Water Magician

Editor: Tseirp

The timeline rewinds a few hours.

“This completes all preparations for the Darwei advancement!”

“What’s with advancement…?”

Abel shook his head slightly at Ryo’s proclamation.

It seemed there was something about the phrasing that didn’t sit well with him.

“Having overcome many hardships, we must push deep into Darwei’s territory. What else would you call this but an advance?”

“Just say we’re going or heading there.”

“You don’t understand, Abel. The expression embodies the pathos of things.”

“There it is again, pathos of things.”

With the help of the crew aboard the Sue-Ku, the two had managed to rewrite their letters of credit, create a bank card, and even register with the Adventurers’ Guild.

“We barely avoided starting at the bottom, but Eighth-Grade, huh? I made it to A-rank back in the Central Countries, you know?”

“It can’t be helped. There’s no affiliation between here and the Central Countries. Eighth Grade means we’re on the same level as those kids, ‘Tiger’s Fang’, remember?”

“Now that you mention it… yeah. Well, it’s not like registering hurts, but still… Eighth-Grade Adventurer, huh…?”

“You’ll get to enjoy climbing up the ranks!”

While Abel remained dissatisfied, Ryo seemed genuinely pleased.

Considering Abel’s past as an adventurer in the Central Countries, where he completed countless quests and rose to A-rank despite life-threatening challenges, his discontent was understandable.

“The crew even treated us to lunch, and we lightened our wallets a bit.”

“Wait, that phrasing doesn’t make sense in context.”

Both carried some cash on hand but had deposited most of their money in the bank.

With their new alchemically-enhanced bank cards, they could withdraw funds anywhere in Darwei, eliminating the need to lug around heavy coins.

The heaviest items they carried were a few books apiece.

“And make sure to read ‘The Hungry Swordsman Abel’ properly!”

“…If I find the time.”

“The clothing is pretty different here, isn’t it?”

“Clothing?”

Abel remarked as he observed the attire of the people passing by.

“In the Central Countries, the Archipelago region, and even the southern part of the continent, people fastened the front of their clothing with buttons or wore pullovers, right…?”

“Ah, I see.”

Ryo finally understood after Abel explained it in detail.

Ryo hadn’t noticed because, in a way, the style was familiar.

Not from ‘Phi’ but from Earth.

Clothing wrapped around the front, overlapping from left to right, secured with a sash rather than buttons.

The length of the upper garments often reached the knees.

Some wore wide skirt-like bottoms, while others donned pants…

The overlapping design was distinctive.

There was a name for it in the documents they’d received from Bossu at the Censorate…

“They call it Eastern Garb here. Abel, with your build, you’d probably look great in it.”

“R-really?”

Abel’s face reddened slightly, perhaps from embarrassment.

It seemed he wasn’t used to being complimented.

As they chatted, the two returned to the Adventurers’ Mutual Aid Hall.

Though they had no intention of accepting a quest today, they wanted to check what was available for the days ahead.

Perhaps the Guild could also help arrange accommodations for the night…

However, inside the Guild Hall, the adventurers who had remained were all gathered in one place.

At midday, whether in the Central or Eastern Countries, only a handful of adventurers would typically remain indoors.

For all of them—roughly a dozen—to gather in one spot was unusual and piqued the pair’s interest.

Recognizing their newbie status, they cautiously peeked in from the outskirts of the group.

At the center was a table, where two Guild receptionists sat, explaining something.

A large poster next to them read:

‘Escort Request to the Imperial Capital – Recruitment.’

“The recruitment period is today only.”

“The departure is tomorrow morning.”

“It’s a ship-based escort mission.”

“The job includes cargo handling tasks.”

“Meals provided. Payment is one gold coin per day—10,000 den.”

“This is not a merchant ship but a government vessel.”

The two receptionists explained various details.

While the gathered adventurers asked questions.

“Meals included and 10,000 den a day sounds good, but how long will it take?”

“If we don’t know when we’ll return, what about our rooms or houses…?”

“At least we don’t have to worry about bandits on a ship.”

“I’ve never heard of adventurers being hired to escort a government vessel before.”

The job didn’t seem popular with the seasoned adventurers.

“It’s an open-ended request.”

“What do you mean…? Isn’t it just escorting to the capital? Once we arrive, it’s over, right?”

