Chapter 12 - Chapter 11: Magical Beast
Several days had passed since the burn.
It was still a bit early for evening, on the way back from practicing magic in the forest as usual.
I spotted Diego in the distance.
Diego was working in the cotton field and usually wasn't around much in the village.
Even when he was in the village, he was often stationed at the watchtower, so I rarely saw him.
When I did see him, he was almost always with the Vigilance Committee members, teaching everyone about swords and spears.
It seemed Diego had considerable experience and skill when it came to fighting.
That was why he served as the commander of the Rish Village Vigilance Committee.
That Diego was giving loud orders to the Vigilance Committee members about something.
His face was serious even when teaching swords, but today it felt more agitated than just serious.
One could say he was radiating killing intent.
What's going on? I've never seen the Vigilance Committee members flustered like this before.
As I watched wondering what was happening, I heard the sound of a bell ringing from far away.
It rang five times: clang clang clang clang clang. After a few beats, it rang five times again: clang clang clang clang clang.
While I was wondering what it was, something suddenly popped into my head.
In response to the bell sound, memories of Mika Noisheim surfaced.
Five rings means evacuation to the Meeting Hall. What happened?
According to Mika Noisheim's memories, there have been experiences of evacuating to the Meeting Hall before.
In all those cases, it was when packs of wild dogs or wolves appeared near Rish Village.
By the way, three rings meant fire, and four rings meant stay-at-home orders.
One and two rings were used as time signals.
Time signals were announced by the clock tower at the Village Head's house, while alarm bells were installed at the clock tower and the watchtower.
From where Mika was currently located, home was closer than the Meeting Hall.
Or rather, it was a distance that could be called just a stone's throw away.
I couldn't help but think, "If only they had told me a bit sooner," but I had to resign myself to bad luck in this matter.
Seeing villagers carrying infants heading toward the Meeting Hall, Mika decided to head there as well.
Upon arriving at the Central Plaza, I could already see many villagers gathering at the Meeting Hall.
In front of the Village Head's house, men who appeared to be Vigilance Committee members were gathered, seemingly in discussion.
Among these Vigilance Committee members, I could see several groups running toward the South Gate.
Some men held swords, while others carried objects like spears carved from wood.
Did something happen at the South Gate?
I felt something throbbing inside Mika.
This was what was commonly called curiosity.
For recent Mika, it might be called a "bad disease."
Once you start getting curious, you can't settle down until you take action.
Maybe I should just go take a quick look.
The moment that thought surfaced —
"Mika!"
I heard Loretta's voice.
Turning toward the sound, I saw Loretta running toward me down the path I had walked.
She might have been heading home.
"Really, what are you doing in a place like this? Come on, quickly. Let's go."
Saying that, she took Mika's hand and ran toward the Meeting Hall without giving him a chance to object.
Arriving at the Meeting Hall at a brisk walk, I called out to the person at the entrance, "Loretta Noisheim and Mika."
"Yes, the Noisheim family. Where is your mother?"
"She's coming later. Just me and Mika for now."
After a quick confirmation, we were instructed to go to the back of the hall.
It seemed about fifty people had already evacuated to the Meeting Hall.
I could see children holding hands like Mika, and mothers with infants here and there.
Is Amalia still at the textile factory? Did she receive secret orders to send Loretta first and secure me?
I grumbled in my heart, "I can evacuate on my own, how insulting," but of course, I made sure to forget that I had been about to go to the South Gate just moments ago.
Since I hadn't taken action, it was as if it never happened.
Loretta had come to evacuate before Amalia, but that was because Amalia, worried about Mika, had instructed her to do so; it wasn't a secret order or anything.
For a family with young children, it was a perfectly normal action.
The Meeting Hall was smaller than a school gymnasium, but still spacious enough that even accommodating all over 200 villagers would leave plenty of room.
Besides the main entrance at the front, there were doors on the side of the building, and all those doors and several windows were thrown wide open.
However, due to the summer heat, it was quite stuffy.
It was good to be led to the back by Loretta, but it was hot regardless.
The room temperature seemed to be over 35 degrees.
I didn't know what had happened, but staying here for too long might cause heatstroke again.
"...It's hot."
I felt like using "Water Splash" to douse my head with water, but I had already finished my magic practice today and my mana was empty.
Of course, even if I had mana left, I wouldn't do something like that.
I didn't want anyone to find out I could use magic, and I knew I'd get scolded if I flooded the place where everyone was evacuating.
As a matter of fortunate misfortune, or rather, Mika's clothes were currently wet.
It was because I had scattered "Water Splash" as cleanup in the forest, but even that wasn't soaking wet anymore.
Compared to the humid summers of Japan, the summers in Rish Village were much more comfortable.
