C127
Shirone and his party rented a carriage outside the port and went to the western resort. The wide, sandy beach that spread out was beautiful even from afar. Numerous shops were bustling, and accommodation was built like mountain village houses along the mountain.
The place Rian rented was a villa located halfway up the mountain. Like a building for nobles, it had enough space for four people, and the view where the sea came into sight was satisfactory.
Shirone watched the sea from the terrace. The blue sea was surging and flowing into the white beach.
As he watched the people leisurely bathing in the sea, he was able to forget the unpleasant dispute at the port for a moment.
Shirone and the others packed their belongings and lit a fire in the fireplace. After that, they gathered in the living room and relaxed for a while.
Having left in the morning and it being afternoon without eating anything but snacks, they were hungry.
Tess, who was thinking about what kind of food to eat to spread rumors that she ate well, claped her palms as if she had come up with a good idea.
“Aha, shall we cook ourselves?"
Rian turned to his with a startled expression.
"What? You know how to cook?"
"Huhu, of course. Did you think a swordsman can't cook?"
"I'd pass if it's military-style combat rations."
"What do you think people are! I'm telling you I can cook properly!"
Rian made a surprised expression. He hadn't thought that the bum-like girl would say that she was confident in her cooking.
But this was exactly what Tess wanted. If she could imprint a different side of her on Rian, this trip was a great success.
“I’ll cook the most delicious dish for you, so you just need to buy the ingredients. How is that?"
“Hmm, is that so? Honestly, it's a bit strange to go out and eat from the first day, right? Shirone, what do you think?"
"I'm fine too. The food you cook outside is always tasty, isn't it."
Amy opened her mouth cautiously.
"Then...... Shall I also cook?"
All eyes were focused on Amy. Of course, she didn't seem like she wouldn't be able to cook unlike Tes.
However, they hadn't expected that the picky personality would make food for men by herself. (깍쟁이. It often refers to a person whose character is little sassy and individualistic, and has some pride of oneself.)
Tess sensed Amy's heart with a woman's intuition.
'Specifically Shirone, right? Hehe, she has a cute personality that's different from what it seems.'
Tess was fully supportive. If this opportunity allowed the two to reconcile, it couldn't be better.
"Great. Let's have a cooking showdown! Rian vs Shirone! You two go get the ingredients, and we'll prepare to cook. How about it?"
Everyone agreed, and Shirone and Rian headed to the market with the list of ingredients the girls had written down.
As soon as the boys left, the atmosphere softened.
Tess, who was standing side by side washing the dishes, looked to Amy with playful eyes and asked.
"Is this your first time?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
“I know just by looking at it. Wasn't this your first fight with Shirone? I could clearly see you getting flustered even as you argued."
Amy hurriedly returned her gaze to the dishes.
"It's not a fight, it's not the first time, and it's certainly not a love fight."
Tess giggled at the mage's three-layer denial.
Mage are said to be ominous because their inner and outer selves are different, but in this case, it seemed rather cute.
“Still, you keep a meticulous list of ingredients. right? Hooh, now that I see it, are you being cautious now?" (“그래도 재료 목록은 꼼꼼하게 챙기던데? 호오, 이제 보니 간질간질 눈치 보는 중인가?”)
Amy stopped washing the dishes and fell into thought. Since it was just between girls, it wasn't something she couldn't say. In the end, she surrendered to Tess' probing and spilled her true feelings.
"Shirone...... sometimes feels faint."
"Ho, faint? That's quite poetic."
Amy laughed shyly, thinking it was strange even for herself.
"But it's true. Should I say he's transparent? As if he could disappear at any moment right in front of me. It's probably because Shirone has a different perspective than others.”
"A different perspective? You don't mean he has eyes in strange places, do you?"
"It could be. Most people see the world from their own perspective. But some people expand their view to include the perspective of others. Usually, such people are called empathetic."
"Hmm, by that standard, I'm definitely not empathetic. I have no idea what other people think."
"So do I. But Sirone is different. He's kind and considerate, but the biggest factor is his different perspective."
Tess smiled as if realizing it.
"Aha! So, you mean that he didn't stand up for you against those scumbags. Right? Isn't that it?"
Amy scratched her cheek in embarrassment.
"Well, that's...... But if he was just a naive guy, I would have just thought of it that way. But Shirone is different. In some ways, he has a different perspective than an empath."
"A different perspective? What other perspective is there besides that?"
Amy raised her index finger and pointed at the ceiling.
"Perhaps an omniscient viewpoint?"
“Omniscient….?”
"Yes. When Shirone starts to see the world from an omniscient viewpoint, he becomes faint. He becomes different from us and different from any other human being. That's probably because he has an extremely high viewpoint that sees even his own existence as nothing more than a mere dot."
Amy vividly remembered it even now. The moment Shirone unhesitatingly opened his Immortal Function to save all the students.
How could he do that? It was different from suicide. Giving one's life for others was a thousand times harder than choosing death for one's own pain.
"When Shirone becomes transparent... the boundary between himself and others crumbles. He becomes just one human being, just like everyone else. From that viewpoint, looking down at the world, what do you think governs Shirone? I think it's balance. If one side of the scale tips even slightly, Shirone wouldn't hesitate to step onto the other side. Even if that scale is death."
"Hey, that's impossible. Where would such a person exist? That's literally a prophet, isn't it?"
