Chapter 54
Chapter 54
In nighttime Greifner, dazzling magical lights shine, and bizarre races that would be unthinkable on Earth come and go. No one seems to care. Because for the people here, it's just everyday life.
I hurried along Greifner Street chasing after Ariana. Here and there, I saw women wearing clothes bought from Mirrors, and I couldn't help but grin quietly. The public's gaze on this new fashion was a mix of envy and skepticism. Aside from concerns about defense, most reactions were positive—proof that Amy's giant poster was working.
When I reached First Avenue, a crowd had formed in front of the Amy poster, and impromptu benches and food stalls had popped up right in the middle of the intersection. It looked like they were enjoying the poster while drinking. Like cherry blossom viewing, but for posters.
The drunk men slurred things like "I'll protect youuu!" while the women squealed, "That outfit was sold out!" and "I got the magazine for twenty thousand Ron!" Their loud chatter filled the air. The pop-up stalls blocking traffic were keeping the patrols busy with crowd control.
A magazine that was six thousand Ron going for twenty thousand? That's quite a markup.
Right about now, Black Brian and Osugi's team are probably working hard printing the reserved magazines. Since we've already replenished the mages who can use "Copy," we should be able to handle the thousand preorders in no time.
Misa and Joe are swamped with clothing orders. Since we've loaned out some of the Kobashigawa Trading Company's team as support, they're probably hustling alongside Usax to expand the production line.
I reached the palace entrance, the starting point of First Avenue. I still hadn't caught up with Ariana and Barry's carriage. I figured I'd catch up along the way since the roads were crowded, but surprisingly, they'd gotten ahead pretty quickly.
I'll just head straight to Ariana's house like this.
Her house is straight east down Yukimura Sekino Street, which stretches out from the palace. I've been there once with Barry by carriage, so I roughly remember the location. If I jog, I should reach it in thirty to forty minutes. On the way back, if Barry speeds up the carriage, we can make it in twenty. I won't make it in time for dinner, but this is for my first-ever female friend.
I continued deeper into the city.
I passed the inn district, walked alongside the massive wall of the coliseum, crossed the noble residential area, and over a bridge into the commoners' district. The capital Greifner is home to the Kingdom's strongest magic knight squad, "Shield," so public safety is top-notch. It's safe enough for a woman to walk alone.
I went further and reached the district where the poor live. It's said that accidentally entering this area can be dangerous. While murder is unlikely, robberies and thefts are quite commonplace. I guess the government can't quite manage this far.
Ariana's house is near the slums, but it should be fine. Besides, who would bother kidnapping a fatty like me? Hauling this eighty-five-kilo body would be tough.
Cutting through the night wind with my chubby body, I pressed forward.
Aside from the occasional visible inn or bar, the surroundings were dark. The light spilling from people's homes felt strangely warm.
Speaking of which, Clarice still hasn't shown up.
Maybe she's getting a scolding from Mother Amelia.
I'm getting close to the slums now.
Then I saw a carriage up ahead. It had the Golden family crest, so it was definitely Barry's.
Wait... hold on, something's off.
The carriage had stopped even though it hadn't reached Ariana's house and wasn't moving. Looking closely, I saw several suspicious figures in robes. I strained my ears and heard men talking.
I quickly hid myself in an alley.
I peeked out just enough to see what was going on.
Barry was collapsed beside the carriage.
Ariana was slumped against the carriage wheel, unconscious.
What...?!
What the hell happened?!
The men were whispering something among themselves.
I could see five of them. They were wearing black robes, so I couldn't make out their faces. Two of them, who seemed to be the leaders, were exchanging opinions intensely. The other three were on guard, gagging Barry and tying him up with rope. Good. At least he's not dead.
The men looked down at the unconscious Ariana.
"Is this the scrawny one?"
"No, the report said she was about 160 cm tall and a pimple-faced fatty."
"This fox-kin clearly isn't her."
"But this crest is definitely from the Golden family."
"Don't tell me... we've been exposed?!"
"It's unlikely, but not impossible. Maybe they had a decoy ready."
"If it were a decoy, wouldn't it look more like her?"
"Hmm... true. This one's way too skinny to even resemble her."
A pimple-faced fatty?!
That's definitely me.
