Is It Bad That the Main Character’s a Roleplayer?

A little over a month later, we arrived in Bemurchen. Yes, I’d finally reached this city.

The city where I would finally learn part of the truth.

“…They’re really strict.”

“They’ve been at war with those Merfolk for the longest time, after all.”

However, perhaps because their main concern was fighting off enemies from the sea, Bemurchen was very different from other port cities.

For starters, it didn’t even have a dock, let alone any docked ships.

Furthermore, the walls were higher and thicker on the sides facing the sea than those facing land. Beyond those walls were several intricate levees and breakwaters outfitted with quite intimidating cannons.

These were all precautions against foreign invaders

“Let’s head in.”

“…The streets here are really layered.”

“You’re right. I wonder what those lower roads are for?”

“Berserk's hungry. Let’s go to a restaurant.”

I snuck a glance down toward the lower street.

It was hard to tell whether they’d deliberately dug out waterways or simply built the city this tall, creating additional roads and entrances that divided the place into two floors.

But since no water was flowing below, it seemed closer to the latter. Those paths were far too deep and narrow to be proper roads, though, which was strange.

“On rare occasions, Merfolk come in with tsunamis. That’s why it’s built like that.”

“Oh, so it’s a countermeasure against flooding?”

“That’s part of it. There are also other reasons.”

“Hrm… I heard that when the city gets flooded, the Merfolk ride the waves to maneuver about and kill people, right?”

“You're well informed. Yes, that’s correct.”

“There’s some water down there even now. Wizard, is that because Merfolk came here recently?”

“That’s probably because it rained yesterday.”

So that was how it was. Thinking of how nothing was created without a reason, I walked over the upper road.

This bridge-like road was made of stone, so there was no need to worry about it collapsing. Considering that most cities used dirt roads, this was quite interesting. RА𐌽ổ₿Ès

Bemurchen was a city made entirely out of stone.

“Anyway, let’s head to a restaurant first.”

Hmm. The solid feeling beneath my feet felt nice. Appreciating the sturdy texture of stone as I walked, I followed after the party, changing directions.

“…Meet me at the Magic Tower tomorrow after lunch. I will then give you an estimate of how long we’ll be staying here.”

The Archmage’s voice rang out behind me. It was a rule we’d established based on how it had gone in the three cities we’d previously visited.

We’d decide on a departure date as soon as we entered a city, and if we couldn’t decide immediately, we’d at least schedule a meeting to figure it out later.

Personal schedules wouldn’t be shared during this time. Except for traces of Demons, hunting Demons, or setting a departure date, we wouldn’t discuss any other matters.

On the surface, we seemed to have just the right amount of distance between us.

“Erm, Demon Knight! Please get some rest!”

…Well, except the Inquisitor, who stubbornly insisted on talking to me even after her declaration that day.

“…Rest well.”

Deathbringer didn’t act particularly differently, either. He was growing more timid and discouraged by the day, but… he clearly hadn’t given up yet.

Seriously, those two were pretty tenacious.

“…”

However, after making up my mind, I wasn’t one to give in so easily, either.

I once beat a Soulslike game with a trash weapon just because it fit my character setting. When it came to perseverance, I wouldn’t lose to anyone. I would absolutely never give up.

“Let’s go already! I’m hungry!”

“Okay. Let’s go.”

I continued to press forward through the city in silence.

Mindlessly rushing into a city I’d never been to was the perfect way to get lost, but that didn’t matter. If I kept wandering long enough, I would eventually find my way.

“Do you have any idea how much this costs? Huh?!”

Well, I’d come across something a little more interesting than that, though.

Neeeigh.

I soothed Frederick as I turned to check out the fight that had broken out on the street. A small crowd was already gathering around the commotion to watch.

“How much do you think this costs!”

Well, they did say the most entertaining things to watch were fires and fights, so I could understand their actions… Still, my eyes drifted to the inn/tavern across that street. I was more interested in going there than watching some fight.