“But it is true. Because I am the one who benefits from that balance. No, all the students at the magic school were saved by Shirone.”
Tess couldn't close her gaping mouth. One student saved the lives of all students. How much longer do she have to be surprised before she can say she know Shirone?
A look of sadness crossed Amy's face.
"I just had that kind of thought. When Shirone stopped me, maybe I'm just a small dot being looked at from that high place. Shirone is different from me. No, he's different from anyone else. That's why he's excellent as a mage, but sometimes it's also disappointing."
Tess gently shook Amy's shoulder.
"Amy, don't think like that. Shirone sincerely cares about you. That's why he asked you, knowing it was a couple's trip. You're different from the ordinary people walking around on the street. You'll always be Karmis Amy."
Amy smiled at Tess' sincere encouragement. But that didn't change her mind.
How much value can the existence of others hold for Shirone, who can coldly throw away even his own life?
"Amy, just tell Shirone. ‘Why didn't you take my side? I'm so, so upset and frustrated that I can't sleep.’ If you say it like that, it'll be fine."
Amy smiled and shook her head.
"Shirone probably knows too. He didn't refute my words because he understood them. Don't worry too much. It'll get resolved soon. It's just that, like you said, it's our first time, so it's awkward."
Tess, with her straightforward personality, was frustrated. If emotions are hurt, shouldn't she call the person involved and sort it out?
However, Amy ended the conversation saying there's nothing to talk about because they both understand each other.
"Huu, I don't know how a mage think."
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Shirone and Rian arrived at the general store alley. Since the list of ingredients written on each person's paper was different, if they were to look around all the shops spreading out like a maze, they might miss dinner time.
Shirone thought it would be better to move separately.
“Let’s split up here. I think we can go back to the villa after we buy the items."
"Should we? But can you carry everything by yourself? It'll be heavy."
Shirone looked at Rian with an absurd expression. No matter how weak he is, can't he lift garlic, onion, and pepper? Even though he took the knight's oath, he didn't need him to worry about carrying a grocery basket.
"That's enough! I'll do the shopping myself, so you just make sure you don't get lost. You know this is a cooking competition, right? The loser has to do the dishes."
"Good! I'll make sure you and Amy become close through dishwashing. It would be better to hope for a loss if you want to make up with Amy."
"Make up what? We didn't even fight."
"Huh? Didn't you fight in the harbor? That's why it's so awkward between you now."
"Amy isn't that narrow-minded. We just had a minor difference of opinion. It's something that can easily happen when we exchange our arguments."
"Haha! Fool, that's what we call a fight."
Shirone stopped talking. It was the same in the past, and it's the same now. He strangely felt a sense of self-deprecation when Rian called him a fool.
"Anyway, that's enough. I'm going to buy vegetables first, so I'll see you at the villa."
"Then, I need to start with the meat. I'm going ahead!"
Shirone stared blankly at Rian, who was rushingtoward the butcher shop. Just watching him run, he couldn't imagine how much meat he would bought.
Shirone checked the note Amy had written. He don't know what kind of dish it is, but there were no hard-to-find ingredients.
However, the number of ingredients was more than that of Rian, so he had to work diligently to make it on time.
Shirone went around for about 30 minutes and bought most of the ingredients. At the same time, he took the opportunity to some sightseeing, and maybe because it was a resort, there were many unique and mysterious shops.
The vending machines selling goods and playing games were popular, and there were a fair number of performances and street parades to watch.
A commercial district like this one must have a huge number of tourists coming in non-stop in order to focus so much on entertainment.
As expected, the streets were full of people, and the free laughter that couldn't be felt on the mainland colored the sky of the southern country.
'Wow, there are many fun shops. I should play here tomorrow.'
After finishing his groceries, Shirone turned his steps towards the villa.
At that moment, the door of a shop in front of him swung open, and a woman fell to the ground as if she had been pushed.
“Kyaah!”
“Kyaa?”
Shirone's head tilted at the strange scream. But he quickly came to his senses and moved closer.
It was a woman in her mid-twenties. She had short hair and her bangs were cut straight along her eyebrows, but thanks to her pretty face, it didn't look ridiculous.
"Why, why are you doing this? What did I do wrong?"
The woman who got up from the ground covered her chest with both arms. She was wearing a dress that exposed her chest like a bar girl.
Her eyebrows were thin and her eyes were sharp, but her expression in front of a huge man looked as innocent as a herbivore.
"Hehe, why are you like this? I'm just asking you to hang out."
“I am not that kind of woman!”
“No, what do you mean you aren’t? It's obvious when you walk around a tourist spot dressed like that. So why not just hang out with me?"
The person who intimidates the woman is a man named Gamoth, who was a famous wealthy man on Galliant Island.
He was a huge man, but his body was filled with fat rather than muscles, and his belly fat was particularly severe.
However, the power of money seemed to be tremendous as he was flanked by tall bodyguards on both sides.
"You should come with me when I'm asking nicely. Honestly, you're not in a position to refuse."
"Help me! Please, help me!"
Despite Gamoth grabbing the woman's wrist and dragging her away, no one tried to stop him.
Tourists didn't want to get involved in dangerous situations in a foreign place. Also, the locals were afraid of Gamoth's influence.
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Tags:
Infinite Mage (Novel)
