She Professed Herself The Pupil Of The Wiseman (LN) - Volume 4 - Chapter 11

Chapter 11

NIGHT FELL, and nocturnal animals began to stir. Impenetrable to moonlight, the forest felt even darker. However, the party’s surroundings were almost dazzlingly bright.

[Ethereal Arts: Illumination]

Mira infused this ability with multiple times the necessary mana to illuminate their way. For the most part, mages tried to waste as little mana as possible. If there was any chance of danger, they relied on magical tools rather than spells. That was true when using ethereal magic as well.

But Mira was a far cry from “most” mages. Her maximum mana and recovery speed were above and beyond—a result of her training as Danblf. For the same reason, her non-magic stats were a bit different than those of common mages. Fortunately, summoning went hand in hand with a magic specialization, but Mira had picked up Immortal Arts to cover for other deficiencies back when summoning was in its infancy.

On the way to camp, Blue and White had a lively conversation about Mira’s fighting style.

“Combining summoning and Immortal Arts… That’s crazy. Didn’t someone else do that?”

“Danblf, the One-Man Army, right?”

“Yeah, that’s the one! Are you a fan of the hero Danblf, Mira?”

“Oh! You know him? He is my master, in fact. It’s only natural that we’d have the same fighting style!” Excited at Danblf’s fame, Mira swelled with pride.

“Hah! That’s a good one! Let’s say my master is Kagura the Seven Stars.”

“Then I get Meilin the Immortal Fist!”

Blue and White laughed together.

Annoyed at being disbelieved for a second time, Mira glared at Blue and said, “Clearly, the earlier lesson failed to sink in.”

“Fair point.” Blue smirked self-deprecatingly.

“You did lose, after all!” White giggled.

“Well, remain diligent,” Mira grumbled.

They conversed throughout their walk to camp, and Mira asked some inoffensive questions along the way. As a result, she obtained a few pieces of information.

Chimera Clausen personnel were currently appearing in the center of the southern part of the continent. Their exact motives were unclear, but many of them had popped up. They’d all had special anti-spirit weapons too.

It was unclear what Chimera Clausen did with kidnapped spirits. As such, capturing one of their members was an unprecedented windfall—so much so that Blue and White might be rewarded.

***

The Isuzu Alliance’s transit camp was next to a perfectly clear river. Lamps were lit here and there, and there were two big tents. Each was propped up by four trees, so they looked quite sturdy. A simple stove, with six chairs and three tables around it, took up the space between the tents.

A middle-aged, brown-skinned man with a shaved head and noticeable stubble sat in one chair, cooking a cut of meat. Despite his age, he looked to be in great shape, and his muscles rippled with vitality. His metal armor was light green, and he wore two straight swords at the hip.

When he saw his comrades, the man’s light-brown eyes sparkled with excitement, and he piped up, “Hey, you’re back. Who are those two? Wait, don’t tell me—!”

“Er, let’s start with her,” Blue began. “This is Mira, and I owe her my life. Meanwhile, this man is a member of Chimera Clausen. Thanks to Mira, we successfully captured him.”

“I had a feeling! Damn fine work, young lady!” the man said, leaping up from his chair. He was incredibly tall—more than two meters, by Mira’s estimation. Based on his appearance, she could tell he was Galidian. Though he might’ve looked like a bit of a meathead at first glance, he was a sincere and caring person.

“Well, ain’t he quiet? He still alive?” The Galidian man peeked at their captive and then looked at his comrades, worried. The bound man’s face was swollen from the ants’ merciless attacks, and he was immobile to boot.

“We think he’s paralyzed,” White answered. “According to our friend here, the skill she used went so deep that he won’t be able to move for a full day.”

“Oho ho! Good stuff.” The Galidian man inspected the Chimera Clausen lackey’s face once again. Confirming the fellow was paralyzed, he stood and turned to Mira. “The name’s Red. Fake name, obviously. You saved Blue’s life, so I gotta thank you.”

“I’m Mira. And thank fate instead. I tagged along because I may have business with your group.”

The fellow calling himself Red extended a hand, and Mira returned the favor. His tight handshake was warm and gracious. “Business, huh? Well, let’s get this guy over to the captain first, and we can talk after. You mind?”

