Raphael’s call.
Upon hearing it, I immediately headed to Raphael’s office.
How could I laze around when my beautiful master was calling for her disciple?
The proper thing to do was to go see her right away.
And the moment I entered Raphael’s office—
“Who are you? Where is my master?”
“If you have enough energy to talk nonsense, I guess you’re doing better than I thought.”
There she was. Raphael, who could pull all-nighters for days like it was nothing.
She was slumped in her chair, looking completely worn out.
I walked inside and opened the curtains and windows to air the room out a bit.
Her face looked noticeably better right away.
Then I placed a cup of coffee in front of her, brewed far better than what these uncivilized otherworlders could make.
“Is work really that hectic?”
She had been so busy she didn’t even get to witness Shishiroka’s final moments.
Even though we still saw each other every day, I remembered how she had shown up late in the end, swallowing back tears.
“The magic tower’s been in chaos lately. Work’s been flooding my way. Believe it or not, I’m also the deputy tower master.”
I knew she was from the Grace Magic Tower bloodline, but I didn’t realize she had taken on the position of deputy master.
“Anyway, I’ve been through hell lately because of all this.”
“So what, you summoned your unworthy disciple here just to kick me out because you can’t keep up?”
“Wanna leave?”
“I’ve already decided to die here.”
No way I’m giving up a room with no cockroach roommates.
Thanks to my joke, Raphael’s expression relaxed a little, as if her mind had cleared.
When I quickly stepped behind her and started massaging her shoulders, her face relaxed even more.
“Having a disciple like you was a good choice.”
“A capable disciple, at that.”
“Yeah, which is why I want to ask a favor from such a capable one.”
“Shouldn’t I help you take a bath first, though?”
“W-Wait, do I… smell?”
I didn’t answer.
Raphael looked at my collar and the tips of her wing-ears flushed bright red.
So, angels’ wing-ears turn red when they’re embarrassed.
I didn’t know that.
“Ahem, well, the favor itself isn’t too hard. You just need to go somewhere, say my name, and bring someone back.”
“What’s gotten into you, asking me to do something like this?”
“Right now, there’s no one else who can use my name and has a free hand.”
I see.
Well, I was Raphael’s disciple, after all.
She probably figured that having me go was still better for appearances.
“Fine by me. It’s not like it’s a difficult errand. Might be nice to get some fresh air for a change.”
Now that I said it, I think I understand what Raphael’s getting at.
She was probably trying to get me out of the house, since I’ve been holed up in the mansion lately.
Truly, no one cares for their disciple like Raphael.
“Right, and So-woon’s disciple is going with you, so it shouldn’t be a big deal. The person you’re meeting also knows So-woon.”
“By disciple, you mean Sohan?”
“Hmm? No.”
I had a bad feeling about this.
A really bad feeling.
“It’s Aransel.”
Oh great. That damned racist fox.
***
I had a general idea of what was going on.
Aransel must have put on an act, pretending to be all sweet and innocent in front of So-woon and Raphael.
That’s probably why she couldn’t turn down So-woon’s request.
And so, I was stuck traveling alone with Aransel.
In my hand was a letter Raphael had given me.
It was already early summer.
The two of us stood silently under the blazing sun, waiting for the regular carriage.
In this world, the carriage was the standard mode of public transportation.
It wasn’t your typical carriage. It was a large vehicle, easily big enough to carry thirty people.
And instead of horses, it was pulled by some large animal that looked like a rhinoceros.
We’d be taking this kind of regular carriage to the airfield.
From there, we’d board an airship to reach our actual destination.
It was a long journey. No wonder Raphael chose to send me.
My eyes flicked over to Aransel.
I’d heard that the outer races lived in relatively colder climates.
Meanwhile, the human capital had all four seasons, and summer here was as hot as it got.
Maybe that’s why sweat was beading on her face—
Droplets slid down her cheek, over her pale neck, and traced across her chest.
I quickly looked away, not wanting to get distracted.
Aransel and I hadn’t spoken a single word since we left the mansion.
I don’t make compromises with racists.
Honestly, I should’ve never pretended to be friendly in the first place.
I only held back because I didn’t want Raphael to worry and now look at the mess I’m in.
If only Sohan was here, I’d at least have someone to talk to.
But he’d gone with So-woon for work.
Seriously, that guy’s never around when it matters.
Maem-maem—
Even this world had cicadas.
They screeched on and on, probably looking for mates, and filled the silence with their annoying drone.
Still, it was better than the heavy awkwardness between us.
Flip—
Trying to escape the silence, I unfolded the map.
This time, Raphael had asked me to go to the forest where the fairies lived.
The leader of the local fairy tribe was apparently a close acquaintance of hers.
It was a pretty long journey. Getting there would take some serious time.
Just then, I felt someone’s eyes on me.
I looked to the side and saw Aransel glancing at the map.
Looked like she was also wondering how far we had to go.
I still didn’t like that she was a racist, but she was a travel companion.
So I handed her the map.
She took it without a word.
This isn’t some contest to see who breaks the silence first.
What are we even doing?
Still, I absolutely refuse to lose.
Not a single word will leave my lips.
Aransel must have been thinking the same thing, as she silently handed the map back to me.
A little while later, the regular carriage arrived.
We each paid our fare and climbed aboard.
Since the carriage was crowded, there was only one empty seat.
So I quickly took it.
Aransel shot me a brief glare.
Naturally, I ignored it.
She stood every day during training. Standing again wouldn’t kill her.
In the end, Aransel chose not to sit and instead grabbed the armrest of a seat to stand.
“Regular Carriage No. 103, departing now.”
With the attendant’s voice, the carriage kicked up dust as it began to move.
