Mebius World Online – Mari’s VRMMO Diary, Embarking on a Laid-back Adventure as a Novice - Chapter 11
1-11. Mari-nee and her Jester Predecessor
The simmered dish that I made too much of was decided to be eaten for dinner, and as I was cleaning up with Estelle-san after the meal, I was spoken to as if she had just remembered.
“Come to think of it, Maria-san, you’re a Jester, right?”
“Well, sort of. But I don’t really know if I’m a normal Jester.”
Although I’ve learned the skill <Puppeter> I might look a bit like one. However, my way of fighting is more like a hunter or a trapper, setting traps and such.
I’ve also learned the skill <Capture> you know.
Well, this is who I am.
“If Maria-san is skilled at handling threads like that, why not visit someone in this town who is a Jester? You might gain some new insights.”
“Another Jester?”
Come to think of it, I might not have seen any other Jesters.
There were clearly warriors and mages, majority as adventurers, but are Jesters unpopular?
Well, there might be people like me who haven’t changed from their initial clothes and can’t be easily identified.
“What kind of person are they?”
“She’s called Zela-san, and she has many disciples. She’s a bit of a celebrity in this town.”
A celebrity, huh?
Just hearing that might make me feel a bit awkward, but if Estelle-san recommends her, she can’t be a bad person, right?
“Since Estelle-san recommended it, I’ll go meet her.”
“If it’s this time, she should be in the square to the south of the town.”
Thanking Estelle-san and making a request before departure, I left the church and headed to the location she told me.
Eden Town is roughly divided into east, west, south, and north.
There’s the east district with shops and stalls, the north district with eateries and inns, the west district where many people with relatively tough lives live, and the south district where people with comfortable lives reside.
The location Estelle-san told me about was more like a park than a square.
The planted grass and trees were well-maintained, the ground was paved with stones, and the figures of people passing by were orderly.
It’s quite different even within the same town.
But there was no sense of discrimination or rejection towards people from other districts, and I wasn’t given strange looks even though I was there.
“Zela-san, Zela-san… I wonder who that is?”
In this square, there were four people dressed as Jesters, so to speak.
All four had white makeup, making their faces hard to discern, and their costumes, with plenty of pleats, concealed their actual body shapes.
Oh, this is unexpected.
Here are the characteristics of the four.
A person juggling a club like a bowling pin.
Someone manipulates cards like a magic trick, changing and throwing them with their fingertips.
A person performing acrobatics on a large ball while maintaining balance.
Someone presenting pantomime, likening themselves to a puppet.
Each of them had an audience, including mothers with children, young couples, and elderly people, all happily watching their performances.
Some people who stopped by were on a dog walk, and their dogs sniffed each other and played around, creating a peaceful and heartwarming scene. However, it wasn’t the time to be relaxed.
“Zela-san. Come to think of it, I didn’t ask about her characteristics… Well, I’ll find out when I ask,” I thought.
I approached someone who had been watching the performances and inquired about Zela-san.
“Zela-san? I don’t think she’s here today. Characteristics? I remember him as a friendly old man.”
Hmm.
“If it’s Zela-san, he’s a young and handsome guy.”
Hmm-hmm?
“When I think of Zela-san, he’s a robust adventurer, you know?”
Hmm-hmm-hmm???
Why is everyone describing different characteristics? Is Zela-san actually a title or a group of people, not an individual!?
“What should I do…”
Feeling lost and sitting on a bench, an old man with a dog approached me.
“Hello, young lady, is something troubling you?”
Kind eyes peered from behind his glasses.
He seemed to be in his sixties.
He neatly combed back his white hair, wearing a crisp white shirt, exuding an air of a gentle old gentleman.
“I’m looking for someone named Zela-san, but everyone describes different features for Zela-san, and I don’t know what to do.”
“I see, Zela-san, huh? I think the one I know is a middle-aged woman.”
Unbelievably, even the gender is inconsistent!
What on earth should I do…
“At least I often see her around this time. Miss, why don’t you wait patiently?”
“…You’re right. Thank you for listening.”
“No need for thanks.”
As the old man walked away, a family with multiple dogs approached from the front, exchanged greetings, and passed by.
“I should go back to the church and ask Estelle-san about Zela-san’s features…”
Wait, something feels off.
I feel like I’ve overlooked something.
As I frowned, struggling with the answer that seemed to be on the tip of my tongue but wouldn’t come out, the family that had just passed by greeted me as well.
That greeting led to the answer.
I quickly followed the old man, passed him, and stood in his way to stop him.
“Do you still need something from me, young lady?” he asked, showing a slightly surprised expression. However, it was a natural reaction to someone newly acquainted returning.
“You should indeed see me often, especially if it’s about yourself. Isn’t that right, Zela-san?”
As the old man turned around, Zela-san transformed the kind eyes from earlier into a sharp gaze, staring at me.
“Why do you think I’m Zela?”
At that moment, my assertion seemed to be correct.
If I had been wrong, I might have been too embarrassed to log in for a while.
What I pointed out was not Zela-san but the dog accompanying him.
“Hello. The dogs that the family was walking with showed no reaction to Zela-san’s dog. Normally, dogs would sniff each other or bark at each other. So, I thought, what if the dogs were fake?”
Zela-san gestured for me to continue without saying anything.
“If the dogs are fake, the leash connecting to the collar might be a substitute for the thread. Only a Jester could move it as if it were alive, right? There might be others who can do the same among Jesters, but at least those four dressed as Jesters, especially the ones juggling and performing acrobatics, would find it difficult. So, considering that, and thinking about who else besides Zela-san, who has many disciples, could it be, I came to this conclusion.”
“…Young lady, what’s your name?”
“I’m Maria.”
“Never thought I’d be exposed not by skill, but by the nature of dogs… I still have a long way to go.”
“So, am I correct?”
“You’re right, Maria. I am Zela. Considered the mentor of Jesters in this town.”
His elegant bow was not that of an old gentleman but rather gentlemanly.
Just with that gesture, the discrepancy between his appearance and actual age increased.
Now I understand that everyone was telling the truth, yet everyone thought of a different Zela-san.
Anyway, I had finally met the mentor of Jesters.