Interlude 4 - The Cry of the Minister of Magic’s Second Son
Haaah... haaah... haaah... Damn it, they just keep chasing me. Why? How do they keep finding me? I left a letter of intent and ran away from home... I changed my face, my name, even my gender, and hid in the depths of a dim back alley in the capital, running a shabby little magitech tool shop. So how... how the hell are they still on my tail?!
No, this isn’t the time to whine. I have to keep running. If I don’t get away, my father and my brother will be dragged into this mess. I don’t know how they’re tracking me down. Damn it all! If I leave the capital, a wandering magitech craftsman like me will stick out like a sore thumb!
Another country? Impossible. Absolutely impossible. No other country uses magitech tools as extensively as this one. Besides, the blueprint for the magic battery that I developed with that guy is something only the two of us have. As long as I have this, I won’t starve. But who the hell leaked my location?!
The dark back alleys of the night. I’m hiding my presence, desperately running. So why are they still catching up? I even drank an alchemical Gender Transformation potion to completely change my appearance! I’ve used it so many times that I can’t even fully return to my original self anymore! And yet—why?!
――――
The slums of the capital. A place where people with all kinds of burdens live. Merchants who fled with debts. Old prostitutes who can no longer sell their bodies. Former foot soldiers who lost limbs in battle. They huddle together, holding their breath as they struggle to survive. In such a place, there was a single magitech tool shop. Sitting in the dimly lit back of the store was a young female shopkeeper. Her demeanor was both elegant and stern.
In a place like this, someone like her stood out. Even the downtrodden residents, who lived shoulder to shoulder, couldn’t help but respect her. She provided magitech tools for starting fires, tools that produced clean water in abundance, and lamps that softly illuminated the night’s darkness—all at astonishingly low prices. The people were grateful to her, and no one harbored any ill will.
She had appeared in this backwater district around the beginning of the recent war, which had just come to an end. She had drifted in from somewhere, settled in a crumbling, dilapidated house, and started her magitech tool shop. Even the local thugs had come to cause trouble, but she effortlessly sent them packing. No one knew how she did it, but they never dared to mess with her shop again.
For the residents of the slums, the war that had decided the fate of the nation felt like something from another world. To them, whether the country won or lost, it made no difference—their daily struggle to survive remained the same. But as the war ended and peace returned to the world, the female shopkeeper of the magitech tool shop vanished. The shop remained exactly as it was, as if she had just been there moments ago. Yet, she alone had disappeared without a trace.
The slum dwellers were puzzled... then saddened... and eventually, they forgot. They whispered among themselves that the brief respite she had brought must have been a fleeting gift from the heavens to us poor folk.
―――
The walls surrounding the capital. Sturdy fortifications designed to withstand rampaging monsters near the city. The sewer tunnels flowing out of the capital were reinforced with iron bars to prevent intruders, and the filthy water spilled out beyond the walls. In the midst of the foul stench and dim light, a single figure was making its way along the narrow path used by cleaners, trying to escape beyond the walls.
The capital was vast. Among the long stretches of the outermost walls, there was only one broken drainage outlet that led outside. The figure, with a sling bag and a hooded coat stained at the hem, walked unsteadily but with single-minded determination.
From behind, faint magical lights and several voices echoed through the sewer tunnels. The voices sounded urgent, as if searching for someone. The figure tried to quicken its pace, but exhaustion made their steps sluggish. Soon, the group of voices reached the corner just behind.
“Young Master!! We’ve come to bring you back! You have nothing to worry about anymore! It’s me! Your loyal servant! Please, show us your face! Let us see you!!”
A booming voice reverberated through the sewer tunnels. Upon hearing it, the figure collapsed to its knees. Whether it was relief or resignation was unclear. But one thing was certain—escape was no longer possible. The magical lights cast their glow on the spot where the figure had been. Beside the drainage channel where the sewage flowed, the figure in travel attire sat collapsed on the narrow path used by the cleaners.
“Young Master?”
The group had finally found the person they had been searching for. But their eyes filled with confusion as the hood fell back. The face revealed was not that of someone who would be called Young Master. It was undeniably the face of a woman, beautiful but worn with fatigue.
Slowly, she raised her head and spoke to the group. Her voice, too, was unmistakably feminine.
“Haah… Guess I’m done for... Caught after all...”
“Young Master? Is it really you?”
“How did you track me down? I don’t get it. I even used a Gender Transformation potion. How did you do it?”
“It... really is you, Young Master. Thank goodness. When we couldn’t find you, the heir of the Minister of War sought help from that person in the frontier...”
“My Friend?”
“Yes. That person said, ‘If it’s my friend, he’ll be in the capital. If you want to hide a leaf, hide it in the forest.’ Furthermore, ‘likely make a living by manufacturing and selling magic tools, take this and search every corner of the royal capital—it should react. He’s on the run, so he’s bound to keep his belongings close at all times.’ And so, we...”
Her dim eyes fixed on the light armor helmets (Metia) worn by the group. The dull-colored additional armor was attached, and the faceplates were lowered. A faint red glow emanated from the eye slits.
“A magitech tool... What’s it reacting to?”
“That person said it reacts to magic stones... or rather, to mana. ‘Unless it’s sealed in a container coated with mana-blocking paint, it will react. He’s bound to create a magic battery, so his body will have traces of magic powder. Since he’s on the run... he’s probably hiding in the slums, where bathing and laundry are scarce. Even if he looks clean, the magic powder will cling to the fiber of his clothes. It should react to that.’”
The woman let out a groan-like sound. Then, she raised her head and spoke softly to those around her.
“Is it the death penalty? Will the honor of the high comital family be preserved? Just me... I’ll take the punishment alone... Just punish me.”
“No, Young Master. You’ve been pardoned. Thanks to the efforts of the heir of the Minister of War and the Prime Minister’s amnesty decree, your crimes have been forgiven.”
“...R-really?”
“You can return to the high comital family with your head held high. The Prime Minister told your father...”
“What did he say?”
“‘Stubborn people in the family can be a headache. But because of that, they can also become a light for the people and the poor. Hold onto him tightly. We can’t afford to waste talent. Order him to develop tools for the people.’”
“I-I see...”
“And there’s a message from that person.”
“You should have said that first!”
“Yes! ‘To the man (fool) who prioritized his own beliefs: Your three cartloads of personal belongings are ready for pickup anytime, my friend. And one more thing—apologies. I was the one who put the noble’s collar and leash on you.’ ...is what he said.”
“W-what the hell did he do?!!!”
A scream that could only be described as a shriek echoed through the sewer tunnels... only to be drowned out by a burst of hearty laughter.
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