Chapter 7 - Turning Point [2]
Demiurge, the land or nation of magic.
It is a country that primarily focuses on magic.
Albeit in a world where technology has advanced by a hundred years beyond the one I used to live in, it didn't seem that way.
Because of their strict ideology and laws, Demiurge is more modern and mystical, as if I'm living in a fantasy world.
The neighboring countries were also among the reasons they rejected integrating most revolutionary inventions, which led to the present-day situation.
Not that I'm complaining, of course, I like it myself due to what I get to see every day.
From every corner, people were using magic as if it were the most natural thing.
Two high school girls, using their phones, rode a broom that flew through the sky, powered by mana stones.
A performer led an orchestra themselves and instruments afloat under their command, playing gentle music in the cafe.
Or the ship from the sky, not an airship, mind you, but an actual ship made for the seas, was flying from floating island to another.
Beautiful sights like these were normal now that the world is at peace.
Today, like any other day. I enjoyed the view from outside. It was a nice change of pace instead of rotting in my house, playing games all day.
It's a waste, I know. Spending my days cramming video games before going to college and watching new shows I haven't seen.
So I always appreciate having a proper excuse to go out. I would have had more opportunities if I had made friends in high school, sadly.
With such an occasion, I'd expect everything to go smoothly. That's what kept me going for years: the mindset to finish things early, before they pile up.
With the positive aspects of magic out of the way, what about the bad side of things in this nation?
The actual capability to hypnotize people for their bidding, fatal combat magic that could pulverize people in a heartbeat, or enhance senses to commit unspeakable things.
The law exists to thwart these illegal motives.
Just as criminals are much stronger in this world, the guards are similarly powerful, with the authority to keep this nation at peace.
“…"
"…"
But the person in front of me disregarded those 'laws' to talk to me about something.
Something I find beyond ridiculous.
"I didn't expect you to dig into my phone number like that." I placed both my hands on my chest.
The person who contacted me late at night was none other than Alden Thena, the same person I helped the other day.
Without knowledge, he managed to take a glance at my number. Just who is this person?
"I was uhh, bored…?" Alden shrugged.
Noticing my unpleasant gaze, he tried to defuse the situation and explained his intentions.
"Okay, listen, you seem to be the type of person who doesn't mind as long as they don't mean anything behind it."
"Are you seriously saying this right now?"
I grew even more suspicious. What he said was completely false; in fact, it's the opposite.
Alden told me that he wants to 'hang out' despite knowing each other for like, what? A couple of minutes?
Yet here he was, speaking to me on friendly terms as if we'd known each other for a long time.
"Haah…" I sighed and put my hand on my face.
'Well… there's no reason to leave right away.' I sat down and decided to give him a chance.
"Fine, what do you need from me then?"
"Hmm, that's a good question… I don't really know."
"You… don't know?"
"Yeah."
“…”
“…”
"You have to be crazy."
"Wait…! Don't leave yet! It's complicated, alright!?" Alden stopped me from leaving and grabbed my arm forcefully.
"Complicated?"
"It's… hard to explain. I guess, there's something about you that feels… kindred in a way?"
…
…
…
"S-Sorry, man. I don't swing that way…"
"What- NO! No, no, no! That is NOT what I meant!"
Alden flailed his hands around, mortified by that thought.
"There is a reason why I used a fake name! You also used a fake surname, right? Right!?"
"…And how do you know if what you're saying is true?"
"Just because."
“…”
The confidence in his assumptions told me he wouldn't back down, as if he genuinely believed them.
'This guy… has the time finally come?'
A spy sent by Gael after I got disowned, this can't be a coincidence.
—Kachick…!
Reaching into my pocket, my suspicions towards Alden turned into hostility.
I may have run away from the Historia residence, but I couldn't forget that they have a lot of enemies. It's not surprising that people wanted me, either dead or alive, for a reason.
If word gets out that I ran away, the next morning I'll be a rotting corpse.
"… You're sharp."
"…"
Noah and I scrutinized each other; my face was cold, removed from warmth, and his face was also the same, attempting to find something from me.
…
…
…
"You—"
"M-May… I have your order pleasck!?"
Out of the blue, a female waiter came to our table, fumbling her lines.
“…”
“…”
Her face turned beet red after she bit her tongue from embarrassment.
"Pfft…!"
In response, Noah chuckled.
The waiter looked like she had made a grave mistake, devastated when she was forced to come to this table to take our order.
"I'll have a cappuccino, want something?"
"… I'm fine with anything."
"T-Then, two cups of cappuccino, is that everything?"
