Chapter 10, Episode 9: Introductions, Part 2
After showing Eleonora her new office and home, we took the public carriage again, this time to the center of the city.
“As you can see, there are a lot of tall buildings here. If you ever get lost, you can always get here by finding a main road and heading towards the center. It’s a good landmark,” I explained.
“I heard that most of your businesses are concentrated in the northeastern neighborhoods of the city, and the same was true with my new office. If I can make it back here, I shouldn’t have too much of a problem finding my way back to that part of town,” Eleonora said.
“The roads should be easier to navigate after the rezoning, so unless you get lost very easily, I don’t expect you’ll face any problems. Branches of the guilds are concentrated here too, and I’ve made friends with many people around here, so I’d like to introduce you to them.”
So, we started with the nearest—the Adventurer’s Guild. Given the late-morning hour, there weren’t too many adventurers inside, save for a few people bumming around. They likely either couldn’t find a suitable quest or were just taking some time off. None of them were at the reception counter.
Eleonora was drawing many of their eyes, since it was rare for a non-adventurer woman to visit—especially one as well-dressed as she was. I decided it would be best if we made this quick.
“Oh, Ryoma,” Maylene—the receptionist—greeted us, looking up from her paperwork.
I took the opportunity to introduce Eleonora to her.
“Got it. So I can contact you in Ryoma’s stead,” she said. “Nice to meet you, Eleonora. Business or otherwise, you can come see me if you ever need anything. At the very least, I can lend an ear.”
“Thank you. It is very nice to meet you,” Eleonora said.
“Oh, do you want to meet the guildmaster too? He should be available now. There’s a little lull in his work,” Maylene said.
“What’s all this?” a guy said loudly from across the lobby. He eyed us shadily as he stalked over from the quest board. I’d never met him before, but it was clear that he was talking to us and that he wasn’t looking to make friends.
While others in the guild sensed an air of trouble and turned our way, I noticed Eleonora brush her pocket with a casual movement—she must have been hiding a weapon or something for self-defense.
The guy didn’t seem to notice as he stared me down. “Bring a chick in here? It’d be one thing if you were here to post a quest, but you’re telling me a twink like you is an adventurer? With a secretary? Adventuring ain’t some hobby for the rich! We’re out here risking our lives day in and day out!”
“Excuse me—” Maylene tried to interject.
“And you! ‘Do you want to meet the guildmaster?’” He sneered mockingly. “So this guild goes around pimping their master out to any rich brat who walks in?! Huh?!”
His grievances quickly spiraled from complaining about us to the guild in general. Pretty quickly, it became clear that he was a new adventurer in town and that he wasn’t happy with his work here. Being hassled at the guild was a cliché in fiction... I just didn’t think it would happen to me after living here for so long, in the most insignificant way possible. Come to think of it, my now-loyal adventurer gang had accosted me when we first met. Maybe the majority of adventurers were quick to anger—that had to be it.
“This city’s full of scumbags! Like that laundry shop that kicked me out! They don’t do any real work!” the guy continued.
“My laundry shop?” I blurted before I could stop.
“Your laundry shop?” The guy snarled.
As far as I knew, mine was the only laundry shop in Gimul. If he was kicked out of it... He had to be the sad sap Carme told me about! “So you’re the drunk we banned.”
“Then you really are a part of that stupid store that embarrasses their customers!” he shouted, barking up and down the guild about all sorts of things that didn’t go his way. He was more focused on shouting for now, but he was aggressive enough that I felt he might reach for us any minute.
Meanwhile, Eleonora was in a combat stance, ready to fight if it came to it. To be honest, I didn’t see this guy as a threat. I never would have been afraid of someone like him, but after facing off against truly dangerous monsters and adventurers like Glen in the Sea of Trees, someone like this whiner seemed even more insignificant. Eleonora looked stronger than him. I expected her to fight mostly with magic like Remily, and that she should have no problem dealing with this loser. That being said, a fight among adventurers would be less of a headache later. I’d have to ask her to take a back seat.
“I’m okay, Eleonora. I’ll handle it,” I said.
The fact that I was paying more attention to Eleonora than to him seemed to enrage the guy further. “Trying to show off in front of that chick?!” With his face beet-red, the guy raised his fist all too slowly. His form wasn’t much better than Glen’s, and I could easily follow his movement.
I merely brushed my hand against his arm to deflect the punch—I couldn’t believe how easy that was. I’d barely needed to use my arm muscles, let alone the rest of my body. Then, the guy’s midsection was wide open. I kicked him there to end the fight...and then felt the crack of his armor and my foot sinking into his flesh.
“Crap! I was too distracted to adjust my strength!” I blurted out. I hadn’t kicked him as hard as I kicked Glen, but it still sent the guy flying into the wall, where he slumped to the ground motionless.
I ran over to see that he was conscious, and his injuries were—luckily—healable with magic.
“There!” I said, after running five doses of healing magic.
“What are you doing?”
“Ah!” I whipped around to see Worgan. “How long have you been standing there?”
“Since you kicked him. I’d come down in between my work to deal with some guy causing trouble... I didn’t expect to see a full-grown man fly across my guild lobby today,” the guildmaster said.
“I’m sorry for the ruckus,” I said.
“Maylene gave me the rundown,” Worgan said. “It’s not the first time he’s stirred the pot anyway. The worst you’ll hear from me is a little warning. Mind your own strength. There you go. I’ll take care of the rest. I can move him, right?”
“Yes, he’s all healed,” I said.
“All right, I’m gonna chuck him in the back until he comes to! Someone give me a hand!”
Several veteran adventurers of Gimul answered the guildmaster’s call.
