Yesterday and today, Studd, with a calm, expressionless face that held a terrifying coldness, watched the foolish man before him who was so overjoyed.
Yes, to Studd, he was nothing but a fool.
In truth, even using every single word in his extensive vocabulary to hurl insults wouldn't be enough, but he compressed and condensed all of them, pouring all his malice into simply calling him "a fool."
He felt an unusually strong sense of disgust, something rare for Studd, who was usually indifferent and cold towards people.
"Congratulations! I'm in the party!"
"Wouldn't you like to reconsider?"
While deliberately avoiding looking at the overly excited Eleven, Studd asked the question with genuine sincerity, and Lizel tried to soothe him with a wry smile.
The calm yet murderous atmosphere didn't seem to subside even when Lizel stroked his hair.
Rather, the way he grabbed Lizel's wrist and pressed it against his own head seemed to convey that his mood wouldn't improve otherwise.
At this unexpectedly endearing action, given his usual demeanor, Lizel kept his wrist where it was and offered his guild card with his other hand.
"I wouldn't have invited him if I wanted to reconsider. Come on, Eleven, show him your guild card."
"As expected of my leader!"
At those words, Studd's gaze fell on Eleven for the first time today.
"Huh?"
Instantly, the temperature in the guild hall dropped sharply.
Studd, radiating a coldness so intense you could almost hear a crackling sound, gently released Lizel's hand.
Lizel, for the time being, retrieved the guild card he had placed on the table. Reissuing a guild card costs money, after all.
Studd slowly stood up, pulling his chair back without making a sound. Eleven, toying with the guild card he had taken out, smirked at Studd, who was calmly looking at him.
"Who said whose is whose? Say that again."
"I said this guy is *my* leader, didn't I?"
The sound of ice cracking was probably an illusion.
The killing intent that instantly surged from Studd was so powerful that it made that illusion seem real.
It spread throughout the guild, strong enough to make any monster flee immediately, and in response, a horrifying, creeping killing intent spread through the air, making everyone tremble.
Eleven, far from feeling fear, seemed exhilarated, his smile transforming into a ferocious grin, and he slowly ran his tongue over his lips.
"An insolent stray dog who doesn't know his place."
"I'm not afraid of being barked at by a domesticated dog with its fangs removed!"
The moment Studd created an ice blade in his hand and Eleven drew his dagger,
the ice blade shattered in his hand, and the gleaming dagger was deflected and stuck into the floor.
Immediately afterward, both their gazes simultaneously shot towards the person who had appeared.
"You're getting carried away."
It was Gil who stopped the fight that seemed unstoppable in an instant.
His drawn sword was already sheathed, but there was only one person who could launch an attack so fast that even these two, with their extraordinary speed, couldn't react.
From behind Gil, who was now standing between the two, Lizel peeked out, giving a wry smile.
"I don't mind you fighting, but please don't cause trouble for those around you."
This time, they had only come to form a party, so they had come during a time when it was starting to get less crowded, avoiding the early morning rush of adventurers taking on quests. Even so, the guild wouldn't be completely deserted. Lizel looked at the two again, surveying the frozen scene around them.
It seemed he had been right to ask Gil for help, anticipating a fight. A few more seconds and the guild wouldn't have been left unscathed.
Lizel wished he could have said something, but perhaps because he was standing in a position caught between such intense killing intent, he missed the opportunity, distracted by the sheer intensity of the killing intent he was experiencing for the first time.
Experiencing such intense killing intent for the first time—any other adventurer would call it nothing short of traumatic. The fact that he didn't feel fear but rather admiration speaks volumes about Lizel's composure.
He inwardly breathed a sigh of relief that Gil, who had understood him with just a glance, had acted, and looked at the two with a slightly reproachful expression.
He smiled at Eleven, who averted his gaze and sheathed his sword like a sulking child, and Studd, who sat in his chair, staring intently at Lizel.
"Don't go picking fights with everyone in every direction."
"Besides, big brother, my dagger gets easily broken, so could you please stop stabbing it into the floor?"
"I don't recall ever becoming your brother."
The guild, having returned to its normal atmosphere, gradually regained its usual buzz.
Lizel left Eleven, who showed no sign of remorse, to Gil. While Lizel usually lets Eleven's refusal to conform to anyone's expectations slide, considering it part of his personality, he acknowledged that he was going too far.
He thought that since beastkin tend to obey those stronger than themselves, Gil would be a good fit, but from Gil's perspective, it was obvious that he wouldn't obey anyone but Lizel.
