"You mean that I forgot about Riche, right?"
I felt bad whenever thought about it. It wasn't like I couldn't recognize her, but I didn't think to remember her at all. I was like this for a long time.
I was interested in magic more than people. With my thought, it suited that everyone called me egotistical, it suited that no one came near me. But I didn't have a problem at all. I just stayed in this room. I didn't go anywhere.
"It's enough Nine. You don't need to offer anything to me. After this drink, I'll go to sleep."
I drank Pink Milk speedily. I didn't know what he thought but I felt he tried to make me a perfect person. After the push and click sounds, the transparent screen was showing.
It was photos of two girls with long white hair.
Riche?
"I didn't ask for this. I don't have to pay, right?"
[Allow me to ask you, which one is Riche?]
What was this question?
"You're the one who has a problem."
Maybe his tools weren't in a normal state. It couldn't be helped. I would help him a bit.
"This person."
I pointed to the left photo of a long white hair girl with energetic Sage cloth and an expensive accessory.
[You're wrong. It's another person in Riche's cloth.]
"Just kidding, I just want to test you. Your tool works like normal. This girl is Riche."
I pointed to the right photo. She dressed in casual cloth. Nine might followed her to her home. Damn, he was a so dangerous person.
[That's wrong too.]
[I'm sorry but Riche isn't in any one of these two photos.]
[You forgot Riche's face, no… you can't recall her face anymore. Even you stayed with her half-day, her face was disappeared like a cloud. If you see her again, she'll be a stranger to you.]
[This condition happens to everyone you see… right? High Sage.]
Huh.
[It's the reason that you scare to be in the social. You didn't scare expectations or social opinion. You scare people because you can't remember anyone. You scare to address the wrong people and didn't want anyone to know about this secret.]
[Is it true, High Sage?]
My face was frozen. He got me. He came across the line I didn't allow.
I put down the glass of Pink Milk on the desk. My lip was trembling. I used my hands to cover my face and tried to clear my head.
[It's no use. I can read your mind.]
[You did a great job hiding it. Maybe it is your nature. I just feel weird until the story that you can't remember Riche comes. It's used to this right?]
[You know your mom from a blond hair girl who calls you El. You know Freya from a brown hair small girl who friendly to you and you'll recognize Riche, if she dresses in the same cloth, wear expensive accessory and smile at you.]
[I got it… I finally understand why your reading skill, read the Magic Flow is too high. Because you use it too much. Use instead of your eye for separate people. But it isn't enough. Mix with sound too but it's still not enough. That's why you keep staying in your room, right High Sage? You don't want to see anyone.]
[Is it correct?]
My face was hot. I felt I was unclothed, dragged, and burned.
I hated the wise guy.
[Thank you for your answer.]
"No!! It's not what you said!"
I couldn't stop myself.
"I can see! Eyes, a mouth, and a nose. I know what is smile or laugh!"
I tried hard.
"I recognized my mom! I never forget her!"
[Your mom didn't change for 26 years ago. It is the familiar. not recognize. Sometimes you forgot yourself.]
"Stop it. Stop it. Stop it."
[Even you could see, it's the face of the present. You can't remember the face of the past. The photos that I give to you, more than you don't know Riche, you can't find the difference between them. Your memory of the face isn't enough for separate people.]
[Your eyes were hurt when you saw Riche's reflection because your brain was overload. That was a job that you can't do.]
I covered my ears.
[I apologize. Even if you don't like to talk about this, you have to know I want to be close to you.]
[You need to talk about yourself.]
I couldn't.
[…Then I'll say. Your world is interesting. You admire the beauty of magic but ignore the beautiful face of a person. That's so wonderful.]
"It's not wonderful at all!!!"
It might be the loudest shout I made. My heart was strongly shaking. My chest was frustrating.
"It's just one weird curse. Nothing more than this…"
The curse for trade to be born as the son of the Hero. I was a monster, not just about my magic skills.
[Do you want to see the face?]
His clear voice sound in my ears. I looked up at the ceiling with my trembling lip.
"…you can?"
I didn't know my voice can become like this.
[I can't.]
[Speak the truth. It can't be right now. We have medical researchers who find a way to cure any disease. Just like you, we try hard to get new possible things.]
