Chapter 190 - Chapter 189: Is Big Good?
Water Month, Week 2, Water Day.
It has been over a week since the second year of middle school classes began after returning home.
Before returning to the capital, we held a family meeting, and evacuation was temporarily put on hold.
Well, since I couldn't even judge whether we had reached the stage to actually take action, Mika couldn't argue strongly about it.
I would feel a little relieved if they could come to the capital [here] before the situation becomes critical...
I tried to leave the compensation for the Scobata family's wages with Horatio, but it turned out to be unnecessary.
It seems a considerable amount of the money I gave them previously remains.
Because Cherushis was able to work more than expected, the compensation using the money Mika deposited was only needed for the first few months.
Since the compensation amount gradually decreased, most of it is still left.
"It seems you don't need it anymore, but what should we do?"
"Ah... if possible, could you keep it for me? I don't know what might happen."
Unexpected accidents like injuries or illnesses can occur.
One could say that worrying this much is endless, but I wanted them to watch the situation a little longer.
"I understand. Don't worry about this side, and study hard at the academy."
"Yes, thank you very much."
I decided to leave the Scobata family matters to Horatio.
Thus, I asked the Village Head well, and conveyed that if anything happens regarding the Noisheim family and the Scobata family, Mika would guarantee it financially.
The Village Head, Kifrod, Radi, Ninetiana, and Diego probably realized by now that Mika is making a fortune in the capital.
Last year during the homecoming, I treated the villagers to a meal, and I told Kifrod and the others that I am doing adventurer activities every day.
I suppose I should say I was made to spill the beans in front of Kistil and Nerisfeene so I couldn't hide it.
Ninetiana had heard bits and pieces of the story before, so she probably guessed it once she thought about it: "So, becoming a C-rank at this pace? And even getting a title?"
With all that said, Earth Month, Week 3 is also ending, so for now, this is a wrap.
I decided to mentally disconnect from Rish Village for a while.
And so, at the academy, the annual fun time arrived.
The God's Miracle Gacha.
(What will come out? What will come out?)
That was five minutes ago, full of excitement.
Currently, Mika is slumped over the desk, soulless.
(...Gacha is just like that, isn't it.)
Even if it's one percent, the probability of hitting a prize in a hundred pulls is over sixty percent.
Even if you pull ten thousand times, you still lose when you lose.
Or rather, should I say I've been too lucky up until now?
(Teach useful things as quickly as possible to increase the number of users. If you think about it that way, the rest is just trash...?)
Physical Enhancement and Heal were too capable.
Moreover, since those were presented so quickly, expectations rose, but upon careful thought, the remaining dregs are likely to be nothing good.
(If we consider Physical Enhancement and Heal as SSR, then Explosive Flame and Battle Fervor are SR. Tornado and Blizzard are R, I suppose.)
Even if Mika thinks "I don't need it," Abundance would be SSR class for kings and nobles.
But still!
This year's choice was too terrible!
This year's God's Miracle consists of only two: Rockfall and Faith.
Truly, absolutely, not at all necessary.
Regarding Rockfall, it is simply trash.
Regarding Faith, it was even harmful.
Rockfall.
A large number of fist-sized stones rain down over a certain area.
It seems to have quite a bit of momentum, and it apparently has proper lethal capability.
(I already have Stone Bullet. In fact, I even have Iron Bullet...)
Abundance is still more useful.
Because it can be used for gardening.
And then, Faith.
This is not a God's Miracle where faith literally increases or something like that.
This Faith has a different effect.
It is that the effects of God's Miracle are enhanced.
It is a buff cast on oneself, but if you use this, for the next few hours, the mana consumption remains the same, but the effects of God's Miracle go up.
Hearing just that, it sounds useful, but for Mika, this is completely meaningless.
Not just meaningless; it is a forbidden God's Miracle that must never be used.
Let's simply use Explosive Flame as an example.
Mika's Explosive Flame has already gained considerable power through an all-in bet.
So much so that the blast wind feels like it could blow me away.
What happens if we add the effect of Faith on top of that?
No need to think about it.
It causes a massive explosion that engulfs oneself.
It is just a mega-Pet.
One could say the effect of Heal is also enhanced, but this one is already capable of repairing a person whose body has been severed in an instant.
Any further enhancement to the effect of Heal is simply a waste.
(...I tried not to expect too much, but really, this is too much.)
Mika, still slumped over, cried bitterly.
Rimliche and Cleiria, who didn't understand why Mika was downcast, exchanged glances.
"Um... Mika? Is something wrong?"
"...No, it's nothing."
If I act too strangely, I'll cause worry among those around me.
Mika let out a huge sigh and sat up.
After sitting up and looking around, he thought again.
(There are quite a few fewer than usual, aren't there.)
It gives the impression of being empty.
The number of children in the classroom is under twenty.
Nearly half of the children in Class 1 last year fell to Class 2, and a few came up from Class 2.
