A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special - Chapter 42

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 42. Two Problems (1)

Chapter 10. Two Problems

Rattle.
The carriage lurched. Dezir rested his chin against the window frame, watching the landscape roll past. The vast farmland stretched impressively before him.
‘The grain belt is immense. And the soil is so fertile—they’ll have no trouble securing abundant harvests. The lord didn’t accept those vagrants on a whim, then.’
The carriage came to a halt only when they reached the outer edge of the territory. The inn where the Plum Merchant Guild was staying was old and shabby.
“Stay put and wait here.”
“Understood, Chef.”
Dezir climbed down from the carriage and stretched. His stiff limbs loosened gratefully.
Tap-tap.
Someone poked him from behind.
Dezir’s gaze swung backward. He saw no one at first, but glancing downward, he found a small girl standing there. She was scrawny, her lips cracked and parched.
A vagrant girl held out both hands to Dezir.
“Mister, could you spare me a coin? Please?”
Meeting her desperate eyes, Dezir searched his pockets. He found nothing.
“I’m sorry. I don’t have any either.”
“Oh… well, I suppose that’s that, then.”
As the girl turned away listlessly, Dezir opened his palm.
“I do have something to eat, though.”
Four dried plums lay in his hand. The girl’s face brightened at once.
Dezir handed her one, and she devoured it with fervent intensity.
Munch-munch!
The plum vanished in an instant.
Dezir noticed the girl’s eyes fixing on the remaining fruit.
“You want more?”
She nodded eagerly.
“I have a lot I don’t understand, so if you don’t mind, could I ask you some questions? Answer them, and I’ll give you all the rest of the plums.”
“Sure, ask me anything.”
“Do you live over there?”
Dezir gestured toward the Shantytowns where the vagrants dwelt.
“Yes. My mother, me, and my little brother. The three of us live together.”
“What about your father?”
“I don’t know. My mother never told me.”
……
Dezir handed the girl another plum. She ate it frantically.
“I heard the men living here give out food. Haven’t you received any?”
“They do. Every morning, if we line up at the Square over there, they distribute food.”
“Then why—”
Dezir’s question trailed off as the girl suddenly thrust her hand into her garments.
She withdrew something carefully, handling it like treasure. It was a chunk of bread, only two-thirds intact.
“They give out one piece like this each day. It’s nowhere near enough. That’s why I’m always hungry.”
“Who’s ‘I’?”
“That’s my name.”
A growl issued from the girl’s belly. Dezir handed her another plum, and she fell upon it eagerly.
“Mister, what’s your name?”
“Dezir.”
“Well then, Dezir. You’re kind, so I want you to have this.”
It was a handkerchief with flowers embroidered in fine, intricate stitching. The needlework showed considerable skill.
“My mother made it. She’s very talented with a needle. She made these clothes for me too.”
Dezir spoke with surprise in his voice.
“Work of this quality would fetch a good price at market. With skills like your mother’s, she could earn enough to support herself comfortably.”
“They told her not to come to market. They said they’d beat her to death with clubs if she did.”
“What?”
“They called us thieves. They said that since we’re thieves and steal everything, we shouldn’t come around. According to Jofre, people living in the same houses as us stole goods from the market. But we didn’t steal anything, yet they say we’re thieves too.”
Lirika spoke flatly.
“Mother says it can’t be helped. She says we come from outside, so it’s natural that we’re treated this way.”
“Hey, Dezir! Come over here! Hurry!”
Jephran’s booming voice rang out across the square. It was time to go. Dezir pressed the last of the dried plums into the girl’s hand.
“Lirika, when the sun you see there has set halfway, come to the castle’s rear gate without letting anyone know. I’ll bring you something to eat.”
“Really? I promise I’ll come!”
“You mustn’t let anyone catch you.”
With that final word, Dezir left the girl behind and hurried toward Jephran.
A notification chimed moments later.

-You have gained understanding of the ‘Vagrant’ problem, one of the two pressing issues facing Ebernatton.

* * *

The steam rising from the tea held the perfect warmth.
Dezir poured it into a cup and made his way to the lord’s office.
The lord hunched over his desk, absorbed in paperwork, his presence forbidding approach. Faint scars traced across his face spoke of a life lived in hardship.

