Chapter 43 - Chapter 42: Blessing and Curse
Mika returned to the dormitory straight from the Appraisal Shop Owner without taking a detour.
Alone in his room, he lined up two charms called Talismans on the desk and compared them closely.
Both looked like perfectly ordinary charms.
There didn't seem to be any particular difference.
If anything, the one he picked up in the forest had just a small scratch or two.
If someone had been carrying it around normally, a few scratches would be only natural.
Mika touched the charm he had just bought with his finger.
He didn't feel anything special.
But when he concentrated his consciousness and poured magic power into it, he felt something faint.
It wasn't a clear sensation.
He felt nothing more than, "Did I really touch something?"
Mika touched the other charm, the one he picked up in the forest, with his finger.
As soon as he touched it, he felt a creepy sensation.
A feeling that raised goosebumps, an unsettling feeling.
But this sensation wasn't felt by the skin.
Mika's "ability to sense magic power" was reacting.
When Mika let go of the charm, he crossed his legs and arms, placed his hand under his chin, and began to ponder.
The original effect of this charm seemed to be "alertness."
Since he bought the product, it was only natural for them to teach him its effect.
Saying that, the old woman at the Appraisal Shop Owner told him.
However, the effect was so-so.
Since the price was what it was, it was basically just a matter of mindset.
Still, it was said to help spur himself on with "one more push" when his morale was low.
If you say charms are things like that, then that's all the effect is.
Still, he thought.
There was definitely something residing in it.
And the true identity of that something was likely magic power.
Mika looked at the two charms.
Both were the same charm.
But there was one more common point.
That was, both manifested their effects through magic power.
Mika leaned back against the chair's backrest.
Blessing and Curse.
Two phenomena that could be said to be exact opposites.
But these two were the same in that they brought some kind of effect through magic power.
In other words, essentially, there might be no difference between the two; they might be the same thing.
"......Is my logic leaping too far...?"
Blessing.
Through magic power, it brings some benefit to the target.
Curse.
Through magic power, it brings some disadvantage to the target.
Basically, depending on subjective or objective perspective, if it's a benefit it's called "Blessing," and if it's a disadvantage it's called "Curse."
That's all it seems like.
While Mika was pondering, the door creaked open.
"Oh, rare. You're early today."
Messerite seemed to have returned.
It seemed he had gone shopping somewhere.
He was holding a paper bag in his hand.
"Welcome back. Messerite, can I talk to you for a moment?"
Mika quickly put the charms on the desk into his hand.
"Sure, what is it?"
Messerite placed the paper bag on the desk and came toward Mika.
Mika looked up at Messerite with a bright, perfect smile.
"Can you show me your hands for a moment?"
"Huh... no."
Messerite hurriedly pulled back the hand he had casually tried to extend.
"......Why."
"Just a feeling. ...I have a bad premonition."
Tch, a guy with good intuition.
Helplessly, Mika decided to clear the air first.
He showed the charm he was holding.
"I just wanted to try having you hold this for a bit."
Messerite peered in and looked at the two charms in Mika's hand.
"Charms? Why two of the same...?"
"One I picked up in the forest. I noticed a slight difference, but I wondered if you could tell too. I wanted to try it out."
Messerite made a suspicious face, but it seemed his guard lowered once he realized the objects were charms.
Though wary, he extended both hands.
Mika casually placed each charm on Messerite's hands, one after the other.
"How is it?"
"......Not a difference in appearance, but a difference in how it feels when you hold it?"
"Yes."
Messerite compared the two charms but made a face as if he couldn't tell.
"If you can't tell, that's fine. Thanks."
Saying that, Mika retrieved the charms from Messerite's hands.
"Uu...nn."
Messerite was pondering something.
"Did something happen?"
"No, I couldn't tell... If you're curious, why not have the Appraisal Shop Owner check it? Well, I feel a bit like it's a waste of money."
"I already went to the Appraisal Shop Owner."
"Oh, is that so."
Messerite sat in his own chair and opened the paper bag he had bought.
"So, what happened?"
"Yeah. It's cursed."