“Nope. Do what you need to do,” Mira said.

“Thanks, kid.” Red shot a glance at the captive Chimera Clausen. “Blue and I will take him and report to our superior. But, hey, I just finished cooking this quality game we got earlier. White, how ’bout you treat Mira to a meal?”

Red pointed at the stove. The hunk of meat had obviously been cooked with care.

“Okay!” White squealed with excitement.

Red took the pole from her, put it on his shoulder, and walked to the left tent with Blue.

“You came all this way. Why don’t we have a little feast? I’m dying to get a taste of this!” White rushed to the stove and flipped the deliciously fragrant roast. Grease dripped from it, sizzling perfectly. Unable to wait any longer, White beckoned Mira over. “Come here, quick! We have to eat this all before they get back.”

“I’m not so sure we should do that…” Mira came closer and sat near the stove. Seeing the meat, she chuckled; it was certainly too much for them to finish. Wasn’t it?

“Don’t you like meat?”

“No, no, I do.” Mira thought White was missing the point, but the woman seemed totally unbothered as she took a knife and began carving the roast.

“Then eat up! There’s plenty more.” White placed a plate in front of Mira and then cut her own piece, happily stuffing her cheeks with it. “Mmm!” She kicked her legs and moaned with every bite.

Mira’s stomach grumbled, prompting her to finally jab a fork in her portion.

More of the savory flavor filled her mouth with each chew. Every bite came with that feeling of satisfaction that only a good roast could provide. Its exquisite deliciousness caused Mira to let out her own moan of delight as she shoveled another bite into her mouth.

***

“So, what were you doing in a place like that, honey?” White asked as she wolfed down her last bite.

Mira had eaten quite a bit, but more than three quarters of the original roast were currently in White’s stomach.

“Foraging, that’s all. A friend asked me for some things.” Mira had been in a Devils’ Labyrinth, so “that’s all” was a stretch, but it wasn’t a lie.

“Oh, I see. Did you get everything you needed?”

“Indeed I did. The job is done.” Mira leaned back in her chair.

“You’ve proven that you can’t judge a mage by their looks.” White was apparently a sage herself. “By the way, I’m guessing you’re a summoner main and sage sub?”

“Well, yes. Summoning is my main.”

“And you’ve learned endogenous sense at your age? You’re really something! I haven’t heard of many summoners lately, but it’s good to know they still have ones as strong as you.” Despite seeing Mira as someone younger than her, White showed sincere respect rather than jealousy.

“Hm, well. Things happen, you know.” Mira grinned proudly and leaned forward. Then something registered about what White had just said. “Incidentally, what is ‘endogenous sense’? I don’t remember learning such a thing…”

White had uttered the phrase as if Mira were in the know, but she’d never heard it. Had it been discovered in the past thirty years? If so, Mira had no hope of knowing.

Puzzled, White raised an eyebrow. “Hm? Didn’t you say your sub was Immortal Arts?” 

“Y-yes.”

“You chose that because you had an aptitude for it, right?”

“Um…?”

“Huh?”

They looked at each other in head-cocked confusion, unable to reach the same wavelength. Wondering where she’d gone wrong, Mira decided to ask for clarification.

“How about you tell me what this ‘endogenous sense’ is? Once I know that, I think we’ll figured out the rest,” she said.

“Sure! I’ll do that.” White thus launched into an explanation.

Endogenous sense was an ability that those with talents for multiple kinds of magic could learn. Once they did so, they could use another category of magic as the “sub” to their chosen “main.” For people with endogenous sense, magical aptitude described the flexibility of one’s magical talent; choosing a “main” was the first step toward molding that talent into the desired form.

One began by learning basic spells and abilities; the specifics depended on the type of magic. That was true of people with only one aptitude as well—the magic they were born with only allowed them to use Ethereal Arts until they honed their skills. After learning base spells, however, those with endogenous sense could fork a portion of their talent into another discipline they had aptitude for as a subspecialty.

In doing so, they decreased their main specialty’s power. Naturally, their subspecialty was even weaker. Despite that, increasing one’s tactical options usually led to a higher probability of survival in a fight, so those with multiple aptitudes were seen as elite mages.

The most popular combinations were sorcery main and holy arts sub, and vice versa.

