Chapter 161 - Chapter 160: The Spring of Reading
The third day of the third week of the third month of water.
Mika's formal suit, ordered from the tailor, was finished, and preparations for the commemorative party were complete.
By the way, the price was three gold coins.
Three million rats for a garment I'll only wear once, and one I don't even want to wear...
However, whether crying or laughing, there were still about three weeks left until the commemorative party.
Every day, Mika spent with a stomach ache as the party day crept closer, day by day.
When Mika returned from the academy, he busied himself with reading in his room.
The book's title was "Fundamentals of Alchemy ~Alchemy and Rare Metals Even a Monkey Can Understand~ Advanced Edition."
It was a very suspicious book; it was unclear if it was fundamental or advanced, but it was recommended by Paraleira.
It claims even a monkey can understand it, yet there are currently no successful cases of generating gold or rare metals.
That means the author definitely doesn't understand it either!
Of course, there was a reason Mika was reading such a suspicious book.
On the day Paraleira called him out, Mika made a certain proposal.
■■■■■■
"Since being locked up in the dormitory, have you been continuing your research with only your salary?"
"Huh? What else would there be?"
"Could it be you're putting all your salary into it?"
"Of course."
Of course...?
Well, if it's the dormitory, meals and beds are free.
He didn't have to prepare anything himself; the Cafeteria Lady would make it for him.
"Is your research funding sufficient?"
When Mika said that, Paraleira turned away with an unhappy expression.
"...None of your business."
Indeed, other people's financial matters were none of his business.
But if that were the case, the conversation wouldn't progress.
"I'm also interested in alchemy. I have bitter experiences too."
Mika had not forgotten the tears he shed that day under the scorching sun.
Those bitter tears, stained with desire.
With "Absorb Wing" usable now, perhaps he could generate even just gold dust.
He would try it next time.
Mika took out two gold coins from his Magic Bag.
"I don't have enough knowledge about alchemy to call it 'joint research.' However, the deeper my involvement in the research becomes, the more I can increase the funding provided. For now, how about two gold coins per month?"
"............What are you talking about, you?"
Paraleira's face became wary.
"I want you to teach me various things. Once I can participate in the research myself, I can provide even more funding."
"Don't joke around. I don't need your hands. Don't say such presumptuous things, brat."
There was no way to convince him.
Well, anyone would react that way if told something like that suddenly.
Mika sighed and handed his Guild Card to Paraleira.
"............What is this?"
"It's an adventurer guild card."
Paraleira glanced at the card lightly and snorted.
"So what of it?"
"As written here, I am a C-rank adventurer."
"What of it?"
Paraleira turned away, seemingly getting annoyed.
"Adventurers are recognized as full-fledged from C-rank. Sure, you're a brat, but I didn't live playing around by sucking on my parents' teats. I was recognized by working hard, nearly dying many times. Even while bound to the academy."
When Mika said that, Paraleira turned around with a slightly surprised expression.
The phrase "bound to the academy" seemed unexpected to him.
"I also have parts where I'm grateful. Some of the [God's Miracles] are truly useful. Regarding activities as an adventurer... the reason I survived was also thanks to the [God's Miracles] I learned at the academy."
Especially "Physical Enhancement" and "Heal" were essential for Mika's activities as an adventurer.
Without those two, he would have died long ago.
"Since my family was poor, being able to stand on my own early was also a blessing."
The fact that he could send money home was largely because his living expenses cost nothing.
Well, in the end, it seemed he hadn't touched that money.
"But still... four more years at the academy, then ten years of military service? I can earn money with my own hands now! There are so many things I want to do! ...Why... why!!!"
Mika couldn't help but spill the thoughts he had suppressed deep in his heart.
His emotions were rising too high.
Noticing this, he slowly breathed in deeply and let out a long "Haaah..."
He took several deep breaths to calm his feelings.
Paraleira watched Mika with a pained expression.
"...You seem to have quite a bit bottled up."
"....................I'm sorry."
Mika took one last deep breath.
"...Anyway, as I said, I don't have much time to do what I like. If I don't carve out time while attending the academy and do as much as possible, I don't know what will happen in the following ten years. If I go to the Court Magic Institute, it seems I'll have somewhat more freedom than joining the army..."
