Although the armed individuals numbered not more than twenty, Suimei nevertheless felt that this was quite a substantial force already.
The sheer number of guards that had been hired was a testament to the dangers of this world.
Not only was the level of civilization in this world considerably low, but many dangers were also present that were not to be found in his own world. In this world, without suitable martial force, travel between cities and kingdoms would already be all but impassable; transportation methods from back home such as airplanes and rail were, of course, an impossibility.
Traveling between cities consisted of following the large, paved road. Street lights did not exist, and even finding a water source or lodgings required a good amount of effort.
As Suimei considered the circumstances, he came to realize just how convenient life had really been back in his own world.
Debating the relative conveniences and inconveniences of the two worlds with himself, Suimei finally arrived, and made his way toward a particular man who was dressed like a merchant.
From the description he’d been given at the guild when accepting the request, this appeared to be the man who had given the commission to the Twilight Pavilion.
“Can I help you?”
“I’m Yakagi Suimei, from the adventurer’s guild. I’m here to present myself as one of the escorts for this caravan.”
The man first met Suimei’s business-like introduction with a look of suspicion, his expression changing as he suddenly remembered something.
“Oh, how polite. I’m Galeo, the one who’s organized this caravan. You’re the Yakagi who knows restorative magic, I presume? Thank you for accepting this request. If any are injured along the way to Kurand, I’ll be relying on you.”
“No problem at all. It’s a pleasure to be working with you as well.”
Suimei took the outstretched hand in a handshake, signaling the end of their business meeting.
Suddenly, however, Galeo looked at Suimei with some confusion on his face.
“I’d heard Yakagi-san was a mage, but your clothing…”
“Oh, my clothes?”
“Mm-hmm. No matter how I look at it, I can’t see it as a mage’s clothing…”
So he’s confused about this too, huh?
“Haha. I’m not actually that fond of mage’s clothing, to be quite honest with you,” Suimei answered with an unfeigned smile.
Galeo again gave him an appraising look.
“Oh? Why’s that?”
“Let’s see, how do I put this… Mage clothing is so over-the-top, as if to rub how great we are in people’s faces. It’s totally putting on airs.”
This was indeed how Suimei truly felt after seeing the apparel of the mages of this world. These last few days, up until he’d managed to accept this commission, he’d often gone out for strolls on the town. He had thus seen more than a few magicians and staff members of the magician’s guild.
His impression at the time? How incredibly pompous.
Now, that wasn’t to say that all mages were thus attired, or even that clothing of this nature was inherently inappropriate. Nevertheless, for Suimei, new to this as he was, the mere thought of dressing in that manner filled him with embarrassment.
Additionally, Suimei had no particular desire to appear particularly mysterious, important, or superior.
Furthermore, the sight of their clothing brought to mind images of his own world, where he’d seen the ostentatious mage clothing of antiquity. Even if it meant creating unnecessary misunderstandings, he refused to look like that.
Finally, although his situation was indeed slightly special, the other magicians Suimei had met – his father and the Society head included – were similarly dressed in normal clothing.