Chapter 65

“Oh, I get it now.”

“Hm?”

On top of the carriage where there’s barely a ceiling to speak of.

There, two figures lay sprawled out staring blankly at the sky, using a meager pile of luggage as makeshift bedding.

That’s when Louilin finally seemed to understand something and turned toward Carriel with a confident grin.

“It’s because you lacked any killing intent.”

“Killing intent?”

“That’s right. So that’s why I ended up getting beaten so irresponsibly.”

“…Rather than ‘irresponsibly,’ wouldn’t ‘powerlessness’ or ‘incompetence’ be better terms for what happened over there?”

“The Empire’s language is tough. Let’s switch to Sea Lassan soon.”

“As you wish.”

“Eh? What? Did you know about this already?”

“One way or another.”

This is one of my few talents.

Back in childhood, being dragged around from place to place must’ve made it stick in my ears.

Foreign languages.

In that regard, even among students at the Academy, I’d consider myself at the very top tier.

…If only this were an official subject.

Still, just because something’s familiar doesn’t mean you can use it fluently as a spoken language.

“……”

Whatever.

“When you engage in hostile actions against something, you instinctively emit some kind of killing intent or hostility, but Customer, it seems like you didn’t have any of that.”

“Is that so.”

I have an inkling.

Originally, what I learned wasn’t about killing, suppressing, or crushing opponents.

The premise itself was based on reacting to the enemy’s hostility and murderous intent.

For instance, self-defense rather than offense.

Defense over attack while focusing on counterattacks.

Not that this means I can’t take the first strike—just saying.

Do trees standing still ever randomly hit passing life forms?

What about rocks?

Water? Wind?

“……”

It’s less about mimicking nature and more about blending into it, becoming one with it, if you will.

And in doing so, my consciousness naturally flows that way too.

Still, compared to before…

Compared to when I thought of myself as merely a tree or a rock, my emotional expressions and reactions feel richer now?

“Are you listening to me?”

“Up until the middle part.”

“Ah, seriously. Stop talking so much!”

…Isn’t that contradictory?

You ramble on with dozens of words every time I say a single one.

“Hey! I’ll hop off here! Excuse me!”

Then, glancing somewhere, Louilin suddenly demanded the carriage stop as if she’d spotted some kind of landmark.

“From here on, we go this way.”

Even though there’s no visible path, she suggests cutting straight through the forest.

Glancing up, it looks like once we enter, we won’t see paved roads or highways for a while.

“Alright.”

“Aren’t you curious? Why am I suggesting we head this way?”

“If you’re a competent guide, then surely you’ve judged this well enough by now, haven’t you?”

“That’s true to some extent. Still, blindly accepting things without question is also problematic. You might end up getting blindsided by someone other than me.”

With that, she rummages through her belongings and pulls out a small leather map.

“Big maps are useful, but for places like these, detailed local sketches are far more important.”

“Especially for new places?”

“It varies from person to person. Those with good instincts for directions or great spatial awareness can navigate without maps after going back and forth a couple of times. But I’m not quite that skilled.”

“So as long as you have maps and sketches, there’s no big problem?”

“Precisely. Customer, you’re sharp, so I don’t need to explain twice—makes things easier.”

“……”

I recognize it as a compliment, yet I feel oddly unsettled for some reason.

“It’ll take a bit of walking to get there.”

“Well, then let’s run instead.”

Without hesitation, I stepped onto a nearby tree and climbed upward.

“Eh?”

Then, leaping between the trees, I dashed forward, running along branches to cover ground quickly.

“What ARE you?! Some kind of pointy-eared creature?!”

Her shocked shout faded into the distance shortly after.

“Hey! Slow down! We’re not racing here!”

…She’s keeping up surprisingly well.

Judging from what I’ve observed so far, Louilin’s physical capabilities far surpass those of ordinary humans.

Is it because she’s half-demon?

Or perhaps her natural physical abilities are simply extraordinary regardless?

“How fast do you think is ideal?”

After climbing down from the tree, I could see Louilin catching her breath slightly.

“Customer, you’re not human, are you?”

“I’m purely human.”

“Then did you grow up in the forest? Because no normal human race should be able to move like that.”

“But my mana usage is garbage.”

“Does that even matter?”

Indeed.

Carriel also found this point somewhat intriguing.

“If you moved like that while using mana, I wouldn’t have said anything.”

“You’re managing to keep up pretty well yourself, aren’t you?”

“I pushed myself to catch up.”

She glanced back and added:

“Look! The starting point is nowhere to be seen even if we wash our eyes clean!”

“That’s just because the trees are blocking the view.”

“Stop making excuses!”

But it’s not really an excuse.

If the view had been clear, I would’ve definitely been able to see that far.

Climbing back up a tree now might still give me a rough idea.

“At this speed, we’ll likely reach our destination days earlier than planned. Now I fully understand why you were so calm about riding horses through the mountains!”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Can I learn that trick too?”

“…I don’t know.”

I’ve never even considered teaching this to anyone.

Besides, with mana, high-speed movement isn’t really a big issue anyway.

Sure, I move quickly, but this is specialized for long-distance travel.

Compared to movement techniques or mobility methods based on mana, it falls short in many ways.