Thanks to the low humidity, the perceived temperature was completely different as long as one avoided direct sunlight.
Perhaps the heat trapped in the Meeting Hall was because no one had used it before, so it had been kept closed up until now.
I wanted to believe that if they opened it, it would eventually get cool.
I wanted to believe that, but the fact remained that it was hot right now.
I tried to go to the nearest door to cool off, but realized I was still holding Loretta's hand.
Loretta was staring at the entrance with an anxious expression.
"Sister, my hand."
I lifted my joined hand and waved it, and Loretta noticed the hand she was still gripping.
But she immediately returned her gaze to the entrance.
"Sister, my hand. Let go."
"............No."
"Why!?"
I hadn't expected a refusal, so a loud voice slipped out unintentionally.
Loretta moved behind Mika while still holding his hand, wrapping her arm around his back.
It seemed my unnecessary words had raised the alert level further.
"Why are you so wet?"
"...I took a bath."
She said it with an exasperated look, saying "Really," but she didn't seem willing to let go.
My body was pressed against hers more than before, making it even hotter.
I felt like my trustworthiness was close to zero, but that was probably the fault of the former Mika boy.
It must be.
I collapsed on the road, raged during a bath, refused to share a futon, but surely it wasn't my fault.
I've been behaving well lately though.
For a while after switching bodies, there was a lot of confusion, worry, and trouble, but lately I've been behaving well... on the surface.
But it seemed that wasn't enough to overturn the previous evaluation.
Sighing, I gave up and gazed at the entrance as well.
At that moment, I suddenly noticed.
Loretta's hand, and her body, were trembling slightly.
Looking up to check Loretta's expression, she was still staring at the entrance with that anxious look.
...Are you scared?
Yes, she was scared.
We didn't know what was happening, villagers were ordered to evacuate, and Mother Amalia wasn't there.
Although she acted bravely thinking she had to protect her younger brother, Loretta was still a thirteen-year-old girl.
She was bound to be scared.
My spine went cold instantly, and my thoughts began to race rapidly.
"...Limiter Off."
I muttered it softly so no one could hear.
I don't have much mana left right now, but if it comes down to it, I'll faint and blast "Magic" anyway.
The top priority was the safety of my family.
Based on past experience, evacuation orders to the Meeting Hall were issued when a pack of beasts attacked the village.
In the worst-case scenario, I should assume a pack of beasts would come to this Meeting Hall as well.
But don't rely on "Magic" lightly. My careless actions could harm Loretta and the others. I should only use this when I judge that avoiding damage is impossible.
If Mika tried to do anything, the family would stop him.
Shallow actions by Mika would only expose the family to danger.
I don't know the threat level of the expected enemy or the village's combat power, so either way, there's nothing I can do. Staying quiet and not causing trouble is best.
I would prepare my resolve for when the time came, but until then, I would limit myself to gathering information within my line of sight.
Going around asking questions would cause trouble.
Right now, staying still was best.
Outside the open door, I saw men who looked like Vigilance Committee members holding wooden spears or large farming tools like forks.
Were they sentries around the Meeting Hall?
Has the attack not started yet? If they were fighting right now, they would have sealed the doors and windows.
I predicted the situation based on the surroundings.
The entrance area became a bit noisy, and people were coming and going more frequently.
It seemed a few men had brought something using a cart.
A middle-aged man who looked like the Village Head was giving orders, and adults were carrying some luggage inside.
Those boxes and water jars... Water, food, and medicine, I suppose? Speaking of which, I didn't see a food storage, but maybe it was somewhere?
I hadn't noticed it while walking around the village.
Well, it was natural that I couldn't tell just by looking from the outside.
There were houses whose owners I didn't know.
It wouldn't be strange if any of them were used as a food storage.
While observing the movement of people at the entrance, I found Radi and Kifrod among them.
It seemed some of the evacuated villagers also noticed Radi and Kifrod.
Before I knew it, people had gathered around them.
Radi and the others guided the villagers to gather a short distance away from the entrance.
They spoke to each anxious villager, smiling gently as if to say there was nothing to worry about.
"Laughing Virgin" in full display. Religion is really useful in times like this.
Their role as a spiritual pillar for the people was significant.
Not many people can always face forward in the face of difficulties and threats, or keep moving without stopping.
Still, many people don't fall into confusion or choose to give up because they have spiritual support that they are not alone.
It doesn't necessarily have to be limited to religion, but in this world, the role played by the Church of Light is truly huge.
As I watched the group start praying, the outside of the window began to turn red with the sunset.
The temperature inside the Meeting Hall was also dropping, and they began to close the open doors and windows.
Since the windows had lattice glass, it seemed they were putting boards on the outside.
It was likely a measure to prevent them from breaking if something happened.
Lamps hung on the walls were lit, and several portable lamps were placed as well.