The waiter was about to burst into tears. Thankfully, Alden wasn't that dense and let her go.
"Yes, that's all."
"T-Thank you!!"
The waitress fled the scene, eager to dash away as fast as possible.
The atmosphere calmed down after the waiter left our table.
…
…
"Pfft… Haha! Hahaha!" Alden chuckled, as if that was the push he needed to keep talking.
"Relax, Kuro, there's no need to be like that."
He comfortably sat down and leaned his back against the chair.
There were so many things I wanted to know about why he came here, like how he gave me cryptic information, but I decided not to.
Something tells me that this man… isn't someone I should fight against, even with my magic firearm.
"I assure you, the only thing I know is that you're using a fake surname, not your actual surname."
"Then what is it that you want?"
I didn't let my guard down at all and was still vigilant against him.
"What do I want? Hmm, all of this may be hard to believe, but…"
He looked at me with a determined look. I couldn't help but tense up as he delayed his words.
"I feel like together, we might be able to save the world."
"…"
"…"
“…?”
—Thud!
"H-Here's your cappuccino…" The female waitress returned and placed the two cups of cappuccino on the table.
"Have a great day and sank youpkh…!" The waiter bit her tongue again and ran away.
…
…
Without much thought, I closed my eyes and thought about the decisions I made that led me to be here.
Why was I on guard against this man, who seemed threatening in the first place?
The problem doesn't lie with me— it's that the person I'm dealing with has countless screws loose on his head.
"Alright, it was nice knowing you." I stood up and decided to leave without looking back.
'What a waste of time… I could've done a couple of matches instead of coming here.'
I shook my head, disappointed that my game time was interrupted.
"Wait! Ugh, listen to me for a second!"
Alden stood up as well and raised his voice louder than before.
He understood that there was no way for me to believe him, given that he had been making baseless assumptions one after another.
It was at this point that he had no choice but to reveal everything.
"Tch, fine, I'll show you my resolve!"
Abruptly, he lifted his right arm and used magic on each of his fingertips.
"You'll believe me once you get to know who I truly am."
—Voom…!
"Wait, what are you-!" I turned around, bewildered when he used magic out of the blue.
Using magic in a local coffee shop like this, is he crazy?!
Again, magic is present in everyday life.
It's not a joke when the waitress who served us coffee bolted out of here crazy fast. She used magic to do that.
Only harmless and lifestyle magic is permitted; anything else is a criminal offence.
But Alden, who used combat magic, not just one but four at the same time, ignored the law to try to convince me about something.
…
…
Wait… four of them?
"What the hell are you doing?!" I tried to stop him from going any further.
Ah. I'm feeling chills right now.
There was something odd about his posture, his vast yet pristine mana, overwhelming with power.
Something inconceivable for humans of this era to do, except for one.
Ah. Fuck.
I gasped in horror after I realized what was happening.
"No… there's no way you're-!"
"My name… is Noah Heavenfall."
The man before me changed, radiating a totally different vibe—with his red eyes and signature white hair… This was a clear indication of who he is.
Someone I know too well.
Magi Arcana's protagonist.
The vanquisher of evil.
The one who will save the world.
Noah Heavenfall, the hero.
"Hah, so you do know me."
Noah sighed in relief, as if he expected that this was the outcome.
…
…
…
Pause, hold on for a second.
…
…
…
What…
'What the hell…?! How did he get here?! I didn't even do anything!!!'
My thoughts were a garbled mess. I tried to find a conclusion on how this transpired.
The main character, who was supposed to be far away from here, was right in front of me, living and breathing.
His stupid face directed at me pissed me off, but I can't deny that he caught me off guard like a moth to a flame.
I thought that this place was perfect— a city that wasn't mentioned in the official novel.
…That is, until now.
"Hey… are those two filming something?"
"Maybe. With their looks, it's not plausible."
"Are they actually celebrities in disguise?"
Before I thought about the consequences, I stopped thinking when we attracted too much attention.
It appears that the mass didn't realize Alden… no, Noah used combat magic, so I'm glad they were surprised by how he looked instead.
"…Haaah, let's discuss this somewhere… private." I placed my hand on my face from stress.
Too many things were happening right now.
Triumph in victory, Noah looked at me with a beaming smile on his face, unaware that he had broken several laws at once.
"Finally! Do you believe me now-"
"But, before that."
I sat down and pointed at our coffee on the table.
"Let's finish our coffee first."
"…Oh. Yeah, sure." Noah nodded like it was normal.
"…"
"…"
As if nothing had happened, we sat down and quietly drank our cappuccino until it was empty.
