Chapter 84 - Chapter 83: Kaerya and Trys
The second month of Water, the third week, a Tuesday.
In the world before, this would be around mid-May.
This year, the warmth came a bit late, and until recently, there were many days that felt a little chilly to the skin.
It has already been a month and a half since the Magic Academy in the Capital started, but the classes are only basic mana training, and they won't teach us any new [God's Miracle].
The reason is that all the children who attended the academy in the Leventein domain can already use [Physical Enhancement] to some extent, while those from other academies cannot use it yet.
Everyone in Class 1 of the Lower Division where Mika and the others are belongs to the group that can manifest [Physical Enhancement].
However, being able to manifest it is one thing, and being able to actually use it is another level entirely.
In other words, just being able to manifest it is enough to belong to Class 1, and there is another whole class worth of children who attended academies in the provinces but still cannot manifest it.
Just by this, you can understand how abnormal the academy in the Leventein domain is.
(The standards are too high! Think about the balance a bit more, Marquis-uncle!)
However, this is a misunderstanding on Mika's part. Even at the academy in the Leventein domain, not every child reaches that level every year.
There are always several children who cannot participate in the autumn field trip, and many who give up halfway even if they do participate.
Even if they gulp down mana recovery potions, only about half of the children can walk all the way to the border's protective wall.
The knights accompanying them having horses wasn't just for messengers in case of emergency.
It was also to carry those children who gave up.
Naporo said to the knight captain during the field trip,
"This year is an unusually bountiful harvest."
When evaluating Mika's class, that was not an exaggeration or anything like that.
For the entire class to participate, and for everyone who participated to gulp down potions or whatever and walk all the way to the border, is the first event since the Leventein domain academy opened.
And what was the driving force behind that first great feat?
Needless to say, Mika's existence is the biggest cause.
He always cleared the goals set by the teachers at a high level, and kept challenging things he couldn't do with all his might to overcome them.
Mika's attitude like that was conveyed to the other children without him saying a word.
He didn't mock the children who couldn't do it, and he took good care of Rimliche, a child who was extremely behind like that.
And finally, he even caused Rimliche's talent to bloom.
Until then, there was a place in their hearts where they could make excuses to themselves like, "Well, Rimliche is here," but now they couldn't do that anymore.
If things continued like this, they would end up at the very bottom.
With that sense of crisis, everyone in the Leventein group worked quite desperately, clinging to Mika and Rimliche who were ahead of them.
It wasn't anything complicated.
Mika, who was acting so that no one would be left behind at the Leventein domain academy, had simply raised the standard on his own.
It is natural that there are differences in ability between individuals, and an academy that affirms the distinction between those who can do it and those who cannot.
Mika, who did not want to affirm such distinctions among children if possible due to his own values and ethics.
That led to a result that could be called a great feat or even a reckless act, pulling everyone to the side of "those who can do it."
............Mika doesn't realize it, but the children of the Leventein group really, truly, worked desperately.
"It's not working very well... Do I lack talent?"
After finishing lunch, Cleiria muttered with a dejected look.
Cleiria had started eating lunch in the general cafeteria instead of the noble's one.
She couldn't eat with the ferocity of everyone in the Leventein group, but she was eating at her own pace.
"Teacher said, 'With this, top grades are guaranteed'..."
Cleiria did not attend the academy in the Leventein domain; she had invited a teacher of [God's Miracle] to her mansion to teach her.
She manifested [God's Miracle], and she was using it there, there, there, there.
But to Mika, that was just so-so, though it was a level that would normally be considered quite high.
"No way... The academy in Sarbengeal was providing education at such a high level... Teacher and Father are liars."
It seems the Marquis Leventein said, "You can receive better education than attending an academy," when Cleiria expressed her wish to attend the academy.
And she came to the Capital's academy full of spirit, only to be stunned.
Cleiria's current [Physical Enhancement] can maintain an output nearly double for two hours.
This is roughly equivalent to Polnard's current level.
And unfortunately, Polnard is the lowest in the Leventein group.
"Actually, having top grades isn't wrong, right? You're definitely in the top ten in the class. There's no need to be so down about it."
Mika comforted her like that, but Cleiria didn't seem to accept it.
"I thought I couldn't compete with Mika... But for everyone else to use it this well..."
"Even so, we had the field trip, you know."
"Well, yes."
As Mika said with a sigh, Cecilia across from him slumped her shoulders heavily.
She must be remembering the hardships of that time.
Polnard must be remembering it too, as he had a distant look in his eyes.
"My father was surprised. He said that everyone participated this year, and no one dropped out."
"Surprised? Why?"
"Apparently, every year, several children cannot participate."
Now that I think about it, I feel like Naporo said something like that too.
After the field trip, those who couldn't participate would be excluded from the group.
"Just that is amazing, and he was impressed that no one dropped out."
