The Ultimate Sage Who Faked Incompetence and Was Disinherited Just Wants to Enjoy His New Life! - Episode 47: Comrades

Episode 47: Comrades 

After taking down the Ogre group, we took a short break. And then it was time to gather the magic stones. At this point, we had lost track of how many each party had defeated. So, we decided to just split the stones evenly later. 

“You two sure have some handy magic.” 

“A spell that detects magic stones, huh? Wish we had something like that. Elise, can’t you use it?” 

“I’ve never even heard of such a spell.” 

The magic we were using—Analyze—was an old beginner-level spell from long ago. That meant any magic user should be able to use it, as long as they were taught how. 

“Want me to teach you? With a little practice, you’ll be able to use it in no time, Elise.” 

“Really!? Please teach me, Lilia-chan!” 

“Only if you call me Master and revere me properly.” 

“Master~! Please!” 

Elise-san had absolutely no sense of pride. Or maybe she was just incredibly eager when it came to magic. Still, calling Lilia “Master” wasn’t necessary. Lilia probably said it as a joke—but now her face was twitching. 

“O-Okay, fine, I’ll teach you. It’s not like I lose anything by sharing. Fel, you explain it to her.” 

“Why me?! Shouldn’t the Master be the one teaching?” 

Lilia looked deeply annoyed. Then why did she even bring it up? She should know better than to make reckless jokes when things might take a turn like this. Was this just a Fairy’s nature? 

“It was a joke, Lilia. And Elise-san, you can just call her Lilia like before. That was just a lighthearted Fairy joke.” 

“A Fairy joke…?” 

“Sounds complicated. Also, isn’t Fel-san the only one who actually understands those?” 

Ardan-san had a point. After spending ten years together, Lilia and I had developed some kind of weird mutual understanding. 

“We can deal with learning magic later. Let’s hurry up and collect these stones before the sun sets. It’ll be a pain to search for them in the dark.” 

“Jill’s right. Let’s wrap this up quickly.” 

And so, we diligently gathered the magic stones. 

By the time we finished, the sun was already setting. It seemed that Ardan-san’s group was planning to camp out at the ruins of Geper Village. 

“Huh? You’re flying back!?” 

“That’s so unfair! Master, you haven’t even taught me the spell yet!” 

Jill-san and Elise-san started whining. Ardan-san had a resigned expression. It was as if he had long since accepted this kind of behavior. He really seemed like the only reasonable one among them. 

“Come on, guys. They have their own reasons.” 

“What reasons? Wait……….. Are you two planning to head back to the inn and get all lovey-dovey!?” 

“Kyaa! So indecent!” 

“…”  “…” 

“Oi, say something.” 

“…Something.” 

“Wait, are you seriously trying to brush this off with a lame old joke!?” 

Jill-san and Elise-san were shouting noisily. They were certainly… lively companions. Ardan-san, watching them, gave a wry smile. 

“Ardan-san, is it always like this?” 

“Hm? Yeah, pretty much. Never a dull moment, right?” 

“…Yeah, I suppose so.” 

I found myself feeling a bit envious. Up until now, the only person I could truly say I understood was Lilia. Maybe she felt the same. Because she perched on my shoulder and leaned against me. 

“Hey! What’s with this sweet little moment?” 

“How indecent.” 

So this was normal for them. Ardan-san’s struggle was real. He, meanwhile, silently busied himself with fixing up the campfire area they had used the night before. 

“Hey, if you two don’t mind, why don’t you stay and have dinner with us? Consider it a small thanks for the help.” 

“You should. Ardan-san might look like this, but he’s actually a great cook.” 

“That ‘look like this’ part was unnecessary.” 

True, with his bear-like build, Ardan-san didn’t exactly look like someone who’d be good at cooking. But seeing his skills could be useful for future camp meals. 

“Fel, they’re inviting us, so let’s stay.” 

Lilia sensed my hesitation. She was nudging me toward a decision—just like she always did whenever I was unsure. I needed to get better at making choices myself. Someday, I wanted Lilia to be able to rely on me instead. 

“Yeah, let’s stay. A good meal sounds nice.” 

“Now you’re talking!” 

Lilia’s voice bubbled with excitement. 

“So, what about your tent?” 

“Don’t worry about it, Elise-san. We have magic bags, so we’re covered.” 

“Oh, I see. And just call me ‘Elise’, okay? You don’t have to be so formal with the others either. Right, guys?” 

“Yeah, of course.” 

“No problem.” 

We all laughed together.

—

“Magic is really convenient.” 

“No, it’s not magic. These two are just abnormal.” 

“Really? But I heard that you’re abnormal too, Elise. Oh, wait, you can’t use this magic?” 

Jill dodged Elise’s fist while voicing his question. 

“I’ve never heard of magic that builds stone houses, let alone seen it before.” 

Since we had decided to spend the night here, I figured I might as well build a stone house. I constructed it in a way that the hearth Ardan-san was using stayed in the dirt floor section of the house. Naturally, there was also a wooden-floored room in the back. 

In the dirt-floored section, I placed stone chairs and a table. 

“This definitely makes it safer to spend the night. Plus, we won’t need to take turns keeping watch.” 

“Well, if a monster like an Ogre King hit it, the house wouldn’t stand a chance, though.” 

“That kind of situation is rare. Besides, we’d notice beforehand with Analyze.” 

Lilia said proudly. 

Just as Jill had mentioned earlier, Elise wasn’t ordinary either—she had managed to learn the Analyze spell before dinner was even ready. Now, she was in the process of learning Small Light. 

“There are still so many spells in the world I don’t know about. I’m really glad I started traveling with Jill.” 

“Right? Told you so.” 

“I’m not sure I feel the same, being dragged into all this…” 

Despite his words, Ardan was smiling. He didn’t seem to mind too much. 

It also appeared that these three were childhood friends. Seeing them together made me a little envious. 

“Alright, dinner’s ready. Everyone, help carry it over.” 

“Got it.” 

Tonight’s meal was stew. Even before taking a bite, the delicious aroma made my mouth water. Ardan ladled the stew into deep plates, which we carried to the table. We also set out spoons and forks. 

“Hey, Fel, you’re pretty efficient at this. Those two never help no matter how many times I ask.” 

“Fel is interested in cooking, you know. He promised to make me a delicious meal one day. I can’t wait.” 

“That’s great. I’m glad to have a fellow cooking enthusiast.” 

I didn’t realize Lilia was looking forward to it that much. Now I absolutely had to make a special soup for her. 

“Excuse me, but who was it that told me to ‘stop helping’ the last time I tried?” 

“That was about *you* helping with the cooking. Carrying the food to the table is a different matter.” 

Something about what Ardan just said sounded ominous. Could it be that Elise was a terrible cook? I’d have to keep an eye on that. 

“Oh, so the little one has her own special dishware, huh? Where did you even find that?” 

“I’m not a little one, you brute! Fel asked the bearded guy to make it just for me, especially!” 

“Aww, Lilian-chan, you’re so loved.” 

Elise smirked mischievously. How inappropriate. 

“Alright, you guys, eat before it gets cold.” 

“Thanks for the meal! Oh wow, this is delicious! As expected from Ardan.” 

“You really put extra effort into it today.” 

“Of course. Consider it a thank-you for helping us out earlier.” 

Caught up in the lively atmosphere of the three, we also took a bite of our stew. Of course, I had set aside a portion for Lilia. 

“Mmm, this is fantastic.” 

“It’s so good. You could serve this in a restaurant.” 

“Right? Right? I’m thinking of opening a restaurant once I retire from adventuring.” 

Was he joking, or was he serious? Ardan just grinned.