Chapter 463 - Indigo and Orange
After the break, the construction work resumed, ultimately becoming a massive half-day project.
Pushing the four words “environmental destruction” from our minds, we cleared more of the forest, expanding the diameter of our “camp” to about three hundred meters. The five decoy storehouses that had surrounded the central base were moved near the outer perimeter, and each one was fortified with a defensive wall designed by Mr. Oaks.
Instead of walling off the entire base, the plan was to lure the enemy to multiple, separated decoys. This would reduce the enemy density on each battlefield and prevent unmanageable, chaotic brawls… a choice made possible by the presence of a certain piece on the board who could somehow manage things as long as the others held on.
At this point, I was more than happy for them to rely on me—the stage was set, the view was even better, and I was free to do as I pleased.
And so, if you ignored the fact that our materials were earth and timber, the base had been transformed into a proper fortress. The construction was complete.
With some time left before nightfall, and with the evening raid and the much-anticipated dinner still a while away, I found myself once again holding a ‘Light Warrior Workshop,’ or rather, a ‘Crown Workshop,’ and enjoying a friendly exchange with the group members—
“Mmm… It’s quiet, isn’t it?”
“We’re not seeing any new types, or even the ones we’ve seen before.”
That was the scene until about thirty minutes ago.
Just as I was pulled from the circle of guys—in exchange for a pile of freshly maintained equipment, it seemed—the two ladies of the group requested an escort so they could stretch their legs. And here we are now.
It’s an honor, but perhaps because we’ve been living together and have grown more familiar, the gazes of all the group members toward me, who is often doted on by the female members, have turned into something warm and knowing, which makes me feel endlessly awkward.
They all look at me like guardians watching over a young person’s budding romance… It makes me acutely aware that I’m probably the youngest one here, and it’s incredibly difficult to act naturally—
“What are you spacing out for?”
“Whoa—! It’s nothing, I was just wondering what’s for dinner tonight.”
As I served as the ladies’ guard, walking a step behind them on our leisurely stroll through the perpetually dark forest, Nia slowed down and bumped into me from behind. I caught her and offered a weak excuse, forcing my attention forward again.
I really can’t tell if she’s being so unreserved in front of everyone on purpose or if it’s unconscious. It’s impossible to know what to do with her.
“I think we’ll probably have mutton for dinner again. Ikketsu-kun was in a noticeably good mood after someone praised his cooking at lunch.”
“What’s wrong with that? It was delicious.”
“True, that kebab was exquisite—hey, you’re going to fall. Watch where you’re going.”
“I don’t want to hear that from someone who barrels forward at several hundred kilometers per hour without looking.”
“It’s fine for me. I don’t rely on my eyesight to begin with.”
“There he goes, the Crown.”
“Hey, stop using my title like a convenient insult—”
I felt that familiar gaze and shut my mouth, but it was too late.
Her orange eyes, looking at me over her shoulder, narrowed with amusement. It was clear we were providing her with a feast of her favorite entertainment.
“My, my… how should I put this? You two are being quite flirty, aren’t you?”
“We’re… not… trying to be flirty, you know.”
At least, I’m not.
I mean, I understand and accept that it probably looks that way to others, but with Nia, this dynamic just feels so natural I can’t help but play along…
This is bad. No matter how I respond, I can see I’m trapped in a loop of teasing.
“Can I just blatantly change the subject?”
“Mph, pfft… W-wait. That’s the first time I’ve heard someone try that line.”
My partner, who is invincible in public but crumbles the moment she gets teased, was now out of commission. I decided to toss out a question to forcefully change the topic, and it seemed to hit Nono-san’s funny bone.
Taking her amused smile as a sign of approval, I seized the opportunity to take control of the conversation.
“This is kind of late to ask, but what’s your relationship? With Nia, I mean.”
“Oh, have I not mentioned it yet?”
I told her I had only heard vague things I could have guessed myself—that they were acquaintances, friends, fellow artisans. She glanced over at Nia, and then…
“Well, I suppose you could say… I was her instructor, in a manner of speaking?”
“…You can drop the ‘I suppose’ and ‘in a manner of speaking.’”
Her words were spoken as if confirming something. In response, the one who was being confirmed looked rather displeased, almost annoyed.
I have no idea what’s going on. What kind of relationship do they have?
“Back when I was a complete nobody, with no knowledge or skills, just fumbling around as a self-taught, mediocre Magic Crafter, Kagura-san introduced me to my ‘teacher,’ Nonomi-chan.”
“Oh ho?”
“But really, all I did was teach her a little about my methods and a few ‘tricks’ of the trade. As you know, Nia-chan has an incredible sense for it, so she improved in the blink of an eye and earned her title before I knew it.”
