The Principle of a Philosopher by Eternal Fool “Asley”

“Wait, for real!? You two barely talked to each other for five whole years!?”

“Yeah, and whenever he does, his eyes’d sparkle and he’d shout my name at the top of his lungs…”

“Oh, Master Tūs, you exaggerate. Surely my voice was never THAT loud…”

Melchi, Tūs, and Gaspard were having a casual chat over a meal — and by ‘meal,’ it was mostly just unseasoned herbs wrapped around other wild plants, meat, or even monster parts.

“Just look, Mel — He acts all high and mighty when he talks to you, yeah? But whenever he’s with me, he’s like this — all prim and proper. I can’t tell which one is the real Gaspard anymore…”

By this point, not only Gaspard, but also Tūs, had started calling Melchi ‘Mel.’

In response to Tūs’ comment, Gaspard spoke with a somewhat exasperated tone,

“I’m still learning from you, Master Tūs, so it’s only natural to be humble. Mel, don’t waste the food. Finish them.”

“Nahahaha! It’s like you’ve turned into a different person between sentences!”

“Well, I guess many people in this world have two sides to them. I remember one of the Holy Warriors was like that, too.”

“Ohh! Please, I’d like to hear about them in detail–“

“–Naaahhh, it’s a pain in the ass.”

Her enthusiasm promptly deflated, Melchi slumped her shoulders.

Wild thoughts swirled in Gaspard’s mind as he listened intently to Tūs.

[The Holy Warriors — as far as I know, they were a trio that each possessed a special title — one a Hero, one a Fighter, and one a Mage. The power one can gain from those titles must be incredible…!]

Tūs did not fail to notice the passionate look in Gaspard’s eyes.

[Loos like Gaspard’s desire for power is stronger than ever… I should be careful when he has that look. Mel will be a good friend to keep him in check, though. Well, maybe I don’t really have to think about this too hard…]

Tūs was half concerned, half hopeful. And indeed, Melchi’s presence had helped alleviate Gaspard’s desires. The fact that the three of them had been able to live together out in the wilderness for over a decade was in part thanks to her being here.

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“…Ngh.”

A gigantic boar was on its knees.

This boar was none other than Bull, a fearsome monster known as the King Happy Killer, and the Familiar of Tūs.

As Bull wore an exhausted expression and closed his eyes, Tūs’ first ever student stood before him.

“You knocked me down despite being lower than level 100… Now that’s what I call strong…”

“It’s not just about levels and numbers, you see — since I have tools like magic and magecraft, I won’t be beaten by a Familiar who’s only good at blasting breath attacks.”

“Heh, you’ve grown quite audacious, Gaspard.”

Bull shot Gaspard a menacing glare, but the latter had already turned his back to him, instead gazing calmly at his mentor — Tūs, who stood some distance away.

[Maybe Tūs was right… He’s dangerous…]

“…Well, without access to the Limit Breakthrough, I suppose going further beyond will be difficult… Hmm…”

As Gaspard muttered to himself, he walked away from Bull, heading to where Tūs was.

Bull watched Gaspard with a concerned expression, and then Melchi approached from behind.

“Whoa!? What got you all banged up!? What a waste of that nice fur!”

“…She’s also dangerous… in a different sense.”

Bull took a glance at Melchi.

“High Cure! And there — all patched up! Better wash off that blood soon, yeah?”

“…Thanks.”

“Eh, no need to thank me — just repay me by letting me skin you when you’re dead! Nahahaha!”

Melchi playfully patted Bull’s back and laughed. Then, as Bull disappeared from her sight, she headed to where Tūs and Gaspard were, and saw that they were engaged in a conversation.

However, her curiosity was piqued as their discussion appeared to be heating up. At first glance, Tūs and Gaspard may look like they were simply talking, but in truth, that was not the case. It had escalated into an argument.

[Is Master Tūs… angry?]

“As I said, I just want a little time to spend by myself! Surely that’s not too much to ask for!”

The first words that Melchi’s ears picked up were Gaspard’s, delivered with quite a harsh tone.

“And I already said NO!”

“Why not!? I don’t understand! Please, tell me why!”

“You’re still immature, that’s why! You grew stronger from training with me, that’s true! And that’s because I was here! Even if you have talent, you should at least understand that!”

“…!”