“The most important thing in any job is to provide clarity. Whether it’s for the client, colleagues, subordinates, or recruits, they need to know what to expect. Poor leaders fail to offer this clarity, causing frustration for their teams. Take note, Abel!”

“Uh, okay…”

For some reason, Abel found himself being warned and nodded along.

Though he didn’t entirely follow Ryo’s point.

“You need to clearly define when it will end. For example, at what stage and by when, followed by the next stage and its timeframe… Based on that, everyone can adjust their actions and mentally account for their personal schedules. By giving your subordinates this clarity, they can focus on their tasks without undue stress. Keep this in mind, Abel!”

“Uh, sure…”

Still not fully understanding, Abel nodded.

Out of the dozen or so adventurers present, only eight accepted the quest.

“Well, if we could take on that job, we’d be able to go to the capital city, wouldn’t we?”

“No way they’d let Eighth-Grade adventurers do that, right?”

“Right?~.”

Both Abel and Ryo were realists.

As newly registered adventurers in the second-lowest Eighth Grade, they understood that they couldn’t take on a high-profile escort job.

They knew at least that much.

For now, they decided to visit the general reception desk and ask for recommendations for accommodations.

After all, they needed to secure a place to stay for the night…

The duo left the guild hall with a list of four inns recommended by the mutual aid society.

“I can’t believe it—none of the four had any rooms available…”

“Probably because of the princess marriage procession… Makes sense that prominent figures from the inland territories would come to the coast for the princess’s public debut.”

“Still, all four inns? Reserved entirely by nobles… how many attendants did they bring along?”

“No idea.”

Grumbling as they walked, Ryo and Abel returned to the guild hall.

Nearly two hours had passed since they left the hall.

Yet…

The list of applicants for the escort job still hadn’t grown past eight names.

The two receptionists were discussing something with somber expressions.

“This is bad.”

“There’s no way we can get eighty people by the end of the day…”

Their grim conversation could be overheard.

“Abel…”

“Yeah, this looks rough for them.”

“No, I mean. Do you think they’d let us slip in, even as Eighth-Grade adventurers?”

“Huh? You think so? Well, it doesn’t hurt to ask.”

“Exactly. Asking doesn’t cost anything.”

With that, Ryo and Abel prepared to negotiate.

They expected it to be a difficult discussion.

But if they succeeded, it would be an easy way to reach the capital city.

It was worth a shot.

After all, they had nothing to lose if it failed!

“Um, excuse me. We’re just Eighth-Grade adventurers, but is it even possible for us to sign up for that escort job…?”

“No problem at all! There are no grade restrictions! Please, sign up!”

The receptionist’s response to Ryo’s hesitant question came so quickly that it felt overeager.

Of course, the receptionists were well aware that Eighth-Grade adventurers wouldn’t be particularly reliable as escorts.

But the fact remained: this escort job didn’t have any grade requirements.

More importantly, the number of applicants was way too low!

Even during a slow time of day, eight applicants in two hours was a disaster… reaching the target of eighty people was a pipe dream at this rate.

This job wasn’t just urgent—it had been personally assigned to them by the mutual aid society’s president as a top-priority task.

In other words, if they failed, they would lose their jobs.

What’s more, the president himself had received this request from the deputy minister of the Ministry of Rites.

Failure wasn’t an option—for the president or anyone else involved.

No matter what, they had to gather eighty people!

“We only registered as adventurers today, though. Is that still…”

“It’s completely fine! No issues at all!”

The second receptionist, just as desperate, cut Abel off mid-sentence.

Ryo and Abel exchanged glances, nodded, and made their decision.

“Alright then. The two of us will sign up for the escort job.”

“Oh, thank you so much!”

The receptionists bowed deeply, their faces a mixture of relief and near tears…

“And just like that, we secured our way to the capital city.”

“Yeah, well, we double-checked, and they said it’s fine. So it should be fine, right?”

“This is how poorly trained artisans slip through the cracks and flood the market with low-quality products. Business owners need to be vigilant!”

“Even undertrained artisans need work too, you know…”

No one was entirely at fault here.

Everyone had their circumstances they couldn’t compromise on.

It was what it was!

“By the way, the details about the ship and everything else will be explained during the pre-dinner briefing, but… what if it turns out to be a slave ship, and we get sold off as slaves?”

