NOVEL WEB Ch. 35
Chapter 35 - A Stroll in Endinium (2)
Well, this was a huge problem. Should I call it a problem? A completely unexpected situation was happening to me.
Arien Ortega, who in the original
“The triumphal arch over there is a structure built 232 years ago to commemorate the Empire's victory. The name of the war was……”
……A situation where she was giving a non-stop, too-much-information Endinium tour was unfolding before my eyes.
No. No matter how many unexpected situations had occurred to me recently, and even if they were due to my lack of ability, this situation felt quite unfair.
If I had predicted this, I would have become a fortune teller long ago.
Anyway, in this situation, I came to only one conclusion.
‘I have to change the subject.’
With that single thought, I was waiting for Arien’s explanation to end. Before she could smoothly transition to introducing another landmark, I had to somehow intercept the conversation and change the topic.
“……and the small grooves that look like indentations on the triumphal arch are actually the names of the participating knights engraved on it, and they are still in a good state of preservation.”
Now.
“Did you memorize all of this content?”
While changing the subject, I brought out the question I had been holding in my heart.
“Yes. In order to prepare conversation topics for today's outing, I borrowed and read related books from the library yesterday. Was it beneficial?”
“……Yes.”
I couldn't help but be inwardly shocked. Once at Arien’s intelligence, for memorizing all the information about these landmarks in a single day, and…….
Twice at the fact that Arien had prepared conversation topics in advance for an outing with someone.
‘……She’s so hopelessly awkward in these things.’
Just like the version I saw in the game, she was completely inept at social skills.
It was quite a spectacle to see Arien, who had mostly shown a cool demeanor in the game, put on such a rare performance…….
Anyway, I rode the momentum and changed the subject again.
“……I heard you well. By the way, a question suddenly came to mind. Miss Arien, do you know how to use Origin Magic? I only have the aptitude for now.”
I changed the subject to Origin Magic at the right time-.
“I understand it to some extent. As it is magic related to the origin of the world, a perfect understanding is still far off.”
Good, I got an answer. I succeeded in changing the conversation……!
“How is the mana consumption of Origin Magic? Since my mana capacity is close to rock bottom, if the consumption is even slightly high, there’s a large chance I won’t be able to use it……”
“Ah. Basic-level Origin Magic consumes less mana than the fundamental 10 schools of magic. You do not need to worry about that part.”
“I see……”
This was definitely better. Since magic was Arien’s specialty, it was certainly less burdensome than her too-much-information Endinium guide, where she just recited a book she’d memorized.
Above all, this conversation was also content that would be of great help to my future growth.
‘This is good.’
A magic lesson from the person destined to be the world's strongest mage. It was literally a priceless, precious experience that money couldn't buy.
And as that conversation continued, Arien suddenly stopped in her tracks. As if she had discovered something, she couldn't take her eyes off the spot.
I too turned my eyes to where Arien’s gaze was directed.
What had captured Arien’s attention was a street performance unfolding in front of a fountain.
People who looked like a street band were playing their respective instruments, and among them was also a dancer. Of course, being a street performance, it was far from being perfectly synchronized.
“……”
Upon discovering it, Arien stopped talking and blankly watched the performance. Still with a perfect poker face, making it impossible to guess her inner thoughts.
Arien's moniker was the Seeker of Stars, and the essence of that word lay in the 'Seeker' part. Arien was a born seeker, and there was an instinctive thirst for knowledge she did not know.
Arien could easily satisfy that thirst for inquiry in most fields. Although she had a fundamental component of showing a specialized understanding in the field of magic, if applied in the context of academics, understanding other fields was not a very difficult task.
Therefore, Arien’s inquiry could show excellent results in most fields.
For example, memorizing all the information about Endinium's landmarks.
However, even Arien’s seemingly versatile intellect had its limits. And that weakness was the limit of uncertainty.
Magic, if compared to a real-world discipline, was a study of rationality and certainty, where principles like 1+1=2 in mathematics were fundamental.
Of course, application and improvisation were essential in such a discipline, and Arien possessed those elements.
But true uncertainty was a discipline of a different domain. An example of this field would be the human mind.
Yes, Arien did not understand the human heart. To use another expression, she lacked humanity.
It wasn't that there were no studies that discussed the human heart in this world, but in order to explore the uncertain study of the heart, empathizing with others' hearts was more necessary than academic understanding.
I've written at length, but the conclusion is…… Arien watching the street performance so intently was an act stemming not from simple interest, but from a desire for inquiry.
