After finishing the meal, I parted ways with Solana for a bit.
Solana seemed to want to spend a little more time together, but we had too many urgent matters to handle. I myself had the inauguration ceremony scheduled in a few hours.
“It’s lively here.”
The number of people bustling through the bustling district kept increasing.
The streets were impeccably clean, with no trash in sight, buildings lined up at regular intervals, and people wearing expressions filled with busyness and vitality.
I stood at the center, reflecting on my conversation with Solana.
—I should send a reply. Let me know their addresses.
—What will you write?
—Just a line. I’m thinking of just noting the location.
—Aha, so you intend to summon them directly.
But she had shown a hint of concern.
—While providing the address is easy… I don’t know if the department heads will read the reply. I can’t guarantee that.
Solana’s following explanation had a fair point.
From their perspective, there was a high chance they wouldn’t read my reply, which came from someone of commoner origin with no known experience, and even if they did read it, they were likely to ignore it until the time of the inauguration.
I let out a puff of Sunweed smoke.
“This is why fame is bothersome, and anonymity is frustrating.”
—Well, let’s just send the reply first. There’s a way.
So, I sent the reply and now needed to find a method to ensure they would rush to the noted location after reading it.
As I was deep in thought, I continued walking.
Eventually, I stopped.
In front of a hair salon.
I briefly considered passing it by, but the reflection of myself in the window caught my eye.
Like a wild wolf rolling around in the wilderness, a man of disheveled appearance with long, white hair down to his waist and Sunweed in his mouth. It would be quite problematic to attend the inauguration looking like this.
‘Should I at least maintain some decorum as the inspector?’
Thinking of a method could be done while seated, so there was no reason to hesitate about visiting the hair salon. I steeled my resolve and stepped inside.
“Um…”
The height difference between me and the hairdresser was quite staggering. She looked up at me, mouth agape.
“Are you here to get a haircut?”
“Yeah.”
“Um… please put out your cigarette.”
She mumbled in a hesitant voice while glancing at me.
I had no intention of being a nuisance, so I figured I’d rather spit out the Sunweed, but some conditions had to be met for that to happen.
“How long will this take?”
“I can start right away, and it’ll take about 20 minutes.”
“20 minutes, sounds good.”
I spat the Sunweed into a trash can.
Despite my body always needing Sunweed due to its tendency to freeze everything around me, I could manage for about 30 minutes. I should be able to hold off on freezing the surrounding area.
Once I sat down, the hairdresser cautiously asked.
“How would you like your hair cut?”
“Hmm.”
I pondered briefly about what hairstyle would suit me.
Honestly, I could pull off just about any hairstyle, but I didn’t want to quickly chop off the long hair I had journeyed with for so long.
“Just trim it a bit.”
“Okay, I’ll cut it to shoulder length.”
However, just as the hairdresser was about to bring the scissors to my hair, she hesitated, merely eyeing me cautiously through the mirror.
“What’s the problem?”
“…You’re too tall. Could you please lower your head?”
I nodded slightly instead of answering.
Snip—Snip—
The sounds of scissors began to fill the space.
At the same time, I sank back into my earlier thoughts. There was always a way out in any situation. That held true even now.
Snip—Snip—
Snip—Snip—
As the worry persisted and the scissors continued to snip, time flowed like water.
Then suddenly—
Bang!
A loud noise erupted outside the shop.
It sounded like a massive sugar cube shattering. It pierced through the already bustling noises of the district, causing the hairdresser to quickly turn her head in that direction.
I rolled my eyes as well.
Not because the noise was bothering me, but because it was a sound I recognized.
If my instincts were correct, it was the sound of ice crystals smashing.
‘Right, it’s ice.’
As my gaze shifted, I spotted a boy.
He was shabby, barely draped in rags, trying repeatedly to conjure an ice crystal the size of a head in mid-air.
Bang!
But it was a failure.
The watermelon-sized ice crystal just exploded uselessly. The hairdresser let out a deep sigh as she watched the shards fly in every direction.
“Ugh… why is this happening here of all places? That stuff doesn’t even melt well; now I’ll have to clean it all up…”
“Do you know that boy?”
“Closer to ‘barely know’ him. He’s a magic beggar.”
After hearing the word ‘beggar,’ I finally realized that the tin can lying next to the boy was meant to collect coins.
After all, magic was an astronomical expense.
