Chapter 5

When they arrived at the main gate of the town of Moulton, the soldiers guarding the gate hurriedly came out upon seeing the carriage with the baron's crest. Normally, one of the knights would go ahead to announce their arrival, but this time, there were only Ashley and Ray as the guards, and neither of them were vassals of the baron, so they could not perform the announcement.

A knight who seemed to be in charge knelt before the carriage, and behind him, his subordinates knelt on one knee. Seeing only two guards and an empty horse, he instinctively felt that they had been involved in some kind of trouble. He waited quietly, bowing his head, for the baron's explanation.

The baron got out of the carriage and said,

"We were betrayed by the mercenaries we hired along the way. Fortunately, I and Oriana are safe, but the knights who accompanied us were all killed. Please carry their bodies respectfully to the manor..."

After that, the baron gave a series of detailed instructions. Ashley watched his actions calmly, but Ray, unsure of what to do, decided to stand next to Ashley.

(What should I do in a situation like this? I'll just follow Ashley and stay quiet until I'm told what to do.)

When the baron finished all his instructions, he got back into the carriage and headed towards the manor. Ashley showed her armband to the gate guards and then mounted her horse. Not knowing what to do, Ray called out,

"Ashley! Wait up. What should I do?"

She looked as if she had made a mistake and said, "Sorry, just wait a moment," before chasing after the baron's carriage.

She quickly caught up to the carriage and spoke with the baron, who said, "This person is my savior. Let him through without any trouble."

Ray mounted his horse and passed through the gate, watched by the guards.

(That armband must be a guild orb. It's supposed to be a magical device used as a form of identification. I didn't have it on my arm when I saw it earlier. I probably couldn't have stayed at an inn without getting it quickly.)

An orb is a special magical device that resonates with a magic crystal and can verify the user's identity by transcribing the crystal's information. It is usually worn as a pendant around the neck or as a bracelet on the wrist.

It is a common item used not only by guilds like the Adventurer's Guild and the Mercenary Guild but also by town and village offices. Typically, everyone over the age of ten has one. It is used as identification for checking into inns, obtaining business permits, and entering and exiting towns. If lost, it can be reissued, but until then, movement is restricted, so many people wear it even when sleeping.

When Ray caught up to the baron's carriage, he followed it on horseback. The town of Moulton is built on a hill, so the road from the gate is an uphill slope with a winding path leading to the top. At the top of the hill, several spires and a wall, as well as large windmills turning slowly, can be seen.

On both sides of the road leading up the hill, houses with white walls and bright orange roofs are lined up, and the roads are all paved with cobblestones. As they climbed the hill, the residents, seeing the baron's crest, came out onto the road and bowed. The residents' faces showed natural smiles, and Ray thought that the baron, despite being a feudal lord, was well-respected.

After about twenty minutes of climbing, they arrived at a building that was more like a small castle, surrounded by a grand stone wall with towers at each corner. The wall was made of sturdy gray stone and was about ten meters high. The top of the wall had a series of arrow slits, giving it the appearance of a battle-ready fortress.

Following the carriage, they passed through the main gate. Inside, there was a large manor with white walls and orange roofs, similar to the buildings in the town, and it was about three stories tall.

(This looks like a manor from a movie or an anime... What should I do? Is it really okay to come here? But I had nowhere else to go...)

Ray, still unsure of what to do, kept an eye on Ashley's movements. When she dismounted, he followed suit and handed his horse to a nearby stable hand.

She went to the baron, who had also dismounted, bowed, and asked what to do with him.

"What will happen to Lord Ray?"

"Aye, Edward, I'm sorry, but could you prepare a room for him?"

The baron ordered the butler to prepare a room and then said to Ray,

"I would like to entertain you in my manor tonight. Would that be acceptable?"

Ray hesitated for a moment but, hearing that Ashley was also invited to dinner and would be staying at the manor, he bowed and said, "Thank you."

(I have nowhere else to go, and it might be safer to be under the baron's protection for now. At the very least, I need to get an orb...)