“You got it, boss.”
“Why’d he have to start a fight with Ryoma of all people?”
“Ryoma looks like a normal kid if you didn’t know him. Pah. This guy reeks of booze.”
“I’ve never seen him without smelling some on him.”
“Even if humans can’t tell, every beastkin can smell it.”
“He can’t even put down the bottle? How much of a scumbag is he?”
“Of course, I’d be jealous of someone bringing in a pretty girl in here too.”
“You can say that again.”
“Hey, Ryoma! We’re all jealous of you!”
The adventurers hauled the unconscious man by his arms and legs and hauled him off, calling out good-natured jeers at me.
With that problem solved, I introduced Eleonora to Worgan and the adventurers before leaving.
“Who knew a tour of the city could get so hectic,” I said. “Are you tired?”
“I was somewhat overwhelmed by the number of people who’ve approached us, but I’m not tired of it. You have a great many friends, Master Takebayashi,” Eleonora said.
“I’m just as surprised about that as you. Before coming to this city, I could hardly have imagined that I’d get to know so many people. Sometimes, just once in a while, I do wonder if I’m interacting with them appropriately. There are a lot of good people in this city.” That was something I hoped Eleonora could feel for herself. “And thank you for earlier.”
“What do you mean?” Eleonora replied.
“You were going to defend me from that guy who accosted us.”
“Oh... My help wasn’t necessary.”
“I appreciate the thought alone,” I said. “Just from how you carry yourself, I’d say you’re well trained.”
“Not as much as you,” Eleonora said humbly. “When I was married, I led a battalion of the local militia.”
“Really?” Come to think of it, my first impression of her was that she belonged in the military or private security, despite her maid’s uniform...little did I expect her to be a bona fide veteran.
“In my case, I was only given the position because of my title. I’m no commander, but I have seen my fair share of combat where I honed my magic,” she said.
“Speaking of magic, I was told you graduated from the royal academy’s magic curriculum at the top of your class,” I said.
A shadow might have crossed her face, but she overcame it so quickly that I couldn’t tell if this was a sore subject. Eleonora didn’t seem to have any reservations about telling her story, at least. “I’m embarrassed to bring this up now. Back in the day, I was called the Thunderstorm Witch. My forte was Lightning magic, and especially with big and powerful spells like Thunderstrike.”
“I didn’t realize they gave out monikers at school too.”
“Students like to feel special just as much as adventurers. Both like to boast, and nobles often prefer roundabout, poetic language. Mine was on the simpler side, compared to some others... It’s embarrassing to think back on it now.” Eleonora was faintly blushing.
She wouldn’t have earned a moniker like that without the skill to back it up. If she was so adept with magic, I was sure she had the knowledge too... I’d love to ask her questions about magic when she had the time.
With that thought, I asked if she would mind discussing magic. Eleonora looked at me curiously for a moment before agreeing without protest to a future discussion on the matter. “Speaking of curiosity, if you don’t mind...” she began.
“Anything.”
“Was it the Veldoole boy who told you I graduated top of my class?”
“Uh... Yes, it was Hudom. He didn’t know much beyond that, saying I’d be better to hear about your family from you,” I said.
“I see. He’s still as considerate as when we were students.”
Since they were students? Did she know him back then?
As if she read the question on my face, Eleonora continued, “Being in different grades didn’t stop girls from talking about him.”
“He was that popular?” I asked.
“I wasn’t interested in romance...or understood it, for that matter. Ladies who don’t have a fiancé by the time they enter the academy turn into bloodhounds for a suitor. Being enrolled in the knight’s curriculum meant he was set for life, and he was friendly and considerate. It was only natural that girls flocked to him,” Eleonora said, as she had just been an outsider looking in. She had to have dedicated much of her student life to her studies to reach the top of the class.
When I honestly commended her for it, she shook her head. “There was a lot of hard work involved... I was addicted to it. With enough hard work, I believed that I could find some way to improve my family’s situation. I poured my whole life into my studies. When people showed any less dedication than that... I discounted not only those who seemed lazy, but also those who spent any of their time on anything that didn’t directly benefit their future. I called them slackers or fools who prioritized temporary pleasure over their careers. There was nothing for me besides my school work, which made me a very narrow-minded child.”
“Oh...” I couldn’t just say that I understood how she felt, because our circumstances were different. Still, Eleonora’s story resonated with me. Making friends was a lot harder the second time around...and it wasn’t easy to get it right the first time. “Do you think you could work well with Hudom?” I asked. “I’d asked him to assist you before I knew anything about your history.”
“That will not be a problem. My personal feelings will not affect my work...but that is not what you asked, is it?” Eleonora pondered for a few moments before adding, “First of all, I harbor no feelings towards him. Other than his name, I can’t recall anything else...which is why I am concerned that I had slighted him in some way in the past. In no offense to him, he is the kind of boy whom I would have detested as a student. But that was a long time ago. From our brief conversation the other day, I have nothing against him. He did seem a little hesitant, which is to be expected if he knew of me in school. He was still willing to speak to me nonetheless, so I see a fair possibility of building a relationship.”
“I’m glad you can see this in an optimistic light,” I said. “Of course. I should have been more considerate before I asked too many questions on your first day! I’m sorry,” I said.
“No, I really do appreciate it,” she said.
“Thank you. I’m not the best at understanding different social situations.” I was really hoping Eleonora would reach out for any help she needed on this front, but I also suspected she might not feel entirely comfortable because of our positions. At the very least, now I could hold a longer conversation with her. One step at a time, without pushing too hard, I’d be building that bridge between us.
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