CH 62

[Puppet Mage Cinzia]

When I went down ahead to the place where the Small Cloud Whale was about to fall, there was the mage in full-body armor riding a bone horse from before.

“The one who killed that Cloud Whale was you, right? I thought so because that huge Wyvern that was rarely seen around this area.”

Because their face to their whole body were covered with armor, I couldn’t read the expression of the mage at all.

Just for caution’s sake, I grabbed on to Dayle’s handle.

“Oops, please stop that. I was complimenting you, you know. Even though you are still that young and just turned into an adult, I think your skill that could subjugate the monsterized Cloud Whale is amazing.”

The mage in full-body armor stop me, who had my hand on my sword, with their hand.

It seems that they meant no harm to me…

Even so, it sure is inconvenient that I can’t read their expression at all.

Judging that the other party didn’t have malicious intention, I let go of Dayle.

“What’s your name?”

“It’s Frick. I used to be an adventurer in Youg Hannotes, but because of a request, I’m working as an adventurer in the city of Inbahanes now.”

“Hmm, adventurer, hm. I wonder since when a bronze rank become so strong? The Cloud Whale should be something that even a platinum rank adventurer can’t kill solo though. Besides, you used an unfamiliar magic. I saw lightning gush out of from your blade many times.”

This mage… know how I was fighting that high in the sky, huh?

I think you can’t see it from this place unless you enhance your eyesight, though.

I felt somewhat uncomfortable finding that the unknown mage had seen my fight with the Cloud Whale.

At that moment, a bone bird came down, perching on the shoulder of the mage’s armor.

Ahh, they used that familiar to look at my battle with the Cloud Whale in the sky, huh…

Wait——!! Cloud Whale!?

I thought it was Small Cloud Whale all along though! But its body is huge, and the numbers of the Parasite Sharks was a lot too.

While inwardly surprised, I glance at the Cloud Whale that was falling down here.

“Seeing your appearance, it seems that you thought that it was a Small Cloud Whale. But unfortunately, that is a Cloud Whale. Just turned into an adult, that is.”

“Can I ask you a question? I took the request to subjugate a Small Cloud Whale, but since I subjugate a Cloud Whale, do you think that the request still counted as fulfilled?”

I’ve been an adventurer for five years, but I’ve never had subjugated a target after it grew up, so I reflexively asked the mage in full-body armor in front of me.

“I wonder. I don’t know because I’m a mage and not an adventurer. But I think the grown up one will sell at a higher price.”

The moment the mage in full-body armor said so and shrugged their shoulders——

Their helmet rolled down toward the ground, making clanking sounds.

T-there is no face——!?

Eh? How come——?

Because something that should be at the place where it should be is not there, I got shocked.

“A-ahh! Umm, your face is not in place though!?”

“Oh my, pardon me. Since the inside is empty so I just put it on top, see. It’ll fall off with just a bit of jolt. Did it surprise you?”

Having said that, the mage in full-body armor got off the bone horse and picked up the helmet that was rolling on the ground.

At that time, for a moment, the content of the armor jumped into my view.

“Eh? Err, what does this mean? The inside is empty?”

“As you can see, I have no ‘content’. That’s just how it is. Is it that surprising?”

Having picked up the fallen helmet, the mage in full-body armor put the helmet on the armor and adjusted its position so that it wouldn’t fall.

“EEHHH!! No, there’s really nothing inside!? But you are talking and moving, EEHHH!?”

When I was surprised that there was nothing inside the armor, the Cloud Whale that had crashed right at that moment caused a tremor spreading from behind the mage in full-body armor.

The tremor caused the helmet to fall to the ground and roll again.

“Nmuu! This body is quite troublesome. It doesn’t need much maintenance, but it sure is annoying that its head keeps falling all the time.”

They don’t seem to be inconvenienced even if their helmet falls, so it seems that their view is taken by the bone bird.

I picked up the helmet that had rolled toward me, but there was nothing inside after all.

“Err, who are you? You’re not just a mage, right?”

The mage began to think with their arms crossed when I asked who they were.

“Hmmm, I wonder how I should I say it. You can call me the Bone Collector, or what I thought up myself, the world’s strongest pursuer of peerless beautiful bone creation.”

“Eh? Bone… is it?”

“Yes, bone. Bone. It’s beautiful, right? That’s the best internal organ part created by God! Ahh, talking about bone, I remembered it. I wonder if you can give me the bones of that Cloud Whale, I want to use them to create the peerless beautiful bone that I’m aiming for.”

The mage in full body-armor, who had been thinking, struck her hand with a *pon* and offered to buy the bones of the Cloud Whale in order to create bone.

“Eh? Err.”

“Bones are great you know. You take them out, clean it off unnecessary things cleanly, whiten them, process them and assemble them. Ahhhh, wonderful. And I can manipulate those bones freely! It feels the best!”

This person is clearly dangerous.

Because I got a dangerous vibe from the mage, who moves empty armor and uses bone-manipulating magic, I feel that it is better not to be involved with them, so I said,

“Err, that’s a bit… I have to refuse…”

“Are you worried about the price? I’ll buy it higher than the market price. Even though I look like this, I’m a mage who is well-known as the ‘Puppet Mage Cinzia’, you know. I have tons of money.”

I couldn’t help but feel like the mage who called herself the Puppet Mage Cinzia was a person who gave off the same scent as Gawain.

“Frick-sama~, I’m sorry to have kept you waiting—… Is that person the armored mage you said before?”

The one who called me who was confused by Cinzia’s offer was Noelia.

“Oh my, that child’s bones look beautiful too.”

I felt that I heard a strange tongue clicking sound from Cinzia who saw Noelia.