Chapter 189 - Chapter 188: Revolutionary Mage Training Method
The third month of the Earth, the fifth week, the day of Water.
Even as I thought it was about time to return to the capital, I spent my days dragging them out lazily.
Nerisfeene often went to the church from morning and visited the villagers' homes with Radi.
Kistil did housework and, in the gaps, practiced magic control with Fee.
Mika read books, went into the forest to hunt magical beasts, and spent his time casually.
"I did it!"
While Mika was reading a book in his room, he heard Kistil's happy voice.
Mika looked up, closed the large book, and headed for the bathhouse.
Kistil was in the bathhouse, and a lump of water was floating there.
"Oh, you made it on your own? What about Fee?"
"Fee-chan was just watching over me. Right, Fee-chan."
Kistil looked up at the ceiling, and there Fee was floating.
Fee possessed Kistil every day to help her operate her magic.
Of course, only after Kistil gave Fee permission to "start practicing."
When she was first possessed, Kistil's body glowed faintly, but that wasn't because possession always caused that.
It seemed Fee didn't need to glow even while possessing, as she could turn off the light in stealth mode.
However, if she did that, Mika and Nerisfeene wouldn't know if she was possessing or not.
So, when practicing magic control, they instructed her to glow while possessing.
Kistil had started practicing magic control, and almost three months had passed.
Until now, Kistil had made lumps of water, but all of them were assisted by Fee.
She had never moved her own mana to manifest it on her own.
(Kistil, who was told she had "no talent" by both the country and the church, has learned magic in just three months.)
That was quite a surprising result.
Rimliche, who also aimed to learn on her own, took about two years.
Rimliche had plenty of mana and was used to control, yet it took her that long, while a complete amateur like Kistil took three months.
Was there some other important factor besides simple mana quantity or control?
Mika looked up at the ceiling and at Fee.
(Perhaps it's the influence of Fee... this guy?)
Operating magic relies heavily on a certain sense.
That's why those without talent truly cannot handle it at all.
Even those with talent take a considerable amount of time to acquire that sense.
If Fee was compensating for that...?
(Fee's Boot Camp? If we use Fee, maybe we could turn the entire population into mages? ...A nation of soldiers?)
In reality, there were too many people, so Fee alone probably couldn't increase the numbers that much, but it would allow anyone to handle mana regardless of talent.
It was the moment a revolution occurred in mage training.
(................... Well, whatever.)
He had no interest in increasing the number of mages in the country.
Rather, he had made up his mind to bury the victims who would be strangled by the law in the darkness, so as not to increase them any further.
"Kistil. I've said it many times, but outside, ————."
"Don't worry. I understand, Mika-kun. I'll absolutely never use it outside."
She answered with a smile.
Kistil envied Mika and Nerisfeene for being able to use [God's Miracle].
It wasn't [God's Miracle], but she could actually feel mana and manifest magic.
For now, that was enough for her.
............For the time being.
(Once you can use it, you just want to use it. I'd better keep an eye on her.)
An experienced person speaks.
No, if you can do it, you'll want to use it, right? This is how it is.
For Mika, it had already become part of daily life.
It was impossible to live without using it now.
(......Still, manifesting [God's Miracle] is probably impossible, though?)
Even if she could make one or two lumps of water, she couldn't manifest [God's Miracle].
[God's Miracle] consumed so much mana. ......Apparently.
Mika, who could only go all-in, didn't understand.
Mika, who could create a massive amount of water with "Water Splash," probably barely got into the Magic Academy.
Even Mika, who used "Earth Wall" repeatedly afterward to increase his mana, received the evaluation that it was "quite a lot."
(I don't know how long Kistil's mana growth will last, but I feel it's tough to reach [God's Miracle] manifestation.)
Well, she wasn't aiming to be a mage or an adventurer.
She had achieved what she wanted to achieve.
That should be enough.
"When you run out of mana, drink the mana recovery potion properly."
"Yes. Thank you, Mika-kun."
Mika returned to his room, but Kistil remained forever, gazing at the lump of water she had made on her own for the first time.
"............Sorry, Kistil. I'm hungry......."
"Eh...? Ah!? S-sorry! I'll make it right away!"
Several hours had passed since then.
Thinking that no one had come to call her for "Lunch!" even though time had passed, Mika searched for Kistil and found her still in the bathhouse.
Kistil had been staring at the lump of water the whole time.
Sorry for interrupting.
You're so happy, you want to keep staring at it forever, right?
■■■■■■
That night.
Everyone from the Noisheim family and the Scobata family gathered at Mika's house.
They had already spoken individually, and today was to confirm the final opinions.
