Silent Resentment
Thinking such thoughts, I arrived home and went down to the basement, only to find Basil had already filled a whole bottle with milk.
To have squeezed this much in such a short time...
Slightly impressed, I told the two of them,
“..I need to go somewhere soon, so don't fight while I'm gone. It'll be a headache if you do."
I meant it.
It would be troublesome if they fought.
They were the ones who had to guard the house while I was away.
If they fought and their relationship soured, it would be my house that would suffer.
With that in mind, I went back upstairs and went to sleep.
*
A few days passed like that.
Nothing much happened during that time.
If there was one thing, it was that a staff member from the Adventurers' Guild confirmed that I had dealt with the Griffin, and I received the reward money.
Thanks to that, it seemed like I would be able to enter the academy.
To be honest, I couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
It would be strange not to be nervous.
“Hmm..”
I did graduate from college in my original world, but I wasn't exactly the social butterfly type.
I only had one girlfriend.
I had one girlfriend who had the opposite personality to mine.
She was a very cheerful girlfriend.
I wondered how she was doing now.
She's probably living well, having forgotten about me.
As I thought about it, I checked the paper in my hand once more.
[Congratulations. You have been-]
The contents of the paper were simple.
It was my acceptance letter to the academy.
There were set days for enrollment each year, and fortunately, this week and next week were the enrollment dates.
That meant I could enter the academy quickly.
"Haaam."
To be honest, going to the academy was a bit of a drag.
The thought of communal living after so long sent shivers down my spine.
But I couldn't back out now.
I had already paid, and that's why this letter arrived.
It was stamped, making it impossible to transfer to someone else.
With that thought, I got out of bed.
Since I'm already prepared to leave.
Creak-
As I went down to the basement and opened the door, Basil was practicing, swinging her sword in the air.
And Griffin was giving her advice.
- Put a little more mana into it. That will make it more powerful.
"..Yes."
Although they were talking, they didn't seem that close.
It was more like Griffin was unilaterally talking.
Thinking that, I went inside.
And all eyes were on me.
- What is it, mage?
“Greetings.”
I feel like Basil's voice suddenly changed.
Is it just my imagination?
Thinking so, I explained the reason I came.
“Ah, I came to say goodbye because I'm leaving for the academy. I'll be back soon… but I can't leave without saying goodbye.”
If I disappeared without a word, how perplexed would Basil and Griffin, who are guarding the house, be?
It was right to tell them in advance.
Even if I already told them last time.
“How long will it be?”
Hmm.
How long will it take?
Maybe about two weeks if I'm quick.
Thinking so, I spoke.
“I think it will take about two weeks? But I don't really know. It's my first time at the academy.”
“The academy… Sounds cool.”
“Oh, no.”
It's not like I'm entering as a legitimate noble, but with money, so it wasn't something to be particularly proud of.
I just want to go in quickly, learn subspace magic, and come out.
It would be nice to graduate quickly if possible.
- Go well, mage.
“Ah, yes. Griffin, please get along well too.”
- What do you take me for? I'm quite docile.
“I think so.”
I've heard a lot about Griffin's ferocious nature, but certainly, the Griffin in front of me seemed quite docile.
Or maybe he's holding back his temper while I'm here.
As I was thinking about it, I came out of the basement.
While we were talking, I reinforced the contract between me and Griffin, so there's no way he'll cause a riot.
Even in the most unlikely scenario, I thought Basil might take care of it.
Creak-
Closing the door again, I headed for the carriage I had reserved.
I had put everything I needed in my subspace pocket.
Of course, I didn't bring all the money.
I deposited a certain amount at the Adventurers' Guild.
I might need it when I get to Lukphelton.
With that thought, I got into the carriage.
"Then I'll get going."
"Yes."
Clack- Clack-
This time, I rented a single carriage for a comfortable ride.
The last one was quite uncomfortable.
Just because I could sleep anywhere didn't mean it was comfortable.
So I started to move comfortably using a single carriage.
"Sir, is the carriage alright?"
"Yes."
"Haha, I just replaced the carriage. Maybe it's because you're a new customer, but I'm nervous."
"Don't be nervous and just drive comfortably. I'll be taking a nap."
"Haha, alright."
The carriage driver was a very old man.
But despite that, his eyes were still bright, giving the impression that he must have been quite famous when he was young.
With that thought, I closed my eyes for a moment.
And a moment later.
"Hmm..."
The excessive flow of mana could be felt even here.
It wasn't that it was strong.
It was like he had just gained power and couldn't control it... You could say it reeked of a typical newbie.
Even though I'm still a newbie, the person who was letting his mana flow like this was a real newbie.
It's like the smell of baby milk reached all the way here.
With that thought, I opened my eyes for a moment and looked outside.
And then-
"Wow."
A group of truly disgusting-looking bandits were widely spread out, seemingly ready to ambush us.
I'm not one to judge by appearances, but they looked truly repulsive.
Maybe even uglier than trolls.
At least trolls have broad shoulders, like men.
As I was thinking this, the coachman in front of me must have seen the bandits too, because his hands were trembling.
"Gasp...!"
And then he started to move the carriage quickly, screaming.
I understood.
From my perspective, the bandit wasn't ugly, but to ordinary people, he would look like a vicious thug.
It couldn't be helped.
"Don't be too alarmed. Just a moment."
I enhanced my vision, captured the face of the strongest-looking bandit in the group, and uploaded it to the forum.
[Author: ReallyDirtPoor]
[Title: Saw a legendary face on my way lol]
[Content: (Photo) Whoa, you gotta see this lol]
I couldn't be the only one to see this face.
That's why I shared it.
This is what Korean camaraderie is all about.
As soon as I uploaded the post, I ignored the constant stream of notifications and thought about how to deal with the bandits.
"Hmm."
I wanted to finish this quickly without causing any collateral damage.
There had to be a simple way.
I just wanted to get this over with easily.
With that in mind, I thought of a magic combination.
[Water Slide]
[Freeze]
It was a simple combination of magic.
I would lay down a base of water and cover it with [Freeze].
As expected, the bandits, who were charging in with such force, began to slip.
But they didn't panic.
It seemed like they had heard from someone that I was a mage.
Otherwise, they would never have thought to overwhelm me with such a large number.
They would have sent two or three at most.
[Fire Chain]
A chain of red-hot iron appeared in the air.
A chain that would burn your flesh on contact.
And a moment later.
Sizzle-
"Aaaaagh!!!!"
The bandits screamed as their flesh began to burn.
I couldn't kill them outright.
I had a lot to ask.
"Ah, please stop for a moment. I have something to do."
"Y-yes, sir!!!"
The coachman must have seen me use magic to hurt the bandits because he spoke to me cautiously.
I was a little embarrassed.
I didn't mean to be so violent.
With that in mind, I approached the fallen bandits and asked,
"Who sent you?"
I was sure of it.
Someone definitely sent them.
There was no way they would have planned to attack me with so many people otherwise.
The most dangerous moment for a mage is when they have no vanguard.
So they were professionals after all.
"Hey, why did you...?!"
"SHIT!!! It burns!!!"
The bandit who was scattering mana here and there was screaming in pain.
I didn't intend to keep him trapped for long, but seeing him in so much pain made me want to keep him there longer.
Therefore, without releasing the [Fire Chain], I approached the man who appeared to be the leader and asked,
"May I ask why you attacked me?"
And how long had I been talking?
An answer came from the fallen leader's mouth.
“...You took our brother!!”
Ah, right.
There was that too.
I completely forgot.
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