The journey to the intended town in the Norsarnus EmpireI would take about five days by carriage.
Since this time we would be staying in proper inns instead of camping outdoors, it would take even longer. If we could just fly there, we’d arrive the same day… But I’m happy that I might gain some new female friends.
Edith Paleum, a royal court mage of Chenkaslar , wore a white robe and had sky-blue hair.
Annika, a mage who made a living crafting magical potions, wore a brown robe and a khaki skirt, her calm, pinkish-beige hair giving her a soft appearance.
While Edith, as a royal mage, was likely a noble, she seemed approachable and easy to get along with, which was reassuring. Annika was shy, but her bashful smiles were adorable. She was the same age as me.
On the way, the accommodations were arranged with three women sharing a room—myself, Edith, and Annika. The guild master, a staff member, and for some reason, Equvar were grouped in another room. This was likely because the guild master had some confidential matters to discuss. The guild guards and two adventurers shared two rooms, while Belial, insisting on his preference, had a private room. That was how the rooms were divided.
I enjoyed myself, chatting with my roommates about the best places to eat in the capital, life in the royal palace, and what living in the capital was like. Since I told them I hadn’t been in Chenkaslar for long, they kindly shared all sorts of useful information.
Edith, the royal court mage, was still relatively low-ranking and seemed eager to achieve some accomplishments, no matter what they might be.
After encountering and easily dispatching a few weak monsters, we arrived in the Norsarnus EmpireI without any major problems.
This country lies south of the city-state of Valen. It has several large cities, well-developed highways like arteries, and vast lands along the Tistie River. The terrain is mostly flat with expansive grasslands, and part of its territory extends to the sea.
The city we arrived at, Maltobysis, was relatively close to the border.
It was a major city in the northern region, located near the Duchy of Fen. Due to this proximity, there was significant cultural exchange with the Duchy of Fen, and magical studies flourished here. Along the main street were large magical bookstores, specialty shops for magical tools and materials, and stores specializing in magical equipment. Truly, there were many shops related to magic.
I whispered quietly to Equvar ,
“It’s a little like Egdualum, isn’t it?”
He gave a small nod.
I wondered if the large towns in the Duchy of Fen also had such a variety of magic-related shops. Since I didn’t explore much beyond the objectives on my last visit, I hoped to go sightseeing there at some point.
Today, after checking into the inn, we had free time. Tomorrow, we would meet with the magicians of this country and engage in exchanges regarding magic.
The purpose was to deepen mutual understanding about magic through discussions of current research and past achievements. Since I’d never participated in such an endeavor, I wasn’t sure what to do.
For now, I decided to explore this city. Belial had already left to look for alcohol.
“If anything happens, call for me immediately,” he said before leaving.
Equvar , acting as my escort, accompanied me. Nordine and Rendar split up to guard the others. Edith seemed delighted that Rendar was assigned as her escort, while Annika initially appeared uncomfortable around Nordine. However, despite his rough demeanor, he wasn’t a bad person, and she seemed to have grown used to him.
The first place I visited was, of course, a magical bookstore! The universal black signboard served as the landmark!
When I arrived, I ran into the other groups. Everyone seemed to have the same idea, which made me laugh as we all entered the store together. This shop was larger than the ones in Chenkaslar and had a wide selection of magical books!
“I’m good at fire magic,” Edith murmured in front of the water magic section. It seemed she wanted to challenge herself with her weaker attribute.
“I’m better with water magic,” I said.
“Do you know what this ‘Glas Ron’ spell does?” she asked.
“It’s a spell that hurls shards of ice. If you channel magic longer, its duration increases,” I explained.
Nodding thoughtfully, she picked up another book.
“Which do you think is better, ‘Blizzard’ or this?”
“‘Blizzard’ has a mid-range area of effect, but ‘Glas Ron’ can also be used in a mid-range area. However, ‘Blizzard’ has higher attack power. While ‘Blizzard’ consumes more magic power, adding extra incantations makes ‘Glas Ron’ require considerable power as well,” I said.
