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At that time, he was too scared to intervene, but his heart was the same as Shirone's.
But when Shirone reached out to Amy, and when Amy answered the call, Jis awoke from his dream.
He could never be Shirone.
“Tsk, he pretends to be very cool even though he is a commoner.”
He would not have been jealous if he were just an ordinary person who had learned a little magic. When dealing with arrogant nobles, he sometimes thought that he was lucky to have been born as a commoner.
But Shirone was also a commoner. And he had the courage to give up something precious for a friend.
Jis remembered the sad smile Amy had on the carriage. Did Shirone know the meaning of that smile? No, he would never know. It was a hidden feeling revealed in front of him, who had no relationship with her.
Thinking of this, he felt a bitter feeling in his heart again.
"Damn! Why does he have to be a commoner? I can't make any excuse! What kind of guy is that!"
Jis, who vented his frustrations in front of his house, opened the door and entered. Seeing that a candle was lit in the depths of the house, it seemed that his sister had been waiting all this time.
"Brother, why are you so late? I thought something had happened and was worried."
"Yuna, why didn't you sleep? How are you going to work tomorrow?"
"Then should I sleep without brother coming home? What happened?"
"No. Nothing happened. I just got busy and time went by."
Jis knelt down in front of Yuna. Not because she was his sister, but because she was a person who wouldn't be ignored anywhere. Even without formal education, she was wise and kind-hearted.
Yuna was Jis’s pride. That's why she shouldn't live a miserable life like him. He didn't expect her to be successful, but she was a girl who could meet a good man and live a happy life.
"Why is your face so gloomy? Be honest. Even if you can fool everyone else, you can't fool me. Or. will you prefer I don’t make you breakfast tomorrow?”
"Hahaha! Oh dear, you're scary. I just had a few things that hurt my pride. But I'm fine now.”
“Phew, does that pride get hurt all the time? It can't even be eaten because it's rotten. Anyway, wash first. The smell of sweat from brother is no joke.”
Jis' eyes became warm. Seeing her put his mind at ease. So what if he’s not as great as others? If only Yuna was there, he would not be envious of anything in the world.
Jis hugged Yuna. The scent of a family member, with whom he shared the same smell, blew away the fatigue of a day spent trembling in fear.
"Ugh, the smell! What are you doing all of a sudden? Go wash up first!"
“Wait a minute, Yuna. Your brother will definitely become the ruler of the port.”
"Tsk! Are you still saying that? What ruler of the port? Even if you become one, no one will recognize it."
"Haha! That's true."
Yuna giggled and hugged Jis. The truth is she didn't hate the smell of sweat. Because every drop of sweat was not shed without purpose for her.
“I really hope that such a day will come. My brother will definitely be able to do it.”
"Yes......"
Jis looked at the moonlight pouring through the window. It was a perfect weather for night sightseeing.
Ancient Ruins (1)
Shirone and the others have been busy since dawn. The boy cleaned the house while the girl washed, and when the boy entered the bathhouse, the girl sat in front of mirrors to dry their hair and dressed up.
After finishing the bath, Shirone and Rian looked into the girl’s room and thought time had stopped. Amy and Tess were still in front of the mirror doing something.
The boys ended up having breakfast first. It was dawn by the time they a simple meal with the food they bought in the city last night.
Only then did the girls start choosing clothes, and every time they come and out of the door, their clothes changed drastically.
Rian thought Tess and Amy were testing him.
He passed it off as a girl thing to change into different clothes if they didn't like the outfit.
But what's with changing into something else because they didn't like it and then changing back into it again after a while? Are they really going to test the boys? Isn't this an obvious challenge to test the viewer's memory?
"Oh, just put on anything. Are we going to kill a dragon? Why care so much about a piece of cloth that doesn't even have defense power?"
Tess looked at Rian with shocked eyes.
"Oh, what a piece of shit! We dress up more because you guys don't pay attention to how you dress. Keep your mouth shut because everyone is saying good things to you.”
Amy came out wearing a light blue dress.
“Shirone, isn’t this strange?”
“No, it is pretty! Amy looks good no matter what she wears.”
"Really? Hmm."
Amy didn't particularly take it to heart and went back to her room. Tess was just jealous of Amy.
“Please watch and learn from Shirone. Ugh, you're annoying."
Rian pursed his lips as Tess closed the door and went inside. What on earth did he do to deserve that? Being honest about what was in one’s heart was a virtue and a source of pride for a knight.
"Shirone, how do you come up with those words on the spot? Teach me too.”
"Huh? It's simple. Whatever they wear, you can't say it's weird."
"Uhahahahaha!"
Rian fell backwards, clutching his belly in laughter.
11 a.m.
The girls, having changed their clothes, checked their backpacks. In preparation for any unforeseen circumstances, they carefully packed emergency food, a knife, a compass and a rope.
Tess, pleased with her reflection in the mirror, clenched her fist and shouted.
"Should we go to bed now? Let's make sure we leave tomorrow morning."
Tess' face turned red at Rian's dry joke.
"How late do you think I was? And I helped Amy prepare too."
"Why is Amy suddenly coming up? What kind of hostage Amy is?”
“Then do you really think that a clumsy suit and ignorant greatsword suit you? You look like a caveman from afar! Know your place."
Amy fulfilled her role as a hostage.
