Nocturne of the Sleepless Black Magician

When they arrived at their destination town, the sun had completely set.

Could this be called a town...

Safi, stepping down from the covered wagon, was speechless at the scene spread before her.

Endlessly and mercilessly devastated, the town was nothing but a pile of rubble. Buildings that seemed to have once been private homes were crushed, with only a single pillar barely standing. The area presumed to be the main street through town was buried with fragments of wood and stone, with only beast-like paths running through.

"There are people here. Don't worry, young lady."

The merchant began walking without even tying up his horse, and Safi followed his back. Penetrating hills of layered rubble and proceeding along beast paths that stretched like canyon rivers, she saw candlelight. In the devastated landscape, there was a two-story house that appeared unharmed. Voices could be heard. It seemed many people were gathered in this not-so-large house.

"I'm back now."

As soon as the merchant opened the door, the people inside cheered. There were roughly twenty people, perhaps. A group of young men looked at Safi with curious gazes.

"Who might you be?"

It wasn't an atmosphere for dramatically reciting a flowery self-introduction. And before she could open her mouth, the merchant began a detailed explanation. The main part was about defeating the gray monster, and while Safi felt a bit embarrassed, the audience's reaction wasn't bad.

"I have the honor of being introduced as Safi the black magician."

Her timing was somewhat off, resulting in a strange greeting. The young men prepared a seat and showed her to a proper table. The treatment seemed to contain reverence for one who had defeated monsters, but she also sensed a vaguely lewd impression. Looking around the interior again, she realized there wasn't a single woman here.

"So you're a magician, miss? Though you're small, you seem quite skilled."

"Well, I think of myself as still immature."

"The way you immediately killed it was admirable and good."

It was a startling remark. Safi had no consciousness of having killed the attacking monster, that gray monster. The attack by the black sphere was extermination or deletion, not murder... she had been taught that when learning the technique, but she hadn't specifically observed the fate of what was erased.

Additionally, the creatures she had erased until now were harmful beasts like bears and crocodiles—this was the first time with grotesque beings that could speak human language. The expression "killed" lingered in her ears with a terrifying resonance.

What an unpleasant thing to say... Safi felt this way and furrowed her brow.

"Oh, did I say something strange?"

It was greatly awkward, and she was at a loss for words. Additionally, the young man's entranced-looking gaze bothered her. She tried to think of an explanation but couldn't weave words well. Just then, conveniently, food was brought over. The person serving was a woman. Where had she emerged from...

"You must be troubled being suddenly surrounded by these rough fellows."

She was a beauty with a well-defined nose bridge. After placing the food on the table, the woman sat next to the young man. They were husband and wife, he said. The punch line came too quickly. She had been planning to cower a bit more at the young man's lewd gaze and indulge in victim-like fantasies, which was somewhat disappointing.

"My husband here respects magicians. He used to find them creepy, but he's quick to change, you could say."

A two-story house that remained unharmed in the middle of a town turned to rubble. She revealed that it was protected by a single magician. An unknown magician had risked his life to defend one private home.

"A certain married couple and their two children were left behind in this house. The children were young, and the smaller one was a baby."

Their escape route was cut off, and they were isolated. The town had already mostly fallen into enemy hands, and rescue seemed impossible. At that time, a spirited magician recklessly approached this house and erected a powerful magical barrier.

"It was a defensive technique that repelled arrows and sparks, wrapping them in something like a white cocoon."

"So what happened to that brave magician?"

"He created a cocoon around himself with the same technique and left the battlefield. You know, fluttering his jet-black robe—he was lovely and cool."

Robes did seem to be essential items after all. Safi imagined a female magician around her own age or slightly older-looking, but listening to the story, it was an elderly man. Lovely...

Since that incident, the young master had never stopped respecting magicians. Hearing the story, Safi had an intuition. The saved couple were the two people in front of her. At the moment they had completely given up, a savior appeared and protected their precious child.

The miraculous moment witnessed firsthand, an unforgettable event for life. She thought such precious testimonials would be told by the two sitting before her, but it was about a different couple. The young couple at the table had only seen the old man magician flutter his robe and return to the safe zone.

"Though those four people in the house were saved, there were many other residents who were late to escape and got caught up in the war."

The casualties numbered in the dozens, the husband sighed. Time to escape was limited, and there was no leisure to confirm and guide those left behind. And no one had ever thought their own town would be reduced to ashes.

"It was smashed to smithereens and blazed up. I was watching from afar, but at times like that, you don't cry or lament—you just tremble. How should I put it, it feels like having a bad dream. Like it's not reality."

The young wife let this slip and smiled awkwardly. It was a harsh experience. Even recalling and telling it to someone seemed painful. Safi didn't know what words to offer her. The past was heavy, and even now they were surrounded by the rubble created at that time.

The men inside must have also survived the same tragic experience. Though they seemed to have things they wanted to add, they generally remained silent, listening to the conversation between the young couple and their guest. There were fat husbands and thin boys—the survivors were various.

"The soup will get cold. Please eat quickly."

It was hard to believe there were abundant ingredients. When she was urged to sip it, the soup had a somewhat melancholy taste.

❁❁❁ From the Author 🪄 ❁❁❁

The place they reached was a town recently devastated by the ravages of war.

Though something concerning was said, Safi will help with reconstruction here. If you have the power to float objects, removing rubble seems like it would be easy work?

(End of Chapter)