Chapter 82
“Altair!”
I ran while calling his name, and Altair, who had been chatting happily with Winter, turned his head toward me.
“Salvia, why?”
Because I had saved his life, Altair—who used to be so strict—was now unusually lenient toward me.
“Is the black magician who came to capture someone today… that person? The… one of the three great black magicians of the northern empire…?”
“Oh, right. It’s estimated that one of them is in this village.”
“Ah…”
“The reason you came out here for flood relief is also because of that black magician.”
“Huh?”
I widened my eyes in surprise at this news, and Altair gave me a look as if to say, You didn’t know?
“What? You haven’t heard the explanation? Some northern villages were hit by floods recently, and it’s all because of the black magic that magician used.”
“…Huh?”
“They say that, as a result of the black magic, heavy rain poured over specific villages. Our unit is now here to track down that black magician.”
…Now that he said it, it did sound a bit strange.
This area wasn’t that far from our mountains, yet the villages nearby suffered severe flooding while our unit remained unharmed.
“Honestly, I don’t think we’ll catch him and it’ll probably fizzle out, but we need a reason to show that we at least tried, you know.”
“Do you have solid proof that this black magician is in this village?”
“Sigh, don’t even mention it… That black magician is a notorious trickster. He probably tore up the neighboring village, so there’s nowhere left to go but here.”
“Ah, I see. But isn’t that the job of the black magic search special forces?”
“If we miss him, that’s when they’ll take over. Their system is quite… unique.”
After Altair’s explanation, I clenched my fists tightly.
So, some damn black magician caused trouble, Altair’s unit was sent to track him, and we were sent to clean up the mess.
External duty was convenient and all, but still…
Why do we always have to clean up after the accidents caused by those damn black magicians?
The thought of all the extra work caused by them made my blood boil.
April, hang in there…
I couldn’t help but cheer for April again, imagining her with the black magic search special forces.
Every time something happened, it seemed like April had been right. It was humiliating…
This operation took place on a busy street.
The last time, we worked at an ordinary rural farmhouse, but today we were in a market full of bustling shops and people.
Compared to the capital’s markets as often depicted in novels, it was modest, but it was the most extravagant place I had seen since arriving in this world.
So… this is society?
Feeling the atmosphere of the city after so long made my face flush slightly.
“What’s going on?”
“Looks like we’re repairing something.”
“Are they… different races?”
Being in a busy district meant that many imperial citizens were watching us.
The citizens whispered among themselves, calling us “different races,” and avoided us. Adults even shielded their children’s eyes to prevent them from seeing us.
Really infuriating.
My mood worsened, and Milfy squeaked at my expression, but we had to start the work.
Our task was to fill puddles of standing water. I didn’t know why we were doing this, but following Ishina’s advice, I decided to maintain the attitude of a model soldier. Logical reasoning aside, it was easier this way.
Winter split our team into groups. Those working with me to fill the puddles were the same unit members as last time: Karon, Patty, Matty, and Jason.
“Karon, hey.”
“Huh?”
Karon, who was diligently digging next to me, looked up.
“You said your memory has partially returned. I’m curious—could you tell me what you remember?”
“Oh, you mean my memory.”
Karon blinked a few times, then spoke slowly.
“It’s nothing much… but first, the village we went to before—I did know that place.”
“Really? Did you live there briefly?”
“Not really… I just worked there for a short time.”
“…Worked? What kind of work?”
“I don’t remember exactly… I was following one man… but I don’t know the details.”
“I see…”
“And it seems I also came to this village often for work. The memories are clearer, so I probably came here more than the neighboring village we visited before.”
Karon slowly turned his head, surveying the village.
“Just by looking around, memories of being here keep coming back…”
“Hmm… this is a more populated village, so maybe you came here often for the market. If you remember everything, could you tell me?”
“Of course, Salvia! If you want me to, I’ll tell you everything!”
Karon said that and smiled gently. His usually bright, carefree face gave me a sense of relief.
Well, the original author did set his character traits, so there shouldn’t be any major inconsistencies.
Thinking about it, Aquila and I were probably worrying too much. Karon seemed perfectly fine.
“Karon, as I’ve said many times…”
“Yes?”
I started repeating the basic lessons I had taught Karon since he lost his memories.
“If someone makes you angry, politely ask them to correct it. If you can’t, you must be patient. Never resort to violence.”
“Yes!”
“Never do anything prohibited by the state. If there’s someone weaker than you and you can help, you must help them.”
“Yes!”
“The rest of the time, don’t act without instructions. If you don’t know what to do, follow Aquila’s example.”
I rattled off everything Karon needed to keep in mind, channeling Winter’s voice.
“And in situations like now, when civilians are around, you must be even more careful. Non-Arcons are weaker than us, so be careful, careful, careful! Especially weapons—they can look threatening, so don’t take them out.”
Though Karon always smiled innocently in front of senior members like Aquila, his size alone made him intimidating. Fortunately, he didn’t care about his subordinates, so they followed him without fear. If he ever got genuinely angry, they’d be scared.
“Understood!”
“Good.”
I had probably repeated this lesson a hundred times since Karon enlisted, and each time he acknowledged it, sometimes making minor mistakes—but repetition is important.
“Phew, the work is done. Let’s move on to the next task.”
“Yes…”
I stood up and saw Patty and Matty half-stuck in the mud, struggling.
“Jason… look after your peers…”
“I really feel wronged…”
Sigh…
I was already irritated with Karon, and seeing them made it worse.
“Karon, go help them out…”
“Yes!”
I signaled him to go, and Karon ran over, helping Jason pull Patty and Matty out.
“Ah!”
When Karon lifted Patty like uprooting a radish, she shrieked and bounced free.
“Ah!”
Then Matty was pulled out, and…
“…Ah, sorry.”
Matty’s recoil caused Karon to bump into a passerby, and he apologized.
A seemingly ordinary villager looked startled, then stepped back, clearly afraid of different races.
This is bad.
I hoped he wouldn’t file a complaint later.
“Karon, just be gentle for now…”
I signaled Karon to apologize again to the still-shocked man.
“Sorry!”
Karon bowed, and the man finally seemed to calm down.
“It’s… okay…”
He responded in a small voice and quickly left, still cautious, clearly afraid.
Are people really that afraid of different races?
I scowled at the spot he had left and gestured for the subordinates to finish the work.
“Let’s go for real now.”
At that moment, Karon called me in a low, calm voice unlike his usual tone.
“Salvia.”
“…Huh?”
He stood there with a strange expression.
“I… just remembered everything.”
“…What?”
Could it be that he regained all his memory? So suddenly? How is that even possible?
Before I could process it, Karon said something shocking.
“I lost my memory because of black magic.”
“…Huh?”
“The black magic was broken when we collided just now. That’s why my memory came back.”
“W-What are you talking about?”
I couldn’t follow his story at all, and finally, Karon began to explain.
“I was one of the young Arcons being used by the black magician.”
