Magic Maker - How to make magic in another world - - Chapter 171

Magic Maker – How to make magic in another world –

Chapter 171   Love consultation 2

“Hey, give me an ale!”

“Sure thing!”

I observed the casual exchange between customers and staff out of the corner of my eye. Adventurers, common folk, and even individuals who seemed like soldiers were enjoying meals and drinks. The pleasant commotion resonated through my eardrums.

This place was a tavern, though more like a restaurant at this hour since it was daytime. Such places would undergo a shift in clientele during the night, attracting rougher types. Consequently, children like me and knights like Dominic didn’t frequent those establishments much.

Dominic and I sat at a table. The dishes were already placed before us. I had ordered goat steak with bread, soup, and water. Dominic seemed to have opted for a stir-fry of meat and vegetables with bread.

The food situation in this world was quite similar to the original world. There were beings such as humans, animals, and magical creatures, with the types of animals closely resembling those on Earth. However, the variety of species could be skewed, and the cooking methods were often rudimentary.

Well, I wasn’t particularly interested in meals, and I had no intention of improving the dining environment. I just ate what was served.

By the way, there’s no culture of eating magical creatures. In this world, the majority of magical creatures are goblins, kobolds, and orcs. Moreover, due to the strong impression that magical creatures are impure entities, the idea of consuming them doesn’t exist. Perhaps there are individuals who have tried eating magical creatures, but I’ve never eaten them, and I have no desire to do so.

Chewing on rubbery, tough meat, the meal was neither delicious nor unappetizing, but it did fill the stomach. During the meal, both of us remained silent. The sounds of clinking dishes and the hubbub of the surroundings filled our ears. After finishing our meals, we wiped our mouths almost simultaneously with napkins.

“So, what happened?”

As the meal concluded, Dominic initiated the conversation. I had anticipated this, so I wasn’t flustered, but there was still some hesitation. Should I speak truthfully, or should I evade the topic? It seemed like I often resorted to evasions or lies, which might contribute to my multitude of concerns.

Dominic offered a faint smile as he gazed at me. His transparent eyes seemed to subtly dissolve my perplexity. Although our acquaintance wasn’t deep, I could somehow sense Dominic’s character. It might be okay to talk about it.

“Well, the thing is—”

I confided my worries to Dominic, framing it as a friend’s situation. In these situations, when you talk about a friend, there’s a high probability that it’s your own story, but I understood that. Nevertheless, speaking openly was too complex, and there were too many uncertain factors about whether I should share or not. While incorporating some elements of fiction, I spoke my thoughts.

“… I see. So, you’re torn between your childhood friend and two recently close girls.”

“It’s not so much being torn, but rather not knowing what to do in the first place.”

“I’ve been popular with women since my early childhood, so I can quite understand the feelings of your… friend.”

It wouldn’t be entirely unreasonable to harbor some murderous intent towards this man, who wore a face that said he took it for granted. However, in a sense, this might be helpful. If Dominic is popular, then I can probably expect some valuable advice from him.

“Does your… friend dislike these two women?”

“Of course not. I’m sure they mean a lot to him. But the childhood friend is like family, and the girl he’s close to is like a sister… It seems like he sees them as people to protect.”

“I see. So, he doesn’t view them romantically?”

“I wonder… he’s not sure. He’s never experienced love in his entire life.”

“What? He’s never been in love!? That’s quite… odd. No, I’d say it’s more than odd. Not having experienced love is synonymous with not knowing the majority of life! Love is life! Love is happiness! Saying you’ve never been in love is just… strange. Falling in love is a wonderful thing!”

Dominic leaned in close with an intense expression. I involuntarily recoiled a bit.

“Is that so?”

“Yes! It’s a waste, oh, such a waste! The excitement, sparkle, the thrilling heartbeats, squeezing chest, bittersweet times, the warmth when touched, yearning for love, always wanting to be together but unable to… those poignant feelings! Everything colors your daily life.”

“D-Dominic-kun? Are you acting strange today?”

“Who cares about that!? Right now, we’re talking about Shion-sama’s… friend, aren’t we?”

Can he please stop addressing me as “Shion-sama” so frequently? My cheeks twitched a little.

“W-Well, um, yeah…”

“In any case, if there’s someone who has feelings for you, you should respond! Especially if you don’t dislike them and, in fact, like them! Family-like or sister-like? Such talk is nonsense! Once you recognize each other as the opposite sex, those clichés don’t apply anymore! Love isn’t something you can explain logically! It’s different from deciphering fairy languages or studying magic! It’s something you pursue with your heart, without overthinking!”

Dominic leaned in so close that it felt like our noses were about to touch. No, they were already touching. His eyes looked a bit bloodshot. It was frightening. What happened to my serious and diligent companion, Dominic Jorg? Please, return him to me.

Suddenly calming down, Dominic sat back in his seat.

“Expressing your feelings, showing them through your actions, requires courage. Especially when it comes to women, it should be embarrassing and scary. If you neglect those feelings, you’ll undoubtedly hurt the other person. Eagerly expressing your affection, only to be ignored entirely, is a very painful experience.”

Indeed, that’s true. I thought I understood, but perhaps I didn’t truly comprehend it. But even if I were to choose Winona, I’d be neglecting Sister, who prioritized me over everything since childhood. Although I won’t become romantically involved with Sister, dating someone else would still hurt her. So, should I become romantically involved with Sister? Or should I keep the promise made in childhood, not marry or date anyone, and live alone forever? Would that mean choosing Sister? At that moment, would I make Winona unhappy? But perhaps, that’s what it means to love someone. After all, you can only choose one person to love.

