CHAPTER 26
Expelled overnight and thrown out onto the street. The circumstances were complicated, but my identity as Rapiel’s disciple was now a dead one.

“This world is certainly eventful.”

It felt like incidents were constantly revolving around me.

No, that's not right. To be precise, I was the one who stuck my head into incidents that were already happening. The events related to Black Dawn were bound to happen eventually. I was just someone who got swept up in them by chance.

A person can't overcome a typhoon. All one can do is hope for the typhoon to pass safely.

"First, I need to find a room."

The rooms available through the Transferee support group would all be taken. I'd have to share my bed with cockroaches, but that place was always full. They wouldn't give a room to anyone who wasn't a new Transferee with special benefits.

Fortunately, Rapiel had given me a hefty sum of money. She also packed books and tools related to Holy Magic. And this was only after I insisted she didn't need to give me any more. For a moment, I thought she was telling me to build a new Holy Magic tower, not expelling me. In any case, Rapiel's love for her disciple was something else.

But still, carrying this much luggage around, nine times out of ten...

“Hey.”

...I'd run into thieves hiding in the city.

As soon as I left the noble district, a gang of thugs appeared. They stood tall in a back alley, gesturing with their chins for me to follow them.

This savage world. Public safety was a joke.

A sigh escaped my lips. Of course, I wasn't the least bit scared. I was the guy who had provoked Cosmic Jac, the Sin of Sloth, and even the Red Flame Lord. At this point, a bunch of street thugs didn't scare me at all.

What’s more, I was now a proper Holy Mage. Against a few thugs, I definitely...

...couldn't win.

Against one, maybe, but against a group, a Holy Mage's chances of winning drop drastically. Ah, the sad, sad, weakest class.

“What are you dawdling for? Get over here.”

The thug's eyes twisted viciously.

“You come here.”

But when it came to guts, I could proudly say I was the world's best. My luggage is heavy, who are you to tell me to come and go? If you want something, you come here.

At my words, the thug's eyebrow twitched, and he finally stepped out into the light. The rest of his gang scurried out after him. Do thugs multiply or something? There were more of them in the alley than I thought.

“I’m out. Now what.”

“Now what? Get back in.”

Just then, a miraculous voice rang out.

I quickly turned my head to see Aranseol walking toward us. The killing intent radiating from her enveloped the thugs. In an instant, cold sweat beaded on their faces.

Aranseol hadn't been able to use her full strength until now because her opponents had been too powerful. Cosmic Jac, Black Dawn... they were on a level that fledglings who had yet to make their debut in the world couldn't handle. But mere thugs wouldn't dare to challenge Aranseol. She wasn't Soun's disciple for nothing.

"Not getting back in?"

The moment even more killing intent flared in Aranseol's eyes.

“We-we're leaving!”

The thugs scrambled to run away. If nothing else, their danger-sensing abilities were top-notch.

“Harua.”

Aranseol, having chased away the thugs, turned back to me, looking a little smug. Perhaps because her recent performance had been lackluster, she seemed proud of having subdued the thugs with just a glare. The very model of being strong against the weak and weak against the strong.

Ah, no. This girl was a head-butting dinosaur who would charge straight at strong opponents too.

“Thank you, O great Pachycephalosaurus.”

"...What's a dinosaur?"

Aranseol tilted her head in confusion, but I didn't answer.

“What's up? Here to see me off?”

“I was thinking of staying with you for a while.”

That was unexpected.

"You're a Holy Mage, Harua. Won't it be dangerous until you get settled?"

To think such a fine child could be born from these savage This-worlders. The news of the head-butting dinosaur joining me was like a savior's arrival.

“I left a letter for my master. He'll be busy for a while with this whole affair anyway.”

As expected, Black Dawn didn't just cause one incident. They carried out simultaneous acts of terror all over the world, just like with the Grace Magic Tower. Thanks to that, the entire world, including the human nation of Gladion, was in an uproar. It hadn't escalated to a full-blown war, but there was constant talk of needing to wipe out Black Dawn for good.

In addition, the hatred towards Transferees soared even higher. Black Dawn originated from Transferees, after all. Even though a considerable number of This-worlders had joined them, in the eyes of the savage This-worlders, all they saw were Transferees.

I was living in an age of great anti-Transferee sentiment.

“So I'm thinking of staying by your side for the time being.”

Soun was chasing Black Dawn. It would take a considerable amount of time to catch them. So there was no problem with Aranseol acting independently.

“Thanks. You're the only one who thinks of me, Aranseol. Even though you're a savage This-worlder, I'll rate you a little higher.”

"If you're going to compliment me, do it properly."

It was a sincere compliment, but I was disappointed she didn't get it.

Now my safety was secured. What remained was money, including food, clothing, and shelter. I had the money Rapiel gave me, but I would continue to need more. Becoming a great Holy Mage required a lot of money for materials. Just as Seeds need nutrients, mages needed to consume good quality elixirs.

