Chapter 52 - Chapter 51: Returning Home After a Year
The third day of the second week of the Third Month of Earth.
Mika walked along the road sandwiched between cotton fields, carrying a large load on his back.
To call them cotton fields was a stretch; the soil was still bare, with no seeds sown yet.
The scenery within Mika's vision was so empty it could be described as 'nothing'—only a straight road stretching across a flat plain.
"How nostalgic."
Having been in Sarbengeal for about a year, where there were too many people, he felt a sense of nostalgia for this emptiness.
Mika had safely finished his end-of-year exams and was now returning to Rish Village.
Mika's mana had changed from a pale yellow a year ago to a clear blue.
It was probably about the same as Rimliche's at the time of enrollment.
Honestly, thinking that Mika possessed the same amount of mana as he does now when he first enrolled made him feel a chill at how much mana Rimliche actually had.
Rimliche's mana felt like the same blue to Mika, but apparently, it had grown into a deep blue.
Mostly, it seemed that was the limit of the measurement magic tools at the academy, and the actual amount of mana was judged as 'Unmeasurable'.
Various other exams were conducted, and all of Mika's classmates had safely finished their exams.
Though there were a few who had to redo them several times.
It seemed all the children were returning home for the four-week long vacation.
However, it seemed Rimliche was staying in the dormitory without returning home.
Meals were served in the dormitory as usual even during the long vacation.
It seemed there were usually one or two students who didn't return home each year, and it was fine to stay.
The matron and servants taking care of the children in the dormitory seemed to be preparing rooms for the incoming children, and they wouldn't close the dormitory just because the students were on long vacation.
Mika was curious about Rimliche, but he didn't want to be so insensitive as to pry too deeply, so he just said a normal greeting and left the dormitory.
Family circumstances vary from person to person.
Mika's family was by no means wealthy.
It wouldn't be strange if some families viewed his enrollment as a chance to reduce the number of mouths to feed.
As Mika walked along the road, he looked up at the sky.
The last time he walked this road was right after he swapped places with the boy named Mika.
Back then, he was scorched by the merciless sunlight, suffered heatstroke, and was half-dead.
Now, according to the calendar, it was still a bit early to call it spring.
It seemed to be getting warmer a little earlier than usual, but compared to that death march back then, this was heaven and hell.
"Even so... heavy things are still heavy..."
Mika adjusted the load on his back and stretched lightly while walking.
Mika was currently carrying a backpack roughly the same size as his own height.
What he was carrying were souvenirs bought in Sarbengeal.
He wanted to give something back to the people who had helped him when he entered the academy, so he bought them.
They were heavy and bulky, making it difficult, but he had worked hard to bring them this far.
"Frankly, it was seriously tough."
What was tough? Well, the bulkiness was probably the biggest issue.
Fitting such things into an already narrow horse-drawn carriage was no small feat.
It might be paranoia, but he felt the gazes of those around him were painful.
And this was something he had completely forgotten, but there was also the issue of the bathhouse.
Ninetiana had told him, "Don't leave your luggage in the inn room or the changing room," but he couldn't possibly bring such a large load into the bathhouse.
There was no way it would fit in the lidded shelves inside the bathhouse.
Mika was at a loss, but here he decided to honestly ask someone for help.
He asked the inn staff, "Could you please keep my luggage while I use the bath?"
Responses varied slightly, with some looking reluctant and others accepting it straightforwardly, but everyone agreed to take it.
They probably thought, "He's a child, it can't be helped."
Mika used an inexpensive inn for this journey.
It was a dilapidated hut located right at the stop for shared horse carriages, and he wasn't confident he could survive the night there.
While awake, perhaps, but once asleep, neither magic nor [God's Miracle] mattered.
He was holding precious souvenirs for important people.
If he could solve it with money, he thought he should honestly pay for it.
And because of these souvenirs and travel expenses, the purchase of the steel knife had been postponed.
Originally, he had only intended it as, "It might be useful to have," so postponing it wasn't a big deal.
