Though mages might seem like solitary beings who donât band together, in certain ways, they care for no one but their own kind. Most of them didnât treat those without knowledge of magic by the same standards, and from the moment they became mages, they regarded the privileges that came with it as a matter of course. In his previous life, Yuder had sometimes suspected that, to a mageâs eyes, only other mages even counted as human.
So then... when she said that not knowing the emperorâs name wasnât that strange, given how many mad mages there areâthat comparison only makes sense if she didnât think he was just an ordinary person.
When a regular person lacks basic knowledge, itâs shocking. But when itâs a mage, it â NĐŸvĐ”lđght â (Exclusive on NĐŸvĐ”lđght) becomes something they can shrug off or spin into a charming anecdote. It was a subtle turn of phrase that, if one didnât know how mages spoke and looked at people, could sound like she was just seasoned enough not to be surprised by anything.
A different kind of annoyance from the nobility.
"Still... even if Madam Sallandin was wary of us, she ended up sharing her information without holding anything back. Thatâs fortunate."
Her recollection of his grandfather matched the grocerâs description almost exactly. He had seemed oddly lacking in basic knowledge when he first arrived, appeared to be a mage, but never explicitly stated who he was.
But...
"When I heard the grocerâs account, I thought it was likely heâd lost his memory or mental clarity temporarily due to some accident. But after hearing this new information, Iâm starting to think it wasnât that simple."
"I agree."
Could someone who had forgotten even basic common sense so easily read a book like that? And not just any difficult bookâa text so archaic it required interpretation.
"Unless he was a historian well-versed in archaic language even before losing his memory, but... looking at the items we found among his possessions, that seems highly unlikely."
The things theyâd found among the belongings he tried to burn suggested he was a mage studying mana. But that didnât automatically mean he was someone with deep knowledge of ancient history or classical language.
"Even among mages, those fluent in ancient languages are rare. Especially the ones who dedicate their lives to hands-on researchâthey usually have no need for it."
"I thought so too. Something like studying ambient mana in nature doesnât seem to require knowledge of old dialects or early imperial language."
"Exactly. So if he really was fluent in such thingsâon top of his own research field..."
Kishiar paused, frowning thoughtfully before continuing in a careful tone.
"This might sound harsh, but if your grandfather had that level of talent, I doubt heâd have remained a nameless mage until old age. He wouldâve been as famous as Helrem by now."
"Itâs not harsh. Itâs just the truth."
Regardless of his feelings for his grandfather, facts were facts.
Yuder looked at the man who laughed softly at his own comment and asked:
"But do you think itâs true that Madam Sallandin was only a trainee mage? Personally, I find that hard to believe."
"I feel the same. Itâs especially hard to accept when you consider her memoryâplus, for someone of that level to be able to recognize the kind of artifact my bracelet is? Thatâs not easy."
"Speaking of that bracelet... Whatâs the story? Since when did you start collecting disguise artifacts so obsessively you gained a reputation?"
"A long time ago. Back when I first started making money in Peleta, I think."
That was the young duke who earned his fortune by clearing monsters for the northern lords. And the first thing Kishiar had tried to acquire with his savings had been something that would help him move around more freely.
"I figured if I wanted to get anything done, I needed freedom of movement. But, as you can see, I stand out far too much."
So heâd started secretly collecting magical tools for disguises. And because the kind of quality he needed could only be found in very old relics, they werenât easy to come by.
"Nowadays, Iâd just use the Peleta Knights to procure what I need. But back then, I had to rely on outside help. And mercenaries and intelligence guilds... well, you know how they are."
"You always have to expect your information will leak. Theyâre not exactly trustworthy."
Yuder knew firsthand how difficult those dealings were. In his previous life, he hadnât fully trusted Inon either, but heâd kept going back for information nonetheless.
Kishiar chuckled, as if recalling those old hardships.
"Right. I was able to get some of what I needed, but... the fact that someone was gathering such items mustâve leaked out. I just never thought Iâd run into the result of that here. Ha."
"Are you all right with this? Sallandin mightâve guessed who you are."
"Honestly? I think it worked out well. She recognized the bracelet, and because of that, she decided to be straightforward with us. That helped us. So I feel great about it."
Kishiar looked completely unbothered. He even smiled, as if he welcomed being recognized.
"At any rate, I think Sallandinâs attitude may have been the biggest reason your grandfather chose to become a regular at that shop. Itâs not easy to find a merchant whoâll guard a customerâs secrets no matter what they buy or ask. And for someone selling rare and dangerous artifacts in a rural area, a mage like her was probably the ideal match."
"Do you think my grandfather really understood the value of the items she sold?"
"Maybe not. But it probably didnât matterâas long as he wasnât buying anything other than books."
Kishiar smiled and lightly shook the paper-wrapped bundle in his hand. Inside were the magical tools heâd just purchased from Sallandinâs shop. The combined price couldâve paid for the shopâs roof repairs a hundred times over.
"This is just speculation, but... based on the books he read and what weâve learned, I think your grandfather was trying to close a gap. He lacked knowledge about the world and was making an effort to catch up."
"Trying to close a gap in knowledge...?"
Yuder repeated the words, trying to grasp them.
"Yeah. It might look like amnesia, but itâs something else. How should I put it... Like someone whoâs been locked away for years and is trying to understand whatâs happened in the meantime. People like that often behave this way."
"..."
"Once theyâve gotten the basic information they need, they live simplyâblending in, drawing no attention. Thatâs the feeling I get. Though of course, this is just a theory. The more we learn, the more mysterious it all becomes."
Kishiar smiled with bright, relaxed eyes. Then, out of nowhere, he stopped walking.
"Well then. Shall we wait here for a bit?"
"Huh?"
"Actually, when I paid back at the shop... I used a little trick. If Iâm right, someone should be coming after us right about now."
"What do you meanâ?"
Before Yuder could even finish his sentence, a voice shouted behind them.
"Excuse me! Sirs! Please wait!"
Just as Kishiar predicted, Sallandinâs daughter was running toward them, waving frantically. Kishiar let out a low whistle with a grin.
"Told you so."
Panting with a flushed face, Sallandinâs daughter came to a halt. Only after catching her breath did she finally manage to grab Yuderâs sleeve.
"Iâm so glad you werenât far! My mother told me to go after you, quick. Huff... Huff..."
"Why?"
"She said... you were short-changed. She thinks you may have paid too much."
She finally looked up, having caught her breath.
"My motherâs never done this before... Would you mind coming back with me for a moment?"