But that probably wouldn’t be so easy, right? I might have managed if I were alone, but not when I had Frederick with me.

“This thing’s expensive enough to make you drop to your knees and apologize…!”

Neigh.

“Be patient.”

So by happenstance—or perhaps by necessity—I was stuck watching that fight. That troublemaker’s absurd words kept grating against my ears.

“Whew.”

The next thing I heard was a sigh. It seemed to come from the troublemaker’s opponent, a Sland. Her brown hair, streaked with pink, swayed in the wind.

“What’s with that sigh!?”

At that moment, not believing my eyes, I took another good look at the Sland.

Her face was as refined and graceful as a sumi-e painting… That wasn’t the important part, though. Just who in the world had given this person two-toned brown and pink hair? And even pulled it back into a ponytail? Such trivial thoughts were floating in my head.

Swish.

Adding to that, the glasses she’d pushed up had a red frame, and her exposed arms—she was wearing a sleeveless shirt—were covered in tattoos. At this point, the overwhelming combination of features left my head spinning.

That combination sure was awesome.

“Anyway, poor people like you…”

“How strange.”

But why were these absurd characteristics so oddly familiar to me? It was as if something was tugging at a memory from ages ago. Was it just my imagination?

“You were already lucky enough to be born as a person, so shouldn’t you act like one? Why do you insist on acting like a beast?”

Hadn’t I seen someone like that with the nerve to insult someone without actually cursing before?

“What? You trash! Did you really just say—”

Smack.

I watched as she smashed her fist right into her opponent’s face as I kept racking my brain. And then, something finally popped up.

“I heard the more intelligent you are, the more perceptive you are… If you can’t even perceive that much, how can you expect to get any compensation? How annoying.”

…By any chance, did that new class introduced during the second-anniversary patch also exist?

“Wow… As expected, he never disappoints. That’s Bemurchen’s Mad Dog for you.”

“Did that guy even look at who he was picking a fight with? What’s that idiot even using his eyes for? Is he an outsider?”

“He must’ve thought they were an easy target because he didn’t see a wizard’s robe or badge.”

“…But that outfit doesn’t make him look particularly weak, does it? Anyone can see he’s some kind of craftsman, at the very least.”

“If he has eyes, shouldn’t he have seen that hair color first? Only one great master has two hair colors like that, and everyone knows the name of a great master carries much more weight than that of an ordinary wizard.”

“Yeah, but… Eek. He’s looking this way.”

I was dumbfounded. Since I’d only seen five people in the trailer, I’d unconsciously assumed those were all the classes in the game.

But there was another one? And not just any class, but the one that completely destroyed the balance? The class that didn’t quite fit into the lore of the established world?

Was this really happening?

Rustle, rustle.

While I still stood there in shock, that person finally found their opponent’s wallet of her opponent and emptied out its contents.

Several copper coins and a single silver coin fell into her hand.

“Hah, you don’t even have any money.”

Obviously dissatisfied with her loot, she grabbed the bag she’d put down for a moment and firmly stepped onto the unconscious person before her, leaving clear, dirty footprints on the cloak that looked practically new.

“Truly a mad dog…”

“Shh. What if he hears you?”

Wow. That class must have left quite an impression on me. I’d only ever played it once, but I could still remember it so vividly.

Mostly, I remembered wondering whether it was really okay for this character’s personality to go on like this.

For a game that sold characters, throwing so many personality traits onto a single character seemed a bit much.

This character didn’t even join combat directly, so why did she keep throwing punches in the script? And so on.

Those were the kind of trivial memories I had of them.

“Let’s leave, it looks like it’s over. Also, could someone get the guards to scrape that guy off the road? It’d be kind of pitiful if even his clothes got stolen.”

“Even if it happens, it’s his own fault for picking a fight with the wrong person.”

However, despite having those memories, I didn’t remember her story quite well.

