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“Goodness, do you have no sense of common decency?”
“Sorry, but thanks to that, I was able to easily slip away, so isn’t it fine?”

After declaring my intention to become Laika’s apprentice in that village, Roche promptly withdrew. She even saw me off warmly, to the extent that yesterday’s events almost felt like a bad dream.

“Hmm, but what was the purpose behind it? I’m just a high school girl, you know?”
“Maybe it was the power within you that they were after. If they could drug you up and throw you onto the battlefield, you’d make quite the formidable force.”
“Eek!”

That’s right, within me resides this loathsome power that dyed my hair pink. I can leap higher than rooftops, and I possess a surprising superpower that allows me to lift even larger objects than myself with ease. Thanks to that, I don’t get tired at all, even when carrying my master, but still, I can’t forgive it for dyeing my hair without permission.

“Y-yeah, maybe it was a good idea not to follow Miss Roche after all…”
“Well, that’s just my speculation. Perhaps you would have been treated quite well as valuable talent.”
“But still, I don’t want to be dragged into battle!”
“What, are you saying the world you came from was without conflict?”
“Well… I mean, there were wars somewhere in the world, but Japan, where I’m from, was peaceful.”

Though I lacked confidence because I often slept during social studies class, I still frequently saw sad news on the morning broadcasts. But that was all confined to the realm of television and books; I never imagined myself being involved in a war.

“…I see, that makes me envious. And hey, you better start looking ahead or you’ll trip.”
“Okay! …Oh, Master! It’s visible now!”

As we crossed over the snow-covered hill, the city we were aiming for came into view. It was a splendid city enclosed by walls made of stone, with a grand gate standing imposingly.

I recalled seeing a similar cityscape on some TV program in the past. It was probably what they call a fortified city.

“What a huge city! Is that Elnato?”
“We’ll know once we get there. But… it seems quite defenseless.”
“Really? It’s well protected by those sturdy walls, though.”
“There’s no anti-air equipment at all. With that, even if the walls are strong, it’s easy for wizards to infiltrate.”

Naturally, there were no roofs atop the stone walls. Indeed, if one could fly using magecraft, sneaking in quietly might be possible. But even from a distance, the walls seemed quite high. Was it that easy to fly over them?

“Well, there might have been some innovation I’m not aware of. Anyway, let’s head to the gate.”
“Got it! We’ve been walking for two hours straight, so I’m starving.”
“We need to figure out your food expenses, too…”

――――――――…………
――――……
――…

“Hey, hurry up and do something! If we don’t act soon, all the goods will be ruined!”
“I’ve called for backup, so just wait! Hey, don’t jump in, it’s dangerous!”
“…Hm? Momo, stop. What’s going on?”

Voices of men arguing on the bridge leading to the city reached us, and I peered over Momo’s back to see what was happening.

There, a burly man who seemed to be a merchant was confronting the guards with an agitated expression. Beside them, a cart with damaged wheels leaned to the side, with scattered wooden crates around it.

“Um, excuse me. What’s all the commotion about?”
“Hm? Oh, that guy over there, his cart broke down while he was going through the entrance procedures. Some of the goods fell into the moat below due to the impact.”
“Wow, it’s really deep down there, Master!”
“Don’t lean too far, it wouldn’t be a joking matter if we fell there too.”

Perhaps for the defense of the city, deep moats were dug around the walls. It would be quite troublesome to go down and retrieve the goods. From the looks of the merchant, it seemed like the items would be ruined if they absorbed water.

“It’s pointless to make a fuss, but because of him, we can’t enter the city, and it’s causing us trouble.”
“Hey, let’s go around to the eastern gate. It’ll be quicker than waiting here.”
“Yeah, you’re right. It’s a hassle, but let’s walk a bit more. You girls too, if you keep waiting like this, the sun will set on you.”

Anticipating that waiting for the resolution of the trouble would lead nowhere, the duo of travelers swiftly departed. Some followed suit and left, while others settled in for what seemed like a long wait, and there were even those visibly irritated, seemingly about to confront the merchant.

“What do you think, Master? Shall we go around to the other side?”
“No, there’s no need to add extra hassle. As long as we can retrieve the goods.”