Saying that, Mika looked at Paraleira.
"From what I've heard, it doesn't seem like a decent place."
"Hmph... That's correct."
Paraleira made a sound in his throat, "Kukukuku..."
"As you say, if you go to the Court Magic Institute, you'll have some flexibility with time. But to enter the Court Magic Institute [that place], you have to work quite hard normally? At the very least, you must show the ability to receive instructions on acquisition while attending the academy and respond to them—"
"Instructions on acquisition came to me since the first year of the elementary division. I have acquired all the [God's Miracles] so far."
"............Huh?"
Paraleira froze, his mouth half-open at Mika's words.
"Even if you say you're cooped up in the dormitory, you're too out of touch with academy information. Currently, I'm updating the record for acquiring everything on the first day."
"...Everything on the first day? That's a lie."
Paraleira muttered.
If Paraleira had been at the Court Magic Institute, he must have attended the magic academy naturally.
Even for a genius like Paraleira, entering the Court Magic Institute might have required some struggle.
Even if Paraleira realized Mika was going "all in," it wasn't guaranteed he could acquire everything in one or two days.
"Is acquiring [God's Miracles (those things)] that important? For a research position, there must be more important things."
Acquiring [God's Miracles] and the abilities necessary for research were completely different things.
He thought the recruitment criteria were completely off-target.
When Mika said that, Paraleira lowered his head and his shoulders began to tremble.
"...Y-you... you'll definitely struggle if you go to the Court Magic Institute. Pff... kukukuku..."
And so, Paraleira continued to tremble his shoulders for a while.
"Whether we do this jointly or not, I understand that you want to take alchemy seriously to some extent."
Paraleira muttered, holding the mysterious black liquid he had newly added.
"For now, cram in the minimum necessary knowledge. Even if I say I need help from a cat's hand, having a real cat there would just be in the way."
Well, it would be troublesome if he took the metaphor literally.
"Come back tomorrow to pick it up. I'll prepare books you should read by then. Specific details about my research come after you gain the minimum necessary knowledge. I won't explain to someone with no decent knowledge while turning into a senile old woman."
How much supplementary explanation do you intend to give?
Your explanations are too poor.
However, since Paraleira's words made sense, Mika decided to visit the dormitory again after school the next day.
And thus, he collapsed from his knees onto the pile of ten thick books stacked up.
■■■■■■
"Phew..."
Mika closed "Fundamentals of Alchemy ~Alchemy and Rare Metals Even a Monkey Can Understand~ Advanced Edition" with a snap and placed it on the desk.
Recently, he had been reading, reading, reading, whether during academy classes or after returning home.
At night, thanks to "Lighting Ball," it was bright.
Reading with the dim light of a lamp would ruin his eyes, but with "Lighting Ball," the brightness was free.
Moreover, no fuel required.
For ordinary households, reading at night would be difficult, but Mika could read until right before bed.
Because of this, he had already finished reading four of the books Paraleira gave him.
Once he finished the next fifth book, he would finally be halfway through.
Four books in three weeks.
Considering he spent almost a day reading, the progress was slow, but that couldn't be helped.
Reading without understanding was meaningless.
To understand while reading, he would search through previously read books for things like, "Wait, what did this mean again?"
Paraleira had specified the order of reading the books.
It seemed to be a structure where understanding the current book allowed understanding of the next one.
As expected of an Advanced Edition, the content had become difficult.
Still, he could somehow keep up because the prepared books and their reading order were logical.
"...This requires a complete grasp of the book's content, doesn't it?"
He thought the person who could restore ruin investigation materials from memory alone had an incredible memory, but this was truly amazing.
"Could it be... intuitive image memory...?"
Generally, it's called photographic memory.
There are people who possess the ability to memorize things exactly as images they saw.
It wasn't such a special ability; there were people who simply never forgot what they saw or heard once, but Paraleira was certainly someone with an excellent memory.
"Mika-kun."
While thinking such things, he heard Kistil's voice calling from outside the room.
"What is it."
Mika replied, walked to the room door, and opened it.