Even so, once the windows were closed, it became quite dark.
Soon after, about twenty people were seen entering through the entrance.
Amalia was among them, and presumably, the others were employees from the textile factory.
Amalia looked around the entire Meeting Hall.
"Mother!"
Loretta raised her hand and called out to Amalia.
Amalia seemed to notice immediately and walked over with a relieved expression.
"I'm glad you two are safe. Was Mika found quickly?"
"Yeah. I put boards on the windows at home too."
"Oh, thank you."
Amalia smiled and patted Loretta's head.
It seemed the secret order really did exist.
Loretta had gone back to their home once from the textile factory to board up the windows, then headed to the Meeting Hall to look for Mika.
If Mika was at home, that would be fine; if not, they would meet at the Meeting Hall.
If he wasn't at the Meeting Hall either, they would have searched the whole village.
I was relieved that I had simply headed to the Meeting Hall honestly.
"Mother, did you hear why the 'evacuation' order was given?"
Loretta asked.
Amalia's expression darkened slightly, and she took a step closer.
"...I don't know the details either. But it seems magical beasts are coming from the forest."
"Magical beasts?"
Loretta lowered her voice and conveyed it to Mika so no one else would hear.
What are magical beasts? It doesn't ring a bell in Mika Noisheim's memories either.
I became interested in this word I was hearing for the first time.
Mika listened intently to the conversation being exchanged above his head silently.
"The last time they appeared was about ten years ago. You were so small back then, Loretta, so you might not remember."
"...Yeah."
It seemed magical beasts rarely appeared.
This was the first time since Mika was born.
In that case, it wasn't strange that it didn't ring a bell in Mika Noisheim's memories.
Loretta had experienced it once but didn't remember it.
Since it was from when she was very young, she might not have understood it in the first place.
Even if she understood it at the time, since they had been evacuating due to beast attacks ever since, her memory might have changed to think that time was the same.
But magical beasts in the forest... Could I have been in pretty bad shape?
Today, I had been diligently practicing magic in the forest as usual.
The possibility of running into them head-on was by no means low.
The forest was quite vast, so I was lucky enough to avoid an encounter, but maybe I should rethink practicing in the forest.
Leaving it to luck won't lead to anything good. I should consider myself lucky to have escaped death this time.
Just because I could use magic didn't mean it would work, and in a state with no mana after practice, I was no different from any other child there.
Since I had no combat experience, it would be wise to discard such naive thoughts.
Thinking about it again, I deeply realized the danger of my actions so far.
While Mika was chilling at the danger of his own actions, the area around the entrance became frantic.
The entrance door was closed and blocked with tables, and an order was given for the evacuated villagers to gather in the center of the Meeting Hall.
Gathering in one spot, everyone sat down and voiced their anxieties.
Some children were on the verge of tears.
Nunzia, who had tested her magic together with Mika at the church, was tightly clutching someone who looked like her mother with her eyes squeezed shut.
It's troubling that I don't understand the situation at all.
Since Mika was currently someone to be protected, it was unavoidable that he wasn't shared information.
Afterward, only the results would be known.
Five minutes passed, then ten minutes, but nothing happened.
If only there was a net to gather information.
During disasters, I always gathered information that way.
Earthquakes, typhoons, rising rivers, etc., the information needed at the time was usually collected without much trouble.
Of course, since I had no actual experience of being a victim, I didn't know the true hardship of the parties involved.
Thirty minutes passed, and about an hour later, I heard something.
I heard the sound of someone gasping, and felt Loretta, who was hugging me from behind, stiffen her body with a jolt.
Amalia leaned against Loretta and put her arm around her shoulder.
...A roar of some kind? It didn't feel like a distant howl. I feel like it was a roar like a bear or something.
It must have been at a considerable distance.
It wasn't a particularly loud roar, but it was enough to frighten the evacuated villagers.
Some children started crying, and among the adults, some began praying to God frantically.
Radi and Kifrod comforted and encouraged those people.
At that moment, Mika suddenly made eye contact with an unknown woman.
The woman was holding an infant, stared at Mika for a moment, and then immediately started cooing at the baby again.
After a while, I could faintly hear men's angry shouts from outside.
The magical beast's roar also sounded louder than before.
It seemed to be approaching us.
Really, the worst case is becoming realistic.
My lower abdomen throbbed, and my chest was restless.
Fear welled up, but I didn't have time to be cowering.
I spurred myself on and placed my resolve in the center of my heart.
I told myself to not waver when the time came, to remain steady.
...I can squeeze out enough mana for one "Fireball". At best, I'll just serve them some heat.
I made up my mind and checked the mana inside me.
It hadn't recovered much at all, so if I used magic, I would definitely faint afterwards.
But I didn't care about what happened after that.
