The Strongest Gun Magus: I Cast Bullet!-Chapter 42: Partners in Crime

Marien stared at Reynard in shock.

"You... That’s insane! We belong to the Blue Bismuth School! What you suggest would make you—us—renegades! You want us to abandon our honor as magi like that?" 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Marien was raised in this world, where people were usually tied to the places they were born in. Peasants were tied to their land, townspeople to their trade guilds, and magi to their schools. Leaving was possibly only by repaying your life’s debts to the organisation or a person who, essentially, owned you.

Not repaying this debt was a great shame. And a punishable offense.

Reynard had no shame, since he wasn’t indoctrinated into these customs from childhood. But Marien was.

Reynard held Marien’s hand closer to his chest.

"My beautiful princess... Can you not see this? Belonging means not only giving, but being repaid equally. But the Blue Bismuth School doesn’t do that. The Magister puts you into this golden cage where you can’t refine properly... And is about to sacrifice me to the Four-Moon Realm! How does THAT repay me for the sixteen years that I spent picking bugs from plants and feeding my mana to Saturnian Ivies?"

"But the Blue Bismuth School raised us both. Grandfather has the right..." Marien’s weak voice fell off. She shook her head. "No... You aren’t some war slave! And me... He said he cares, but only when I behave the way he wants! Only when I’m in his cage!"

She furiously shook her head, clenching Reynard’s hand in his.

"You are right. This is unfair! To me, and to you. And..."

Marien smiled brilliantly.

"I always wanted to go on adventures!"

Reynard relaxed, smiling back.

"Yeah. Together, we can definitely pull this off! But for now, the most important thing is to keep my plan secret until the last moment. You weren’t seen running here, were you?"

"Uh... What does it matter? We should just run away today!" Marien stepped away from Reynard, shifting impatiently on her feet. "C’mon! I can’t wait to see different cities. And their markets! And the Winds of Mana—"

"Calm down, calm down! We will be pursued as soon as we escape, so we must prepare well. There’s still some time until the Four-Moon Gate appears. I have to decide which of my plants I will consume, and which I will just sell... What things to take with me... And so on."

Marien sighed.

"Oh, fine. I will help you prepare, then! Since we will go together."

Reynard grinned wider.

"This will be most wonderful, my songbird. You should also mention to someone that you came here because I invited you. Say, to apologize. Of course, you didn’t forgive me and still hate me and want me dead. Better not let the Magister suspect anything."

"Yes, yes... I understand."

"But in reality, of course, you forgave me?" Reynard added hopefully.

Marien squinted at him. Hard.

"The entire school was gossiping about me. Pestering me! Because of your cheating! But... You still treat me like I deserve. And you still care..." She huffed. "Keep this up, or else I will get offended for real!"

Reynard put his hands to his chest.

"I solemnly swear that, my princess. Next time I want to kiss someone, I will ask for your permission first, so it’s not cheating."

"Exactly! Hmph."

***

The next time Reynard and Marien met each other was the next day. She was waiting for him on "their" forest clearing.

"Finally! You are late," she pouted. "I got the book that you asked for."

Reynad smiled at her.

"Thank you! You weren’t seen, right?"

"No. Everybody thinks I’m just chasing the Winds again."

"Great! I made sure nobody was following me around, either. Although I was sure that someone WAS tailing me..." Reynard shook his head. "Either way, I have a gift for you, too."

He pulled a small wooden box from his pocket and offered it to Marien. The girl gasped and hurriedly opened it.

Her eyes widened.

"What is this?"

"I saw it when I was selling my leftover herbs on the market and thought about you. You like everything unusual, right? Well, I have never seen anything quite like this... But I suspect it’s a nose piercing. Or an earring. I guess you can even wear it in your hair."

Marien pulled out a sapphire-adorned ring with a golden chain coming from it and looked it over. It was unclasped and was too small to fit on a finger, so eventually she just put it into her belt pouch.

"Thank you, Reynard. It’s really curious! I’m going to come up with a way to put it on... A nose piercing, huh. Like bulls have? Sounds ugly! What even gave you this idea?"

"Just... Uh... Heard people from faraway lands actually wore those as jewelry." Reynard shrugged. "So, that book..."

"Right. Here."

Marien took out a scroll from her belt pouch, then unrolled it, put a hand over the paper, and let out a burst of mana.

The Scroll of Holding flared with light, and a thick leather-bound book appeared in Marien’s palm.

Reynard couldn’t help but think how privileged Marien was. This Scroll of Holding cost like a third of the Blue Bismuth School... But her grandfather just gifted this incredible treasure to her instead of using it himself, so Marien didn’t have to carry around a backpack on the Autumn Beast Hunt.

Marien passed the book to Reynard. Its title read: "Thoughts on Advanced Magecraft by Rudolf Wisemarch".

"You are very lucky to have me! That book is just a copy, but it’s still valuable. I had to enter the closed section of the library... Even Albedo students are only allowed there with Magister’s explicit permission! Unless they are me, of course. I bribed the librarian to let me in and be quiet about it." Marien bragged. "But... Why do you need it at all? It’s not a spell or a refinement manual."

Reynard grinned, hugging the heavy book to his chest.

"You will find out soon, my princess. For now, let me keep the intrigue..."