However, while the effect was less pronounced compared to Lizel, he did indeed listen to Gil, who was stronger than him, so there was no problem.
Lizel nodded, seeing that the two seemed alright, and then stood in front of Studd. Sitting in a chair and simply staring at Lizel, Studd, unlike Eleven, seemed to be showing some remorse.
He didn't regret at all trying to incapacitate Eleven, but he did regret that he might have caused trouble for Lizel.
Lizel smiled at Studd, who was giving off a somewhat hesitant air, and gently placed one hand on his cheek.
"It's unusual to see you, who's always so calm, like this."
"Did I cause you any trouble?"
"Everyone has people they don't get along with. I don't think of it as trouble at all."
Perhaps unsure how to express his affection, a slight weight was added to Lizel's hand on his cheek.
The gaze directed at him was transparent, as if devoid of any emotion, but for Lizel, reading those emotions was easy. When he gently stroked his cheek, his eyes softened pleasantly.
Meanwhile, Eleven, who was looking displeased and thinking, (That's unfair, I want that too,) was taken down by Gil's iron claw before he could even take a step to interfere.
"But you don't dislike the idea of him joining the party, you just personally dislike Eleven, right?"
"The more people there are to protect you, the better. It's just that I personally can't forgive the fact that he's someone who once tried to take your life."
Studd had witnessed the moment Eleven was completely defeated by Lizel.
That's why he was certain that Eleven wouldn't harm Lizel again, but he still couldn't help but think he was being presumptuous. However, since his abilities were worthy of protecting Lizel, he didn't oppose him joining the party.
Studd gently grasped the hand stroking his cheek and looked up at Lizel, his face naturally tilted.
"I have no intention of disagreeing with your decision. Let's register him for the party."
"Thank you."
They both understood that if they recognized each other's competence, they would acknowledge it. Lizel nodded once, taking things at his own pace, assuming they would become friends eventually.
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Why are there so few mages?
It's simply because there are few people with enough magical power to produce attacks of sufficient strength, and because it's a dangerous profession.
Anyone can produce a flame the size of a match if they practice, but you can't attack with a flame that can be extinguished by the wind.
The power of magic is purely determined by the amount of magical power, and since most people only have enough for a match-sized flame at best, the number of mages naturally remains small.
Even the students at the magic academy in the neighboring country don't all possess enough magical power to use magic effectively. Many attend because they want to be involved in the fields of magic theory or magical tool research, even if they have little magical power.
That's how few people possess a large amount of magical power. It's not exactly rare, but it's not common either.
There are occasionally adventurers who use magic, but it's usually just for convenience.
Those with enough magical power to be practical, but not enough to be their main weapon, will practice their preferred element just in case.
However, unlike a sword that you simply swing, magic has a time lag before activation, so it's not used frequently, and besides, you can't afford to be defenseless during combat just to cast a spell.
Only mages who use magic as their primary weapon use it frequently, and in that case, a trustworthy party is necessary.
Given these circumstances, Lizel, who uses magical power but isn't quite a mage in the traditional sense, occupies a unique position.
"Magic? Beastkin are generally not good at it, so I only use it a little," Eleven said.
"Hmm, I haven't seen you use it even once," Lizel replied.
"Swords are faster against weak enemies. It's only useful for surprise attacks or traps against strong enemies."
Saying that, Eleven shoveled a large amount of omurice onto a large spoon and put it in his mouth. The restaurant, recommended by Eleven for its delicious egg dishes, was quite crowded due to the lunch hour.
Since it was a place rarely frequented by adventurers, Lizel and his companions were attracting a lot of attention from the unfamiliar faces around them.
Eleven, unfazed, ordered a super-sized omelet rice and happily devoured the mountain of food.
(He eats so much despite being so thin,) Lizel thought with a smile as he swallowed his omelet. It was fluffy and delicious, truly worthy of the recommendation.
"What do you mean by 'trap'?"
"Well, my specialty attribute is 'Darkness'."
"That's not surprising at all."
"What do you mean by that?"
Gil, who was eating meat despite being in a restaurant specializing in egg dishes, said to the smirking Eleven with a look of exasperation, "It's exactly what it looks like."
The basic attributes are Fire, Wind, Water, and Earth, which Lizel uses with his magic rifle, plus Light and Darkness.
The latter two are less common than the former. As evidenced by the fact that a beastkin who is bad at magic possesses this specialty attribute, an individual's specialty attribute is completely random.
