Chapter 1 Part 19: People Are The Enemy

“I still remember that time he named a newly discovered plant ‘Bravey.'”

“Everyone tried to talk him out of it, remember?

Just imagine it.

Dignified botanists discussing, ‘Regarding the newly discovered plant, Bravey…’ or ‘Bravey has had a significant impact on the medical field…’

Just thinking about it cracks me up.”

They even gave me tea.

My favorite pound cake, too.

I certainly hadn’t expected to be treated to refreshments.

At this rate, I couldn’t bring myself to sternly shut them up.

I defended myself in a barely audible voice.

“But I thought it suited it.

It grows relatively bravely in any environment, doesn’t it?”

“He’s the type to name a white cat ‘Whity.’

There’s always at least one person with such terrible taste wherever you go.”

Having actually named a stray cat I met on the street ‘Whity,’ I kept my mouth shut.

The seniors continued cheerfully trash-talking me behind my back.

Things like, “As expected, no one in this world is perfect,” or “We’re not great either, but we’re not as bad as him.”

It was all true from start to finish, so I couldn’t refute it.

Clutching my tattered heart, I asked.

“…Anyway, seniors.

What name do you think would be good?”

“Well, we’ve hardly even seen that beas— I mean, that dragon hybrid, a few times.

You know that.”

My eyes were drawn to the stones displayed in the cabinet.

Each one boasted vibrant colors and unique patterns etched into them.

The seniors pointed proudly at the cabinet.

“We’re more interested in mana stones than living creatures.

If it weren’t for Lady Enencia’s orders, we wouldn’t have gone to that floor at all.”

Mana stones are rare stones found in areas with exceptionally high concentrations of mana.

Formed over long periods as mana accumulates, they hold high research value.

Even a mana stone as small as a fist contains as much mana as an average mage possesses.

The seniors were researching methods to extract mana directly from these stones.

“You’ve gotten a few more mana stones since I last saw them.”

“Yep.

We worked hard to get those.”

“But they’re worth it, right?”

I stared intently at the display case.

“It’s strange, but looking at them calms me down.

I like it.”

“…Is that so?”

“I’d like to research something like this too someday, but it’s so difficult I can’t even bring myself to try.

You seniors are truly amazing.”

Stones have it good.

They can just stay still all day without a single thought.

Maybe in my next life, I’ll be a stone that doesn’t have to worry about cost of living…

Whoops, this isn’t the time for that.

I quickly snapped out of it.

“Anyway, Senior.

What name would be good?

I’ve never seen him react so strongly.”

Before coming here, I had asked the child once more if it was really okay to seek help from the mages, and he had nodded without hesitation.

That child, who disliked all other mages except me.

Just how much had he hated the names I came up with?

The seniors nodded as if they understood.

“Understandable.

Rather than those names, I think ‘Ruby‘ would be nice.

His eyes are red, after all.”

“Come on.

If we’re going by that logic, ‘Black‘ is better.

His hair is black.”

“Oh, that name’s not bad either.

Okay, we’ll go with ‘Ruby’ and ‘Black’.”

The seniors wrote down the names they’d just mentioned in the top blank space on the parchment I was holding.

I protested.

“Aren’t you being too casual about this?

At least think about it for a minute.”

“Well, I think the names we came up with in one second are probably better than the ones you agonized over for half a day.

We’ve given you names, so you should get going.

We need to head back to the lab soon.”

Wow, that was harsh.

I weakly clutched the parchment and got up.

The seniors waved goodbye to me.

I waved back and trudged away.

I wondered how the child would react if I told him to choose from these names.

Would he crumple the paper into his mouth again like before?

Just then, someone called my name.

“Oh, Alice.”

It was Ms. Hilipa.

I turned my head.

In the middle of the hallway stood Ms. Hilipa and some mages who researched alchemy.

I immediately nodded politely.

Ms. Hilipa approached me.

“What are you doing during work hours?”

“Ah, well, you see…”

I briefly explained the situation.

I was worried whether this trivial matter would convince Ms. Hilipa, but I didn’t want to lie.

Surprisingly, Ms. Hilipa nodded immediately.

“That makes sense.

You’re famous for being bad at naming things, Alice.”

I was relieved she understood, but on the other hand, I felt a bit sad.

It was good for the child’s sake, though.

Was my taste really that terrible?

I asked Ms. Hilipa.

“What name do you think would be good?”

“Hmm.

Honestly, I don’t think the name itself matters much.

