Chapter 60 - Chapter 59: Slums and Barrack Town
The second month of Water, the fifth week, Saturday. In short, the last day of the second month of Water.
Since it is Saturday, the academy ends in the morning, and after lunch, I was training Rimliche in the forest as usual.
Rimliche has been down since the field trip incident, though not as much as before.
She was worried that if she couldn't master [Physical Enhancement] to some extent by autumn, she wouldn't be allowed to join the field trip, and that she would be left behind.
From my perspective, a crazy march of fifty kilometers was something I'd happily skip, but unfortunately, I was already on the participant list.
It seems the bar is quite high, as Meserlite, Polnard, and Charl, the three who can currently manifest [Physical Enhancement], are also not yet at a level where they can participate.
Well, expecting a nine-year-old child to walk fifty kilometers in a single day means that if they can't use it properly, dropping out along the way is inevitable.
It seems Dagny and Naporo are also taking care to be careful about selecting the participating members.
I looked at Rimliche before my eyes.
Rimliche had her eyes closed, concentrating her consciousness.
Sweat appeared on her forehead, and her expression looked a bit pained.
I placed my own hands over the two hands she had extended, silently watching so as not to disturb her concentration.
Her long eyelashes moved slightly, and I could tell force was being applied to her tightly pressed lips.
To such Rimliche, I sent encouragement in my heart: "Do your best, do your best."
I thought the reason Rimliche couldn't move her mana well was "because she had too much mana."
Rimliche was inexperienced with handling mana, but it seemed her amount of mana even exceeded mine.
Because I have [Absorb], the amount of mana I can use is practically infinite, but naturally, there is a limit to the amount of mana I can store within myself.
That amount of mana within me is exceptionally large for Rimliche.
I don't know if it's a matter of concentration or density, but anyway, she has too much mana.
Rimliche's mana, which didn't even stir with a little interference, was simply beyond what an inexperienced person like her could handle.
So, how should Rimliche be able to handle that excessive amount of mana?
The answer is simple.
If there is too much, just reduce it.
If I reduce the mana to an amount Rimliche can handle, she will be able to manage it.
That is all there is to it.
So, how do I reduce the mana?
Using magic or [God's Miracle] can reduce the mana within oneself, but Rimliche cannot yet use [God's Miracle].
She wants to reduce her mana temporarily to be able to use [God's Miracle], but to reduce the mana, she needs to use [God's Miracle].
It sounds like a joke, but that is the situation with Rimliche right now.
However, I know another method to reduce mana through experience.
A mana sphere.
There is no need to make it a sphere specifically; the point is simply to release the excess mana outside.
But, how can Rimliche, who cannot see mana with her own eyes, release the mana and confirm it?
The release of the mana itself must be done by her own efforts.
The trick for that, or rather, "like this," I had already told Rimliche a few days ago.
And for confirming the mana release, one should use a Mana Detection Sensor.
But, where is such a sensor?
Isn't it right here?
An excellent sensor named Mika, capable of detecting even the faint mana needed to move magical tools, is right here.
By the way, it has been confirmed that the magical tool used for training to contain mana cannot suck out Rimliche's mana.
My mana also has quite special properties, but Rimliche's mana also has quite troublesome characteristics.
"It's fine. The mana is coming out."
I directed my consciousness to the clear sound of Kii...n echoing in my ears.
I also felt a slight ripple spreading from the palms of my hands.
"It's still a bit weak. Maybe your gathering method is too loose? It's better to separate them: gather when gathering, push out when pushing out."
"U-yes."
Hearing my advice, Rimliche concentrated her consciousness even more.
Rimliche's mana came out in clumps, stopped once, then came out in clumps again and stopped once, repeating this cycle.
"That's it, that's it. But try gathering even more. It's okay. You can do it, Rimliche."
Both the sound and the ripples grew larger and stronger.
It was already quite loud, and my ears were starting to hurt.
When interfered with by Rimliche's massive amount of mana, my own mana was shaken quite unsteadily.
I gently removed my hands from over Rimliche's hands.
Then, Rimliche's eyes snapped open, and she looked at me anxiously.
"It's okay, you did it. Keep going like that."
"U-yes."
When I said that, Rimliche obediently closed her eyes and concentrated again.
Probably, with just this level of mana release, Rimliche's mana won't decrease much.
However, I have to force it, get her used to gathering as much mana as possible, and just keep releasing it.
I am used to softball-sized mana spheres, but for Rimliche, I should get her used to fireworks of three shaku, four shaku, and even larger amounts.
If I reduce her mana amount this way, Rimliche's mana should become easier to handle.
...Probably.
However, this method has side effects.
Releasing mana will likely increase the amount of mana afterwards.
Since my original amount of mana was almost non-existent, this made it easier to handle.
But if Rimliche, who originally had a large amount of mana, does this, it will become even harder to handle afterwards.
So what do we do?
Actually, do nothing.
Just get her used to it.
In the first place, even if left alone, Rimliche's mana is constantly increasing.
