Chapter 35 - A Stroll in Endinium (2)
Well, this was a huge problem. Should I call it a problem? A completely unexpected situation was happening to .
Arien Ortega, who in the original showed unparalleled aloofness and, in the early stages, showed not a speck of interest in others…….
“The triumphal arch over there is a structure built 232 years ago to commorate the Empire's victory. The na of the war was……”
……A situation where she was giving a non-stop, too-much-information Endinium tour was unfolding before my eyes.
No. No matter how many unexpected situations had occurred to recently, and even if they were due to my lack of ability, this situation felt quite unfair.
If I had predicted this, I would have beco a fortune teller long ago.
Anyway, in this situation, I ca to only one conclusion.
‘I have to change the subject.’
With that single thought, I was waiting for Arien’s explanation to end. Before she could smoothly transition to introducing another landmark, I had to sohow intercept the conversation and change the topic.
“……and the small grooves that look like indentations on the triumphal arch are actually the nas of the participating knights engraved on it, and they are still in a good state of preservation.”
Now.
“Did you morize all of this content?”
While changing the subject, I brought out the question I had been holding in my heart.
“Yes. In order to prepare conversation topics for today's outing, I borrowed and read related books from the library yesterday. Was it beneficial?”
“……Yes.”
I couldn't help but be inwardly shocked. Once at Arien’s intelligence, for morizing all the information about these landmarks in a single day, and…….
Twice at the fact that Arien had prepared conversation topics in advance for an outing with soone.
‘……She’s so hopelessly awkward in these things.’
Just like the version I saw in the ga, she was completely inept at social skills.
It was quite a spectacle to see Arien, who had mostly shown a cool deanor in the ga, put on such a rare performance…….
Anyway, I rode the montum and changed the subject again.
“……I heard you well. By the way, a question suddenly ca to mind. Miss Arien, do you know how to use Origin Magic? I only have the aptitude for now.”
I changed the subject to Origin Magic at the right ti-.
“I understand it to so extent. As it is magic related to the origin of the world, a perfect understanding is still far off.”
Good, I got an answer. I succeeded in changing the conversation……!
“How is the mana consumption of Origin Magic? Since my mana capacity is close to rock bottom, if the consumption is even slightly high, there’s a large chance I won’t be able to use it……”
“Ah. Basic-level Origin Magic consus less mana than the fundantal 10 schools of magic. You do not need to worry about that part.”
“I see……”
This was definitely better. Since magic was Arien’s specialty, it was certainly less burdenso than her too-much-information Endinium guide, where she just recited a book she’d morized.
Above all, this conversation was also content that would be of great help to my future growth.
‘This is good.’
A magic lesson from the person destined to be the world's strongest mage. It was literally a priceless, precious experience that money couldn't buy.
And as that conversation continued, Arien suddenly stopped in her tracks. As if she had discovered sothing, she couldn't take her eyes off the spot.
I too turned my eyes to where Arien’s gaze was directed.
What had captured Arien’s attention was a street performance unfolding in front of a fountain.
People who looked like a street band were playing their respective instrunts, and among them was also a dancer. Of course, being a street performance, it was far from being perfectly synchronized.
“……”
Upon discovering it, Arien stopped talking and blankly watched the performance. Still with a perfect poker face, making it impossible to guess her inner thoughts.
Arien's moniker was the Seeker of Stars, and the essence of that word lay in the 'Seeker' part. Arien was a born seeker, and there was an instinctive thirst for knowledge she did not know.
Arien could easily satisfy that thirst for inquiry in most fields. Although she had a fundantal component of showing a specialized understanding in the field of magic, if applied in the context of academics, understanding other fields was not a very difficult task.
Therefore, Arien’s inquiry could show excellent results in most fields.
For example, morizing all the information about Endinium's landmarks.
However, even Arien’s seemingly versatile intellect had its limits. And that weakness was the limit of uncertainty.
Magic, if compared to a real-world discipline, was a study of rationality and certainty, where principles like 1 1=2 in mathematics were fundantal.
Of course, application and improvisation were essential in such a discipline, and Arien possessed those elents.
But true uncertainty was a discipline of a different domain. An example of this field would be the human mind.
Yes, Arien did not understand the human heart. To use another expression, she lacked humanity.
It wasn't that there were no studies that discussed the human heart in this world, but in order to explore the uncertain study of the heart, empathizing with others' hearts was more necessary than academic understanding.
I've written at length, but the conclusion is…… Arien watching the street performance so intently was an act stemming not from simple interest, but from a desire for inquiry.