Once White’s explanation was over, Mira thought for a while. As she expected, endogenous sense was something discovered in the past thirty years. It was similar to the Dual Class system that Mira knew of, but not quite the same.

Choosing a Dual Class came with almost no drawbacks. From Mira’s perspective, she had just learned a second class’s skills. If there were any negatives, they were the increased difficulty of learning new magic and the heavier burden of mana management.

“Hrmm, I see. Still, I think I’m perfectly skilled at Immortal Arts.” Mira didn’t feel like explaining why, though. Dual Classes were a product of player privilege, after all, and it would be too hard to explain anyway.

“You learned endogenous sense without even knowing what it was! That’s really interesting.”

“I suppose so. But I’m sure it’s not too rare.”

“Maybe not,” White said quietly as she gazed at Mira’s magical-girl getup. There was some envy in her eyes. Meanwhile, Mira looked vacantly into the forest and didn’t notice at all.

***

Ten minutes or so after Mira and White finished their meal, Blue and Red returned. Red ran for the stove, frantically looking around, and then glared at White.

“You…you ate the whole thing?”

“It was delicious!” White said with a smile.

“Indeed,” Mira agreed. “Quite the surprise.”

“Oh. Well… Good for you.” Red plopped down in a chair and slumped over, depressed that he wouldn’t get a single bite of the roast he’d cooked so carefully. White rubbed her stomach, devoid of sympathy.

Blue remained next to the tent and called out, “Mira, do you have a moment?” She turned and saw him beckon. “The captain wants to talk to you.”

“Really? Sure.” Mira stood up, and Blue urged her into the tent.

Behind her, White revealed a surprise to Red: a plate stacked high with a generous portion of the roast. Red was beside himself with joy as he dug in, and White smiled slyly.

***

Inside the tent were three simple beds, a chair, and a table. The corner housed tools for weapon maintenance. In a sturdy-looking cage, the Chimera Clausen man slept, still wrapped up and possibly drugged.

Commanding Mira’s attention now, however, was the massive man at the rear of the tent. He was even taller than Red. Despite his imposing, burly figure, the man wore a white vestment with a holy design. It was no doubt the garb of a priest.

“The name’s Silver. I’m captain of the Fifth Multicolor Platoon of the Isuzu Alliance. First, allow me to thank you for saving Blue.” Speaking in a soft yet powerful voice, Silver bowed deeply to display his gratitude.

A jeweled circlet adorned Silver’s short blond hair. The well-chiseled features of his face really were like those of an enlightened priest.

“Don’t mention it,” Mira assured him. “If the Chimera agent never stopped to talk to me, Blue and White wouldn’t have been forced to work separately to begin with. They would have won with ease in a two-on-one fight.” She might have saved Blue, but he had only been in danger because of her.

Blue shook his head. “Perhaps. But Chimera’s goons always flee when they’re at a disadvantage. If we fought two against one, he would’ve escaped immediately. You got us something we never had in all our fights with Chimera before—a victory.”

Silver offered a wry grin of genuine gratitude.

Blue continued, “At first, the fight was one-on-one. I was paralyzed. Then Mira jumped into the battle, and the Chimera agent assumed he could fight her off. Honestly, I was surprised by her strength myself. I’d say that miscalculation worked in our favor this time, since it caught us some prey.”

“Oho, interesting,” Silver mused.

Apparently, Chimera Clausen’s members knew exactly when it was time to flee. Thus, they had never once been captured.

“Anyhow, through you, we gained an incredible source of information. Truly, thank you. Blue tells me you want to visit our base. May I ask why?” Silver stared pointedly at Mira. The Isuzu Alliance’s base was a closely guarded secret. No matter how much they owed her, visiting it was a big ask, and Mira understood that.

She answered honestly. “I’m searching for someone. Days ago, on the road connecting Lunatic Lake and Karanak, I met a spirit playing with a cat shikigami. According to her, the cat saved her when your enemy, Chimera Clausen, attacked her. I’m searching now for the owner of that cat. Upon meeting Blue and learning that your organization is fighting Chimera, I had a feeling. The shikigami’s name was Meowmaru; does that ring a bell?”

Silver and Blue were lost in thought; they seemed to search their recollections. Then they heaved a sigh in tandem.

