Ch. 164
Seeing them all gathered, I felt like I understood Ash’s taste completely.
He seemed to favor trustworthy types—people who gave off a dependable vibe, like Enk and Gale. The kind you could entrust a complete stranger like Annie to, and they’d protect her even at their own expense.
Chad was a bit slow, Enk had a flippant way of speaking, and Gale had a faint air of pessimism, but they were all fundamentally good people.
Of course, that was just my feeling—but I was pretty confident in my read on people.
Being picky and difficult myself, I was just as picky and difficult when it came to befriending others.
‘So these are the Guardian candidates who’ll make Ash crown prince, huh.’
Chad, Enk, Gale.
Knowing something they didn’t, I found myself observing the seemingly close-knit trio more carefully—and it felt like Enk mistook that for me being interested in him.
The way he kept blinking one eye, you’d think he had pink eye or something.
“You’re a Spirit Mage?”
“Yep. Water Spirit Mage.”
Since it was the first time in months the whole party had gathered, we’d sought out a restaurant known for its great food and were now seated around a fully loaded table enjoying dinner.
The six of us around the table looked like some big family gathering.
“I’ve heard of it, but I don’t really know much. What exactly is it?”
“It’s long to explain, and I’m lazy.”
“…Ah.”
“You’ll know when you see it.”
Enk probably needed to learn that asking me questions was pointless. Time would take care of that.
“I know something though. Isn’t it a profession that requires even more talent than being a mage? I heard only people born with the gift can become Spirit Mages.”
“That’s true for mages too, isn’t it?”
“With magic, you can use it as long as you can control mana. But Spirit Mages are different, right?”
Gale, who came from Beilan’s public academy, seemed more knowledgeable than Chad or Enk.
“A Spirit Mage, simply put, is someone who summons and commands spirits.”
“Hm… What’s a spirit?”
“They exist. Blue, glowy things.”
Chad, who had seen one before, tried to show off, but it didn’t make him look particularly smart.
“Not all of them are blue, though.”
“So… it’s like red, orange, yellow, green, blue, all that?”
“She only had blue ones. No wait—there was one sparkly one too.”
Their conversation filled with question marks continued, and I answered their confused looks by stuffing more food in my mouth.
Don’t talk to me while I’m eating.
If you want a lesson in Spiritology, become a dragon first.
“Ahem. Geenie doesn’t like being asked stuff.”
“Why not? I just want to get closer.”
“She doesn’t like that either… She only acts close when she feels like it…”
“Eek!”
Are you treating me like some finicky cat?
While Ash was explaining to Enk and Gale how erratic I was, I reached for a seafood skewer packed with shrimp and scallops.
Urgh.
It was so far I almost had to stand up, but still couldn’t reach it.
This table was unnecessarily big.
Too lazy to get up—should I just summon a spirit? That’d be a dramatic way to show off for the first time—
“Here.”
Before I could act, Ash stood up from his far seat and handed it over himself.
How sweet… When did our little Ash grow up to be this considerate?
“Will two be enough?”
“No.”
I took the hefty skewers he handed me, unable to hide how moved I was.
You’re a good guy.
“…So, how long are you planning to travel with us?”
Lox looked at me as he asked, gnawing on a shrimp, his voice sharp—like he wanted to tear the look I just shared with Ash in half.
“No idea.”
“If you don’t know, who does?!”
“Until I feel like stopping?”
“Are you seriously going to follow us all the way to Heidrike?!”
“Why? Am I not allowed?”
Was my tagging along really that bothersome?
Lox trembled, and suddenly the mood quieted.
Why’s it so tense? This shrimp’s delicious.
“Ash! You have to make it clear now! If you respect Enk and Gale, you need to set proper boundaries! We spent over ten months to finally find that location, and now you’re just casually sharing it with ‘her’?!”
“This skewer is good.”
“Oh, is it?”
“Now that Enk and Gale are here too, we shouldn’t just do whatever we want, right? If they say no, we need to kick her out immediately! We’re a team!”
“You should try one, Chad.”
“Yeah, I’ll grab one too…”
“Can you two ‘listen’ when I’m talking?!”
Why’s he so mad?
Lox always made such a fuss over everything.
I met his sharp gaze and continued munching on my shrimp. Chew, chew.
“L-Look at those indifferent eyes!”
“So noisy while I’m eating. What’s the problem again?”
“You ‘do’ know we’re looking for the Cup of the Golden Star, right?!”
“Yeah.”
“Enk and Gale found the site where it’s supposedly buried! We’re going there! But we can’t bring ‘you’!”
So ‘that’s’ why Lox was flipping out.
In short, he didn’t want me tagging along to their excavation. From his point of view, I was just some freeloader showing up during a group project after they’d done all the work for ten months.
Can’t really blame him for that.
“I get it.”
“Then you’ll—!”
“If—just ‘if’, by some incredible stroke of luck, we happen to find the place, you can leave my name off the discoverer’s list.”
Anyone who found the famous ancient treasure—the Cup of the Golden Star—would become quite renowned across the continent.
