EP.153 Coincidence, or Maybe Fate (1)
The summer sun is hot.
Under the blue sky, the blazing sun heats the pavement to an intense temperature. The air feels quite warm, and the outfits of people passing by are light. And, I’m no exception.
I left behind the vest and cape I usually wear. I unbuttoned a couple of buttons at the top of my shirt and rolled up my sleeves. Sweat was trickling down my neck, so I tied my hair back into a ponytail.
Flap.
Even so, it still felt a bit hot, so I foolishly tugged at my collar. Walking in the capital during mid-summer after roaming through the blizzards in the North made it hard to adjust to the temperature difference.
Should I use cooling magic?
As I thought this, I hurried my steps since I’d soon be in the shade.
“…It is hot.”
It’s different from the chaotic magic realm that has all four seasons going haywire.
In fact, this is a normal day, but after wandering in such an abnormal place, the normal weather feels strangely unfamiliar.
Anyway, I let out a sigh.
As I walked, I soon entered an alleyway.
Stepping on the cool pavement, I wandered deeper into the alley. On this summer noon, what reason could I have for coming to the capital at such a taxing time?
There was a place I needed to visit.
There was someone I had to meet.
Stopping in the alley, I blinked my left eye for a moment.
“…Hmm.”
My left eye felt a bit dry.
It’s better than the first day, but it seems I’ll have to deal with this for a few more days. I smiled bitterly.
‘This is more than worth it.’
Ganikalt, the Death’s Blade.
For gazing upon a monster that isn’t governed by common sense, one blurry eye for a few days is nothing…
‘An adequate price to pay.’
Thinking this, I resumed walking.
In the dim alley filled with a somber atmosphere, there was not a single person around. As I carefully walked through the quiet alley, paying attention to the patterns engraved in the floor, I eventually arrived at my destination.
An old and worn magical tool shop.
“……”
Standing in front of the shop’s door, I took a moment to catch my breath.
I’ve met the shop’s owner, an inscrutable Ancient Elf, several times… Knowing his true identity now, the situation felt quite different from before.
‘Cardi.’
I mulled over his name in my mind.
‘Cardi, the one who is half Armiel.’
The first Master of the Ashen Tower.
The Grand Magus of the First Hero party.
Of course, when I think of the name Cardi, it conjures up images of a rather annoying old man, and somehow, the image of an eccentric Elf comes to mind, making it hard to match…
‘…An impressive figure, nonetheless.’
Master Armiel, the first tower master.
He was someone I respected and wished to emulate.
‘Now that I know that Cardi is who he is…’
Remembering my childhood, I felt a twinge of discomfort as I recalled times when my eyes sparkled with admiration while looking over the various tower masters of the Ashen Tower.
‘One of the two most outstanding people I’ve met.’
It’s indeed rare to find someone who has achieved such feats.
As far as I remember, comparing Cardi’s achievements in history would mean bringing in an Ancient Dragon’s Mage or something.
It felt unfamiliar. Very.
I’ve met him several times; he should be familiar to me… Yet, it felt like I was meeting someone entirely different.
“Phew…”
I exhaled briefly and laid my hand on the doorknob.
Creeeeeak.
The old, rusty hinges creaked. The shabby bell attached to the door jingled with a sound. At that noise, someone inside the shop reacted.
“Hmm? You came back quickly?”
But it wasn’t Cardi’s voice that I heard.
However, it was a familiar voice.
An unforgettable voice.
Crack.
My body reacted before my consciousness did at that voice. My fingers tightened on the doorknob. My body moved of its own accord at a voice I shouldn’t be hearing.
Acceleration, then enhancement of strength.
The spell completed in an instant radiated light.
BANG!
I charged into the shop as if I were tearing down the door. Where Cardi was supposed to be seated, a girl was sitting instead.
White hair.
Emerald green eyes.
The Betrayer, Gletus.
I swung my fist at her, reflected in my retinas.
—
2.
“…When is Belnoa going to show up?”
Chloe was not having a great day.
With her cheeks puffed up, she poked at an empty flask idly. Splash, the potion inside swirled noisily.
“She said she’d come quickly.”
She swung her legs while sitting on a chair.
Not having anything to do, she just stared at the clock, and this wasn’t a pleasant time for the active Chloe.
How long had it been since her last holiday?
This was a rare day off granted by the Master of the Black Tower. Every minute and second felt like a waste, yet Belnoa was already 30 minutes late.
‘Cardi grandpa isn’t around either.’
Since Chloe arrived, Cardi had told her it would be fine and then left for a while. Thanks to that, Chloe was spending her precious holiday watching a shop that was unlikely to get any customers.
“Who in the world would come to a shop like this…?”
The alleyway had seen no foot traffic.
It was a shop so hidden that even walking a specific pattern down the alley wouldn’t let you hear it unless you actively paid attention. Who else but her and Belnoa would step foot in such a place?
‘If anyone shows up, they’d better be a weirdo!’
No normal person would approach.
Chloe continued to poke at the flask with her fingers while grumbling. The flask teetered and wobbled like a weeble.
As she continued doing so, she began to find it amusing.
While Chloe was busy poking the flask repeatedly, she accidentally lost control.
“Oops.”
Was it a slip of power or a warning of impending misfortune?
Crash!
With a loud sound, the flask shattered.
Chloe’s eyes widened, and she hurriedly searched for something to clean it up. And at that moment…
Jingle.
The bell on the door rang.
Chloe’s complexion turned pale. Surely, it was Cardi returning. Inside, she screamed.
‘Why does he come back now…!’
Yet, she didn’t show it on the outside.
Chloe maintained a calm facade and spoke softly, disguising her tension.
“Hmm? You came back quickly?”
