CH 24.1

Manpower Agency 24.1

Chapter 24.1 – Invitation from the Military Oneichan (2)

In the lab the next day, Slayra-san did not talk to me more than necessary.

She’s in her usual adult attitude.

As for me, I’m impatient.

I did my best to do whatever Slayra-san wanted me to do.

I want information about the legendary screenwriter Mesias!

In this world, there are no magazines or televisions, and information in faraway places comes entirely from personal contacts.

I spent my days in agony and finally, weekend arrived.

The play that I booked a ticket for was “The Banishment of the Receptionist”, a masterpiece of the banishment genre.

It’s a psycho-thriller in which the domineering guild master banishes the receptionist thinking she’s a woman without backing. Little does he know that she’s actually a necromancer. A vengeful one.

The play was a great success thanks to the monster performance of the up-and-coming actress, Lady Platonette. I’m sure Slayra-san, who was sitting next to me, enjoyed it as well.

I immediately took her to a coffee shop near the school.

「Oi oi, aren’t you being awfully impatient today?」

「I’m sorry. I just couldn’t resist talking to you.」

「Just for Mesias, right? Then, when I’m done talking, are you going to throw me away?」

「Ah, no…..not at all. I’m sorry….」

My face was on fire.

After the play, I immediately dragged her here.

Slayra-san smiles wryly and smokes a cigarette.

I lit it with my fire seed magic as she sucked smoke.

「As for Mesias, he’s quite prodigal. He didn’t do well in school and was keen on hanging out with his play-loving friends and start a theater troupe.」

I wrote down all of Slayra-san’s words on a notepad with writing magic so that I wouldn’t miss anything.

I have a duty to get these words out to all the theatergoers in Torquiva.

「Originally, he’s more of an actor rather than a scriptwriter. However, after a heartbreak with a certain young lady, he became more involved in writing, dropped out of school, and gained great fame by doing plays with his theater troupe.」

「”The Cradle of the Big Tree”, a story about a young mage who burnt down a village of a long ear tribe as a coming of age ceremony is his masterpiece from the time when he had a lot of grudge against society.」

「Is that so? Well, I heard that he was so pleased with it that he wrote a lot of other things but he was so furious when the government talked to his parents, making them reprimand him. He was kicked out of the house some time after I met him.」

「As expected of “Rage” Mesias. Do you know where he is now?」

「From what I heard, he built an opera house in Muragurado….」

「Whoa! I’d love to go there.」

Slayra-san, who had been staring at me in awe, crushed the still long cigarette and said,

「You are very different from what I heard.」

Beads of sweat ran down my forehead seeing Slayra-san’s curious expression.

Right.

This person might be an internal investigator.

What was I thinking?

「From what you heard….is it?」

I pulled myself together and braced myself immediately. After that, I met her gaze head-on.

「You’re a brilliant man and you’re more accomplished in your grade in terms of research. However, you’re a fiery commoner who can’t even use offensive magic.」

「Haa」

I’m sure I had already put out all kinds of fires that could lead to me.

「However, in reality, you were just a boy of your age who treats studying and researching as a side job and devotes all his energy to his hobby which is play. 」

Slayra-san, smiled wryly after saying that and straightened her posture as if saying, “Let’s go down to business.”.

「I met Chris Holden in the royal capital as well as her kouhai, a stupid young man.」

「Ha, haa…」

I have a bad feeling about this…..

「They were both normal nobles, for better or for worse.」

「Ah, I’m sure they were….they are the pride of our lab.」

「A normal noble can’t come up with such an idea. You were the developer of the magic crystal exchangeable construct, aren’t you?」

Oh….

SAAAAAAFFFFFFFFEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

I was sweating profusely but I was finally relieved.

If she’s only talking about the magic crystal exchangeable constructs, I’m safe.

I’m glad that no one found out about the magic crystal factory(artificial dungeon)!

「I won’t criticize you. I think it’s common practice for commoners to protect themselves. On the contrary, I think you have excellent decision-making capability and know restraint.」

Slayra-san, who seemed to have judged my silence as affirmation, took a sip of her coffee and began to speak on her own.

「However, even if they are commoners, we have to take the best for the good of the country, right?」

Suddenly, I felt a gaze other than Slayra-san’s.

A sticky, stinging, familiar gaze.

I look at the window.

Those big auburn eyes I had seen the other day are staring at me.

「Fortunately, you’re not the heir apparent. You’re 13, I’m 21, a few years apart but….what are you?」

Standing beside Slayra-san, an armor-clad woman with a straight sword on her waist.

「You’re the guy from the other day, right?」

「Who are you?」

「You have an interesting fighting style. No matter how many times I cut off your ankle, it always regenerates while you’re running.」

「Hey, I’m talking to you.」

「I thought I should ask your name.」

「What are you doing with my companion!」

As I had already froze given what was happening, Slayra-san stood up and grabbed the collar of the lady of the inner window.

The lady of the inner window looked up at Slayra-san, who was a head taller than her, and smiled fiercely.

「What do we have here? Aren’t you former Major Slayra?」

「Why do you know me?」

「I heard you have beaten up a lot of our disciples in the royal capital.」

The lady of the inner window shows Slayra-san her sword with dragon carving. Do these two know each other?

「Zarkudo style swordsmanship….it’s useless in actual battle.」

「That might be so but it’s still better than you who relied on magic so much that you lost your magic organ!」

「Silence!」

「Without a magic organ, you can even have a decent child. You may have fulfilled your duty as a noble but you are finished as a woman. You are miserable.」

As the two were getting heated up, someone grabbed them by the shoulders.

It was the store owner.

I called him over.

「Customer-sama, no trouble.」

This is a store owned and operated by the Magic Academy and even a mage can’t ignore the words of this store owner.

While that was happening, I paid the bills and escaped out of the store.

Escaping is winning!

I can’t stay with those kinds of people!