Another World Where I Can’t Even Collapse and Die

CHAPTER 58 – EVENING FESTIVAL (6)

“Hello~”

“Ah, welcome! Master-sama! A very important customer has arrived~!”

I could’ve sworn that the little apprentice in a light green robe had dollar signs in his eyes.

Kontos-san was wearing a dark green robe, and the distinct smell of traditional herbal medicine leaked out from his study as he opened the door to greet us. I also heard something that sounded like laughter, but I decided not to pay it any attention. There were probably just some cheerful magic herbs in there.

“Welcome, Sumire-chan, Fikar-kun.”

“I’ve brought Su’s fangs. Could you process them for me?”

When I opened the bag of fangs on the table, the short apprentice, Lircas, climbed onto a chair and stared at them with glittering eyes. After getting permission from Kontos-san, he carefully inspected them, doing his best to avoid the sharp bits.

According to the local smith’s father, there were two types of arrowheads that could be made from Su’s fangs: One used it whole, carving from the root to the tip, while the other used only the tip, using a metal base instead. The latter was cheaper, but I was assured that they had more penetrating power than an arrowhead made from metal alone.

Once I handed Kontos-san the wooden model from the smith, he looked at it for a minute and nodded. Grabbing a tooth from the bag, he carved a rough copy of the wooden arrowhead and promised to further refine its shape at the smithy.

“These are nice fangs. Everything should be ready in about 3 days, alright? Do you have the advanced payment?”

“Ah, I brought the full amount.”

“Oh, no. When you hire a magician, it’s common sense to give him only half before he starts his work and the other half after he’s finished. Some might just run with the money, you know?”

Kontos-san smiled kindly, saying that it would be a hassle to do now, so it’d be fine just this once. It’d be hard to think of Kontos-san dashing with the money, especially since he was the only magician Tortea had.

I took out a large silver coin and gave it to Lircas, who jumped up and down, clutching it with his small hands, before running into the next room. He returned with a certificate, a magic receipt, and a small urn.

“Okay, here’s your certificate! And complimentary fortune telling~!”

“Does fortune telling also use magic?”

“That’s right~! Both of you, please try!”

Fikar and I took turns dipping our hands into the urn. Inside, there were a bunch of brown pieces of paper folded in half. Nothing was written on them, but when I opened mine, I heard a voice in my head.

『Do not reveal your identity to others. That will keep you safe.』

I instinctively glanced at Kontos-san. He was patting his apprentice on the head, congratulating him on a job well done, but when our eyes met, he gave a small smile and nodded. A cold feeling grew in my chest.

Does Kontos-san know I’m not from this world?
And was this something I shouldn’t talk about?

Since Gartis-san misunderstood me when I first collapsed, the townspeople thought I was abused and abandoned by some distant village and that Fikar was someone protecting frail little me. Because I didn’t have the confidence to explain myself and because life was so hectic since then, that misunderstanding continued to the present, and no one knew that I came from another world.

As far as I could see, I wasn’t so different from the people of Tortea, and my origins were never questioned thanks to their variety of hair colors and facial features. Fikar is mostly quiet and rarely asked me questions, so we hadn’t talked about things like that either.

In a world like this, was coming from another world still a foreign idea?
And would it be a bad thing if people knew?

“It’s a method of fortune telling we’ve researched that creates a new result for every person! Please come and buy it once it’s finished!”

“Then, we’ll come back in three days to pick it up.”

As thoughts swirled round and around in my head, I weakly bade Kontos-san and Lircas farewell, and we headed home.

If anyone became suspicious and pressed for answers, I’d have to reveal myself. But if I wanted to protect myself, that wasn’t an option. There must’ve been a reason why Kontos-san had to warn me in a way that no one else could hear.

But if I were in imminent danger, he would’ve been more proactive and could’ve told me sooner. All I could do now was continue living my life as it was.

Putting a lid over the question marks that threatened to burst from my skull, I shut out my anxiety.

I held Fikar’s hand, and he turned to me and squeezed my hand back. Relieved, I took a deep breath.

“Alright, let’s have a pot of perversity mushrooms today!”

“The other one is better.”

All of a sudden, Fikar was usually clear about his opinion on the menu, which barely changed from day to day, not counting changes in seasoning.