Chapter 24: Irina and the Mage

“Hey, have you heard about that famous rumor going around lately?”

“A rumor?”

“Yeah. About some crazy mage.”

The man leaned in as if sharing a huge secret, which made the other burst out laughing.

“Mage? You still got those kinds of scammers around these days?”

“They say he wanders around wearing some weird hat and carrying a staff bigger than mine, dressed like something straight out of a fairy tale.”

“Ha ha ha! He really committed to the concept, huh?”

Finding the reaction amusing, he downed his beer and continued talking about the rumor.

“And that’s not even the worst part. He goes on about how great magic is all the time, and the way he talks, it’s like…”

“Like what?”

“It’s like he’s begging people to insult him.”

At that, the man laughed again.

“Ha ha ha! You mean he’s pretending to be a mage just so people will give him shit? What kind of lunatic does that? Ha ha ha!”

“Huh? Are you saying I’m lying? I actually heard it from Hans just a few days ago.”

“Ha ha ha… There really are a lot of crazy people in this world.”

“But apparently, the guy does actually use something that looks like magic?”

“Something like magic, huh… A skill user?”

“Yeah, probably. But he uses it so convincingly that watching him is entertaining, which is why the rumor spread so much.”

“Pfft, still sounds like a crazy pervert who likes to get flak.”

“Ha ha ha! That’s true!”

Irina, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation, quickly stood up as it seemed the talk was wrapping up.

And sure enough.

“Hey, scram!”

“Y-Yes!”

Startled by the loud voice, Irina hurriedly ran off.

She wasn’t a customer in the tavern but just an orphan wandering nearby.

Thin and frail, she looked much younger than her actual age.

Even to Irina, this story was quite intriguing.

“A mage…!!”

“A being you only see in fairy tales.”

One who carries a large staff in one hand, wears a giant witch’s hat on their head, and wields magic freely.

“I wish someone like that would come here.”

She entertained that thought briefly before the harsh reality hit her.

“Irina! You brought food, right?”

Tom, the leader and eldest of their gang.

The reason the abandoned kids had survived several winters was purely because of Tom, so many followed him.

“Huh? No… Sorry…”

But even Tom had changed.

As he grew taller and stronger, he gradually got involved in illegal activities.

For kids who grew up on the streets and in alleys, this was almost inevitable.

“Sigh… Irina, I told you I’d take you out of pickpocketing since you didn’t want to do it.”

“Yeah… I’m sorry.”

“Anyway, no share for you today. You have to earn your own food now.”

“Okay.”

“And from now on, anyone who gives food to Irina will be kicked out of the gang!”

Tom’s word was law among the kids.

He was taller than his peers and was always the one talking to the scary adults.

Once Tom gave that order, no one would dare help Irina.

Being kicked out meant starving to death.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.”

Irina smiled brightly and left, but it took only a few minutes before her steps grew heavy.

There was nowhere to go.

She had no food.

When she was younger, people sometimes took pity on her and brought food.

But… since the gang got involved in illegal dealings.

Since Tom started hanging out with bad adults.

That kind of sympathy had completely disappeared.

“Ugh! Those troublemakers.”

“They’ll just grow up to be more trash.”

[Dirty, smelly, and a headache!]

That was why Tom’s gang had become somewhat notorious in the city.

Of course, Irina always tried to stop Tom, but reality was harsh.

How to survive.

What to eat.

How to feed everyone.

These were problems too heavy for kids in their early teens.

“But… I don’t want to go there.”

The place the bad adults who hung out with Tom had suggested.

They’d been quietly telling Irina for days now, almost as if giving notice.

You’ll soon end up in the red-light district.

“I’m scared…”

She didn’t know exactly what happened there, but having passed by that street a few times, it was frightening for some reason.

All of it.

“But I have nowhere else to go.”

Her frail body couldn’t do any work, and she had nowhere else to go.

Just like now.

Her aimless footsteps wandered through the city’s back alleys before finally stopping at an unknown wall.

The sky had grown dark, replaced by gentle starlight instead of the bright sun.

At least it was warm enough.

If this had happened in winter, she wouldn’t have lasted a day.

Leaning against the wall, she looked up at the sky.

‘Would something like a story ever happen to her?’

‘Could she experience an adventure that made her heart race instead of suffocating in this stifling reality?’

Lost in such thoughts, she suddenly heard a whisper from beyond the wall.

“R-Run away quickly!”

“That crazy mage?”

“Don’t know! We brought him here to get rid of him anyway!”

***

Hio’s magic could be divided into three main types.

First, basic elemental magic like Fire and Aqua.

Second, summoning magic learned at the Mage’s Tower.

Of course, the power wasn’t exceptional since he was only a 1st Circle.

Third, support magic.

This included things like Haste, which he learned from Berga.

Though the Point Shop offered many others like dark magic and elemental spirits, this was all he had for now.

‘The problem is patience…’

Patience was always the issue with this guy.

He should have mastered it by now, but it wasn’t rising as fast as expected.

‘Not all mages get looked down on, right?’

His unusual attire was unmistakable.

The iconic mage’s hat and staff.

And the loose robe completed the image of a mage straight out of a fairy tale.