Feeding oneself, training costs, tool expenses… one had to pay incredibly high costs for everything except breathing just to maintain the title of a mage.
The hairdresser continued with a disgruntled expression.
“Normally, they show off cool magic and get at least a few coins. But that kid always fails. I’ve never seen him succeed even once.”
“So he keeps coming to this spot despite that?”
“This is the only place in the bustling district where so many people pass by. Ugh, if he wants to show off his magic, he should at least practice a bit. He’s driving away any potential customers…”
Snip—Snip—
The snipping continued.
I kept my gaze fixed on the boy.
Boom─!
This time, the ice exploded with an even louder sound.
The crowd murmured loudly in response. People who got ice crystals on their clothes frowned, and even the hairdresser, who had been treating me politely, seemed to be losing her composure.
“What in the world is he trying to make?”
People were gathering to see what was going on, some shocked and backing away. Idiots were everywhere, creating chaos in the street.
I quietly spoke up.
“No, that’s not it.”
“Oh.”
The hairdresser froze briefly.
“I’m sorry. You’re not cutting this part?”
I shook my head. It wasn’t about my hair; it was about the ice.
“…That kid isn’t trying to make anything right now.”
“Y-Yeah?”
I quietly observed the boy’s actions.
Bang─! Boom─!
A cycle of repeated failures, explosions coupled with visible curses from frustrated onlookers. I focused solely on the boy’s magic and the ice, completely ignoring the rest of the chaos.
I tried to understand his motives rather than commenting on the results he produced.
Eventually, I came to a realization. That was…
“Ice Rainbow?”
It was the technique of scattering finely crafted ice crystals to create multiple rainbows at once. The boy was likely attempting that.
It aligned perfectly with the boy’s current situation.
To those unaware of ice magic, it would appear to be an infinitely beautiful scene, likely aiming to beg for money by using it.
Bang─!
Another failure sent shards flying everywhere.
The crowd stirred.
As I observed the scene, I organized my thoughts.
Bang─!
The fame I needed to acquire in a short period of time.
Making it so that the department heads had no choice but to comply with my letter.
The problems I needed to solve immediately.
While I was thinking, the hairdresser finally paused her snipping.
“Uh… it’s done. Do you like it?”
At her question, I smiled widely.
“…I love it.”
A method to solve everything at once.
It suddenly came to me.
Bang─!
Another stunning failure.
The boy was in despair.
Today of all days, he didn’t want to go hungry. Thus, he aimed to conjure the Ice Rainbow to earn some coin from people.
But things didn’t look good.
Due to the countless previous failures, there weren’t many people left near the boy. The once vibrant street had grown eerily quiet.
“…”
Preparing for yet another attempt, the boy suddenly froze.
A towering shadow began to loom over him.
Looking up, he saw a man staring down at him with an intense gaze. Their eyes locked in an unyielding stare.
“…”
The boy unconsciously swallowed hard.
A towering figure, a glacial blue gaze that sent shivers down one’s spine, and meticulously groomed white hair.
Before his brain could process anything, his mouth moved.
“I’m sorry. I’ll leave now.”
That was the best he could muster on instinct.
There was no need for anyone to touch him; he was already on the brink of despair. If he got beaten up here, he wouldn’t be able to bear the pain.
The man slowly bent down.
As their eye levels met, the boy squeezed his eyes shut, anticipating the worst-case scenario he’d envisioned.
However.
He eventually had no choice but to open his eyes wide.
“Ice Rainbow.”
The man muttered words unexpectedly.
“That’s the Ice Rainbow, isn’t it?”
“…!”
With eyes now wide open, the boy nodded eagerly.
No one had ever taken an interest in his magic before. In fact, no one even noticed, as he had always been met with failures.
“If you keep making it that way, you won’t earn a penny.”
“…”
The boy’s small head drooped sadly.
It was a fact he knew all too well. At the same time, it was frustrating, but it was reality. His abilities were yet far from enough to bring forth the Ice Rainbow.
“Have you ever seen the Ice Rainbow?”
The boy shook his head.
“…No.”
“Well, that’s good.”
In response, the man exhaled a cloud of breath, wearing a faint smile.
“Watch closely.”
It was a demeanor the boy had never seen before, basked in the leisure of someone who seemed so carefree.
“I’ll show you just once.”
Just a single sentence, but the boy felt it instinctively.
An understanding that could not be grasped by logic, a realm distant from reason.
It softly whispered to the boy.
This street would soon be filled with people.
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