Chapter 24 - Good Night, Sweet Dreams
After completely emptying the bottle of aquavit, the two of them left the tavern.
It was just around the time when dusk was beginning to turn into night.
"I’ll call for a delivery carriage to take you home."
"No, I’ll walk home to sober up."
In early summer, walking home leisurely was a nice option, especially around dinner time.
Fortunately, Dahlia was wearing pants today, so walking wasn’t a problem.
"Then let me walk you close to your house. I won’t insist on going inside."
"My house is near the western wall, so it’s a bit far, and it’s in the opposite direction of the castle."
"Even so, it’s dangerous for a woman to walk around alone at this time."
Volf seemed genuinely worried.
Dahlia rummaged through her bag.
"Thank you for your concern, but... This bracelet is a self-defense freezing ring, so I’ll be fine since I’ll be wearing this."
"Is that an ice magical tool?"
"Yes. The commercial version can freeze a person's limbs, but mine has a bit more power. It can freeze about two or three people moderately."
The freezing ring was made by a magical toolmaker acquaintance, and with their permission, Dahlia had altered it for her personal use.
As a result, the output, which could originally freeze one drawer, could now easily freeze something the size of a large refrigerator.
Dahlia always wanted to test the limits of magical tools—what their maximum and limit values were.
She couldn’t help but remember the time she had created a flamethrower instead of a hair dryer and found herself convinced.
"I see. So, you freeze their feet in place and use that time to escape?"
"Yes, it takes a while for the ice to melt, so you can call the guards or run to a neighbor’s house. By the way, if you strike the frozen part, it shatters. I’ve heard of women who froze the perpetrators so badly that they could never commit an act of harassment again."
"Wow..."
Volf shook his head vigorously, as if imagining something after hearing her casually mention it with a bright smile.
Dahlia couldn’t help but laugh, feeling like she’d just gotten back at him for his earlier comment about "spring coats."
The capital city was relatively safe, but even so, it was still dangerous for women to walk around alone at night, so most people used delivery carriages.
Others carried freezing rings or learned self-defense.
There were also rumors of women mages, presumed defenseless, who were attacked, only for their assailants to end up half-burned.
In this country, criminals caught for robbery or harassment received simple treatment for their injuries before being sent off to work as crime slaves in frontier areas or mines. They were made to work until they died in harsh conditions, serving as valuable labor.
"Would it be unreasonable to say I’d rather walk and talk with you than just escort you home, Dahlia?"
"I don’t mind, but this is a huge detour for you, isn’t it, Volf?"
"I don’t participate in training while on vacation, so even if I went back now, I’d still have to move around."
As they started walking down the road, the sunset finally left a streak of red across the sky.
The magical tool streetlights installed at intervals were still off, and the faces of the people passing by were barely visible.
"Is training for the Monster Subjugation Unit really that tough?"
"Pretty standard, I guess. We run, do sit-ups and push-ups, spar with swords or spears—just repeating that. Sometimes we get blasted away by mages."
"Wait, that last part sounded ominous..."
Running and sparring were part of the training, but being blasted away by mages? What was that about?
"Many monsters spit fire or summon wind, so we train to deal with that. A few mages use large spells on us, and we either dodge or try to face them head-on. Some end up in the medical room, but it’s good practice in advance."
"So it's a preparation exercise. By the way, what’s the toughest monster you’ve encountered in all the hunts so far?"
"Probably the wyvern. Anything with wings is troublesome. Once they take off, it’s hard to chase them down."
"Don’t bigger monsters also present a problem?"
"As long as they’re moderately big, size doesn’t matter much. Actually, the larger they are, the easier it is to hit them."
Maybe it’s just her imagination, but it seemed like terrifying monsters were being treated as good targets.
And as for what "moderately big" actually meant in terms of size, it was a bit of a delicate matter—something she wasn’t sure if she wanted to know or not.
"Oh, speaking of troublesome monsters, I really dislike centipedes or monsters with too many legs. I can never figure out where they’re coming from or how they’ll move."
"I’d rather not even look at one of those..."
"Cyclops are easier. Their arms and legs are fixed at two each, so even if they chase you, it’s not as dangerous as long as you dodge."
Volf spoke casually, but for an average person, escaping such a creature was probably an impossible game of tag.
It was hard to believe how amazing the members of the Monster Subjugation Force were.
"Since you’ve treated me today, you don't have to pay me back for the potion. It sounds like the Monster Subjugation Force has a really tough job."
"It seems like I've brought up something unnecessary again, but back to the topic. I’d like to ask you to enchant my sword, so you can even say something like, 'Go ahead and pay me with everything you've got.'"
"I won’t say such nonsense!"
This would be the umpteenth time today that she had retorted.
As it seemed like the conversation would continue in the same vein, Dahlia decided to give up on keeping count.
・・・・・・・
Finally, after talking about various things, it took almost an hour for him to escort her near the tower.
The white moon had already risen, and the night had darkened considerably.
"So this is it. I’ve seen it from afar when we left through the west gate during an expedition. I thought it was a magic-user’s home, but it turns out it’s yours, Dahlia."
Wolf blinked, clearly surprised when he saw the tower.
"Yes, it’s called the 'Green Tower.'"
"It really looks like a magic toolmaker’s house."
"Yes, it was built with stones my grandfather received when the outer walls of the capital were being demolished. He used them to make this tower."
"Was it for research purposes?"
"No, my grandfather once worked with large amounts of fire magic stones for magical lanterns, and to study them safely, he built this tower to use as a safe space even in the city."
"Oh, I see. It wouldn’t be good to make fire magical tools in a wooden house."
"Yes, fire is always a concern."
But the fear of fire wasn’t the only reason.
Simply processing fire magic stones in bulk could produce something akin to a bomb. A small mistake had even easily turned a hair dryer into a flamethrower.
Dahlia’s father had once told her that magical tools didn’t often turn into weapons.
The reason was the existence of "mages."
Mages could wield various types and powers of magic.
For example, some could create a bathtub’s worth of water, while others could summon an entire pool, freeze things, or even create blizzards by combining wind and ice magic.
Powerful high-level mages were, in a sense, living weapons.
Dahlia remembered being utterly astonished when she saw a single mage shoot a flame into the sky during the kingdom’s parade. The power was so immense that a giant fire dragon filled the entire sky.
She was glad the kingdom wasn’t at war at that moment.
"Here we are."
Volf stopped near the gate and handed her a leather pouch. Inside were five large silver coins for the potion, plus five more.
"This is too much."
"No, it’s for the meal and the carriage. You really helped me, so please take it. Otherwise, I’ll be scolded when I return to my squad."
"...All right."
"Oh, I almost forgot. If it’s alright, could I deliver the coat the day after tomorrow?"
"Yes."
"Would it be okay if I brought it before noon? I was planning to visit a magical tool shop in the northern district. If you have some time, would you like to come along?"
The northern district was where most of the shops catered to nobility.
Dahlia had only been to a magical tool shop located there a few times with her father. She hadn’t been in the past year.
Her heart raced at the thought of seeing magical tools she had never seen before.
"Yes, I’d love to join you. I’ll be waiting."
"Then, I’ll see you the day after tomorrow."
Volf gave a light bow before turning to leave.
"Oh, it’s a bit early, but good night, sweet dreams."
Good night, sweet dreams.
It was a customary phrase exchanged before bed between family and friends in this country.
Perhaps it was unexpected for him to hear that from Dahlia, as he turned around and smiled shyly.
"...Good night, Dahlia. Sweet dreams."
Comments
Post a Comment