Shopping with Mizuki
A glowing emblem of a blazing sun descended from above and merged into what seemed to be the man's forehead.
'This…' Strange. I felt an inexplicable connection to that emblem. It was a type of bond I couldn't put into words.
Something about this was deeply unsettling, wasn't it?
As the emblem fused with the bowing man, the space around us grew brighter and hotter, reminiscent of the peak of summer. The radiance spread, swallowing everything in its path.
'This is bad!' A sinking feeling lodged itself in my chest.
I knew I had to act, but I didn't know how to escape.
"###### #### #### !!!"
"###### #### #### !!!"
The bowing man and that 'thing' or 'person' spoke in perfect unison. The blinding light intensified, growing brighter by the second.
'Get out!' My mind screamed. I clung to this thought, refusing to let any distractions seep in.
The light inched closer and closer, resembling the warm and beautiful rays of sunrise. Yet, my body felt no warmth from it—only coldness and death.
"Woosh!!"
I nearly toppled off the branch but managed to regain my balance just in time.
"Pant… Pant…" Somehow, I escaped before the light consumed me.
Sweat drenched my body as if I'd just run a marathon. My clothes clung uncomfortably to my skin.
"Drip…"
"Drip…"
Blood trickled from my nose onto the grass below.
'Oh? My nose is bleeding?' I wiped at it with my sleeve, but the bleeding persisted.
A sudden wave of fear gripped me.
I escaped with just a nosebleed and a mild headache—how fortunate.
What would have happened if that light swallowed me? I didn't even want to think about it.
"Unfortunately, I still couldn't unlock the grimoire."
A heavy sigh escaped me, laden with disappointment.
So much mystery surrounded me—my mother's origins, the grimoire, the royal family's schemes—and here I was, not even a rank one sorcerer yet, the weakest rank there was. It felt like peace would forever elude me until I unraveled these enigmas.
No, more accurately, I knew I wouldn't find peace until I solved them.
Alright, let's recap what I saw.
A sun emblem, a robed priest, a vast cathedral-like hall, and someone—or something.
Let's connect the dots. My first thought was the grimoire and the sun emblem.
Thanks to
"Hmm, they don't look very similar…" I muttered.
The sun emblem on the grimoire and the one from the vision didn't resemble each other at all.
But if there was no resemblance, why did I feel a connection to the emblem?
What I used was Trace Origin, a skill that reveals the history, purpose, or creation process of an object through its imprinted memories. From what I saw, the sun's light had some connection to either my grimoire or me. Otherwise, why would I feel that inexplicable familiarity?
Overthinking wouldn't solve anything, so I stopped trying to figure it out.
As the saying goes, "Excess effort leads to waste, not results."
"Arai, oh! Here you are."
"Interested in coming to the market with me?"
Mizuki appeared suddenly from behind the tree, inviting me to join her trip to the market.
Her sudden appearance still scared me, as always. Even after attempting to analyze her from afar using detection, I couldn't figure out why.
She was like a ghost, showing up and disappearing as she pleased. Even Father and Haist couldn't sense her presence.
I refused without hesitation. "No! I'm not interested."
I had mysteries to solve here!
"Don't be like that!" Mizuki laughed. Her eyes scanned me from head to toe, and she asked in a confused tone, "Why are you so sweaty? And what's with your nose?"
"Your daily training session is already over!"
"Wait! Don't tell me you've been training secretly? Uncle Haist will be thrilled to hear that!"
"No! Stop it!"
Secret training? Hell no! As if I'd ever do such a thing!
"Ahem. It's just… a little warm today…"
Feeling warm during the gentle spring weather? What a pathetic lie I just came up with.
Mizuki didn't seem interested in teasing me further. She returned to her initial topic. "Anyway, are you coming to the market with me? I'm going to buy some new dresses."
"As I said before, I'm not interested!"
This girl, why does she always want to drag me along whenever she wants to do something? It was the same back when she insisted on listening to bedtime stories from Mother years ago.
"Oh…" Mizuki's lips curled into a sly smile. "I heard from Father that…"
"That…?" Hmm, I suddenly had a bad feeling about her smile.
