Chapter 248 - Chapter 247: Will She Lose Her Patience Soon?
The discussion with the Crown Prince concluded, and I was driven back to the Leventein family's villa in a carriage.
Regarding the magic bags accumulated at the Royal Palace, we will schedule a time to handle them soon.
"Chasu."
"Mika-kun..."
Seeing Mika appear in the middle of a weekday afternoon, Mustajif made an indescribable face.
Mika raised one hand to greet Mustajif, who had rushed over in a panic after being called by the gatekeeper.
"Listen, Lady Cleiria is――――."
"At the Academy, I know. We've seen each other in the classroom."
Standing before the gate, Mustajif wore a difficult expression.
He was likely wondering if it was okay to let Mika in while Cleiria was absent.
Even if you call them a fiancé, that's how commoners are treated.
"I intend to talk to Cleiria after school."
Come after school then, was written on Mustajif's face.
"I've been bedridden for a bit and my body is sluggish. Could you lend me someone? About four or five people."
It would be fine with the Fifth Knights Order, but once you leave District 1, there is no way back in.
Only illegal methods.
Sure, you could just fly in, but I'll try to restrain myself for now.
Well, for the time being, Mika and the "Apostle" are still considered separate entities.
At least, among the common people.
Therefore, staying in District 1 until Cleiria returns, and getting some exercise while doing so, would be killing two birds with one stone.
It was a wonderful idea, yet for some reason, Mustajif put his hand to his forehead and sighed.
"......Well, I suppose it's fine. Follow me."
Guided by Mustajif, we arrived at a corner of the grounds.
Six knights were training there.
"Hey, lend me a hand for a moment."
When Mustajif called out, the knights training gathered around.
............All of them.
"Lend me training swords."
Following Mustajif's orders, swords were distributed to everyone.
"Something's...... aren't they full of energy?"
When Mika said this with a slightly hesitant tone, Mustajif curled the corner of his mouth upward.
"I've been a bit curious about it for a while. Your skills."
While saying this, Mustajif rotated his neck and rolled his shoulders.
"I've seen your training at the Academy, but it's not just that, is it? After all, you were said to have been very active on the battlefield."
"Um... I don't intend to use [Physical Enhancement] today."
Mika scratched his cheek.
With this many people in my base state, I'd be dead.
"Ah, do as you please. Our actions won't change."
Seeing Mustajif flash a ferocious smile, Mika grimaced.
Kuh... I might have underestimated Mustajif a bit.
This guy is probably a muscle-brain thinker after all.
Mika slumped his shoulders and let out a sigh.
Then, he took out Holy Sword Namakura-sama from the magic bag.
The knights murmured at the black short sword Mika had drawn.
They must have realized it was "Orichalcum," a rare copper-type metal, at a glance.
"The blade has been dulled. Please rest assured."
Saying this, Mika drew Namakura-sama against his arm.
Naturally, no wound appeared on Mika's arm.
"You made a deliberately dull blade out of 'Orichalcum'...?"
"Yes, that's fine."
Mika smiled brightly.
Well, normally you wouldn't understand.
What would you do with such a useless short sword made with high money?
But Namakura-sama was very active on the battlefield, you know.
Mika lightly loosened his body and walked toward the center of the training ground.
The knights moved toward him, surrounding him as they walked.
"I won't use [Physical Enhancement]. If you want me to use it, make me have no choice but to use it."
"Of course, that was our intention from the start."
Damn, I only intended to regain a little bit of my senses.
With seven against one, I'd likely have to use [Physical Enhancement] immediately.
Still, I'll try to hold out as long as possible.
"Then, shall we begin?"
As Mika's eyes turned cold, Mustajif and the others readjusted their stances with their swords.
Mika charged in before being attacked.
First, the front.
Mika struck Mustajif with all his might using Namakura-sama.
However, it was easily blocked, and a counterattack came immediately.
(Shit...!)
He immediately created distance and adjusted his posture.
