I’m an Appraiser, But What the Heck is a [Divine Eye]? ~I Want to Live Freely as the World’s Best Beginner Class~ - Episode 145: An Unexpected Survival Life 15

Episode 145: An Unexpected Survival Life 15

―― Time passed, and I had sent message birds to Alicia and the others several times. I thought if I at least kept them updated with our information, it would spare them from unnecessary worries.

Ideally, I would have liked to get information from their side as well. But since Mail Birds could only be used once and not reused, I had resigned myself to that limitation.

“Huh? Couldn’t you just send a message bird with unused paper attached?”

……….

The moment I absentmindedly muttered my concern, that suggestion came up.  

No, I wasn’t irritated, because they just solved my problem. But I ended up feeling frustrated at myself for not thinking of such a simple solution.

Indeed, if I attach an unused sheet of paper when folding the Mail Bird, I could send it to Alicia and the others. If I also include instructions on how to use it, I could get information from their side too.

“Wouldn’t it have been quicker if you just used your Appraiser (Divine Eye) skill?”  

“Yeah, I just convinced myself it was impossible in my head.”  

“You shouldn’t be so quick to assume things. I fell victim to betrayal because of assumptions too, you know.”

He made a statement that wasn’t exactly a laughing matter. So I could only manage an awkward smile in response.  

Back to the topic at hand, we proceeded to send the Mail Bird. And since it was a valuable magic tool, Moriya took care of the preparations.

It would’ve been great if I could make a Mail Bird of the same quality as Moriya. But I still hadn’t reached that level. Though I could now add a little defensive capability to it, the local monsters still shot them down easily.

“Sorry to rely on you for everything like this.”  

“It’s fine! As long as you all stay here with me, I won’t get bored. So it works out.”

Well, that’s true….. But, at that point, I decided to propose something.  

“Hey, Moriya.” 

“What is it?”  

“Why don’t you leave this place with us?”

The paper crane Moriya had been folding while humming a tune suddenly stopped in his hands.  

“You’ve been alone for over a hundred years, haven’t you? Now you’ve got us. We could explain your situation, and you wouldn’t need to be alone anymore.”  

“…… Yeah, you’re right.”  

“Or is there some reason you can’t leave this place? Something tying you here?”

Surely he wouldn’t say, “Because of my crops,” right? Well, I’m sure he’s attached to the house he built. But if he could escape loneliness, that would be much better.

As I waited for his response, he revealed there was indeed a reason he couldn’t leave.  

“… I can’t move from this place.”  

“Why not?”  

“… You know how using forbidden magic comes with a price, right?”  

“Yeah, but you’ve already paid the price twice, haven’t you? First was the decay of your body. And second, the complete loss of all your flesh except your bones.”

… Wait a minute. No way!  

“Don’t tell me you used forbidden magic a third time out of curiosity!”  

“Of course not! I wouldn’t use forbidden magic without a good reason!”

Okay, I suppose that makes sense. The first time was to defeat a monster, and the second time was out of necessity because of the decay of his body.

“So, there was another price you had to pay?”  

“Yeah. There was a second cost for using forbidden magic the second time. It’s called ‘soul anchoring’.”  

“… Soul anchoring?”

I couldn’t grasp what he meant and asked him to clarify. 

“Yeah. My soul is now anchored to this land. That’s why I can’t leave.”  

“But you’ve moved before, didn’t you? All the way to where we first met.”  

“I can move freely within a 5-kilometer radius from where I activated the forbidden magic. But I can’t go beyond that.”

“… Seriously?”  

“Yeah, totally serious.”

He replied in such a casual tone. But this was actually a pretty big deal.  

“Didn’t you know that before you used the magic?”  

“I knew, but back then, I had no other choice. Besides, I never expected people to show up in a place like this.”  

“But you were the one who drew the teleportation magic circle here.”  

“I meant people coming to where the magic circle leads to!”

Even if he had no other choice, wasn’t he anxious about being bound to this place? And after living alone for so long, had he ever thought about wanting to die instead?

“… Didn’t you ever feel like you wanted to die?”  

“I used forbidden magic to survive, you know? No, I never thought that.”  

“But still…”  

“I’m actually quite fond of my current life. I can research freely, and most importantly, I have my own home.”

If Moriya weren’t a skeleton, I wonder what kind of expression he’d have right now. While he rattled his bones as if laughing, I could sense a tinge of loneliness in his demeanor.

I started wondering if there was a way to free Moriya. And it finally occurred to me that I could just use my Appraisal skill to check.

“Want me to try with Appraisal?”  

“Don’t even think about it. You’ll probably pass out from magic depletion.”  

Moriya instantly shut down the idea.  

…….. Maybe I’ll secretly try it later.