AKM Act 11-9.1

Act 11-9: Reunion with the Golden Sage
TL : Cnine
ED/PF :
R1[1-2], R2[2.5-4]

Part 1

「This might be more serious than I thought. The visions seen through the crystal ball… They give me a very unpleasant feeling.」

Chiyuki heaved a sigh.
Upon leaving Starwatch Tower, Kuroki, Chiyuki, and Kyouka headed straight to a nearby tea shop.
The tea shop was small and cozy, serving as a relaxing spot for the apprentices.
Compared to the more glamorous alchemy, astrology was less popular, and perhaps because it was located on the outskirts of Saria’s bustling downtown, it saw fewer visitors.
Also, perhaps because it was just before noon, there were no other customers, making the place quiet.
By the way, Magius took Yarga, who had injured her eyes, to Lastos, the sage of deep greenery who was knowledgeable in pharmacology, so he was not here with us.

（Surely, this is a serious problem... There's no way I can leave the culprit on their own device.）

Kuroki also heaved a sigh.
He thought that the sender of the vampire bat was the surviving disciple of Tarabos.
In short, the culprit was a human.
He had no idea about the reason for the attack, but it could be asked about later.
However, according to Chiyuki and Yarga, it became clear that the culprit was a being that surpassed humans.
Thus, Kuroki was troubled.

（Sigh, this place feels so uncomfortable.）

Kuroki looked at Chiyuki and Kyouka.
Both of them were beauties.
They were people that he had no contact with in his previous world.
To begin with, Kuroki was not good at actively talking to the opposite sex.
It’s not that he disliked women; on the contrary, he liked them, but he just couldn’t bring himself to talk to them.
Without any common ground between them, he could only respond sincerely, but such opportunities were rare.
Also, it seemed that Chiyuki disliked him, which made him feel even more uncomfortable.
Originally, she was known for being strict with the opposite sex, and the only man who could get close to her was Reiji.
No matter how beautiful she was, Kuroki wanted to avoid getting too close to her as much as possible.
However, since they would be staying in Saria for a while, avoiding her was going to be difficult.
Since her companion Kyouka approached, for the time being, he had no choice but to act together with them.
They were drinking tea.
In Saria, tea was preferred over alcoholic beverages, which dull the mind. In addition, since tea cultivation was also thriving in the countries around Saria, one could enjoy a variety of teas there.

「What are you going to do after this? We should find the culprit who ambushed Kuroki-san, right?」

Kyouka asked while sipping her tea.

「Well, I’d like to do that, but hey, do you have any idea why you were ambushed?」

Chiyuki took a stab at Kuroki.

「Uhm... Sorry, I really have no idea.」

Kuroki avoided that gaze and answered quietly.
Chiyuki didn’t actually blame Kuroki for this incident.
She always had that kind of sharp gaze, it was kind of a habit.
Naturally, Kuroki understood that as well, but he couldn’t help but shrink back.

「Really? Are you really sure?」

Chiyuki asked again with strongly emphasised voice.
The stronger her tone became, the more Kuroki shrank back.

「U~hm... Sorry, but I really can’t think of the reason behind the ambush.」

Kuroki relented and could only offer an apology under the pressure.
Kuroki rarely visited Saria.
Meaning that his circle of acquaintances in Saria was also limited.
Not to mention that the other party seemed to be oblivious of Kuroki's identity.
There was the possibility that the culprit’s true aim might not be Kuroki himself; it might have been just indiscriminate attacks on pedestrians.
At this point, there’s no way to know the reason behind the ambush.

「Hey, could you please stop apologising all the time? It’s not like I’m blaming you or anything.」

Chiyuki spoke while massaging her glabella.
She was obviously getting more and more irritated seeing Kuroki's attitude.

「Oh, could it be that Chiyuki-san’s way of speaking is what scared him? I mean, even my maids are frightened of you, you know.」
「Eh? Is that so?」

When Kyouka said that, Chiyuki looked as if she was truly shocked.
It seemed that Kuroki was not the only one who thought Chiyuki’s way of speaking was scary.

「Ugh, sigh... It's not like I want a boyfriend or anything, but being feared... Reiji-kun is pretty much the only one who comes to my mind...」

Hearing that, Chiyuki cast her gaze downward while muttering those words.
Kuroki, who heard those murmurs, secretly felt bad for Chiyuki.
However, even so, Kuroki thought that Chiyuki probably wouldn’t be happy if he tried to comfort her with some praise, so he didn’t do anything in particular.
At that moment.
Another guest entered the tea shop.
The group that entered were magicians. Judging by their attire, they were not astrologers.

Part 2

They might be alchemists.
Seeing the people who had entered, Kuroki tilted his head in confusion.
This place was far from where the alchemists had their workshops. There should be a teahouse near their workshop, so there was no real reason for them to go out of their way to come here.
Kuroki focused his attention on the person at the centre of the alchemists.
He was clearly different from the others.
Because that person was wearing a mask shaped like a golden lion that covered their head.
Someone wearing the lion mask entered the shop and looked around as if searching for someone.

「Ooh, there you are, Kuroki-dono. Long time no see.」
「Eh?」

Kuroki was really surprised when the man with the lion mask suddenly called out to him.
Kuroki noticed that he was familiar with the owner of the voice.

「Uhm, are you by chance...」
「Ahahaha, this must be the first time you’ve seen me in this attire. It's been a while since the last time we met in Gypseal.」

The man wearing the lion mask spoke in a light tone.
Only after hearing “Gypseal” did Kuroki realise the identity of the man with the lion mask.

「Eh!? Are you by chance, Kepler-dono!? I almost didn’t recognise you because of the mask!」

When Kuroki spoke, the person wearing the lion mask nodded.
The person wearing the lion mask was Kepler, the head of the Gypseal branch of the Magicians’ Association and bearer of the title “Golden Sage”.

「Yes, it’s been a while. I just met Gadfes-dono and heard that Kuroki-dono was here too, so I thought I’d come to greet yo--- Oh my, if it isn’t Chiyuki-dono? ... And this young lady is?」

Kepler cocked his head as he asked for Kyouka's name.

「It’s been a while. The last time we met was when I came here to receive the Sage’s title? You seem to know each other, but I’d like to hear the full story. How is it that you’re acquainted with Magius-dono and Kepler-dono? I really want to have a proper conversation with you about this.」

Chiyuki said with a bone-chilling smile on her face.
Kuroki was the subordinate of the Demon King, who was supposed to be the enemy of humanity.
It should be strange for him to be friendly with a prominent figure of the Magicians’ Association, which was an organisation of humans after all.
Thus, it was only natural for Chiyuki to be curious about this matter.
And it was only natural that Kepler, who knows Kuroki’s identity, finds it strange that he was together with Chiyuki, the comrade of the Hero of Light.

「Oh my, you’re here too, Mitsuami-san.」

Kyouka found Mitsuami standing behind Kepler.
She was someone who studies alchemy and seems to have come together with the other magicians.