Luke, who had been unable to go out for several days due to various disturbances, prepared today to finally step outside.
He felt the necessity to go to the forest to open a pocket dimension, and after a long time, he thought of earning some pocket money through playing music while checking to see if the man he had saved was living well.
However, there was still one issue that Luke needed to pay attention to.
That was the suddenly grown horn and hair.
As a result of divine power, Luke’s hair and horn had fully recovered, but it was not typical for horns that had broken overnight to heal, and the same went for his hair.
Well, hair might grow differently during the shedding season like these days, when it comes to beastmen, but even so, his horn had nearly doubled in size, meaning that even friends who normally knew Luke well would surely find it difficult to explain if they met him outside.
But the horn was certainly a big problem.
No matter how quickly a horn might heal, it would typically take a long month to recover gradually, and depending on the species, some would never heal at all.
Saying it suddenly healed overnight would definitely be a stretch.
Luke, not wanting to explain the details to everyone he met, needed to hide the matter.
He himself didn’t have strong feelings about the horns to begin with, so he didn’t feel much regret.
After all, the horns would get in the way when putting on clothes, cause discomfort when lying down or bending over, and could even be dangerous if he bumped into someone.
In daily life, it was better to hide them if possible.
For the time being, it would be best to keep the hair and horns as they had been.
Luke mumbled to himself, “Polymorph.”
With his low utterance, the horn gradually disappeared from sight, and his hair, which had been long enough to cover his waist, rose to a length just above his shoulders.
As a result, in front of the mirror appeared Luke’s reflection, no different from the usual, that is, without any notable change from before his growth.
Without the horn and with short hair.
In modern society, when polymorph is mentioned, it usually refers to a permanent transformation of appearance, a high-level magic that requires considerable money and a large amount of mana.
However, that applies to cases requiring permanent transformations, and temporary transformations used in circle magic do not involve such serious consumption.
Luke nodded as he gauged the amount of mana to be consumed.
Moreover, the current form he had assumed was like that of a ‘Circle’ since he was in a state of physical composition and control, so the consumption was minimal.
Additionally, unlike class magic, where mana manipulation and arrangement occur externally, Luke knew that in the case of circle magic, which acts internally within the mage’s body, if the subject and object of the magic are the same, there is a method to return the mana consumed during the release back to the circle.
Thus, there was not much to lose by taking on this appearance.
It would be fine to maintain it temporarily for the time being.
Luke adjusted his newly bought clothes.
Although the atmosphere he preferred did not change, the detailed design had slightly altered.
It was beneficial for him to have clothes that he could wear even if he grew again due to divine power, and it happened that the clothes he wore before were beginning to feel uncomfortable as his body grew.
He wore a blouse with a wider fit and pulled up a longer skirt to his waist, then cinched its silhouette with a buttoned belt corset.
It looked quite decent.
With these clothes, he thought that even if he used divine power and his body grew, he would still be able to wear them somewhat.
And if he grew to the point where he could no longer wear this outfit, he would simply change into clothes he had prepared in Arinseia.
Back then, he had been too flustered to consider using a pocket dimension, but upon reflection, he realized he could have utilized the pocket dimension as well.
“Well, in the end, to escape somewhere, I still had to come out,” he thought.
However, since a pocket dimension is not a teleport, it meant that he would end up coming out to the place he had entered, so he still had to go outside to change locations.
Thus, utilizing a pocket dimension was, in essence, no different from a portable dressing room for Luke.
But now, he could properly prepare to escape, which was a definite improvement compared to before.
“Well then, let’s see if the polymorph worked properly.”
Luke checked his appearance in the mirror while fixing his outfit, satisfied to find that there was no discomfort in his body.
“Alright, this level of polymorph is fine.”
He was pleased with the clothes, and the performance of the polymorph was good.
If it felt this natural, he thought that if the need arose, he could even hide his ears and tail to assume a complete human form through polymorph.
Though he wasn’t sure if there would be a time he would need to.
———-
At a plaza on a holiday.
But perhaps due to a melody carried by the wind, there was a larger crowd than usual in a space where normally everyone just passed by without much significance.