The baron went inside with his daughter Oriana, and Ashley and Ray were led to their rooms by the butler, Edward.

The room they were shown to was about fifteen tatami mats in size and was next to Ashley's room.

"Dinner will be served in an hour. Please relax here until then. I will come to fetch you when it's time."

Edward, showing no signs of the attack by bandits or the fatigue of the journey, explained the schedule and then left the room with a polite bow.

(When did he even adjust the dinner time? Are all butlers this amazing?)

Ray, surprised by the real butler he had never seen before, had a strange thought, but as soon as he was alone, he felt a wave of fatigue.

He wanted to collapse on the bed immediately but realized he needed to take off his armor first.

(Well, I need to take off this armor... um, how do I do that?)

He managed to remove the gauntlets, greaves, and cuisses but couldn't take off the armor covering his upper body.

(How do I take it off? It's connected from my forearms to my shoulders, so I can't take it off...)

He looked at the shoulder area several times but couldn't figure out the connection. After struggling for about five minutes, he gave up and sat on the bed.

(What should I do... Ah, I'll ask Ashley.)

He went to Ashley's room in a half-undressed state.

When he knocked, Ashley, who had taken off her armor and changed into a cotton or linen shirt, opened the door.

"What's wrong?"

She was surprised to see Ray standing outside her room in a half-undressed state. He, too, was surprised by her appearance—her almond-shaped eyes with long lashes and her large breasts pushing up her thin shirt—and couldn't help but stare.

(She really is beautiful. I didn't realize she had such a good figure... Her chest is so big, I think the buttons on her shirt might pop off...)

Seeing her uncomfortable with being stared at, he remembered his purpose.

"I don't know how to take off my armor. Can you help me...?"

She looked momentarily stunned but then remembered his memory loss and invited him into her room.

"Come in. If you've lost your memory, it can't be helped."

She began to teach him how to take off and put on armor.

"Unlatch this buckle, and the shoulder guard will come off. The vambrace can be removed this way, and the cuirass..."

It took him about ten minutes to take off his armor, but when he saw himself, he felt embarrassed. Without his armor, he was only in a white under-armor and thick white tights.

(Looking closely, it's like underwear. I shouldn't be in this in front of a woman...)

He turned red and fidgeted, and she asked,

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

"No, I just feel a bit embarrassed in this outfit..."

"You're right. You can't go to dinner like this... Should I ask Lord Edward?"

She, having been a mercenary for a long time, didn't mind. He, however, didn't want anyone to see him in this state in a woman's room and desperately tried to think of a solution.

(I should go back to my room... Maybe... I can use a storage magic item box...)

He remembered a magic he had thought of in the story, similar to the "Purify" spell.

(By manipulating dimensions with "Dark" and space with "Wind," and then focusing on opening the storage box... Ah! The menu appeared.)

When he thought of the storage magic, his left hand glowed, and a list of items in the item box appeared before his eyes. The list included flasks, knives, coins, and a knight's uniform.

He focused on the knight's uniform and took it out of the item box.

Ashley, noticing Ray's sudden silence, was about to speak but was surprised when his left hand glowed and a white garment appeared in his right hand.

"What happened?! Ray! What did you just do!"

Surprised by her voice, he stammered,

"Well, I thought I could use storage magic... It seems I can, and I took out the clothes... Is this magic really that rare?"

"Not just rare... There are similar spells in mythology, but... Who are you, really?"

She answered, confused, but in her heart, she thought,

(I've really met an interesting man. I wonder what will happen when he regains his memory... It might be fun to stick with this guy for a while...)

She became even more interested in him.

Feeling flustered under her obvious curiosity, he said,

"I'll go change! I'll come back for my armor soon..." and fled from her room.

Left alone, Ashley examined the metal armor Ray had left behind.

(Silver armor... Mithril? It seemed lighter than that...)

She picked up the cuirass and was surprised by its weight.

(What is this weight? This cuirass alone weighs about fifteen kilograms... Ray carried it so easily...)

She had thought it was a ceremonial armor, but upon closer inspection, it was thicker and seemed to have better defense than regular steel armor. On the inside, a yellow-painted magic array was drawn.

