Chapter 66: Chapter 66
At first, Baron Damon was slightly puzzled when he heard Ian's introduction.
It was suspicious enough that such a green, young kid was stepping forward as the representative of the group.
"A wizard?"
If he had introduced himself as a noble's son from some family, Damon would have been willing to negotiate a price calmly.
But a wizard?
There are lies that fly and lies that flop.
Claiming to be a wizard was the latter.
Of course, to be a wizard, one first needs to know how to use magic.
The incredibly wise and intelligent nobles of the ancient Golden Empire had created a nasty custom called [Calling a Wizard], which successfully induced wizards to reveal their abilities from the first meeting.
This meant fake wizards had to show their magic to others right from the start...
And that's where 99% of fake wizards got cut.
The remaining 1% of fake wizards were those who had genuinely put effort into preparing their scam.
They prepare accomplices in advance to deceive or demonstrate a high level of sleight of hand...
If they were prepared to pull off a scam close to magic, there was no way to expose their methods on the spot.
You just had to be fooled.
Eventually, when a situation arose where they had to show magic, they would be exposed, but that was later.
'...Is he fake? Or not?'
Baron Damon found Ian quite irritating.
The black hair and the crow perched on his shoulder did give off an unusual vibe...
But to pull off a wizard scam, that level of setup was necessary, right?
Could be fake, could be real.
Honestly, Damon wasn't sure he could tell the difference.
It would have been a very awkward situation not long ago.
Fortunately, Baron Damon had a wizard among his subordinates.
That was Kira Laventa!
In some ways, this was an opportunity.
An opportunity to witness the power of magic firsthand, and to evaluate both Kira and Ian's worth!
For Baron Damon, this was a precious chance.
Real nobles often had the chance to meet traveling wizards, but for a pseudo-noble like Damon, seeing a wizard was rare.
Until now, he had tried coaxing Kira to use magic, but the quirky and bad-tempered Kira would only show simple magic while getting annoyed.
He had to let it go at those times.
But in this situation, Damon thought, Kira wouldn't back down.
'Now! Wizard Kira! How amazing will the magic you show be!'
"Kira! Kira! Kira!"
"Go and show them what you're made of!"
The ground-shaking cheers.
Wizard Kira.
No...
Scammer Kira was going crazy.
'Please don't expect anything! Your expectations are too high, you bastards!'
At first, when Ian stepped forward, Kira was a bit relieved because Ian was about the same age as Kira.
Ian, who appeared to be no more than twenty, was clearly a peer of Kira's.
How smart or great could a kid just around twenty be!
But then Ian began to chant in the language of magic.
Kira was stunned, her mouth agape.
'What, what the hell?! Him!?'
As Ian shouted in an unknown language, a whirlwind swirled around him.
The bandits were shocked, Baron Damon was shocked, and so was Kira.
'He, he's a real wizard!!!'
She had cosplayed as a wizard for a long time, but this was the first time she had seen a real wizard up close.
Obviously, because she was afraid of being exposed.
But seeing real magic up close... gave her chills.
The way human will could move nature was the very mystery of magic itself.
If there were no eyes around to see, she would have run up screaming.
Dude! How did you do that? You're not using a bug, are you?!
Despite being stunned enough for such absurd fantasies to burst forth...
Kira maintained a perfect calm on the outside.
Yes, she was a first-class [jester].
Controlling her expression was nothing. So even when a foolish badit shouted beside her, Kira kept her proud expression.
"Ha, that's funny! You call that magic?"
'What are you saying?! That's f*cking amazing, you bastards!'
"Yeah, right! That's not even magic!"
'Ughhh! If that's not magic, then what the hell is?'
"Watch closely! Lady Kira will show you what real magic is!"
Watching the bandits make a fuss, Kira wanted to stitch their mouths shut.
'I'm scared! So scared!'
Kira was trembling (mentally) all over, but there was no backing down now.
If her true identity were exposed here, the only thing left would be a terrible ending!
Kira closed her eyes tightly and prayed to the great spirit in the sky.
'Great spirit in the sky! Please protect me!'
She fluttered her cloak and waved her hands dramatically.
Swish~ Swish~
Her extraordinary performance captured the attention of not only the bandits but also Ian's group, who held their breath.
'Something...'
'Something's happening!'
Kira's movements were grand and flashy.
To anyone watching, it was clear she was 'up to something' at a glance.
Except for one person.
Everyone, except for Ian Eredith Raven.
'...What?'
Ian felt not awe, but a sense of alienation from Kira's movements.
In Kira's movements, there was not a hint of mystery!
Ian, who had been taught all sorts of magical knowledge by Eredith, had never heard of activating magic through movements that looked like Chinese qigong.
However, Ian couldn't bring himself to shout, "What are you doing right now?"
He thought he had to watch what Kira was doing until the end because Ian wasn't a sage who knew every magic in the world.
"Haaaah~"
So, even when Kira let out a strange yell,
"..."
Ian just stayed silent and watched.
"Oh! Lady Kira is absorbing the energy of nature!"
"She's drawing in power!"
Ian couldn't help but find the bandits' outlandish claims ridiculous.
I can't see anything, why are you all making a fuss?
Then, Kira shouted with a thunderous voice.
"[Fire!]"
"!"
Surprisingly, the words Kira uttered were indeed the real language of magic.