And if I had refined each of these skills individually to their utmost perfection?

My simple movement would likely be almost useless in combat.

Moreover, this depends heavily on the environment or terrain.

Even within forests or mountains, if there are no paths or gaps to exploit…well, it’s useless either way.

“So this is a pointy-eared trait, huh? Still, since you’re human, the restrictions seem to make it a half-baked ability.”

“Is that so?”

“Didn’t you learn this either? About your own ability?”

…It’s not exactly something flashy or worth boasting about.

Whenever I climbed rooftops, they’d break.

All I ever heard was complaints about scuff marks on walls.

So I mostly used this skill late at night or when scaling walls—I rarely showed it off openly.

‘I only started using this recently.’

While sneaking over walls, I gradually got the hang of it and learned how to move smoothly.

At first, I never imagined I’d become this adept at it.

“That’s great. It’s good that you have something teachable since it suits both our situations.”

From that moment on, she grilled me nonstop during our travels.

“Just tell me, even if you don’t fully understand.”

Since it didn’t bother me too much, I explained things as simply as possible.

“Still, it sounds like a racial trait, doesn’t it? How does the wind create gaps or paths? Does it even make sense? Wind isn’t something you can see, you know. That’s common knowledge, right?”

“Well…”

“Calling it wind magic is just for show. To actually harm someone with wind, you’d have to mute the sound and suppress even the subtlest breeze to maintain stealth…”

She sure talks a lot.

Though she herself seems unaware of it.

Still, her words contained content worth listening to, even if I filtered out more than half of it.

Before long, as we entered the mountain path after just a few hours, the slope began to flatten, and ravines and cliffs came into sight.

“Can you climb that too?”

“…It might be difficult, but I’ll try.”

“Phew, lucky. If I had to ride piggyback with you to climb, it would’ve been such a hassle.”

Huh?

Saying that, she suddenly started climbing the cliff bare-handed.

“Wha—”

She’s finding footholds and handholds impressively well.

“Is this possible?”

A crude path exists, though it crumbles quickly, indicating potential danger.

One wrong move, and falling is a real possibility.

“…”

Well, if all else fails, I won’t die or anything.

Only after reaching the top did I realize my initial judgment was flawed, but at the time, I blindly attempted to scale the cliff without much thought.

“Alright, let’s camp here. We’ve just disembarked from the ship, so the land sickness probably hasn’t worn off completely.”

“Okay?”

Land sickness.

An interesting term.

“There’s no temple or pharmacist around here, so if your condition worsens rapidly without you realizing it, there’s no plan B. Better to take care of your body beforehand.”

Despite carrying no apparent baggage, after shaking her thick robe a few times, the sound of something spilling onto the ground echoed.

“…Is that also a mage tool?”

“Unlike yours, mine just increases storage capacity while keeping the bulk limited. The weight stays the same, though.”

Thud!

Even though only the hem of her robe touched the ground, it carved into the surface as if scraping away a layer of earth.

“It works like this.”

“…Got it.”

She seems intentionally low-key about showing off her tools in populated areas, so I didn’t ask then.

But when she swiftly stuffed purchased gear and necessities into her robe, it was clear she wasn’t trying to hide them from me.

So when the opportunity arose, I asked, and she responded promptly.

Even though I carried a minimal pack on my back, it was cumbersome in its own way.

“To carry that and still move so fluidly is impressive.”

Her bulky frame smashing through crowds makes perfect sense now.

…Which explains why her powers being nullified by my interference left her so confused.

“It’s part of training. Besides, to survive, you have to diligently improve your skills. Who guarantees your training time or skill growth when you work? The sky? The ground? The sea? The riverside? The lake? The swamp? The plains?”

“…”

True, but her tangents are endless.

“Teach me the knack of taking someone down without emitting killing intent.”

“…?”

She asks as if expecting me to comply without question.

“Not included?”

“Is this covered under the job fee?”

In response to my question, Louilin slaps her forehead.

“Come on! Just teach me nicely like a sucker, will you?”

“…”

It feels trustworthy because she doesn’t seem manipulative, but why is she outright calling herself a sucker and overly nice?

Maybe she thinks if she begs, there’s a chance I’ll agree?

Words come cheap, after all?

Small compromises lead to bigger ones eventually.

Likewise, allowing small favors sets the stage for larger concessions later.

…A painfully expensive lesson I learned the hard way after being trampled and ridiculed by others.

Anyway.

Was it because she noticed my indifferent expression?

Louilin began spinning wild tales.

“I’ll put extra effort into my role as a guide. Plus, we might develop a deeper relationship beyond a simple client-guide dynamic. Who knows? Maybe something truly deep could happen?”

Her excited face and upward gaze were undeniably adorable, but Carriel simply blinked without much reaction.

“Would that benefit me?”

“Ugh! Building a long-term relationship with a capable guide like me is a huge advantage! How can you not see that when you’re so sharp otherwise?”

Ridiculous.

Bold and brash.

Carriel shook his head as if conceding defeat.

“Fine. It’s not like teaching you would be a huge hassle anyway.”

“Yes!”

Watching Louilin clench her fist tightly in excitement.

Carriel couldn’t help but crack a faint smile.

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