Equipment Printing School Mage

"I'm sorry, but we are very close friends." Emilia answered without hesitation.

"You're so rigid, you're so boring! Who did you learn that from?!"

Emiya thought for a moment and replied, "Probably my teacher."

After several years of study, he unknowingly became closer and closer to his teacher. He even thought that all people from other worlds behaved in this way.

Although less than a month had passed, his stereotype had been completely shattered by the cruel reality.

"I'm going to stop talking. I'm getting angrier the more I talk." The old dwarf slammed a heavy bag from his waist onto the table in a bad mood. "Here, this is the money to vent my anger. Three hundred gold coins. It's not a generous amount, but it's not too little either."

An ordinary cloth bag, nothing special looking.

However, just as Emilia reached out to hold the bag, the old dwarf reached out and gently pressed his palm on the top of the bag.

Judging from the heavy weight, it was indeed filled with gold coins. However, there was a small protrusion on top of the pile of gold coins.

...It looks like a brooch.

The old dwarf reluctantly let go of her hand, as if he knew nothing. "What are your plans after this trip?"

"You're thinking too far ahead." Emilia sighed, "I'm still worried about the upcoming journey."

The old dwarf shrugged. "Are you leaving now?"

Emilia replied, "Yes, I just came to say goodbye."

"Be careful in Baldur's Gate." Niggins Mirrorshadow sat back in his seat and sighed leisurely. "Even though it's a city, there may be more ferocious beasts there than in the forest."

He said meaningfully: "It would be better to find some friends first and let them take care of it."

Emya is almost alone in this world, and it is impossible for her to have friends in Baldur's Gate.

—Except the harpist.

Emiya stood up solemnly and replied, "Thank you for your advice. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

It was still early in the evening, and the Friendly Arms Inn was not crowded with guests.

Sitting at the door of the hotel on the first floor, a skinny old man, dressed in a simple black robe, was so old that he had no hair or teeth left. He just stared blankly out the window.

Just as Emilia passed by him, the old man's cloudy eyes seemed to clear a little, and he whispered vaguely.

The voice was horribly hoarse.

"Ah, it's harvest time again. This time the momentum is particularly encouraging."

Emiya paused for a moment, blocking the old man's sight. Emiya looked out the window curiously.

From here, only the towering walls of the Friendly Arm are visible.

He couldn't help but reply, "Old man, it's only the end of summer now, not the beginning of autumn."

Although the old man looked a little confused due to his age, he seemed to understand what Emiya said and answered seriously: "Yes, yes... It's too early. I still need to grow... I still need to grow."

Nitkin Mirrorshadow shouted, "Emmya, don't bother with him. He's old and talks nonsense all the time! If he keeps talking like this, you won't be leaving today!"

As if to confirm the words of the mirror, the old man never uttered any clear words again, but the low and hoarse voice also disappeared without a trace.

To Yin, a castle obviously had no special appeal. So she and Mars left the Friendly Arms directly at the beginning and waited outside the city gate.

She had no interest in riding horses, but the Phantom Horse was obviously an exception - at this moment, she almost lay on the Phantom Horse's back and sucked hard, with an uncontrollable smile on her face.

Every time he saw her expression like this, Emilia felt somewhat guilty - against the backdrop of Silver, his lack of interest in the arcane seemed like a serious sin.

Mars waited patiently in the distance until Emilia and her former colleagues on the city wall said goodbye, then he finally drove his horse forward: "Is the farewell over?"

Emilia turned around and replied, "It's over. Once I leave this time, it might be a long time before I come back again."

"Ah, I understand. It was pretty much the same when I left Eltoril," the paladin sighed. "...even more crowded than when I left Candlekeep."

However, the paladin was clearly reluctant to discuss the topic. He simply turned his horse and said, "Let's go. If we hurry, we might be able to reach Rivington before nightfall."

"...Where is Rivington?"

"Ah, it seems you're not from the Sword Coast," the paladin replied. "Baldur's Gate is technically a city. But during the Arcane Scourge, Baldur's Gate was forced to accept refugees several times its original population in just a few months, bringing the entire city to a near standstill."

"After much effort, all the space outside Baldur's Gate was utilized. Originally consisting of only the Upper and Lower Towns, Baldur's Gate now had an Outer Town. This Outer Town extended outward along the original road, even crossing the Dragon Bridge over the Chongsa River. This area, while considered part of Baldur's Gate's Outer Town, was indeed too far outside. Hence, it was also called Rivington."