Though the regular carriage had cooling magic, it wasn’t nearly as refreshing as an air conditioner.
Maybe because of that, the combination of people and summer heat made it stiflingly hot.
Would it be too much to ask these uncivilized otherworlders to start by inventing air conditioning?
There were plenty of Transporters. Surely one of them could develop it.
As I clung to that desperate hope, the carriage rolled steadily forward.
People got on and off along the way, but the number of passengers hardly decreased.
It hit me again. Koreans have very little body odor.
By comparison, these damned otherworlders had such poor hygiene awareness that the smell was overwhelming.
Honestly, I wished I could just develop rhinitis and stop smelling anything.
Just as I was thinking that, something began dripping onto my head.
When I tilted my head slightly to look up, I saw Aransel’s face, drenched in sweat.
Her collar was so soaked that I could faintly see the skin underneath.
But more than that, her face was a sight to behold.
It looked like she was on the verge of melting.
Her face was flushed bright red, and her breathing was labored.
It was obvious at a glance.
“Shit, we need to get off! Now!”
It was heatstroke.
Before things got worse, I shouted and hurriedly led Aransel off the regular carriage.
Then I brought her to a nearby teahouse and sat her down in a cool spot.
Even in that state, Aransel must have been half out of it. She let herself be dragged along without resistance.
Raphael had generously given me enough money to buy food along the way.
I ordered whatever cold drink they had and activated holy magic on Aransel.
Who would’ve thought the first person I’d ever treat would be Aransel?
Once the holy magic took effect, she seemed to improve and her face relaxed a bit.
The heat that had settled over her features also seemed to fade, and the redness in her skin noticeably lightened.
“Would you like a fan?”
Noticing Aransel’s condition, the staff brought one over.
“Around this time of year, outer races or beastkin often come down with heatstroke.”
So that’s why they had fans prepared.
“Thank you. We’ll put it to good use.”
As I fanned her, the focus gradually returned to Aransel’s eyes.
Then, as her gaze met mine, she stared blankly and asked,
“…What are you doing?”
“Saving a life.”
Aransel slowly looked around.
Then, realizing we were in a teahouse, she sat up.
“I could’ve sworn we were on the regular carriage…”
“You had heatstroke. Don’t move around needlessly. Resting is the best thing you can do right now.”
As I fanned her more, doubt started to appear in Aransel’s eyes.
A look that said: “Why are you taking care of me?”
Well, it’s true. Aransel and I didn’t get along.
To be precise, it was Aransel who had drawn the line between us.
“When someone’s about to die, stuff like that doesn’t matter.”
I wasn’t about to let someone die just to protect my pride.
That was something I’d learned after coming to this world.
This other world I’d fallen into with nothing in my hands.
Through getting robbed, nearly killed, and scraping by to survive, I came to understand one thing.
In the end, no one survives alone without the goodwill of others.
The reason I had been able to eat, sleep, and live in peace these days was thanks to the goodwill of old man Bulldog and Raphael.
Having survived through goodwill, it only made sense to return it in kind.
Of course, if someone stabbed me with a knife, I’d stab them right back.
But at the very least, I had no intention of ignoring someone dying just because we didn’t get along.
People didn’t want to die just as much as I didn’t want to.
Aransel stared at me blankly.
Then, after a moment, she slowly parted her lips.
“…Thank you.”
At least she knew how to say thanks.
Good to know she wasn’t completely shameless.
“If you’re weak to heat, let me know in advance next time. Heatstroke is scarier than it looks.”
There was a reason people died from it on summer worksites.
“……”
Aransel didn’t say much, perhaps realizing she’d been in the wrong.
After that, our conversations started to increase a little.
It was mostly just saying what we needed from each other, but still, it was real progress.
Before long, we finally arrived at the airfield.
“This is the airfield. The doors will open on the right, so please check before you exit.”
People rushed off the transport and onto the airfield.
Aransel had a cooling patch from this other world stuck to her forehead.
It looked a bit funny, stuck to her pretty but expressionless face.
“…Don’t laugh.”
Sharp, wasn’t she?
The airship was even bigger than I’d expected when I saw it up close.
Once we paid the fare and boarded, it rose into the sky almost immediately.
The force that powered the airship was magic.
Just how far did the magic of this world go?
They say that highly advanced science is indistinguishable from magic.
Conversely, highly advanced magic was no longer distinguishable from science.
Of course, even if magic had advanced, public awareness and civic consciousness were still far removed from anything resembling modern standards.
The uncivilized, medieval people of this other world remained the same.
Even now, many people kept sneaking glances at Aransel.
It was because her looks drew too much attention.
If they knew what she was really like inside, they wouldn’t be looking at her like that.
I stole a glance at Aransel, and our eyes met.
After a brief staring contest, she shrugged and looked away.
For some reason, it felt like she was smug about it, and that annoyed me a little.
Well, I guess she knew better than anyone how pretty she was.
Still, I was irritated enough that I decided not to tell her she still hadn’t taken off the cooling patch from her forehead.
I just wanted to finish this job quickly and go home.
The airship continued its course.
“Ah.”
At the sound of Aransel’s voice, I looked up—
At last, a dense forest came into view, along with a tree so large it stood out even among the thick foliage.
A tree so gigantic, it seemed to touch the clouds in the sky.
It was the symbol of the Fairy Race’s forest, and the home where the fairies lived.
The Breathing Tree.
A tree said to hold the breath of the world itself.
The airship was supposed to pass over the Fairy Forest and land in a nearby village.
We would probably be getting off soon.
Or so I thought.
“Hey, isn’t something flying toward us?”
Just before it happened, a child pressed up against the airship window said something.
Booooooooom!
And then, something flying in from the distance crashed straight into the airship’s power source.
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