“What kind of fantasy is that…? The mutual aid association is running this, so there’s no way—wait, come to think of it, slavery is a thing in the Eastern Countries, isn’t it?”

“According to the documents we got from Boffo-san of the Censorate, they have criminal slaves. Better be careful, Abel. If you keep committing crimes like you always do, you might end up enslaved yourself.”

“Don’t go around making me sound like a career criminal! And by the way, Boffo from the Censorate is pretty amazing, isn’t he?”

“Yes, Boffo-san is both kind and highly capable. Truly remarkable.”

Ryo nodded enthusiastically.

Ryo had a tendency to feel happy when someone he knew was praised.

Perhaps he was simply a softhearted person.

After stocking up on a few necessities for the sea journey, Ryo and Abel arrived at the dinner venue five minutes before the briefing was scheduled to begin.

“Glad we made it in time.”

“There’s quite a crowd here. Did they actually manage to gather eighty people?”

Abel’s observation was on point—the venue was packed.

Having already passed the entry check earlier, they wouldn’t be turned away now, but…

“From just ten people earlier to eighty in about three hours? The receptionists must’ve pulled off something impressive.”

“Ah, look over there—aren’t those the two collapsed at that table in the corner?”

“You’re right. True exhaustion must look something like that.”

Abel pointed out the two slumped over a table, and Ryo nodded in agreement.

“They might have even gone to taverns where adventurers hang out.”

“Yeah. That sounds likely. It’s good to see their hard work paying off.”

While Ryo and Abel casually speculated, the reality was far more intense.

The two receptionists had ventured as far as the forest outside the city, persuading adventurers in the midst of hunting.

After all, their jobs were on the line…

Five minutes after Ryo and Abel had taken their seats, the explanation began.

After the briefing, dinner was served.

The cost was fully covered by the employer, and they were allowed to eat as much as they wanted in the cafeteria.

They could even stay overnight at the accommodations upstairs, and alcohol was permitted for the evening.

However, there was a strict warning: oversleeping the next morning due to overdrinking would result in the revocation of their adventurer qualifications.

“The state can revoke adventurer licenses? Darwei sure is scary.”

“Well, in the Central Countries, the Adventurers’ Guild is also closely tied to the government.”

“Now that you mention it. They’re very much intertwined, aren’t they?”

“What’s with that phrase, ‘very much intertwined’…”

As it was a buffet-style meal, Ryo and Abel filled their plates with plenty of food and chatted while eating.

It seemed adventurers, as physical laborers, had a particular fondness for ‘all-you-can-eat’ settings.

“Still. It surprised me to learn that this escort mission is for the princess’s fleet.”

“They didn’t explain much, but the fact that they suddenly needed eighty extra people probably means something happened, like eighty people dropping out. There was also that raid in Jonjon by Dezai, but it seems Princess Shio Fen’s journey is fraught with challenges.”

Abel shook his head slightly.

Pitying the unfortunate princess caught up in the political machinations of a great nation even before her marriage.

“The Ministry of Rites is handling this escort, and they assured us it’s a central government project, so we can feel at ease…but I didn’t know the Ministry of Rites also handled escorts. I thought their responsibilities were rituals and diplomacy… ah, diplomacy, makes sense now.”

“That’s more of ‘Boffo-san’s notes’, isn’t it?”

“Yes. In the Knightley Kingdom, it would be like the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Ministry of Finance, but Darwei has the Six Ministries: Personnel, Revenue, Rites, War, Justice, and Public Works. This one falls under the Ministry of Rites.”

Ryo shared insights about the Darwei administrative system, drawn from the ever-reliable ‘Boffo-san’s notes’.

“It’s totally different from the central countries.”

“Well, the cultural sphere is different. Even something as universal as swords differs in design based on cultural context. Two-handed or one-handed, straight or curved…”

“Good point. If even weapons differ, then organizations would, too.”

Hearing Abel’s comment, Ryo tilted his head slightly in thought.

Abel noticed and asked.

“What is it?”

“Well, I just realized there’s one problem.”

“What kind of problem?”

“We sent Mifa off, but it’s going to feel awkward running into her again.”

“…”

“Since we’re on the tenth and last ship in the fleet, we probably won’t cross paths with her, though.”

“Let’s just make sure to stay away from the princess’s ship…”

TLN: Please read my translations at tseirptranslations.com, I did not give permission to any site to host my translations. 

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