Rather than letting it become difficult to handle without doing anything, I have no choice but to teach her the method of release and let her feel the amount of mana that is easy for her to handle.
Once she gets used to it, eventually she should be able to handle her own mana even without releasing it.
I had Rimliche continue releasing for about thirty minutes, then took a break.
We sat side by side on the usual tree roots.
"You're tired, right? You don't feel sick?"
"Yes, I'm fine."
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Rimliche answered with a smile.
Recently, she hadn't been able to smile much, but now she had a refreshed expression, perhaps because she felt a sense of accomplishment.
"How is the movement of the mana? Has it changed a little?"
"Hmm...."
Rimliche closed her eyes and checked the mana inside herself.
"...................., not really...?"
She tilted her head and answered apologetically.
"I guess it won't be that easy... Well, let's continue a bit more today. Try to focus on gathering as much mana as possible at once."
"Yes!"
She gave a bursting smile and nodded energetically.
(She really is a good kid... I want to boil her nail clippings and make Cecilia drink them.)
If I did that, that arrogant classmate of hers would probably become a bit more obedient.
As I was thinking that, Rimliche stared fixedly at me.
"What?"
But Rimliche furrowed her brows a little and hesitated to say something.
"What's wrong?"
When I asked, Rimliche looked up and hesitantly opened her mouth.
"Mika-kun, you're an adventurer, right...?"
I had not told anyone at the academy that I was registered as an adventurer.
I had been seen by my classmates wearing equipment before, but I had just brushed it off with "I went out."
Actually, I haven't told my roommate Meserlite clearly either.
Well, since I leave every morning wearing equipment on the sunny day of the week, they probably guess what I'm doing.
Meserlite, who doesn't pry into other people's business, didn't try to ask directly to confirm it.
But last week, during a request quest, I got into a terrible mess.
I was covered in the blood and flesh of harmful birds. I could borrow a bath in the village to wash it off, but the smell wouldn't come off.
For a while, it seemed like a pretty bad smell. I didn't notice it much because my nose was stupid, but even Rimliche kept a slightly larger distance than usual and had a strange expression.
It was a subtle shock.
"You're doing dangerous things, right...?"
Rimliche asked with a slightly sad expression.
In fact, I had been in dangerous situations many times.
I couldn't just say "No, nothing like that."
"Well, a little."
So, I fudged the answer like that.
Hearing my answer, Rimliche hugged her knees tightly.
"I see...."
She muttered that, looking like she was pondering something deeply.
"Well, I'll be careful. I'm trying to be careful now too."
Though my "I'll be careful" isn't very reliable.
"Yes. Be careful...."
The two of us sat side by side like that, spending some time in silence.
After that, we resumed Rimliche's training.
■■■■■■
The third month of Water, the first week, Sunday. The last month of spring.
Probably around June in my previous world.
Returning from the daily collection of Red Lizard Stones, which has become my routine on sunny days, I was walking towards the Guild along the main street.
The main street was still overflowing with people as usual, and I walked with a sigh, following the flow of people.
I was tired of the crowd, but more than that, I was tired of the weight of the load on my shoulder.
I had bought a new bag for transporting Red Lizard Stones.
I bought a sturdy one that could hold a lot.
Being able to hold a lot meant it became heavier, and while the earnings were good, honestly, the round trip was quite troublesome.
No matter how much [Physical Enhancement] I used, heavy things were still heavy.
Carrying such things meant the long distance of travel had become a serious problem.
(...Should I seriously consider flight magic? But... messing with gravity is a bit scary.)
In my previous world, gravitons, the elementary particles related to gravity, were hypothetical entities.
They hadn't been discovered, and I think the theory wasn't even complete yet.
Anyway, if I could interfere with mana as if it existed, I could reduce my own weight.
But I have no idea if the effects would be limited to just changes in self-weight.
Flight is convenient.
But reaching out to it is scary.
I was struggling with such conflict.
As I walked lost in thought, I arrived in front of the Guild.
As I was about to enter the Guild,
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Such a scream was heard.
I instinctively threw my bag to the side of the Guild entrance and looked towards where the scream came from.
The surroundings were in an uproar, people panicking frantically, but I couldn't see what was happening.
(Stupid height! This is really inconvenient!)
While returning to the main street, I manifested [Big Ear] to cut out the surrounding noise.
I searched for other sounds.
I couldn't completely eliminate the surrounding noise, but as I searched for various sounds, I noticed a "voice" that was a bit different from the others.
"Move! Move! Move! Move, you! I'll kill you!!!"
"Wait!"
"It's useless to run!"
"Stop!"
One man running away, and several men chasing him.
While I was searching for the sound, the people around split to the left and right of the main street, and I, the man with the bad face coming towards me, and the chasing soldiers passed right through each other.
"AAAAAAAAH!"
"A child!"
"Run away quickly!"
The surroundings became even more chaotic.
The man ran towards me.
(He has a bad look on his face. But, there's the example of Yaroibarov-san. I shouldn't judge people by appearance, yeah.)
Even so, being chased by soldiers and charging straight at a child like me was a major deduction point.