That made sense. Back then, I’d only played the original classes until I was sick of them. However, this class had so many buffs and such high raw damage (meaning damage that wasn’t associated with any skills or added buffs) that I ended up quitting halfway through. It just wasn’t fun because the monsters kept dying too quickly.

“Ah, excuse me. Hey, move aside.”

“Why are you… Ugh. Sorry.”

Anyway, none of that mattered now. Whether or not that person really represented that class, it wasn’t anything I should get involved with.

If she joined us, so be it, and if this was just a passing encounter, it would end up just passing by.

With these thoughts in mind, I moved past the people blocking the way. The fact they immediately got scared and stepped aside, well… that wasn’t something I could explain either.

As I had said many times before, looking like someone dangerous wasn’t something I could really fix without recustomizing everything.

“Wait.”

Ah, more importantly, I was getting hungry. I really hoped the restaurant in front of me had some decent food.

“Wait, you.”

But why was that person calling out to me?

I glanced in the direction the resonant baritone voice was coming from. A pair of purple eyes, like blooming violets, came into view.

“That’s some interesting equipment you have there.”

* * *

“As I said earlier, I’m the second Great Master of Bemurchen and an officially recognized wizard registered with the Magic Tower. Welcome to my workshop. Oh, and since I invited you here first, there’s no need to thank me. When addressing me, call me ‘Meister,’ not ‘Wizard.’ ”

It was quite an unexpected offer, but it was ultimately not a loss for me. I’d already been meaning to find out what this equipment of mine actually was.

“I warn you, don’t go around touching anything in the workshop carelessly. Some of these things might burn or shred your hands.”

This person I was dealing with right now, ‘Meister,’ was… aside from a few controversies—breaking the game balance, defying the lore, etc.—a verified genius. I realized that from the moment she introduced herself as the third class advancement of the new class: Mechanical Engineer.

Moreover, the Mechanical Engineer class description mentioned something about them becoming a craftsman at thirteen and inventing things that could shake the world.

My memory was quite hazy, so I could only recall the general nuance of it, but anyway, she was definitely a genius.

So what did that mean? It meant I needed to accept her offer no matter what. How many chances would I get to have my items inspected by a certified genius?

“Don’t even think about going deeper inside. There are a lot of dangerous chemicals there.”

Even if I excluded the meta reasons, there were enough other reasons to trust him.

Of course, this person had volunteered to show me proof of her skills before I could even ask. However, she had sighed dramatically while rummaging through her clothes, saying, “I forgot my badge again,” before asking, visibly annoyed (at herself), whether it would be okay to show me proof that she was a master later, saying there was also proof of it in her workshop.

Anyway, it didn’t seem like she was acting or anything. The workshop she’d led me to was located among various forges and Arcane tool shops, which made me trust her words even more.

Crucially, she told me I didn’t have to give her all my equipment and that just showing her my gloves would be enough. She wouldn’t pry into how I’d gotten my equipment or why I didn’t know their properties, either.

Furthermore, in exchange for being allowed to inspect the items, she offered to share whatever information she discovered for free. At this point, it would have been more foolish not to accept these terms. Even if I lost those gloves for whatever reason, it would be a loss worth taking.

“That’s all the warnings. Remember, any damage you suffer from not following these rules will be entirely your responsibility. I won’t compensate you for them.”

And so I had come here: Meister’s workshop, a place filled with the smell of oil and the clanking of metal.

“If you got all that, give me a second to prepare. Ah, don’t touch the papers on the workbench, either, unless you’re curious about how the workshop owner tortures people.”

Hmm. I didn’t plan on touching or messing with anything here, so those warnings didn’t concern me much. Judging by the smell, eating beforehand had been a pretty good call.

I praised my decision to decline Meister's suggestion—“You didn’t eat lunch yet? My inspection will take some time, so why not eat in the workshop? Oh, about the horse? Well, I guess there’s nothing I can do about that.”—when she made it earlier. Good job, me.