Thankfully, Rapiel had written down everything in the Holy Mage books for me. I thought she was staying up all night for work, but it turned out she had anticipated this and had been squeezing in time to write them. With these, I could grow as a Holy Mage step by step.

But apart from that, buying elixirs would cost a fortune. Rapiel had given me some, but I couldn't live off it forever. I had to earn money. A lot of it.

And I knew a way to earn that kind of money.

“Aranseol, have you ever been to the 2nd World?”

This world is divided into two.

The 1st World, Astrape.
The 2nd World, Urjea.

The 1st World is where Transferees appear and This-worlders live. The 2nd World is where Fantasy Species live. The resources from Fantasy Species are useful resources in the 1st World. From magic stones to their body parts, there's no place they aren't used, including all sorts of clothing, devices, and elixirs.

So there's a constant demand for pioneers. Since it's riskier than other jobs, it's also a good way to earn big money. Of course, that's only for pioneers of a certain caliber. The reality was that low-level pioneers barely made enough to get by day-to-day.

“I've never been to the 2nd World.”

Aranseol looked a little interested. For her, who had only trained every day, this must have been a new feeling.

“Great. Let's work as pioneers together then.”

I've got an excellent vanguard. Now that I'm an official Holy Mage, I'll be of some help too. All that's left is to find one more vanguard to protect me and one rear guard, and the team will be more or less complete.

“I should ask Bulldog-ajusshi.”

When it comes to pioneer work, there's no one like that man. He's retired from being a pioneer now, but he should still be able to recommend someone. He said his son's wedding was soon, but I haven't heard from him at all.

To meet him, I headed to his house for the first time in a while. It was some distance from the noble district, but it was a middle-class residential area. As such, the roads were reasonably well-paved.

After walking down the street for a while, I saw a familiar house. I'd often gone there for dinner, so it was a familiar sight. Aranseol followed me with short steps, looking around with interest. For her, a foreigner, it must have felt like sightseeing.

“Bulldog-ajusshi, are you there? It's Harua.”

When I knocked on the door, I heard a noise from inside. Thinking Bulldog would be out soon, I stepped back, and the door opened shortly after.

However, it wasn't Bulldog who came out. It was a middle-aged woman I'd never seen before.

“...Who are you?”

“Who are you?”

The woman and I blinked at each other.

“Isn't this Bulldog-ajusshi's house?”

It was definitely his house. The slightly sunken part of the roof had been his trademark for months.

"It is. But that man's been missing for a long time."

"What?"

My eyes went wide. Bulldog was missing? What kind of crazy talk was this?

“Wh-what about his wife?”

“I heard she went missing on the same day. I'm the housekeeper hired by the son. I come by to clean like this from time to time.”

The house was full of cleaning supplies, as if she had just been cleaning.

“It's a shame, I heard the son's wedding was soon. The son canceled the wedding and is in a frenzy looking for his parents.”

For a moment, my vision swam. Bulldog was one of the few pioneers in this world I had managed to form a bond with. For him to suddenly disappear along with his wife was no small matter.

What had happened while I was gone? I couldn't think of anything.

“...Thank you. If you see his son, could you please tell him that Harua, an acquaintance of Bulldog-ajusshi, came by? And if he needs any help, please ask him to find me at the Pioneer's Guild.”

“I will. There have been a few others like you, so it won't be hard to pass on the message.”

That sounded just like the well-respected Bulldog. It seemed there were several others like me.

I left Bulldog's house with a complicated expression. I owed him a lot in many ways. As such, I hoped he was safe.

"Harua, he'll be okay. If you want, we can go look for him together," Aranseol comforted me from the side.

In this harsh world, people die every other day. I've become too jaded by this world to get overly emotional about every single thing.

“...Yeah, he'll be okay.”

Those who lack power can do nothing but hope. Knowing that, all I could do was wish for Bulldog's safety.

In the end, I decided to put the matter of Bulldog aside. That man would do well wherever he went. His son would have surely requested a search from the regular army as well. It seemed fine to wait until I was contacted separately.

“Let's go to the Pioneer's Guild and then find a room.”

I wanted to store my things at an inn, but they might get stolen. It was a hassle, but leaving my things and money at the Pioneer's Guild was the safest option.

So, we decided to head to the Pioneer's Guild first. It was as we were walking.

In front of the Pioneer's Guild, I saw a familiar back. Red hair tied back with a bird-shaped pin. I recognized her at once.

The disciple of the Red Flame Lord I had met at the Star Cluster Meeting not long ago.

Babiyen Asteria.

For some reason, she was loitering in front of the Pioneer's Guild with her luggage packed.

"Is that Babiyen?" Aranseol tilted her head as soon as she saw her.

For all her faults, she was the daughter of a baron. Why was she in such a shabby state? The answer came to me quite simply.

"Well, look at that. She got kicked out."

Babiyen had been kicked out of the barony.