Of course, unlike Ian, who had learned the entire Maronius language, she knew only that one word, "[Fire!]" but it was indeed Maronius.
As she uttered the magical incantation, Kira triggered all the hidden pyrotechnics she had prepared.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The quickly detonating ignition devices soon transformed into a massive fountain of flames.
Kira was engulfed in a wave of fire.
"Woah!"
The bandits cheered in unison.
Ian's group was speechless, overwhelmed by the spectacle.
'Oh.'
Ian was just as surprised by Kira's performance.
'For a moment, it seemed like I saw the mystery of fire...'
The moment Kira caused the pyrotechnics to explode, Ian saw the mystery of fire that seemed to wrap around and pass by Kira.
It looked like a mystery that had appeared in response to Kira's use of the Maronius language.
Ian was genuinely impressed by the fire magic Kira displayed.
Avoiding burns in the midst of flames is quite a complex task.
Even for Ian, fire magic was a high-difficulty magic that would have left significant scars without Eredith's help.
But...
A performance that explodes flames while protecting the body with the mystery of fire!
That's incredibly delicate and bold!
"Wow."
This wizard named Kira...
She's not bad!
Clap, clap.
As Ian clapped as if enchanted, one by one, the bandits followed suit, clapping along.
"Woah!"
"Kira! The flame of Damon! Kira!"
"She's a goddess!"
Kira! Kira! Kira!
As chants of her name resounded,
Kira Laventa smiled a soulless smile.
'Please... tell me it's all over...'
Exhausted Kira was approached by Baron Damon.
"Our wizard friend. Are you alright?"
"...This is nothing."
Though she said she was fine, Kira showed signs of exhaustion. If she were asked to do magic again, she would be truly doomed.
However, Baron Damon had no intention of pushing Kira further.
"What do you think? This wizard named Ian, do you think we can overpower him?"
He approached her seeking the wise counsel of a wizard.
But Kira, terrified at the thought of being asked to work again, hastily blurted out a response.
"Getting greedy will only lead to ruin, you know? That wizard hasn't shown all his power yet."
"Hmm..."
Though Kira had just made up her response to avoid getting involved, her guess was surprisingly accurate, and Baron Damon respected the wizard's advice.
"Understood."
He gave up on the idea of overpowering Ian's group by force and started to negotiate politely.
Since the great (not) wizard Kira had confirmed it, he decided it was best to avoid the risky gamble.
"Alright, friends. Just pay the toll, and we'll ensure your safety until the end of this road."
"Hmm."
"And we can even offer you a comfortable place to sleep and warm food in the village. Opportunities like this don't come often, you know?"
It wasn't a bad proposal for Ian's group.
Actually, it was quite an excellent offer.
If the bandits had pulled out their swords and demanded, "Give us everything you have!" there wouldn't have been much they could do...
But to provide lodging and food just for a toll payment?
This was like a medieval version of a toll road!
'Toll road my ass.'
Ian discussed it briefly with his group. Everyone reacted positively.
"Avoiding sleeping outdoors does sound appealing."
"The road seems well-maintained too. I think it's a good idea."
Paying a reasonable toll and resting in the village was a very good situation for travelers.
"It's decided then."
Ian informed Baron Damon of their decision.
"We'll pay the toll."
"An excellent decision!"
As soon as Ian's group paid the toll, Baron Damon volunteered to escort them.
Having the person who had just been threatening them now walking beside them made Ian feel odd.
The medieval style of quickly switching between enemies and allies was still hard to get used to.
"You've made a very wise choice using our road, friends. If you had continued forward, you would have definitely regretted it."
I kind of feel regret right now, though...?
Ian felt curious and asked,
"What do you mean by that?"
Baron Damon lowered his voice a bit.
"I'm only telling you this because you're our guests now... but lately, a very troublesome creature has popped up in the forest."
"A troublesome creature?"
What is this? A self-introduction?
Ian looked intently at Baron Damon, but he seemed to feel no remorse at all.
Well, you probably need to be that conscienceless to be a bandit, anyway.
Baron Damon spoke as if intoxicated by his own story.
"Ever heard of vampires?"
"...Vampires!"
The priest hastily made the sign of the cross.
Though he had never seen one, Ian was already aware of the existence of vampires.
Once through modern creative works, and again in Eredith's mysterious lessons.
"Creatures that suck blood?"
"Indeed, you are a wizard. Yes, creatures that suck blood,"
Baron Damon said in a grim voice.
"A vampire has been active. So, never wander alone after dark."
Vampires were human monsters that had become twisted and corrupted through a curse.
They were fundamentally evil, cunning, and sadistic.
Possessing both human intelligence and monstrous strength, just one could destroy a whole village with ease.
Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise.
Paying the toll and joining forces with Baron Damon turned out to be lucky for Ian's group.
Had Ian and his group camped out alone, they might have been attacked by the vampire.
"Don't worry too much."
As the mood turned somber, Baron Damon whistled sharply. He playfully pointed at someone.
It was the wizard quietly following them, Kira.
"From now on, Kira and I will hunt that monster!"
"..."
Kira simply nodded her head with an indifferent expression.
At her confident and self-assured demeanor, Ian was impressed.
I've hunted monsters before, and I know it's tough!
To be so nonchalant about it! She must be a truly exceptional wizard!
However, Kira's inner thoughts were completely different from Ian's...
'Me? You want me to fight a vampire this time???'
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