Meister had stared a bit too much at the food I’d been eating, which made me think she probably hadn’t eaten either, so I ended up ordering something for her as well. It had cost a little more… but spending a bit extra sure beat eating in a place that reeked of oil.

While I knew Meister was quite the “my way” kind of character, they were so shameless that it actually jogged my memory a little.

Swish.

But why was she suddenly taking off her clothes?

“What are you doing…?”

I was a little taken aback by the sudden removal of her top, only to regain my composure again when I saw the flat chest.

“What? Did you think I was a woman?”

…He wasn’t wrong, so I couldn’t really deny it.

However, the reason I’d mistaken Meister for a woman wasn’t because of his appearance. He was a female character in the original game, so I’d naturally assumed he was here as well.

After all, none of the major characters I’d met so far had deviated from their settings.

“I’ll let that slide for now since you promised to show me your equipment.”

No, I really didn’t mean it like that…

While I grumbled on the inside, I realized that coming up with any excuse would just make me look even more ridiculous. How unfair.

“You take your stuff off too.”

Meanwhile, Meister, who’d changed into his (probably) work clothes, held out his hand toward me with a calm expression.

He hadn’t done anything unreasonable, but for some reason, I couldn’t help but sigh.

“Is it okay if it gets torn?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

I handed him the half-palm glove on my left hand and leaned against the wall of the workshop. Meister’s eyes lit up when I told him that.

“I won’t hold back then.”

Meister cut the glove with a pair of scissors without hesitation. Snip, snip. The cut-out piece of fabric was dipped into some mysterious liquid.

“My glasses are enchanted with a spell that allows me to see the essence of inanimate objects. My grandfather made them for me.”

Cutting off more scraps, he proceeded to dip them into different chemicals. As a layman, I had no idea what he was doing or why he was doing it.

“This a high-class enchantment, so it doesn’t react to common items. It only activates for things that have never been discovered before, are officially classified as rare, or when I want it to.”

It was quite fortunate that he at least explained some things as he continued.

I listened to Meister’s explanation as I watched him. He was now using some items to burn or freeze the scraps of cloth.

“Your equipment falls into the first category, even though, at a glance, it looks just like ordinary clothing made of cloth or leather. Were you aware of that?”

“…Partially.”

“So you don't really know. Well, that explains why you agreed to my request.”

Then, the glove started to regenerate without a moment's notice. The scraps that had been cut off earlier had already vanished.

I knew my clothes could automatically restore themselves when destroyed, but this was the first time I’d learned that torn-off pieces would just disappear.

“…So that’s why you said it was fine if it tore. Interesting.”

Meister, too, seemed really excited. He looked at the restored glove from different angles before turning his gaze to me.

“Those as well?”

“…If you’re asking whether all my clothes have this restoration function, then yes.”

“Incredible.”

He removed the gloves he was wearing and adjusted his glasses.

“And at the same time, strange. This isn’t an Arcane item… How can it automatically restore itself?”

This time, it was my turn to be surprised.

The Archmage… hadn’t mentioned anything like that. She’d simply said it was a high-level spell called {Automatic Restoration}.

“…That sage didn’t say anything about that.”

“If you didn’t hear it from the Great Sage of Bemurchen, forget about it. When it comes to analyzing items, no great sage can beat a wizard who can see the essence of things.”

Erm… So, it seemed it was just a difference in expertise. Even scientists were divided into fields like biology, physics, or electronic engineering. If asked about something they didn’t specialize in, they probably wouldn’t give you the best answer.

“So, what essence did you see, then?”

“…Well, my glasses aren’t omnipotent. If it’s something I haven’t analyzed before, they won’t give me a clear answer.”

“I wasn’t asking about your glasses.”

Anyway, if he was an expert in this field, I should probably listen to what he had to say.

I fully focused on Meister. It was then I noticed he was slightly biting his lip.

“…I-I can’t use magic.”

Huh? That was his answer.

____

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