No matter what you call him, the child’s essence won’t change.”

Pushing up her glasses, Ms. Hilipa suggested.

“In that sense, how about Black?

His hair is black.”

“At least think about it for a minute.

And that name was already suggested by another mage.”

“Really?

Then how about Dren?”

The name ‘Dren’ was also thought up in one second, but it was actually pretty decent.

Ms. Hilipa took the parchment from my hand.

The third name was written down.

Other mages watching us from over our shoulders also started murmuring.

“How about a cute-sounding name?

His appearance is still cute, isn’t it?”

“Come on.

What’s cute about that bea— I mean, dragon hybrid?”

“Hey, let’s give credit where it’s due.

He’s been much calmer lately.”

“That just means Alice has been working hard.

Anyway, I prefer a cool name.

Let’s go with a cool name.

I think Lucas would be good.”

“Lucas, nice.

It’s safe.

Okay, we’ll go with that.”

In an instant, the number of names grew to four.

Clutching the parchment to my chest, I repeatedly thanked them.

Ms. Hilipa and the mages resumed their conversation.

I stared intently at the parchment, deep in thought.

Would this be enough to satisfy the child?

No, since I’d started this, I might as well ask others too.

But I wondered if they’d readily cooperate.

The mages I’d met so far had been friendly, but I didn’t know about the others.

I was pondering which mages to approach when,

“What are you thinking about?”

The earring jingled, making a clear sound.

Clam peeked his head out from a corner of the hallway.

For a moment, he looked like a fairy peeking out from a flower bud.

Clam asked shyly.

“About me?”

“…”

Yeah, of course you’d show up.

No matter where I am, you always find me like a ghost.

At this point, it’s truly a skill.

Clam fluttered over to me.

I showed him the parchment and briefly explained what had happened.

“So, in short.”

Clam took the parchment and asked.

“You want to name that dragon pup?”

My eyes widened momentarily.

I had asked others, but they all waved their hands, saying it was weird, so I had given up.

“Why did you say it like that just now?”

“Because you asked me to call him that.

I told you, I never forget what you say, Senior.”

Clam, you…

I stared blankly at Clam.

As if wondering why I was so moved by something so trivial, Clam said proudly.

“I spoke nicely, right?

So praise me!”

Yeah, it was true that he spoke nicely.

I patted Clam’s head.

Satisfied, Clam got back to the point.

“But what names did you suggest?

Judging by how much the child hated them, I can kind of imagine.”

Embarrassed, I scratched my head.

“I thought they were safe, but I guess not.

Dreodolli, Dreukkomi, Dreyongi…”

“Stop.”

Clam’s face turned serious.

I felt dejected.

“This is the first time I’ve ever felt sorry for that child.

Haah…

I told you, Senior, your taste is really terrible.”

“…Sorry for having terrible taste.

In that case, could you lend me your good taste?”

“If it’s a request from you, Senior, I have to oblige.”

Clam’s hand moved without hesitation.

“I’ll go with ‘Floen.’

It’s a common name in the territory where my family’s estate is.”

“Floen?”

‘Common’ means safe, right?

The sound of it wasn’t bad either.

I nodded.

I rolled the parchment back up.

“By the way, aren’t you busy?

How long are you going to stay with me?”

“I actually need to get going soon.

I have a mission with Senior Aslan.”

“Ah, with Aslan…”

I faltered.

What did I just hear?

I stared blankly at Clam.

“Aslan?

You two don’t get along.

Why are you going on a mission with him?”

Ahem.

Clam cleared his throat.

“Because I’m just as skilled as Senior Aslan.”

More like a kind of countermeasure, I thought.

The phrase ‘set a thief to catch a thief’ came to mind.

The best way to deal with a bad-tempered person is to counter them with another bad-tempered person.

“Why don’t you ask Senior Aslan too?”

Clam’s ‘you-should-know-this’ gaze shot straight through me.

You saw what happened too.

I waved my hands.

“Hey, it hasn’t been that long since things went badly with him.”

“It was certainly bad for Senior Aslan.”

“What are you talking about, it was bad for me too…”

I cut myself off.

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

At some point, Aslan was standing in the hallway.

Aslan was wearing a black sleeveless leather shirt and matching pants.

His Magic Tower robe was draped over his shoulders.

His arms looked especially sturdy today.

He could retire from the Magic Tower right now and start swinging a sword without any sense of dissonance.

In fact, Aslan had once gone out on the streets without his Magic Tower robe and received a recruitment offer from a mercenary company.