I Obtained Sword God Level Talent

20 – 020. Guest (2)

“Me, who am I? Are you really saying that to me?”

The woman’s long eyelashes fluttered. It looked almost pitiful, as if trying to deny what she had heard, her hand stroking her ear.

Swoosh!

“That’s too much. Too, too much…”

Following, dispersing the mana, the woman who’d cancelled the spell said in a tearful voice, quietly.

“……”

Truthfully, there was a name that had come to mind right from the moment this uninvited guest had appeared.

I didn’t know her face, nor her gender. A mage from the Helios Magic Tower. Her name was Ariel. Someone who doesn’t appear in any route of ＜Silver Ring＞, and who knew the original me very well.

“Ariel?”

“Wha, what? Were you playing a prank this whole time?!”

“It’s not that. It’s because I really don’t remember you.”

“…No memories, what on earth are you saying…”

The woman, Ariel, clapped a hand over her mouth, as if shocked.

“Frey faced a near death experience. His memory isn’t complete because of a severe head injury.”

Lancelot, who’d been quietly watching our conversation, said lowly.

He was still looking at Ariel with eyes full of wariness. It looked as though he would draw his sword immediately if he saw any sign of foul intent.

“……!”

Ariel, who had been silently listening to Lancelot’s words, whipped her head around. As if asking if his words were true, her blue eyes, mixed with alarm, turned towards me.

“Yeah. Lancelot is right. I have no memories. Ariel, I only know your name because of the letter.”

“That can’t be….”

Ariel, with a look of despair, slumped down onto the ground.

The vacant lot was full of dirt. But she didn’t seem to care at all about getting her clothes dirty.

“You lost your memories? Then you don’t remember our promise, or our dream?”

“…It’s regrettable, but that’s how it is.”

Ariel, with a despondent expression, hung her head low.

A promise? A dream?

Sadly, I don’t remember. From the mention of those two things, it seems we’ve known each other since we were pretty young, but what can I do if I, the person involved, don’t know anything?

“I understand, for now. The memories… time will take care of that. Before that.”

Ariel, who had been sitting there blankly for a while, rose to her feet. At the same time, her gaze turned towards Lancelot again.

“Can you explain what happened a bit ago, first? You were about to attack Frey, weren’t you?”

“…We sparred. I lost as a result.”

Lancelot, maybe thinking there was some kind of misunderstanding, smoothly recounted the situation.

Ariel’s eyes narrowed as she listened.

“A duel? Really? Frey suffered from mana sickness when he was young. Because of that, he can’t build mana, and you used mana against someone like that.”

“……I can’t build mana?”

I couldn’t help but mutter, having listened quietly to their conversation.

Most people in this world store mana in their lower abdomen, their dantian. But my case was different. Thanks to an enlightenment I experienced during battle, my mana flowed throughout my entire body, surpassing the lower, middle, and upper dantians.

…Yeah, like a dragon, to put it in perspective.

“I, I can use mana, though?”

Whoosh—!

“……Eh?!”

I quietly channeled mana into my palm while sitting, and Ariel’s eyes widened. Judging by her reaction, what she said was probably true.

‘Is that why I threw myself into the mercenary group?’

Unlike the knightly order, which had strict entry requirements, many of the mercenaries belonging to mercenary groups didn’t know how to use mana. Perhaps that was also the reason why I had belonged to the Oak Mercenary group in the past.

“I don’t know what kind of person the old Frey was, but this guy is stronger than you can imagine. Girl. Not everything you know is the truth.”

“……Girl?”

“……Stronger?”

Ariel and I shook our heads, each with a different reaction.

Girl, girl. It wasn’t a huge problem, but wasn’t it a really awkward way to call me? And there was this odd discomfort mixed into the way he said it.

Anyway.

“Let’s get to the main point. Ariel. Why did you come looking for me?”

“I came to invite you. Personally.”

“……Invite?”

An invitation, an invitation? Why would a mage from the Helios Magic Tower have a reason to invite me? And where exactly, and for what purpose, was this invitation?

“Yeah. The senior mages at the Helios Magic Tower can each have a guest. So… I came to bring Frey with me.”

“Ah.”

I had almost forgotten. It was a custom I knew about. Not for the entire tower, but a unique custom specific to the Helios Magic Tower.

…Come to think of it, a senior mage? I couldn’t help but ask immediately.

“I thought the senior mages at the tower were all old men with long white beards.”

“Hehe.”

“……No way?”

Ariel scratched her head as if she were embarrassed.

At first, he’d seemed like some charismatic, enigmatic master mage, but looking at him now, he just came off as totally goofy.

“Yeah. I’m, like, a Senior Mage now. So Frey can quit that dangerous mercenary life and live with me. The memories, the memories will probably come back with time.”

“Really? You’re a Senior Mage?”