“This sound…”
And now, a middle-aged man stopped his steps, drawn by that familiar melody, filled with expectations.
As he stepped toward the source, there indeed sat the girl he usually saw playing an instrument.
As he gazed at her, another man approached and greeted him.
“Oh, it was you. It’s been quite a while, hasn’t it? I hadn’t seen you at all during that time.”
The one who spoke was a friend with whom he often listened to performances as they passed by around the same time.
Though not a very deep relationship, it could be said that this bond was established thanks to the girl.
In these times, establishing such connections was not an easy task.
He replied with a smile, “Hahaha, I had some things going on for a while.”
Upon hearing the man’s response, he sensed that he didn’t want to go into detail.
After all, they had only paused briefly to indulge in the melody, not to share deep secrets.
He took off his fur hat for a moment to smooth his hair and said, “Is that so? Then it can’t be helped.”
When the man answered as if it did not concern him at all, he chuckled and nodded.
While at work everyone was forced to maintain a positive relationship, it wasn’t always enjoyable.
Sometimes, light conversations shared with someone you didn’t know well could be far more enjoyable.
He turned his gaze back to the girl gracefully playing the cello.
At that moment, the man with the hat murmured to him.
“Wow, that girl has grown quite a bit in just one year.”
“Ah, yes. Both in body and skill. She has really grown unrecognizably.”
Her performance had always been pleasant to listen to in the past, although there were simple and rough parts.
Sometimes dissonances that were jarring to the ear mixed in, and there were often subtly unstable notes.
Those were unavoidable unrefined aspects due to her young age and lack of experience.
However, now, it was quite hard to find any such rough edges.
Watching the cello being played fluidly from the girl’s hands evoked the feel of gazing upon a piece of art.
Amidst this, the girl sang while playing the cello.
She preferred to hum or sing along rather than solely play the cello.
If the song she sang had been poor, it could have been disruptive, but her voice seamlessly blended with the performance, possessing a beautiful timbre that created wonderful harmony.
He couldn’t even muster a thought.
He was so overwhelmed by the music that accepting it fully was a challenge.
Such a thing likely wouldn’t be seen just anywhere on this continent.
Looking around at the people, he noticed that they were all deeply engrossed in the performance, their expressions somewhat dazed as they watched the girl play.
Perhaps everyone there was experiencing the same feelings as he was.
He finally snapped out of his reverie when the performance concluded.
“Thank you so much for listening to my performance.”
With that, a thunderous applause erupted as the girl finished her piece, and her cello case quickly busied itself accepting coins and bills.
Was it because the performance went well? Or perhaps due to the generous donations?
The girl joyfully bowed, expressing her gratitude with a bright smile.
Once the performance ended, the crowd began to disperse, each person returning to their own paths.
However, it was often not easy to break free from the lingering feelings after such an experience.
At that moment, he and his companion were in that state.
As they quietly watched the girl tidy up her cello, his companion murmured beside him.
“Isn’t she just an angel?”
“Ah, indeed. She’s truly an angelic girl.”
He nodded in agreement, affirming.
“Angel, huh…”, he thought.
But upon hearing the word “angel,” a scene replayed in his mind.
He opened his mouth, almost entranced.
“Say, have you ever seen an angel up close?”
“Have I seen an angel? What nonsense is that all of a sudden?”
Saying someone resembles an angel and asking if you’ve seen one are entirely different nuances.
The comment about the girl being angelic ended up sounding like a joke, and he laughed heartily, removing his hat.
However, his expression remained calm, devoid of embarrassment.
It seemed he spoke sincerely, not in jest.
“In fact, I have seen one.”
As expected, his prediction was spot on, and he spoke quite seriously.
Upon hearing this, the man looked at him, curious about what he was trying to say.
“…What do you mean by that?”
“I saw a beautiful angel soaring with wings spread in the Rienne Forest. Somehow, seeing her performance reminded me of that angel.”
He shared the experience he had undergone.
About the day he woke up in the forest without any memories, and how an angel radiating light healed him and then spread her wings with her little servant to fly back into the sky.
Though it was a slightly unusual story to share with others, it was easier to express it to someone he hardly knew.