And in
Because of this, I did not interfere with Arien, who was blankly watching the performance.
I just stood next to her, watching the performance together, and occasionally observed Arien.
Hoping it would become a stepping stone for Arien to understand humanity as she studied people.
The performance continued. The violin continued to produce a pleasant melody, and the dancer danced to that melody.
The quality of the performance was decent. Should I say it was about the level of an ordinary street performance? There was nothing particularly outstanding, but no major flaws either.
That meant that from a professional's standard, it could be called 'cheap' or 'low-level,' but they still looked happy. That was what mattered.
Though it was something Arien would not understand.
Thus, we enjoyed watching the street performance for a long time without conversation, and as time passed, the performance came to an end.
With the dancer's stylish finishing pose, one hand on her hip and the other raised high.
***
Even after the performance ended, Arien did not leave the spot. It wasn't because Arien was deeply impressed by the performance…… it was closer to her being deep in thought.
“Why do those people perform?”
That was the single sentence that came out after a rather long silence.
That question contained no other element beyond its literal meaning.
Unlike the twisted noble children of the academy, it was a pure question.
“Based on the standards of a formal orchestra, the performance was a mess. The music was not harmonious, and there were unstable aspects to the playing. The dancer lacked flexibility and could not properly execute the choreography.”
And then Arien looked at me and started pouring out harsh criticism.
From a normal perspective, it was criticism that was almost at the level of condemnation……. but since the subject was Arien, I could be certain that there was no personal grudge involved.
“And yet…… why do they look so happy?”
I could tell. What lay within the words of Arien, who looked at me, was pure curiosity, and also a faint humanity.
“If they possessed a desire for improvement, the performance should have been unsatisfactory to them as well.”
To Arien's words, I replied simply. It was a statement that would be all too obvious from a normal perspective.
“It is because not everyone performs hoping for perfection.”
At those words, Arien asked again.
“In that case, why was the audience pleased? They too would have wanted to enjoy a high-level performance.”
When Arien asked again, I answered once more.
“It is because not everyone watches a performance hoping for perfection.”
It was a similar answer, but in the same context. Arien showed rare dissatisfaction on her face, which was probably dissatisfaction at not being able to understand completely.
And that dissatisfaction was revealed along with her characteristic robot-like, or English-textbook-translation-like, way of speaking.
“……There is a difficulty in my understanding.”
The reason Arien couldn't understand this situation was simple. Arien was a person who, when exploring any knowledge, aimed only for 'a near-perfect exploration' of that knowledge.
This was because values such as the excitement of exploring knowledge, or the sense of satisfaction after a difficult inquiry, held no meaning for Arien.
There was no emotion of excitement in Arien's inquiry. Because she acquired knowledge with her characteristically outstanding intellect before she could even feel excitement.
There was no emotion of satisfaction in Arien's inquiry. Because she had never been blocked by a wall long enough to feel satisfaction in the first place. And since she had never felt a wall, she had never felt the satisfaction of overcoming one.
Therefore, the only criterion when Arien judged any action was the degree of achievement.
This was the reason why she could not understand people who perceived actions related to achievement with joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure.
‘And, because of that nature, Arien can't let go of her inquiry into people. Because she hasn't yet perfectly achieved the inquiry.’
I couldn't help but smile with a small lift of my lips.
It was only natural, for wasn't Arien trying to understand people just as she did in the original
I was just proud that I could be there to witness it.
“May I ask why you are smiling?”
Arien, who saw my smile, asked me again with her usual poker face.
The context could be taken as 'what are you smiling at-', but listening to Arien's tone, I could tell there was no such intention at all.
“I smiled because I thought I could help Miss Arien understand that. Until now, I felt like I was only receiving help one-sidedly.”
“……How can I understand it?”
To that straightforward question, I shrugged my shoulders and answered.
“As Miss Arien also knows, the answer is ultimately a lot of experience. There is no other way than to experience the appearances of many people and to feel it naturally through their actions.”
“Experience, you say.”
“I…… if I just give some advice there, I’m sure someone like Miss Arien will be able to understand enough. I could also help Miss Arien meet as many different people as possible.”
I said so calmly. Even this was just a reference to what had appeared in
Arien, upon hearing those words, put a finger to her chin for a moment and was lost in thought.
“Helping each other……”
Then…… she said so.
“That is what it means to be a ‘friend’.”
This time, it was a pretty good approach.