Part 3: Fate Manipulation (2)

After class, Frondier, Saibel, and Aster sat together at the campus café. Seated at their round table, Saibel kept glancing from one side to the other.

Before her sat the boys with the best and worst reputations in their year.

Aster Evans, blessed with powerful Divine Power and talent, was well liked by teachers and students alike.

Frondier de Roach slept and lazed his way through every class, possessing neither Divine Power nor talent.

Their mere presence together drew stares from across the café, leaving Saibel needlessly self-conscious. Her own presence contributed to the attention, but that much never occurred to her.

“Aster, why did you pick me?” Frondier asked languidly.

Saibel had been wondering the same thing, and her gaze naturally shifted to Aster. But his eyes widened as though the question itself surprised him.

“Why else? You helped me.”

“I did?”

“Mistilteinn. You took that worry off my mind.”

“... It would have gone away eventually anyway.”

Frondier sighed.

“Oh, I heard about that too,” Saibel said, her eyes sparkling.

Frondier’s conduct at the gathering of nobles had become quite infamous: the so-called Human Sloth Frondier’s outrageous outburst.

He had behaved absurdly in front of the empire’s most distinguished families, from his boastful claim that he did not fear divine punishment to the reckless act of smashing the merchandise.

Though his actions had ultimately benefited his family, the behavior itself looked like nothing more than recklessness.

“Frondier, are you really not afraid of divine punishment?” Saibel asked.

It was pure curiosity, without mockery or contempt.

Frondier looked at her and answered, “No.”

“... That’s it?”

“Hm?”

Saibel worked her mouth, at a loss over his curt reply.

“That’s a pretty dangerous thing to say just to look cool.”

“Why would I try to look cool in a situation like that?”

At least he knew that much. Apparently, he really hadn’t been trying to show off.

“All right, let’s leave that aside. We’re here to talk about something else,” Aster said, steering them back on track.

Saibel spoke up. “We were going to decide which third-year and teacher to bring along, right?”

Indeed, the three of them had gathered for a reason. Their dungeon exploration party needed five members, including at least one third-year and one teacher.

“Who should we ask? Most teachers are willing to help, but I hear a lot of third-years turn people down. They’re busy with their own work, and it’s a hassle. Shouldn’t we make a list now, assuming some will refuse?”

Saibel and Aster soon began suggesting third-years, and Saibel diligently wrote down their names.

Throughout this, Frondier remained silent. Neither asked him anything, partly because they knew his lazy reputation, but also because he looked surprisingly deep in thought.

“... I think...”

At last, after all that deliberation, Frondier spoke.

“Quinier.”

“... Huh?” Aster asked. “You mean Quinier de Biet?”

“Yeah.”

Frondier nodded, and Aster and Saibel exchanged glances.

Quinier de Biet. A prodigy who had saved her family from the brink of ruin before she was even twenty.

Her cold efficiency, ruthless decisiveness, and genius for commerce had earned her the name “Quinier the Little Devil.”

Frondier said, “What do you think? Getting to know her now would be a huge help down the line.”

“Well, sure, but...”

Though both agreed, their expressions remained uneasy.

Saibel put it bluntly. “... I don’t think she’ll help us.”

True enough. None of them was on friendly terms with Quinier. Moreover, she was meticulous about weighing gains against losses. She wasn’t someone who would join a dungeon party just because they asked.

They would need to offer something worthwhile.

“As far as I know, Quinier hates credit and debts. Promising to repay her later for coming along won’t get us anywhere.”

Aster nodded in agreement with Saibel. Then Frondier’s languid gaze shifted slightly.

“If I get Quinier to come, neither of you has any objections, right?”

“... Frondier, are you planning something reckless again?”

Aster’s expression grew serious. Frondier smiled at his worried face.

‘Oh.’

That smile surprised Saibel a little. Frondier’s looks were the very picture of aristocratic refinement, so when a smile touched that languid face, it was quite a sight.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make a proper deal.”

* * *

After parting ways with Aster and Saibel, I headed toward the school building. Watching them exchange numbers on their phones had reminded me that I didn’t have one.

Just as Etius had the Wizerview, an imitation of a television, it also had something called a Sagephone, modeled after a smartphone. Everyone simply called it a phone. With one, you could freely make calls, send texts, and use messaging apps.

But Frondier didn’t own a Sagephone. Neither did his older brother Atzier or his father Ampere.

Ampere was from an older generation, with an even older-fashioned mindset, and had no interest in such things. Atzier seemed to take the attitude that if his father didn’t use one, neither would he.

But since I needed to help Aster, a Sagephone was essential. It would let me send and receive urgent messages and easily check locations.

“Hmm.”

I stopped outside a classroom. That alone seemed to double the surrounding stares and commotion.

Just ignore them.

The door slid open with a rattle, and a few students inside turned my way. At first, it really was only a few, but then they started shaking their friends in surprise, pointing at me, and openly saying things like “Look at that,” until everyone else turned too.

In the end, everyone was staring.

... Let’s get this over with and leave.

I approached a young woman. Naturally, she was watching me too, looking utterly incredulous.

“There you are, Quinier.”

“... Have you lost your mind?”

Quinier the Little Devil. Seeing that flustered look on someone who always wore a composed smile was rather entertaining.

“We met at the Miller Family Estate, didn’t we? I don’t think I properly introduced myself then.”

“No need. If you want connections with me, transfer an appropriate sum to my family’s account. Don’t draw attention to me.”

Quinier fluttered her fan, shooing me away.

I leaned my face close to hers. Squeals, cries of “Oh my!” and sharp intakes of breath rose around us. Quinier froze too.

