Inside the envelope were dried fruits. Apparently bought along with the alcohol. The wrinkled fruit was excessively sweet and tougher than expected.
"Tastes bad."
"When else would I get to try something like this if not today?"
"Don't buy this kind of thing anymore. Your cooking tastes better."
I replied indifferently while chewing on the dried fruit. He fell quiet.
I glanced sideways and met his golden eyes. Did he think I was joking?
"I'm serious."
"……Give me your wrist."
An unexpected answer came back. Still holding the dried fruit, I reflexively extended my wrist, and he took out medicine he carried in his bag.
"It's not that serious a wound."
"Big or small, a wound is a wound."
"It'll heal on its own."
"It'll leave a scar."
"At most it's a light scratch. What scar?"
I snorted and muttered, and Zenon, who had been examining my wound, looked up at me.
"It'll leave one even if you don't see it. How can it be the same as before when you haven't treated the injury?"
His voice was firm as he said this. He pushed my bracelet up, applied an excessive amount of medicine, and took out a handkerchief to tie it.
With the handkerchief wrapped over the bracelet, my wrist looked quite peculiar.
"That's excessive."
"So what if it's a bit excessive?"
He had even tied it in a pretty ribbon knot and was looking down at his handiwork with a proud expression.
I'd felt it before when he tied a ribbon around my neck—Zenon seems to have quite good manual dexterity.
"You can be a bit excessive with care when someone's injured."
"But drinking alcohol when injured is fine?"
"Hey, is that even alcohol?"
He's the one who brought out the tasteless dried fruit saying I shouldn't drink on an empty stomach because it's alcohol.
Even though his words made no sense, he insisted so stubbornly that I didn't feel like arguing.
I let out a hollow laugh and shook my head, chewing on the half-eaten dried fruit. It was so sweet that my tongue went beyond tingling to feeling numb.
"Did you buy new defensive equipment?"
"Oh? You recognize it?"
"Of course. You're not wearing your cloak right now."
Zenon's body now had more detailed defensive equipment like wrist guards. Since he was always wrapped tightly in his cloak, I hadn't properly noticed, but seeing him like this, I realized anew that he had a good physique.
"Suddenly magic tools and defensive equipment too, what's going on? Did you decide to fight Sir Samuel?"
No matter how good his physique, he'd probably be overpowered by Samuel in strength.
Making that assessment internally, I glanced at Zenon's forearm. Zenon didn't seem to notice my gaze.
"I can fight that human without these things."
"Well, that's true but."
"Usually it's hidden by robes so you can't see, but mages wear defensive equipment too. Just like knights wear armor. Attack magic can sometimes affect the caster as well."
"Is that ring such a powerful attack-type magic tool?"
Zenon, who had been explaining in a casual tone, hesitated. He looked down at his silver ring with a sour expression, then shrugged.
"I'm wearing this to undo my magical power seal."
"……Hmm?"
"I couldn't get official approval for releasing the seal, so I'm using this magic tool to reverse-engineer the sealing magic formula and undo it. It's an unauthorized magic tool so the performance is a bit lacking, but I'm working hard at it, so it should be completely undone by the time we reach Immon Port."
I stared at Zenon and tilted my head.
"……Isn't that illegal?"
"That's not for Lady Aneli to point out. Coming from someone armed head to toe with illegal magic tools."
When I brought back illegal magic tools, he was so horrified, and now this?
I looked at Zenon with disbelief, and he awkwardly avoided my gaze. I watched him take successive sips of alcohol while feigning ignorance, then narrowed my eyes and asked.
"Did you want to raise your value that badly?"
"No, why do you always think……!"
Zenon flared up and turned to look at me. But then he sighed deeply and shook his head.
"Never mind. I need to get used to it. Since we'll be traveling together."
It sounded like he'd given up, but also somehow like he was annoyed.
I chewed on the subtle emotional residue in Zenon's answer, then quietly raised my arm and touched my wrist. Fidgeting with the handkerchief knot, I hesitated for a moment before asking casually.
"Even if you don't raise my value?"
"What?"
"I still have no intention of raising it, but will you still travel with me?"
Zenon fell silent and just stared at me for a long while.
I thought he'd be indignant about ignoring a mage's labor costs, but he didn't look angry. He didn't seem disappointed either.
I felt puzzled. Even though he wasn't showing any sign of plotting or hiding something to deceive me, I couldn't guess his thoughts.
I was the one who looked away first. I spotted Palides, who had been thoroughly searching the swamp area, returning with drooped shoulders and trudging steps.
I was about to call out to Palides with delight when I heard a calm voice beside me.
