My Demons

Struggling to suppress an insult, I took a swig of my beer, barely able to stomach it.

Ellen, or rather the utterly useless person, displayed a confident expression, seemingly oblivious to my inner frustration.

“Being a mage isn’t just about casting spells. It’s about unraveling the mysteries of dimensions and delving into the essence of matter. That is truly…”

Feeling a warmth creeping up, I scratched my head.

When was the last time I washed my hair?

It must have been at least a fortnight, right?

There’s a well behind the inn; I should give myself a quick wash there later.

“…so, strictly speaking, while I may not fulfill the functional requirements of a mage, the knowledge I possess…”

Interrupting Ellen, who continued to spout nonsense, I asked bluntly, “Do you know what we call a cook who can’t cook, a singer who can’t sing, or a doctor who can’t heal people?”

“…what do you call them?”

“There are plenty of names. Idiot, defective product, useless person. Take your pick. Which one do you prefer?”

“Fine. I suppose ‘useless person’?”

Ellen closed her mouth, visibly disgruntled. 

Speaking of which, the wand she held, resembling a recorder, looked oddly familiar.

Despite the disparity between the 2D graphics on the screen and the reality before me, it was undoubtedly the distinct wand known as the ‘Baton of the West Wind’.

In the Dark World, there were items that allowed the use of skills one hadn’t learned or enhanced existing skills.

These were called ‘skill items,’ and most of them granted the use of a specific skill a certain number of times.

The ‘Baton of the West Wind’ was one such skill item, but as a unique wand, it possessed several special effects.

These included stat boosts and mana recovery, and if I were to highlight two uncommon features… one was the ability for unlimited use of the ‘Cold Wind’ skill.

And the second was ‘Restriction Relief,’ which significantly lowered the required level for equipping it.

How did I know all this so precisely? Because it was an essential item when leveling up an Elemental Wizard as a secondary character.

Upon obtaining the ‘Baton of the West Wind,’ I even created a new Elemental Wizard character right away.

Pondering on this, I recalled one of the characters registered on my Dark World account.

I couldn’t remember exactly, but around six months ago, I had created a female Elemental Wizard.

It had been a while, so I couldn’t recall the character’s name well… was it the ‘Alphabet Mage’? Well, something along those lines.

In any case, upon creating the character, I transferred a few useful items, including the ‘Baton of the West Wind,’ from my main character, the berserker, back then.

Afterward, I swiftly cleared Chapter 1 and never touched it again.

I embarked on a serious Player Killing (PK) spree with my newly campaign-cleared Blood Knight character, ‘PKApplyMemo’.

Swallowing hard, I muttered to myself, “Could it be?”

When leveling up an Elemental Wizard, I usually refrain from allocating skill points until level 15 because the ‘Baton of the West Wind’ alone is sufficient to clear Chapter 1.

Instead, I focus on investing in stats until the health reaches 10 and magic reaches 20.

As I progress through the campaign and come across useful equipment, I finalize my skill tree accordingly and begin investing in skills.

Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine, and I turned to look at Ellen.

The girl, who had been disheartened by my taunts, frowned when she noticed my expression and asked, “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Her blue eyes held concern, worry, and fear.

It seemed she had finally realized her own worthlessness. She tried to maintain a confident facade, but it was evident that my reaction caught her off guard.

“Huh, it’s nothing.”

“What? Why?”

My intuition was screaming at me. Ellen was undoubtedly the ‘Alphabet Mage’ that I had created, enjoyed for a while, and eventually abandoned.

But Ellen was a living, breathing person.

There was no doubt about it. The feeling and vitality she exuded couldn’t be replicated by any program.

While struggling to untangle my thoughts, I found my voice.

“Why did you come to South Harbor?”

“Um… I have something to do.”

“What is it that you have to do?”

“That’s none of your business.”

Quite a bold attitude for a girl who had just entered adolescence.

I gazed at Ellen gently.

I need to make things clear.

“You saved my life, and I saved yours. In other words… we have established some level of trust through our cooperation, haven’t we?”

“And?”

“Furthermore, I’ve helped you to some extent. Giving you a potion was an act of goodwill on my part, correct?”

“…Let’s say that’s true.”

Although Ellen seemed hesitant, it wasn’t enough to test my patience. I spoke in a calm and gentle tone.

“It’s not about ‘let’s say that’s true.’ This is a significant matter.”

“A significant matter?”

“Yes. Why do you think I showed you goodwill?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

“I’m considering taking you as my companion.”

Ellen’s eyes widened in surprise, and after stumbling over her words for a moment, she asked in a softer voice, “W-who gets to decide that?”

“It’s not just my decision. From now on, we need to reach an agreement through conversation.”

Respect is crucial when dealing with children.

If you show them respect and value their opinions without disregarding them due to their young age, most children recognize and appreciate such goodwill.

…Or at least that’s what I learned in a course on child psychology.

Wait, on second thought, Ellen isn’t a child, is she? As I entertained that thought, I noticed her face relaxing.

“An agreement?”

“Yes. I am a skilled warrior with decent social skills. I wouldn’t make a bad companion, right? What do you think?”

“Well, you don’t seem like a complete jerk… Let’s say that’s true. But…”

Ellen paused midway through her sentence. She toyed with her beer glass and glanced at me before asking in a timid voice,

As I mentioned earlier, I’m currently unable to utilize the functional aspects of being a wizard. My wand, given to me by my master, is broken…

Oh, another monologue about her master.

