Chapter 54.1 – Looking Up at the Clear Autumn Sky, the Clouds are High

Walking through the city with a bad friend, the streets look different from usual.

A simple billboard can become the subject of discussion, you eat things you wouldn’t eat when you’re alone, and you make unexpected connections with strangers on the street.

However, if you do that day after day after day, it will turn into an ordinary day.

The freshness will wear off and you’ll no longer be moved by the thoughts that all is not as it seems.

And when that daily routine, which you thought would last forever, is lost, you’ll realize once again how wonderful those days are.

「Areh? Jinni?」

「Ah, Sawadi. It’s been a while.」

I met Jinni, the 3rd son of a furniture store owner, one of the only two commoners of my batch at school, at the theater.

He had graduated the previous year and was working in his family’s furniture store.

After all, he had not applied for a job as a mage.

Well, the recommendation destinations were all over the place….

「How are you doing?」

「I’m helping my dad make furniture. I’m busy every day with packing, lightening, drying varnish with magic, and so on.」

「I see」

「You must have it hard. Having a military person as a wife and she’s even keeping you at the lab.」

「No no, the lab suits me fine.」

「Is that so? Well, don’t overdo things.」

「Of course. By the way, have you seen Ehra?」

「No, he’s in Ruefuma. He’s a fool to go that far just to work at the city office.」

「I think it’s good since it’s stable.」

「What do you mean by stable? He has been sent to Ruefuma as support and he’s been detained there for six months now. Didn’t you get his letter? He’s crying since he hasn’t heard from you since you get married.」

「I got it. He said we should go meet sometime. I’ve never met Ehra’s wife, by the way. And yours too.」

「Can you not talk about wives…..」

「Ah, okay….」

Jinni suddenly became gloomy.

I knew talking about wives was a minefield….

「Well, it’s been a while since we’ve met. Let’s go to a teahouse.」

「Let’s go.」

The two of us talked for a long time and the conversation continued until the coffee shop closed.

We did not drink a drop of alcohol and just crushed the day with sweet coffee and sweets.

We may already have families of our own but our taste buds are still childlike.

-0-

The other day, we hired a big number of musician slaves.

I had assigned them various jobs such as composing music for the festival but their real job is to compose music for nobles.

The music for the Ride of the Valkyrie was accumulating on my desk but I was so busy that I had no time to check it out so I just told them to submit one more draft.

Well, it’s certainly my fault.

However, they suddenly charged at me asking “Tell me what’s wrong!” and got beaten down by the guards of the mansion. After that, they were thrown into the recruits’ training camp as punishment.

Then, I went to see those musicians for some business and got caught up in a little event in the training ground.

「Performance! Begin!」

「Yes!」

The sound of a spear cutting through the air echoed as the adventurer, a sheepkin, dynamically showed off her form.

With each powerful step, a large cloud of dust billows up and sweat glistens and drips from her head.

Even as an amateur, I can feel the dignified beauty of her performance.

If this wasn’t the 5th person already, maybe I would have felt fresher….

At the training ground set up on the site where the theater was to be built, a large group of adventurers are crowding around me.

I had only gone here to look for the musicians but for some reason, the adventurers were all showing off the result of their usual training in an unusual situation.

I decided to talk to someone to ask what was going on but I was caught by Roast, who was standing nearby.

「Ah, this is because young master rarely appears in the training ground.」

「eh, what are you saying?」

「The other clerks and salespeople have a lot of opportunities to be praised by young master however, the adventurers are basically working outside the city. So today, everyone’s trying to show off to you.」

「Haa, did I do something wrong?」

「No, the training site smells like mud so we understand if you don’t want to come to see us.」

「Not really. Well, it’s just that it’s so dusty.」

「You think so? It would be nice if the adventurers could have a glamorous stage like the festival we had the other day.」

「The festival? Well, we only did it because I was asked by the councilor.」

「No no, I understand.」

While saying so, I saw the spear-clad adventurer making a sharp movement. Somehow, I felt bad just by sitting here.

Thinking about it, the adventurers are a very important working unit for us so it’s a department that must be properly evaluated.

Right only becomes right with power.

Freedom is only freedom if backed up by power.

The Schenker family is able to do business freely because of the past successes of the adventurers and my reputation as a mage.

This is not the peaceful Japan and it is literally deadly important that we have our own means of violence.

「Do you want something like a festival?」

I found myself saying those words.

Since there was a festival mainly for clerks, why not have a festival for fighters?

I suddenly had an idea and I immediately gave it a pass.