“How about it, does it fit well?”
“Hmm….”
The sound of contemplation in response to the question. The girl with crimson hair, carrying a large bag on her back, let out a thoughtful hum.
She wiggled her ankles while seated, and with each movement, her boots moved as well.
At a glance, the boots made of scale leather with a thin flow of red over a deep brown hue were clearly no ordinary item.
“Yeah, it fits almost suspiciously well.”
Thus, the reaction was one of suspicion, and the wizard who handed over the item had no choice but to smile awkwardly.
“It’s because of the magic. It’s a spell that adjusts the size perfectly to fit your feet. Additionally, there are effects that enhance durability and prevent you from getting tired easily when walking.”
The girl with crimson hair and golden eyes reminiscent of dragons upon first sight responded with another hum as she wiped her boot, while Aslan observed her skepticism with a faint smile.
Just as the wizard said, various kinds of magic were layered within the boots.
Transformation magic that adjusted the size according to precise measurements taken by a minor variant school of magic, advanced transformation magic that increased both elasticity and hardness, and even a mutation school of magic that provided a modest boost to determination.
Moreover, even with just Aslan’s remaining right eye, it was clear that the leather composing the boots was not ordinary.
“Dragon skin, I see.”
A material obtainable only from the empire in the southern continent, which meant the price would not be cheap.
To receive such an item for free certainly raised suspicions.
Of course, Angie’s doubts stemmed from elsewhere, and thus Anna’s female apprentice sighed wearily and smiled feebly.
“Is it real magic? Not something like a priest’s blessing or anything?”
Wouldn’t these burn if you wore them? Though absurd, the wizard shook her head while brushing her side hair behind her ear.
“I was born and raised in this city. If you ask my master, they will confirm. Since I crafted it, all the magic involved is safe.”
Angie narrowed her eyes at the wizard before glancing at Aslan.
Ultimately, Angie knew nothing about magic.
“It’s fine. From what I can see, the spells on the boots are safe. The leather is indeed dragon skin.”
In fact, they weren’t just safe; they were entirely beneficial, but Angie was unaware of this detail.
“Really?”
“Yeah, they’re so excellent that I almost want them for myself.”
“…If, if you want them, I’ll give them to you…”
“No, Angie should keep them. These boots have spells that will help Angie.”
This point had already been emphasized several times by the wizard, and Angie nodded, standing up.
Tap, tap.
As the girl stood and lightly tapped her feet against the floor, the wizard let out a sigh of relief.
Giving them away for free while enduring such doubts was somewhat disheartening for her.
Not that she could utter a single complaint against the savior of the city.
Thinking she could finally return to her research, the woman rubbed her sleepy eyes and noticed the girl watching her, causing her to startle.
That sharp gaze, piercing like a blade.
The golden irises under that gaze felt threatening even to the wizard who couldn’t cast a decent manifestation school spell.
In the moment their eyes met, the woman prepared to confess to countless crimes she hadn’t even committed.
It was the intimidating gaze of a girl who had most actively killed priests barehanded during the city’s attack.
The wizard tensed, jaw tightening, and just as Aslan noticed this expression and smirked slightly, something seemed off.
“Sen…se.”
Sense?
Does she mean she has a hunch to strike?
While the wizard was tense, Aslan covered her mouth and let out a soft chuckle.
“Thank…you.”
The girl’s sharp gaze softened, and a slight blush crept onto her face. Only then did the wizard realize the situation, opening her mouth slightly in surprise.
The sharp-featured girl was hesitating due to the embarrassment of saying thank you.
That embarrassment heightened her tension, making her gaze sharper, and thus the girl stammered her thanks while blushing.
The wizard closed her mouth, finding it endearing, then glanced at Aslan. He smiled gently and nodded, allowing the wizard to finally relax and smile.
“Not at all. What can’t we do for the hero who saved our city? May these boots aid you on your journey.”
Finally, she managed to say what she intended while handing over the boots with a smile.
Angie stiffened at those words, and the wizard relaxed upon receiving the expected reaction.
The girl’s expression changed immediately after. Her previously tense and embarrassed red face transformed into a smile filled with deep embarrassment, pride, and joy.
Her trembling lips curled upward as she grinned, and the wizard struggled to suppress her laughter.
“Oh, yeah! That’s right! I’ll save even more cities with these boots!”
Though saving cities wasn’t the only feat of a hero, the wizard didn’t nitpick. Neither did Aslan, allowing the girl to grin foolishly and turn around.
Aslan softly bowed in gratitude with a gentle smile, and the wizard stepped back, feeling content despite herself.
As Aslan and Angie exited the wizard’s shop and headed outside, the latter promptly entered her own lab without hesitation.
With the heavy wooden door closing behind them, Aslan and Angie crossed through the wizard city toward the port.
Each step Angie took was accompanied by cheerful whistling, and the boots made of dragon leather produced lively sounds, propelling the girl forward.
Since the steps pushed her along quickly, they soon reached the outskirts of the city.
The cold sea breeze blew, and the nearby sea, not far enough away, was frozen white, forming a dead harbor.
It was the same harbor where they barely managed to swim ashore when they fell into the sea near the wizards’ city.
“Did you come, kid?”
And at that harbor, a few people were bustling about.