Rian, I’m sorry. Actually, I'm late. Tess prepared faster than me.”
"Haha! It's okay. Amy, you look like you took a lot of time to prepare."
Tess' eyes became fierce as an axe.
"What? So, I'm not pretty at all?"
"Hmm, let me see...."
Rian glanced over at Tess.
Well, he thought she was pretty from the beginning. Even when she wasn't wearing any makeup, she was beautiful.
But today, it seemed like she put a lot of effort into it. Unlike usual, she sprayed perfume, so even Rian, who lacked aesthetic sense, could see how much effort she put in.
"Yeah, well. You're pretty enough to compliment."
"Huh?"
In one moment, Tess, who had piled up retorts like a mountain, was disarmed.
She never dreamed that the word 'pretty' would come out of Rian's mouth. Her face turned red, and knowing her face was red made it even redder.
"Do- Don't you dare think I dressed up to hear that! You dummy! Caveman!"
"Fine. I got it, so please let's depart. We can't enjoy the sightseeing if the sun goes down."
Rian drove his friends outside. Thus, Shirone and the group was able to start their journey five hours after they woke up.
Shirone's first plan was to investigate the ruins alone with Amy. However, as their friends got closer than expected, it became impossible to move separately.
They grabbed one of the wagons lined up on the sandy beach and headed east.
It was quite a tedious journey as they had to go from the western end of the island to the eastern end. However, the four people chatting in the carriage did not notice the passage of time.
"Huh? Guys, look over there!”
Shirone shouted, pointing out the window. A mountain forming a dense forest was visible about 2 kilometers away from the road.
The mountain range was continuous like a camel's hump, and according to what they heard, the Kerugo Ruins were at the end of that mountain range.
"It's Toa Mountain. I heard from my older brother that Galliant was originally a volcanic island. The lava that leaked out from the bottom of the sea hardened and became an island. After a volcanic eruption 500 years ago, it's now in a resting phase, but there's always a chance it could become active again."
"I see. They say that the Kerugo Ruins were buried in volcanic ash and only half of them are exposed.”
"Right. The Galliant Autonomous Government proposed to restore the ruins, but it was rejected due to the opposition of the natives. If we go to the ruins, we can probably find out how much they were buried.”
"Why did they oppose it? Wouldn't restoring the ruins be a good thing from the natives' perspective?"
"I don't know that. But there must be some circumstances. They may have secrets they don't want to reveal. The Galliant Autonomous Government hasn't been on the island for even 100 years."
"If you think about it like that, there are quite a lot of secrets. It doesn't seem to be just an ordinary tourist spot."
“I guess so. Very few of the existing ruins are managed by the natives. The Kerugo Ruins are also of high historical value."
Shirone looked at the mountain again based on Amy's explanation.
The jungle of Toa Mountain belonged only to the Kerugo people. The Galliant government said they did not interfere with the autonomous area of the natives.
Shirone suddenly felt eerie. Is it a mere illusion that he can feel the gaze of the wild from the depths of the mountain?
The carriage stopped one kilometer from the Kerugo Ruins. The coachman told them that they could not operate the carriage from here.
Shirone got off the carriage and looked around. Numerous stores were in sight. It seemed there was a monopoly agreement between the Coachman Association and the local merchant's association.
"What! I paid for the carriage, why can't we go? Then what should we do with all this luggage?"
A middle-aged man whose boat came out of the carriage that arrived after them got angry at the coachman. His wife and two daughters who got off the carriage also had discontented expressions.
"But the transport company's contract is like that. There is a paid storage facility for your luggage. You can leave it there."
“These day-light robbers! Does it make sense that you can't go when the road is wide open like that? Don't you think I'm going to spend a dime here!"
"That's something we can't help. We're sorry. Have a good trip."
The coachman treated him in a businesslike manner, as if it had happened only once or twice, and drove away.
In the end, the middle-aged man, holding his luggage in both hands, headed for the paid storage. When his daughters pointed at the snack store, he put down the luggage and bought them some snacks.
To Shirone, the man didn't seem to be just anyone.
“If we had known in advance, we would have reduced our luggage."
“Would it matter? I don't think there's a big danger in the tourist spots, but it's always better to be well-prepared. The main purpose is exploration, after all."
Rian looked back at the middle-aged man walking away. Perhaps he felt better because of his daughters' affection, he was heading to the historic site with a cheerful laugh.
"He might seem cunning, but he's smart. As a tourist, you inevitably have to spend money."
"That's true, but you can't always see it as a scam. If the commercial district in tourist spots isn't active, even the locals can't manage it."
Nodding to Amy's words, Shirone and the others started moving on foot.
It was said to be a historically important ruin, but as expected, there were many tourists. As they approached the historic site, the number of people increased, and when they reached the toll booth, there was a bottleneck, making the area crowded.
"Wow, can you see over there? There are people from other countries too."
"It's a world-famous place. See the man standing in the arch over there? I think he might be a native."
Shirone looked at the direction Amy had pointed to. A man of medium height was guarding the entrance. His clothing seemed modern, but the look in his eyes, staring straight ahead, was undoubtedly wild.
Tess looked unnaturally frightened.
"Ugh, he looks intimidating. He even has tattoos on his face, doesn't he?"
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Tags:
Infinite Mage (Novel)