I whispered into her ear, “I’d like to sell some information to Quinier de Biet.”

Her fluttering hand stopped. She regarded me with sober eyes. Already, she was no longer a student, but the head of the Biet Family.

“I don’t appreciate nonsense.”

“Neither do I.”

“... This isn’t a conversation to have here, is it?”

I nodded once, turned, and walked away. I didn’t need to look back to hear Quinier’s footsteps following me.

Though the whispers around us were considerably louder.

* * *

“So, what is it?”

We had moved to an empty classroom. Thorough as ever, Quinier cast the spell Wind Whisper to keep our voices from carrying outside. I welcomed the precaution.

I closed my eyes for a moment.

The sooner I befriended Quinier, the better—for both Aster and me. Her trading company offered advantages, but more importantly, she was someone trustworthy. In Etius, nothing mattered more than having someone I could trust to watch my back.

Still, there wasn’t much I could offer her right now. Except for one thing. I had a piece of information that was certain to tempt her.

After briefly considering the most effective way to phrase it, I spoke.

“A monster from the ‘Outside’ is coming.”

“...!”

Quinier’s expression stiffened.

A monster from the Outside.

As I’d said before, humanity’s territory in Etius was pitifully small. Humans currently struggled even to hunt down the monsters within it.

The Outside meant exactly that: beyond humanity’s territory. The monsters lurking there were in a different league from those inside.

She gave me a suspicious look.

“You realize there will be consequences if you throw claims like that around?”

“But if we leave it alone, there really will be consequences.”

Quinier stared into my eyes as though she could read my mind that way. I met her gaze steadily.

“The third-years have a field assignment coming up, don’t they? For temporary professional work experience.”

“... How do you know about that?”

“You’ll encounter a monster from the ‘Outside’ there.”

“... How many?”

Before verifying the information, Quinier asked for specifics. That was the right approach.

I raised my index finger.

“One.”

“... One? You mean a single monster?”

“Yes. An unusually weak member of a pack from the Outside. A straggler that couldn’t endure life with the pack and broke away. That’s what you’ll encounter.”

Quinier blinked at my words, looking unsure how to react. I smiled calmly.

“It doesn’t sound all that dangerous, does it?”

“... Honestly, no. I’ve never encountered a monster from the Outside. But just one, and a straggler at that? Wouldn’t being afraid of it be an insult to the professionals?”

“You’re not wrong. A single professional could easily subdue such an inferior specimen.”

“Then why—”

“Because your field assignment wasn’t planned with that creature in mind.”

Quinier’s eyes widened. As expected, she caught on quickly. Still, spelling it out would have an impact, so I continued.

“A lot of people will die. Even when they’re the same species, monsters from the ‘Outside’ are far stronger than those inside—and above all, they’re cunning. It’ll stay hidden and start attacking people far out of the professionals’ sight. Right up until they discover it.”

“... Oh my.”

Quinier, who had been listening quietly, lifted one corner of her mouth.

“There are plenty of third-years. Civilians will be at the work experience site too. What are the odds that I’ll be the one it gets? The professionals will find it before then. All I need to do is keep out of harm’s way while it attacks other people. Besides, you’ve already told me everything. Why should I give you anything?”

She didn’t care about others dying, so long as her own safety was assured. A coldhearted person who thought only of money and power to restore her family.

Quinier the Little Devil.

... She played that part so well. That was why she was the head of the Biet Family.

“I know its weakness. That’s the information I’m selling.”

“...!”

Quinier’s gaze wavered.

If she really intended to hide among the crowd and flee, this information would be worthless. What use would knowing its weakness be? She could simply keep running.

But Quinier faltered. Her claim that she would sacrifice others had been nothing but a lie.

I lowered my eyes. Watching her keep up this bluff any longer was painful.

“You hate seeing people die.”

“...! Wh-who are you to...!”

“I have my own source of information. That’s how I learned this too.”

My memories of playing Etius countless times in the real world. I had no more reliable source than that.

Quinier bit her lower lip at my words. I could almost hear her mind racing.

She looked me straight in the eye. “So? What do you want? Money?”

Coolheaded and quick. She must have decided that establishing a business relationship with me offered far more to gain than the risk of my lying.

“No. We’ve earned a chance to enter a Low-Level Dungeon. Would you accompany us?”

“... Is that all?”

Quinier sounded suspicious.

I smiled. Quinier disliked deals that favored her too heavily. She suspected there must be a catch to match.

“I also need a few items.”

That was why I said it: to make this a fair deal for her. In truth, this was the main point for me. Having succeeded, however imperfectly, in Weaving Gram, I needed quite a few things.

“Items?”

“Yes. First, I need something that can increase my total Mana capacity. An elixir, an Artifact—anything will do.”

“... That’s suddenly a big request. Anything else?”

“The other is an accessory that can hold water. Something wearable, ideally easy to put water into and draw it out of. And the inside must not be visible.”

“What a peculiar request. Why not just carry a water bottle?”

“I’d like it to be very, very easy to put it in and take it out.”

Quinier tilted her head farther, looking at me as though I were some strange creature. But there was nothing more I could say.

The water-holding accessory was actually for Black River. I’d called it water because I felt that being more precise would give me away to Quinier.

“All right. Those two things, correct? On the Biet name, I promise to provide them.”

“Thank you.”

“So? What’s its weakness?”

“Its weakness is... Oh.”

Something occurred to me, and I stopped. Quinier’s brow furrowed.

“What is it? You’re not backing out now, are you?”

“No. Now that I think about it, there’s one more thing I need.”

“What?”