Rather, he was glad he learned about the long vacation before purchasing it.
If he had bought the knife first, while he might have managed the travel expenses, there was a high probability the budget wouldn't have covered the souvenirs.
Mika, who spent almost no money on anything other than equipment, had unusually spent forty thousand rats on souvenirs.
Even though it was mostly fixed-amount quests, he had been earning around ten thousand rats per week, so he decided to splurge.
It was only once a year, and he thought, "If not now, when?"
As Mika walked along the road, birds pecking at something in the cotton fields suddenly took flight all at once.
"...Being able to fly must be nice and easy."
Carrying such a heavy load made such thoughts arise even more.
Mika had deliberately not used [Physical Enhancement] on his way home.
He intended to use it honestly if he got tired, but he had been trained by the academy's physical exercises for a whole year.
He had come this far in his natural state, thinking of it as training!
Magic to fly.
Actually, he had considered this before.
The "Waterball" and "Stone Bullet" that Mika created floated in the air without difficulty.
So, couldn't he float too?
He had thought of several ways to fly, but hadn't tried them yet.
There was a reason for his hesitation.
The most simple method of flying would be to create wind with "Blast" strong enough to lift Mika.
Since it could also serve as propulsion, he thought he could fly at a tremendous speed.
However, doing so would lead to a tragic outcome upon landing.
If he could control it well, fine, but if he messed up, he would be slammed into the ground and that would be it.
This plan was naturally rejected.
Another option was to manipulate gravity.
Since "Waterball" and "Stone Bullet" float, he could reduce his own gravity or counteract it.
If he could reduce gravity significantly, he could then gain propulsion with "Blast" and fly.
With this method, he thought landing wouldn't be that dangerous.
However, Mika felt hesitation even with this method.
Four forces.
The strong force, weak force, gravity, and electromagnetism acting between elementary particles.
He was thinking that directly influencing these with his own will might have consequences that were too great if he failed.
Surely, failing to operate gravity wouldn't immediately create a black hole.
But, if he intended to reduce gravity and instead increased it, Mika's body weight could become ten or even a hundred times heavier.
He would be crushed by his own weight, and that would be it.
Although he wanted to try flying in the sky, he didn't have that much courage yet.
"I've arrived!"
Mika reached the northern gate of the village and stretched widely.
Walking from Kotontesse to Rish Village, he managed to arrive just before noon.
In the end, he got tired halfway, so he arrived using [Physical Enhancement].
He glanced around from the gate into the village, but it was unchanged, as if time had stopped.
He could spot villagers here and there in the distance, but it remained a village with an extremely low population density.
Being in Sarbengeal made him feel this even more.
Mika proceeded down the main street of the village and headed for the church first.
Kifrod was sweeping the entrance at the church.
"Hello. Long time no see, Kifrod-sama."
"Hm? Oh, Mika! It's been a while. Have you been well?"
"Yes, I'm managing to stay well somehow."
Kifrod looked at Mika's figure with a pleasant smile, saying "I see, I see," but suddenly furrowed his brows.
"Mika, that outfit... You haven't become an adventurer, have you?"
"A, ahahaha..."
Mika's current outfit was full gear.
He was wearing a leather chest plate, leather bracers, and leather boots.
Mimicking Ninetiana, who had been vigilant during the journey, Mika had brought equipment just in case.
"Good heavens... You're still the same, aren't you?"
Kifrod muttered with an exasperated look.
Mika felt a bit awkward and decided to change the subject.
"What about Sister Radi? Is she visiting the villagers?"
"Yes, she is. I think she'll be back by noon, but do show your face to Radi. She has been worried about you quite a bit."
"Yes. Ah, and..."
Mika took off his backpack.
Taking one of the tied-up boxes, he handed it to Kifrod.
"It's a souvenir. It's said to be delicious; I hope it suits your palate."
Mika had asked Messerite for recommendations and was told of a few famous shops.
Then, thinking about what would make a good souvenir, he bought a set of smoked meat and sausages.