Zzzzzzzzz!
The sound of the paper bag tearing was heard.
"Whaaaaaa!?"
With a face as if his eyeballs were about to pop out, Messerite turned around with incredible speed.
He stared at his own hands and made a gesture as if rubbing them together to shake something off.
"Wait! A curse is----."
"It's not that big of a deal. The Appraisal Shop Owner told me to 'just throw it away somewhere'."
"Then throw it away!"
"I don't want to. It's a waste. It cost four silver coins."
"You said you picked it up in the forest just now!"
"Appraisal fee plus buying the same charm cost four silver coins. Isn't it a huge loss if I don't get my money's worth?"
Messerite made a dumbfounded face, then let out a huge sigh and pressed his forehead.
"Headache? You should lie down."
There's no headache medicine in this world.
No, wait, weren't there herbs that worked on headaches?
Unfortunately, I don't have any.
"...I thought I already knew you were strange enough. This is a bit... beyond my understanding."
Messerite slumped his head dejectedly.
What do you mean strange? Strange? How rude.
"What's strange? Or rather, does that tone mean you thought so before? That's a bit rude, isn't it?"
"It's not rude at all. Rather, I'm surprised you don't realize it yourself."
Messerite pointed at Mika decisively and declared, "You are strange."
As expected, this guy is rude.
Blurt out whatever comes to mind is probably Messerite's flaw.
This day, Mika had his first verbal argument with Messerite since moving into the dormitory.
Their claims remained parallel lines.
And, he made a promise to always put the charms in a locked place.
This determined the use of the top drawer of the dresser, which had no use until now.
Also, Messerite, who had been sleeping with his head facing the dresser until then, started sleeping with his head facing the opposite direction from that day on.
......It's just magic power, right?
Are you overthinking it?
■■■■■■
The next day, the morning lecture class was, unusually, Kingdom History.
It seemed this Kingdom History class, which occurs occasionally, was held on days when second-years used the training room.
Kingdom of Ektrem.
It is a western power that has dominated nearly half of the continent for 1532 years since its founding.
It seems he was originally a chieftain leading a large tribe, but he successfully took over during a gap when two small nations were fighting.
In class, it was said that the opponent handed over royal power with a momentum of "please, please," but that couldn't be true.
He must have used ruthless means to bring both royal families under his control, to a degree that couldn't be said in class.
And the bloodlines of both royal families were eliminated without exception, from infants to the elderly.
It wasn't stated clearly, but I think they were all executed.
I deduce it was a rather harsh rule.
The Kingdom of Ektrem, where kings of the territorial expansion faction continued, swallowed surrounding nations one by one, and the royal families of the dominated nations were eliminated without exception.
The fact that the Kingdom of Ektrem calls itself a kingdom and not an empire seems to be a manifestation of a strong will of "the only king" rather than "king of kings."
But normally, such harsh rule would cause rebellions.
Of course, rebellions occurred frequently in the Kingdom of Ektrem as well.
And he managed to suppress all of them. With overwhelming and merciless military force.
Of course, in class, it was said that "the rebellion was suppressed just by seeing the great army led by the king personally," but that couldn't be true.
He must have trampled them with a great army.
Along with the people of that land.
Around the time the neighboring major powers became so large that they couldn't do anything, a change occurred in the succession of the kings of the territorial expansion faction.
A moderate king skilled in domestic politics ascended the throne.
If that's the case, it was natural for accumulated grudges to explode.
Rebellions broke out in various places again.
But he managed to suppress these as well.
Through superior strategy.
By spreading false information, fabrication, bribery, and sometimes threatening military force or assassination, he made the groups that rebelled fight each other or split apart, making it seem like he was teasing the rebel groups to the point where you'd want to shout, "Where did you get that genius strategist?"
Even the people who initially supported the rebel groups grew tired of the rebellions that just raged on locally and never moved toward the royal family.
Rather, the world was thrown into chaos by the rebellions, and people who lost their homes and families overflowed.
The king actively reached out to such people.
And he ingrained into the people that the rebel groups were the evil ones, down to the bone marrow.