What an unbelievably rude bastard. That guy's getting a double slap for sure.
Anyway, they're the enemy.
I have to save Barry and Ariana.
Seems like I'm their real target, but if I beat them all up, it won't matter.
Barry's a former adventurer, and Ariana is a calm and collected Square-class mage. If those two were taken down, the enemy must be quite skilled.
I stayed hidden in the shadows of the houses and approached the carriage.
I quickly crouched behind a barrel left on the road and observed the three guards.
They were gripping their staves tightly under their robes, glaring around with sharp eyes. If I got too close carelessly, they'd hit me with magic in an instant.
I turned my body to try checking from the opposite side.
—Clatter
Crap! I just kicked an empty bottle.
"Who's there?!"
A tall man nearby pointed his staff at me.
Being fat makes moments like this a pain—I always bump into stuff.
I really need to lose weight—wait, this isn't the time for that!
No choice now—I'm going for it!
I cast "Air Hammer" at the house behind me.
A mass of air smashed through the house wall, and the crashing bricks shattered the silence.
Startled by the noise, everyone turned around.
I rushed out and grabbed the arm of the nearest man, activating "Electric Strike." I imagined a surge of powerful electricity.
A flash lit up the dark night.
"Gaaaahhh!" The man screamed and collapsed, twitching on the ground.
I hit the second man, who was frozen in shock, with a massive "Air Hammer."
The shimmering, invisible air charged with magic slammed into him, sending him flying into a house wall. He hit it hard, and when he fell, he struck his head and lay face-down, unmoving.
"You bastard!"
The two leaders reacted instantly and pointed their staves at me.
"Fireball!"
"Fire Lance!!"
A bright red flame appeared in the air—one medium-sized fireball and a two-meter-long fire lance came at me. The dark cobblestone street lit up like daytime from the magic. I quickly cast the advanced wind spell "Wind Storm" to create a wall of wind in front of me.
The enemy's "Fireball" was blocked and extinguished by my "Wind Storm," but the "Fire Lance" pierced through the weakened wall. It grazed my side and exploded behind me.
Hot! Damn, that was close!
If that had hit me directly, I'd be toast!
I quickly cooled my side with "Water." My favorite one-piece dress was scorched and torn. Is my fate to always have my dresses ripped...?
"You! That pimple-faced, fat body—that ugly Ellie Golden?!"
This guy is seriously rude!
Calling a lady fat and ugly?!
The leader who cast "Fire Lance" arrogantly pointed his staff at me.
His face, visible under the hood, was dark-skinned with sharp eyes. Not a common look in Greifner. With long lashes and a sharp nose, he'd probably be considered handsome.
"Magic without a staff? I don't know how you're doing it, but you're coming with us quietly."
"Boss, this one really is ugly and fat. Her pimples are nasty, and her eyes are sunken from fat."
One of the leader's lackeys and a guard looked at me and laughed crudely, "Heh heh heh."
Okay, that's it. Totally guilty.
Double slap and a shock to the groin it is.
"It's the client's 'preference.' Not our place to judge."
"Gotcha."
"Don't use fire magic."
"Okayyy."
The boss, lackey, and guard moved to surround me.
If they hit me from three directions with magic, I'm screwed.
"Mirage Fake."
I cast an illusion spell using light refraction. To them, I probably looked like four Ellies.
I immediately condensed my mana and began constructing a new spell.
The three of them targeted that short moment and chanted spells all at once.
"Earth Spear!"
"Air Hammer!"
"Sleep Mist!"
The ground surged upward, and a cone-shaped mound of earth shot up beneath my feet. I tried to dodge, but the speed of the rising ground was faster than I expected, and I lost balance, flung into the air.
"Kuh..."
As if anticipating that movement, "Air Hammer" and "Sleep Mist" came flying toward me midair. Ariana's signature black cloud of sleep mist mixed with the air hammer.
Crap!
"Air Hammer!!!"
Normally, "Air Hammer" is imagined as a straight punch, but in a panic, I fired an "Air Hammer" envisioned as a slap.
The "Air Hammer" mixed with "Sleep Mist" veered off course and crashed into a house behind us. I heard the residents' screams from inside, but then came a soft thud, and it went quiet.
I fell straight down and hit the ground without managing to break my fall.