“If you start now, you won’t be done before night falls, and you’ll be off your game because it’s too dark. It’s best to call it a day,” I urged them.
“Tch. You’ve got a point, I guess.”
To my surprise, they backed down without too much of a fight. Then again, one was a guildmaster, and there was no way he could have risen to that rank if he relied solely on passion without any strategy.
I still made sure to give him a little comfort. “We have the airship now, so you’ll be able to come train with the knights from time to time. We can even go clear labyrinths together again if our schedules line up.”
“Sure thing. Hey, you know what? I might bring some Substance X with me next time and force those who lose their spirit to drink it. It’ll be good for them. Well, if they manage to keep it down, that is,” he said loudly enough for the knights to hear.
Those who knew what Substance X was instantly paled at his words. I had a good feeling they’d train even harder from now on.
With that, Brod and Lionel’s mock battle with the knights came to an end. Normally, I would have headed straight to the pope’s chambers to give her my report and Dongahar’s farewell letter, but for once, I decided to prioritize my own business. I wanted to scout Rina—a fellow reincarnator—to work for Luciel and Co., head to the Adventurer’s Guild to cancel the job I’d commissioned them for, and enjoy a nice dinner cooked by Grantz, the guildmaster, while I was there.
Galba and Catherine were nowhere to be found, but I decided not to go look for them. They clearly had a lot of things to work out. I was about to go find Kefin in the Executive Division building when I spotted him returning to the training grounds.
“I’m back, sir,” he told me as soon as he arrived.
“Perfect timing, I was about to go get you. Did you find anything new at the Executive Division?” I asked.
“Yes. I believe my new findings could bring a huge profit to your company once we tell the Church about it.”
“Okay, now you’ve got my attention. I have some business at an artifact shop and the Adventurer’s Guild, but I’ll listen to your report after, if that’s all right with you.”
“Yes, sir. Will we be spending the night here in the Holy City, then?” he asked.
“Either here or in the airship’s passenger cabins, depending on how things go,” I replied.
“Understood.” Kefin nodded before making his way to Ketty, who seemed bored out of her mind at the edge of the training field.
I turned to the knights. “Thank you for entertaining my master and Lionel, everyone. We’ll come back, so please be ready for another round next time. I’m sure one day you’ll be able to defeat even a ten-meter-tall golem like Pola’s if you keep up the good work!”
I would always remember the way their expressions melted away at my words. They all looked like they were wearing blank Noh masks. As for Pola, she simply shot me a quizzical look upon hearing her name.
We left HQ soon after. I sent my master to the guild first, while I, Lionel (who was acting as my bodyguard), Dhoran, Pola, and Lycian went to Rina’s shop.
“WELCOME TO COMMEDIA ARTIFACTS,” a golem greeted us as soon as we stepped in.
Pola and Lycian made a beeline for it and began poking it all over.
“It’s still as interesting as last time,” Pola commented.
“I’m so impressed that she thought of making a talking golem. How novel!” Lycian marveled.
They’d been here before, but they were as excited as if it were their first time. I really wished they would learn the meaning of the word “restraint” at some point, though.
“Welcome to Commedia Artifa— Oh! You’re the girls from last time! And you’re from the Church, are you not?”
It wasn’t Rina who had come to greet us, but the employee we’d met last time.
“Good evening. Is Rina here?” I asked.
“Ah, yes, she is. Just give me a moment.”
She disappeared into the back room, and the next instant, Rina emerged. I hadn’t asked her directly yet, but based on the type of inventions she made, I was convinced she was a fellow reincarnator.
“Welcome, Mister Luciel. I’m glad to see you well. I’d heard a lot of rumors about you, so I was a little worried.”
“Good evening, Rina. I’m honored that you remember me. As for the rumors...well, they’re just that. Rumors.”
“That’s good to hear. So, what brings you to my shop today?” she asked, her gaze drifting to Dhoran and the girls before returning to me.
“I’m here to recruit you for my company’s research and development squad,” I said without missing a beat.
“Uh...recruit me?” she asked, clearly taken aback by my sudden declaration. She was so shocked that her glasses were threatening to slip down her nose.
My three companions stepped forward.
“I’m Dhoran, the head of Luciel and Co.’s research and development squad. I’m mostly in charge of smithin’ and the likes.”
“I’m Pola, a master magic artificer. I make all sorts of automatic cooking things.”
“And I am Lycian, the star employee of the research and development squad! I’m currently in the process of making a magic device to detect monsters.”
Dhoran’s introduction was pretty normal, but the other two were definitely tooting their own horns.
“Oh, wow! You two are incredible!” Rina marveled, beaming at the girls. But...was it just me or were there invisible sparks flying between Pola and Lycian? “I’ve been working on a magic item that can appraise objects for ages, but I’m still stuck in the manufacturing phase,” Rina continued.
“Let’s return to the topic at hand, shall we? For your contract, I would like to discuss the terms that would best suit your needs,” I said.
Her shop had started to take off lately, but based on my impression from the last time we talked, I guessed she was more interested in developing magic items than running a business. For that reason, I had no doubt she would accept my offer.
But, to my surprise, she bowed and said, “I’m sorry. I can’t come work for you.”
I hadn’t expected her to refuse, so for a while, all I could do was stare at her, befuddled. After snapping myself back to reality, I asked, “May I ask why?”
“I have a dream, you see,” she said. “I want to make a vehicle that can fly in the sky. Did you see the aircraft that landed at the Church’s headquarters at noon? I went all the way to the Church to take a look at it, but the guards refused to let me in. So I’ve decided that my new objective is to study under the engineer who made that aircraft...though I don’t know who they are yet.”
Her eyes were burning with determination.