to prepare for...
It would make you wait endlessly.
Looking back, I suppose everything was like this.
A mortal life beneath the authority of time...
Was unpredictable.
Always changing like the light of the world.
And because of that...
Beautiful.
Gretel's life had been the same.
Yes.
Beautiful because it had been impossible to predict.
But after this much change, couldn't it finally stop?
Gretel looked away from the constantly brightening world outside.
Her gaze fell on a dark, cold corner of the cabin where sunlight didn't reach.
Dusty.
Old.
Worn away.
Not much different from her current body.
Bitterness entered Gretel's gray eye.
How cruel.
And yet...
She was hungry.
Even though she knew that if she actually ate, she wouldn't manage much before her stomach became uncomfortable.