Emilia's face froze for a moment: "...Mr. Apodale said that his friend lives in the downtown area."

Mars shrugged. "In the past, most people in the Lower City were considered commoners who couldn't get promoted. But everything depends on comparison. Now, I'm afraid we have to ride across the entire outer city."

Emilia thought about the scene of galloping on the avenue under the gaze of everyone, and couldn't help but get goosebumps all over her body.

He was really not used to the feeling of being watched by so many people.

But if I had to dismount and walk dozens of kilometers just because of this...it would feel stupid in another way.

He sighed and called out to Yin, "Miss Yin! We're leaving!"

Although this trip was also a rush, there was no need to rush the clock like the trip to the Sharptooth Forest. Therefore, they simply had the two phantom steeds and the paladin's warhorse move at a brisk pace. This pace also allowed them to do some personal things on horseback without being forced to concentrate completely on their mounts.

Before we knew it, the towering Feilong Bridge had appeared on the horizon.

Friendly Arms was very close to Rivington, and it was getting closer every day. As the de facto satellite city of Baldur's Gate, Rivington was growing almost every day.

This is also an important reason why Friendly Arm is not as prosperous as it was a hundred years ago - when you are only a dozen kilometers away from the city, you probably won't deliberately look for a hotel to stay for a few days and nights.

The journey was safe and sound, and Emilia's nerves relaxed a little. She remembered the cloth bag that seemed to contain a secret.

He stepped on the saddle on the horse, steadied his body, and untied the cloth bag.

Judging from the weight, there were indeed about three hundred gold coins, but what shocked him was that at the top of the pile of gold coins, he touched something strange, which was an exquisite brooch.

The brooch appears to be made of silver and lapis lazuli. A crescent moon, made of precious metal, encloses a harp. The lapis lazuli serves as a pin.

This is a harpist brooch.

The Harpers are a secret society-like organization. In order to prove their identity, the only physical evidence their members can rely on, besides their close relationship with each other, is this special brooch.

Before leaving the forest, Apodale had told Emilia some of the Harper's nearly open secrets: one of which was that a Harper's brooch was proof of personal identity. Giving one's brooch to someone else unless it was absolutely urgent was considered a serious offense.

It was obvious that the old dwarf would not just hand over his brooch to him.

So, who owns this brooch?

Emiya raised the brooch in astonishment, feeling the magic web flowing inside, and shuddered.

Mars saw the item in Emilia's hand at a glance and moved his horse closer: "Obviously, this is your brooch."

"—Why do I have a brooch?! I never said I wanted to join the Harpers!"

"You act like a Harper. When you arrive at a location, you seek their support first. I bet you wouldn't mind helping Harpers in need. As for helping the innocent and the weak, you've already done more than enough these past few days." Mars shrugged. "The Harpers are a very loose organization. But the fact that this shop owner is qualified to recruit Harpers actually surprises me."

“…This is a bit of a forced sale!”

Mars' expression remained unchanged as he replied, "That's simple—you throw this Harper brooch away, or throw it to the bottom of the warehouse and pretend it doesn't exist. Then, no one except the boss of the Friendly Arm will know you're a Harper—of course, if you want to gain the trust of other Harpers, you'll have to start from scratch."

"That High Harper in Baldur's Gate isn't a big deal, since it was my teacher who recommended us to visit him. There's no such good thing anywhere else—just confirming their existence would require a lot of effort."

Emiya was silent for a moment: "Then I think it's better to keep it."

Hearing this, Mars' face showed an expected, even somewhat gloating expression: "Then congratulations. You are now an official harpist."

In short, Emilia was tricked by an open conspiracy.

Emiya put the brooch back into her luggage with a troubled look on her face. At this moment, Mars looked ahead vigilantly and suddenly said, "Stop! There's someone blocking the road ahead!"

They were not far from Rivington. But at this moment, three groups of fully armed warriors gathered into two groups, completely blocking the road ahead.

One group wore a crimson-encircled fist as their emblem. Opposite them stood two groups: one wearing leather armor adorned with a crimson crescent moon, while the other wore an emblem depicting a city illuminated by two suns, one rising and one falling.

The Flaming Fist of Baldur's Gate, the Crimson Moon—and the Eltoril.

The three groups of people have not yet started fighting, but are just confronting each other from a distance - but this silence is also the most dangerous.

Emiya sighed deeply: "As expected, there is no such thing as a smooth journey."