-You have encountered Wilhelm Ebernatton, a Unique Hero.
He is the central figure of the Main Scenario.
Raise your Affinity with him. When your Affinity with the lord reaches ‘Trust’ or higher, you will be able to enter the Main Scenario. Your current Affinity rating with him is ‘Positive’.

Wilhelm sipped the tea Dezir had brought, yet his eyes never left the documents. The quill in his hand moved without pause.
Scratch. Scratch.
The distinctive scraping sound of nib on paper tickled his ears. Dezir stood in silence, observing.
‘To progress the Main Scenario, it seems I need to gain this man’s favor.’
Dezir studied Wilhelm’s expression carefully. Amid the endless scratching, not a single word had passed between them.
“Ahem.”
Dezir cleared his throat. He decided to try opening with simple conversation.
“The weather is quite cold today, isn’t it?”
Wilhelm replied without so much as glancing toward the window.
“Indeed.”
“Shall I close the window for you?”
Wilhelm looked up and regarded Dezir.
“Never mind.”
“…….”
A dismal failure. Time to shift topics away from idle pleasantries.
Dezir’s gaze fell upon the stack of documents on the desk. The sheer volume would have been daunting for any one man to manage. As someone who had handled various administrative tasks as a party leader, perhaps he could be of help.
“You have a great deal of work, my lord. If you’d permit it, I could assist you with the paperwork.”
“Can you read?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Then I have one request.”
Wilhelm set down his pen.
“Do not speak to me while I’m working. It breaks my concentration.”

Such was Dezir’s conclusion after mere days.
Following that disappointing first encounter, he had spared no effort in his attempts to win the lord’s favor. He brought tea accompanied by light refreshments; he experimented with different varieties; he cleaned the lord’s chambers beforehand. Needless to say, each attempt ended in crushing failure.
‘I’ve been approaching this all wrong. I need a different strategy.’
By the fourth day of the quest, while Dezir was straining to devise a solution, the course of events took an unexpected turn.
The castle kitchen.
Dezir was alone, chopping onions, filling in for Jephran, who had yet to find an assistant.

The kitchen door eased open, and curious eyes peered through the gap to survey the interior. Upon spotting Dezir, those eyes widened considerably, and moments later the door swung fully ajar.
“Dezir! Guess who’s come to visit!”
Dezir turned around, his voice startled.
“Pram?”
“Yes, it’s me!”
“How did you find your way here?”
Pram bounded toward him and threw his arms around Dezir.
“Ow! Wait, hold on—”
“Oh, I’m sorry! I was just so glad to see you!”
Pram hastily stepped back.
Examining his attire, Dezir recognized it as the armor worn by soldiers of Ebernatton’s garrison.
“So you started as a soldier in this castle.”
“Yes, and because I’m stationed here, I’ve been able to patrol the territory thoroughly. It made searching for you far easier. But you have no idea how much I’ve been looking for you!”
“I’m sorry. There’s been a lot to manage lately.”
Dezir told Pram about the Vagrants—the abundance of them in the territory, the treatment they received, and even the story of Lirika, whom he’d met while gathering supplies.
“Well, under those circumstances, I suppose I must forgive you.”
Having heard the explanation, Pram was gracious enough to understand. Once they’d caught up on everything, the conversation naturally drifted toward the Shadow World they were exploring.
“The setting of this Shadow World must be Seongkuk, correct?”
At Pram’s question, Dezir nodded.
“Certain of it. I went up to the city wall a few days ago and checked—the architecture matches exactly the construction style of the Seongkuk era.”
“But Seongkuk was…”
“Right. It was destroyed when the Shadow World eroded its territory. Except for Orleans Province, where we’re participating.”
“It’s strange, somehow. The feeling of experiencing a nation that’s already fallen. It’s so different from where we live—I was truly amazed.”
“It makes sense you’d feel that way, since this is your first real encounter with the Shadow World.”
“But this is your first real participation in the Shadow World too, isn’t it?”
Caught off guard by an unexpected riposte, Dezir scrambled to his feet.
“…Just wait a moment. Let me fetch something to eat.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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