It seems Ellen sees the ‘Baton of the West Wind’ as something bestowed upon her by her master.

Well, it’s a bit strange to claim that she received a wand from a berserker she doesn’t even know.

Wait, does it make sense for a unique item to break just because it was stepped on a few times? It’s hard to get that thing….

As I furrowed my brow, contemplating this, Ellen’s sentence trailed off.

Upon seeing her sudden gloomy expression, I swiftly intervened.

“Of course, at the moment, you may feel like an insignificant individual.”

“•••Yes, you’re not wrong.”

“But you won’t remain insignificant forever. You’re still growing, and you possess the potential to become the greatest wizard in the Middle World.”

My assertive words caused Ellen’s pupils to tremble. However, she responded with a sneer.

“What do you know about magic? I’ve been studying magic for over ten years, yet I’m a fool who can’t even conjure a simple flame arrow on my own.”

I sensed a profound skepticism, if not self-loathing, in her expression and words.

Perhaps my seemingly inconsequential choice had tormented her life.

How painful must it have been to be a wizard unable to cast even the most basic spells?

“No, your level is still increasing. You can’t use magic simply because you haven’t invested skill points into it.” I wanted to assure her of this, but I held my tongue.

Now is the time to build trust with this burdensome – I mean, young lady – not the time to be perceived as a lunatic.

“Indeed, I may not possess extensive knowledge of magic. But…”

I calmly nodded and rested my hand on the table.

After scanning the room, I lightly dipped my fingertips into the beer. The coagulated blood began to dissolve as I focused my mind.

Using the binding properties of blood, the droplets rose against the flow of the beer, twirling and merging together. It was a trick of Blood Manipulation.

However, Ellen didn’t appear overly surprised by my demonstration.

“That’s Blood Manipulation, isn’t it? The energies underlying Blood Manipulation and magic are entirely different, aren’t they?”

“Huh?” This wasn’t the reaction I anticipated. Then again, after ten years of studying magic, she likely acquired knowledge of related subjects as well.

Blood Manipulation was a type of superpower, a rare talent possessed only by those with unique gifts.

Naturally, this ability was also possessed by the Blood Knight, a player character in the Dark World.

I believed it bore some resemblance to magic, but apparently, they were completely unrelated. I wasn’t aware of that.

“Ahem, anyway. I can assure you… you undoubtedly have the potential to become an exceptional wizard.”

“Hmph.”

She didn’t appear entirely convinced, but she seemed willing to move on.

“I… I have a mission from my master to find someone. The last known sighting of that person was in a city north of here, and that’s where I’m headed. I can’t disclose any further information.”

As someone accustomed to skipping dialogue boxes, I vaguely recalled the details.

Ellen’s objective was probably to pursue the spell thief named ‘Sythe,’ who had taken refuge in ‘Raven’s Cliff.’

“Um, okay. I understand.”

I nodded, feeling that the information provided was sufficient for now.

From the start, the content of the information wasn’t the crucial aspect; it was the act of sharing it that mattered.

Recalling the scenario of the Blood Knight, I adopted a slightly serious tone, as if immersing myself in role-playing.

“I’m in search of my bloodline’s origins. It’s a crucial step in unlocking the ultimate power of Blood Manipulation.”

“Hmm.”

I attempted to put on a serious expression, utilizing all my acting skills, but Ellen didn’t seem particularly interested. It created a slightly awkward atmosphere.

“So, what’s your answer?”

After a moment of hesitation, Ellen nodded her head in response.

“If we’re heading in the same direction… then let’s do it.”

“Good.”

……

Ellen glanced down at my outstretched hand for a moment before reaching out and shaking it, wearing a peculiar expression on her face.

And so, Ellen, the future Archmage who currently possessed no skills and had only reached level 5 in stats, became my first companion.

The inn we entered was called ‘The Boatman’s Inn’.

It was an average inn, neither exceptional nor terrible in terms of quality.

As we paid for our meals and accommodations, I found myself reacquainting with the currency system of the Dark World.

In the game, gold, silver, and copper coins were all converted into GP for display, but reality operated differently.

In summary, the currency mainly consisted of gold, silver, and copper coins. While bartering was said to be the primary method of trade in the countryside, it was not of immediate concern to me.

Based on the Millanol Kingdom, where I would be primarily active from now on, one gold coin was equivalent to five silver coins, and one silver coin was equivalent to twelve copper coins.

Typically, with five copper coins, one could afford two meals and a night’s stay at an inn.

As Ellen explained, she regarded me with suspicion, seemingly wondering why I wasn’t aware of this.

Well, I brushed it off, claiming that I wanted to confirm the currency system since it appeared different from ‘Island,’ the setting of Chapter 1.

Regardless, whether it was due to the city’s situation or other factors, the cost of meals was exorbitant.

The meal consisted of a flavorless, watery porridge made from oats and accompanied by hard barley bread. It wasn’t particularly appetizing and didn’t fill the stomach, yet they demanded five copper coins for it.

I briefly checked if they were overcharging me due to being a foreigner, but it seemed that the current price was indeed accurate. They explained that the prices of food had skyrocketed.

After satisfying our hunger and heading to the inn’s backyard to freshen up,

Ah, they even charged a copper coin for using the well. I couldn’t help but think the inn owner was truly eccentric.

However, as soon as I unwrapped the bandage and removed my clothes, my annoyance from being overcharged dissipated instantly.

“Wow. What is this?”

(TO BE CONTINUED)