Listening intently to my explanation, Edith stared at the two books as though weighing her options. Since the authors differed from those in the royal library, she wanted to compare them by buying both. It did sound interesting.
Leaving her to decide, I went to see what Annika was doing.
When she noticed me, Annika shyly asked,
“Um… do you think this water-purification spellbook is worth having?”
“It’s essential for crafting items. It improves both success rates and effectiveness,” I said.
This book wasn’t available in Chenkaslar . If she wasn’t familiar with it, it was definitely worth purchasing.
“Alright, I’ll buy it. Thank you,” she said, quickly making her purchase.
Meanwhile, Edith was still deliberating. I thought she’d be the type to make snap decisions, given her confident demeanor, but she was surprisingly indecisive.
After finishing our shopping, we all went to a café. At a nearby table, three men were seated.
“You seem knowledgeable. Why not open a magic academy in your country? You could contribute to advancing magic!” Edith enthusiastically suggested, holding her iced coffee.
“I appreciate your praise, but I enjoy crafting items too much…,” I replied.
Though her recognition made me happy, I wanted to focus on what I enjoyed doing for now. I also often had to leave home, so running a school wouldn’t suit me.
“That’s such a waste…!” Edith lamented.
“But potions and magical items are just as important!” Annika interjected, clenching her fists with determination.
Having a shared passion for magical item crafting, Annika and I felt a kinship.
She used to be an adventurer, employing basic healing and offensive spells. However, finding the work dangerous and ill-suited for her, she switched careers and studied potion-making to become an artisan. Even now, she referred to herself as a mage.
We continued discussing magic and confirming plans for our time in the Norsarnus EmpireI . I wasn’t the only one nervous about the upcoming events; everyone else was, too.
We ended up chatting so much that there wasn’t any time left for more shopping. Instead, we had dinner and returned to the inn before nightfall.
Belial, having bought several bottles of alcohol, was planning to do a tasting at the inn. Ever since he tried elven wine, finding better drinks had become a hobby for him. It was safer than hunting, and the goal was easier to achieve.
The guild master, having spent the day making rounds of greetings, returned later than us, grumbling about how tiring it was. Being the head of an organization seemed exhausting.
The next morning, after breakfast at the inn, we all headed to the town’s conference hall.
As the meeting time approached, I opened the door to find Equvar waiting outside. He urged the others to go ahead and, once they were out of sight, leaned closer.
“Miss Ilia. Make sure you don’t mention using wide-area attack magic. Don’t talk too much, alright?” he whispered so no one else could hear.
“Wait, why not? It’s fine to talk about something like the Four Winds spell, right?”
“…Just play it by ear. You don’t want to be recruited by this country, do you?”
“…True.”
I wanted to share, but I’d probably get scolded…
“Also, pretend you can’t craft Elixirs or the Four Great Healing Items. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” I sighed.
Ever since Sevillino arrived, Equvar had been overly cautious.
A carriage was already waiting at the square near the inn, and we immediately got on and started moving.
The main road was wide, and since it was morning, most of the shops lining it were still closed. People who appeared to be adventurers were walking here and there. Since they were heading in the same direction, it seemed likely that there was an adventurers’ guild nearby.
After passing through the bustling downtown area and traveling for a while, a particularly large building came into view.
The surrounding area was mostly planted with trees, with nothing else of note. It seemed that this was our destination. Passing through the gates, the carriage stopped on the right side of a large white stone building directly in front of us. This must be the designated area for parking carriages.
When we got off the carriage, two guides were waiting for us and led us to a spacious meeting room in the back.
First, representatives from the Norsarnus EmpireI and Chenkaslar exchanged greetings and briefly explained the schedule. Then, a middle-aged man with a slight belly cleared his throat and stood up. The sign on the table identified him as the representative of the Commercial Guild.