"It seems to have been slipped under the entranceway without me noticing. Addressed to Mika-kun."
Saying that, Kistil handed over the letter.
When Mika took the letter, Fee floated into the room.
"Thank you, Kistil."
When Mika said that, Kistil returned to the dining area.
Dinner seemed to be ready soon.
A good smell drifted down the hallway.
Mika closed the door behind his back and returned to the room.
Glancing over, he saw Fee wildly attacking the "Lighting Ball."
It charged in and moved busily around the surroundings.
Since Fee could touch the "Lighting Ball," its mana amount was insufficient to fight back, so it was being drained.
"Fee, don't do unnecessary things. Behave yourself."
When Mika said that, Fee slumped and perched on his shoulder.
Then, it began sucking out Mika's mana.
(This guy...)
Mika looked at Fee perched on his shoulder with a gloomy gaze, but Fee didn't care at all.
It continued sucking without hesitation.
After Mika discovered Fee was sucking his mana and successfully won a "not guilty" verdict, Fee stopped holding back.
It seemed touching Mika wasn't necessary to suck mana, so it started taking it frequently.
Or rather, even during academy classes, it was taking his mana.
Perhaps it could suck it out without worrying about distance at all.
Of course, it sucked mana while he was sleeping too.
Previously, he would think "a little short" when waking up, but recently it often decreased significantly.
When his mana dropped by more than half upon waking, Mika got genuinely angry.
If he wasn't careful, he could suffer mana exhaustion while sleeping and faint right there.
Because of this, it seemed Kistil and Nerisfeene taught Fee various rules.
Or rather, does the verdict not overturn even if it's known that mana is being sucked? Is that so?
He didn't understand why Kistil and Nerisfeene were setting the rules instead of the victim, Mika, but for now, he decided to leave it to them.
Mika sighed and shifted his gaze from Fee to the letter.
He checked the characters written on the front, "To Mika-sama," and the seal attached to the corner.
(From Gaeras... Has he returned to the capital?)
It had been about a month since he requested Kistil's family to be delivered to Rish Village.
If it was a round trip, it wouldn't be strange if he had returned long ago, but Salomrassa seemed eager to go sightseeing on the way back.
He might have returned while making detours.
Checking the contents, it wrote about a tavern and inn in District 4 of District 2.
Mika put the letter into his Magic Bag and put on his robe.
Fee temporarily separated from Mika, who suddenly started moving frantically.
As soon as he opened the door, he extinguished the "Lighting Ball" and left the room.
"Sorry, I'm going out for a bit."
Passing through the dining area, he spoke to Kistil and Nerisfeene cooking in the kitchen.
"Mika-sama? Right now?"
"Mika-kun, what about dinner?"
"Save some for me. I'll eat when I return. You two can eat first."
After conveying that, Mika left the house.
Activating "Physical Enhancement," he ran toward the designated shop.
"You're very fast, young master. You haven't had a single drink yet."
"That's good. I can't deal with drunkards."
Mika sat down and ordered fruit juice.
Actually, I want to drink alcohol too.
Gaeras was picking at a platter of nuts while holding a green wine.
That green wine seems quite strong, but is he okay?
Surely, when Trys got completely drunk, she was drinking green wine as a chaser.
"I delivered it safely. Today is for that report. I thought you'd want to hear it as soon as possible."
It seemed Gaeras had stayed in Rish Village for nearly two weeks.
Kaerya and Salomrassa went to play immediately after delivering them.
It seemed they had agreed during the delivery journey that one would stay for a while to observe.
"To be honest, the house prepared wasn't very nice. But the whole village is like that."
"Yes, that can't be helped. My house was like that too."
"I went to see it. Your family home too. To say this, you had a hard time, didn't you?"
Gaeras looked at Mika with eyes containing a bit of sympathy.
Huh?
Was it that bad?
"In that village, the church Sister uses [Heal] for free. I was a bit surprised. That there was a healer and that they did it for free."
"She's a good Sister. She's the one who saved my life."
"Haha, I heard various things. You did quite a reckless thing."
Gaeras drank a sip of green wine happily.
Mika also drank the fruit juice that arrived.
