Return Through Magic

Chapter 11: The Suspicious Innkeeper

 

"Argh!" Yuki groaned, feeling every part of his body aching. His head throbbed, and it was the first time he had experienced such intense pain all over. He tried to remember what had happened before everything went dark.

"You're awake?" Aira's voice sounded, making Yuki turn his head to the side. Aira was sitting on a chair right next to his bed, her eyes filled with a mixture of concern and anger.

"Where am I?" Yuki asked weakly, trying to endure the pain without complaining too much.

"At an inn," Aira replied curtly. "I didn't know you were that reckless. You should know that a body not accustomed to using magic or forcing itself to use magic it can't handle will suffer severe consequences. The power generated is immense, but so are the effects. It can even lead to death with a shattered body." Aira started lecturing him the moment Yuki opened his eyes.

Yuki, weak and in pain, couldn't escape Aira's scolding. In this situation, Yuki thought Aira was very similar to Hana when she was angry.

"Never mind that. You must be hungry since you've been unconscious for two days. I'll go downstairs and ask the innkeeper to make you some warm soup." Aira stood up, ready to leave. However, she stopped when she heard Yuki's cry.

"Why are you yelling like a maiden?" Aira glared at Yuki, who had startled her. Honestly, the blonde girl wanted to smack Yuki's head, but since he was severely injured, she restrained her anger by clenching her fists tightly.

"So, I've been out for two days?" Yuki asked to confirm if what he had just heard was true.

"Yes. You've been out for two days. Given your condition and inability to handle that magic, it's already a stroke of luck." Aira explained while standing, arms crossed.

"Luck? You mean this injury is considered lucky?" Yuki couldn't believe his current condition was seen as fortunate.

"Yes. A slight mistake, and you could have died. Ah~. You're lucky to be okay. Maybe your body is special, so you only got minor injuries." Aira shook her head, looking frustrated.

"Minor injuries?" Yuki was even more shocked because Aira referred to his condition as minor injuries. He shuddered to imagine what severe injuries in Aira's head looked like if she considered his wounds minor.

Aira sighed deeply. "You tried to use high-level magic without thinking about the consequences. You did manage to defeat the rabbit monster, but your body wasn't ready to withstand the impact. If it weren't for me and the others, you might not be here now."

Yuki felt a wave of guilt and fear. "I just wanted to earn some money. I didn't think it through."

"That's the problem, Yuki," Aira emphasized. "You need to think things through. Magic isn't a toy. We all need you, but we need you alive, not dead from foolishness."

Yuki bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Aira. I'll be more careful."

Aira looked at Yuki gently, despite her anger. She still cared for her friend. "Alright. Rest now. I'll be back soon with some food."

After Aira left the room, Yuki lay back down and closed his eyes. The thoughts of the last battle kept haunting him. He could see his enemy's hateful face, hear his friends' screams, and feel the magic's power draining all his energy.

In the silence of the room, Yuki reflected on what Aira had said. He knew he couldn't keep acting recklessly. Magic was a tremendous power but also very dangerous. He needed to learn to control it, to use it wisely.

As Yuki was pondering, he suddenly heard the door open and quick footsteps. "Master! You didn't die?" It was Seira who entered his room.

"Seira, are you happy if your master dies?" Yuki, just having been scolded by Aira, now glared at Seira.

I can't say if I'm happy or not if the master dies. For me, as a sword, if the master dies, I will just return to the side of the god of death and wait for the next master to come and own me." Seira explained with a straight face, making Yuki feel even weaker.

Yuki realized that if he died in this world, no one would mourn his death. Aira's earlier scolding seemed much more humane compared to Seira. Yuki couldn't blame Seira, who was essentially a sword without human emotions.

"Seira..." Yuki called Seira after taking a deep breath.

"Yes, Master." Seira, already standing next to Yuki's bed, responded enthusiastically.

"Seira, explain how I got to the inn. As far as I remember, I was bleeding out and passed out after fighting that giant rabbit monster." Yuki asked with a serious expression.

Seira nodded. "After you passed out, Aira and the others rushed to find you. They found you in a critical state. Aira used healing magic while the others protected you from further attacks. It was enough to stabilize your condition and bring you back to this inn."

Yuki was silent for a moment, processing the information. "So, they saved me… I couldn't even protect myself."

“But Master, the reward for the giant rabbit monster is quite substantial. They entrusted it to me.” Seira lifted a large, heavy-looking leather pouch.

"Is that money?" Yuki immediately felt rejuvenated upon hearing the word "money." However, his enthusiasm didn't match his physical condition, so only his face and eyes lit up at the mention of money.

"Yes, Master. This is the payment for killing the monster. Since you were unconscious for two days, the money was entrusted to me," Seira repeated her explanation.

"Help me sit up," Yuki asked Seira to help him sit on the bed to be more comfortable counting the money from defeating the monster.

"Certainly, Master." Seira deftly helped Yuki and handed him the money pouch when he was comfortably seated.

"So, the person who gave you this money was the village chief?" Yuki asked while examining the gold coins in his hand.

"The innkeeper gave it, Master."

"The innkeeper?" Yuki furrowed his brow. It seemed odd to him that the innkeeper gave the payment rather than the village chief.

"The innkeeper who asked for your help is the village chief here. Didn't you know that?" Aira appeared in the doorway, responding to Yuki and Seira's conversation.

"What? How can that be?" Yuki was shocked to find out that the person who assigned him the nearly fatal task was the village chief.

"I'll explain later. Eat this warm soup first. You've been unconscious for two days and must be starving. And put your money away so it doesn't get stolen." Aira spoke with a neutral expression, seemingly uninterested in the gold coins in Yuki's lap.

"Heh. Thank you." Yuki grinned.

He set aside the money pouch and accepted the tray from Aira. "Eat, then we need to leave this place. It's dangerous here."

Yuki, enjoying the warm soup Aira had given him, choked at the calm way she mentioned danger.