Descending from Momo’s back, I peered under the bridge once again. Judging from the position of the cart, I could roughly narrow down the point of impact. With some distance estimation and fine adjustments…

“…Alright, I’ve decided. ‘Water pillar, rise up’…”

After deciding on the output adjustment and completing the incantation, ripples began to form on the calm surface of the moat. Gradually, the distortions grew larger, swirling and rising vertically.

“Huh…? Whoa, what’s happening!?”
“Hey, Mr. Merchant over there. Is this all the cargo?”

In no time, the water pillar rose to the same height as the bridge, spitting out the engulfed wooden crates onto the bridge.

While the surface wood had soaked up quite a bit of water, as long as the packaging was sturdy, the contents should still be intact. Dealing with anything beyond that was out of the question.

“One, two, three… T-This is all! Thank you, miss! What on earth just happened!?”
“Well now, if you’re offering thanks, can we cut in line? My companion here is quite hungry.”
“Maasteer! I’m not your companion but your disciple, discipleee!”

I could already hear rumbling sounds from Momo’s belly. I thought she had eaten enough in the morning, but where on earth was she putting all that food?

“Well, I don’t mind, but let me thank you properly…”
“No need, we’re in a hurry. Guard, is there any procedure we need to follow?”
“Y-Yeah. Do you have identification? If not, you’ll need to pay a toll and go through temporary issuance procedures.”

Identification… we obviously didn’t have such a thing. And as for Momo next to me, she’s an Outlander. Both of us would be subject to a toll, but we didn’t have any money.

“Momo, do you have anything valuable? If you have something rare, that’s the only way we can pay.”
“Huh? Well, I have calorie bars for you, Master…”
“That’s out of the question!”
“Um… if you don’t mind, I can cover it for you.”

This time, as we were about to argue, the merchant from earlier timidly approached us.

Ah, I see. He seemed affluent enough to afford the toll for two people.

“But… are you sure?”
“You two saved me from a big loss earlier. This is nothing. May I?”
“As long as they’re okay with it, it’s no problem. You’re lucky, miss.”

After getting the guard’s approval, the merchant quickly handed over several silver coins from his pocket. There might be some compensation for the trouble caused by the cart incident included in there, but even so, it was surely not a small amount of money.

Ah, so this is what it means to lend a helping hand.

“Alright, then please write your names on this wooden plaque. Do you have any parents?”
“Unfortunately, they passed away a long time ago.”
“Mine are also far away (in another world), so…”
“I see… my apologies, I shouldn’t have asked.”

To an outsider, we must have looked like two young girls on a journey. I couldn’t blame them for getting some strange ideas. They might have thought we were war orphans, which would have been convenient as it would spare us from further inquiries.

“Alright, done writing. Is this okay?”
“Yeah, now just drip a drop of blood onto the wooden board. With that, the procedure will be complete.”
“B-Blood!?”

Ah, I see. I had sensed a strange aura, but that wooden board must be some sort of contract ritual. But it was Momo who hesitated. Even though they said it’s just a drop.

“Come on, give me your hand. I’ll just prick your fingertip, it’ll only sting for a moment.”
“E-Eek! Please don’t hurt me…”

Borrowing a thin knife from the guard, we dripped our blood onto the wooden board. In an instant, the blood seeped into the wood, and the names we wrote on the surface momentarily glowed.

“Alright, that completes the procedure. Carry this wooden board with you and don’t lose it. Welcome to Elnato.”
“Let’s go, Momo. How long are you going to keep your eyes shut?”
“Ugh… Master, let’s make IDs… I can’t bear it if blood is needed every time…”
“In that case, head straight down the main street and go to the guild at the end. Tell them you were referred by guard Hagal. They should treat you well.”
“Thank you, we’ll stop by if we have the chance.”

Waving goodbye to the guard and the merchant, we passed through the open gates of the city. Beyond this gate lay Elnato, the city from a thousand years into the future that I knew of.

Right now, everything was lacking. Anyway, what we need is…

“Master, I’m hungry…”
“…Let’s start with a meal.”

Enough food, and then, money.