Chapter 42
In her childhood, Nia Bella endured countless hatreds from the city folks, all thanks to a storybook that kept her going.
It was a fairy tale based on one of the church’s famous prophecies about the birth of a hero.
[When the world begins to face danger, a black-haired hero will appear.]
Nia Bella loved that story immensely, and when she learned that the hero was coming to save her, she made a resolution.
No matter what, she wanted to follow him.
Knowing this, I made the first proposal to her.
And her response was exactly what I expected.
“R-Really…?”
Could it be a fake?
“But… but…”
“But?”
“The hero and everyone else… and, above all, Rui is a Mage, so I… won’t be useful…”
Ah, I anticipated this question too.
But I had a prepared answer for this part already.
“Nia Bella, do you know that there are different types of mana?”
“Ah, yes… I use moon mana…”
“I can’t use elemental mana.”
“…Huh?”
I placed my hand over my chest and held up the master key with my other hand.
“Because of my body’s constitution, I can’t use elemental mana. I use star mana, and even that, I borrow and use through the power of a tool.”
The Ultimate Star-spear is also a type of magic tool, after all.
It’s just ridiculously large and powerful compared to ordinary magic tools.
“So, I can’t provide the large-scale firepower needed for the hero’s party. That’s why I support them with tools and auxiliary magic.”
“Ah…”
“But you, as a witch using moon mana, can use fire stronger than those who use elemental mana.”
The fire giant.
It’s not something she can directly control or summon again.
But if you change your perspective, Nia Bella possesses the monstrous potential to summon such giants.
“But still…”
Even so, she didn’t accept my proposal with anxious eyes.
“I-I still can’t handle my magic properly… and…”
“I’ll teach you that part.”
“Y-Yes…?”
I approached Nia Bella and held both her hands.
Her hands were rough from countless hard tasks, but they still radiated her unique charm.
“I’ll teach you to become a proper witch, to easily handle strong magic.”
Just like my master had told me.
‘And one more thing.’
I would help her appeal to the hero.
So Nia Bella, all you need to do is show up!
Suddenly…
“Wahh… sniff…”
Nia Bella started to shed tears like a chicken droppings.
“Rui…?”
“Yes?”
“Can I call you sister…?”
“Huh?”
Nia Bella looked down at me with teary eyes.
It was hard to refuse her as she sniffed while holding my shoulders.
“U-Um, yes.”
“Thank you, Rui-sister…!”
Hmm, it feels strange hearing the term sister.
All the people I’ve been close to until now were mostly older than me, so I guess I was never in a situation to be called that.
“I’ll do really well…! I’ll listen to everything you say… and…”
“F-First, let’s go tell the party members.”
“Yes! Oh, please call me Nia…!”
“Okay, Nia.”
Since Nia Bella, or Nia, tried to hug me, I stepped back quickly to avoid suffocation.
Then I turned to Rozen, who was looking a bit regretful behind the sniffling Nia.
“Rozen.”
“Ah, yes.”
“What do you want to do?”
“What do you mean…?”
“I’m sorry, but you can’t join the party.”
“……As expected.”
She casually showed that she knew it deep down.
I genuinely wanted to bring Rozen along for Nia’s sake, but she was a non-combatant.
She was just a kid roaming around the back alleys, and even if she had special talents, there wasn’t enough time for her to flourish.
Bringing her into the party would be… harder than bringing Nia in.
“I think I’ll stay in this city for a while. After all, it’s the city I lived in…”
“Got it.”
After a brief moment of hesitation, I grabbed both Nia’s and Rozen’s hands and left the alley.
“Let’s discuss the details with the party members.”
I led them to the gathering place where the four were waiting and straightforwardly said, “We’re putting Nia Bella in our party.”
“Huh? Why? You’re here, right? No need for that.”
And they opposed me.
*
It began with Rapirie’s disagreement.
“I’m good the way it is. Up till now, Rui, having you around has been just fine.”
Next was Serelin.
“I too… think it’s best to take Rozen and Nia Bella to another city. Our journey is… quite tough.”
Then there was Ariya.
“I do feel bad for Nia Bella, but I think bringing her into the party is a different matter.”
Finally, even the Hero chimed in.
Honestly, I thought at least one would abstain or show support, but everyone opposed.
“I’m sorry, Rui-sister. I didn’t mean to…”
Even Nia, who stood behind, froze and began to apologize.
“……For now, just come inside.”
I left Nia and Rozen behind and took the four into a building.
I struggled to line up four chairs and then seated them.
“Huh? We sit here?”
“Yes.”
“Where did these chairs even come from?”
From the Space of Space.
Then, I went in front of the four and pulled out a sketchbook-like tool from the Space of Space.
“It’s huge.”
“Rui, what are you planning to do…?”
Lastly, I pulled out a pen and master key, along with a spoon.
“Now, everyone, please focus.”
