Chapter 18: Degenerate
1219 Words
The lady who was before them was sticking out like a sore thumb the moment he stepped inside the boundary of the kitchen.
A strange feeling brought another enigma within Arion's head when he saw the beautiful lady who's supposed to be their party master. For him, it looks like it's another term for the occupation of a manager.
"Your face... no... your demeanor, just who are you?" Arion's making up the dubious face.
"Weren't you listening? I am Marget, your party master." She introduced herself again. They didn't notice Sarra was behind her so she also went out and bow down to show respect with each other.
"No, literally, I think we met each other." His intuition is beyond anyone could tell. Even if it's the first time meeting this lady named Marget, if he had the feeling that they met each other before, then it's likely it is possible despite the odds.
"You're just imagining. Tell me your name." Marget directly gazed at her soul. Arion recoiled upon remembering the peer of the abyss. It was something that instilled fear against his will.
"I'm very sorry, I am Arion Aldrehrt. Thank you for having me." He also introduced himself and Marget bounced her sight onto Lilith.
Both of them had at least 3 seconds of eye contact before she bolstered her attention on him again. There was an intense intangible heat going on between them.
"Anyways, this is Sarra. From now, she will be our new secretary and will take care of the documents and everything else." Marget was being magnanimous that Adriel wouldn't believe they were having a personal secretary this time.
"Really?! Nice to meet you, Sarra! I thank you for informing me that Arion was the one who successfully nailed the challenge. I hope we get along very well." Adriel suddenly became friendly with her. She was holding her hands as her eyes were sparkingly gleaming.
The tension was so stiff she had no idea what to say and just steered it off. "I really appreciate it."
"Wait, I don't get this party master thing or secretary or any of it. Please explain it." Arion was confused now.
"Okay, you see..." And Marget sat beside him at the dining table and explained the basics of becoming an official mage for the guild.
Usually, a single party can have 3 main jobs for the members. The first and foremost that needed to make a fully-built front-line party is the party master of course. They are the one who leads and the other members will follow them.
Arion's party master was Marget or known as the Ice Witch which he doesn't know why. He's thinking maybe he can control the elemental attribute of ice and snow.
The second job and is probably optional for the beginning party is the role of secretary. This type of job consisting mostly of dealing with the paperwork of the accepted quests and shall be responsible for any dispute for the group.
The reason why Adriel was delightfully joyous having Sarra as their secretary was because she dislikes dealing with anything related to papers or anything that will saddle her for hours just blindly sitting in a chair. A nifty alchemist such as herself wanted to feel the freedom of doing anything she wanted for the rest of her life.
While the last job was the combatant mage or the one who shall finish the quest approved by the party master. They are responsible for taking care of the mission even if it's against them, unless if they really can't handle it or they don't have the proper rank, then they are good to go.
"Hm... what a typical RPG concept... but I still can't believe I don't have any magic aptitudes." Arion was whispering to himself although Marget heard him.
"Are you saying something?" She wondered.
Arion flinched since he doesn't want others to be suspicious of him, "No, I mean, how could I became a mage when I don't have magic aptitudes..." He drove off the conversation and it actually worked.
"Really?" She can't tell if he's telling lies. "Let me see your hand..." The lady probed not just his hand, and instead, she searched everything about him from toes to his forehead. He can't deny he blushed a little bit when her hand touches something in between his legs.
Marget's critically thinking everything if something was wrong with his body nor if he had any kind of problem. As it stands this way, she knew he would never lie when there isn't a single speck of magic inhabiting his spiritual form.
Everyone be it peasant or royal, whatever their race be it beastman, elf, or anything in existence in this world were given the ability to bend the flow of mana, and by bending the mana it will manifest itself like magic.
It means the fact Arion doesn't have a drop of mana present in his body means there's something wrong within him. She's still silently touching all over his body while he's awkwardly looking above the wooden ceiling wearing his grimace.
"It can't be... you must be a degenerate." Marget blinked her eyes twice as he peers onto him. Once again, he could never, ever forget this gaze and he figured out whose eyes she possessed.
"What's a degenerate? Is it the corruption of a person or does it have different meanings?" He was being cautious of the things he was asking.
"You don't know? The degenerates are those who were expelled by the four Goddesses that were worshiped by the four kingdoms. Us who are part of the Althas Kingdom worships the Goddess of the Sun and Moon, Solaris." Adriel took the liberty of answering his grilling.
"Then why they were expelled?" He followed up.
She was going to respond again when Marget undertakes it. "They simply defied the Goddesses and there's no way they can escape their wrath so they were stricken by a curse that prevents them from using the source of life which is magic."
Arion couldn't believe there was a concept of deities in this world and that fact alone was enough to trigger millions of possibilities inside his head processing right at that second.
The world he inhabited before, the earth or the Gaia has also the concept of gods and goddesses but no one knows the truth behind such an obscure cluster of beliefs. In fact, Arion also believed in god since he grew up in a family who also believes that there is one superbeing who created all things in existence.
In the world where he was reincarnated, truly there is magic around almost anywhere and he wouldn't be surprised anymore if goddesses existed in this world.
Though there's one thing he was not certain of no matter how many times his head comes up with different conclusions. "Does that mean I am cursed?"
"No. There's entirely no connection and that story was recounted only for those who have the low magic capacity to the point they can't bend the flow of mana." Marget answered truthfully which clarified his deduction.
"Can we have a chat? Just the two of us." Arion requested as he was facing the floor.
"Sure." Just like that, he grabbed her arm and went out of the room.
"You'd never fool me, Azrael!" Arion exclaimed in his head.
The truth he discovered must have a connection between the Grim Reaper and Marget, for he was the only one who foresaw his own resolution.
- Writer