If I had to think of something Mizuki loved teasing me about, what would it be? No, don't tell me—
"That Princess Lilith is visiting for a short tea session soon, so we need to look our best. Especially you, considering you're, ahem, her fiancé…"
My face darkened as Mizuki finished her sentence.
At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to strangle that king.
Fiancée? The fact that I had one was something I'd forgotten—deliberately erased from my mind—until Mizuki reminded me just now.
"Why the gloomy face? Lilith is really sweet! I've decided: even if you don't want this, I'll personally make sure you marry her."
"Oh? Don't tell me you're too shy to meet your fiancée? Or should I say, your future wife~?"
My face grew darker with every word she said.
Lanovel, oh you… If you wanted to tie my family to the royal court or steal my authority, you had so many ways to do it. But why did you have to restrict my freedom like this? Don't you know stealing someone's freedom is a crime? The spirit of liberty might come after you for this!
I sighed in frustration. I couldn't change the situation unless I had something powerful enough to do so.
I could only hope for some random young master from a prestigious family to set his eyes on this "princess" and rescue me from this cage.
Come on, mysterious young master, I believe in you! Don't worry; I'll make sure to kill you later.
"Come on, hurry and change into something nice! We're leaving soon!"
"And fix that messy hair of yours!"
Mizuki took my silence as consent.
As always, my opinions held no weight against this older sister of mine.
Ultimately, I had no choice but to go to the market with Mizuki to make myself presentable in front of my "fiancée."
"Are you both ready?"
"Yes!"
"Yes."
Mizuki and I nodded in unison, climbed into the carriage, and began our journey out of the estate.
We were heading to a town within our domain. It was the nearest one, and since we were the lords of the region, it granted us significant discounts on almost all its goods.
The town's name was Blazing Sun.
What a terrible name. I didn't even know who had the poor taste to come up with it.
Haist was accompanying us, apparently due to some sort of danger on the journey.
I recalled - the Law enforcer from the Truth Court - conversation with Verdi. Father had assured him he'd handle things since this was his territory. Law enforcer had expressed hope that he would, mentioning something about the populace's safety. I hadn't thought much of it then, but it seemed the situation was more complicated than I had assumed.
"Excuse me, Mast—uh, Uncle Haist, is there an issue in the town?" I corrected myself quickly.
As the carriage moved, I asked Haist since he knew far more about such matters than I did.
"An issue? It seems you're unaware," Haist replied.
"There's no problem with the town itself, but there's a rogue warlock loose in the area."
"This warlock has been a massive headache for the Tower sorcerers. They haven't been able to catch him yet! His concealment techniques are exceptional, and he tends to hide and abduct children."
"A warlock? Like the evil sorcerers?" Mizuki asked with a hint of curiosity.
"Exactly. Remember this! Do not stray more than ten meters from me while we're shopping. This warlock has a penchant for kidnapping children. He's abducted more than fifteen so far," Haist warned sternly.
"Understood," Mizuki and I both nodded. Neither of us was eager to risk our lives, after all.
I was fully equipped, which gave me a bit of confidence, even though I wasn't at rank one yet.
— Luya Embrace and Laska Ring!
This kind of confidence, I call "meaningless self-reassurance."
Fake rank one? Heh... Not even cannon fodder.
...
We arrived at the city after some time. With nothing to do and having come reluctantly, I simply followed Mizuki around.
The city was medium-sized, bustling with activity. Smiling townsfolk moved about their day, and children ran cheerfully through the streets.
Shops of all kinds lined the roads, and I couldn't help but feel tempted to visit some of them.
As if she were a regular, Mizuki headed straight for one of the luxurious fashion boutiques.
Upon our entry, an attendant greeted us respectfully, bowing. "Welcome, Miss Mizuki. The dress collection you ordered is ready and will be delivered shortly."
"Really? That's wonderful! I was just about to ask about it," Mizuki replied brightly.
"In any case, I'm here to pick out a new collection today!"