Sailors appeared to be busily loading and unloading cargo, and amidst the groaning sounds of the massive ship swaying in the blowing sea breeze, a bulky figure raised a hand in front of Aslan.
“Tiamat.”
“Yes, elder. You’ve been waiting here since I told you I’d be gone for just a moment to check out the shoes.”
“Sorry, Angie spent some time thoroughly inspecting the shoes.”
With a wry smile, Aslan replied, and Tiamat, wrapped in a thick fur cloak, rubbed her nose.
“If you had taken any longer, this elder would have turned into a frozen dragon person. So, are those the shoes?”
Being closer to reptilian ectotherms, Tiamat pulled her cloak tighter while asking, and Angie smiled mischievously as she held out the boots.
The traces of scales flowing over the deep brown leather and the red aura made Tiamat frown in recognition.
“Pretty cool, though the leather feels a bit off…”
“Dragon leather, they say.”
Oops.
Before Aslan could stop Angie, the words slipped out, and upon hearing this, Tiamat’s expression darkened as she took a step back.
“…I see.”
Dragon people and the dragons of the southern continent shared the same lineage, and Tiamat, being a dragon person, felt uneasy seeing boots made from the skin of her kin.
It was akin to humans wearing chimpanzee boots, or perhaps Australopithecus boots, making it understandably awkward from Tiamat’s perspective.
Knowing all this, Aslan couldn’t help but chuckle softly. Hearing the laughter, Tiamat gave him a disgruntled look and sighed.
“Well… They aren’t dragon person leather, and surely the little one didn’t specifically request dragon leather… So, it’s understandable.”
Although considering Angie’s lack of fondness for dragon people, there was a possibility she might have requested dragon leather, but Tiamat shook her head as if she didn’t want to think about it.
“Anyway, while you two were gone, everything’s been prepared. The kid and Ereta are waiting inside.”
Tiamat gestured toward the ship with her chin.
The ship moored at the harbor was unique, adorned with peculiar wheels made of a blue metal on both sides.
Where the mast should have been, there stood a large blue column instead, raising doubts about whether this was truly a ship.
But Aslan knew. This was the ship mainly used by wizards during trade in the wizards’ city, the very ship he had requested from Anna Helmenius.
Powered by two wheels made of blue iron, known for its excellent mana conductivity, the ship propelled itself forward.
Though not as fast as ships that rely on wind, it was indispensable for navigating the night sea without wind.
Seeing such a ship, familiar only from games, was a unique experience for Aslan.
It was both familiar yet strange. Knowledge gained solely through graphics and theoretical understanding now manifested in reality, giving Aslan a strange sense of pleasure and familiarity.
It felt like returning to the days twelve years ago when he played games.
Above all, such grand structures delighted the eyes simply by being seen.
Recalling these thoughts with a smile, Aslan noticed Tiamat finally relaxing and smiling.
“Tsk tsk, does the kid like these kinds of things? I thought you were all grown up, but you’re still a little kid.”
“What do you mean by ‘little kid’?”
“Ah, don’t quibble with this elder’s avant-garde behavior. It’s natural that the little one doesn’t understand.”
Despite Angie’s objections, Tiamat stuck to her ways, and Aslan approached the ship after observing their bickering.
Leaving behind the quarreling dragon person and the girl, Aslan boarded the ship and saw the captain.
The great wizard Anna Helmenius embracing a fairy girl.
The woman waved lightly at Aslan, who bowed his head respectfully.
The soft sea breeze stirred his hair, and Aslan exhaled deeply, gazing at the horizon.
Their next destination was the city of indulgence, Ashan.
*
The city of indulgence, Ashan.
Located on the outskirts of the Calus Empire’s emperor’s direct jurisdiction, this city was known for its decadent pleasures and indulgences.
True to its name as the city of indulgence, this place tended to overlook certain crimes, but now it was grappling with an unprecedented one.
The strong scent of blood permeated the slouched sitting area. In the alleyway, made even more foul-smelling by a guard’s vomit, lay a corpse.
The body, riddled with slashes and stab wounds, belonged to a noble dressed in luxurious clothing.
Typically, nobles don’t die easily. Even though priests and deities exist, making human life seemingly worthless, nobles generally continue to exist without dying.
Street assassins know that killing a noble makes escape difficult, and bandits are interested only in a noble’s money, not in killing them.
Thus, the guard instinctively understood that this murder was no ordinary killing.
Even without such instincts, it would have been obvious.
Because the noble’s body was literally torn apart.
Covered in slashes and stab wounds, the fatal injuries came from the slashes.
Precisely, a single blow that pierced the heart.
All other wounds were either non-fatal or inflicted after death.
“Terrifying.”
The guard muttered this involuntarily while adjusting his pot-shaped helmet.
Having served as a guard for nearly twenty years, he had never seen wounds like these.
Even bodies mutilated by priests weren’t this horrifying.
However, he realized that these wounds were caused by a spear.
Such wounds couldn’t have been made by daggers or long swords.
Not just a simple piercing wound, but spiral slashes.
A powerful blow that shredded ribs, lungs, and the heart, sending them flying backward.
Gazing at the scattered pieces trailing from the fallen body, the guard barely managed to suppress his rising nausea.