Speaking of which, this isn't how a short sword fight goes.
I ended up attacking first, but the original way to fight with a short sword isn't like this.
Mika's short sword fighting without [Physical Enhancement] is primarily about sneaking into close range.
Since going to the battlefield, I've only used [Physical Enhancement] in combat, so I completely forgot.
Mika barely dodged the sword of a knight attacking from behind and stepped into close range.
Then, slipping past his side, he cut the knight's knee from behind with Namakura-sama.
Without pressing the attack, he immediately adjusted his posture again.
(That's right, just like this.)
I remembered.
Yeah, it was good I came to train.
He dodged the swords slashing at him one after another, inflicting minor wounds little by little.
Definitely finish them off when they can be finished, but don't overdo it.
This training, which started in the morning, continued without a break except for a large lunch break, with only short pauses in between.
"............I'm speechless."
Returning from the Academy, Cleiria saw Mika lying unconscious on the training ground and felt her blood run cold.
However, upon hearing the reason, she muttered with a truly exasperated look.
Mika, who had been resting for a long time.
Hearing from Maurice that his body and mind were weak and he couldn't move much, she felt unable to stay put.
And now, that Mika had returned to the Academy.
He was still recovering from illness.
I thought I had to take care of him as much as possible, yet the person himself was doing something outrageous at my own house.
"Isn't the worried me looking like an idiot?"
Cleiria puffed out her cheeks and fumed with anger.
We had changed clothes and were drinking tea in Cleiria's private room, but her mood hadn't improved.
"Mustajif is also at fault. Someone holding the rank of Captain... You are supposed to be in a position to stop Mika's recklessness, aren't you?"
"I have no excuse..."
Scolded by Cleiria, Mustajif hung his head.
"Well, well. Cleiria. This was something I requested..."
It was much harder than initially expected.
In the end, I somehow got through the morning in my base state, and used [Physical Enhancement] sparingly from the afternoon.
Naturally, Mika was defeated many times.
Against professionals with this many people, it's tough, as expected.
When Mika tried to defend Mustajif, Cleiria glared at him with a sharp gaze.
Receiving that gaze, Mika straightened his posture sharply.
Sweating profusely, he lowered his gaze and stood still.
Am I a frog staring at a snake?
He glanced up to see Cleiria, who had a very sorrowful expression.
At that expression of Cleiria's, Mika's chest ached sharply.
"............I'm sorry."
When Mika bowed his head, a moment passed before Cleiria's sigh was heard.
"That's enough. Regarding your body, it's fine to say you are fully recovered, right?"
"Yeah, that's right. I'm really fine."
Mika looked up and smiled at Cleiria.
Seeing such Mika, Cleiria sighed once more.
But she quickly made a smile.
"I'm glad you came so soon, Mika. Have you finished talking with the Academy Director?"
"That's done for now. Well, speaking of the Academy Director, it was actually a conversation with the Crown Prince."
When Mika said this, Cleiria's expression tightened.
Cleiria of course knew that Mika was under the Crown Prince's custody and his punishment was pending.
Mostly, what kind of punishment it was remained hidden.
The Crown Prince even told me it was better not to tell Cleiria about that part.
Regardless of being a daughter of the Leventein family, it was judged better not to involve her in the Kingdom's taboos.
"I'll have to go to the Royal Castle again for a bit, but it should only take a day or two."
"Since it concerns military affairs, I won't ask for details... But are you really fine?"
When Mika nodded, Cleiria accepted it for the time being.
Even though she had many things she wanted to say and ask, Cleiria swallowed them down like this.
Besides, if I sit cross-legged, she might lose her patience with me soon.
............Is it still okay?
It's not too late, right?
Mika cleared his throat lightly and moistened his throat with tea.
Then, he asked Cleiria to dismiss everyone.
As usual, Mustajif and the nanny stationed themselves in front of the room's door, but at least we could avoid being overheard.
Mika sat next to Cleiria and began whispering secret words.