"So, we're staying in the village after all, huh."
When Mika said that, Amalia, Loretta, and Cherusis nodded with dark expressions.
"We know you're worried about us, Mika. But, Mother is still..."
"...Yeah."
At Amalia's words, Mika nodded helplessly.
"In fact, we don't know what will happen yet."
Mika forced a weak smile.
But soon, he tightened his expression.
"However, war will happen. Next week, five years from now, or ten years. No one knows, but..."
He paused there, taking a deep breath.
"War will happen..."
That was a certainty.
It wasn't just a rumor.
The country was already moving to prepare for it.
He felt that during the meeting with Marquis Leventein the other day.
He didn't know when it would be.
Still, the Marquis was already making concrete preparations for that time.
Loretta looked down with an anxious expression, but when she raised her head, she looked at Mika.
"Even if there's a war, we can win, right? Everyone says so. We shouldn't lose to Gronoir or anything like that."
The Empire would say the same thing.
In any disadvantageous situation, optimism spreads: "If we do this, we win," "If we do that, we win."
Especially before the actual fighting begins.
Mika had been taught specific troop numbers for the Kingdom of Ektrem in his academy classes.
However, he didn't know if those numbers were true or false.
And he knew nothing about the Gronoir Empire's troop numbers.
Even if he somehow knew the strength of both sides, he certainly couldn't say which would win.
Unless there was a huge difference in strength, he might predict, "If we don't do anything stupid, we'll win."
Mika took a quiet breath and looked straight at Loretta.
"If everyone says so, don't deny it. But don't believe it either. Everyone is anxious, so they talk to each other like that just to get comfort."
"Such..."
Loretta's face looked shocked.
Even without evidence, if someone says the same opinion, anxiety is reduced just by that.
They try to maintain their mental balance.
"If you deny it recklessly, you might be ostracized. You might become the target for venting their anxiety... a scapegoat. So, when everyone says that, it's better to just nod and say, 'That's right.'"
Mika tried not to make it too heavy as he told Loretta.
There was no meaning in the headquarters' announcements.
They cover up inconvenient things and exaggerate convenient ones.
They boast about local victories and divert attention from the overall crisis.
That was just common sense.
In other words, a common citizen had no way of knowing the true state of the war.
"I am, technically, a student. I'm also considered military personnel of the Kingdom Army. But even for me, real information doesn't come down."
Which battlefield is struggling.
So even if ordered to send reinforcements, he would just lose his morale thinking, "Am I being sent to a struggling battlefield?"
So they wouldn't pass on extra information.
They would just order him to go and come back.
Mostly, such information would trickle down somehow.
Mika glanced at Kistil and Nerisfeene sitting next to him.
The two nodded silently and handed the prepared haversacks to Amalia, Loretta, and Cherusis.
"What is this...?"
Cherusis whispered as she opened the haversack and took out what was inside.
It was a Magic Bag.
A raw Magic Bag not registered with mana.
Ideally, for safety, it should be registered, but that would require taking it to a magic tool shop.
Since they couldn't exactly fly there, this was a compromise.
Put the Magic Bag inside a normal haversack.
If they only deceived the appearance, they just had to be careful of theft afterwards.
"It contains several items like potions and some money. Put the minimum necessary changes of clothes inside, and prepare for the worst case where you only have that to escape."
"Take only this...?"
After all, this was probably the first time they had properly touched a Magic Bag itself.
They didn't understand the conversation at all.
Mika smiled bitterly and taught Amalia and Loretta.
Kistil also taught Cherusis.
"If you are seen, there is a high possibility you will be targeted. Especially by those who think bad thoughts. It's a convenient tool, but it carries risks, so please handle it with extreme caution."
When Mika said that, Loretta swallowed hard.
"The people in this village might be fine, but if it gets mentioned, it might reach the ears of those plotting bad things. So, please don't tell anyone about today."
Saying that, Mika looked at Mosmir-kun.
"Mosmir-kun, you are eleven now. You'll be twelve this year, right?"
"Y-yes..."
When Mika asked, Mosmir-kun nodded with a slight panic.
"I was given a secret I couldn't tell people when I was eight. Children attending the academy will all be given such secrets by the time they turn ten. If they leak it, it's a lifetime in a forced labor camp."
Mosmir-kun was surprised by the sudden talk but became serious.
"I considered not calling you to today's talk because you're 'still a child.' But aren't you at an age where you can distinguish right from wrong? If you accidentally slip your tongue, your mother might be killed and that bag stolen."
"Mika. Don't say things like that so harshly ————."
"It's fine, Loretta-san."
