It all began around when warmth had slowly begun to creep back into the northern town.
I had already gone into retirement, only for a messenger from the guild to show up before me. He said that Blake was calling on me personally.
I’d known the man since back before he became guildmaster. Both of us had aged enough to be called old geezers by this point, though. That damn tea-lover... Just what does he want with me? Oh well, guess all I can do is go and find out, huh?
What’s that? I’m supposed to take my gear with me?
There was no helping it. I grabbed a sword and some light leather armor befitting someone of my years, then headed off for the guild.
...There’s no way you’re planning on thrusting a quest on an old-timer like me, right?
✦ ✦ ✦
That turned out to be just what was happening.
It was a job where I was asked for by name, to be precise.
It was true that these old muscles still had some strength in them yet, but I was a lot smaller now than I was back in my youth.
When I entered into the room, I spotted a very familiar tea-loving old fart seated on the sofa opposite me. Hmm? There was a small girl who looked to be about 10 years old sitting next to him.
And then to the side were two folks dressed in an unusual manner, with the upper halves of their faces hidden by masks. Judging by the outfits, were they magic researchers working directly under the Partridge Church...?
Blake was the same as always, but I felt some tension coming off the two folks standing there. Well, I may just be an old bag of bones now, but I used to be an adventurer. As if I’d be overwhelmed by something like that.
Anyway, my attention turned to the girl seated beside Blake.
This was the guildmaster’s office for the Partridge Guild. What was a small girl like her doing in a place like this?
“Sorry for calling on you like this. Come, have a drink.”
...Clink.
He offered me a cup of tea. It sure did smell good.
Blake was dressed in a suit, and his long hair flowed down his back. He still had an elegance about him, even as an old geezer. It was hard to read his expression when he narrowed his eyes like that, but he looked to me like he was a bit on edge.
The two magic researchers standing there with an overwhelming presence, and the little girl... Good grief, there was clearly something unusual going on here.
“Is she your grandkid...?”
“Heh, of course not. I haven’t seen you for a while, but you’re the same as always, aren’t you?”
“So why did you call for me?”
“...You were the only one who met the qualifications we needed.”
“Hmm...?”
“I want you to escort this girl to the western city.”
“To the west? You mean Donius...?”
“Yeah.”
“Just me and that girl?”
“That’s right. We don’t want you to stand out.”
“...”
I cast a quick glance to the side at the magic researchers.
Hmph, they aren’t budging even a celchi. That gives me a chance to give them a rough look-over.
“I think I get why you chose me...”
“...”
“I’m someone you’ve got a certain degree of trust in. And if it came down to it and you had to get rid of me, my disappearance wouldn’t stand out much.”
“I see you still just lay anything and everything that comes to mind out there...”
“Would it be better if I didn’t? Cut that crap out. It’s important to make sure everything is clear and precise.”
“...Sorry about that.”
Blake chose me out of trust. The ones who did it because I’d be easy to dispose of were those magic researchers. Damn bastards.
Well, whatever. My better half passed on before me, so all I’m doing now is just steadily piling up the years. I’d get to help out an old friend by protecting this girl. And as long as I kept their secrets, it may not even be that dangerous. So why not go ahead and accept the job?
“Hey, you two there...”
“...”
“As an adventurer, I’ll never betray my client’s secrets. But if all you’re willing to give me is vague information, then I won’t accept the job.”
“...”
Hmph. They were staring straight at me through their masks. They really were a damn pain... Felt like they were evaluating goods or something.
Hah. As if I’d just leave things be at this point.
“Blake... Is there something unique about that girl?”
“Oh, so you’ll accept? Then let me tell you.”
Apparently the girl was called the “Purple Lightning.” It seemed she was still just 11 years old. Her hair was white and light purple, like the lightning that came down on the night of the full moon here in the town of Partridge.
“You see, this girl underwent a Skill Bestowal as a baby.”
“Huh...?!”
A Skill Bestowal. That was the ceremony held in the church for those who still couldn’t use magic at the age of 15, in which God granted them an ability. Whether the ability they got was great or small, their natural magic affinity was wiped out in the process. That was why it was normal to wait and see until the age of 15, and only perform it on those who still couldn’t use any magic. And yet he was saying it was done to this girl when she was still just a baby.
“This girl needs to go to Donius in order to carry out an experiment on her power. That’s because the guild in that town has a White Cube.”
“I see... Do they know about this?”
“I told the guildmaster in Donius the simplified version via crystal ball.”
“Hmph...”
I looked again at the girl. She was fiddling with her long hair, which flowed down all the way to her waist. She seemed to be a very quiet child. It was like she was the very incarnation of that cold, unfeeling lightning that flashed across the moon.
“...Alright. I’ll accept.”
“I’m in your debt.”
✦ ✦ ✦
We departed a few days later by carriage. The Purple Lightning and I didn’t speak a word to each other, even in there. Unfortunately, I wasn’t clever enough to come up with any topics such a small girl would enjoy discussing. Haah... If only my wife were still alive, she’d have some good ideas.
She did look ever so slightly excited by the scenery streaming by outside the carriage, though.
After a few days, there was less snow coating everything, and we started to spy some green. Hmph, guess seeing the changing sights of the world around you was more interesting than looking at an old geezer like me.
Currently, we were to the northwest of the capital. Had she never left the north before? I suppose it was possible she hadn’t had many chances to even go outside in general. This very well could be an extremely precious trip for the girl.
I thought about this girl called “the Purple Lightning.” A Skill Bestowal... This moonlit girl, said to have gone through that when she was just a baby. Yeah, that may well have been an inconvenient fact that the folks from the Partridge Church wanted to hide.
And those magic researchers belonging to the church... Was she a regular research subject of theirs? That was a despicable thought...
She was a real quiet child, but now she was staring so happily out the carriage window. I had no idea what her power was, but it must really have been something. When you performed a Skill Bestowal on a baby, was it just a given that they’d end up with some sort of amazing power? If so, I could definitely see those magic researchers wanting to hide that fact from the churches in other towns, and even the capital...
✦ ✦ ✦
A massive man in a suit came to greet us when we reached the western town, Donius. He had messy black hair and a moustache. He really was a big fellow. Must be about three meltortes tall. And that sure was a moustache... He was the guildmaster of Donius, by the name of... something or other.
After giving me a nod, the massive man crouched and patted the Purple Lightning on the head.
“Thanks so much for coming. I’m sure you must be tired out. Your town’s guildmaster said to start right away, but will you really be alright doing it without any rest?”
“Yeah...” she replied with a nod. She really is as shy as I’d thought.
I was relieved to find that, despite his big body, the Donius guildmaster was actually rather gentlemanly on the inside. Still, I was told to keep the matter of her Skill Bestowal a secret from the Donius side. I figured they must have said she was just a girl who happened to naturally have a rare and unique sort of magic.
There was a White Cube below the Donius guild. It was a room where the walls, floor, and ceiling were all pure white. And I hear it was built to be incredibly sturdy.
What I saw next, however, made me doubt my eyes.
...Kwa-BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!