"So, what happened about a month and a half ago...?"
Mika told her that Hibujiza and the men had kidnapped Kistil and Nerisfeene.
He also mentioned that at that time, his special power caused him to lose his mind.
"Magic, you say...? Not [God's Miracle]?"
"You can fly in the sky, right? There are various things I can do besides that."
Saying this, Mika created a small stone in his hand, unseen by Mustajif and the others.
"Cleiria, you must have heard, haven't you? How I fought on the battlefield."
"Y-yes... It was an unbelievable story, but I heard you used a very mysterious power. ...With that power, even a large army?"
To Cleiria's confirmation, Mika nodded.
Cleiria had also heard various stories from knights and soldiers about what they saw, but she hadn't asked Mika directly.
She might have thought it wasn't good to ask about military affairs and battlefield matters in detail.
Normally, one might ask anyway, but Cleiria had become a very thoughtful and self-controlled girl.
Perhaps this was influenced by the terrible experience she suffered due to her own rash action before.
"Well, actually, it's just mana. I can create fire and water too. Maybe this power is very dangerous."
"That's obvious. It's a power that can repel a large army. If misused, it would be terrible."
"Ah... that's true, but not that."
Mika conveyed his changes that occurred when he used magic with strong emotions.
As Cleiria listened, her eyes widened, she was stunned, and she covered her mouth with her hand.
"Mad...? Completely lost your mind?"
Her voice trembling slightly, she asked for confirmation. Mika nodded heavily.
It's a terrible story.
It's like confessing, "Your fiancé is a madman."
But Mika didn't intend to hide this.
She might lose her patience with me this time, but it can't be helped.
Magic wielded with emotion is dangerous.
This is clear from the fact that nothing happened even after Mika annihilated seventy thousand Gronoir Empire soldiers.
Taking human life is not the key.
Emotion is the key.
That is evident from the fact that that man was obsessed with anger and hatred.
As a countermeasure, there's no need to eliminate emotions entirely.
If used normally, there should be no problem.
It seems dangerous when combined with strong emotions that are forced out or squeezed out.
Mika showed Cleiria the Tranquilizer bracelet on his right arm.
"Right now, I'm suppressing various things with this."
When Mika said this, Cleiria gently reached out and touched the bracelet.
"Will it be fine if I wear this bracelet?"
"Hmm... I don't know if it's absolutely fine, but at least I have a rough idea. I know what not to do. The bracelet is just a safety measure; I think the most important thing is to be careful yourself."
Even if you are careful, you might slip up. ......Because we are human.
The Tranquilizer is merely a countermeasure to prevent immediate madness from such slips.
"More importantly, the problem this time is that the enemy clearly targeted me. Kistil and Nerisfeene were just caught up in it for that reason."
When Mika said this, Cleiria nodded with a heavy expression.
"And people involved with me get caught up in that way――――."
"Mika."
Interrupting Mika's words, Cleiria called him with a serious expression.
"I understand what you want to say. But please don't say any more than that."
Saying this, she took Mika's hand.
"I will not change anything. No matter what happens, I will be as I have been until now."
"Cleiria..."
My words were cut off before I could say them.
Nothing, I don't intend to become distant from Cleiria either.
I just needed her to understand that it would be dangerous to stay near me until this matter was somewhat resolved.
And for that reason, just for now, we should consider keeping a little distance.
Mika lowered his shoulders and sighed.
Then, he smiled bitterly.
"...It would be troublesome if I got pushed away again."
When Mika muttered this, Cleiria laughed laughingly.
"That's right? So, please don't think about foolish things."
And the two of them laughed together for a while.
Mika stopped laughing and put on a somewhat serious face.
"The Fifth Knights Order has a male sketch. They have made many copies and issued wanted posters to the Kingdom Army and Domain Armies throughout the Kingdom. I brought one and had the mansion's knights memorize his face well."
When Mika said this, Cleiria also tightened her expression and nodded.
