Chapter 17: Wizard(5)

Lucy slowly walked out of the Great Forest, her legs trembling.
Soon, she saw farmers busy with their harvest.
Only after passing through that peaceful scene did the realization that she had survived sink in.

“Oh, Lucy.”
“It’s been a while.”
“Thank you for last time! As expected of a mage!”

Residents of the villages between the city and Asha Village, people who recognized Lucy, greeted her.
Normally, Lucy would have grumbled but still exchanged a few words.

But Lucy didn’t have the mental capacity for that now.

‘…I have to get home quickly.’

That was the only thought in her mind.
For Lucy, a mage from the streets, home naturally meant the Eastern Magic Tower.
Having just returned from the brink of death, she even missed the nagging of her seniors urging her to produce research results.

“Oh, isn’t that Lucy?”

A coachman approaching from the opposite direction with a cart called out to her.
She was about to ignore him again, but… recognizing the voice, Lucy couldn’t.

“Arsene…”

The coachman was none other than the village chief of the village where Avalli lived.
The cart was loaded with goods that appeared to be winter supplies.

‘…I haven’t paid him yet.’

It would take at least two weeks for Lucy to pay for the high-grade magic stone she had received.
So how did Arsene get the money for all these supplies?

Well, it wasn’t Lucy’s concern.
There was only one thing she wanted to know.

Avalli’s true identity.

As she left the Eastern Great Forest, Lucy’s fear gradually receded, replaced by curiosity.
It was a sad characteristic of those who pursued the mage profession.

“What exactly are you keeping in your house… Sir?”

She still remembered to maintain a polite demeanor.
Lucy would never cross the people of Asha Village again.
If Avalli felt ‘unpleasant emotions’ after hearing Lucy’s bad reputation from the villagers…

“You’re suddenly using formal speech. Did something happen in the village?”

While Lucy trembled at the terrifying thought, Arsene asked in a subtle tone.

What Arsene was keeping in his house.
He was obviously referring to Avalli.

Having witnessed a girl with the qualities of a saintess, even a haughty mage would become reverent.

“…A change of heart.”
“A change of heart. I see.”

Arsene nodded knowingly.
At his nonchalant attitude, Lucy spoke in a serious tone, raising her voice.

“You know something about that monster, don’t you!”
“Monster? What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play dumb. I’m talking about Avalli!”

Arsene tilted his head, surprised by her unexpected word choice.

‘Monster?’

According to the devout paladin Kyle, Avalli was a grace bestowed upon the earth by the Goddess after hundreds of years.
The analogy of a monster didn’t suit such a girl.

“It seems there’s been some misunderstanding.”
“It’s not a misunderstanding…!” Lucy was about to yell in frustration, but then lowered her head and closed her mouth.
There was no way she could explain everything to these people who didn’t even properly understand the concept of magic power.

“I suppose it’s not something an ordinary person like you would understand.”
“Avalli is a good child. I can guarantee that, Lucy. So please, keep this a secret.”

Arsene spoke in a serious tone, but Lucy didn’t find his words very reassuring.

“…What good is a pioneer village chief’s guarantee?”

Lucy muttered dismissively and walked past Arsene.
She had already decided to keep Avalli’s secret for the rest of her life.
If Avalli was such an extraordinary being, she might be able to perceive slander about herself remotely.

“Lucy, I’ll see you next time! May the Goddess’s grace be with you.”
“…I’ve told Bern about the payment. May the Goddess’s grace be with you.”

Immediately after parting with Arsene, Lucy pulled her hat down and quickened her pace.
It would have been more convenient to travel with a horse like Arsene, but Lucy always struggled with living expenses after purchasing the reagents for her experiments.
There was no way she could afford a horse.

‘Still, selling this magic stone should give me some breathing room.’

Honestly, she wanted to just close her eyes and use it for her own research.
With a magic stone of this purity and size, she might even be able to awaken ‘that thing’ lying dormant in a corner of her lab.
But if she did that, she would fail to pay for the magic stone and be forced to leave the Magic Tower and become Asha Village’s exclusive mage for five years.

‘It can’t be helped.’

A mage without the protection of the Magic Tower was exposed to countless dangers.
It wouldn’t be impossible to conduct research in Asha Village, but… it was more likely that someone else would steal her research results.
So, she had no choice but to sell it this time, even if it pained her.

