Episode 80: The Weight of Power
Striders have organizations called Clans.
They come in various forms, but a Clan is essentially a group. It’s quite different from the Japanese equivalent, functioning more like a “corporation.”
This entails internal rules and the need for control, but the advantages are numerous.
For instance, a Clan can rent an entire inn under its name.
While it would be nearly impossible for individual Striders due to a lack of credibility, doing so under a Clan’s name is seen as a collective, a “company,” earning a certain level of respect from society.
This place is the ‘Gray Cat Inn’…
A male-prohibited inn rented out by the Clan, ‘Blue Comet’.
And there I was…
“Somebody help me!”
Wrapped in ropes and hung upside down from the second floor of the inn…
Yes.
My dalliance with Vice Commander Kaede was discovered by Commander Katrina, resulting in a beating and subsequent suspension.
This marks the thirteenth time.
Well… I guess it was no good after all…
Katrina-danchou was absolutely furious…
But with that level of rage, being spared death feels like a mercy. Is that kind of gentle, in a way?
“Ah.”
…Oh?
The one-eyed swordswoman, Theresia.
And the new Dwarf warrior, Irene.
The two girls discovered me.
“Help me!”
“Ehhh…?”
What do you mean, “Ehhh?”
“You probably seduced one of our members again, didn’t you?”
“Commander Katrina did that to you, right? Doesn’t that seem fair?”
H-harsh! Well, it’s true, so I can’t argue!
Theresia stroked her scarred eye, turning her non-clouded pupil towards me.
“So? What did you do this time?”
“I embraced Kaede.”
“Serves you right. Why don’t you just stay there and hang until you die?”
“You’re the worst! I hate guys with no principles like you the most!”
The two of them gave me cold looks.
Well, that’s understandable.
Women who become Striders usually have their reasons, and those reasons often involve family issues or problems with men.
I’ve heard rumors that Theresia lost an eye in an accident, got a scar on her face… and was cruelly dumped by her fiancé, leading her to run away.
Irene apparently suffered because of her philandering father.
I’ve heard stories like that.
From their perspective, I, who do whatever I want, am exactly the “annoying man” they imagine.
I can’t argue with that, but at least I’m not so inept that I’d let a girl go hungry.
“I wonder… Aren’t all men the same? They’ll discard any woman who becomes inconvenient.”
“I wouldn’t do that.”
“…Well, maybe you can say that because you have the luxury. I’ll admit that. But I still hate people like you.”
Hmm… well, that can’t be helped.
I don’t expect to be liked by everyone.
People have their preferences.
“But I’m glad that you both are friendly on the surface and still accept my gifts.”
“…That’s just common decency.”
“You’re the worst, but I don’t want to be the worst too.”
Yeah… my approval rating is low. Well, I’m not the type to be liked by everyone. If someone dislikes me, it can’t be helped.
Wait…?
“…Are you okay?”
Oh, a Buddha in hell.
It’s Margot-san.
“Help me, Margot-san.”
“Mm.”
Ah, she cut the rope. She went all the way up to the second floor to pull me up, and then used a knife.
“…Wouldn’t it have been faster to use magic?”
Why did she bother lifting me with her strength? She could have just zapped the rope with her lightning magic, right?
“…Dru, I’ve told you many times. Magic is not something to be used casually or conveniently.”
Ehh…?
I watched Theresia and Irene leave out of the corner of my eye, then said,
“But Marlene attacked me out of nowhere when we first met, you know?”
“…I’ve heard about that. That was your fault.”
…So, it was, after all.
“Dru has been a Strider for so long, he acts according to Strider logic. But Mage logic is different.”
“Ah, it’s not about whoever wins the fight is great, right?”
“That’s right. What Mages should do is not fight, but compete with wisdom. It’s not about who has the greatest output or destructive power.”
…That seems to be the case.
Certainly, “whoever wins the fight is great!” is the theory of mountain apes.
It’s not something that refined, or, to put it bluntly, stuck-up Mages would do.
“In the first place, Mages set up arrays and barriers around their residences. When entering from elsewhere, it’s normal to ask for permission.”
Ah… I can kind of understand that.
There was an anime with that setting, right? A Mage’s workshop is like a laboratory, so if someone suddenly enters, they might be suspected of stealing research!
“And if you are a Mage, you show each other the spells you are willing to show before meeting. That becomes the self-introduction.”
“But she suddenly threw a stone…”
“…Did it look like an attack? That was a battle of wits.”
“What do you mean?”
“She was watching how you would respond to the flying stone. Normally, Mages don’t have as many spells as you do. For interception, they use their favorite spells. For me, it’s lightning, for Gaspard-san, it’s stone, for Roxanne, it’s fire… something like that.”
Ah…?
“I see, she wanted to see my hand.”
“That too… but the perception is different. Magic is not originally a weapon for fighting. Not even a tool. It’s more fundamental, ‘wisdom’.”
Hmm… I can’t put it into words well.
So, this means… I see!
“You live with the perception that ‘magic clashes’ are battles of wits?”
“Yes.”
Ah, I see.
That’s how it is.
In the first place, it’s not meant to kill people.
Is that what she means?
It’s no good after all, having cheats so easily.
Because I’ve completely ignored the process of obtaining power, I don’t understand the weight or meaning of power.
Hmm, this is something I need to reflect on.
“Margot-san, could you teach me properly about the Mage world around here? I’ll serve tea and sweets…”
“Mm, I’ll settle for fruit tart.”