Capítulo 10: Chapter 10
"Sir Wizard! Did you enjoy your meal?"
After revealing himself as a wizard, Ian became an outcast.
There seemed to be an invisible barrier around him, preventing people from approaching.
No one dared to come near Ian.
'It's strange.'
Ian felt slightly hurt by the way people looked at him as if he were a monster.
If Ian had been an easy target, perhaps they would have shouted, 'Yikes! A monster! Get out of our establishment!'
However, there was no one bold enough to openly reject Ian.
Not even one person tried to verify if Ian truly was a wizard.
As soon as Ian declared 'I am a wizard,' he became one.
There was a reason for this.
When someone claims to be a noble, there are specific people designated to verify this truth.
Among commoners, it's the intellectuals, and among nobles, it's other nobles or clergy.
However, questioning someone's status is considered extremely rude and dishonorable.
For instance, if someone says, 'I am a knight,' and someone else asks, 'Are you really a knight?' it would be taken as a grave insult.
It's like saying, 'You don't seem like a knight. How dare you claim to be one? I don't sense the soul of a knight in you!'
This would immediately lead to a duel.
That's why nobles memorize the names of other noble families' members.
At least having heard the name, they avoid the rudeness of questioning someone who claims, 'I am a noble.'
Still, it's impossible to memorize all the lesser-known families...
But in a low-life party made up of petty merchants and thugs, there's no such thing as a nobility detector.
So the moment Ian declared himself a wizard, he was accepted as one.
No one could dispute it!
"Here, give me your dishes. I'll wash them up nice and clean."
A woman clinging to Ian with a nasal voice.
Her name was Emily, wasn't it?
As if to prove she was a prostitute, she used the term 'wash' instead of 'clean'.
Who in their right mind would 'wash' dishes?
Ian, not prejudiced against prostitutes, found Emily bothersome.
She was planning to improve her life by getting physically close to an innocent wizard!
The end goal for a prostitute is marriage, ideally marrying up.
So, it was natural for Emily to set her sights on Ian.
"No need. I'll do it myself."
"Aww~ How can a wizard like you do such a menial task like dishwashing~ Dishwashing is a woman's job~"
Seeing Emily wink, Ian felt a chill run through his body.
He had no intention of sharing a bed with Emily.
Primarily for psychological reasons.
He was uncomfortable with affectionless sex.
Secondly, for hygienic reasons; he was afraid of catching some disease.
Ian wasn't sure if there was magic to cure diseases, nor had he learned it.
The last thing he wanted was to die of an STD after all the trouble of becoming a wizard.
"Just give it here."
Ian preferred to take care of his own dishes.
He couldn't trust the hygiene standards of these people.
He spotted some clean, stagnant water nearby.
Picking up his dishes, Ian stood up.
He heard snickering laughter behind him.
"Sir Wizard is so kind. Doing the dishes himself to spare our Emily the trouble."
"Let him be. He seems to like doing dishes."
Ian glanced back briefly.
Who were these swollen-headed fools daring to mock a wizard?
But his mockers were indeed swollen-headed fools - mercenaries.
Living day-to-day on the edge of a sword, these people would only tremble when a blade was in their face.
To them, Ian being a wizard... 'So what?'
Moreover, they were the core strength of the party, so Ian couldn't just dismiss them.
"..."
Ian pondered seriously.
Should he maintain his dignity by having Emily do the dishes?
But fluctuating between decisions would likely look worse.
Ian shrugged.
What did it matter if he looked good to the mercenaries?
He decided to ignore them and walked away, dish in hand.
Solo actions were typically forbidden, but this rule didn't apply to Ian, the wizard.
He found some water collected in a rock crevice and whistled.
"[Rise.]"
As Ian spoke in the language of magic, the water in the puddle began to stir.
He brought his dish near, and the water moved to it.
"[Move.]"
The water spun around, cleaning the dish automatically.
Moving a small amount of water like this was a piece of cake for him.
Some might say, did he learn magic just to do dishes?
To that, Ian would respond:
Ah, this is why I learned magic.
The water cleans the dish on its own?
How can one not get excited about that?
If this isn't a dream come true, then what is?
Ian was smiling contentedly when he heard a voice behind him.
"So you really are a wizard?"
Startled, Ian turned around.
"Ah! You scared me!"
He paused as he faced the speaker.
Was her name Cassie?
One of the three travelers.
Unlike Emily, who had a cheap aura, this woman exuded a sense of nobility.
But why was she here?
"Do wizards get scared too?"
"Have you never seen a surprised wizard before?"
"Well, it's my first time seeing a wizard, so I don't really know."
Cassie removed her hood, revealing her beautiful black-blue hair cascading down like a waterfall.
She was as stunning as an elf, a race known for their beauty.
But her attitude was far from pleasant.
"You. You're so different from what I thought."
"What are you talking about?"
Ian was at a loss for words at Cassie's blunt words.
Ian wasn't someone to fulfill others' fantasies.
Why should he care if he didn't meet her expectations?
"Stalking me and then saying I'm not what you expected?"
"I told you, until a moment ago, I thought you were a fake."
"...Why?"
Ian was genuinely curious.
What criteria did these fantasy world inhabitants use to judge a wizard?
"You're too ordinary."
That was still acceptable.
"And too nice."
That was the problem.
"Being nice is a problem? What kind of nonsense is that?"