“Sigh…”

Three days later, Lucy arrived at the city where the Magic Tower was located and immediately headed to the grand Exchange in the center of the market without even unpacking.
The commission was quite high, but she had to sell it within the payment deadline.

The Exchange was bustling with merchants, workers, and customers.
Lucy skillfully navigated the crowd and headed to a shabby office in a corner.

“Welcome, Lucy!”

A neatly dressed merchant greeted Lucy.
He was the man who handled her business whenever she took on odd jobs to supplement her meager living expenses.

In other words, he was the lowest of the low in this Exchange.
Of course, he wasn’t just a manual laborer, he was still a ‘merchant’.
Lucy, who felt a sense of camaraderie with him, having barely secured her own position in the Magic Tower, always sought out Elif for her transactions.

“It’s been a while, Elif.”

As Lucy sat down and spoke, Elif’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Did something happen?”
“…A big change of heart.”

Having used formal speech for several days, she realized it wasn’t so bad.

In fact, it was rather nice.
Before, she had been full of spite, thinking she couldn’t afford to be looked down upon, but now, she felt a bit more relaxed.
Her perspective had broadened.

“Please don’t ask for details. It’s something I can’t explain.”
“Not asking bothersome questions is also a virtue of a merchant.”

Elif gave a professional smile and gave Lucy the answer she wanted.

“What brings you here today?”
“I want to sell something.”
“Oh, the usual mushrooms? Those are always in demand.”

Lucy chuckled and shook her head.
She was usually selling miscellaneous ingredients, so the thought of showing him something that would surprise him made her feel a little proud.

“It’s a magic stone today.”
“Ah, a magic stone…”

But Elif’s reaction wasn’t what she expected.
Lucy had anticipated a look of awe and an exclamation of surprise.

“Is there a problem with a magic stone?”
“A huge dungeon was recently discovered nearby. The price of magic stones has dropped considerably.”

At the mention of a dungeon, Lucy frowned slightly.

Dungeons were inhabited by monsters, and defeating those monsters yielded magic stones.
It was only natural that the supply of magic stones to the city would surge soon.

‘Of all times.’

Normally, Lucy would have exclaimed in delight at the news of a dungeon discovery.
A drop in the price of magic stones was excellent news for a mage struggling with living expenses.

But not now.
She needed to sell the magic stone at a high price to have any breathing room.

Lucy sighed, feeling unlucky.

“…Sigh, then this won’t be that expensive either, huh.”
“Well, it depends on the purity, but I’m afraid the price you’re hoping for—”

Elif stopped mid-sentence, the words ‘will be difficult to get’ caught in his throat.

The moment he saw the ‘magic stone’ Lucy took out of her dimensional pocket, the price calculation running through Elif’s mind became meaningless.

First, the size.
Unlike ordinary magic stones, which were about the size of small pebbles, this one was so large that it looked difficult to hold in one hand.

And that black luster.
Even though Elif wasn’t well-versed in magic, as a merchant, he knew how to assess the value of a magic stone.
The jet-black gem, emitting no trace of the faint light typical of magic stones, was the highest of the high grade, something he had only seen in books.

“Lucy, if you don’t mind me asking, can I ask you a question?”
“…What is it?”
“Is this really a magic stone?”

It was indeed a rude question, so Lucy frowned slightly and nodded.

“It’s a real magic stone. As long as you keep it a secret that I brought it, you can have it appraised by the Exchange’s exclusive mage.”
“Then that changes things. A magic stone of this purity…holds a value that transcends market prices.”
“Really? Then how much can you offer?”

Lucy’s face brightened at his answer, but Elif shook his head.

“I’m sorry, but I won’t be purchasing it.”
“…What? What do you—”
“No, ‘can’t’ would be more accurate. Even if I pooled all my assets and borrowed every penny I could, it would be impossible for me to purchase this magic stone.”

Lucy was a mage.
Mages could roughly estimate the magical value contained within a magic stone, but a separate expert was needed to determine its exact market price.
And that pricing expert, naturally, was a merchant.

“…If it’s alright with you, Lucy, I’ll hold an auction.”
“An auction? Registration alone takes at least two to three weeks, and I don’t have that much time.”
“With an item like this, it’s different. As soon as the appraiser confirms its authenticity, even tomorrow—”

Elif continued in a confident voice.

“—an auction that will go down in the city’s history will be held.”