How a Catastrophe-Level Magician Lives

Rahera Metropolis, one of the stopover cities on the way to the Argen Empire.

This place was a nearby trade city very closely connected to the capital, which is the center of Orwen.

As a result, the crowd of people was bustling endlessly.

It was overflowing with merchants and adventurers who came to find quality equipment and intermediate or higher-level potions.

Frey was walking through such a bustling place, looking for and shopping together for the minimum necessities Aina would need during the journey.

“Did you buy everything?”
“Yeah.”

After purchasing the minimum items. He intended to leave this place immediately.

“Frey, wait a moment.”

However, on the way to the carriage boarding area, Aina suddenly pulled Frey’s collar from behind a couple of times.

“?”
“That.”
“Skewers?”

What Aina pointed to was none other than a skewer shop.

There were seasoned grilled skewers, salt-grilled ones, and soy sauce-seasoned grilled ones.

Looking at those being grilled golden brown on the iron plate.

Aina couldn’t take her eyes off them and drooled at the corners of her mouth.

“……”

‘Come to think of it, Aina seems to have quite a good appetite…’

To drool to that extent. It was an unexpected side of her.

“Alright. We still have some time, so shall we stop by and eat for a bit?”
“Yeah.”
He ended up heading towards the skewer shop, almost being pulled along by Aina tugging at his collar.

“Welcome! What would you like?”

The bald, friendly-looking shop owner greeted them with a bright smile.

Although a long vertical scar could be seen near his eyes…

He seemed to have had a rough past, perhaps as a former adventurer or something like that.

“What do you want to eat?”

At Frey’s question, Aina immediately pointed with her gaze and finger:

“That, that, and that.”
“…It seems like you want to eat all the varieties.”
“Yeah.”
“……”

‘Can’t be helped.’

Thinking that, he looked at the shop owner.

“Mister. Give us one of each variety, as she said.”
“Oh my! Thank you! What a lovely young couple!”
“……”

Frey received the skewers that were perfectly grilled golden brown on the iron plate, listening to the owner’s obvious flattering comment.

And he quietly handed one of them to Aina, whose gaze was following the movement of the skewers beside him.

But instead of taking it right away, Aina was rummaging through one of her pockets as if she had remembered something.

“…? What are you doing?”
“This.”
Swish.

What she handed over to him was none other than money for her share of the skewers.

The problem was that it was a gold coin, not copper or silver.

“It seems like too much for the price of skewers.”
“It’s okay. I have a lot of money.”
“……”

‘It seems her sense of money is somewhat off. Well, I guess that’s why she can easily give such magic books to others.’

This appeared to be Aina’s only flaw.

“…It’s fine. Put it away. I don’t intend to take money for something like this.”
“That’s not it. I heard that when a man and woman go out together, usually the man pays. So this is just giving you the money in advance for what you’ll pay while we’re together, Frey.”
“…Where did you hear such a thing?”
“From my mom.”
“Your mother?”
“Yeah.”
“…I see. Alright. If that’s the case, I’ll accept it.”
“Okay.”

In the end, he received one gold coin from Aina and handed over one of the skewers he was holding.

Aina, who had been staring blankly at it in front of her eyes for a while after receiving it,

Chomp…!
Munch munch.

She bit into one skewer with multiple pieces in one bite and started chewing.

Gulp.

“It’s delicious…!”
As if it suited her taste quite well, now her eyes were shining brightly as she started biting into the next piece and the one after.

Frey couldn’t help but chuckle as he quietly watched Aina like that.

Frey also finally bit into one of the skewers he was holding.

Munch munch.
And, he could fully understand why Aina had such a reaction earlier, as the taste was quite good.

In a word, it was amazing.

Frey couldn’t help but inwardly admire Aina’s appearance as she happily ate most of the skewers she was holding in an instant by herself.

Munch munch.
After eating the last remaining skewer, Aina walked beside Frey, staring blankly at the empty skewer sticks left in her hand.

“What’s wrong?”
“This, what should I do with it?”
“……”

How on earth had she been living her daily life until now?

He said with a sigh:

“Give it to me. I’ll take care of it.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
“……”
She always remembered to say thank you whenever she received help.

This part of her is well-educated…

Frey walked towards what appeared to be a public trash can he spotted at a street corner, holding the empty skewer sticks he had received from Aina.

And when he had just finished throwing away the trash in the trash can.

“Aagh…!!”
“Can’t you be quiet!?”

He happened to witness someone being oppressed in the alley at the corner.

“……”
“What’s wrong, Frey?”
Aina, who had approached behind him at some point, asked while tilting her head, but.

