AKM Act 11-9.2
Act 11-9: Reunion with the Golden Sage
TL : Cnine
ED/PF :
R1[1-2], R2[2.5-4]
Part 2.5
「Yes, Kyouka-sama. We were about to have a meal with Kepler-sama...」
Mitsuami said, directing a heated gaze at Kepler.
The other magicians nodded in agreement with Mitsuami.
The magicians who came together were all young, and each of them looked at Kepler with admiring gazes.
It wasn’t just the women who looked at him with admiration, the same went for the men.
Kepler was famous as a genius magician; not only was he an expert in alchemy, but he was also well-versed in spiritualism and astrology, and his reputation had spread widely among magicians.
Because of that, Mitsuami and the others seemed to have come hoping to receive instruction from Kepler.
Mitsuami’s gaze toward Kuroki had softened slightly.
Being an acquaintance of someone she respected had quite a significant impact.
「Ehm, meal is it...」
When Kuroki heard that Mitsuami wanted to have a meal with Kepler, he made a slightly conflicted expression.
Kepler’s true appearance was that of a beetleman.
His meal was naturally the fe**s of land animals.
From Mitsuami and the others’ behaviour, it didn’t seem like they knew Kepler’s true identity.
They likely believed he was a human who had been injured on the face during an alchemy experiment.
Since it was a place where humans lived, Kepler, who was not human, seemed to be hiding his true identity.
His demeanour was gentle and caring, so he was well-liked in Gypseal.
That seemed to be no different in Saria; he was hiding his true identity in this city too.
「Hahahaha, since this isn’t Gypseal, it’s a bit tricky figuring out what to do.」
Kepler let out a troubled voice.
He couldn’t dismiss those who admired him, nor could he reveal the truth.
「Uhm, Kuroki-san, Chiyuki-san. Who is this person? He wears pretty interesting headgear, doesn’t he?」
Kyouka, who was left out of the conversation, asked with a dissatisfied tone.
Thereupon, Mitsuami and the others who stood behind Kepler started whispering among themselves.
Just like Magius, Kepler was also a famous figure in the Magicians’ Association, and Kyouka, who didn’t know about this, was the odd one out.
Because of that, Mitsuami and the other magicians glared at Kyouka.
「Uhm, well, this personage is the Golden Sage, Kepler-dono. He is the head of the Gypseal branch of the Magicians’ Association.」
Kepler bowed gracefully when Kuroki introduced him.
The gesture was poised and refined, befitting a polite gentleman.
「And this young lady is Kyouka-san. She’s the little sister of the Hero of Light, Kepler-dono.」
It was Chiyuki’s turn to introduce Kyouka this time.
Thereupon, Kepler raised an astonished voice.
「Oh, so you’re the younger sister of that brave hero! I am Kepler. It's a pleasure to meet you, Kyouka-dono.」
「Yes, it’s a pleasure to meet you too, Kepler-san. So, would you care to join us?」
Kyouka gave her short greeting too.
「That sounds interesting. May I?」
Kepler sent an enquiring gaze at Chiyuki.
「I don’t really mind. But… there are a few things I’d like to keep secret, so I’d appreciate it if you two could give us a little space.」
Chiyuki said that as she looked back and forth between Kuroki and Mitsuami.
It seems she did this to prevent Mitsuami from finding out Kuroki's true identity.
Perhaps it was Chiyuki’s way of being considerate.
When Chiyuki said that, Mitsuami and the others let out dissatisfied voices.
「I’m sorry, you two. Once the Council of Sages is over, though we won’t be able to share a meal, I’ll make time for us to talk.」
Only after Kepler said so with an apologetic face did Mitsuami and the others cheer in response.
It seems they accepted the consolation offer for the time being.
Mitsuami and the others left the teahouse.
Thereupon, Chiyuki recited a chant.
It might have been a magic barrier to block off the space.
In this way, there was no need to worry about someone eavesdropping on their conversation with far-sight magic.
