With the counter covered by Belle, we’re free to leave without worry. And that’s precisely what we do, taking the front door that leads out to the market street where The Elven Crossroads sits.
“Now, let’s get down to business. But first…” I look around at all the people who’ve begun to crowd around us. “How about some privacy.”
A moment of darkness washes over us but is quickly replaced by the subdued light of a nearby alleyway. Even though we didn’t [Fast Travel] very far, it’s enough to escape the eyes and ears of the curious bystanders in and around my shop.
Now, there’s nothing but a dark, narrow path with a bright sliver of light at the far end, where the alley meets the street.
With a snap of my fingers, a cloak appears on my body. “Being famous really sucks. I can only imagine how much worse it'd be if this world had cameras.”
“Cameras?” Celine is still not as proficient as figuring out my unspoken context as Belle and the other girls.
“They capture images for people to look at later.”
“Really? But I thought you said your old world didn't have magic.”
“It doesn't.” I begin walking toward the mouth of the alley. “But advanced technology can seem like magic to anyone who doesn't understand how it works.”
“It would be great if there was a magic spell to do that, too.”
“There is. Or, there was. It’s been lost to time, similar to the Arcane Magics that I started spreading around recently.”
“Wow, there is? Are you going to teach people to use those kinds of spells, too?”
I shake my head. “The world will eventually figure them out again. I’ve been told that it’d be best to let it happen naturally, rather than forcing it myself. The magic scholars who will eventually explore the art of spellcrafting should take the fame and glory for advancing magic theories and creating new spells. It would foster an environment of learning within those fields of study, something which wouldn’t be necessary if I just gave them all the answers.”
Celine eyes me as she matches my steps. “But you do know all the answers?”
“Yeah. Though rather than knowing all of them, it’s more like I have access to the information anytime I want. There was something known as the internet in my old world, where you could learn virtually any skill or bit of information about the history of our planet. So while no single person knew everything, anyone with access to the internet could theoretically learn whatever they wanted.”
I point to my head. “I’m connected to something similar here in this world. It has information dating all the way back from before the Devastation, back when most of the lost magics were available to anyone who wanted to learn them. So if I wanted to learn how to cast the magic that allows me to capture images, I could.”
“Do you mean…” Celine keeps her voice low, even though we’re alone in the alley. “Because of the Goddess?”
“Basically. Though there’s someone else who actually does most of the work.” I wave my hand dismissively. “But it’s only thanks to the Goddess that I have access to the information in the first place. That ended up being a very good decision for her, too.”
“For her? What do you mean?”
“Nothing. Don't worry about it.”
“My apologies for intruding upon you.” A familiar, divine voice resounds in my mind.
“Like I said, don't worry about it. My corner of the network is big enough for the both of us.”
“It's shameful to be expelled from my own node, but I had no choice if I wanted to maintain what little control over the network that I have left.”
“As long as you can hold back that mad god's influence just a little longer, that's all that matters. Plus, without you, he'd remove my Moderator status as soon as he gained complete control over the network. So I'd say this works out for the both of us.”
Unfortunately, the Goddess couldn't hold back the mad god any longer. She was basically kicked out of her personal section of the network and lost most of her control over it.
Less control means less power she can exert to keep him in check, which means the mad god can overpower her more easily and take full control for himself.
The only way for her to hold onto any influence within the network was for her to abandon her node and join mine. Since I'm essentially a walking network node, she's able to use my connection to keep that mad god in check the best she can.
It's a last ditch effort to keep him from realizing the full power of the network, but it will only last so long. Eventually, our final line of defense will crumble, and the both of us will lose all of our access privileges, leaving only the mad god in control of the network.
Even with our current setup, we're not able to fully contain the mad god's influence. Many of the restrictions that used to bind him are no longer in effect.
One such restriction that's no longer protecting us is the limitations on how far the fiends can get from the Great Cathedral before they start losing their strength. Now, all the fiends will be at full strength, no matter where we fight them.
And that includes the Lord of Chaos himself.
He's essentially acting as the embodiment of the mad god, an avatar for him to use to exert influence directly onto the world. That immense power came with some drawbacks, the most obvious being that he was bound to the Great Cathedrals to maintain his strength.
With that limitation removed, it's not far off to say that a god now walks freely among the world. And he has his eyes set directly on me.
Facing a god on the battlefield. That's not going to be easy…
We finally reach the open street where a thin crowd of people are going about their day. Since we're still near our shop, this area is quite safe and wealthy compared to most of the city.