The problem was that even after seeing Hio dressed like this, people didn’t openly mock him.

‘Hmm… maybe that’s normal?’

Come to think of it, only a madman would despise and ridicule someone just for dressing like a mage.

“Tch, well, there’s still plenty of time.”

His goal was to max out patience before reaching the capital, so there was still time.

“Huh? What did you say?”

Another mercenary nearby responded to Hio’s muttering.

“Eh? I didn’t say anything.”

“Oh? Well, anyway, we’re almost there, so focus up.”

Hio and his group were passing through the alleys of the city of Sauer.

He had arrived in Sauer two days ago.

By luck, he joined a mercenary band heading the same way and, thanks to their introduction, got assigned this job.

‘It’s not that I’m short on money… but after this job, they’re going to introduce me to a caravan heading to Bayer.’

His funds were fairly comfortable.

The Mage’s Tower held valuable gems and items, and there were many things worth selling even aside from that.

But more important than money was safety.

Above all, moving as part of a large procession to avoid fights was Hio’s best option.

He couldn’t afford to lose the patience he had built up over trivial battles.

“Alright, we’ve arrived.”

Hio and about ten others stopped in front of a large mansion.

“Our job is to supplement the mansion’s guard staff. It’s nothing difficult, so I’ll explain slowly.”

It was truly a simple request.

A sweet job arranged through the Adventurers Guild.

No real danger, just guarding while staying for a couple of days.

The owner of the mansion was said to be moving troops somewhere urgently…

For Hio, the plan was to finish this job, get introduced to the caravan, and continue toward the capital.

“Let that mage stay here. We’ll go inside and talk to the head of security.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

Since the mercenary group had been together for years, Hio’s joining wasn’t unwelcome.

So, he patiently waited by the mansion’s front gate.

“I’ll be back. Stay put.”

The leader went inside, leaving Hio alone by the grand entrance.

‘To think the Adventurers Guild even arranges mansion guards now… the guild’s image really has improved.’

The Adventurers Guild was a very desirable organization, connecting clients and mercenaries, guaranteeing the mercenaries’ identity and protecting clients’ anonymity.

It hadn’t been very influential before, but after the Guild Master changed recently, it had grown rapidly.

‘The new Guild Master has to be that guy I know.’

The new Guild Master was likely a top-tier figure familiar to Hio.

‘Impressive. Managing these damned mercenaries can’t be easy.’

The guild’s original failure to gain trust came from the mercenaries’ unreliability.

But the current Guild Master was taming them and slowly improving the guild’s image… he was something else.

‘Anyway, they should be back soon.’

Normally, the head of security would come out and call Hio inside for details.

But no one was coming.

‘Hmm… should I go in?’

As he hesitated, a timid voice called out.

“Um…”

“Are you the ma-mage?”

Looking down toward the voice, Hio met the eyes of a girl.

She looked about sixteen.

Her clothes were tattered rags, her face dirty, and her thin arm was barely visible.

“That’s right. I’m the last mage left in this world.”

Hio lowered his body and smiled gently.

It wasn’t a lie to protect the girl’s innocence—it was the truth.

“W-wow! This is my first time seeing a real mage!”

The girl’s eyes sparkled.

Hio ruffled her hair and asked,

“Want me to show you some magic?”

“Yes!”

She nodded brightly, smiling wide.

Hmm.

What magic would be best to show?

She admired mages so much that he wanted to show something flashy…

But Hio’s skills didn’t allow for subtlety.

While pondering, the girl suddenly spoke again.

“But, uh… Mage!”

“Hm?”

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I overheard people talking about you.”

“Oh, something about you being a fraud? Don’t worry about it.”

Hio tried to brush it off lightly, but the girl shook her head.

“No, it’s not that… um, over there…”

She pointed inside the wall.

“They’re planning to ditch you and run off with the goods quickly…”

“…Huh?”

At the edge of the wall the girl pointed to, a familiar mercenary silhouette was climbing over.

Sighing, Hio stood up.

“This is why you can’t trust mercenaries.”

With the mansion’s guards short and the noble away, these guys planned to loot the place quickly and escape.

If they succeeded, Hio would be blamed and set as an example.

‘Were they stupid or just foolish?’

“Thanks, kid.”

“I’m Irina!”

“Right. Thanks, Irina.”

Hio patted her head once more and faced forward.

“I’ll show you something fun as a thank you.”

He adjusted his hat and gripped his staff.

Using elemental magic would be too conspicuous, so he opted for something more discreet.

Still, it was dazzling enough to scare a mercenary band of over ten.

“Summon.”

[Skill – ‘Crow Summon’ activated]

It was a perfect night for this.

There was no better skill for the mood.

Originally, it summoned just a single illusionary crow—a very basic magic used to send messages to nearby allies.

But combined with Hio’s traits, this skill was different.

“Caw!”

A single crow appeared beneath Hio’s hat and flew toward the tip of his staff.

“Caw!”

“Caw!”

Then hundreds of crows followed.

It was a majestic spectacle, as if the entire night sky was moving.

“Ahhh!”

“What… what is this crow swarm?!”

Hio calmly approached them.