Chapter 237: Take a Risk

Chapter 237: Take a Risk

As we sat in the back of the carriage, separated from the driver up front, I heard a sudden voice.

Hey, Arlan, Erani said, do you mind asking Index to help me with something?

Hm? I asked. Sure. Whats up?

Erani paused for a moment, like she was suddenly reconsidering. Shed been silent ever since she got back her memories, which Id assumed was because shed been looking them over and deciding which Firebolt Upgrade to finally take. Seemed like she needed help, after all. Though I wasnt sure what sort of a question shed have in this timeline that she wouldnt have had last time.

After a moment of silence, she answered. So, I guess I just wanted to know whether or not one of my Upgrades would work.

I waited for her to elaborate, but she stayed silent. Are you gonna tell me what the specific Upgrade is?

Oh. I thought it would justknow what Im talking about. It knows everything, right?

Index?

I cant read her mind. But I can assume what shes asking about. Though I thought she just didnt want to take the Upgrade or something, considering how obvious the problem is and how long shes gone without asking about it. Anyway, tell her that Double Firebolt wont function without both of her hands being intact.

Ah. I think I get why she wasnt eager to ask about it.

Oh, that? Index asked, reading my thoughts. Meh, not sure that I get it. Seems like its pointless to get all sad and embarrassed about a missing arm. Who cares? If thats actually why she waited, shes kinda stupid.

Index. Dont talk like that.

What? Holding the teamand thus, youback just because of a little discomfort at a topic is a pretty horrible thing to do. If shes willing to do something that horrible to satisfy an objectively incorrect emotion, then shes got no self-control, and is, thus, stupid.

II dont even know how to respond to that. Shes perfectly fine not wanting to remind herself of something thing like that. Just let me talk with her for a moment and answer her question. And dont talk about her like that again. I mean it.

Are you okay? Erani asked, looking at me with a concerned face. Id gotten pretty good at making out her expressions through Distortion Strike by now, so I was pretty sure that was what she was looking at me with. You look upset.

Uh, yeah, its okay, I said, not wanting to tell her what Index had said about her. Just bad news, I guess. Well, assuming youre asking about an Upgrade called Double Firebolt? Index said it wouldnt work with, um, your current situation.

Her face visibly fell. Oh. Okay. I guess Ill take the other option then.

Was that your first pick?

Well, yeah, probably. I guess I hadnt entirely decided on what my choice would be, but it was what I was leaning toward. B-but its alright; the other choice is still a very decent increase to my effectiveness as a fighter, so there shouldnt be any issues. And Double would cause some issues anyway in terms of finding time to practice it, so maybe things are better this way. I guess

Do you really feel that way? I asked, interrupting her.

What?

Do you actually think its better to be locked out of picking Double Firebolt?

Well, maybe. Im not sure. But its not worth thinking about now, is it? And I certainly dont want to make myself feel worse about not being able to have it, soI may as well try to think of things in terms of positives, right?

I shook my head. I dont agree at all. If you always convince yourself that things are okay the way they are, youll never have the motivation to make them better.

This isnt a situation you can make better, though. Good enough is okay, sometimes.

See? Youve already lost the motivation. Let me seewhat about a wand or staff? Those can be enchanted to serve as extensions of your limbs for Spellcasting purposes, right?

Erani closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Ill just wait to make the decision. We can see how things pan out with this whole making me a new limb thing.

I nodded. Ill be by your side either way you go. Just dont want to see you do something youll end up regretting.

Believe me. If you can actually manage to pull off acquiring an Enchanted prosthetic in the middle of an Enchanter drought, Ill be too happy about that to be disappointed about some random slightly suboptimal Spell Upgrade decision.

We sat in silence for some time, simply feeling the soft bumps of the sand sinking beneath the wheels of the carriage we sat in. But it didnt take long for that silence to be broken.

Excuse me, a voice came from my side. I looked over and saw one of the guards, a man with a scraggly beard, having approached us from the back of the cart, walking along from behind. Ive been trained to be a poor listener when it comes to private conversations held in these carriages, and I wont even pretend to have understood half of what you two were talking about. However, I still couldnt help but overhear a few words, and it sounds like youre trying to get some sort of Enchanted prosthetic limb made?

Uh, yeah, I said. Thats kind of one of the reasons we came here. All of the Enchanters were called to the capital for military stuff because of the Demons invasion, right? If you happen to know any experienced, high-Level Enchanters in town looking for work, thatd be perfect.

No, no, I was coming to tell you the exact opposite. Sure, therere plenty of Enchanters in the capital, but theyre not about to be accepting deals with randoms. Theyre all bogged down with official empire work, and most of the important ones are even kept in walled-off properties so they can focus.

What, like prisoners?

He just shrugged. All I know is theyre not available.

Well, shit. I looked over to Erani and saw the unbearable sight of dejected eyes. Is there anything else possible?

If you signed up for military service Im sure theyd outfit you with some gear. Other than that, I dunno. Go to the Koinkar Kingdom? I hear theyve got plenty of Enchanters.

Yeah, I dont think either of those options are entirely possible, I said with a sigh.

Hey, not every military job is all guts and glory. Plenty of Magic-Types get holed up in bunkers somewhere casting healing Spells and such.

No, its nothing like that. I just dont really want to be tied down doing whatever the empire tells me to do. Sounds like a waste of time and energy. Besides, we have places we need to be, and getting moved around as part of an army contingent would obviously get in the way of plans.

I guess I get what you mean. I definitely prefer doing escort jobs. Lets me get by without fighting, and I get to see my family on my off-days. And Im definitely not strong enough to take up one of those special recruitment programs to try and get treatment like that from the military. Maybe you could join my employers contingent, he nodded to the woman driving the carriage. She pays well enough that you could probably get the money to buy some Enchantments once the whole Demon thing blows over and demand settles down again.

Wait, what was that? I asked.

Oh, yeah, shes got a whole group of trusted people that she normally calls on for escort stuff, so

No, what did you say about a special recruitment program? Whats that?

That? I honestly dont know much, myself. But apparently its Emperor Etrins way of trying to incentivise higher-Level Classers to actually sign up. Military doesnt really attract people whove already got power, yknow, just those whore weak and want to get stronger. So he set up some sort of competition where the best of the best get to come on as sort of contractors, doing government work without signing their lives away. But, I mean, youve gotta be really powerful to perform well in those things. I even know some silver-plates who got thrown out in the first round of eliminations for one of them.

I frowned. How do they work? Do they just ask you for your Level, or ask you to take an aptitude test, or what?

Again, I dont know the specifics. But ever since the empire got afraid of these Demons, theyve been rushing to hold these contest things back to back to back. And once youre out of one, youre disqualified from any future ones. They dont want sore losers mucking up the ranks, or something. But Im sure theyre getting full up on soldiers by now; I doubt theyll need to do desperate stuff like that much longer.

And whoever wins one of these contests, they get the full benefits of the empires resources? Gear, Enchantments, everything? And they dont necessarily need to follow a bunch of orders?

You really like asking questions I dont know the answer to. Im not totally sure, just going off of what I remember hearing about this stuff when I was in town last week. If you want to know more, go talk to one of the organizers or recruiters or whatever once you get into town.

I might just do that.

I looked over at Erani, who was staring at me as though she thought I was about to say I told you so. I wasnt going to say anything like that, however; I hadnt been proven right yet. All I knew was that there was a chance.

But a chance was all I needed.

So, I said to her, you wanna take a risk?