But that doesn't mean there aren't any dangers lurking about. You can never be too careful about what people will do when they're desperate, after all.
Joining the crowd, we walk casually down the road. Although I haven't told Celine why I brought her here with me, she notices something that gives her a clue.
“Isn't that…” She motions to a man walking a short distance ahead of us. “The young man who bought the sword from you?”
“It certainly is.”
“We're following him? Is he actually a bad guy, or something?”
“Seems like you're about to find out.”
“Woah, people came from the alley!?”
As Celine said, two people appeared from the alley ahead of us. They grabbed the young adventurer and pulled him inside before he could even draw his new sword.
Our steps take us right by that alley. When we look down it, we're met with two different men from before, both of them giving us a mean glare.
“What you lookin’ at, boy? Get yer ass movin’.”
“But I'm really interested in what those men behind you are doing.”
“You shoulda done as I said.” He and his partner tense up. “Too late now!”
The two of them leap at us, no doubt to silence us before we can do something like call for help.
What they don't realize is that we're not the ones in need of rescue.
With a thunk, two bodies hit the ground, one just beside me and the other just beside Celine. They're still alive, but depending on their crimes, they might soon be wishing that I had ended their lives here and now.
“Let me go!” The young adventurer’s voice flows out from the alley.
“Shit.” One of the two men who had grabbed him notices that their alley guards were already defeated. “He was followed!”
It seems they're not content with just leaving the kid and fleeing. Instead, the second guy pulls the new sword from the sheath on the adventurer's waist.
With his face filled with excitement at the power that flows into him from the powerfully enchanted weapon, the mugger decides that his first act with the weapon would be to impale the previous owner.
Although he probably decided to do it out of pure aggression, it's a surprisingly good tactic that might get us to give up pursuit as we try and heal the adventurer.
What he has yet to realize is that his first act with the sword will also be his last.
“[Accel].” I feel a slight prick on the palm of my hand.
Looking ahead of me, I see the thin blade stretching from my hand to the mugger. The excitement on his face slowly gives way to disbelief as he realizes that even with that powerful sword, his attack couldn't even draw blood despite hitting soft flesh.
“Goodnight.” The sword thief collapses, having no idea what even hit him.
“What the f–” The final man doesn't even get to finish his curse.
“So that's who's been terrorizing our customers.” Celine walks up, having put the pieces together.
“Yep.” I lower my hood. “They single out young adventurer's who go in to buy expensive weapons and other equipment, then ambush them after they leave.”
“I remember him.” Celine points to the man who had grabbed the sword. “He came into the shop not long ago and just browsed for a while. Guess he was looking for a target.”
“Pretty much.” I reach down and pick up the sword. “And since I made such a big scene by giving him this weapon, I figured they'd strike.”
I hold the hilt out to the young adventurer, who's still trying to catch up to what just happened.
“Y-you followed me?” He takes his weapon in hand. “To protect me?”
“It's what I do. You should be safe from here on, but just be a little more alert. There's always a chance more of this gang is hanging around here.”
The young adventurer sheathes the blade, but he keeps his hand on the hilt. “I understand. From now on, I'll be careful.”
I pat him on the shoulder. “You're definitely going to make a name for yourself in the future. I can feel it.”
Unmistakable pride swells up in his face. “I'll do my best to live up to your expectations!”
Men appear from the mouth of the alley. They're not members of the gang, but they're heavily armed and armored.
With a quick glance, even the kid can recognize who they are and why they're here.
“Thanks for showing up.” I motion to the four men on the ground. “Muggers targeting my shop’s customers. Tell your captain to send the interrogation report to me when he's done. I'll take care of their gang myself.”
“As you wish, Sir Hero.” One of the guards salutes before they begin tying up the criminals.
“Well, that's it for us.” I pull my hood back up. “Let's stay anonymous a bit longer, though.”
Celine puts her hands on her hips. “Don't tell me you dragged me out here just to watch you beat up some muggers.”
“I'd never be so thoughtless.” I motion for her to follow me back out of the alley. “We'll be taking the scenic route back to the shop. If we happen to walk by a sweets shop, then maybe we can stop and get a treat.”
“Now that's more like it! Belle sure knows how to pick them!”
With the mission complete and a bit of free time before our next task, Celine and I embark on a small outing to hunt for a reason to enjoy each other's company.