There were also candidates like alcohol and sweets, but Mika chose the things he thought tasted the best.
He decided against alcohol since Kifrod and Radi might not drink it.
"Oh ho! This is troublesome. I shall accept it gratefully."
Kifrod accepted the souvenir with a broad smile.
"Then, I will come again."
Mika put the backpack back on, parted ways with Kifrod, and passed through the Central Plaza.
Next, he stopped by Ninetiana's house on the way.
"Hello! Ninetiana-san! Are you in?"
Mika knocked on the door while calling out.
However, there was no answer.
She might be out walking Dur.
He turned around, planning to come back later.
"Eeek!?"
"Yah-ho. Long time no see. Have you been well?"
Ninetiana was right behind him.
Ninetiana, holding Dur, greeted him normally.
Dur didn't react particularly to Mika's loud voice and was sleeping soundly in Ninetiana's arms.
"If you're here, just say so! You scared me, really."
"If I said so, I couldn't scare you. What are you talking about?"
No, what are you talking about yourself?
Mika glared at Ninetiana, but naturally, Ninetiana didn't care about that.
She looked Mika up and down.
"...Mika-kun, that outfit. You're serious, aren't you?"
Ninetiana grinned.
Mika couldn't help but grin back.
Kifrod had noticed it.
There was no way Ninetiana wouldn't notice.
"If you're equipped like that, you must be earning quite a bit, right?"
"Not really. I can buy it because I don't need money to live. I've only been doing fixed-amount quests."
"Oh, I see. When did you start?"
"I registered shortly after starting at the academy. By the next week, I was already going on collection trips."
"I see. So you're still Rank F then?"
"No, the rank has gone up."
Saying that, Mika showed his guild card.
"Why is the rank going up if you've only done fixed-amount quests?"
Ninetiana stared closely at Mika's guild card.
"I try to defeat the monsters I encounter. Well, mostly Sou-Labi."
"I try to defeat them..."
Ninetiana's face twisted.
As a former adventurer, Ninetiana should know the ferocity of Sou-Labi well.
"Well, standing here talking is nothing. Come inside for a bit. Tell me the details of that."
"Ah... sorry. Can I go back to the house once? I haven't put my luggage down yet."
"Oh, you haven't returned yet. Then come show your face again. You'll be here for a while anyway, right?"
"Yes, I plan to stay for about two weeks. Well then, see you again, Dur."
Mika handed over the souvenir, spoke to the sleeping Dur, and left Ninetiana's house.
Walking steadily towards the southwest edge of the village, his nostalgic home soon came into view.
Looking at it again like this, the Noisheim family home was truly small and dilapidated.
Still, Mika's heart leaped at seeing his home after so long.
He unconsciously quickened his pace, almost running if he didn't consciously hold himself back.
"I'm home!"
Mika opened the door and cheerfully greeted his return.
However, no voice like "Welcome back" came from inside the house.
Of course, Amalia and Loretta were both at the factory working, so no one was home.
Mika had informed them of his return via letter, but only the general timing, not the exact date.
Since anything could happen on the road, if he had written clearly "I'll be back on such-and-such a date" and it went wrong, it would cause unnecessary worry.
So, he had only written in the letter, "I'll be returning home around the third day of the second week of the Third Month of Earth."
Mika put down his luggage and sat in his usual seat.
Even when Mika was in Sarbengeal, his seat at the Noisheim home was properly kept and cleaned.
No dust had accumulated.
Sitting in his usual seat, he looked around at the familiar scenery of the house.
"...Really, nothing has changed at all."
Placing his hand on the table, he enjoyed the nostalgic touch.
He wanted to see his family soon, but it would be bad to interfere with their work.
"...That's right."
Mika took the box of souvenirs and the cloth bag containing money and left the house.
The destination was the textile factory.
Upon arriving at the factory, he entered the building at the very end where the office was located.
"Excuse me. Is Horatio-san here?"
As he called out, one of the doors lined up along the hallway opened immediately.