“…So, in other words, you need to make up your mind and choose one of them.”

“Huh?”

Dominic responded with a bewildered voice. What’s with this reaction?

“Huh? W-Well, that was the gist of what you were saying, right?”

“Not at all.”

“No, no, no! You were passionately talking about responding to feelings! That’s what you said, right!?”

“I did say that, but I didn’t say you have to choose between them.”

Facing Dominic’s perplexed expression, I had a bad feeling. No way, could it be!?

“Both of them could become wives, couldn’t they?”

Ahhhh!! Truly another world! This is a fantasy celebration of medieval Europe-like thoughts. I knew it, I sort of sensed it. But I didn’t want to think about it!

“Nobles and royals having multiple wives is common. Some even have multiple husbands. Since Shion-sama is probably a noble, your childhood friend and the close woman are likely nobles as well, probably. Therefore, if you care for both of them, the situation can be managed without issues. There might be questions about who becomes the main wife or the secondary wife, but if you cherish both of them, it’ll work out!”

“W-Wait a minute! Isn’t that insincere!?”

“For nobles, it’s common. Your childhood friend and the close woman, who are likely nobles, can understand the situation. You, Shion-sama, would probably be accepted. The issue of whether to make one the main wife or the secondary wife may arise, but if you genuinely care for both, it should be fine!”

“W-Wait, that’s not right! Nobles or not, the feelings of the three are different!”

“Should we choose one person and reject the other? That means one of them will be unhappy, right? They’ll have to witness their loved one being romantically involved with someone else. Or they might distance themselves because they can’t endure it. Is that okay?”

“W-Well, I mean, it might turn out that way, but… Besides, getting married right away without even dating…”

“Is dating necessary?”

With a puzzled expression, Dominic tilted his head, and I couldn’t help but stand up.

“W-Well, there is! You date to get to know each other’s personalities, nurture love, and then get married!”

“I don’t quite understand. Whether you fall in love and then get married or get married and then fall in love, isn’t it the same? There’s not necessarily a need to date. Besides, most nobles don’t have love marriages.”

Come to think of it, I had heard such stories before. However, my parents had a love marriage, and since there weren’t many nobles around, I didn’t really feel it. In the case of commoners, love marriages seemed to be more common, so my perspective didn’t seem too unconventional.

“Whether dating or getting married, it doesn’t matter. Choosing both of them is still an option.”

“B-But if you choose both of them, won’t they both be dissatisfied? I think you should ultimately choose one person you truly love.”

“I don’t understand. Why would both be dissatisfied if you choose both? Why would both be unhappy?”

“W-Well, that’s… because, you know, if someone loves another person as well.”

“But that woman is also being loved. Wanting someone to love only you is a common feeling. However, can a woman who is satisfied by cutting off the connection with another woman because the man she loves also loves that woman truly be said to love that man? Isn’t that possessiveness rather than love?”

With such a straightforward and confident explanation, I found myself thinking, “Could it be true?” Anyway, the persuasiveness was incredible.

“W-Well, I wonder if that’s true?”

“In this world, there are many men and women. Very few people have only one destined partner. What if you end up loving multiple people equally? How do you choose? If you can’t choose, do you reject all of them?”

My head started to spin. Dominic’s words were starting to make sense.

“Of course, it’s essential to genuinely love both of them and make them happy. If you meet sufficient conditions financially, socially, and honorably, there should be no problem.”

Dominic was looking at me as if it were obvious. Half of my values are from the Earth era. Therefore, I might be the one who’s unconventional in this world. And this is indeed another world. In reality, what Dominic is saying is common sense in this world, and I’ve heard such stories many times. However, accepting it smoothly is still difficult. The more I think about it, the more confused I become. Honestly, I want to run away. I want to abandon all these problems and immerse myself in magical studies. However, I’m aware that I don’t have the personality to do such a thing.

Both Sister and Winona are important to me. So, I can’t neglect either of them. I have a headache. This is probably psychological. Oh, studying magic is fun even when I’m troubled, but love is just painful. However, it also means that I care deeply about both of them.

“It’s troublesome, isn’t it, Sion-sama…? It seems that emotional reasoning won’t work with you. Let’s think about it logically then. How about telling everything to both of them?”

“…T-Tell them everything?”

“Yes, everything. Share all your troubles and what actually happened.”

“I-If I do that, won’t I hurt both of them?”

“Let’s assume that you’ve thought about it and reached a conclusion on your own. Based on my experience, it becomes a mess. It’s thoroughly chaotic. If you have a clear answer within yourself, if you’re confident, there’s no need to say it. But if you’re going to struggle so much, it’s better to say it. There’s a possibility of causing pain, but overthinking and acting without expressing yourself can lead to even greater difficulties.”

“So, it’s either hurting them a little or carrying the potential to hurt them deeply… Is that it?”

“There’s no correct answer, but what I can say for sure is that the more you postpone the problem, the deeper the wounds of the women who confessed to you will become. Also, it’s better not to make vague excuses.”

Dominic’s words finally made me feel my mind working. Since I couldn’t understand my own emotions when I thought about them emotionally, there was no sign of solving the problem. However, if I thought about it logically, I could see a glimmer of hope.

“Got it, thanks, Dominic. I’ll think about it.”

“Yes, please do your best. While I won’t pry into the identities of those two women, I believe it would be good for Shion-sama to understand what makes your happy. Oh, but this was about your friend, right?”

Dominic spoke with a smirk. I could only manage a wry smile while averting my gaze.