Gaspard had no choice but to remain silent, but his intense gaze toward Tūs remained unwavering.

The sheer intensity of it caused Melchi to halt in her tracks. She found herself staring only at Gaspard’s back, as if she did not want to meet his eyes — even more so than Tūs’ intimidating stare.

“And here’s the thing — since you’ve grown stronger under MY guidance, I can’t allow you to go into the world and wield that strength for your misguided cause! That’s what this is about! If you got that, then go the hell to sleep right now!”

Toos declared this and left Gaspard behind. Melchi was the only one who noticed that Gaspard’s fists were clenched tightly.

Although she intended to speak to Gaspard, his rear silhouette appeared so formidable and unyielding that she could not help but hesitate to do so. No matter what she might say to him at this moment, it would not have any effect. That was what Gaspard’s mere presence conveyed to her.

However, while she kept her lips sealed, Melchi’s feet seemed to move on their own accord, driven by her concern and trust in Gaspard.

That was an inadvertent step that Gaspard could not possibly overlook.

“Mel.”

The word that left his mouth sounded cold, but also contained a minimal hint of consideration for Melchi, which served to suppress his resentment — or perhaps fury.

“Na… hahaha…! Sorry ’bout that — looks like I caught you when you were super uncool!”

Melchi finally squeezed out a laugh, but it was more restrained and polite than her usual exuberant tone.

“I’m leaving right now.”

“Huh!? Why!?”

“Some time ago, Master Tūs told me about a magecraft that allows one to raise their level above 100. It’s an art long lost to time, apparently. Maybe he won’t ever find it even if he searches every corner of this world…”

“And you’re gonna go look for it anyway!? Well, I’mma come with–“

“–No.”

Gaspard’s words sounded as if they were meant to restrain Melchi.

She intended to argue against it, but the look in Gaspard’s eyes would not allow it. 

“Now, MELCHI, it’s not like you’re totally powerless. I just think you’ll be in the way.”

While Gaspard had made sarcastic comments in the past, this time his words were far worse than that. They were merciless, rejecting every aspect of Melchi’s existence.

Without saying another word, Gaspard vanished into thin air, leaving behind everything — Melchi, Tūs, and the Far East Wasteland…

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“I don’t get what he’s even trying to do!”

“I should be the one saying that, you little hag!”

“What?! I’m still in my forties, dammit!”

“Yeah, and a human’s average lifespan is 50 years! That makes you OLD!”

“That’s ancient history! It was true a long time ago — before YOU were born — but not anymore!”

“You must’ve lived a long time to know that! HAHAHA!”

“What the hell!? While we’re doing this, Gaspard is getting farther away!”

“Oops, my bad! I should have killed him!”

“Are you seriously saying that!?”

“HELL YEAH!!”

Despite Tūs’ confident stance, Melchi confronted her without backing down. She was deeply concerned about Gaspard’s well-being, and Tūs shared her worry in his own way.

[Tch… I was wrong about Gaspard. I thought he’d stop if I explained my point to him, but he’s too passionate to keep under control. Maybe he concealed it from me and Melchi, and has actually been this power hungry from the beginning… Playing nice and cozying up to me and Melchi while honing his claws? No, he started showing a different side of him after he met Melchi. What has he been hiding? He’s been saying some nonsense about eliminating conflict from the world, but is THAT what he actually wants? No, back when he said that, his eyes were pure. That was no lie. But, wait…]

Toos, feeling increasingly uneasy about Gaspard’s words, turned to look at his second student, who had been glaring at him this whole time.

“…You know what? I’ll let you leave here — Go to the Regalia region and gather as much info on Gaspard as you can.”

“YEAAAHHH! NOW we’re talkin’!”

Tūs’ concern eventually turned into reality.

Gaspard was continuously improving himself by traveling to various places and absorbing pure and impure arcane energy.

However, the Far East Wasteland was never a place where one could gather information. It was a place practically sealed off from the rest of the world.

As someone who had lived a life akin to beasts and monsters, Melchi could not gather information efficiently. By the time she finally obtained a lead in one place, Gaspard had already moved to somewhere else.

Nevertheless, Tūs trusted Melchi to keep her promise and return with information, so he decided that from then on, he would send Melchi to the places where information on Gaspard’s whereabouts could be found.

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