Chapter 11

It has been a few months since Iris became a holy knight. Shu, who used to be a monster from the countryside, has also started to get used to the big city of Eldana and has learned human common sense to some extent.

For example, the flow of time.

Until now, he had grasped time by whether the sun had risen or set, but now he uses a human calendar. However, he also knew that the human calendar was not very accurate. It was not a calculated calendar like the solar or lunar calendar, but one made from experience based on a general sense of the seasons and the rough position of the sun.

While it was quite close to being accurate, there were subtle discrepancies.

To correct this, an extra month was added every few years.

In addition, he had learned to read and write.

Shu was a spirit-type monster and had understood human language through the application of telepathy. However, he did not understand writing, so he had also learned that. Of course, what he had learned was the script used around the Kingdom of Ramza. If he went to another country, he would have to learn it again.

Moreover, the script of the Kingdom of Ramza was not perfect.

Today, Shu was practicing while reading a book.

"…Iris, how do you read this?"

"This is 'driftwood.' The protagonist, unfortunately, was swept away after being hit by driftwood while trying to get out of the river."

"This novel suddenly throws in a gag."

Iris had been helping Shu learn to read and write.

Despite being a busy holy knight, it seemed she also had some days off. Shu had kept track of Iris's days off and had come out of the Eldera Forest each time.

That's why knowing the calendar was important.

Thus, every time she had a day off, the two would meet in Eldana and hold study sessions at a nearby café terrace.

At such times, Iris would often complain as usual.

"Recently, my fellow holy knights have started to relax, and they keep making moves on me. It's fine to try to court me, but I wish they wouldn't take unnecessary risks on missions just to look good. Thanks to them, I've become quite skilled at light magic."

"Light magic is for healing and barriers, right? If it's just about getting better at magic, that's fine."

"But the looks and attitudes still bother me. All the other new holy knights are men."

Holy knights are not exclusively male. There are female magicians, and many of them are excellent. Talent is what matters, not gender. In fact, gender discrimination is non-existent on a global scale.

Everyone knows that strong people are strong and wise people are wise, regardless of gender.

This year, it just so happened that there were more men.

Out of five, Iris was the only woman.

"While we're new, we keep getting missions with our peers. It gets annoying to be approached every day."

"That's tough... How do you read this?"

"Oh, that's 'coast.' The protagonist seems to have been washed up there... I want to get married someday too, since I'm a woman, but I also have a choice, you know?"

"Is there someone being pushy?"

"Yes, his name is Ymir, and he's a bit creepy."

"What do you mean?"

"Every time we meet, he says things like, 'Have you decided to be my partner yet?' or 'You should serve the future S-rank holy knight' or 'Your happiness is with me.' Plus, he insists on seeing me off, follows me around, and invites me to meals and tea..."

"Well, that's something you could report."

It was clearly harassment.

A clear case of sexual harassment.

"But the fact is, he's an excellent A-rank magician. Sigh."

"Is it hard to punish him because he's so good?"

"The Kingdom of Ramza is always short of magicians."

While the land is fertile, the Kingdom of Ramza is a small country. Moreover, it is a vassal state of the Holy Grinia. The number of magicians, who are directly linked to national power, is small, and A-rank magicians are naturally treated with special favor.

"Besides, Ymir is the worst, but the other three are also subtly making moves on me. It's really annoying."

"Why don't you talk to your superiors?"

"Powerful magicians have an obligation to pass on their blood to the next generation, so it's difficult."

"You mean powerful magicians should pair up and have children?"

"In short, yes."

The trend is even stronger in a country with few powerful magicians. Holy knights serve the church across national boundaries, but they generally use their power for the benefit of their home country. Unless there is a need to defeat an incredibly strong monster on a global scale, holy knights do not operate across national boundaries.

In other words, the power of holy knights is also the power of the nation.

Women are expected to marry early to produce strong magicians for the next generation.

Of course, this is irrelevant to Iris, who possesses the magic of immortality. She can remain in her prime forever, so there's no need for her to rush into marriage. Her ability to stay young indefinitely was a terrifying power that could make all the women in the world her enemies.

"I want to marry for love. I don't want anything to do with creepy people."

"Got it. If you have any problems, I'll try to help. It's a thank you for teaching me to read."