"Therefore, guilty. Execute."
I extended my left hand forward and fired a Stone Bullet the size of a bowling ball into the man's stomach.
It wasn't powerful enough to pierce through.
It was just a light toss, po...nt.
But the relative speed with the man who was running at full force was considerable.
Thud!
"Gweh!?"
The man who took the Stone Bullet in his stomach fell over right there and rolled around.
I kicked his face, then stepped on the back of the man who had stopped moving.
The surroundings fell silent with a shhhhhhh...
Three soldiers came panting to the spot.
"Oh, thank you very much. Well, I'll leave the rest to you."
Saying only that, I went to retrieve my luggage placed by the Guild entrance.
Just as I was about to enter, one of the soldiers came and stopped me.
"Y-you! Are you hurt anywhere!? Are you okay!?"
"Yes, I'm fine."
That was easier than dealing with a Sou-Labi.
"T-that's good. But you shouldn't do such dangerous things. What if something happens? Next time, leave those kinds of things to the uncles, okay?"
"Ah, yes...."
I was scolded.
Well, he was the first to worry if I was hurt, so he must be a kind uncle.
I decided to obey obediently without resisting strangely... for this place.
What I do next depends on my mood at the time.
The people around were murmuring, looking at me and the Stone Bullet I had fired.
"...That stone...? Where did it come from?"
"Did that kid throw it?"
"She didn't seem to be hurt."
Feeling a bit uncomfortable under the surrounding gazes, I was about to retreat into the Guild quickly, but someone stood in front of me.
It was Yunressa, wearing a twisted smile.
It seemed Yunressa was very angry about something.
Yunressa's luxurious golden hair, which was usually heavy, seemed to be swaying with the aura rising from her... or so it looked.
"Mika-kun... You're not hurt, are you?"
"E-yes. Thanks to you...."
"That's good. Well, come here for a moment."
Why are the veins popping on your forehead with such a super smile?
Also, can you please retract the aura on your back...? Because it's scary.
After that, I ended up getting lectured by Yunressa for an hour about "You shouldn't do dangerous things!"
Um... even though I am an adventurer, you know...
(Ah, really? That's strange. I did something good, didn't I?)
I tilted my head, ignoring Yunressa's lecture.
By the way, some of the Red Lizard Stones in the bag I had thrown were deemed "not in good condition" and could not be bought.
How terrible!?
After finishing the collection pickup, the topic turned to the capture from earlier.
"Are you removing the slums?"
When I asked back, Yunressa nodded with a solemn face.
"The Domain Army has been leading the charge, removing the Barrack Town outside the city walls since last month. They found a hole leading into the city there. Three of them."
"There were that many?"
Probably, they searched for escape routes based on information I had heard from the thieves' conversation.
There was a story about an escape route in the slums, but did it lead to the Barrack Town outside the city walls?
"It seems two of the holes were in the slums. So they started removing the slums next to the Barrack Town."
"Really...."
That Marquis is really mad.
Since his daughter was used for kidnapping, I understand why he wants to crush them thoroughly.
(But, following the Barrack Town, the slums too.)
While understanding it was unavoidable, I couldn't help but feel something.
(What will people who had no place to go but there do from now on...?)
Searching for and catching criminals thoroughly is fine.
But what about people who lost their homes for some reason and had nowhere to go but the slums or Barrack Town?
I know I can't do anything about it, but an inexplicable feeling of helplessness wells up in me.
"So, these days, there are mass arrests somewhere in Sarbengeal every day. We drove out the people who were hiding in the slums from their dens."
That certainly makes sense.
But, catching that many criminals, is there a place to house them?
(Won't the prisons overflow?)
I couldn't help but think that.
When I looked at Yunressa, she had a somewhat gloomy expression.
I think it would be a happy thing for a woman like Yunressa that public order is improving.
"The Lord seems to be thinking of leveling the slums just like the Barrack Town. I understand the Lord is thinking of Sarbengeal and trying to fix the Barrack Town and slums... But I have many acquaintances living near the slums, so I'm a bit worried."
Yunressa said such things.
Even near the slums, relatively safe areas had low rent, and it seemed acquaintances lived there too.
"There are quite a few adventurers who come from the slums or Barrack Town. People who gritted their teeth and worked hard to get out of places like this, what do they think about this situation?"
Do they think such places should disappear?
Or do they think that because those places existed, they are who they are now?
It seems many people who couldn't climb up as adventurers made the area around the slums their base.
"But, it can't be helped, right? If they dug tunnels, the Lord couldn't ignore it."
"That's true."
At least, I hope this opportunity makes Sarbengeal a little better.
"Well, I'm going now."
"Yes, be careful on your way home. Please don't do dangerous things—"
"I won't. I've lost your trust already."
When I smiled bitterly, Yunressa laughed laughingly.
I waved lightly at Yunressa and left the Guild.
The main street had calmed down from the earlier arrest chaos, and people were still overflowing as usual.
"Well, I wonder if the new items are in stock?"
Muttering that, I started walking towards the Appraisal Shop Owner.