I was kicked out overnight and thrown onto the streets.
There were a lot of complicated reasons behind it, but the title of Raphael’s disciple was now dead to the world.
“The world really never runs out of drama.”
Incidents revolving around me just never seem to stop.
No, that’s not quite right.
To be precise, I was the one sticking my head into situations that were already taking place.
The events related to Black Dawn were bound to happen eventually.
I just happened to get caught up in them.
No one can fight against a typhoon.
All you can do is hope it passes without destroying everything.
“First, I need to find a place to stay.”
The rooms provided through the Transporter Association’s support were probably already full.
You had to sleep alongside cockroaches, but those places were always packed.
Unless you were a new transporter with special privileges, there was no way they’d give you a room.
Still, thankfully, Raphael gave me a good amount of money.
She even packed some books and tools related to holy magic.
And that was only because I told her not to give me any more.
Honestly, it felt like she wasn’t expelling me at all. More like setting me up to build an entirely new holy magic tower.
Raphael’s love for her disciple really was something else.
But still, walking around with all this luggage on my back, I was almost guaranteed to—
“Hey.”
—run into robbers hiding in the city.
Sure enough, the moment I stepped out of the noble district, a group of thugs appeared.
They stood tall at the entrance to the alleyway, jerking their chins as if to tell me to follow.
This uncivilized world…
Law enforcement? Might as well not exist.
A sigh slipped from my lips.
Of course, I didn’t feel even the slightest bit afraid.
I mean, I had provoked Cosmic Zack of Sloth and even the Scarlet Flame Lord.
Street punks? Please. That didn’t scare me in the slightest now.
Especially now that I’d officially earned the title of holy mage.
Street thugs?
Absolutely unbeatable.
Maybe if it were one-on-one. But against a group, the odds of a holy mage winning drop dramatically.
Ah, the tragedy of being the weakest class.
“What’s with the stalling? I said get over here.”
The thug’s eyes twisted menacingly.
“You come here.”
Still, if there’s one thing I’ve got, it’s guts. World-class guts, at that.
I was lugging a ton of baggage. Who were they to tell me where to go?
If you want something, you come to me.
At my words, the thug twitched an eyebrow, then finally stepped out into the sunlight.
His buddies trailed after him like ducklings.
Was this guy giving birth or something?
There were way more of them in the alley than I’d expected.
“We’re out here now. So what’re you gonna do?”
“What I’m gonna do is tell you to go back in.”
Just then, a voice like a miracle rang out.
I quickly turned my head. And there she was Aransel walking toward us.
The bloodlust radiating from her wrapped around the thugs like a noose.
Sweat instantly beaded on their faces.
Up until now, Aransel hadn’t been able to show her full power. Her opponents had simply been too strong.
Cosmic Zak, Black Dawn… Those guys were leagues beyond what fledgling rookies could deal with.
But against a bunch of random street thugs?
Aransel was on a whole different level.
You don’t get to be So-woon’s disciple for nothing.
“Not going back in, huh?”
The moment Aransel’s eyes filled with even more killing intent—
“W-We’re going back!”
The thugs turned tail and fled in a hurry.
If nothing else, they had an excellent sense for danger.
“Haru.”
Aransel, having chased the thugs away, looked back at me with a smug little smile.
Maybe because she hadn’t been able to contribute much in recent battles, she seemed especially proud of taking down thugs with just a glare.
Truly, the perfect embodiment of “strong against the weak, weak against the strong.”
Actually, no.
She was more like a headbutting dinosaur that charged in regardless of strength.
“Thanks, my headbutting dinosaur.”
“…What’s a dinosaur?”
Aransel tilted her head in confusion, but I didn’t answer.
“What brings you here? Were you planning to see me off?”
“I’m planning to stay with you for a while.”
That was unexpected.
“You’re a holy mage, Haru. Isn’t it dangerous to be on your own before you settle down?”
Who would’ve thought such a noble soul would be born in this uncivilized world?
The news of the headbutting dinosaur joining me was like salvation.
“I left a letter for Master. He’ll be too busy to notice for a while anyway.”
Just as expected, Black Dawn hadn’t launched only one attack.
They carried out acts of terror all across the world, including at the Grace Magic Tower.
Thanks to that, the entire world was in chaos, including the human nation of Gladeon.
It hadn’t escalated into full-scale war yet, but people were already saying this was the perfect chance to wipe Black Dawn out for good.
At the same time, hatred toward transporters had skyrocketed.
After all, the origins of Black Dawn traced back to transporters.
Even though plenty of locals had joined them as well, to the eyes of this uncivilized world, only the transporters stood out.
I was living in the age of ultimate transporter hate.
“So until things settle down, I’ll be staying by your side.”
So-woon was still chasing after Black Dawn.
It would take him quite a while to catch them all.
Which meant Aransel acting on her own was no problem at all.
“Thanks. You’re the only one who ever thinks about me, Aransel. You may be an uncivilized otherworlder, but I’ll give you some credit.”
“If you’re going to compliment me, do it properly.”
I meant it sincerely, so it stung a bit that she didn’t appreciate it.
Now that my safety was secured, the next issue was money. Covering everything from food and shelter to daily expenses.
I did have some money from Raphael, but I was going to need a steady stream of income moving forward.