"In that case, I want you to teach me that magic."

"But I've already told you that you can't use it."

It seemed that Iris had not given up on the "Void Cutting Domain." Shu sighed and looked back at the novel in his hands. He had already had this conversation many times and knew that the best thing to do was to ignore it.

"Come on, you can teach me."

"I said it's fine to steal it. If you want it, reproduce it."

"You said you'd help me when I'm in trouble."

"That's a different matter. How do you read this?"

"'Underwater city.' It's a compound word of 'underwater' and 'city.'"

"Ah, that's right. Thanks for telling me."

"If you're going to say that, I want you to teach me magic."

Iris puffed out her cheeks in protest.

However, Shu still refused to teach her the "Void Cutting Domain." Since she couldn't use it, there was no point in teaching her. If she wanted to use it, she would have to find her own way.

Shu's refusal also had this meaning.

It wasn't just out of malice or to keep information secret.

He did have some affection for Iris.

Moreover, he was enjoying this exchange a little.

(Having someone to talk to is rare. It's hard to have such conversations with monsters.)

In the monster village, the telepathic conversations were mostly reports. How many imps had been born, where a large number of fruits had been found, or if any individuals had evolved. They were obligated to report such information.

However, human-like conversations like the ones with Iris were almost non-existent.

With his knowledge as a former human, he found such conversations comfortable.

But someone interrupted Shu's small pleasure.

"Oh, it's Iris. What a coincidence."

"…Ymir?"

A young man with a noble appearance stood next to the table where Shu and Iris were sitting. He was dressed in noble attire, indicating his high status.

From Iris's mention of his name, Shu understood who he was.

(That holy knight, huh. Speak of the devil...)

Even if they were nobles, second sons and younger had to become independent since they couldn't inherit the family. Some talented individuals aimed to become magicians. Ymir was one of them.

"Hey Iris, why don't you have lunch with me? It's about noon, after all."

"I'm fine. I have plans to spend time with Shu."

"Shu? Could you be talking about this poor-looking man? Iris, you're too good for someone like him. You should be with a man like me, a gem among men."

Iris's expression turned stern at his arrogant and overconfident words. She probably didn't like it when Shu, whom she considered her teacher, was insulted.

On the other hand, Shu didn't really mind.

"Shu isn't like that. He's my magic teacher."

"Magic from this man? Come on, Iris. Even I can't laugh at that. To think he could teach a genius who can use the seventh tier of magic, it's unbelievable."

"It's true."

"Hmm..."

Perhaps because Iris answered so seriously, Ymir became interested in Shu.

"Sorry, I should have introduced myself. I'm Ymir Barad, the fourth son of the Barad Viscount family and a future S-rank holy knight. Remember that, commoner."

"Got it. I'm Shu Arcwright. A magician."

Unlike magicians, who are more scholarly, magicians study the principles of magic and can be called by anyone, whether they are magicians or non-magicians.

They are often wise, hence the term "magician" rather than "magician."

Of course, Ymir understood the meaning of calling himself a magician.

"I see. You're not just anyone. What kind of research are you doing?"

"Currently, material conversion."

"Oh, turning dirt into gold, right?"

"That's not exactly what I'm trying to do, but broadly speaking, that's correct."

Iris looked surprised. She knew Shu called himself a magician, but this was the first time she had heard about his research. Material conversion is a field of earth magic that has been studied since ancient times but has seen little progress due to its high difficulty. It has become a minor field because of its extreme difficulty, so she was surprised to learn that Shu was working on it.

"Shu, you're researching that?"

"Didn't I tell you?"

"I haven't heard about it."

Shu was researching material conversion because it was necessary for a certain magic. It was a great magic far surpassing the "Void Cutting Domain," and he was considering using it even against humans. He had already calculated the estimated power and the structure of the spell, so it would be complete to some extent once he conducted the experiments.

Of course, he had no intention of telling even Iris.

His seemingly innocent question was intentional.

Surprisingly, Ymir seemed to have taken an interest in Shu.

"You're working on a rather interesting field. Keep it up, commoner."

With those words, he left.

His departure was surprisingly quick. Iris was surprised, as he was usually more persistent and annoying.

However, Shu had noticed.

The interest Ymir had taken in him was not a kind feeling but a mass of jealousy and malice.