“You… must have gone through quite a lot during the time I haven’t seen you.”
“Yes, thanks to that, my previously chronic nasal inflammation and joint pain disappeared. Nowadays, I don’t get fatigued easily and feel lively.”
“That’s great news.”
Although it sounded incredible, the brightness and vitality in his expression didn’t suggest that he was telling lies or exaggerating.
Well, what did it matter if it was a lie or an extravagance?
In any case, nobody here had suffered a loss.
“Then I have one question. What did the angel look like?”
At his query, the man shook his head and responded.
“I couldn’t see her clearly because she shone so brightly that I had to cover my eyes. I could only vaguely see her form.”
“That’s a shame.”
“Haha, well, I do feel it’s a pity.”
He laughed heartily as he suddenly turned to the girl tidying up her cello.
“Hey, you.”
“Uh, huh? What? What? Why are you calling me?”
The girl seemed quite sensitive in her reaction, but he assumed she was just startled by the sudden address and continued.
“Do you believe what this guy is saying about angels?”
“In this day and age, there are no such things as angels. He’s just speaking nonsense.”
The girl replied firmly, as if declaring it a clear truth that no angels existed.
“Oh, is that so? Well, I suppose it’s reasonable that you would not be able to believe it.”
It was probably a prejudice to think that all children would like tales of angels.
He turned his head and said, “Then do you think my words are lies as well?”
At his question, she shrugged and quietly replied.
“Well, actually, I’ve seen a girl who looked a bit like an angel.”
“Hmm? Is that so?”
It was an interesting story.
Perhaps she too had a similar experience as he did.
“That night you mentioned, I saw a really pretty lady too. She was wearing a very short uniform that didn’t fit her body at all. Especially, her legs were nearly fully exposed. I think it was from Tigr Academy…”
Comparing a girl in a poorly fitting small uniform to an angel?
It suddenly felt a bit criminal, and he gazed at the man with a quizzical expression.
“Then isn’t she a student of Tigr Academy? You’re saying quite a dangerous thing right now.”
To that question, he shook his head.
“Of course not. A student attending the academy wouldn’t wear such small clothes. They would have new clothes fitted for their grown bodies. From what I saw, she probably took out some old clothes to wear. Or maybe she had stolen clothes from a child. No matter how I look at it, she wasn’t a student.”
“Hm…”
“Anyway, what I noticed was that she was moving around swiftly, hiding her body. It seemed like some kind of game.”
“Hmm…”
“Even though her face was dark and half-covered with her hand, she was as beautiful as her exposed form. She was impressive, I tell you.”
“….”
After listening to his explanation with a quizzical expression, he shook his head.
“Come on, that’s more like a simple pervert than an angel. I should have kept my mouth shut.”
“Hahaha, no, but just from a glance, she really did look angelic.”
Suddenly shifting from chatter about angels to such topics wasn’t necessarily a bad feeling…
But perhaps he had gotten too close to this person.
However, he noticed the girl’s face was turning quite red.
Was it something little she overheard?
“Hey, did you hear that?”
“…”
Though there was no response, the girl shyly nodded.
“So you did hear. Oh dear, did I really have to share that?”
“Hmm, it seems like it was not a conversation to have with a child.”
He bowed his head as if reflecting, rubbing the back of his neck.
Realizing she had overheard it seemed to embarrass him too.
It looked like this little girl found the conversation of two uncles quite shocking.
Thinking about it, since she attended Tigr Academy, that conversation must have felt much closer to home.
He sighed and considered how to turn this conversation into a lesson.
“Make sure not to walk alone at night, okay? A child out by themselves could encounter the pervert we just talked about.”
“Ah, I understand. I’ll be careful…”
The girl avoided eye contact and continued tidying her cello.
——
That day, Luke rushed home, his face flushed, and asked Yerna, “Yerna, when did we say we were moving?”
“Hmm? Moving? Why the sudden question about the date?”
Yerna looked slightly taken aback by Luke’s question.
Why the sudden talk about moving? Was there a reason?
“…I just want to leave this neighborhood as quickly as possible.”
All Luke wanted was to escape this town as fast as he could.