The children currently in Class 1 are only those who can use four or more God's Miracles.
They learned one at a regional academy and three or more after coming to the capital.
Or, only rare children who did not attend a regional academy but learned four or more God's Miracles within the three years since coming to the capital are enrolled in Class 1.
Among such rare talents, there was a familiar child.
His name is Rodulgo-kun.
Poor Rodulgo-kun.
Ever since coming to Class 1, he has been shrinking in the corner of the classroom.
The only child who came up to Class 1 just by attending the capital academy without going to a regional academy is actually this Rodulgo-kun.
That must be a narrow place to stand.
However, the reason Rodulgo-kun is shrinking is different.
Actually, this child came into contact with the Leventein Group three years ago and was one of the eight children punished by Mika.
Unfortunately, at the end of last year, his fourth God's Miracle unexpectedly manifested, confirming his entry into Class 1.
Since then, he has apparently been spending painful days.
"If our eyes meet, I'll be killed this time..."
That is what he seems to be thinking, according to Messerite, who lives in the same dorm and always picks up various rumors.
"You shouldn't bully him too much. It's pitiful enough just watching."
He gave me that advice, but I haven't done anything, have I?
Messerite picked up some rumors because of Rodulgo.
Basal was also deeply involved in those rumors about Rodulgo.
So, I heard the story from Basal as well.
Basal possesses a slightly out-of-the-ordinary physical ability that allows him to go head-to-head with Mika in earnest.
Since he has undergone strict training since childhood, it is not strange for him to have outstanding physical ability among children of the same age.
If Basal enters a class of students from the capital, no one can compete with him.
But there were fools who didn't understand such things.
Those eight people.
Even after being punished by Mika, they changed their goal to controlling the class if they couldn't control the grade.
It seems they gathered in Class 3 and Class 4 and tried to make them obey through violence.
I encountered that scene.
That was Basal-kun, who was educated as a person of character.
He is a person of character, but he is not someone who denies violence.
Rather, the opposite.
He has not the slightest hesitation in countering violence with violence.
And,
"If you challenge, accept defeat cleanly. Even if your life is taken, accept it."
He was raised with that teaching.
Well, Basal knows that bringing such resolve to a children's fight is questionable.
So, he gave the children who went too far a severe lesson.
However, even here, Basal-kun's kindness as a person of character appears.
"We cannot just leave them as they are. We must correct their evil hearts."
He apparently thought that.
Whenever they did something, he would bow his head together with them, followed by a punch of iron fist punishment.
Every time they resisted, he apparently beat them thoroughly.
Terribly, Basal-kun apparently has many methods to inflict severe pain without leaving external wounds and techniques to knock them unconscious.
I didn't know that...
Eventually, they found out that Basal and Mika were roommates in the dorm, and they gave up resistance and became obedient.
Basal apparently stayed silent, saying he was about to say, "Those guys still haven't learned their lesson? Should I tie them up one more time?" if Mika knew about them.
Yeah, that prediction was spot on, Basal.
After that, Basal began training with Mika, and they learned that they could fight at the same level as Basal without using God's Miracle, and they trembled with fear.
Furthermore, they heard that with Physical Enhancement, even Basal couldn't lay a hand on them.
Mika also participates in exercises where they are not yet allowed to participate much.
Moreover, he even excelled in the high school exercises thrown at him suddenly and has never been defeated once.
Previously, they didn't have a ruler to measure opponents, but as they gradually grew as mages, they gained a certain ruler.
There, they finally noticed Mika's monstrous nature.
That was the background to why Rodulgo turned pale at his past misdeeds.
And so, realizing this again, they concluded, "We'll be in the same class next year!"
That must make their stomachs hurt.
Most of all, even without Mika, Rodulgo would have become like a borrowed cat.
There are children of nobles in this class.
When they first entered, they didn't know about nobles, and in the first place, there were no nobles around them.
That is natural.
Children of nobles do not need to attend regional academies; they hire excellent teachers to learn and master God's Miracle.
There is no way they would be in Class 3 or Class 4.
However, after attending for a year, you can tell who is a noble, even regarding other classes.
So, you think, "Let's not get involved with them."
But if you end up in Class 1, you will have contact points.
Even just meeting faces in the classroom is a contact point.
Just having a noble in the same classroom is enough to make a commoner unable to rest easily.
Until they get somewhat used to it, at least.
Mika interacts with such nobles calmly.
Playing Stellan and Buattre Heed might be understandable, but for Cleiria, he doesn't even use honorifics; he calls her by her name.
You can't even imagine how close they must be for such things to be allowed.
The world is different.
Yes, it is no wonder his heart was broken on the first day.
Rodulgo's reaction is normal.
Mika is the abnormal one.
■■■■■■
And so, this year too, the usual Order arrived, and I quickly finished mastering them.
Being ordered to master God's Miracles that I absolutely will not use is somewhat bothersome.