And in , Arien begins to fill her lacking humanity through this inquiry into human nature.
Because of this, I did not interfere with Arien, who was blankly watching the performance.
I just stood next to her, watching the performance together, and occasionally observed Arien.
Hoping it would beco a stepping stone for Arien to understand humanity as she studied people.
The performance continued. The violin continued to produce a pleasant lody, and the dancer danced to that lody.
The quality of the performance was decent. Should I say it was about the level of an ordinary street performance? There was nothing particularly outstanding, but no major flaws either.
That ant that from a professional's standard, it could be called 'cheap' or 'low-level,' but they still looked happy. That was what mattered.
Though it was sothing Arien would not understand.
Thus, we enjoyed watching the street performance for a long ti without conversation, and as ti passed, the performance ca to an end.
With the dancer's stylish finishing pose, one hand on her hip and the other raised high.
***
Even after the performance ended, Arien did not leave the spot. It wasn't because Arien was deeply impressed by the performance…… it was closer to her being deep in thought.
“Why do those people perform?”
That was the single sentence that ca out after a rather long silence.
That question contained no other elent beyond its literal aning.
Unlike the twisted noble children of the academy, it was a pure question.
“Based on the standards of a formal orchestra, the performance was a ss. The music was not harmonious, and there were unstable aspects to the playing. The dancer lacked flexibility and could not properly execute the choreography.”
And then Arien looked at and started pouring out harsh criticism.
From a normal perspective, it was criticism that was almost at the level of condemnation……. but since the subject was Arien, I could be certain that there was no personal grudge involved.
“And yet…… why do they look so happy?”
I could tell. What lay within the words of Arien, who looked at , was pure curiosity, and also a faint humanity.
“If they possessed a desire for improvent, the performance should have been unsatisfactory to them as well.”
To Arien's words, I replied simply. It was a statent that would be all too obvious from a normal perspective.
“It is because not everyone performs hoping for perfection.”
At those words, Arien asked again.
“In that case, why was the audience pleased? They too would have wanted to enjoy a high-level performance.”
When Arien asked again, I answered once more.
“It is because not everyone watches a performance hoping for perfection.”
It was a similar answer, but in the sa context. Arien showed rare dissatisfaction on her face, which was probably dissatisfaction at not being able to understand completely.
And that dissatisfaction was revealed along with her characteristic robot-like, or English-textbook-translation-like, way of speaking.
“……There is a difficulty in my understanding.”
The reason Arien couldn't understand this situation was simple. Arien was a person who, when exploring any knowledge, aid only for 'a near-perfect exploration' of that knowledge.
This was because values such as the excitent of exploring knowledge, or the sense of satisfaction after a difficult inquiry, held no aning for Arien.
There was no emotion of excitent in Arien's inquiry. Because she acquired knowledge with her characteristically outstanding intellect before she could even feel excitent.
There was no emotion of satisfaction in Arien's inquiry. Because she had never been blocked by a wall long enough to feel satisfaction in the first place. And since she had never felt a wall, she had never felt the satisfaction of overcoming one.
Therefore, the only criterion when Arien judged any action was the degree of achievent.
This was the reason why she could not understand people who perceived actions related to achievent with joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure.
‘And, because of that nature, Arien can't let go of her inquiry into people. Because she hasn't yet perfectly achieved the inquiry.’
I couldn't help but smile with a small lift of my lips.
It was only natural, for wasn't Arien trying to understand people just as she did in the original ?
I was just proud that I could be there to witness it.
“May I ask why you are smiling?”
Arien, who saw my smile, asked again with her usual poker face.
The context could be taken as 'what are you smiling at-', but listening to Arien's tone, I could tell there was no such intention at all.
“I smiled because I thought I could help Miss Arien understand that. Until now, I felt like I was only receiving help one-sidedly.”
“……How can I understand it?”
To that straightforward question, I shrugged my shoulders and answered.
“As Miss Arien also knows, the answer is ultimately a lot of experience. There is no other way than to experience the appearances of many people and to feel it naturally through their actions.”
“Experience, you say.”
“I…… if I just give so advice there, I’m sure soone like Miss Arien will be able to understand enough. I could also help Miss Arien et as many different people as possible.”
I said so calmly. Even this was just a reference to what had appeared in .
Arien, upon hearing those words, put a finger to her chin for a mont and was lost in thought.
“Helping each other……”
Then…… she said so.
“That is what it ans to be a ‘friend’.”
This ti, it was a pretty good approach.
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