The Little Mage

That morning, Perly did not go to the Grand Library to study spells. Instead, she followed Renato to Battlefield Camaraderie.

She simply could not imagine how Renato could run and leap so nimbly while wearing such heavy armor.

With a blacksmith's apprentice helping him, Renato put on the flared, layered Gorget and finally donned the full suit of Plate Armor he had been longing for.

The Breastplate was forged from a single sheet of steel. It opened at the side and was secured with hinges and clasps. A raised ridge down the center deflected thrusts to either side, effectively dispersing their force.

The Fauld was riveted to the bottom of the Breastplate. Curved, overlapping plates splayed out toward the Greaves, covering the middle of the thighs. They protected the pelvis and upper thighs while allowing the wearer to bend, turn, and ride freely.

Renato drew his Longsword, pointed its tip toward the ground, and struck a classic pose from a chivalric novel.

He stood motionless, his short hair and eyes as black as night, making his skin look all the fairer.

"How do I look, Perly?"

He looked like someone who had stepped straight out of a poem. Gleaming armor, an air of mystery, and that elven Circlet...

Words of praise had already risen to her lips, yet Perly could not bring herself to say them. It was far too embarrassing.

"Y-you look all right."

She regretted it as soon as she said it.

Oh no, oh no. Renato won't think I'm saying he looks ugly, will he?

She stole a glance at him. Renato's expression had not changed at all. He was still haggling with the blacksmith beside him, something he had been doing ever since they entered the shop.

"Old Ed, come on, we're friends, aren't we? How many times have I bought armor from you now? This time I'm paying in full for something you have in stock, helping clear your inventory. Surely you can knock a little off..."

Perly could not figure him out. During the long journey from Spatia to Fried City, she thought she had seen all sorts of people, yet she could not read him at all.

Sometimes, he was a mercenary trader, building connections, making small talk, haggling prices down by half, his face full of warm smiles-all to earn a few more coins.

Sometimes, he was a cold-blooded killer, severing hands and feet, slicing throats, unmoved by the dead, as though he were slaughtering chickens or pigs.

Sometimes, he was a selfless noble, elegant in speech and upright in character, willingly helping others without asking for anything in return.

Like an Aasimar who had descended to the mortal world to save her life from a Dragon's jaws... No, he was far better than any descendant of the heavens. Perly shook her head.

Even a real angel could not compare to him.

"A Gorget, a Breastplate, Tassets, and a pair of extra-thick, extra-wide Plate Armor Pauldrons... Don't go saying I, Edgar, don't look after my friends. I'm not making a penny on this sale. After the trade-in allowance, I'll round it down and knock off another two silver crowns. Just seventy silver crowns altogether."

Renato had recently accepted another dangerous commission, this time from the Assassins' Guild. Judged by Perly's former, rational standards, the assignment was far too risky, with costs utterly disproportionate to its rewards.

She was baffled. Renato did not seem like someone who pursued thrills and rejected stability. Yet from investigating Red Iron and ambushing a Wolf Gang caravan to assassinating Grisel, a Third Tier Adventurer, Renato always seemed to favor tasks that looked extraordinarily dangerous at first glance.

What remained of her reason warned her to pull out. Taking such dangerous commissions was nothing but gambling. They might win once or twice, but no one could keep winning forever. Without a contingency plan or a way out, a single failure would send them plunging into an abyss from which there was no return.

She was now a fully fledged Mage, and her life as an adventurer was on track. As long as she proceeded steadily, Perly believed she would someday join an academic organization like the Mage Association and fulfill her dream.

Yet if reason were all that mattered, she should never have left that dilapidated home in the first place. She should have become a maid serving Mages, just like her mother, gotten pregnant by her employer a few years later, received a small sum of money, and given birth to another little servant, continuing the cycle.

But she loathed that fate. So she had resolutely fled the servants' school, left her home in Spatia, and set out alone on a perilous journey in search of an education, all to prove she was not lowborn by nature.

She wanted to become an Archmage.

In a way, he and I are very alike.

So she had followed him, just as she had at Misty Path, when she ran behind the Dragon, trembling, to cast Burning Hands.

Renato always called her brave, but Perly knew how timid she really was. Every time she recalled that day, she was scared to death.

While she was lost in thought, Renato finished paying and led her out of the shop.

Perly followed silently behind him, naturally reaching out to let him take her hand.

When had this become a habit?

Perly could remember every detail of every spell, yet she could not remember why she had started letting Renato hold her hand.

They had traveled together for less than two months, yet time seemed to have paused. It felt so long that Perly no longer wanted to remember what her life had been like before.

This is enough, Perly thought, tightening her grip on his hand.

"Five lead-tipped darts, two javelins, a coil of hemp rope, four Healing Potions..."

Renato arranged the items in his Bag of Holding so he could retrieve them at a moment's notice.

Beside him, Perly used a small brush to apply black paint to his armor.

The tip of her brush traced smooth curves along the edges of the Breastplate, then painted fine, scale-like patterns across its center.

"Have you studied painting?" Renato had only wanted to paint it black to conceal his identity a little. "Just paint it black. There's no need to go to all this trouble, Perly."

"Art is something only nobles get to study... Besides, people back home don't think much of learning to paint."

"I'm just doodling. It's hardly any work. At least it'll look a little nicer this way."

Perly carefully hung the Breastplate up to dry, then continued painting the Pauldrons. Her lines resembled the emblems on shields. Renato thought he had seen similar designs in a magic shop.

"Is that a Protection Rune?" Renato asked uncertainly. "Are you drawing runes?"

Renato's question made Perly chuckle. Her wrist remained steady as she answered while painting:

"Drawing runes isn't that easy. I'm only copying illustrations from a book. They have the shape, nothing more."

"Then once you become an Archmage, you can enchant it for me yourself."

"Every Archmage has extraordinary talent and transcendent wisdom. It's not something just anyone can become. Stop saying things like that!" Perly chided him, her cheeks faintly red. "Whatever you do, don't say that in public. People will laugh themselves silly."

After painting wings symbolizing speed on the Shin Guards, the little Mage examined them carefully. Only once she was sure both sides were perfectly symmetrical did she put down her brush, satisfied.

"Renato, are you sure you don't want to wear a helmet? Lots of adventurers say a helmet can sometimes save your life."

"A helmet would interfere with my perception and judgment of the situation." Renato put on the Metal Mask he would use to conceal his face. It fit perfectly, with the openings positioned correctly over his features. It seemed Kira, the female thief, had a better eye than he had given her credit for.

He tightened the leather strap behind his head. It was a Half Mask that left his mouth exposed and only reached as high as his forehead, so it would not interfere with the Crown of Intellect on his head.

"But you, Perly-you really should listen to me and get some Leather Armor made. It's very flexible. It definitely won't interfere with your spellcasting."

"I have Mage Armor to protect me. An extra layer of Leather Armor would be pointless." Perly picked up the black cloak and frowned. "There aren't any pockets sewn into this. Where am I supposed to put my spell components?"

"Uh, I forgot to tell Kira you were a Mage. Should I go buy one at the tailor's now?"

"Never mind. My own Mage Robe is black anyway. There's no need to bother."