Boundary
I hurried back home, using Haste magic.
As I arrived, a rat scurried out from within, squeaking at me.
It seemed to recognize me, because it quickly darted back inside, as fast as lightning.
Ugh, I hate rats.
With that thought, I entered the house. It was surprisingly clean.
Of course, I had restored everything before I left, but it was difficult to clean small dust particles from the furniture.
"Oh, you did a good job cleaning."
I complimented as I headed down to the basement, carrying the Tanghulu I had bought on the way.
Knock, knock.
As I knocked, the door cautiously opened, revealing the room's interior.
It had transformed, almost like a labyrinth.
It was as if the room had been tailored to suit Basil's tastes.
"Ah... I finished cleaning."
"You did a great job. By the way, have you ever tried this?"
To be honest, I wasn't particularly fond of Tanghulu.
That's why I only bought one for Basil.
"I-Is this expensive...?"
Basil's eyes were wide with uncertainty.
It seemed like she really hadn't tried it before.
With that thought, I handed the Tanghulu to Basil.
She hesitated for a moment, looking at me before carefully taking a bite.
And a moment later.
"It's delicious...!"
Basil devoured the Tanghulu in an instant.
It must have been quite tasty.
Honestly, I couldn't tell the difference between one food and another.
After giving Basil the Tanghulu, I went back upstairs.
And then, I checked the materials I had brought.
"Hmm... will this work?"
To be honest, I was nervous.
It was my first time using a magic circle.
I was a little worried about failing.
But it was foolish not to try just because I was afraid of failure.
With that thought, I started drawing the magic circle as Amelia had taught me.
But then-
"Hmm... I think it would be better to do this part a little differently."
As I glanced at the magic circle, I could understand how it worked, and I could see which parts could be improved.
So I made a few modifications to the magic circle.
I fixed a part where mana was being used inefficiently and made it a little more flexible.
How long had I been modifying the magic circle?
Finally, it was complete.
Now, all I had to do was infuse this completed magic circle with mana, and it would activate, sounding an alarm throughout the house if an enemy entered.
'Well... it's not like Basil is weak.'
Considering who his opponent was, any ordinary thief would be taken care of by Basil in an instant.
Even last time, if Basil hadn't been afraid of the house burning down, the fight could have dragged on.
So, I could trust her fighting abilities.
A troublesome enemy, but a reassuring ally.
Of course, she wasn't entirely an ally yet.
With that thought, I went to a nearby public bathhouse to shower, returned home, took off my robe, and fell asleep.
*
After the rumor spread that a ghost haunted the place where my master and I used to live, no one dared to come near.
Thanks to that, I was able to continue living there.
However, when I returned from running some errands, I found that almost everything that had been in the basement was now outside.
I couldn't help but tense up.
Someone was definitely inside the house.
To think someone would come here even after hearing the rumors about the ghost...
It was highly likely that they were no ordinary opponent, so I decided to end this quickly.
Woong-
I quietly entered the house, channeled aura into my dagger, and dashed towards the source of the presence, swinging my dagger.
But then-
Clang-!
'A mage.'
And a highly skilled one at that.
There was no other explanation for how they could cast a barrier this strong.
I had never encountered a barrier that could withstand my dagger before.
A surge of excitement coursed through me as I continued to attack the mage who was maintaining the barrier. However, I noticed their movements slowing down.
'...Their movements are getting sluggish.'
They must have used some related magic.
There was no other way their movements could have become this slow.
But I didn't let it faze me and continued to swing my dagger.
And at that moment.
I felt a strange shift in their mana flow.
It seemed like they were about to cast a spell.
I tried to stop them, but the magic was unleashed in an instant.
Whoooosh-
A wave of scorching flames engulfed the surroundings.
My body was protected by mana, so I wouldn't die, but it was still intense.
I felt like my body would burn if I stayed in this heat for too long.
As I surveyed the surroundings,
'...? What?'
The place where my master and I used to live, our sanctuary, was destroyed.
By a single spell from this mage I had never met before.
I immediately surrendered.
Even if I won the fight, it would be meaningless if our sanctuary was completely destroyed.
"Stop it!!!"
And that's how I ended up in this current situation.
Holding Tanghulu in my right hand, and a little rat in my left.
The mage had released the rat earlier.
'...What does that man want anyway?'
It didn't make sense that he had spared me until now.
Asking me to guard the house?
With his level of magic, no one would dare to intrude.
And although we had made a strange contract, it was something I could easily break if I pushed it a little.
But as long as that man resided here, there was no escape for me.
Besides, my current life wasn't bad.
He even offered to pay me a salary.
"There's no need to steal anything."
I spoke to the little rat.
It couldn't understand me, but whenever I talked to it like this, it would squeak in response.
I didn't know what his true motives were, but I figured it was best to just observe for now.
There was no need to fight unnecessarily.
He seemed like a decent person so far...
Thinking this, Basil crouched down and drifted off to sleep.
It was the most comfortable and familiar position for her.
*
The next day.
I woke up, checked the time, and immediately rushed to the Adventurers' Guild.
I had an appointment.
As I arrived at the guild, already slightly late, I found Hearts and Dontas waiting for me inside.
Naturally, both of them were drinking beer.
"Ah, I'm sorry I'm late. I had something to take care of."
"No worries. I'm free today!"
"Me too."
I was grateful that they both had such easygoing personalities.
If they were the easily offended type, we would have already gotten into a fistfight.
Relieved, I handed Hearts and Dontas their share of the gold.
"This is the gold from the monster subjugation."
"Ehahaha, looks like we can drink plenty of beer today!!"
"Hmm, the price seems about right."
I had been a little worried because Hearts was good at assessing the value of monster parts, but it seemed I hadn't been ripped off.
Especially judging by Hearts's reaction.
Relieved, I handed Dontas his share of the gold this time.
This was the payment for the magic stones.
"Wow, today's a lucky day..!"
"Ahaha... you're right."
Dontas was getting a large share today.
Especially since Hearts had given up a significant portion.
As we chatted, Hearts suddenly asked, "By the way, the monsters smelled absolutely horrible. How did you get rid of the stench?"
"I used Purification."
"No fair! I had to throw away my clothes to get rid of that awful monster smell."
"Ah, you should have come to me. I could have purified them for you."
I felt a little bad.
I should have offered to clean everyone's clothes with Purification.
Feeling a pang of regret, I steered the conversation towards recent job postings.
"I heard people from Koruntum are coming to Baruk! It seems word has spread about Andromalius's resurrection in a few days!"
"Ah, so that's why."
It was a hot topic on the forum, but I hadn't realized it had spread that far.
I wondered just how many people were active on that forum.
Intrigued, I asked, "But I heard Andromalius isn't that powerful of a demon?"
"Well, you're right! He's not that strong. But he is a Legion Commander, so he's bound to have some tricks up his sleeve...!"
Hearts had a point.
It wouldn't be surprising for a demon of Andromalius's caliber to have some hidden aces.
I'd have to be careful if I ever encountered him.
"But still... wouldn't other adventurers take care of him?"
"What are you saying!! It's our duty to defeat him!"
"Huh?"
"Shouldn't we be heading to the request board right now? And as always, I'll forgo my share of the monster loot."
Hearts's sudden proposition caught me off guard, and as I was pondering his words, a notification popped up.
[What in the world are these guys up to?]
- You have a new notification!
Someone had left a comment on a post I had written a long time ago.
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