Loretta tried to stop Mika with his merciless way of speaking.
But it was Kistil who interrupted Loretta.
Kistil smiled sadly and looked at Mosmir-kun.
"...It's okay, right? We already have one or two secrets, so it doesn't matter, does it?"
She said it gently, as if whispering.
Kistil's family had a big secret.
It was something that should never be leaked.
But this year, she couldn't kill her heart that much.
Kistil frequently visited the Scobata house, and Mika thought it wasn't good but didn't say anything.
A reunion after a year.
Given the circumstances, that was the case.
He couldn't possibly insist on them acting like strangers completely.
Kistil stood up and walked over to Mosmir-kun.
Then, she hugged him tightly.
"This is the last time I act as your older sister... From now on, you must support your mother properly."
"...Sister."
Mosmir-kun's face twisted in pain.
Amalia and Loretta shed tears at the sight of the two.
(............They must be reliving that time.)
Five years ago.
The day Mika left Rish Village.
The day he was ordered to enter the Magic Academy and his family was torn apart.
(Our family could treat each other normally when we visited home...)
Kistil's family was different.
From now on, they would have to act like strangers.
The surroundings would feel strange for a few years.
But eventually, they would get used to it.
In the first place, if they didn't try to meet, they wouldn't even see each other's faces properly.
Even if they saw someone walking in the distance, if they didn't try to call out, the surroundings would eventually stop paying attention.
Mika felt a sharp pain in his chest.
(This is the debt I wrongly incurred.)
There must have been an "now" where Kistil's family could have lived without being torn apart.
What took that away was Mika making the wrong choice at that time.
Kistil's family ended up paying the price for Mika's mistake.
Kistil continued working at Yaroibarov's inn unchanged.
Her younger brother helped the household income by gathering herbs and would eventually work as an adult.
Her mother, though suspicious, got used to a life where Yorkades didn't show up.
That "now" was lost because of Mika's choice.
Mika couldn't bear to watch Kistil shedding tears and preparing to part, so he bowed his head in pain.
Cherusis spoke to Mika, who was like that.
"Don't make that face, Mika-kun. We truly thank you."
Cherusis showed a slightly lonely smile.
"If it weren't for you, we would surely still be in the capital. Just thinking about it makes my body tremble even now..."
Saying that, she took Mika's hand.
"Just saving us from that suffering, we have nothing to say. On top of that, our whole family is healthy."
Amalia leaned close to Cherusis and gently stroked her back.
Speaking of which, Amalia had also suffered at the hands of Wody and only wished for her family to live safely.
These two had similar circumstances.
They must have many parts they could empathize with.
After waiting for everyone to calm down, they resumed the discussion.
Though, the conclusion was already reached.
Neither Amalia nor Loretta wanted to leave Rish Village.
Cherusis had regained her purpose in life in Rish Village and was working hard supporting her son Mosmir.
She didn't know about the war, but she felt that life in this village was very important.
(Well, for now, that's unavoidable.)
In fact, we didn't know what would happen yet.
And even if war broke out, unless the Kingdom Army lost and the Imperial Army poured in, this kind of remote village would hardly be affected.
As long as the Kingdom Army didn't lose and the Imperial Army didn't pour in, Rish Village would be safe.
In short, as long as we win, we win.
(I'm counting on you, Marquis.)
It depended on the Marquis, who was in charge of border defense.
(Also, even if we say we're moving...)
We would need the lord's permission.
Since we were trying to take labor power away from a settlement village, he wouldn't look kindly on it.
It might be manageable if it was just the Noisheim and Scobata families, but if we consider evacuating everyone else,
"Do you intend to destroy the settlement village?"
"Who sent this sabotage work?"
They might think that.
Permission would certainly not be granted.
In that case, Mika had no choice but to prioritize who to evacuate.
First, the Noisheim and Scobata families.
These two families were absolute.
Next, Ninetiana and her family, the two priests at the church, Horatio, and the Village Head.
These were people on the level of those who saved Mika's life.
Just evacuating these people would mean the destruction of Rish Village.
After all, the Village Head, the Factory Manager, the Village Priest, and the Vigilance Committee Commander were all gone.
If the key figures of the village disappeared, the village would end sooner or later.
(Should I just have the Information Broker Guild or anyone else make a plan to take the whole village to District 3?)
Let's set aside the cost for a moment and try to make a feasible plan.
(A village where the villagers disappeared overnight... A ghost story?)
It might be interesting to realize settings often seen in games and movies.
Well, we couldn't destroy the village just because it was interesting.
(What should I do?)
Mika was troubled by such second-best measures.