Well, it's too late for that now, so I mastered them without complaint.
Then, after school, to Paraleira's place.
Knock, knock.
When Mika knocked, the door opened immediately.
"What is it? You."
Saying that, Paraleira went back into the room.
Does not closing the door mean "come in"?
"Excuse me."
Mika entered the room, careful not to step on the papers scattered on the floor.
"...It feels even more than before————"
"Shut up. If you say anything unnecessary, get out."
"...................."
Mika silently sat in the usual chair.
"By the way, I haven't thanked you yet."
"Huh? Thanks?"
Paraleira sat opposite Mika with a suspicious expression.
"It was the shop you introduced. As expected, the level was different from ordinary shops."
"That's natural. It's a shop I use to procure necessary items."
Paraleira seems to truly believe that is natural.
There was no pride or mockery in particular.
Mika took three gold coins from the Magic Bag and handed them to Paraleira.
"So, how is the progress?"
"Of the ten thousand processes, at least one should have progressed."
Will you reach it before you die?
I don't know the current progress status, but it looks like it will be a long road.
Mika made a complicated face, but Paraleira didn't care at all.
"How about you?"
Paraleira asked that, but Mika shrugged.
"In the end, the circuit diagram I showed you back then is shelved."
"Why?"
"The conclusion was that it was hopeless in every way, and it would be faster to rewrite it from scratch."
"Hmph... I see."
Paraleira was not particularly surprised, as if that was a normal thing.
"But that person was amazing."
"That person?"
"A woman like a witch. She was at the counter."
"Oh, Adelriese."
Mika deliberately avoided saying "she was on the second floor."
In reality, it was underground, and it was a place that felt like it was operating in secret.
So, I omitted those details when telling her.
"That person is named Adelriese-san?"
"What? You didn't know?"
"Now that you mention it, I might not have introduced myself either..."
"Hey hey... Well, I'm not the type to worry about such things."
Paraleira made a slightly exasperated face.
"I started using Spaelement because Adelriese-san recommended it. I'm still practicing."
"You're already touching Spaelement! That's too early!"
"But she recommended an amazing book, and after reading it, I wanted to try it."
Thinking about it, buying things just because they are recommended is a bit problematic.
This time I got a jackpot, but there could be cases where I'm stuck with useless things.
"An amazing book?"
"It's a book called Understanding Spaelement, and it's amazingly easy to understand————"
At that moment, Mika stopped abruptly.
Something flickered in the corner of his mind for an instant.
"Um..."
"What is it?"
Mika asked as if he was afraid.
"Adelriese-san's full name is...?"
"Adelriese Traet."
"Isn't that your own book!!!"
Mika couldn't help but shout.
(Did she say her own book was a masterpiece!?)
Well, she wouldn't make a book she thought was trash with such a huge binding, but still...!
(...Grr! Why is it so frustrating for no reason!? I had no complaints at all until I realized!)
It was an expensive book costing one large gold coin, and Mika had agreed that it was worth that much.
But the moment I thought she recommended it as her own book for a large gold coin, inexplicably, frustration surged.
Just the other day, I finished reading it for the second time and thought, "Really, it's an amazing book."
"Your own book means a book written by Adelriese?"
"Yes... I was tricked into buying it."
Saying it this way makes it sound like I was deceived, but I have no complaints about the content or the price at all.
So, what is this rising frustration!?
"You said Understanding Spaelement? That means it's written about Spaelement, right?"
"Yes, it's written in great detail. Even I, who had only heard the name, was able to actually incorporate it."
"You already assembled it? Did it work?"
When Mika nodded, Paraleira was surprised, then smiled wryly.
"Adelriese has considerable experience and knowledge regarding circuits, Enchantment, and materials related to them. If it's a book about Spaelement written by Adelriese, I'm interested. Lend it to me."
"Eh, eh, that's fine, but... even Paraleira-san wants to read it?"
Mika has also lent many books to Paraleira, and even borrowed valuable ruins data.
If Paraleira wants to read it, lending it is fine, but is that book really that good?
Paraleira, to me, has plenty of experience and knowledge.
"Probably, even I cannot match her knowledge regarding Spaelement. It may not contain all of Adelriese's knowledge, but I want to read it."
Is it to that extent for a research-obsessed Paraleira?
Or is it because she is research-obsessed?
Mika is still assembling while checking with books, so lending it for a short while should be fine.
"Then I'll bring it tomorrow. Morning is okay?"
"Yes, that's fine. Thank you."
After exchanging light information, Mika left.
The next morning, Paraleira collapsed onto the huge book Mika brought.
"What is she thinking..."
"It wouldn't fit in the Magic Bag, so I didn't want to carry it until after school. Oh, that backpack is custom-made, so please take care of it."
Paraleira carried the backpack she received from Mika heavily into the room.
She muttered, "You should have divided it into about ten volumes..."
I thought so too, didn't I?