「Now then, why are Kuroki-dono and Chiyuki-dono dining together? Considering your positions, this shouldn’t be possible...」
Kepler cocked his head as he asked that question and took his seat.
「That’s something I want to ask as well. Why do you two know each other? Isn’t that just as impossible?」
Chiyuki also asked the thing that made her the most curious.
「Uhm, that is...」
Kuroki was troubled over how to answer that question.
Both Magius and Kepler had been introduced by Totona.
Although Totona didn’t specifically tell him to keep it a secret, he was still hesitant about whether it was okay to talk about it so openly since this was related to Totona's name.
He was afraid if Rena found out that he was close with Totona, Totona’s position would be jeopardised.
Thus he was troubled about how to answer Chiyuki's question.
「Well, a lot has happened. There are magicians who communicate with demons, so it wouldn’t be strange for Kuroki-dono and me to know each other.」
Kepler sent a lifeboat upon seeing Kuroki's troubled expression.
There was no lie in his remark.
Among magicians, there are those who make contracts with demons to increase their magical power.
As long as it didn’t negatively affect human society, the Magicians’ Association permits communication with demons.
「Y-Yes, that’s right. It wouldn’t be strange at all for Kepler-dono and myself to be acquainted. Ah, in fact, Kepler-dono, something happened just yesterday evening. A certain incident, you see...」
Kuroki decided to change the subject by bringing up the events of yesterday evening.
「Kuroki-dono got ambushed? And the culprit is backed by a powerful being, is it?」
Kepler shook his head in disbelief as he listened to the story.
「That incident has been weighing on my mind, making it difficult for me to return to Nargol.」
「I don’t even know what the enemy is after. In fact, it’s unclear if they were truly targeting Kuroki-dono in the first place. It’s a difficult situation.」
「My thoughts exactly. And because of that… I’m not sure what the best course of action is…」
Kuroki nodded as he spoke.
「It feels like you changed the subject on me just now. But, well, I’ll let it slide. I'm curious about the vision I saw in the crystal ball anyway. Hey, are you really sure you don’t have any idea what it was?」
Chiyuki heaved a sigh as she muttered, "It couldn't be helped".
「Even if you're telling me that...」
Kuroki shook his head.
「Oh my, there’s a suspicious person indeed.」
Kyouka suddenly spoke.
Kuroki, Chiyuki, and Kepler all turned their attention to Kyouka.
「Who are you referring to, Kyouka-san?」
「The man called Chiji-something... What was his name again?」
Kyouka replied to Chiyuki's question.
「If my memory serves me right, his name should be Chijirege. He did say that he wanted to enter the Forbidden Archive. Why do you think he was suspicious?」
Prompted by Kyouka's words, Kuroki recalled the man called Chijirege.
「Reason? I just feel that his expression looked suspicious.」
When Kyouka replied as if it were a matter of fact, Kuroki and Chiyuki almost fell out of their chairs.
「Well, Kyouka-san. I don't think it's wise to judge something like that by expression.」
Chiyuki spoke while massaging her glabella.
「It’s true that he didn’t explain why he wanted to enter the Forbidden Archive... But I’ve heard there are other magicians who take an interest in the Forbidden Archive as well.」
Kuroki tried to recall Chijirege's behaviour.
In the first place, even Kyouka wanted to enter the Forbidden Archive without any particular reason.
It wouldn’t be strange for some magicians to take an interest in it.
「Well then, Kuroki-dono. Why don’t you investigate that person for now? If there are no concrete leads, the only choice is to look into anyone who seems even slightly suspicious.」
Kepler flashed a smile as he spoke.
「You're right, that makes sense. Let's look into it, just to be sure. Where is his abode? Let's ask Katakake-san at the reception.」
Kuroki agreed with Kepler's suggestion.
With no solid leads, they might have no choice but to investigate anything that seemed even slightly suspicious.
Thus, Kuroki and the others' investigation began.