2. Walking on Thin Ice

——It’s very troublesome.

Emiya realized this when she saw the group of people in front.

Although Feren's armor is not cheap, it is not particularly expensive compared to the income of mercenaries.

Mars even occasionally mentioned that all Hell Knights would be issued armor upon completion of training - a truly impressive feat.

The Flaming Fist was a military entity that had dominated Baldur's Gate for a century. Under such circumstances, the Crimson Moon, a group of leather-clad mercenaries, dared to accept the Grand Duke's employ and confront the Flaming Fist. Such a group was either ignorant of life and death or had no fear of death.

The only difference between these two attitudes is the difference in their strength.

But the most troublesome thing for the three of them was that they really shouldn't have exposed their existence at the beginning.

The Crimson Moon Group may have already brought back news of their defeat. However, as a precaution, the Grand Guild of Valakon may have sent someone to contact the Sharptooth Forest Circle again. They may still have a few days of information gap.

Of course, when they were in the Sharptooth Forest Circle, they all used disguise - but after all, disguise only changed appearance.

After all, an illusion is just an illusion. It may deceive you temporarily, but it is entirely possible that it will be exposed when you least expect it.

He and Mars were fine. Although a paladin couldn't lie, he could keep silent—of course, Mars himself didn't like to talk either.

Disguise only changes appearance and cannot withstand the attention of those who are interested.

Therefore, if you can deal with fewer people, it is better to fight less.

The plan was set, and Emiya turned her horse's head and said, "Let's see if we can get through... Yin, don't talk for a while."

Yin blinked, "Why?"

When it comes to socializing, Yin is a complete time bomb. By now, Emiya could only confirm that this time mage, who had lost 80% to 90% of his power, was a true arcane fanatic.

How does she behave when interacting with others? Not rude, but certainly disrespectful.

She looked like a little girl of fifteen or sixteen, but she clearly lacked this awareness. What was even worse was that Emilia had never heard any respectful or derogatory terms from her mouth.

If she spoke arrogantly, she might be from a noble family. If she spoke respectfully, she was at least likable. But it would be hard to find someone else with such a strange way of speaking.

Emiya didn't think she could help Yin change this habit at all.

Emiya was silent for a moment, then decided to try again: "...You know that way of speaking where you say different things to different people?"

Although Emiya himself is not good at speaking, he has become the de facto captain now, relying entirely on the support of his teammates.

As a holy knight, Mars was naturally well-versed in all kinds of etiquette, and he even gave Emilia some etiquette lessons occasionally in the past few days - but this guy himself was not willing to use it at all!

Silver goes a step further.

The silver-haired girl blinked and asked, "Those words like sir, sir, etc...? Why should I learn that?"

Emiya was silent, and after a long moment's consideration of her words, she replied, "The way you speak now...will probably be remembered clearly by everyone who has seen you."

Yin tilted his head in confusion: "--What's wrong with this?"

"We should try to be as stealthy as possible. If we come into other people's sight, it might be dangerous."

Yin's eyes moved, and then he nodded familiarly: "I understand. Then you can figure out a solution."

"——Ah?!" Emiya almost cried out, "Why should I come up with a solution for this?"

Silver replied in a tone that lacked emotion and rhythm: "According to Article 1 of Section 2 of my team contract: The management body shall provide the maximum assistance within its capabilities, based on a comprehensive consideration of risks and benefits and the personal wishes of teammates—"

Then, her voice rose: "Do you think I don't know? Every time I promise you something, you have something to hold against me, and I will definitely regret it later!"

"Oh no!" Emiya was startled. Yin's Archmage mode had vanished, and she was now in snarky, snarky girl mode. Although he still had no idea what was happening, he glanced at the three groups in the distance. "This is completely groundless, isn't it? When have I ever used that as leverage against you?"

"...Huh?" Yin blinked as if waking from a dream, and carefully examined Emiya's face. "It seems so. Although for some reason, her temperament is indeed very similar...Okay, I'll listen to you this time."

The temperament is very similar... What a bizarre reason.

However, at this point, he couldn't care less - just listen to her this time, and then lie to her again... and convince her.

Mars rode forward and whispered in the ear of Emilia, who looked distressed: "It's okay. She didn't say how long this time will last."

Emilia's eyes lit up - is this the holy warrior who is well versed in the rules?

Yin's ears pricked up immediately: "What are you two talking about!"

*****************

The conflict outside Rivington has been going on for several days.