“Sorry. I don’t.”

“Me neither.”

“I see,” Mira muttered. Unfortunate, but she hadn’t expected much to begin with. Going to the Isuzu Alliance’s base would be the quickest way to find out, after all.

“I cannot say for sure,” Silver began, “but based on your story, that shikigami might be one of ours.” With that, he looked to Blue and nodded without a word. He then turned back to Mira. “Now, Blue suggested I trust you and tell you a few things. You’ve already seen our camp anyway, so there’s not much I have to hide from you. Here’s what you need to know…”

The Isuzu Alliance’s counterforces, which it kept secret from the general public, were composed of four broad organizations.

Silver’s group belonged to the Multicolor Platoons, the largest organization. They tracked Chimera Clausen’s movements and secured spirits’ safety. They were more scouts and wardens than actual soldiers. Those belonged to the Bellerophon Platoons, which specialized in fighting. Another set of platoons controlled information released to the public about the Isuzu Alliance.

Finally, one organization did not form platoons at all, since its members worked as individuals.

“We call them the Hidden,” Silver explained. He was willing to disclose that information out of respect for Mira, assuming that she might be searching for one of them. “Since they work alone, they have the highest individual skill levels. If the person you’re talking about is one of ours, their ability probably puts them among the Hidden’s ranks.” 

Mira thought that was quite likely herself.

“In that case,” Blue added, “you’ll have to go to the base. Only the top of the top brass know where the Hidden are at any given moment. They wouldn’t even tell me if I asked.” He looked to Silver, pleading wordlessly to let Mira come along.

“I’d love to take her there. Really!” Silver said. “But we can’t afford to let anyone leave camp, in case Chimera Clausen tries to get their man back.”

“True…” Blue reluctantly agreed. 

Besides, there were still vulnerable spirits in the forest. Even searching for their lost comrade, Chimera Clausen wouldn’t ignore a spirit if they came across one.

“Hrmm, right. In that case, what about him? Perhaps dragging him to your base would be a good opportunity for me to tag along?” Mira pointedly flicked her gaze to the man sleeping in the cage. Knowing that the Isuzu would take him to their base, she tried to find out whether she could simply join the trip.

“We’ve already sent a runner to request an escort for the prisoner transfer,” Silver told her. “Since we caught a member of Chimera, they’re sure to come quick.”

“I see. How long will it take them?”

“Two, three days at the most.”

“Hrmm.” Mira’s plate was pretty full with missions at the moment. She could afford to stay at the camp overnight, but three days of waiting wasn’t going to work for her schedule. She thought for a moment, then asked, “Would you be willing to tell me where the base is? I can go alone.”

It was a long shot, since a secret base was secret for a reason. But riding Pegasus would be much faster than tagging along with a prisoner escort. Going alone on her own time was the most efficient option by far.

“Hmmm… Blue says you’re trustworthy, but I can’t make a decision like this on my own. Even just joining us on a trip there would require permission from the higher-ups.” Silver’s face was conflicted as he weighed his responsibility to the organization against his gratitude to Mira.

“I understand,” Mira sighed. Nothing he said was unfair. Any responsible leader would probably respond the same way. Nevertheless, she hated giving up on a promising clue.

“Our victory today was all thanks to Mira. Can’t we do something, Captain?” Blue pleaded, hoping to repay her even in the slightest.

Pressured by his imploring comrade and the cute-but-disappointed summoner girl, Silver groaned. “Well…I’d need something to prove your trustworthiness. Some concrete evidence that others vouch for you, without relying on a single good deed to tug at my emotions.”

Mira racked her brain for something substantial that could prove to anyone that she was a trustworthy person. A thought occurred to her—hadn’t Solomon had given her something?

“What about this?” Mira asked, pulling a metallic disc from her Item Box. It gleamed silver, engraved with the Alcaitian coat of arms and the number nine.

“That’s some sort of…medal?” Silver asked, judging the disc based on the national emblem on the front. “May I see?”

“Be my guest.”

When he turned the medal over, Silver gasped. His eyes widened with shock, and he looked at the front and back over and over.

“I’ve never seen one in person,” he mused, amazed to confirm that the medal was genuine.

“So? Think it will work?” Mira asked.