(What is this magic array? A magic array on armor... Is it enchanted with a defense enhancement and weight reduction spell? If so, this armor alone is quite valuable...)

The shoulder guards and vambraces also had different magic arrays, indicating that they were enchanted with some kind of magic.

(He's really a mysterious man. It's been a year since I left the group, and I was starting to get a bit bored. Meeting an interesting man like this might have been just what I needed.)

She smiled to herself, thinking about it.

Meanwhile, Ray, holding the clothes he had taken out, rushed back to his room. He had noticed the magic array on his left hand when using storage magic but, thinking it was more important to change, didn't think about it deeply.

The clothes he held were a long white coat and loose trousers, with silver thread embroidery and a sun emblem on the back of the coat.

(Oh! This is also a cosplay outfit. I don't want to wear this...)

Despite his thoughts, he had no other clothes to wear, so he reluctantly put on the coat. It fit perfectly, and when he fastened the sword belt, he felt like he looked somewhat presentable. He checked himself for any oddities and then went to Ashley's room.

As he left his room, he met the butler, Edward, who was about to knock.

"Oh? Lord Ray, you have your own clothes?"

"Yes, I had them inside... Did you prepare them for me?"

The butler nodded gracefully,

"Yes, as you didn't have a bag, I took the liberty of preparing them, but it seems I was mistaken."

Ray was genuinely impressed by Edward's quick thinking.

(He really pays attention. If I didn't have the storage magic, I would have been grateful...)

Edward said dinner would be served in about thirty minutes and then returned to the manor with the maid.

Ray went back to Ashley's room to retrieve his armor.

Inside, Ashley was seriously examining his armor and suddenly asked him to hold it.

"Can you hold this?"

He lifted his armor, feeling puzzled.

"What is this?"

He asked, puzzled, but she didn't answer. She placed her breastplate at his feet and said, "Now, lift this one."

He tilted his head and lifted her breastplate.

"Which one feels heavier?"

"Of course, Ashley's armor is heavier. It's practical. Mine is just for show, right?"

"Indeed... Ray, your armor is twice as heavy. Can you show me the back of your left hand?"

(What does she mean? Ashley's armor was heavier... The back of my left hand? She wants to see the magic array from earlier? I didn't look at it closely, but maybe Ashley knows something...)

He showed her his left hand, and she examined it closely. His left hand had a complex magic array tattooed on it.

"Do you know what it is?" he asked.

"Hmm... I'm not an expert in magic, but the colors suggest it can handle all eight attributes..."

After thinking for a moment, she continued,

"This is just a guess, but you don't chant spells when using magic. Perhaps this magic array communicates with the spirits, allowing you to use storage magic and others. It might be linked with the magic array on your armor, which could be why the weight reduction spell works. Of course, I have no proof."

He listened to her explanation and silently looked at his left hand.

(Purify magic and storage magic. The light spear when I was unconscious... The weight reduction on the armor and the additional magic on the spear... The magic array setting...)

In this world, magic is performed by borrowing the power of the eight elemental spirits—fire, light, wind, wood, water, darkness, earth, and metal. The power of the spirits can be harnessed by giving them one's own magic, and the amount and quality of the magic determine the power of the spell.

The types of magic vary widely based on the caster's imagination but generally correlate with physical phenomena. For example, fire attributes are often used for attacks, darkness for mental effects, and metal for enhancements. Spells can be cast without incantations, but most mages use them to clarify the specific phenomenon they want to create.

Magic arrays, on the other hand, are geometric patterns that spirits can understand. By channeling magic into these arrays, spirits are more easily summoned, and they are often used for non-incantation casting or large-scale magic.

(Writing magic arrays on the body was just an idea... I can't remember the story, so I don't know who was supposed to use it or how...)

He fell silent, and Ashley did the same.

(Writing magic arrays on the body... I've never heard of it. If he were a holy knight of the Church of Light, he would only use the light attribute... But Ray's array uses all attributes, including the darkness that the Church of Light despises. I thought he had some connection to