Therefore, she hadn’t done enough to be called a teacher—so Nono-san claimed, as if it were obvious. But Nia seemed unhappy with that.
“If anything, it was me who was a complete unknown two years ago when we met. It’s a heavy burden to act like the teacher of a kid who surpassed me in an instant after just a little instruction and joined the ranks of the very best…”
“Huh?”
“She says that, but she was just playing at being a ‘hidden master,’ not releasing any of her work publicly. You’re the real top-ranker, the one the head artisan at the time brought in, saying, ‘I’ve brought her as an instructor because I recognize her skill.’”
“Wha?”
Hold on, that’s a lot of information. I never expected to uncover such a convoluted story from a topic I brought up as casual small talk.
“What’s a ‘head artisan’? Was Kagura-san the former Rank 1 of Vestol…?”
“Eh, you didn’t know?”
“It’s his usual thing. Well, our faction in the West has a lot of ‘former rankers’ compared to other factions, so the information tends to get buried… I guess it can’t be helped.”
It’s exactly as Nia says, my “usual thing”—I have no inclination to investigate people I’m close to.
But this is also Kagura-san’s fault. From the moment we first met, he was the one acting like a “hidden master.”
What was that about ‘there are more above me than I can count on both hands’? I doubt he meant that if he didn’t limit it to his hands, he could count them.
…Yeah, that’s plausible. He is the sub-master of a major artisan clan, and that man does enjoy teasing others—especially me.
“Well, anyway… let’s put Kagura-san aside for a moment.”
I get the feeling Nono-san is being a little stubborn about something, but Nia also seems to be acting obstinate towards her, despite Nono-san trying to keep things friendly and on equal footing.
Who should give in to resolve this… or rather, who would make this quicker? It’s got to be Nia.
If the person herself doesn’t want to be treated as a great teacher, then Nia should just go along with it—or so I thought, and maybe my inner thoughts showed on my face.
My partner, looking annoyed, mulled something over and then spoke.
“Suppose your master said to you, ‘There’s no need to feel indebted to me; we are equals. In fact, you are superior, so I can no longer call myself your master.’”
“I don’t know the full story, but Nono-san is in the wrong. She should just let herself be called ‘teacher.’”
“Did you just do a complete one-eighty???”
I mean, come on, you know? Again, I don’t know the full details, but still.
If the person you look up to as a ‘teacher’ or ‘master’ said something like that, any student or disciple would inevitably feel heartbroken.
I was wrong. I feel bad for her, but I, a disciple, am on the side of the student, Nia—
“By the way, Nonomi-chan is the ‘Weaver’ of a Terror Armament, you know.”
“Why?”
“And the ‘Wielder’ is someone you know very well. Now, who could it be?”
“Ah, ahh, ahhh… that’s a rather… dark chapter in my history for various reasons, so maybe I can blatantly change the subject now?”
“Tetra, right?”
I mean, I don’t know any other owners of a Terror Armament. Well, wait, based on what Ashe mentioned a while back… Anyway.
Judging by the uncomfortable look on the Weaver’s face, the name I spoke must have been the correct answer.
So, she was the creator of Tetra’s [Pel=Fe Grim (True Theory: The Shadow-Cloth that Reveres Black Wings)].
“…Was there a Japanese-style element to it?”
“Well, you see, that was a piece from a time when I was just doing whatever I wanted without a solid direction…”
I was surprised. Surprised, and at the same time, a sudden connection in my thoughts brought a strong sense of understanding.
“Nia, as a tailor, were you heavily influenced by Nono-san?”
“I was. The work I used as a reference when I was shaping my own ‘foundation’ was none other than Nonomi-chan’s.”
“I see…”
That sense of familiarity I felt when I first met Tetra—the feeling that our outfits had a slightly similar atmosphere—wasn’t just my imagination.
Lately, I feel like I’ve been discovering a lot of unexpected connections, one after another. Maybe the world, both real and virtual, is smaller than I thought. As I found myself strangely impressed by this, beside me…
“How could you, Nia-chan, how could you? I asked you not to spread that around, and you go and say something like that right in front of him.”
“Spread what? It’s common knowledge you can find with a single search. He’s just a weirdo who doesn’t know common sense.”
While saying it was awful, the Brilliant Beauty started trading lighthearted jabs with a look that said, ‘Oh, well.’ And beside her, the duo was completed by Milmarinus, who mercilessly started dissing me at every opportunity.
Now that I understood the general situation, watching them from the side, they ultimately just looked like good friends who also happened to be ‘teacher’ and ‘student.’