28 Chapter 28 - A Mage After Her Master's Heart
"You have two days to do as I have required, after which my limited offer would expire," Shizu said to them. "And trust me, given the current state the both of you are in, it would take almost an entire lifetime of servitude to pay me the proper amount due." But whichever choice you make, is totally up to you."
As she said this, she stood up to leave.
"Wait," Orihime said to her, wishing they could come to a better arrangement, but the old woman turned to her blandly...
"You lot are lucky." I was willing to offer my help for such a small price for up to two days. Even millionaires struggle to employ my help on missions like these. "Instead of wasting time here, I would have gone hunting by now if I were you," she said to Orihime before going away.
The two of them sat there quietly, wondering what a silver dragon looked like and where they would be able to find one. Then they thought of the elephant in the room: would they ever stand a chance against such a creature should they end up having to face it?
Well, they wouldn't have to face it if they could just run away from it, but they couldn't tell when they knew almost nothing about it.
Heck, this was the first time they had ever heard about a "silver dragon!"
If the Master was willing to grant them their wish by asking them for this, it would be most definitely not easy to carry out, even though doing so would be easier than affording the normal price for her service to them.
No matter how they thought about it, this was a good deal for them, and if they wanted to hunt down the goblin hideout as soon as possible, it would be foolish to miss out on this offer.
While the both of them sat down there, deliberating over the issue, neither of them said a word to the other. It was as if they did not know what they would be up against; their instincts were rightfully telling them that they were getting in over their heads.
Their anxious thoughts came to a halt when Genta came between them from behind, placing filled plates of curry before them, each with a small cup of sake right next to it.
Orihime looked back at her. "We never ordered a meal," she said to her.
"It's on the house," she said to them after setting their cups. Orihime looked at Kazuya, who looked back, almost as confused as she was. She quickly shrugged off her skepticism and began chowing down on the food, grateful that they were saving money on breakfast for the day.
Kazuya took a spoonful of the curry and placed it in his mouth, and his eyes lit up, but he didn't say a word.
"It tastes good, doesn't it?" Genta said as she came with her plate and cup, but without alcohol, filled with water instead. She sat before them and began eating as well. About five minutes later, when they were halfway done, Genta spoke to them. "Let me guess, the Master offered you a cheap yet difficult alternative to paying her, didn't she?" she asked.
Orihime and Kazuya looked at each other before chorusing the answer, "Yes, she did."
"I knew it," Genta said.
"Does she always do that?" asked Orihime.
"Most of the time," Genta replied, "even though it affects the guild's economy in some ways."
"I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but isn't that a bad idea?" Isn't she aware of what it does to the guild? "I mean, in my opinion, this guild could have been much more than it is now if she always took advantage of such opportunities," Orihime replied, causing Kazuya to shake his head while Genta laughed.
"I agree, but I guess that is why we all love and respect her, regardless of what her decisions have done to the financial integrity of the guild," Genta answered before continuing her meal.
By the time Orihime was done with hers, Genta asked them, "So tell me, what is the cheap yet difficult mission she has sent you to embark on?"
"She wants us to get a silver dragon's egg," Orihime replied, "but we have no idea what it is or where we can find it." "Do you have anything that could help us?"
"A silver dragon's egg, huh?" she thought out loud, "I could help you with that."
"Really?" asked Orihime with a lit-up face.
"Yes, but on one condition," said Genta.
"Oh," Orihime's face returned to the gloom, "and what would that be?"
"That you will allow me to come with you on this quest, and after the mission, you will tell the Master about how helpful I was in getting the dragon's egg." "That way, she will stop looking down on me and finally start treating me like a competent person—someone important," she said to them.
Orihime sighed. "So you are just a child trying to get your master's approval, by all means, huh?" she bluntly asked Genta.
"Well, if you put it like that..." Genta muttered, not knowing what else to say.
"I see," Orihime said, "but I refuse."
"What?" asked Genta, never expecting that any of them would decline her offer.
"What about you?" she asked Kazuya.
"What she said," Kazuya replied, to Genta's shock. She couldn't believe both of them had just turned down her offer.
"If you thought that you could bribe us with a free meal as a means of getting that old hag's approval, then forget it. We will figure it out on our own. "Go back to waiting at the reception table; it seems that is all you are good at!" she said to Genta angrily.
She was about to utter another word, but Kazuya slapped the back of her head. "That is enough!" he said to her.
Orihime angrily got up from her seat, grabbed the attention of a lot of people with the violent manner in which she did that, and walked away angrily.
Kazuya looked at Genta, who also looked back at him, terrified by Orihime's sudden rage. "Thank you for the meal," Kazuya said to her before getting up to leave.
"Wait," she called him, and he sat back, looking at her, wondering, "Why is she so mad at me all of a sudden?"
"I see," Kazuya replied, "but you don't get it, do you?"
"Get what? "What are you talking about?" she asked.
"That woman puts her life and everything she has into this mission because she is doing it to honor the memory of someone precious to her," Kazuya said to her. "She has always done things alone because of that, and the reason she came with me was that I shared her resolve." That is why she hardly stands up for other people who don't share that level of conviction, including you. So until you get your selfish act together, she wouldn't want you anywhere near her.
"What even does that mean?" "What does she want from me?" Genta asked, suddenly feeling bad about it.
"Can I ask you a question, Genta?" he asked.
Genta nodded, trying to hold back the urge to cry and whine about it like a child.
"Why do you want to come with us on this mission?" he asked.
"Because I want to help you," she said to him.
"Don't give me that crap." "We both know that is not the case," he said to her, "... Now I am going to ask you one more time, Genta: "Why do you want to come with us on this mission?"
Genta sighed heavily before answering, "Because I thought that if I helped you and we succeeded and the Master learned of it, I would finally get the promotion and recognition I deserve."
"Do you believe this course of action would be the best way of doing that?" "Do you think your highly esteemed Master would approve of such means?" Kazuya asked.
"No," Genta said, realizing her mistake as she clenched her fists, "she wouldn't."
"There you have it," Kazuya replied, "but I have another question: What is your goal?"
Genta thought about it for a while before answering, "To be a master mage, one which the master would approve of."
"Well, I think I have said enough," Kazuya replied. "Figure out the rest on your own." "Can you show me your restroom?"
"Oh, down the inner hall, by the left." "I'm sorry," she said to him.
"It's not the food," Kazuya assured her, "it was a nice meal."
"That's a relief," she said to herself as Kazuya went off.
Genta sat where she was reevaluating her motives and aims, asking herself what it truly meant to be a mage after her master's heart. She thought she was about to impress her master, not knowing she was about to do the exact opposite—her master's core values were part of what made everyone in the guild love and respect her, even though her charitable decisions had cost the guild so much. Yet here she was about to do the exact opposite of that in the name of impressing her.
She now had a bit more clarity, the kind that she had never had when it came to her career as a growing mage.
Kazuya, however, went to the resting room, not only to relieve himself but to talk to his fairy about this, believing he would need more information on this than whatever Genta had to offer.