Frey’s attention was already focused on the figures inside the alley.

“Wait, Aina. Stay here.”
“? Okay.”

Although she felt curious, Aina seemed to obey obediently.

Frey entered the alley.

Then he saw a scene where a man in dirty clothes covered in rags was holding a boy’s wrist, seemingly trying to forcibly take him somewhere.

“You brat! Do you need to be taught a lesson to come to your senses!? Come along quietly!”
“Eek…! Let go!!”
“You little…!”
“……”

Frey approached the two figures arguing in front after hearing that conversation.

In the dark alley.
‘To think such things still happen even in a big city like this.’

Frey spoke softly from behind the thug, lamenting lightly:

“Stop. Let the child go.”
“…!”
“Who the hell are you?”

The thug, who had his back turned, suddenly whirled around at the presence of Frey who had suddenly appeared.

Then, revealed behind the turned thug was another third presence that had been hidden in the darkness and not easily visible.

Behind the boy in ragged beggar’s clothes, there was a girl who looked even younger than him, trembling in fear in the same attire. Unable to say anything.

“……”
“Hey! I asked who the hell you are! Can’t you hear me!?”
The thug, a man with a somewhat threatening, rough appearance and build, glared at Frey and asked.

However.

Frey’s gaze slid to the wrist of the young boy, which the man was still forcibly holding to prevent him from escaping.

Looking closely, there were numerous bruises visible, as if he had been beaten by the thug.

“I told you to let go, didn’t I?”
“Ha! What an absurd little bastard…”

The large man exhaled sharply as if dumbfounded and spoke with a sneering smile on his lips:

“I’ll let it slide just this once, so stop pretending to be a hero and quietly go on your way. Otherwise…”

Frey didn’t resolve it through dialogue any further.

He had entered into the use of force.

Slip…!
“Ugh?”
The thug suddenly slipped on the ground and fell.

Bang-!

Since it was a narrow alley, he also hit his head against the wall as he fell.

Frey’s silent magic,
Friction Decline had been activated again after a long time.

A small magic circle of deep blue hexagram had already appeared in one of his eyes.

He had used this magic because there was no better way to subdue an unsuspecting opponent or ordinary person in an instant.

“Urgh…! Ma-magician? You! You bastard…! Do you know who I am!”
Although he had hit his head, it didn’t seem to be a big impact as he spoke while bracing himself on the ground in a relatively normal state. But blood was flowing from where his head had hit the wall.

The magic had already disappeared.
Frey had deliberately stopped and erased it midway.

“Step back before you end up in a worse state. I don’t know what’s going on, but. It seems you’ve been unilaterally beating that young child. Even in Orwen, this kind of thing is surely subject to sanctions under imperial law.”

Seeing the thug trying to threaten him again, his spirit revived as if he had some backing he believed in, even after realizing Frey was a magician,

Frey quietly gave a final warning.

Then, seeing Frey’s appearance showing no sign of fear at all, the thug seemed to guess that Frey might have something he was relying on and became scared. Unable to hide his flustered emotions, he gradually backed away and then turned and fled.

“Y-you! You’ll pay for this!”
A repertoire that didn’t exceed expectations.
“People who say ‘you’ll pay’ never actually make you pay… Well, it doesn’t matter.”

One person.
The memory of Alcas flashed through his mind for a moment, but Frey soon turned his gaze to the children left behind.

Then, after a brief pause, he asked the boy who was still trembling and not letting his guard down, with the girl behind his back:

“Are you alright?”
“……”

To be like that even towards the person who saved them.
How much hardship must they have endured until now to be this way? With such thoughts, Frey soon turned his back and said:

“My help ends here. You can go your own way now.”
“……”
After saying that, Frey slowly walked towards Aina, who had been quietly watching from outside the alley.

It was after taking a few steps.

“Th-thank you……”
“……”

At the voice of the battered boy expressing gratitude as if he had finally mustered up the courage, Frey simply waved his hand a few times for them to see without stopping his steps, and then completely left the place.

As he came out of the alley.
“Good job.”

Aina, who had a faint smile on her lips and was holding the luggage bag bought here with her hands clasped behind her back, welcomed him cheerfully.

“…Let’s depart now.”
“Okay.”

Behind him as he walked towards the place where the carriage was,

Aina with light sky-blue hair quietly followed behind him, still with her hands clasped behind her back, without saying a word.

Seeing him trying not to show his feelings about this incident,
Aina found herself liking Frey as a person a little more, a soft smile forming on her lips.