But he grimaced at the excessive sweetness.
Gaeras smiled bitterly and pushed the plate with nuts toward Mika.
Mika picked up one walnut-like item and put it in his mouth.
The bland taste and saltiness of the nuts overwrote the sweetness.
"Now, regarding the work. It seems Mother decided to enter the kitchen."
"The kitchen? Again, such a hard place..."
He had told Horatio about her weak body and asked for consideration.
"At first, it seemed they intended to assign her less burdensome work at the spinning factory. But when we went there, they were just talking about how the kitchen staff was elderly and planning to quit."
When Mother heard that, she told Horatio that she was good at cooking.
"It seems she entered as an apprentice at first, but she started working briskly immediately. The Factory Manager was surprised."
It seemed she entered the kitchen on her own accord.
"But, is it okay? The kitchen has a heavy burden, right?"
"Well, it's not easy. But she was showing a lot of enthusiasm."
Mother had taught Kistil how to cook.
So, it might indeed be something she was good at.
(She prepares meals for people working in the factory and the fields. She should be making nearly two hundred meals every day.)
Even in the boys' dormitory in the capital where Mika lived, there were one hundred and fifty children living there.
There were two buildings, each cooking separately.
It seemed difficult even for one hundred and fifty children's meals, let alone two hundred including adults working in the fields.
It must be a considerable amount.
"Well, if she tries and something happens, she'll think about it again. That's the message from the Factory Manager and the Sister: 'Keep an eye on her carefully.'"
"I see."
Although it puts a burden on Radi, it seems she is checking on Mother frequently.
Then, there was nothing Mika could do by saying various things while in the capital.
Since he decided to entrust it, he should entrust it.
"As for the younger brother, he's struggling with unfamiliar field work. When blisters on his hands and feet burst, he's half-crying."
Saying that, Gaeras smiled bitterly.
"Can't you use [Heal] for something like that...?"
"It's not that you can't use it; it's that if you use it, it goes back to normal."
"Well, that's true."
Blisters form, they burst, skin forms.
While that happens, the skin becomes thick and hard.
With [Heal], it goes back to normal, so no matter how many times they burst, the skin remains soft.
Mika was made to walk a lot right after entering the academy.
Fortunately, Mika didn't get blisters that burst, but collapsing every day was normal.
Even if blisters burst, the basic approach was to leave them alone while monitoring the condition daily.
If it worsened, he would cure it with [Heal], otherwise, he would let it heal naturally.
That was how he became stronger.
Gaeras bit a nut crisply.
"There will be struggles in an unfamiliar environment. But there's no other place where you'll be welcomed so warmly. It's your virtue, young master."
"Hahaha, virtue? Did I have that?"
Mika laughed it off.
"We went to Rish Village to spend time with Kistil and others at the end of winter. Since Kistil was accepted, her mother must be favorable toward you too."
When Mika said that, Gaeras sighed dramatically.
"Listen, young master? The fact that Kistil-san was accepted is also due to your virtue."
And so, he downed the remaining green wine in one gulp.
"Phew... No matter how nice Kistil-san is, ordinary people don't accept them so easily. It takes time, and misunderstandings happen. No matter what, if you look at it maliciously, you can twist it however you want."
Saying that, Gaeras shook the empty glass and ordered another round.
"Just being seen with honest eyes without being treated like that is luck in itself for ordinary people. You should have more confidence, you know?"
"............Confidence, huh."
Somehow, Yaroibarov said something similar before.
Saying he was too reserved, or had a difficult personality.
Gaeras took the delivered glass and slammed it onto the table.
He seemed somewhat drunk.
"If it's come to this, I'll go all out today. I'll tell you plenty of your good points! Don't underestimate my information!"
"Wait, wait! Two people are waiting at home to cook dinner!? And you're definitely drunk, right!?"
"No, I'm not drunk! Come on, young master, drink too!"
"I can't drink! If the report is done, let me go home!"
Thus, it took some effort to escape from the pestering Gaeras.
(Why is everyone around me so obsessed with pestering drinks!?)
After struggling to return home, Kistil and Nerisfeene were waiting without eating.
Mika sincerely apologized to the two for returning late.