"That person uses a power similar to mine. Not [God's Miracle]. He suddenly blows off heads without chanting, tearing bodies apart along with armor. He possesses that kind of power."
"Without a spell, you say...?"
Hearing Mika's words, Cleiria looked surprised.
"I'll say it clearly. Even if there are hundreds of mansion knights, they cannot guard against him. Twelve knights disappeared without leaving a single trace. Is there a knight who can do the same? If so, that knight might be able to counter him."
"Without leaving a single trace, you say?"
"Yes. To reveal the secret, that person possessed an illegal magic bag. A magic bag that can store people. But even with that, normally you can't disappear without leaving a trace."
Mika felt a slight flutter in his chest.
However, the Tranquilizer seemed to be working well, and his heart quickly calmed down.
"There might be no way to prepare a countermeasure. But I thought it was better to know."
"Yes... that's true."
Seeing Cleiria nod, Mika stood up.
Having conveyed what needed to be conveyed, Mika intended to leave, but then he suddenly thought of something.
"Um... I'm sorry for worrying you always."
When Mika said this, Cleiria's eyes widened, and then she sighed deeply.
"Are you saying that now, Mika?"
With a truly exasperated look, Cleiria said so.
And so, Mika was driven by the Leventein family's carriage to near the Magic Academy.
Cleiria watched the carriage carrying Mika leave.
"Mana... turning into a stone..."
She muttered such things.
■■■■■■
Month of Fire 1, Week 3, Day of the Moon.
After school following the end of the Academy.
A cafe in District 3.
I am having a meeting with Lebrantes, the liaison for the Information Broker Guild.
"Alright, I'll hide the luggage temporarily and then send it."
"Yeah, sorry about that."
"It's not something to worry about that much. It'll take a little time, but I'll definitely send it."
This was about the luggage at Mika's home in District 2.
I had Lebrantes arrange to send everything to Rish Village.
I'll hide it underground for a while so that even if there are trackers, they can be deceived.
Lebrantes has become my go-to handyman.
And so, the house contract was terminated.
Mika is currently living by hopping from inn to inn in District 3.
Since my home was attacked, I couldn't decide on a policy for my future home.
If I stay in the Academy dormitory, I'd drag the other students into trouble.
If I set up a base somewhere, the people living nearby would be in danger.
Staying at an inn is very troublesome, but I thought the risk of being attacked would decrease if I kept moving, so I am currently living a nomadic life.
Well, meals are provided, and laundry can be requested for a fee.
Actually, I wasn't that dissatisfied with this kind of life.
The current problem is that it would be troublesome if they tracked me down to the Academy.
I don't go every day, but frequently.
If they think, "Why not just attack openly at the Academy instead of an inn?", it would be very troubling.
"Oh, by the way, a message from Ozendorwa. He wants to see you as soon as possible."
As Lebrantes counted the moving fee I prepared, he said this.
Recently, I rarely pass through the gate of the Second Wall.
The only time was a few days ago when I went to buy a replacement for the broken short sword.
Therefore, instead of passing a message to the knights at the gate as before, he must have contacted the Information Broker Guild.
"As soon as possible? Then maybe after this is fine?"
"Isn't that fine?"
After paying the moving fee, Mika headed to the Fifth Knights' office.
"Sorry for calling you suddenly."
"No, is there something?"
Ozendorwa sat at his desk and handed Mika several sheets of paper.
The top one was a note left by Hibujiza.
"Thanks to that, things have become interesting."
So, he made a face of genuine exhaustion.
It didn't seem like a story about something interesting, though.
"What happened?"
When Mika asked, Ozendorwa crossed his arms.
"Where should I start explaining? Well... I think you mentioned something concerning when you borrowed that paper from me."
"Yes, I did say that."
"What concerned me was, to put it bluntly, you, Mika-kun."
"Huh? ...Me?"
What is it? What is it?
Concerning... you don't mean you fell for me or something, do you!?
As Mika twisted his expression, Ozendorwa smiled bitterly.