The corner of the attendant's mouth twitched, though he maintained a professional smile. He seemed accustomed to Mizuki coming here and purchasing their high-end dresses.
Does she clear out their stock every time? Tsk, tsk, Mizuki cares about her appearance more than I thought.
"That's a good habit. A lady should always care about her presentation."
The attendant laid out a selection of exquisite designs, and Mizuki began carefully picking through them.
"What do you think about this dress? Does it look good?"
"No, no! I think this one's better!"
"Oh, and this hat is adorable!"
Good grief. Outwardly, Mizuki might seem bold and tough, but her eye for fashion was meticulous.
It's an odd contrast.
Oh, and let's not forget, she's probably the type who wouldn't let a single stain touch her clothes. Truly, an elegant lady.
Watching her casually purchase these expensive outfits without a second thought about the price, she came across as the quintessential "noblewoman," despite her apparent disdain for them.
Once Mizuki had finished selecting her outfits, it was my turn. The attendant was visibly startled to notice me and hurriedly presented what he called the "Golden Collection," a set of premium garments he had kept in storage for some time.
It seemed like he'd been waiting for me to visit his shop, hoping to impress me with his collection.
Unfortunately, I had to turn him down. The designs were simply too flashy.
From his perspective, it probably went something like this:
"He's the young lord of the region and the future heir to the duchy! If he likes my designs, he'll become a regular customer. Over time, I might even become his tailor! And even if not, at least I could earn some tax exemptions and special privileges."
Sorry to disappoint, but I prefer simpler clothing made of excellent materials.
I don't want colorful, ornate fabrics; I lean more toward high-quality materials in shades from black to white.
Later, Mizuki insisted I buy and try on several outfits.
This girl dared to turn me into a dress-up doll!
After finishing our shopping, we decided to explore the city further. I didn't leave the estate often, so this was a good chance to learn more about the world.
We passed many shops and ended up buying quite a few things.
"Arai, your big sister hasn't given you a birthday gift yet. Take this pocket watch as a present."
From a watch store, Mizuki purchased a silver pocket watch and handed it to me with a proud, slightly smug look.
Her expression seemed to say, "Be grateful for this noble's generosity."
Still, I caught a faint hint of shyness in her eyes.
I decided to play along.
"Oh, really? This little lord is honored."
Honestly, it was a beautiful watch. Its round design was sleek, with sharp, black hands shaped like diamonds. Inside, there were two smaller watch faces displayed elegantly.
"Oh, since it's a gift from my big sister, I'll treasure it like my own life."
I suddenly thought about how protagonists in novels often have absurd luck.
When they randomly purchase some hideous trinket from a store, it later turns out to be a heavenly treasure capable of defying the very heavens. Could this happen to me? After all, I was once chosen—a semi-protagonist, if what the Chessman said was true.
I decided to use my ability to analyze the pocket watch.
[20 grams of silver, 15 grams of golden bronze, 6 grams of glass, length 5 inches.]
[Operates via rotation of bronze cogs, which in turn—]
The analysis ended.
Bah, it's just an ordinary watch!
"Arai, what are you doing?"
I looked at her and said earnestly, "Nothing. I was just admiring the beauty of the watch. For my sister to choose such a watch, her taste is exceptional."
"Stop it! Your flattery is disgusting," she said, though a smile lingered on her face.
Tsk, this tsundere.
I shook my head, only to catch sight of a hooded man in the distance.
"!!!"
What the…?!
I can't control my body!
What's happening?!
"..." I opened my mouth to call out to Haist, but no sound came out.
Damn it, something's wrong! My thoughts raced, but I couldn't find a solution.
"Arai, what's wrong?"
I couldn't respond. Instead, my body moved on its own through the crowd and into a nearby alleyway.
Mizuki! You're sharp, please notice this!
In the alley, I quickly spotted the figure from earlier—the same person I'd glimpsed for a moment. A man in a red skull mask, draped in a crimson hood.
Every cell in my body screamed at me to run, but I couldn't move!
This person—or whatever it was—controlled my body effortlessly. And to do so in front of Haist, a rank four enhancer, meant they had a considerable level of skill!