"Yes, yes, what is it... Mika-kun, isn't it!"
Horatio stomped heavily on the floor as he came to Mika.
"Long time no see, Horatio-san."
"Long time no see, Mika-kun. I see... it's already been a year. Have you been well?"
"Yes. Ah, here, it's a souvenir. Please have it with your drink."
Mika handed the box containing the set of smoked meat and sausages to Horatio as well.
For now, this meant he could deliver it to everyone he had intended to give souvenirs to.
Mission complete.
"Thank you. I'll take it tonight, perhaps. Have you already met Amalia-san and the others?"
"No, I just arrived. But I thought it might be bad to interfere with work. Ah, am I interfering with Horatio-san's work? Sorry."
"Hahaha. There's no need to worry about that. However... indeed, if I tell Amalia-san and the others about you, work won't be possible after this. Recently, they've been a bit unsettled, or rather, excited..."
It seemed that since learning of Mika's return, they had already been having trouble with work.
"Sorry..."
"It's not something for Mika-kun to apologize for. Of course, it's not something for Amalia-san and the others to apologize for either. They have been doing well. They have spent the last year well. Well, there were times they were a bit down, though."
It seemed Amalia and the others had spent the year without problems.
"Thank you, Horatio-san. I look forward to working with you again."
"Yes, leave it to me. When work is done, I will tell Amalia-san and the others that you have returned."
"Please do."
Mika left the factory and headed for the church again.
"Hello."
"Oh, Mika. You came quickly. Radi is back too. Hey, Radi."
Kifrod, who had welcomed him, called out to the back for Radi.
She was probably preparing lunch.
"Yes, Kifrod-sama. What is it... Mika-kun! Oh my, oh my, you've grown up. Have you been well?"
"Sister Radi looks well too."
Radi looked surprised when she saw Mika, but soon welcomed him with a broad smile.
Mika felt relieved at her usual "Laughing Virgin Mary" demeanor.
"I heard from Kifrod-sama. You even brought a souvenir. Thank you, Mika-kun."
"No. ...And, I came to deliver this."
Saying that, Mika handed a cloth bag containing five silver coins to Radi.
"It's a small amount, but I'm donating it. Please accept it."
"Donating...?"
Radi's eyes widened in surprise.
Kifrod seemed surprised as well.
Mika had always wanted to do something to thank Radi and Kifrod, who had helped him.
However, these two did not need Mika's help.
So, at least for this much, he decided to donate.
Given Mika's current funds, this was all he could offer within a 'comfortable range', but he hoped to continue doing so in the future.
"Mika-kun, this is very kind of you, but are you really okay? Are you straining yourself?"
"Of course. I have thought about it carefully, so please rest assured."
"...I understand."
Saying that, Radi raised the cloth bag respectfully to eye level and made a gesture of prayer.
"May the merciful gods grant their protection to Mika-kun. May warm hands be extended to the lost child."
Radi prayed thoroughly, almost exaggeratedly, and accepted Mika's donation.
Looking over, Kifrod, who was standing beside her, did the same.
"Hey, hey, it's not such a huge amount, so don't be so exaggerated!"
When Mika hurriedly said that, Radi smiled gently.
"Donation is not about the amount of money? We are grateful for Mika-kun's precious feelings."
Hearing Radi's words, Kifrod nodded as well.
"That's right. Since you've come, you might as well have lunch with us. Can you prepare it?"
"Of course. Please wait a moment."
Radi went to the back happily.
It seemed Mika would be having lunch at the church for the first time in a year.
(Darn it... I came at a bad time.)
Mika had come to the church thinking Radi would be back soon, wanting to give the donation to Radi as quickly as possible, but Radi was returning for lunch.
He hadn't thought it through.
Mika had wanted to give the donation directly to Radi.
She had saved his life, but that was a debt to Radi, not to the church.
Mika didn't want to donate because he had suddenly become religious; it was the result of considering how to express gratitude to Radi, who didn't need his help. "Donation" was the answer.