With those words, I opened the first page of the sketchbook.
[This Hero party needs ‘firepower.’]
“Huh?”
“What’s with that finger-pointing old man…?”
Murmurs arose from the crowd.
But I ignored them and started my first line.
“Now, I’m going to explain why we need to include Nia in our party.”
“Uh, a presentation?”
“When did you prepare that…?”
Of course, I had prepared it before meeting Nia.
But saying that would invite suspicion about how I knew her, so I substituted with firepower.
‘I wouldn’t have done this unless I had to.’
But Nia was important enough to go through this much trouble.
In truth, if I left the Hero party, it would all be resolved…
“……?”
We made eye contact, and I quickly turned my gaze away.
Anyway, I didn’t want to go out now.
“Everyone, this party is perfect. Except for one thing.”
I flipped the sketchbook to reveal a single word.
“Firepower…”
“Yes, firepower. As everyone knows, I’m different from a typical wizard.”
Since I cannot use elemental mana, I can’t use combat magic like conventional mages.
“That’s why I came in as a support mage, under the condition of using magic tools and auxiliary spells.”
“That’s true…”
“So, in a sense, this party’s chronic problem has not been resolved.”
That problem is firepower. Large-scale firepower at that.
“I was convinced when I saw the fire giant that Nia Bella conjured. I believe her magic can easily resolve the party’s firepower problem.”
“Wait, Rui. I have a counter-argument for that.”
“Yes?”
“The thing is, couldn’t you just use the Ultimate Star-spear you had in Alpareth?”
What?
“Rapirie, I mentioned that it’s only for emergencies.”
“R-Really?”
“If I use that, I’d be bedridden for days afterward.”
I glared at her with fiery eyes and approached.
“Do you understand?”
“Y-Yeah. Yet it doesn’t scare me at all to see those eyes…”
“……”
“Sorry…”
I managed to take down one opponent.
Next up was Serelin.
“But Rui, if Nia Bella wants to join, shouldn’t you actually be against it?”
“Why?”
“If I wanted a new Female Knight in the party, I would… um, probably oppose it…”
She seemed to check in on Aswel’s reactions with that comment.
It seemed she was curious about the Hero’s response.
“That’s right. Even if a new Female Knight were to join, I’d be against it. We already have Serelin.”
“Ah…”
Serelin covered her mouth with both hands at that remark.
She looked genuinely moved.
“I’d feel the same. But this time, the situation is different.”
“Hmm…”
“I’m only ‘substituting’ by casting magic for you all, but I can’t perfectly replace firepower.”
That was it. A mere replacement.
“Well… if that’s how Rui feels, I suppose… I’ll follow your words since I don’t know much about magic.”
“I’m kind of like Ariya in that regard. But the important thing is… Aswel, it’s up to you.”
Exactly.
Even if the heroines were for or against, the leader of this party is the Hero.
I looked at him.
“Hmm, Rui. Shall we have a brief chat?”
And he asked me for a private meeting.
“……Alright.”
A moment later, the three stepped outside, leaving only the two of us.
“Rui.”
“Yes?”
“Are you… really fine with this?”
“What do you mean?”
“Bringing in Nia Bella. We know that you’re taking a different role compared to her, but others might not see it that way.”
The Hero was concerned about how we would be viewed outside of the party.
Then, I finally understood what he was worried about.
“Are you worried about rumors about me?”
“……Yeah.”
Rumors like the existing mage has become useless, and a new witch has been recruited.
It’s a plausible gossip for those who truly know nothing.
In fact, mages and witches are often seen as nearly identical.
However, if two similar classes are in a Hero party… naturally, the talks would leak out, affecting me negatively.
But, I didn’t care.
If I truly lacked magical skills or felt guilty about something, I would have hesitated.
But I was confident that my magical abilities were not lacking compared to Nia Bella.
No, I even thought I was better.
Moreover, I had built up enough before joining the party, so I felt more than comfortable.
Even if I decided to leave the party, I could still find my way back.
“Of course, even if Nia Bella joins, I will never let you go.”
“Oh, um, understood.”
The Hero made a strange statement, but I chose to ignore it.
“I don’t worry about such things.”
The moment I start caring about external opinions, it seldom helps me.
“But please promise me one thing, Hero.”
What mattered more than that were the members of the party.
“What is it…?”
I approached him slowly, looking up.
“Even if Nia joins, please keep an eye on me.”
“……”
As long as I get feedback on my magic or requests on what might be needed, that’s enough.
I joined this party to fill in their shortcomings and, in return, acquire various materials.
“Okay, Rui.”
Then the Hero nodded, blushing but filled with determination.
“I will prioritize you no matter what.”
………
‘Something… sounds strange here, but…’
Thump.
Still, it felt comforting, so perhaps it was alright.
Having received the Hero’s approval, Nia was finally able to join the party without issue.