Incidentally, Studd's specialty attribute is "Ice," a rare attribute that few can use, a higher-level attribute of Water.
"I need a darker shadow."
Eleven peered under the table, tapping his heel.
His groaning was probably due to concentrating on activating his magic. Non-verbal casting is more difficult than verbal casting, but with repeated use, one can grasp the technique and make it possible.
However, the effort of deploying magic remains the same, so it doesn't save time. It just makes it quieter.
For Eleven, who was a thief, silence was probably a great advantage.
"Hmm, ah, I did it!"
He lifted his head from where he had been peering down and pointed at his feet with his fingertips.
Lizel and Gil exchanged glances and looked down at his feet, only to see that Eleven's legs from the knees down had seemingly melted into the shadows and disappeared.
As he had said, a deep shadow was best; the fact that his feet were faintly visible was probably because the shadow couldn't completely conceal them.
If this magic were used at night, it would be incredibly difficult to find Eleven.
"It was hilarious when I set up a sword under a ledge and used this to hide! The guys who jumped down the ledge didn't notice and kept getting impaled!"
"I've seen something similar with light magic, but this is the first time I've seen this."
"It's amazing, right? Ow! Why did you kick me?!"
"So you still have your sense of touch."
"Of course I do..." Eleven grumbled, and then dispelled the magic.
As he had said, he wasn't good at magic, so the effective range was narrow and the duration was short, but depending on how it was used, it could be a formidable trap, just as Eleven said.
Eleven was also quite mischievous and quick-witted. It seemed he had used it in some very effective ways.
Incidentally, the sight of the customers at the most prominent table all simultaneously peering under their tables was nothing short of bizarre. The waiter even wandered around with extra forks and spoons, wondering if someone had dropped something.
"The leader used dark magic before too, and..."
"Could it be that we have the same specialty magic? Or can you use regular combat magic too?"
"Of course I can. I was fighting using regular magic until I got that magic gun."
Incidentally, Eleven was slightly disappointed when he learned that their specialty magic was different.
Lizel hasn't told Eleven about his original world. Only Gil knows about it so far.
There doesn't seem to be any problem with telling him, but there's no particular reason to tell him either, so Lizel is casually thinking that he'll keep it a secret for as long as he can. Eleven would probably complain loudly if he found out about this way of thinking.
Incidentally, Gil thinks it's the right decision not to tell him, for various reasons.
"What's it like when the leader uses magic? Do you just go all out?"
"It's pretty good, I guess."
"It's normal."
"If you say 'pretty good' by your standards, I can only expect great things."
Even if he said that, Lizel glanced at Gil.
He thought it was helpful that he had shown Gil his magic early on, thinking it would be useful later, but unlike Gil, Lizel has never seen a proper magic user in this world.
Since Gil also lacks the concept of comparison to others, he couldn't say anything when asked about the standard.
However, based on the vast amount of books Lizel has read, his sorcery is more suited for combat than the magic in this world.
He always thought that the magic here was superior in terms of everyday life applications, but it seems that his world's sorcery was superior in combat.
He learned a few spells from this world for camouflage purposes, but it's still easier to use what he's used to.
Since combat magic often includes unique original spells for each magic user, there shouldn't be any problem with continuing to use them.
Basically, he uses the magic gun, but if it's low cost and high result, there's no reason not to use it. Gil pushed aside the plate he had long since finished eating from, then pulled the omelet that Lizel had stopped eating towards himself and finished it in a few bites.
He furrowed his brow as if trying to remember something, and then drank the water that had been placed in front of him.
"The power is decent, but that's a skillful thing to do."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"You know the Flame Arrow, Flare Arrow, right?"
"It's exactly what the name says, the stronger the magic power, the bigger the arrow gets."
"Yeah. Instead of making the arrow bigger, he made ten of them with decent power."
"Wow... isn't that the hardest thing to do?"
Eleven's eyes looked at Lizel. Lizel simply smiled in return.
As Eleven said, the Flame Arrow grows larger the more magic power is poured into it. A skilled mage could defeat a Blue Golem (which is weak to fire) with a single shot of that giant arrow.
It's hard to understand because there are people like Lizel who can defeat even White Golems without much difficulty, but being able to do that would guarantee not only top-tier status but also fame and fortune.
And regarding the number of arrows, creating multiple arrows is difficult, but not impossible.
However, in that case, the power of each arrow would be the minimum amount of magic power used, so a single arrow wouldn't even be able to defeat a common grassland mouse, a typical F-rank monster.
Eleven's surprise wasn't just about the number of arrows.