He thought this might be the best way to make her happy.
Thus, he ate lunch with Radi and Kifrod for the first time in a while and talked about life at the academy and the dormitory.
After finishing eating, Kifrod made him play Buattre Heed, saying, "Let's play a game since it's been a while."
Mika was easily defeated by Kifrod's unchanging, rock-solid defense, and he was a little irritated by Kifrod's triumphant victory.
Spending such happy time, he left the church before evening and went home.
"Mika!"
Amalia and Loretta ran into the house together.
"Ah, welcome b... mmpf!?"
Before Mika could say "Welcome back," he was hugged and squished by the two of them.
"Mikaaa~~!"
"Feuuuuu~."
They must have run back from the factory.
Before their breathing even stabilized, they were squishing Mika and sobbing.
Mika could only smile wryly at this.
Mika waited quietly for the two to calm down, then showed them the various souvenirs he had struggled to bring from Sarbengeal.
They were delighted, almost exaggeratedly, with the sets of smoked meat and sausages and baked sweets he had given everyone.
Mika felt a deep peace in the family reunion after a year and enjoyed Amalia's home cooking.
And then, he ended up borrowing a bed again to sleep.
He had said he didn't want to since he had his own bed, but the two of them overruled him.
(...There's no need to cry over something like this.)
He had been asked to cry and had promised to sleep with them one by one.
■■■■■■
[Point of View: Bogeiza]
Southwest District of the city of Sarbengeal.
There was a place there, so-called like a slum.
In a run-down tavern near the slum, suspicious-looking men gathered, drinking their fill as they pleased.
It was moderately noisy, with no reckless ones interested in the surroundings. It was a place perfect for secret talks.
Bogeiza entered the tavern, glanced lightly around the shop, and approached a man sitting at a table on the side.
The man had a large scar under his eye, and one glance revealed a body forged by training.
Bogeiza sat opposite the man without saying anything and picked up a piece of cheese served on a plate, throwing it into his mouth.
"...Don't eat without permission."
The voice of the man opposite contained genuine anger.
"Don't get angry over something like this. Just order more next time."
Bogeiza called the waiter and ordered a set of tree wine and smoked meat.
Until the waiter brought the ordered wine and appetizers, the two remained silent.
When the wine arrived, Bogeiza drank about half of the tree wine in one gulp and threw three pieces of smoked meat into his mouth.
The man opposite nibbled on the cheese slowly.
(I wonder if it tastes good eating like that?)
Bogeiza was the type who didn't feel like he had eaten unless he stuffed delicious food into his mouth and chewed it vigorously.
"...So, what did the other side say?"
Bogeiza lowered his voice slightly and asked the man opposite.
However, there was no need to lower his voice anymore; the crucial part was not spoken aloud.
They were already past the stage of confirming such things.
"No changes."
The man muttered while taking a sip of ale.
"...Well, I suppose. I've already scattered the bait. It's troubling to be kept waiting in this state."
Bogeiza sighed.
"...You rushed ahead on your own."
The man directed a blaming gaze at Bogeiza.
"Timing is important for these things. If the bait doesn't get a bite, scattering it is meaningless, right?"
Bogeiza gulped down the tree wine and ordered a refill from the waiter.
Until the waiter brought the wine, the two fell silent again.
Bogeiza received the brought wine, and when the waiter stepped back, the man spoke.
"...Are you okay?"
"I'll manage. I'm just making them nervous by saying things that sound plausible sometimes. Judging by that look, it should be fine. ...How about you?"
Bogeiza asked the man.
"There was no problem from the start on my end. Rather, it would be unreasonable to change things now."
Bogeiza shrugged.
The two pairs of eyes, harboring suspicious glances, crossed.
"...Finally."
"...Yes."
After that, the two stopped exchanging words.
Bogeiza ate the smoked meat, finished the tree wine, and stood up from his seat.
He picked up a pinch of cheese, threw it into his mouth, and left the shop.
Without paying any attention to the man's angry shouts.