“Yup!”

His chipper answer made my face go stiff.

Senior Mage.

The name might just sound like it’s a generic title for a mage with a bit of experience, but a Senior Mage of the Magic Tower carried a much heavier weight than that.

The main power of the Magic Tower was, naturally, ‘mages’.

And among them, the Senior Mages were the ones deployed for real combat, taking on the orders and projects issued to the Tower at the very front line.

In other words, that grinning goofball in front of me was one of Helios Tower’s core combat forces.

‘Then… then.’

Why the hell don’t I know him?

Ariel, looking slightly youthful, even now.

That meant he had a blinding talent like me or Lancelot, and there was no way he could have escaped my radar, the owner of the ＜Conqueror＞ title.

‘There’s something there.’

An intense curiosity seized my consciousness. That’s why I immediately got up and replied.

“Let’s go.”

* * *

Once again, the fortress city of Loven, the commercial district.

“Hey, Frey.”

“What?”

“Are you really going? To the Helios Tower, I mean.”

As we trudged down the street, Lancelot’s displeased question cut through the air.

He seemed utterly bothered by Ariel, sending her nasty glares as she followed behind us.

“Well, why wouldn’t I?”

“It might just be a hunch, but something… I get this feeling like we’ll run into big trouble if we stay with that woman.”

“…Really?”

Seeing Lancelot’s serious face, it didn’t seem like he was letting his emotions get the better of him. He might have sensed something in his own way.

“……”

I scanned Ariel once more.

Hair like a blue sea, eyes the same shade. Glossy hair cascading down to her waist, skin as white as snow. And lastly, a pristine white Helios uniform, boots and all.

…Anyone would be captivated by her striking allure. The word ‘danger’ felt utterly out of place.

“Then, you can protect me.”

“…What in the world are you talking about?”

“Let’s go together. Helios.”

Lancelot, walking beside me, tilted his head with a puzzled look.

“There’s a scent in the air. One I can’t ignore, it’s too strong.”

“…Huh.”

My already decided stance made Lancelot let out a frustrated sound. It seemed he never expected me to ask him to join me at the Helios magic tower.

“I’ll front you some money. You’ve been looking at mansions for your mother these past few days, right?”

“Mmm. I didn’t particularly try to hide it. Just didn’t want to burden you again after receiving such a grand gift.”

“What are you two talking about?”

Whoa, startled.

Suddenly, a flash of blue shot through, wedging itself between Lancelot and me. The culprit was obvious. It was Ariel, who had been following quietly behind.

“Mmm. It’s nothing.”

As if his secret was being revealed, Lancelot’s face hardened, and he muttered briefly.

But Ariel seemed to have overheard our whole conversation. She said with a bright smile.

“The Helios magic tower is a good place. Strict rules are a problem, but it’s a tower where you’re free from the biggest issue for mages – ‘money’.”

“…?”

Money? So what? My questioning gaze shifted to her.

“Helios is so rich, they give stipends to their guests every month.”

“What? You’re saying they give stipends to guests?”

Lancelot, his eyes practically bulging, turned sharply and asked.

“Yup. About… this much?”

Ariel raised two white fists. Then, she extended the index finger of her right hand. It seemed she was showing the number ’10’.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“…….”

Lancelot’s strangely excited gaze fell on me.

She was probably indicating ten gold coins, but that was certainly a staggering amount. It was no wonder that money-grubber Lancelot was reacting the way he was.

“Ariel, it’s alright if Lancelot comes too, right?”

“Yeah. Since I became a Senior Magician, I haven’t taken in a single guest.”

Ariel, smiling brightly, walked beside me. She kept glancing, checking me out. It was understandable since she said it had been a while since she’d seen me.

Then,

“Huh? You have a ring?”

Ariel’s voice, calm, flowed naturally as we strolled. The ring—she meant the silver one on my right hand.

It was the divine artifact from Britzhart that I received from Maria before, a legendary-grade item.

“I got it as a gift.”

“A gift? From who? A woman?”

“Yeah. A woman, but why?”

“……”

Ariel was silent for a moment. She seemed to be organizing her thoughts, and after some time, she spoke.

“Uh-huh, not a lover…or anything like that, right?”

“Lover? No, it’s not that. I received it as a gift because she has expectations for my future.”

“Really? That’s a strange person. Usually people don’t give rings to the opposite s*x, do they?”

Stop.

My legs, which had been moving without a sound, halted. I stared at Ariel with a blank face.

“An attack towards Lady Maria is an attack towards me.”

“U-uh, really? Sorry. You two must be very close?”

Ariel apologized immediately. I nodded and stroked the faded silver ring while replying.

“Lady Maria is watching.”

Just thinking of the money pouch that was left in front of the hotel room.

……I’m not *that* clueless, you know.