Astonished, Silver heaved a big sigh. “Yeah. I don’t think anyone could refuse this, actually. Nobody wants to snub the Kingdom of Alcait.” He gingerly put the medal back in Mira’s hand as she cocked her head in disbelief at his reaction. Then he continued, “Rather than the base, let me tell you the location of our headquarters. I’ll write a letter of introduction too. It’s the least I can do for you.”

“Oho, your headquarters? Are you certain?”

“Absolutely. I can’t guarantee that you’ll get any useful information at the nearest base. And I can hardly do any less, having seen that ID.”

Not just the base, but the Isuzu headquarters—the place where they all gathered! And Silver would throw in a letter of introduction! Truly, Mira was going to get even more information than she’d expected.

Well, isn’t that nifty? This came in handy right away. Satisfied by the result, Mira gazed at the medal for a second, then returned it to her Item Box.

“Wait a moment while I write this letter,” Silver said. He retrieved paper and an envelope from his large bag before sitting down to write.

“Phew! Nice. I guess we’ve returned the favor after all?” Blue smiled.

“What?” Mira raised an eyebrow. “Were you truly worried about that?”

“Well, yeah. It’s a matter of pride, y’know? I couldn’t leave a debt unpaid.”

“You seem like quite an anxious person,” Mira smirked.

Blue shrugged and laughed it off. “I get that a lot.”

The two continued to chat while Silver wrote. After some time, Silver announced, “Okay, here’s the letter. I’ve also recorded the location on this map.”

“Thanks,” Mira said as she accepted both items.

“I’m glad to know someone like you cares about spirits, young lady. Those spirits brought us together, you know. Let’s work to protect them.”

“Heck, why not join the Isuzu Alliance?” Blue offered. “We’d welcome you with open arms.”

“Hrmm, I’ll think about it.” With those words, Mira smiled and left the tent.

***

Once Mira was gone, Blue and Silver looked at each other and discussed something on both their minds.

“So, Captain… It’s not my place to ask, since I pushed for this, but should you have told her so much? She knows where HQ is now.”

Silver chuckled at Blue’s question, cleaned up the papers on his desk, and answered, “She already saw you fighting Chimera and picked her side. Instead of trying to hide things, we might as well treat her politely. She fought for a spirit once; I think she’ll do it again. Besides, that medal was…special. It was the Supreme Honor of His Majesty of the Nine Towers. I’d never seen one in person before. It was engraved with the Alcait coat of arms, a nine symbolizing their towers, and Solomon’s own symbol. A medal with country, emblem, and king on it represents a whole lot of power. It means King Solomon of Alcait vouches for that girl’s identity, and she bears the authority of his title.”

“Whoa.”

Evidently, Mira reported directly to King Solomon. Defying whoever held that medal was the same as defying the king himself.

“The way I see it,” Silver began, “that young lady’s position has her talking directly to King Solomon. No doubt he’s gonna hear about what we said here.”

“But we keep our existence secret from the public. If you think that, why didn’t you keep her in the dark?”

“She captured a member of Chimera. That’s something we never have done before, and it’ll have enormous effects. No matter how stubborn and tight-lipped this guy is, the grand master will get him to spill the beans. This will change everything; we’ll have to alter the way we operate in the long run. That may cause problems, and it’s good to have allies, but you can only trust so many people. As you know, Alcait is a kingdom of mages. Once they know our situation, they’re sure to help us. Or…she will, at least.”

Silver was confident in the value of what they’d accomplished today, and he knew that it would cause sweeping changes in the situation with Chimera Clausen. What their enemies did with captured spirits, who called the shots, what country backed them… Once the dust settled, Chimera Clausen would change their tactics. They might become more aggressive, or be too wary to act. Either way, Silver’s organization would need aid.

Silver had chosen Alcait as the first candidate for an alliance…or rather, he was forced to choose them. Lying to Mira after she showed him the medal would have been a slap in a potential ally’s face. Sincerity was the only option.

No matter what came next, she was HQ’s problem now.

Having explained himself, Silver smoldered with fighting spirit. Blue, though not the biggest fan of these cat-and-mouse games, mulled over what Silver said. Then he nodded in assent and glared at the Chimera Clausen man sleeping in his cage.