"A disease… Am I sick?"
It wasn't a curse?
[Yes. So, I want you to endure it a little bit. You did the best, High Sage. You're lucky that I don't see the same vision as you. I'll be your eyes from now.]
My eyes were hot. The water made my vision became blurred I cleaned it out. My body felt light.
The thing I didn't aim to think was coming.
[Stop what you think, High Sage. You aren't a mistake thing.]
Nine…
[Someone can see everything but don't see the goal. Different than you. You know what you want to do. You try hard, do it until the end, and keep it with you.]
[NUMBERS calls that action, successful.]
I couldn't stop my tear.
Sometimes Nine was a hopeless guy with a bad mouth but sometimes he was a calm man who had many experiments.
The adult one more than me.
[I receive only the second half.]
"Take it all…" I cleaned myself my state and my weak voice.
[You're looking good.]
He laughed. I listen to him laughed until he stopped.
[Then do you want to cure? Come back to the society and people.]
"Why are you asking…?"
I had the answer to this question for so long. To be High Sage until this day, I thought I couldn't find anyplace that I was happy more than this. I satisfied myself.
[Really? There hasn't been anything you want?]
"No... I want to use magic again."
[Haha. You like a chick cracked out from the egg. I'll wait to create the thing from your thought. My foolish High Sage…]
[From now if you have a problem, I wish you tell me. I'll help you. NUMBERS will prepare things you ask. If it isn't out of the line of the contract, I'll do everything. Although you have a secret with me, I can find it. Please don't forget my ability.]
[Haha.]
Maybe… the relationship without knowing face was suited for me.
"Everything with a price, right?"
[Correct. Just as the contract told,]
[Alright! We know each other more, so we have to go to the next step. Congratulation, the thing you waited for coming.]
[The time-of-service charge has come!]
"Now?!"
These two faces snake. I signed and crossed my arms.
"For magic that I used right? Give me the price and the receipt too."
The long paper appeared in front of me. This receipt was so delicate. It has magic names recorded by order and time. The time was writing with the second digit. Nine was still psychotic as always. I remembered what magic I used so I doublecheck him. Read record by record.
The Wind Magic, the Wind Magic, the transferring MP to the floating shelf, the Wind Magic, the magic I used for the fight with Riche, and the diagnosis…
"I didn't call for this."
[It's a special service.]
I let it go just this time. When I finished reading, I asked again.
"Why hasn't a price?"
Why hadn't the important thing? He made the noise sound from his tongue.
[High Sage… Do you remember what I told you the first time? NUMBERS wants a valuable thing, but it isn't only money.]
"I remembered. Data and Knowledge."
Did you want to do it that way?
[Yes. We let you buy everything, food, or drink with money. But you have to think about this. We can create everything why do we want money from you?]
[The answer was we shouldn't create money.]
[For creating money will create the inflation situation. If it has a lot of money in your country, your caretaker will come to investigate. That's the risk that makes we can't create it. So, we have to trade things with money from you.]
Um, I didn't know much about the economy. I just listened to him.
[Then come back to the magic price. Magic is a miracle thing. It might be rude to estimate wonderful things to price.]
I thought he started to lie.
[The thing that can trade with was the data. Then! Let's look at the data I got from you. This week you read books that I already have, you read Stone Inscriptions that I record its data for a long time, and today you used your 2 hours to look at the spear that I can analyze in 1 minute. I'm so sad, High Sage. It wastes your time. NUMBERS is heavily lost!]
Was NUMBERS' status weakly at that level?
[Then continue to your magic technique. Um… It was standard. I already have this data. Although your adjustment technique to change your magic flow same as Riche is wonderful but it isn't catching the Holy Maidens' level. For me, it isn't different from normal Light Magic.]
I was still a human. I couldn't make new work every time.
"So, how can I pay?" I told him to go to the topic.
[High Sage, Is tomorrow you free?]
What?
[Make yourself free. Quickly take a bath and go to sleep. Tomorrow you have a plan with me.]
"A plan? It's about the payment, right? Why can't I pay it now? Where do you want me to go out?"
[Just endure a little. The place, the day is good than the night.]
[Tomorrow, we'll hunt the dragon.]
…The dragon.
"The dragon?!"