Chapter 30: My lies are easily discovered
ㅤWhile I was speaking, Marianne-san kept her eyes closed and listened silently.
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ㅤ”⋯⋯That was the situation. We couldn’t bring the body back, so we managed to light a fire with whatever was at hand, and, well⋯⋯”
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ㅤ”You burned it. You gave her a proper cremation.”
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ㅤ”Y-yes. I couldn’t bear to just leave her there.”
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ㅤ”You can feel the souls of the dead as if they were those of living humans. You know, you seem suited to be a magician too.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Well, uh, I did have the aptitude, but there wasn’t a guild in town.”
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ㅤ”The number of magicians is small, you know~. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have to come all the way out here.
ㅤ–More importantly,”
ㅤ
ㅤMarianne-san looked at me with a serious expression.
ㅤ
ㅤ”You said you burned it with whatever was at hand, right?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Uh, yes. Was that bad?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”No, that itself was a good judgment call. It’s also a method preferred by magicians as a way to mourn the dead. Leaving a body inside a dungeon can sometimes lead to it becoming an undead, so it’s also a realistic course of action.
ㅤHowever–”
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ㅤMarianne-san stared intently into my eyes.
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ㅤ”You’re lying, aren’t you?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Huh⋯⋯Ahaha, what are you talking about?”
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ㅤ”Playing dumb won’t work. I’ve also had to burn bodies in dungeons out of necessity, but that’s quite a difficult task. It takes considerable firepower to reduce a human body to ashes. Even a reasonably skilled magician would struggle using fire magic. It’s not something you can just manage by igniting it with whatever’s at hand.”
ㅤ
ㅤI turned pale at Marianne-san’s calm observation.
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ㅤ”And then, that long object you’re carrying on your back. You’re trying to disguise it as a rod that thieves use to detect traps, but I can sense the flow of ether. That’s a staff, isn’t it?”
ㅤ
ㅤMarianne-san pointed at my back.
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ㅤOn my back is the Wand of Regret.
ㅤIt’s a long staff, about as tall as I am.
ㅤAs Marianne-san said, I had wrapped it in cloth to make it look like a thief’s rod, but she saw right through it.
ㅤ
ㅤ”W-well, that’s⋯⋯”
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ㅤI searched for words as sweat dripped from my palms.
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ㅤBut Marianne-san waved her hands dismissively.
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ㅤ”⋯⋯Just kidding. You’re an adventurer, so you’re bound to have a secret or two. However, regarding the child who passed away, I’d like to avoid secrets as much as possible. Of course, I won’t divulge anything I’ve heard here.”
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ㅤThis time, I looked at Marianne-san.
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ㅤ（She’s not lying, I think. I think she’s the type of person who keeps secrets unless something major happens.）
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ㅤI let out a small sigh and said,
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ㅤ”⋯⋯Alright. If it’s just between us.”
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ㅤ”You went through the trouble of mourning a guild adventurer. I’ll definitely keep my promise.”
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ㅤI explained the situation to Marianne-san, who nodded with a serious expression.
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ㅤ
ㅤ
ㅤ
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ㅤ
ㅤ”⋯⋯I see. It’s no wonder you couldn’t talk about this carelessly.”
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ㅤMarianne-san—or rather, Arne-san, said.
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ㅤSince people might come to the counter, we moved to the space at the back of the tent to continue our conversation.
ㅤApparently, Arne-san is the only one at this Magician’s Guild outpost.
ㅤ
ㅤ（I wonder if she’s okay working alone.）
ㅤ
ㅤAs I was worrying about that, Arne-san said,
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ㅤ”Your magic awakened even though you haven’t pledged allegiance to the Magician’s Guild. And it’s powerful fire magic capable of reducing a body to ashes in a short time. Normally, people would say you’re talking nonsense. You were right to keep quiet.”
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ㅤ”So, it’s true after all.”
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ㅤ”Your aptitude must be considerably high. Would you be willing to tell me your aptitude multiplier?”
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ㅤ”⋯⋯I’m sorry. I’m keeping it a secret because I don’t know where it might leak out.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Hmm. To say that, it must be quite high.
ㅤBut, well, that’s fine.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Is it really okay?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”There are occasionally people with exceptional aptitude. Such people tend to hide their aptitude. They don’t want to attract unnecessary jealousy. Especially magicians, they’re extremely petty⋯⋯”
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ㅤ”I-is that so?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”The power of magic is almost entirely determined by aptitude.
ㅤPeople are envious of those who have what they can’t obtain.
ㅤSo, I think you made a good decision to hide your aptitude. After all, it’s usually those with mediocre aptitude who boast about it.
ㅤTherefore, I’m fine with you squandering your tremendous aptitude as a magician.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”O-okay.”
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ㅤ”More importantly, I’m more surprised that the child’s staff survived the fire and became a drop item. I don’t know if it can even be called a drop item, though.”
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ㅤOf course, I didn’t mention the information I confirmed using Difficulty Change.
ㅤArne-san might suspect that I’m hiding something, but she didn’t ask directly.
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ㅤ”Was that unusual?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”There are legends about heroes’ belongings being left behind as powerful items, but I can’t think of any off the top of my head.”
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ㅤ”Should I entrust this staff to the Magician’s Guild as well?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”No, there’s no need for that. Drop items belong to the person who obtained them. No one has the right to take them away. Perhaps the child left it as a thank you to you.”
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ㅤArne-san shrugged.
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ㅤ”Can I see it again?”
ㅤ
ㅤI handed the Wand of Regret to Arne-san.
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ㅤ”⋯⋯Hmm. As a thank you gift, the atmosphere feels somewhat ominous.”
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ㅤ”Right?”
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ㅤ”At any rate, there’s no curse on it. The flow of ether is incredibly good, and it’s a first-class magician’s staff. I’d be willing to pay a large sum of money to buy it from you.”
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ㅤ”Um, about that⋯⋯”
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ㅤ”Oh, I was just kidding. I’m sure the child wanted you to have it.”
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ㅤAlthough she looked like she was half-serious, Arne-san shook her head.
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ㅤ”That was surprising enough, but what happened afterward is also significant.”
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ㅤ”Afterward, you say?”
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ㅤ”Yes. You destroyed the generator and eliminated the monster house, right? The monster house that other adventurers couldn’t break through before, you see.”
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ㅤ”Um⋯⋯Please keep this matter confidential.”
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ㅤI made that request.
ㅤ⋯⋯Somehow, I feel like a housewife who got caught shoplifting.
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ㅤ”Of course. I’ll keep my promise.
ㅤHowever, I’ll have to put on a little act and send out an investigation team, pretending to be surprised and saying, 『The monster house is gone! Who could have done this?!』
ㅤOtherwise, some foolish adventurer might start claiming, 『I was the one who cleared the monster house!』
ㅤBut you really do have a personality suited for a thief. And for a magician as well. I wonder if you’re more of a dark magic type than a light magic type.”
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ㅤ”Dark magic⋯⋯you say?”
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ㅤ”Yeah. The type of magician who’s good at tricks rather than straightforward attacks.
ㅤHowever, since you have powerful fire magic, you seem strong in light magic too.
ㅤWow, thinking about it that way, you have incredible talent.”
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ㅤArne-san stopped there, stared at me intently, and said,
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ㅤ”–Hey, Minato. Why don’t you pledge allegiance to the Magician’s Guild too, while you’re at it?”