"Instead, I'll just do the cooking."
Turning back at those words, I saw Zenon with his chin raised, smiling shamelessly.
"I'll specially hire myself as your chef."
Staring blankly at him, I decided to correct the wrong parts first.
"I hired you as a chef from the beginning."
"……You said you liked my cooking."
"That's true, but I didn't hire you just to cook. I hired you as a handyman."
"A handyman, what kind of expression is that!"
I gave a snort of laughter at Zenon making a face in that familiar way, then turned my attention to Palides. I heard him grumbling beside me about being disappointed, but I ignored it without difficulty.
Feeling satisfied at Zenon's words, it seemed my taste had become accustomed to his cooking.
A handyman who cooks well and has good manual dexterity—he'd be useful and good even if he weren't a mage.
And if he sometimes takes my side…… well, that's a bit better too.
* * *
After enjoying a brief respite at the swamp, I returned to the lodging with Samuel who came to find me, and so the day passed. The plan to look around the festival streets ultimately didn't work out properly, but I didn't regret it.
The next day, we were able to use the warp gate before noon. The warp gate in Kes was installed inside a massive temple next to the city gate.
Worried something might go wrong, I sent all the Durahans into subspace, then stepped onto the gate bare-bodied, feeling unnecessarily tense.
Zenon, who had likewise put Nesi into subspace, and Samuel with his stoic expression also stepped onto the gate.
"Motion sickness is natural so don't be surprised, and you must keep your eyes closed until you're told to open them at the destination. The light is strong and could damage your vision. Now, we will commence transportation."
After receiving simple instructions, I closed my eyes and the humming sound grew louder. Then the air vibrated, and I felt my body sway slightly.
Perhaps because it had been a while since I used a warp gate, as the vibration intensified, my stomach grew queasy.
The noise that made my ears ring gradually decreased, and the vibration weakened.
"Welcome, this is Immon. You may open your eyes!"
Opening my eyes at the energetic guide's voice, a completely different scenery from before came into view.
"Yes, Sir Samuel and two companions confirmed. Thank you for using the warp gate. We wish you a pleasant journey!"
Ignoring the guide's voice, I slowly descended from the gate.
"Wow, the weather is nice."
Zenon exclaimed, looking around. Then Samuel spoke stoically.
"The sun is fierce. You should wear hats."
Instead of answering, I walked a bit further forward. Seeing the vast sea immediately after warping, my breath opened up.
The endless expanse of blue water before my eyes was so beautiful I couldn't look away.
The salty sea scent drifted on the wind. I could also hear the loud conversations of seagulls flying far away.
After listening to the busy conversations of seagulls competing for prey, I turned around. Seeing the seagulls so peaceful, I could at least confirm for certain that no monsters had appeared nearby.
"You'll secure lodging first, right?"
"Yes."
I fidgeted with the subspace bracelet containing the Durahans.
I should tell Tristan and Zigor, who had good mobility, to look around the area. Also gather information on whether there's any Durahan news.
While the two gather information, I'll have to hear the story about the twelve sinners.
* * *
Immon is the port city with the most developed fishery in the Empire.
It would be no exaggeration to say that more than half of the fish distributed throughout the Empire is caught in the waters off Immon.
After Zigor recalled a fellow knight complaining about eating fish endlessly in his youth, Tristan also gave specific testimony that "a fellow knight's family owned large fishing vessels."
Immon is the only port city where large fishing vessels can travel. The Durahan is probably here. Speculating further, this Durahan might transform into a marine creature.
After coaxing out Tristan and Zigor, who cried and pleaded never to transform arbitrarily again as soon as they came out of subspace, and forcibly sending Zenon out too, I finally sat facing Samuel at the lodging.
"I'm tired of stories about the Primordial God, so let's get to the point today."
"I understand."
Perhaps he himself thought he'd dragged it out too much, as he nodded. Finally, I'd learn what those twelve sinners had done.
I took out the bottle of alcohol Zenon had bought in Kes. Without conditions to brew tea, I chose this as a substitute. This time I should pour it into a proper glass and drink.
"Do you remember what I told you about the thirty-two prophets?"
"The first humans. The thirty-two roots planted by the Creator."
For the past several days, I'd heard this until my ears were calloused, using the excuse that I needed to understand the organic relationships.
That those thirty-two roots flourished and created present-day humanity appears even in the temple's official mythology.
The mage tower reportedly officially scoffed at the claim that thirty-two humans created by the gods made present-day humanity.
I poured alcohol into a glass and replied indifferently, and Samuel nodded.
"Yes. The twelve sinners were originally prophets."