"The target this time was you, right? The two kidnapped were merely bait to lure you, so to speak."
"Eh, eh... I think that's true."
There, Ozendorwa pointed at Mika.
"Is there anyone else you can think of who targeted you?"
"Others...?"
Thinking of others who targeted Mika...
"The Church was instigated... Humus?"
"That's right."
Saying this, Ozendorwa crossed his legs.
"I don't know if the two have a connection. Honestly, I don't know if they have the same purpose. But it is a fact that they were targeted by both by coincidence."
"Yes, that's certainly true."
"So, I assumed as a hypothesis that there might be some connection between the two."
"I see..."
Two scoundrels connected somewhere wouldn't be strange...?
Are bad guys usually friends?
"However, unfortunately, there is absolutely no clue regarding Humus. Whether she came from the Seven Duchies Federation is also uncertain."
"That seems to be the case."
Did Gaeras say she wasn't using a real name or false identity?
"However, there is another person who seems to be involved."
"Another one?"
"Don't you remember? A man named Aquu."
"Ahh... you mentioned him. He was a businessman from the Am-Tast Trade Alliance or something."
But didn't this guy also disappear into thin air?
"This Aquu is not directly involved with you, Mika-kun. It's just that he seems to have had a connection with Humus."
Ozendorwa uncrossed his arms and placed his hands on the desk.
"However, since he was conducting business, the Trade Alliance's investigation entered his office. Several associates have been arrested."
"Oh, is that so?"
That was news to me.
Ozendorwa pointed to the several sheets of paper he had handed to Mika.
"They sent people to the Trade Alliance and checked if the documents seized from the office had the same handwriting as these papers. Bingo."
"No way!?"
Mika hurriedly flipped through the papers he was handed.
There were some like memos, and this one... is it an inn ledger?
"Since there are few sample characters, it's not absolute. But based on several common points, the possibility seems high. You misspelled the Earldom of Latajis as Latajiz, right? The seized memo had the same mistake."
Not only was the handwriting similar, but they even made the same spelling mistake, so the possibility really seemed high.
"Who is that person? Is it Hibujiza after all?"
"No, it's a man named Ecrease."
"Ecrease?"
It was a name I hadn't heard before.
As Mika furrowed his brow, Ozendorwa let out a deep sigh.
"I said things were getting interesting, right? Unfortunately, we know that Ecrease. ......Who do you think it is?"
We know Ecrease?
Mika had no idea and shook his head.
Ozendorwa looked at such Mika and let out a small breath.
"A young man with reddish-brown hair."
"....................................Eh?"
Huh?
Wait a minute?
"No, no, no, what is that? That's strange. What are you saying!"
You cut off his head, Ozendorwa!
That was half a year ago!
"Physical characteristics, a drawn-out tone of voice, and the associates at the office saw him wearing the necklace he possessed. It is certainly a young man with reddish-brown hair."
"Hibujiza's true identity is a young man with reddish-brown hair!? Are you serious!? The one who cut off his own head!?"
When Mika shouted this, Ozendorwa shrugged his shoulders.
"............Isn't it quite an interesting story?"
"Yes, it is!"
It's not interesting at all!
But then.
Flashback-like memories surged in Mika's head.
"Ah, Te-chan~."
"No~. Don't talk without permission~. I'll twist your neck~?"
"Te-chan~. Won't you put this away~? It's hard to talk like this~."
"Kill~? Kill Te-chan~? Why~?"
The words of the young man with reddish-brown hair and Hibujiza.
Mika involuntarily shook his head.
(Dead people coming back to life? Well, there are "moving corpses [Zombies]." But "the Unclean Ones" have their own wills――――.)
Thinking that far, Mika's thoughts completely stopped.
Frozen with a stunned expression, Mika was looked at curiously by Ozendorwa.
"............Is something wrong, Mika-kun?"
But even when spoken to, Mika couldn't hear it.
In his white mind, he whispered in his heart.
Lunesee....