Thus, the king, who seemed moderate, was actually a king who loved political intrigue, and with his superior domestic skills, he pacified the country in one generation.
After that, kings of the territorial expansion faction and domestic politics faction (strategy faction) appeared relatively alternately, and a very solid and powerful kingdom was born that expanded its territory while consolidating its footing afterward.
For the citizens of the Kingdom of Ektrem, it was fortunate that there were almost no so-called "foolish kings."
Military expansionism might make citizens' lives hard, but that was with a solid purpose of territorial expansion.
It seems there were many excellent vassals, and such goals were generally achieved.
And even kings of the territorial expansion faction didn't seem to neglect the citizens' lives.
Rapid territorial expansion continued for about 300 years after the founding, but after that, at a rather slow pace, with the development of culture, the citizens' standard of living slowly rose.
However, 331 years ago.
In the Kingdom Calendar year 1201, by bringing the current Hailhord Region under its control, it finally shared a flat border with the Gronoir Empire.
The borders had been touching before, but since a mountain range lay across separating the two nations, large-scale military conflicts had not occurred.
But if they shared a flat border, that wouldn't work.
Two major powers, each trying to dominate half of the continent.
Over the next 200 years, they entered a state of war five times.
But since both knew the other maintained considerable national power, they managed to avoid developing into all-out war.
And in the Kingdom Calendar year 1427. 105 years ago.
They entered a sixth state of war with the Gronoir Empire.
But what made this war different from previous wars was the "strong intervention" of the Church.
The following year, 1428, the Pope of the Church of Light residing in the Gronoir Empire said, "It is the will of the gods to destroy the Kingdom of Ektrem," and the situation changed completely.
The Gronoir Empire began to put in its military strength seriously, and to counter this, the Kingdom of Ektrem also committed unprecedented military strength.
The opening of the so-called "Fifty-Year War."
----The beginning of all-out war.
That is what was learned in today's Kingdom History class.
Well, I don't know how true the story is, and even if there are lies, it's something from decades ago, so it doesn't matter to Mika.
Mika was idly listening to the Kingdom History being explained by the teacher writing on the blackboard.
It seems memorizing dates isn't necessary for the Magic Academy exams.
What happened and how it turned out.
Remembering the general flow of history is enough; there's no need to memorize mnemonics like "Naku yo Uguisu" or "Ii Kuni Tsukurou."
(Huh? Wasn't it 1192?)
As historical research progressed, it seems the mnemonic changed to something else.
(Well, whatever.)
During class, Mika was fiddling with the charm called a Talisman he held in his right hand using magic power.
Of course, the one he was holding now was the "cursed charm."
Mika became interested in blessings and curses and spent the whole morning secretly interfering with the charm.
The normal charm was too unresponsive to be interesting.
The cursed charm reacted clearly, so it was suitable for various tests.
"Mika-kun, class is over?"
Rimliche called out to Mika, who wasn't moving even though class had ended.
Looking, everyone was getting up from their seats to return to the dormitory.
After this, they would eat lunch and have afternoon physical training.
(I got too absorbed and fiddled too much.)
His consciousness went too much to his right hand, and he didn't notice class had ended.
It wasn't that he couldn't see, but even seeing the teacher leave the classroom, he just watched without thinking about what it meant.
"Sorry, sorry. Well, let's go."
"Yeah."
Rimliche had become completely fond of him while training his ability to sense magic power.
Rimliche still cannot sense magic power with the magic tool for magic perception in class.
The teacher seemed completely at a loss, repeating the same thing without any special effort.
I can't help but wonder if that's okay, but well, if he's a salaryman teacher, this is probably normal.
But Rimliche isn't worrying like before.
Because he understands that the magic tool's output isn't enough and it's just not shaking Rimliche's magic power.
In Mika's special training held in the academy forest on Saturdays and Sundays, he can sense magic power, and the magic power required for that has decreased significantly.
As he repeated the special training, Rimliche's magic power became easier to shake.
Worst case, even if magic perception with the magic tool remains impossible, if he can move his own magic power with his own will, he should be able to sense it.
