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nChapter 280: Spending Time With Remilie-san I (2

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n“…They were completely naked?” RyoumaI doubted my ears and found myself asking that. But apparently, I didn’t hear wrong.

n“As stupid as it sounds, there’s a legit reason for that. The magic I specialize in is Shadow Magic and as the name suggests, a lot of its spells are invoked from shadows.” Remilie

n“Oh, I get it! It’s because of the shadows formed under their clothes!” Ryouma

n“Exactly. If an attack spell can be cast from right below their armor, then they might as well not have it since all it will do is make more weak points for themselves. There are equipment and magic tools that can block Shadow Magic, but they’re expensive, and they were relying on numbers. I’m sure they couldn’t afford anti-shadow equipment for everyone. If they equipped only some of them, that that would have become a source of conflict. Not that it would have made a big difference, though, since there are still plenty of places I could target like inside their mouth or their nostrils.” Remilie

nAn attack from inside the mouth? Shadow Magic sure is scary. If you can cast magic directly into the body, then you can deal a ton of damage even with a small amount of mana. No wonder she says it’s great for anti-personnel combat and assassinations.

nIf she used Parallel Casting on top of that, well…

n“Anyway, I somehow survived, but boy was I exhausted. I knew I had to get away quickly, but I was just too tired and couldn’t move, so for the first time in awhile, I found myself thinking. What am I doing? I knew a lot people hated me, but they were all criminals. They weren’t people in a position to complain if someone put a bounty on their head… Or at least, that’s what I believed, but I suddenly wasn’t sure anymore.

nAfter all, grown men and women alike were waiting for me naked with weapons drawn, yelling as though they were seeking vengeance for someone. So many people had gathered, ready to die, just so they could try and kill me. And I found myself wondering why they wanted to kill me that much.

nThere were a lot of enemies after that too, so it became a major incident. We managed to find out the people pulling the strings behind, but the adventurers lost interest pursuing the matter, so I dropped the matter.” Remilie

n“…” Ryouma

nI thought she was a lighthearted and cheerful person, but it turns out, she’s been living a life grander than anything I expected. It wouldn’t be strange to suffer a mental breakdown with a situation like that. She says she could laugh at it now, but that’s probably a dry laugh at most, or that kind of laugh one makes because they’re just so tired of it all. At the very least, it shouldn’t be a happy laugh.

nHow am I supposed to react to this? I don’t want to be rude, and a poor question might dig out parts she doesn’t want touched. A person that’s good at being considerate of those points might be fine, but I don’t have the confidence. That’s why I didn’t say anything.

nRemilie-san seemed to notice that and laughed.

n“Don’t worry. I told you I’ve never thought I was in the wrong regarding this matter, right? It’s true I hesitated for a bit, but that’s all. It happened around the time the country was trying to recruit me anyway, so at most, I just found it a convenient time to leave the adventurer life and become a royal court magician.” Remilie

nRemilie rubbed my head and continued.

n“As a royal court magician, I was tasked with all sorts of jobs, from guarding the castle and the royal family to teaching the soldiers and the knights. There were some backlash and envy at the start, but it was a much more peaceful life compared to my time as an adventurer, and the salary was high too. I kept at it for awhile, and people started to respect me.

nIf not for those rumors and that ambush, I’m sure I wouldn’t have become a royal court mage, and I wouldn’t have been able to experience that life. The me that left the village would have hated the very thought. There were so many obligations, restrictions, and troublesome stuff, after all.” {Remilie}

nLooks like she’s already come to terms with the past. In that case, there’s nothing left for me to say.

n“It’s indeed admirable to chase after your dreams single-mindedly without being distracted, but only a handful of people can do that. Most people can’t afford such a smooth path. They trip, they tumble, they stop, they hesitate, they worry, and sometimes, they get sidetracked. They might return to their original path or set out for a new dream altogether, but I think that’s fine too. That’s just how life is.” Remilie

nFor some reason, she suddenly became quiet.

n“Remilie-san?” Ryouma

n“Sigh… I sounded like an old woman, didn’t I? In the first place, talking about my past is exactly what an old woman would do.” Remilie

n“Umm… You have much more experience than I do, so I’m sure it will make for a great reference.” Ryouma

n“Ryouma-chan, I’m sure you’re trying to cheer me up, but this is a sensitive matter. I know you’re being considerate of me though, so I won’t get mad.” Remilie

nYeah, I did think it might have been a bad idea while I was saying it, but it looks like I just barely managed not to offend. If this were soccer, that just now would be a yellow card. The arms embracing me also became a little tighter.

n“Anyway, I talked because I wanted to, so you don’t have to worry about it.” Remilie

n“I see… Can I ask why you decided to tell me your story?” Ryouma

n“Because of a little personal interest of mine. Remember about that trouble at the adventurers guild you talked about?” Remilie

n“Yes, I talked about it after my match with Schieber-san.” Ryouma

n“When I heard about how you dealt with it, you reminded me of myself. I thought, ‘so this is how I was like back then~’ Oh, but unlike me, I do believe you care more about how others see you. That’s why you’re trying to do away with your reservations, right?” Remilie

n“Oh… Yes, you might be right…” Ryouma

nNow that she mentions it, that might be the case. I’ve been doing as I pleased since the incident at the end of the year. Perhaps that’s because I didn’t want to lose that part of me.

n“I’ll tell you now, but there’s no need to stop. It’s something you came up with on your own and decided to do, and there’s a lot of things whose results can’t be predicted unless you see it through. However, there’s no telling if that way of doing things will still suit you later. Should you find that it no longer fits you, don’t force yourself to keep doing it. It’s okay to go back to your old way of life of conforming to others, and you can also look for a new path. Just keep that in mind.” Remilie

n“…Okay. Thank you for advising me.” Ryouma

nShe probably told me of her experience and conclusion out of consideration for when I find myself in a similar situation. She even used a forceful method to get me to listen. Now that I’ve heard her out, I really have nothing but gratefulness to her.

n“Looks like I’ll have to be sure to be able to think back to this time if I experience something similar. I’m sure there’ll be differences, though, as I’ll be experiencing a lot of things from here on.” Ryouma

n“Someone that stands out is bound to attract envy. That’s true no matter the field as long as people live in a group. If you try to avoid that, you’ll either have to worry a lot about building a good relationship with those around you, or thoroughly make yourself conform to those around you.” Remilie

n“Yes.” Ryouma

nDisconsolate, I sighed and relieved myself of my tension.

n“But of course, that’s not easy. Especially, when you’re a child of god.” Remilie

nThose words came out of nowhere and left me stunned.

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