He was surprised that Lizel had created multiple arrows with enough power to affect a certain level of monster, not just one.
And it wasn't just two or three arrows. He had created the same number of arrows as a skilled mage using the minimum amount of magic power for a single Flame Arrow.
This is far more difficult and requires much more complex magic manipulation than creating a single arrow with several times the power.
"This isn't just a matter of getting used to it anymore. And he seems to have a lot of magical power."
"My magical power was actually on the lower side compared to the people around me,"
"And it even has tracking and homing capabilities."
"Ugh."
"It's not automatic, I just controlled it myself."
"Ten shots? You've been digging your own grave trying to be humble. You haven't noticed, have you?"
Lizel gave a wry smile. There was nothing else he could do.
In his original world, the technology for combat magic was more advanced, so there were more opportunities to learn than here.
Even with more opportunities to learn, the number of people who could master it was still limited, so Lizel was indeed quite skilled.
If asked why the nobility was so involved with magic guns and magic, it was entirely because of his former student (the current king). He would do anything for him, even mastering advanced techniques.
Remembering his former student who had gone to battlefields in other countries and caused a great uproar, Lizel narrowed his eyes slightly.
"He's really not normal... something's different now..."
"We should leave soon. You have somewhere to go, right?"
"Yes."
"Ah, wait..."
Noticing that Lizel's smile was different than usual, Eleven stopped moving, but before he could speak, Gil stood up. The omelet rice, which had been piled so high, was already completely finished.
Eleven watched Gil's back as he walked towards the cashier, then looked at Lizel, who was standing up, lightly adjusting his clothes, and looking down at him. He frowned, not understanding the smile, and quickly drank down his water.
He didn't know how the smile was different from his usual one, but something was definitely different. He knew there was no falsehood in the smile directed at him, but he felt uneasy nonetheless.
"Shall we go?"
"Okay!"
Smiling at the gentle voice, Eleven grabbed Lizel's arm and pulled him along, following Gil.
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"Isn't this... that place? Judge's shop?"
"That's right. I thought there might be some weapons here that weren't available at Eleven's shop. The one you have now isn't the best for you, is it?"
"Well, it's just the easiest to use. So, it's a weapons shop, right?"
"Don't worry, they usually have whatever you want."
Looking at the shop door, which seemed to carry an inexplicable air of reliability, Eleven entered, still a little puzzled.
Inside, they found Judge diligently organizing the merchandise.
Lizel smiled, wishing Judge would greet them calmly for once, and then gestured towards Eleven, who had stopped mid-greeting.
Although he only pushed him forward, Eleven grinned knowingly and stood before Judge, giving a casual "Hey."
"Since Judge didn't say he absolutely hated it, I added him to the party."
"Yeah, you seemed to dislike it. Hey, how about it? Do you still hate it? Even if you say you hate it, I'm not leaving."
"Huh, ah...!"
Eleven seemed to be enjoying himself, cornering the flustered Judge, whose face had suddenly turned pale.
Lizel nodded, thinking these two would get along well, while Gil looked down at him with a gaze that said, "This guy is sometimes merciless." There was no denying the enjoyment on his face.
"My name's Eleven, but does Judge hate me? Do you hate me so much you don't even want to say my name?"
"U-uh..."
"It's a meeting with a new member, so you should be more confident," Gil said to Judge, who had turned to them for help with a bewildered expression.
Once Lizel adopted a bystander stance, he basically wouldn't move. He watched the two of them playfully interacting, seemingly having fun.
However, Gil also seemed to be subtly enjoying himself, as evidenced by his advice, which only added fuel to the fire.
As expected, Judge was half-crying, imagining himself confidently confronting Eleven, realizing it was impossible.
"Li—"
"Huh?"
Judge, who had started to say something, glanced at Lizel.
Lizel smiled, and Judge, as if having made a decision, straightened his hunched back and looked down at Eleven. Even looking down from above, Eleven was still intimidating.
"If Mr Lizel has decided, I won't object."
"Then, please take care of things!"
"Eh, ah, uh, yeah."
"You seem scared, but 'right now' I'm just a normal adventurer, you know?"
"What do you mean 'right now'...!"
Lizel nodded contentedly, seeing Eleven laughing heartily at Judge, who was once again half-crying. Lizel's definition of "getting along" sometimes had a low bar.
However, compared to the situation with Studd, this relationship was incomparably more peaceful.
From the outside, it might look like a delinquent and his errand boy, but since Eleven would never act aggressively towards anyone associated with Lizel, there was no problem.
