Water Magician

“That’s unusual, why are you having dinner alone?”

At the guild cafeteria, a B-rank adventurer Swordsman came over to make fun of a Water-Attribute Magician quietly eating dinner alone.

“Yeah, the other three went to an abandoned mine in the west village for a request.”

The Swordsman proceeded to sit in front of the Magician.

“Even if you sit there, I won’t treat you, you know?”

“I don’t expect my juniors to treat me!”

Of course, Abel was a Swordsman who paid for his food properly.

“Seniors can always treat their juniors anytime, you know?”

“I don’t intend to treat a rich junior!”

Abel retorted and ordered a daily set meal.

“Such a cold world …”

“Is that a line to say at this timing …”

“By the way, this is unusual for Abel too. Having dinner in the guild cafeteria at this timing. What about the other members?”

“I like the food here so I eat it often, okay?”

As proof, Abel was eating the daily set meal that was served deliciously.

“No, well, it’s delicious, but …”

“Just because we’re party members doesn’t mean we’re always together.”

Abel swallowed properly and only spoke when there was no rice in his mouth.

How refined.

“Hmm, I understand why Abel is out alone at this time.”

“Yes?”

“You plan to fill your stomach here before visiting the red light district or something.”

“I-idiot!”

Abel hurriedly closed Ryo’s mouth with both hands and looked around.

It seemed that there was somebody who he didn’t want to hear that.

“You never know if someone and who is listening.”

“There are ears in the walls and eyes in the sliding door, right?”

“I’ve heard of ‘There are ears in the walls’, but what is ‘shoji ni me ari’?…”

At any rate, Abel was relieved to see that it wasn’t heard by those who shouldn’t.

“I’m not planning to visit the red light district.”

“No way, you’re a regular for a specific woman …”

“Idiot. That’s not it too.”

“Abel … you would be called a pedophile if you lay your hands on Rin …”

“Hey, Rin is Warren’s …”

Abel suddenly realized he spoke too much at that point.

“Forget what I just said …”

“That’s an amazing giant-tiny combination.”

A giant over 2 meters and a petite girl about 150 centimeters.

“Well, if there’s love, height is just a number …”

Abel looked at the daily set meal that he had finished eating with a hint of loneliness while nodding.

“In other words, Abel’s target is Rihya …”

“I-idiot, that’s not it.”

Abel denied it even though his face was bright red.

Is he a junior high school student?

(It seems that Etho will have to be heartbroken even before he confesses … that’s a shame.)

But … Ryo suddenly looked back on himself.

Since he came to 『Phi』, his so-called libido had disappeared altogether.

In other words, he was no longer attracted in that direction to women or men.

Although it wasn’t something to be troubled by so there was no particular problem with that, still …

When he thought of the bright red Abel, Niles, and Etho, they looked dazzling.

“Abel, you can have two sets if one meal isn’t enough?”

“No, having two meals for dinner would be a little …”

“You just have to move as much as you eat.”

“Huh?”

“You just have to work harder at night.”

Ryo nodded repeatedly and said.

“Night work? Are you talking about the red light district or something like that?”

“No. The job of sneaking into the dens of villainous merchants, stealing their fraudulently stolen money, and handing it out to the poor!”

“Yeah, Ryo, that’s called a thief. Even if you call it a chivalrous thief, it’s still a thief after all.”

“I see that Abel is on the side of pseudo-justice …”

“Don’t call it pseudo.”

Ryo’s expression was dyed with despair while Abel argued back after he was called something unexpected.

“Abel, leaving that aside, I have something else to ask.”

“Leaving that aside … Ryo was the one who brought it up. All right, what is it?”

“I didn’t make any progress at the South Library, so I’d like to go to the North Library. Are there any usage restrictions?”

Ryo heard rumors that the North Library didn’t accommodate ordinary people.

He was planning to go tomorrow anyway, but if Abel knew more, he wouldn’t have to spend extra time.

“Oh, unlike the South Library, there are restrictions. If you belong to the Adventurer’s Guild, you can use it if you are D-rank or higher. When you show your guild card at the reception, you will be given an admission card, and you have to wear it all the time around your chest while you are inside. If I’m not mistaken, the adventurer’s guild admission card should be a black one.”

Abel looking up and recalled as he answered.

“Then I can enter too.”

“However, you can’t enter the forbidden archives unless you’re B-rank or above.”

“Forbidden archives!”

Such an exciting word.

However, he didn’t think that he’ll have to go to the forbidden archives this time because he just wanted to find some material on 『Akuma』 and 『Alchemy』.

“See? Aren’t you glad that you became a D-rank adventurer?”

“Yes, I’m thankful to Abel for that.”

“Yeap yeap, that’s fine then.”

Abel nodded with satisfaction.

“I guess Abel sometimes does good things.”

“No, I’m almost always doing good things, okay?”

“But at the Great Tidal Bore banquet, I heard you were crying that it would have been easier with Ryo … that’s so troubling.”

“Why do you know that!?”

Answer: Because Phelps told him.

Phelps, who told Ryo the facts, had dinner at his favorite store in the city and was slowly returning to the base of the White Brigade.

Without a companion. Alone.

Five shadows had been following him since he exited the store.

If a person was in the courtyard of the guild dormitory during the day, they would have noticed that the five shadows were cast by the same five knights.

That situation … five people attacking Phelps to repay the daytime debt … there was no other interpretation apart from an attempt to kill Phelps.

And they made a move when he approached a place where there was almost no human traffic.

At about the same time, the five men pulled out their swords and tried to attack Phelps from behind … but their bodies all turned stiff.

“Wh-what …”

“I can’t move my body.”

“Mugu …”

“Something stings.”

“A needle……”

A female voice was barely heard within the audible range of the five people.

“Even though Phelps-sama went beyond the call and overlooked it … fools. Trash should be burned.”

That was all they heard.

The spell chant was so soft that five people couldn’t hear it, but the spell was definitely spun.

It was equivalent to a death sentence for the five people, and they had to experience a long, long time of dread.

“<Inferno>”

The moment the trigger word was heard, a conflagration blew up and incinerated the knights.

When the people of the city gathered, there were only five lumps of ashes remaining.

“Good work, Sheena.”

Phelps didn’t look behind him and only smiled slightly.

Upon confirming that, Sheena, the deputy leader of the White Brigade, bowed and disappeared into the darkness.