“In the Kingdom of Chenkaslar, you’ve successfully summoned a marquis-class demon and established good relations, haven’t you? However, we won’t lose to that. We’ve succeeded in summoning and contracting with a demon holding a noble title from hell, and they’ve begun imparting their magical knowledge to us! Soon, we’ll gain power that will rival even the Fen Principality!”
The man puffed out his chest proudly and instructed someone to open the door at the back. Belial watched with a smug smile. He probably already knew who would appear.
Two servants stationed at the door slowly opened the double doors, each holding one side.
The hinges creaked slightly.
Between the two soldiers guarding the hallway, a woman in a crimson robe—likely a summoner—stood with a demon.
The demon appeared to be in their forties, with long grayish hair tied at the bottom, giving them an intellectual impression. They wore a silver-grayish-blue coat paired with trousers of the same color, black clothing underneath, and black long boots adorned with silver decorations.
“Professor Crocell! You’re here!?”
I couldn’t help but stand up suddenly, causing my chair to clatter noisily. Everyone in the room turned to look at me simultaneously. Ah, I’ve done it now—how embarrassing. Equvar buried his head in his hands.
“What’s this!? The guest for the magical conference turns out to be Iriya! Which means…”
The demon quickly entered the room, walking briskly around the table to our side since they had been on the opposite end.
Then, before Belial, who was standing slightly behind me, the demon knelt down with great enthusiasm.
“Your Excellency! I am glad to see you in good health. If you had informed me, I would have come to greet you myself!”
“No need, Crocell. I wanted to surprise you.”
“You are as mischievous as ever, aren’t you?”
“Such is the nature of demons!”
The two laughed together. They seemed to be enjoying themselves. Is that some kind of demon joke? Demons are usually absolutely obedient to their masters, but these two seemed unusually close.
Once the laughter subsided, Crocell turned to the middle-aged man who had introduced him earlier.
The man was left dumbfounded. That’s to be expected—he’d never guessed that his prized demon would turn out to be Crocell, a marquis under Belial’s command.
Crocell had been my teacher, summoned by Belial when I was a child to teach me summoning. He had instructed me in the crafting of magic potions and other magical theories, which Belial hadn’t been as thorough about.
“You there! How dare you let His Excellency remain standing! Quickly, prepare a chair!”
The servants scrambled in confusion and brought out an expensive-looking chair covered with red fabric and wide armrests. It was placed next to Crocell’s seat, and Belial sat down, resting his cheek on his hand with his legs crossed. He looked so arrogant…
Everyone seemed to shrink back, and the room took on the air of a royal audience chamber. Well, it wasn’t wrong—it was technically an audience with the King of Hell. Among those present, the only ones who knew Belial’s true identity were Equvar and Rendal. I hadn’t disclosed such details to the guildmaster, given they were only aware of my background.
“I have a word for you all. You may be elated by your successful contracts, but if you fail to include clauses preventing harm, you cannot complain if you are killed at any moment. Such inexperience.”
Belial’s voice echoed through the murmuring hall, halting the proceedings.
Wait—what? They didn’t include that clause?
Now that he mentioned it, the contract only included gaining knowledge. That’s it? For a marquis-class demon, that’s incredibly dangerous. The Norsarnus EmpireI representatives started murmuring among themselves.
If the terms of “no harm” or “no killing” couldn’t be agreed upon, the summoner should temporarily dismiss the demon and renegotiate. It’s also a summoner’s skill to find a favorable compromise by considering the demon’s demands.
“Professor Crocell wouldn’t attack anyone out of sheer discourtesy.”
“And why do you keep referring to him as ‘Professor Crocell’?”
The summoner woman, apparently the contractor, asked me. Fair enough.
“It’s because he taught me so much. He’s my teacher.”
“Oh, how nostalgic. It seems you’ve honed your skills quite a bit since then. But weren’t you in the North? What brings you here?”
“…Let’s save that discussion for later.”
That was close—we were about to stray off topic.
This so-called magical conference wasn’t progressing at all! I was looking forward to seeing cooperation between nations like Egdoarm, but instead…