Ian raised his voice in utter disbelief.
But Cassie's response was something else.
"Oh."
'Oh', she stopped with that exclamation.
"That was kind of wizard-like."
"...What exactly do you think a wizard is?"
"Prickly and eccentric."
Ian was speechless at the fantasy world's stereotypes.
A wizard isn't some foul-mouthed old lady.
They don't enjoy or excel at swearing!
What do you people think wizards are!
"Still, you seem a bit weak."
Cassie slightly furrowed her brows, even that looked pretty.
"You. You don't usually curse, do you?"
"...Of course not."
"I thought as much. You should swear a bit. What did you do until you became a wizard that you didn't even learn to swear?"
Her words were like scratching at Ian's insides.
He felt so wronged he wanted to introduce her to Eredith.
"The mercenaries are ignoring you. You know about that, right?"
"Sort of."
Cassie lightly tapped Ian's shoulder.
His shoulder twitched slightly under her touch.
"Go and create a fuss. Stir things up to establish some discipline."
"Why should I?"
The mercenaries' disregard wasn't important to Ian.
As long as he safely passed through here, that was enough.
They were people he'd never see again in his life, so what did it matter if those mayflies gossiped about Ian?
However, he couldn't help but pay attention to Cassie's next words.
"You need to do it so that when something happens, the mercenaries will protect you."
"..."
That was indeed, a piece of solid advice.
Ian admitted that he had been mistaken about something.
Merchants like Rick naturally feared him.
A wizard has connections with nobility, and merchants can't survive without bowing to nobles.
But the mercenaries were different.
They are loyal only to their employer and often betray even them.
If the party's situation turned dire, would the mercenaries fight to the death or flee?
Obviously, they'd flee.
Even if a hundred Ians' lives were at stake, they'd still run.
A mercenary is a force, but an uncontrollable one.
And in this place, Ian was the only one who could control the mercenaries.
'Yeah. Let's create a fuss... make a scene...'
Cassie's advice was simple and clear.
Instill fear in the mercenaries with aggressive behavior.
If they fear Ian more than the enemy, they won't run away and will fight to protect him.
"Sir Wizard! Did you enjoy your meal?"
Despite being rebuffed multiple times, Emily did not give up on Ian.
She was tenaciously clinging to him.
This was a good opportunity to instill fear in people.
Ian steeled himself and acted aggressively.
"Hey. This dish. Go wash it."
He... actually threw the dish!
Emily's eyes widened in shock.
Not because she was impressed by Ian's charismatic act, but because of his sudden awkward behavior.
From a distance, Cassie was seen sneakily turning her head.
Ian couldn't understand.
Why?
He was doing well.
And why was his face turning red?
Was he embarrassed?
However, Ian was confident.
In front of everyone!
He had actually thrown a dinner plate!
How cruel!
Could this lead to murder?
...Not at all.
Emily, long accustomed to being disrespected, found Ian's behavior perfectly natural.
Yeah!
That's more like a wizard!
"Yes, Sir Wizard! Leave it to me!"
"...?"
Ian couldn't understand why his action had no effect.
Doesn't she have any self-respect?
Is this really okay?
Ian, not a true medieval person, was still unaware of the terrifying aspects of a class-based society.
The beautiful way in which various forms of violence were ingrained in a society that strictly distinguished between the lowly and the noble.
"Hehe. Sir Wizard is giving orders."
"Lucky, Emily."
The mercenaries didn't bat an eye.
They still did not fear Ian.
'Ah, what to do?'
To solve this problem, he had to dredge up anger from deep within.
If he was genuinely angry, he could sufficiently lose it.
But how could he be angry now?
He was the one oppressing.
Ian, being an introvert, found it overwhelming even to express anger.
However, the breakthrough came from an unexpected place.
"Ptui..."
"...?"
Ian couldn't believe his eyes.
What... what did he just see?
Emily, who had taken Ian's dish, spat a sticky saliva into it while locking eyes with him.
She then sensuously smiled and placed a leaf in the dish.
And began to rub it clean...
Ian's eyes flipped.
That crazy woman!
She spat in my dish!
"Aaaaaah! What are you doing! You b*tch!"
"Wh... what?"
"You b*tch! I told you to clean it! Who told you to ruin my dish!"
Krrrrrr...
Ian dredged up energy from deep within, unleashing a terrifying roar.
This crazy woman!
As Ian, a wizard, exploded in genuine anger, the mystery of nature resonated with his fury.
Krrrrrr...
"Ugh!"
"What, what is this?"
The wind howled, the ground trembled.
Leaves fluttered, producing a sinister sound like screams.
"Sir Wizard! I'm sorry! I was wrong!"
A startled Emily prostrated herself on the ground.
In truth, she didn't know what she had done wrong.
When the wizard got angry, she reflexively begged for her life!
"Who the hell! Damn it! Told you to spit in my dish!"
"But! To wash the dish, moisture is needed..."
"Then wash with water! You crazy woman!"
"But, the water is dirty!"
Oops.
Ian grabbed the back of his neck and collapsed.
He had fallen victim to his longstanding ailment: [Medieval Hygiene Standards]...
The mercenaries watching this scene felt a spine-chilling fear.
'What, what's this?'
The skill with which he berated a servant trying to do dishes was no ordinary feat!
'That wizard is... eccentric!'
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