I released Loretta's hand and slipped out from her arms.
"Mika, no."
"I'm staying here. I've been sitting for so long, my bottom hurts."
I gave a foolish reason and stood up right there.
If I'm carried, I won't be able to move when the time comes.
I lightly loosened my body, which had stiffened from sitting for so long.
I listened to the sounds outside and predicted the situation.
The sound is still a bit far. Hasn't reached the plaza yet?... But it's definitely getting closer.
The roars and angry shouts were getting louder.
At first, I couldn't tell what the shouts were saying, but now I could distinguish instructions like "Get back!" or "Block it!" along with battle cries.
Most of the children around were already crying, and parents were trying hard to soothe them.
Well, I can understand the urge to cry. I want to cry and run away too. Pretty seriously.
It didn't matter if you were a child or an adult; you'd want to flee from obvious danger.
And that danger was approaching step by step.
Gwooooooo!
A clear roar, different from before, came into my ears.
It was a volume that clearly indicated "it's close."
"Mika!"
Amalia pulled my arm and hugged me, covering me.
Wait! Can't move like this!?
I managed to turn my face toward the direction of the roar, the front entrance.
Then, following the sound of something breaking, something crashed against the entrance door with a thud.
A collective scream rose up, and the villagers gathered in the center retreated to the very back of the Meeting Hall.
"Are you okay!?"
"Don't let them go that way!"
"Block it! Block it! Block it! Squad 3! Move forward!"
"Wooooo!"
"Someone get Yaskeri down! He'll get caught in the crossfire!"
I could clearly hear the voices of the Vigilance Committee members.
On the other side of a single door, the Vigilance Committee members were fighting the magical beast with their lives.
The magical beast's roar and the Vigilance Committee members' angry shouts moved from the front of the Meeting Hall to the side, and occasionally something hit the wall with a thud, causing screams to rise from here and there each time.
When something hit particularly hard, the impact shattered the window glass, scattering it.
How fiercely were they fighting?
How strong was this magical beast?
Mika, who could only know of this battle through sound, still trembled with fear.
Amalia, who was desperately covering me to protect Mika and Loretta, was also trembling.
Her eyes were squeezed shut tight, and the hand gripping Mika's shoulder was painfully strong and stiff.
Don't be scared! You're supposed to protect your family!
I desperately spurred myself on and gathered the mana inside me.
Because my mana pool was small, it didn't gather as I wished, but the problem was probably not just the amount of mana.
Fear was interfering, and I couldn't concentrate as usual.
Still, I desperately gathered the mana and prepared to manifest it at any time.
This one "Fireball" might not defeat it, but if I burn its eyes, I should at least get a chance to escape? I'll turn its brain to ash!
I forcibly suppressed my trembling body.
I imagined the appearance of the unseen magical beast, desperately searched for the sounds of battle, and predicted the magical beast's location.
Then, with another large impact, the window glass broke, and the board placed on that window was blown away.
A hand covered in pitch-black fur appeared in the window frame, and a magical beast like a bear peeked its face in.
The magical beast had four eyes, and all of them were glowing bright red.
"Waaaaaaahhhhhhh!"
"Caaaaaaahhhhhhh!"
Gwooooooo!
As large screams rose from the surroundings, the magical beast roared loudly in response to the sound.
A roar that shook the entire building with electricity.
To me, it looked like it was finding a large amount of food and rejoicing.
Too far from here! If it avoids this, it's over!
Since I could only fire one shot, I had to hit it for sure.
Gritting my teeth, I pointed my left hand toward the magical beast while being covered by Amalia.
If it comes over that window, I'll feed it this "Fireball"!
I concentrated mana into my left hand and prepared to manifest it at any time.
Then, the magical beast let out a roar even louder than before.
Gagagaaaaoohhh!
It's coming!?
The moment Mika tried to manifest magic, the angry shouts and cheers of the Vigilance Committee members outside swelled up all at once.
"We did it! We did it!!!"
"Go! Go! Go! Stab! Stab!"
"As expected of Diego-san!"
"Don't let your guard down! Squad 6, fall back for now!"
"Oraaaah! Dieeee!"
It seemed Diego had dealt a fatal blow to the magical beast.
The magical beast still seemed to be resisting, but the angry shouts lacked the ghostly intensity feeling from before.
Is it over...?
Holding such a flag-like impression, all the strength in my body drained away.
Haaaaa... I exhaled a huge breath.
"...Mother, it seems it's okay now."
I gently patted Amalia's hands, who was still covering Mika and us, desperately trying to protect the family.
Amalia didn't notice for a while, but once she understood the magical beast had been defeated, she shed tears and rejoiced at the family's safety.
I seem to have come to a pretty incredible world.
While being hugged by Amalia and Loretta, Mika thought that.