A potion created from the same tier of spells cost two gold coins. Compared to that, it was relatively cheap. A scroll was special in that normally, they could only be used by those who are versed in the same branch of magic. It basically meant that a potion that could be used by anyone would obviously fetch a higher price.
Of course, even if you were to call it cheap, one gold and ten silver coins was still quite a large sum for the average person. It was about a month and a half worth of wages. However, for Sebas— no, for the one he served, the amount was trivial.
Sebas took out a leather pouch, loosened the top, and counted out eleven coins. He then handed the amount to the young man.
“The payment has been received.”
The young man did not do something like checking the coins for authenticity in front of Sebas. He had traded with them often enough to earn their trust.
“That old gentleman was cool!”
“Yeah!”
After Sebas exited the Magician Guild, the receptionists, especially the women, gathered together and started to make a fuss.
Rather than the faces of sagacious women, they had the faces of girls who had met their adored prince. One of the men who sat at the counter frowned with jealousy, but having experienced Sebas’ elegance firsthand, remained quiet.
“He must have served under some incredibly high ranking noble before. It wouldn’t be strange if he was the third son of some rich noble’s household.”
Even for nobles, it was common for those who could not inherit the household to become butlers or maids. The more prestigious a noble’s title, the more they wished to employ such servants. The air of elegance surrounding Sebas made others believe that he was a noble himself.
“He carried himself incredibly well.”
The group behind the counter all nodded their heads in agreement.
“I think I would definitely say yes if he asked me out for tea.”
“Yeah, I’ll go! I’ll go! Definitely!”
The girls clamored with high pitched voices. Like how he seemed to be the type to be familiar with incredibly elegant shops. How he would be the perfect escort and such. The men glanced at them from the side and held their own discussion.
“He seemed quite educated. Could he also be a magic caster?”
“Maybe, it’s possible.”
The spells that Sebas picked out were always the ones that were recently invented. That was why they could guess that he possessed ample knowledge about magic. If he were here on orders to purchase a spell, then he could simply say the name directly at the counter without going through the book. The fact that he made the selection after looking through the list meant that he himself made the judgment on what spells to purchase.
He was definitely not an ordinary old man. In other words, it was not unusual to think that he was a tutor in magic— a magic caster.
“And those glasses… didn’t they seem incredibly expensive?”
“Could it be a magic item?”
“No, isn’t it just a luxury item? Maybe a dwarf made it.”
“Right, he’s pretty incredible to own such a beautiful pair of glasses.”
“I want to see the beauty he brought with him that one time.”
The words that the man muttered almost as an afterthought was met with voices of opposition from next to him.
“What~? The only thing she had going for her was her appearance.”
“Yeah, I felt sorry Sebas-san. He’s definitely being overworked.”
“Even if she’s beautiful, she definitely has a bad personality. I didn’t like the way she looked at us. I feel sorry for Sebas-san for having to serve someone like that.”
The severe criticism on the same sex from the women caused the men to shut their mouths.
Sebas’ master possessed a beauty that would make others fall in love with her in an instant. Although the women next to them were beautiful enough to be picked as the faces of the Magician Guild, the difference was like night and day. Even though the male workers wanted to tell them not to be jealous, it was obvious what would happen if they were to do so. There was no one among them who would be that foolish. That was why—
“Hey, enough with the chitchat.”
The young man spotted an adventurer heading towards the counter and directed his voice at the group, prompting them to put on a serious expression and continue with their jobs.
Having left the Magician Guild, Sebas glanced up at the sky.
Because escorting the old woman back home took longer than he expected, the sky was gradually being dyed red. Although his watch showed that it was time for curfew, he still wasn’t finished with his daily tasks. Since it wasn’t a problem, should he push back the rest for tomorrow? Or perhaps he should finish the rest of his work, even if it meant going past the allotted time.
His hesitation only lasted an instant.
Helping the old woman was his arbitrary decision, he had to take responsibility.
“—Shadow Demon.”
Twitch. Sebas felt his shadow stir.
“Please send word to Solution. Tell her that I will be a little late. That is all.”
Although there was no answer, the presence moved and became distant, as if it was moving between shadows.
“Now then…”
Sebas moved his feet.
He did not have a destination. His goal was to completely map out the geography of the capital. He wasn’t commanded to do it; rather, it was out of his own free will as part of his information gathering.
“Let us head in that direction today.”
Having muttered so, Sebas rubbed his hair back and spun the scroll he held in one hand. He was like a child enjoying himself.
He walked farther and farther out from the center of the capital, from where the public order was best.
After winding through the roads, the streets started to become dirty and a slightly foul stench began to permeate the air. It was the smell of rotten foods and sewage. Sebas walked silently through the stench that threatened to cling on to his clothes.
Sebas abruptly stopped his stride and looked around his surroundings. He appeared to have ventured into a back alleyway. The path was just barely wide enough to allow two people to pass each other.
The narrow alleyway and the setting sun, no sign of people anywhere, they made it difficult for people to take this road. But none of that posed a problem for Sebas. He walked on in silence, melting into the darkness.
Sebas turned multiple corners in a direction that was more desolate than the last and suddenly, his unfaltering steps came to a halt.
Without a specific destination in mind, he had been walking to wherever his feet and whims may take him. However, he found that he had ventured quite far from the residence he had established as their base. Using his intuition, Sebas roughly perceived his current location and drew a line in his head from here to the base.
Although it was a trivial distance considering Sebas’ physical ability, that only applied when moving in a straight line. Walking normally would end up taking quite a bit of time. Since it was almost time for the curtain of night to fall, it would be prudent for him to start heading back. He did not want to worry Solution whom he was staying with. Should a strong enemy appear, both Solution and Sebas had a Shadow Demon hiding in their shadows. Using them as shields would give them ample time to retreat. However—
“… I should be heading back.”
Though honestly, he wanted to continue his walk for a bit longer. This was almost like his hobby; he would often lose track of time when it came to his outings. However, even if he had to withdraw, Sebas felt that he should at least see what was past this road and decided to continue down the narrow alleyway.