As soon as she uttered those words, a spark flew right in front of her eyes. A sense of intuition struck Chloe. The Star’s warning hit her harder than ever, making her frown.
‘…Am I going to die?’
There was no time for doubt over the warning.
With a deafening Boom, the door burst open wide. Dust settled in the old shop as the rushing wind stirred up the surroundings. At the moment Chloe blinked, it all transpired.
A single blink.
In a split second.
In that brief moment, something rushed in. Slowly, Chloe opened her eyes. And she inadvertently inhaled sharply.
“Ugh…!”
Along with the rushing wind came a fist. The fist halted right in front of Chloe’s eyes.
Whooosh!
The wind finally made its presence felt.
Chloe’s bright white hair floated. Her neatly framed bangs were swept back completely.
“Uh, uhhh…!”
They say that when a person is too surprised, they lose their words, right? That was exactly how Chloe felt in her current state. So stunned that she couldn’t form any coherent words.
“Cough.”
She was now even having hiccups.
Her upper and lower teeth clacked together. Chloe gazed past the halted fist.
Chillingly bright blue eyes.
Predatory eyes were staring directly at her. Chloe felt a wave of pure terror wash over her. An indescribable, deep-rooted fear.
“Hih, hic.”
Tears welled up in Chloe’s eyes.
Trembling, she opened her mouth. Struggling to articulate her words, she managed to stammer.
“W-why are you doing this to me…?”
Her voice shook terribly, but who could blame her? Facing an unexpected assailant, she gathered her courage and asked why this was happening to her.
“Uh…”
The unexpected assailant, Raniel, wore a strangely complicated expression. She slowly lowered her fist and muttered.
“…Or maybe not?”
What on earth does that even mean?
At that moment, Chloe’s urge to run away kicked in dramatically.
‘Belnoa, please hurry back…!’
Now wasn’t the time to get irritated.
Chloe silently prayed for her childhood friend. More fervently than ever before.
—
3.
In the old shop, the guest and the girl who had temporarily taken on the role of the shopkeeper found themselves staring at each other. An awkward atmosphere hovered between them.
“W-well, then.”
“Uh-huh.”
“You mistook me for a really bad person and hit me without a word, huh?”
“Something like that…”
With a woman who should be called a “customer” but really was just a “violent maniac,” Chloe’s tightly clenched fist trembled.
“That makes no sense…!”
From the perspective of this violent woman, the outlook could be summarized as follows:
‘There’s a really bad person who looks a lot like me, even sounds like me, so I swung my fist first!’
Is this even logical?
While Chloe considered herself kind-hearted and patient… she wanted to scream at the woman in front of her.
“Whew, whew…”
Barely suppressing her anger, Chloe opened her mouth.
“I don’t know who this bad person you’re referring to could be… but no matter who it is, doesn’t it go against all reason to resort to violence as soon as you meet someone?”
It was a rational point. A morally sound statement.
However, rationality, as it often is… only applies to individuals within the boundaries of common sense.
“No, that crazy girl is different.”
“…Huh?”
“It’s okay to hit her the moment you see her. In fact, if you don’t take her out before she shows up, it can be a real hassle…”
And that woman before her was anything but normal.
Despite her pretty appearance, she was just a complete lunatic inside. Chloe pressed her temples, slowly continuing her words.
“Anyway, I’m not that unknown person, and I have nothing to do with them!”
“That’s… true.”
The woman nodded at Chloe’s rebuttal.
“So, shouldn’t you apologize first?”
“That too… that’s true.”
As she nodded, the woman’s expression remained quite complicated. In fact, she—Raniel—had quite a lot to say as well.
‘She looks just like her.’
The resemblance was startling.
She had slightly longer bangs and looked a tad younger, but that seemed to be about it.
Eye color, hair color, skin.
Even her voice was the same.
‘Can a person look so much alike?’
Moreover, there was also a similar atmosphere surrounding them.
The girl before her possessed an eerily foreign mana. The creeping sensation caused Raniel to clench her fist under the table, alternating between tightening and loosening.
‘And what about their first meeting situation?’
The girl was sitting where Cardi was supposed to be. Clutching a broken flask in one hand, her other was smeared with a red liquid.
The thick, dark, burgundy fluid spread on the floor.
The shattered flask.
And the stinging odor typical of potions.
From Raniel’s perspective, it was more difficult not to misconstrue what was going on. Quietly contemplating, Raniel gradually opened her mouth.
“Sorry. I must’ve mistaken you for someone else.”
“…But you ultimately didn’t punch me, so I’ll let it slide. Just be careful next time.”
Yet, even as she said this, Chloe didn’t lower her guard. Raniel mirrored her tension. Fixing her gaze on the girl, she asked.
“…By the way, what’s your name?”
“Huh?”
“What’s your name?”
At Raniel’s question, the girl responded.
“It’s Chloe.”
The moment she heard that name, Raniel’s eyes widened. Chloe. The candidate for the hero that she had marked in advance. Raniel’s eyes glistened.
‘Ah, if she’s a hero, it could make sense that she feels alien!’
That moment marked the transition of Raniel’s wariness to warmth.
Her voice softened substantially.
“Ah, so you’re Chloe?”
“…Who are you to act like you know me? Do you know me?”
“Yeah, I do. I know you very well.”
Raniel beamed with a bright smile.
Chloe flinched and instinctively pulled back. In an instant, the attitude directed toward her flipped entirely. As for Chloe, it felt like a chilling experience.
‘She knows me?’
What happened to all that before?
‘…What’s going on?’
Is she some kind of con artist?
No matter how you looked at it, she was clearly not a stable person.
“Hmm? What are you doing?”
“Just… keep talking from there. Let’s… maintain a distance.”
Chloe took a couple of steps back from Raniel.
Beware of con artists!
