Chapter 10

As I walked along the road connecting Reutal and the capital, I passed by people heading in the opposite direction. I was about to think that no one was coming from this side to Reutal, but of course, that made sense. If the starting point was the capital, it was impossible for someone to be walking faster than a magic car. I found it odd that I hadn’t noticed such a simple fact and chuckled to myself.

"Hey! Fred!"

After a while, Tonus, who had seated me in the passenger seat, and I were chatting about mundane topics when he slowed down the magic car and called out to one of the men walking on the road. He must be Fred, the guard and stall attendant.

"Huh... What?! Why?! Wasn't it broken?!"

"Well, a lucky alchemist happened to pass by. He had the tools, so he fixed it quickly."

"No way. I don't think it was something that could be fixed so easily just because he had the tools..."

Fred, a man with a sturdy adventurer's build and simple armor, had a black hairstyle that made his face hard to see due to his long, voluminous bangs. He looked to be in his early twenties. I got out of the car to introduce myself and we exchanged brief greetings.

"Thanks for passing by, you're really skilled. I'm Fred. I'm registered as an adventurer, but as you heard, I do all sorts of jobs, from guarding to being a shop assistant, kind of like a handyman."

"I'm Rio. I'm just an apprentice alchemist... I appreciate the compliment, but I'm not that skilled."

I was still a novice adventurer, having only been at it for one or two years, but since Tonus thought so, I decided to go along with it and introduce myself as an apprentice alchemist. Skilled professionals often move between cities, so it wouldn’t seem unnatural. In my head, I was constructing a cover story for "Rio, a 14-year-old apprentice alchemist who could be found anywhere" in case I was asked.

Fred's face was mostly hidden by his long bangs, but from his features and mouth, I imagined he had a well-defined face. His posture and the way he shifted his weight clearly showed that he was strong enough to take on guard jobs. He didn’t seem suspicious of me, but strong people often have good instincts, so I had to be careful not to raise any suspicions.

"You're modest, Rio."

Fred's cheerful smile and demeanor reminded me of a puli, a breed of sheepdog with long, shaggy fur that hides its eyes. I wouldn’t tell him he reminded me of a dog, though.

We arrived in Reutal smoothly, and Tonus and the others, who had mentioned they had work at the merchant guild, drove off in the magic car. As planned, I was able to secure a room at a decent inn without showing any identification, which was a relief. Since we had some connection, I was invited to have dinner together, and I accepted. I needed to make sure I could take off my hood before dinner.

Fortunately, the effect of the recognition inhibition was still in place, and it seemed that no one could even remember my face, let alone find it odd that I was always wearing a hood. However, the more we interacted, the more likely it was that the effect would wear off. The function I had added to the cloak I made myself would probably wear off much sooner. I needed to land softly before that happened.

I had a high-performance cloak made by Cornelia that made me almost invisible to most people, but it was too expensive and would draw attention if it were discovered, so I left it at home.

I took out alchemical materials from my bag and began cutting my long hair into small bundles. Having long hair was inconvenient for pretending to be a boy, and there was no need to keep it long if I wasn’t a noble lady. Besides, I could use the hair for other purposes. I intended to use it to throw off any attempts to track my family.

After cutting the long strands, I trimmed my hair to a presentable length. The bathroom in the private room was small, so I used a water mirror spell to see myself while cutting my hair. The room was designed for a single male guest, with a small bed and no decorations. A small mirror was enough for shaving, which suited my needs.

I laid heat-resistant panels on the floor of the shower area and set up a small alchemical furnace and pot. I added the materials I had in mind, cutting and grinding them as I went. I decided to dye my hair a dark gray to avoid an unnatural color change from my original silver.

I applied the dye evenly to my hair and wrapped it in a steaming towel, applying gentle heat to set the color. The towel would be stained, so I used my own. While waiting for the dye to set, I took out sewing tools and a fabric chest binder from my bag and adjusted it to look like a boy’s chest when worn. If I had to keep up the act, I would need to make a more proper one, but this would do for now. My slender build, unlike that of my mother or Angelica, was helpful.

I didn’t want my face to be recognized, but I couldn’t wear the cloak to dinner. A disguise magic item like the one I used for the inspection in Prince Reynold’s city would be ideal, but that was a top-tier item made by Cornelia, and I had left it at home.

Maintaining a disguise with constant magic was difficult, and if the spell were to break suddenly, I would become suspicious. After drying my newly dyed short hair with warm air, I decided to change my appearance physically and took out cosmetics.

I made my eyes look slightly droopy to appear less mean, and since my eyelashes and eyebrows were silver, I had to cover them. Adding freckles would make my face look quite different from my original appearance.

I was already wearing men’s clothing for outdoor activities, and I had only brought pants. If my disguise as a boy were to be discovered, I could explain it as "I didn’t want to travel alone as a woman," which wouldn’t seem unnatural. As long as I was in this city, I could pass off as part of a group of three doing business, which was convenient.

Satisfied with my disguise, I checked the time and lay down on the bed. I was suddenly overwhelmed by sleepiness, having walked the road all night. My body and mind were exhausted, and my injuries, though healing, were not fully recovered.

I fell asleep, responding to my body’s needs.

---

"Rio seems unnatural? Well, he does seem skilled for his age, but..."

"No, no, man! That’s not the point! It’s not just unnatural, it’s downright strange, strange!"

"Really?"

Fred, who was accompanying the purchase, was explaining enthusiastically to Tonus, but Tonus didn’t seem to fully agree.

"Alchemists specialize in different areas. They design the functions and magic circuits of magic items, and some even create or modify the structure of magic items. A 4th-level or higher magic bag and a magic car are very different. An alchemist who can do both is rare, especially at his age. He’s a genius."

"I get that he’s impressive, but to me, it just means he’s ‘impressive’ in both areas."

Despite Fred’s enthusiasm, Tonus didn’t seem to grasp the significance, walking through the merchant district, looking at lists of goods to be delivered to the next destination. They would check samples and have them delivered to the car later, which was parked at a magic car repair shop in Reutal, as Rio had insisted.

"Think of it like a merchant who needs to develop new products, evaluate goods, manage a store, and serve customers. A magic bag and a magic car are as different as a business for commoners and one for nobles."

"Really? That different?"

This time, Tonus sensed the surprise in Fred’s voice and finally understood. Fred’s mouth curved into a satisfied smile, as if to say, "Finally, you get it."

"Why is such a genius wandering alone?"

"He must have some reason, but..."

Fred mentioned several possibilities. Since alchemists usually have a master, something must have happened to make him leave at his age, or he might be on his way to a destination. He seemed too young to have a job lined up.

From his tone, it seemed his master was even more skilled, and Fred genuinely believed Rio was still learning. If his master was a genius, he might do something unusual, like going on a trip on a whim. Rio didn’t seem sad, so he probably wasn’t kicked out by his master, but the truth was unknown.

"Well, that’s probably it. ...I can tell he’s not a bad person, so I won’t pry."

The merchant, who had only shared the road with the boy, didn’t want to get too involved, especially since the boy didn’t seem to be in trouble.

"Maybe he has some spare magic items that adventurers would like to buy?"

"He probably needs travel money, so you could ask him."

Tonus, who could do basic evaluations of magic items, suggested it lightly, already planning to use the offer of dinner as leverage.

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For the next part, I want to include a different perspective at the same time, like "Meanwhile, at the same time."