The Liberomancer [Isekai Progression LitRPG]

For the next four days, there were a few skirmishes involving a few hundred dryads, but nothing truly battleworthy happened. The dryads seemed to be in no hurry to leave or to advance forward.

During these rather (thankfully) boring times, I found a rather odd companion to while the time away with - Drake.

I hadn't really liked the lizardman when I first met him, and even before the siege began I still had a rather low opinion of him due to his past misdeeds. I was sure that the feeling was mutual even if he didn't overtly let it on.

However, we ended up spending quite some time together simply by the nature of having to work together. It started with swapping reports and possible battle tactics, but given the stretches of time that we had free, other topics as well.

I began to understand him a bit more, and truth be told, he was easier to speak to than his brother.

Zeke was the ideal politician's son - he was obedient, did what he was told, and shrewd enough to get around most situations without offending anyone. He was a natural born heir to the family's legacy, though I had a feeling that the fact that he was the eldest son also formed much of his current character, not just how he had been born as.

Drake on the other hand, was much more like a normal person - though he had just so happened to have been born the governor's son. A role that he didn't seem to particularly relish, but didn't overtly resent either.

He was more open to talking about things, and unlike speaking with Zeke, it didn't feel like it was all politispeak.

It also helped that we could more easily talk to one another freely than most other people could. I was a Master Liberomancer, and though he did give the respect that was due, he was not overly subservient or awestruck like most other people when meeting me. My rank and the fact that I really didn't care much for the current hierarchy in this kingdom given I was planning on leaving also meant that I didn't care much for his position as governor's son as I guess other people did.

We ended up eating most of our meals together - this was initially just because it was a convenient way to save time on his end. I had to inform him of going-ons as mediator, and he would usually want to pick my brains regarding decisions he had to make, likely because of the reputation I had developed which I did not really deserve.

But, this turned from a business lunch to something the two of us began to enjoy after a while.

I guess the biggest catalyst to the two of us becoming friends so quickly was just the constant danger that the dryads posed. I had heard that it was in the fire and brimstone of war that true bonds were forged. We had only had one major fight up until this point, but knowing that we had to rely on each other to survive no doubt removed many of the initial inhibitions I'm guessing both of us had in talking to each other.

"A quick question, if you don't mind me asking," Drake said one day.

We were fed three full meals every day, and while taking bites of mine I couldn't help but still feel slightly guilty.

Maybe I shouldn't have for all the reasons that Drake had reminded me of earlier - but the thing was that I just couldn't get those initial days I had spent in Arconia out of my mind.

It had only been a short period of my life for sure, even when you consider just the time I had been in Libraria it was barely a drop in a bucket.

But, I don't think I'd ever forget how it felt on those days when I'd had to go hungry. It wasn't just the cold and the empty feeling in my stomach which had bothered me, but the outright despair at the situation I had been forced into.

I got out of that state rather quickly, but that was also why it was hard to ignore others who were in the same boat I had been.

"Um?" Drake asked when I still hadn't answered.

Stolen novel; please report.

"Right, sorry, my mind was just elsewhere," I said.

"Do you… not enjoy the company of people?" he asked.

"What makes you think that?"

"I… well, I spoke with Lauren and she mentioned that at your old job, you would barely talk to anyone unless they talked to you first. I thought that might be because you didn't like talking to lizardmen, but you don't have any family in the city, and it doesn't look like you have many, if any, human friends," Drake said.

I shrugged. "It's hard meeting people here and connecting with them as a foreigner." It wasn't like I was averse to speaking or bonding with people - it was just that I knew I couldn't take it too far without exposing myself, at which point they'd likely think that I was crazy. Barring that, there was very little other than Liberomancy I could talk to anyone about anyway. That, and it didn't matter whether I made deep connections here in Libraria or not, I'd have to abandon them upon going home anyway, so I didn't see much point in trying.

Not to mention what I did - writing grimoires, involved sitting in a room by myself and that this took up most of my time leaving very little for socializing.

Drake nodded. "I was just curious as to whether you hated other people's company or there was some other reason behind it."

Up till now we had been talking about lighter topics, though there seemed to be something… deeper behind his line of questioning here.

"It's just that - you've been here, what one year? Without any family, it would be hard to live without any friends either. You're not the only foreigner in the city though - did you reach out to anyone else? Or perhaps you could've found someone from your old country who you could share things with?" Drake prodded.

"Um…" I began. Things had been a bit better in that regard when the merchant caravan was in town, that was for sure. "It was a bit easier to blend in when there was the Book Fair you know, but…" Did I end up making any friends at that time? I had been so busy making grimoires before it had started and the first few days I was dead tired because of that. The next few days had been spent wrapped up in the tournament - oh right! There had been that girl, Stella. "...they left once it was over."

I thought about things a bit more. "Oh, and there was that guy who I ran into - but it turned out he was a demonic Liberomancer." I frowned. "Did we ever figure out how he got into the city in the first place?"

Drake seemed a bit taken aback by the question, or maybe by my sudden attempt to change the topic. "Well, no. We think he might have snuck aboard a boat somehow - but whether some dock workers were in on the whole thing or it was something else - I think we'll never know as we've halted the investigation given this blasted invasion." He paused. "I was actually wondering - how did your conversation with him go again?"

"I don't remember most of it right now," I said. "It's been a while, but he was looking for someone - and so when he went around asking for someone from another country, they thought it was me…" I chuckled. "Yeah, and then it became obvious he wasn't looking for me but someone else. He was acting rather shady too… which is why it felt odd after meeting with him."

The incident felt like it had taken place forever ago - as it was that meeting had only been for a few minutes. Of course, there was the shock of finding out later what he had really been - and that if he had wanted to kill me in that moment he probably could've with childish ease. [Crimson Lance] was quite a powerful spell when used on people. "Before you ask," I added. "No, I haven't had a chance to use [Crimson Lance] yet." People oftentimes asked me about the spell. Information about demonic spells was rather limited- so it was only sort of natural that people were curious, I guess. If you knew a spell or skill, you knew its functions and powers instinctively, and most real demonic Liberomancers were not exactly very talkative to other people.

I was considering erasing the spell from my roster - now that I was Rank Three while it might still be somewhat useful in certain circumstances, it was also a massive headache to have around. I was going to be traveling a lot, and whenever I passed through a checkpoint I'd have to explain how I got it. That was fine while I was in Chipker or its neighboring countries, but would become difficult as we moved further away from this kingdom.

"Is there a reason for this line of questioning?" I asked Drake. His manner had shifted somewhat, and to me, it was like he was trying to find out something but trying his best to ask about it in a roundabout way.

The issue was that he was not very good at hiding it. I was sure that if it was Zeke instead of him, I wouldn't have even become borderline suspicious.

But, that was also why I felt like I could be more relaxed around Drake in the first place - I could probably take him for what he said at face value.

Zeke was definitely the better candidate to become governor, but that was because he was better at subterfuge as well! I had initially liked him better because he treated me nicer, though with time as I began to realize that was more of a mask than anything else and I was clueless as to how he really felt about me. As I got to understand Drake, this changed and now I'd much rather have a conversation with Drake than with Zeke. Oh, if it was actually something important Zeke was no doubt the one to turn to, but if if was just shooting the breeze after work, it would be Drake. "No, no," Drake said. "Just wanted to get to know you better!"

This was such a blatant lie I didn't even bother calling it out and our conversation shifted to more mundane topics.