Becoming a great holy mage required a serious investment in materials.
Just like seeds need fertilizer, mages needed high-quality elixirs to grow.
Thankfully, Raphael had written down everything about being a holy mage.
I’d thought she was pulling all-nighters for regular work, but it turns out she’d been preparing for this moment, carving out time to write it all up for me.
With this, I could grow as a holy mage step by step.
But that aside, I’d need a lot of money to buy those elixirs.
Raphael had given me a decent amount, but it wasn’t enough to last a lifetime.
I had to make money.
A lot of it.
And I knew exactly how to do that.
“Aransel, have you ever been to World 2?”
This world was divided into two parts.
World 1, Astrafe.
World 2, Urzea.
The First World was where transporters arrived and where otherworlders lived.
The Second World was home to the fantasy beasts.
Resources from World 2 were incredibly valuable in World 1.
Starting with magic stones, their materials were used for everything. From all kinds of clothing and equipment to elixirs.
That’s why the pioneer trade always had steady demand.
It was riskier than most jobs, but the payoff was big.
Of course, that only applied to pioneers who were at a certain level.
For those below that, the reality was barely scraping by day to day.
“I’ve never been to World 2.”
Aransel looked a little intrigued.
For someone who spent every day training, it must have felt like something new.
“Perfect. Then why don’t you come work as a pioneer with me?”
I’d found myself an excellent vanguard.
Now that I was officially a holy mage, I’d be able to contribute in my own way.
All that was left was to find one more vanguard to protect me and a rear guard, and that would pretty much complete the team.
“I should ask old man Bulldog.”
When it came to the pioneer trade, no one was better than him.
He had retired from pioneering, but he could at least recommend a few people.
He’d said his son’s wedding was coming up, and I hadn’t heard from him since.
So, I headed to his house for the first time in a while.
It wasn’t near the noble district, but it was in a middle-class residential area.
The streets were decently paved for that reason.
After following the road down for a while, I saw a familiar house.
I’d often gone there for dinner, so it felt like home.
Aransel followed me with quick, curious steps, taking in the surroundings with interest.
Coming from another country, she must’ve felt like she was sightseeing.
“Old man Bulldog, are you home? It’s Haru.”
I knocked on the door and soon heard sounds from inside.
Expecting old man Bulldog to come out, I stepped back and then the door opened.
But it wasn’t old man Bulldog who appeared.
It was a middle-aged woman I’d never seen before.
“…Who are you?”
“Who are you supposed to be?”
We both blinked at each other.
“Isn’t this old man Bulldog’s house?”
I was sure this was the right place.
That part of the roof that had been sagging for months was basically his trademark.
“It is. But that man’s been missing for a long time now.”
“…What?”
My eyes widened.
Missing? Old man Bulldog was missing? What kind of nonsense was this?
“Wh-What about his wife?”
“I heard they both went missing on the same day. I’m just the housekeeper hired by their son. I come by now and then to clean the place.”
It looked like she had been cleaning just now. The house was filled with cleaning tools.
“The son was about to get married, but it’s such a shame. They had to cancel the wedding and have been in a frenzy trying to find his parents.”
For a moment, my vision spun.
Old man Bulldog was one of the few pioneers I’d formed a connection with in this world.
And now, he and his wife had suddenly gone missing?
This was no ordinary situation.
What on earth had happened while I was gone?
Nothing in particular came to mind.
“…Thank you. If you happen to see his son, could you let him know that Haru, a friend of old man Bulldog, came by? And please tell him, if they need help, to look for me through the Pioneer Guild.”
“Will do. There’ve been a few others like you, so passing the message along won’t be a problem.”
Just like old man Bulldog. He really was well-liked.
Sounded like I wasn’t the only one who owed him a lot.
I left his house with a heavy heart.
I owed him in more ways than one.
All I could do now was hope he was safe.
“Haru, he’ll be okay. If it comes to it, we’ll go look for him together.”
Aransel offered some comfort at my side.
In this harsh world, people died every day.
I’d been here too long to let every twist of fate knock me off balance.
“…Yeah. He’ll be okay.”
For someone without power, all they can do is hope.
Knowing that, I could only wish for old man Bulldog’s safety.
In the end, I had to let go of my worries about him.
Wherever he was, he’d find a way to survive. He was that kind of man.
His son had probably already filed a search request with the official military.
It should be fine to wait until I hear something from their side.
“Let’s stop by the Pioneer Guild first, then find a place to stay.”
I wanted to store my belongings at an inn, but that would only invite thieves.
It was a hassle, but keeping my things and money at the Pioneer Guild was the safest option.
So we decided to head there first.
It was as we were walking.
Right in front of the Pioneer Guild, I saw a familiar head of hair.
Reddish hair tied back, pinned with a bird-shaped ornament.
I recognized her instantly.
She was the disciple of the Scarlet Flame Lord, the one I ran into at the Star Cluster Society not long ago.
Babienne Asteria.
For some reason, she was standing outside the Pioneer Guild with her belongings packed, looking lost.
“Isn’t that Babienne?”
Aransel tilted her head the moment she saw her.
Even so, Babienne was still the daughter of a baron’s family.
So why did she look so worn out and miserable like that?
The answer came to me more easily than I expected.
“She got kicked out.”
Babienne had been expelled from her noble house.
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