He explained such things to Rimliche as well, so he isn't anxious like before.
When they went out to the hallway, Messerite, Polnard, Cecilia, and Charl were waiting for Mika and the others.
Murt sometimes returns to the dormitory with them if the timing is right, but it seems he went ahead today.
There are only seven classmates in total.
After two months, everyone gets along reasonably well.
"You're late, Mika."
"Sorry, sorry. I could have gone ahead."
Cecilia called out.
"I was waiting for Rimliche. If it was just Mika, I would have left you behind. Right."
Cecilia smiled at Rimliche.
"Then why are you telling me? Tell Rimliche."
"The reason Rimliche was late is Mika."
Grrr...
(...Say that, and he says this.)
With Mika's verbal argument skills that can only draw a tie even with Messerite, he didn't feel he could win against Cecilia.
"Yes, yes, I'm terribly sorry."
Mika raised the white flag easily.
Afternoon physical training time.
Recently, instead of just walking or jogging, they were using a place like an athletic course in a corner of the edge of the ground more often.
There were things like climbing steep slopes holding onto ropes, climbing nets, and ladders and jungle gyms.
It had shifted from lower body exercise to full-body exercise.
"Aaaah... Haa... Haa... I lost----."
Mika lay flat on the ground, repeating heavy breathing.
"Heh... You... lost to... something... Haa... Haa..."
Murt also sat on the ground, legs stretched out, breathing heavily through his shoulders.
"Haa... Haa... In the middle... Haa... I was passed... even though... Haa... Haa..."
"Wait a minute... Haa... I just let you... Haa... Haa..."
"Huh? Who was it... Haa... Haa... who said 'Wait, you!'...?"
"Are your ears... Haa... broken...? Haa... I don't need them, do I...? Haa... Haa... Should I take them off for you? You...?"
Mika, lying flat on his back, and Murt, sitting down, glared at each other.
Messerite, who was far behind the two competing for the top spot, finally reached the goal.
Messerite also sat down right there, repeating heavy breathing.
"Haa... Haa... Welcome back. Haa... Messerite, you got faster."
Mika called out, but he didn't seem to have the energy to reply.
Breathing through his shoulders, he slumped his head.
"Next time... Haa... Cecilia? Haa... Anyway, everyone... has gotten faster."
Murt looked at the athletic course and checked the status of the remaining members.
Cecilia had reached the last obstacle, and far behind her were Polnard, Rimliche, and Charl in a ball formation.
In the afternoon, they were often competing on this athletic course.
It was better than just being made to march, but the fatigue was incomparable to marching.
Especially Mika and Murt, who competed for the top spot every time, went all out from start to finish.
Well, every time Murt was first and Mika was second.
(There is a difference in physique, but that's no excuse.)
There was a head's difference in height between Mika and Murt.
Compared to Murt, who was sturdy for his age, Mika was somewhat thin.
Thanks to being able to eat meals with enough nutrition and quantity since entering the dormitory, he had gained quite a bit of muscle, but the original difference remained.
He couldn't catch up in just about two months, as expected.
Rather, it's amazing he could get second place with this physique.
Being lighter was an advantage on courses with steep ups and downs, but unfortunately, he lacked stamina.
The current issue is that it's difficult to beat Murt without building more physical strength.
After everyone finished, they were instructed by Dagny to go to the ground, and on the ground, they were handed a stick by Naporo.
Mika looked at the stick, about 60 centimeters long.
About 20 centimeters of the handle was exposed wood, but cloth was wrapped around the rest.
(A substitute for a shinai...?)
To Mika, it felt like it was modeling some kind of weapon.
That day, he was made to imitate Naporo's movements using that stick for a long time.
(This is a "kata," a form.)
There was no explanation.
He was just told to imitate.
He was made to repeat one movement ten or twenty times, and Naporo and Dagny instructed him, "Raise your arms more," "Lower your waist."
It wasn't just playing on the athletic course.
This was a place to train future soldiers, and they were being incorporated into the bottom ranks of the Domain Army.
It was an afternoon where he re-realized that fact.