"Judge."
"Yes...!"
Judge, who came immediately when called, was informed of the purpose of this meeting.
Lizel inherently disliked the idea of disparities in equipment within the party.
Certainly, with Eleven's abilities, he would rarely get injured, and his weapons wouldn't break in an unforeseen accident. However, providing the best possible equipment was something Lizel had learned from Gil.
It was also a good way to announce that Eleven had joined Lizel's party. No one would suspect that an adventurer clad in top-of-the-line equipment was a former thief. If you have the financial resources and skill to acquire top-tier equipment, then engaging in banditry only presents risks.
"A dagger, you say...? Um, what kind...?"
"Hmm, I'm not really sure... If I were to choose a sword, I'd probably go with a Zill."
"It's best to choose something that's easy for the user to handle."
"Right. I don't want to compromise, so first..."
Then Eleven proceeded to make an exorbitant number of demands.
Many people are particular about their swords. This is especially true for skilled swordsmen.
Eleven, in particular, seemed to be quite fussy, making it hard to believe that he had been using a dungeon item stolen from some merchant caravan simply because it was "easy to use."
He demanded things like prioritizing sharpness, preferring a thin blade but hating nicks, specifying the desired curvature and weight of the grip, disliking ugly designs but also disliking overly flashy ones, yet still wanting decorations—making one wonder if it wouldn't be faster to just have one custom-made.
However, the best equipment is always dungeon-made. The performance that surpasses human understanding is something every swordsman would desire.
"And if the whole thing is matte finished, it'll be perfect!"
"That's a lot of demands."
"Being particular about your tools is what makes you a professional, right? So, do you have anything like that?"
Even as he asked, Eleven naturally assumed that there wouldn't be anything that met all the conditions.
He was just stating all his requirements, hoping that at least some of the conditions would match. Judge probably understood this, which is why he was looking for several swords that fit the criteria.
Judge tilted his head, as if trying to recall something.
"Ah, not one sword, but one pair..."
"Only one pair?"
"I think it's amazing that there's even one pair that meets all those conditions."
"The leader is really a complete amateur when it comes to swords, huh? In situations like this, you usually list several conditions, even if not all of them are met..."
"Uh, well, I'll accept all the conditions..."
"That's why I say you're connected to the leader! Alright!"
Urged on by the others, Judge quickly retreated into the back room.
However, Gil thought. Every time he comes here, he wonders about this shop's inventory.
Despite the relatively small size of the shop, every time Lizel asks for something, they always have it. Even if it has absolutely no connection to adventurers.
Even with spatial magic, that doesn't explain the extensive inventory.
He glanced down at Lizel. Probably, such things don't matter to Lizel. He probably thinks that it's better to have it than not.
Despite being thoughtful, he's strangely careless in some areas.
"Um, about this..."
"Wow, it's a proper pair of twin swords, even though it's a dungeon item. The left-hand one is the secondary one and a little shorter... Ah, this is..."
"The grip is short, it's probably good for you."
Eleven happily peered into the box, and Gil also looked down at it, seemingly understanding something.
Incidentally, Lizel understood nothing. Just that there were two swords lined up.
But judging by Eleven's reaction, he seemed to really like it.
"Shall we take this one?"
"Yes!"
"Then..."
"Hey, Judge, I'll take this. Should I buy everything I need? Is the money okay?"
"No problem at all."
Eleven stopped Lizel, who was reaching for his wallet, with a hand gesture.
The former leader of the great Partedarl bandit gang wasn't just a figurehead. He received spoils of war daily from the bandits he had stationed in various locations.
Moreover, he was now able to retrieve all the treasure he had accumulated at once. He had recently sent his subordinates, who had been traveling around gathering bandits, to collect the treasure from their various bases.
Even though he had left some of the elite bandits behind and given them a certain amount of funds, as Lizel had instructed, Eleven still had an overflowing amount of gold and silver coins.
This sword was also a rare twin sword from a dungeon, and the enchantments bestowed upon it contained everything a swordsman could desire, just like Gil's greatsword, making it quite expensive. Yet, Eleven calmly grabbed a handful of gold coins and handed them to Judge.
"We need to get a holster made too, right?"
"Since we're going to get some equipment made anyway, let's have them make it there."
"Like the ones the leader has? I don't have any materials left."
"I got mine from Gil, so it's fine, right?"
"We have plenty left."
Eleven chuckled, saying, "That's a luxurious problem to have," and Lizel smiled, then continued walking towards their next destination.