But I wasn’t interested in something so minor. My fame was already maxed out.
“What kind of smug add-on is that…! You’re saying we won’t find it, aren’t you?!”
“Whether they call you pioneers, heroes, or adventurers, just make sure your names go down in history. I’ll be rooting for you.”
No matter what I said, Lox just got angrier.
But the rest of the group seemed indifferent as long as my name wasn’t on the list, and the atmosphere quickly warmed back up.
“In that case, I don’t mind her coming. I’m in favor.”
Enk was the first to welcome my continued presence.
Chad didn’t take long either.
“Same here. When she’s around, we don’t die. Unless she kills us, of course.”
“She’s that strong?”
“She’s absurdly powerful. Even if Ash, Enk, and I ganged up on her, I don’t think we’d stand a chance.”
“Impressive. If Chad says so… I’m in.”
Even Gale, who seemed a bit standoffish, soon nodded. Ash, of course, didn’t need to be asked.
“You’re all insane! How can you decide so easily about someone you just met?! This isn’t something to treat lightly!”
Lox clutched his chest, frustrated that his plan to boot me wasn’t working.
“Maybe because she seems close with Ash? Ash has good instincts about people. And he’s our leader.”
“Plus, old ruins like that usually have magic traps, so we need someone with magic-related abilities.”
“Spirits.”
“Ah, spirit-related. We’re all swordsmen.”
“Lancer.”
“Sorry.”
Enk got corrected by both Gale and me, but it was an important distinction.
Lumping us all together was rude.
“Ugh… Unbelievable!”
Though unintended, Lox was now the only one not in favor. If he gave in, I’d officially be a member of the party—albeit temporarily.
So far I’d just been following them uninvited, but being ‘officially’ accepted was different.
Even if it was just for a while.
I pointed my empty skewer at Lox.
“Lox? Who was it that saved you when you were getting your ass kicked in that alley?”
“…Y-You…”
Granted, I ‘was’ the one who threw him into that trap.
“And who miraculously got your glasses repaired in two days when you said it’d take a week?”
“I don’t know how, but… You did.”
“And who healed your swollen leg with a Water Spirit?”
“…Miss Geenie…”
What a crushed expression.
I had a bad habit of laughing when I saw someone drowning in defeat.
“Hehe. Consider yourselves lucky to have the honor of traveling with ‘me’. You’re welcome.”
I leaned back in my chair, smirking smugly.
Ash and Chad were used to it and didn’t even blink, but Enk and Gale clearly had ‘what’s with her’ written all over their faces.
[Ugh, how embarrassing.]
[This damn spirit.]
[There’s no cure for queen syndrome, is there?]
Should I turn him into a rat forever?
—
Inside a dark room where every door was locked tight, like someone was afraid even a mouse might overhear.
Several maps of varying sizes were spread across the table.
Southern, northern, full continental views—they all pointed to different regions. But one thing they had in common was that they were all ancient general maps, used thousands of years ago.
At least 8,000 years old—maps from what’s now called the ancient era.
Compared to modern ones, their accuracy was abysmal and they had no practical use.
I had no idea why Lox suddenly had them all laid out.
“Ahem! While I do ‘not’ actively welcome your participation, since you’re now officially with us, I suppose I must at least explain our objective.”
“Not interested…”
“The reason we’re searching for the Cup of the Golden Star, the meaning it holds, our mission and determination—”
“Just skip to the good part. I’m sleepy and won’t remember any of it.”
“Excuse me? We’re only doing this because of ‘you’, you know?!”
He tried to sound all important, but it didn’t magically make me care.
It was the middle of the night, and I’d just stuffed myself full, so I kept yawning.
This was our inn room, by the way.
“Hey, can we do this tomorrow?”
“I think I’ve heard that like twenty times…”
“I’m tired.”
From the looks of it, the only straight-laced ones were Lox and Ash.
Lazy Chad had already flopped onto a bed, and Enk and Gale were sitting at the table, clearly annoyed but staying out of politeness for me.
“Tsk! You’re all being way too half-hearted! Do you think you can find the great Cup of the Golden Star with that attitude?! I keep telling you to take this seriously!”
“Yeah yeah…”
“Haa… Even back at the academy, we didn’t study at this hour.”
“Funny. ‘You’ want to explain, but ‘I’m’ the one who has to care?”
I grumbled openly, but it didn’t help.
Lox clearly believed that if I was going to join them, I needed to be on the same page. Sharing basic intel was essential for a team.
Fair enough, I guess.
Even someone as aloof as me couldn’t escape Lox’s forced lecture.
“We’re not just out here for fun! We’re risking our lives and going all-in to find the cup! If you want to travel with us, you need to be just as committed! I won’t tolerate you freeloading! Yes, ‘you’, the one yawning right now!”
“Yaaawn. Got it, just keep it short.”
I swear, if you put Lox and Master Yael Roenin in a room together, they could rant about me for three days straight.
“This is important, so listen closely. The reason Enk and Gale were separated from us was to locate this map.”
And with that, another map was laid atop the already overwhelming pile.