"Even if you say no one dropped out, if you drop out in a place like that, what happens next? It's more of a problem to be left behind, unable to go forward or return."
"I heard they sent knights along for that purpose? If you become unable to move halfway, they'll put you on a horse, right?"
What the hell is that!?
While Mika was stunned and frozen, everyone else was frozen in the same way.
Only Rimliche nodded, saying, "Oh, I see."
"We should have dropped out..."
"Hey! Don't say things like that, Mika! If you say things like that, what will happen to us!"
Cecilia raised a voice of protest at Mika's muttered slip.
That academy, which was merciless about everything, had prepared such kindness?
Polnard slumped weakly onto the table, sobbing quietly.
(Yeah, you can cry, Polnard.)
Remembering Polnard's figure, who somehow made it to the protective wall while falling apart and crying loudly, Mika felt his eyes burning.
"But, where did you go for the field trip? I asked Father and others, but no one told me. I remember sulking because I was the only one excluded."
Oh my, Marquis-uncle.
You gave us such hell, but you don't even tell your own daughter? What kind of thinking is that?
Well, actually, since there are children who don't participate every year, they probably didn't intend to treat Cleiria specially.
"Maybe it's fine not to know. There's nothing good to know anyway."
"What! Even you, Mika, are saying that!"
After that, Cleiria pressed the children of the Leventein group around her to "Tell me!"
Not knowing if they could arbitrarily teach what the Marquis didn't teach, the Leventein group looked troubled, and Mika, reluctantly, decided to tell them.
And so, knowing the fifty-kilometer death march,
"......What kind of thing is this to a child under ten years old!?"
Knowing her father's too brutal treatment, Cleiria turned pale.
"Mika-kun, you're a little dirty."
On the way back from the cafeteria to the classroom, Rimliche said that and lightly tapped the waist area of Mika's uniform.
Since this afternoon is exercise time, he had to go get his sports clothes from the classroom and change in the changing room.
"Hm, did I bump somewhere? Thanks, Rimliche."
He couldn't think of anything.
"But, black really shows dirt easily. I wish you could make it a less conspicuous color."
"Really? It looks cool, doesn't it?"
Indeed, Mika thought the design was cool.
But if he marched for days in such clothes, the dirt would be unbearable.
Should he propose a camouflage pattern combining khaki or olive colors to the military big shots?
If he had such connections, that is.
"............."
Then, he suddenly looked at Cleiria walking beside him.
The daughter of the top of the Marquis's army.
Mika himself had some acquaintance with her, and he couldn't help but feel that he didn't have zero connections.
(But, well, it's too late now.)
Currently, Mika and the others are quasi-military personnel belonging to the army.
However, when they were in Sarbengeal, they were quasi-military personnel belonging to the Marquis Leventein's army, but now that they are in the Capital, they are quasi-military personnel belonging to the Kingdom Army.
They are in the same position of quasi-military personnel, but their affiliation is different. They are people of different organizations.
Even if Mika proposed to the Marquis-uncle now and it was somehow adopted, it would only change the uniform of the mages in the Marquis's army.
The uniforms of Mika and the others would not change.
All children attending the Lower Division of the Magic Academy are quasi-military personnel of the Kingdom Army.
It seems that children attending the Junior Division of provincial academies become quasi-military personnel of the Domain Army, based on the idea that they are treated similarly to the Lower Division.
And, two years later when they advance to the Middle Division, they become military personnel.
Two years after that, when they advance to the Upper Division, they become reserves.
Reserves.
A position where they are officially ordered by the country to go to the battlefield upon the issuance of a reserve mobilization order.
Refusing this is basically not allowed.
If you refuse, it's immediately a "forced detention camp."
They will listen to your excuses there, and if recognized as a valid reason, you might be released.
————That's the rumor.
I don't know how true it is, but according to Messerite's information, that seems to be the case.
In other words, Mika and the others might be sent to the battlefield in as little as four years.
Well, it's a possibility close to zero.
But, even if it's close to zero, it is one of the perfectly possible possibilities with legal grounds.
When I heard this from Messerite after coming to the Capital, I was shocked.
Mika had been thinking of a way out other than the military course after graduating from the academy, but it might turn out to be completely useless.
Forced to belong to the academy by law, they would be sent to the battlefield by a reserve mobilization order.
The worst of the worst prediction, but if a war breaks out and the situation worsens during the two years they belong to the Upper Division, they might be sent to the battlefield without question.
If you don't like that, you have to drop out of the academy before advancing to the Upper Division.
For now, I don't even know how to drop out, but it might be better to search for a way to drop out other than being sent to the "forced detention camp."
It's too dishonorable to break into the girls' dorm just to drop out.
Since the destination would be the "forced detention camp," it wouldn't make sense, so I want to properly research the correct way to drop out.
While thinking such negative thoughts, Mika slung his bag over his shoulder and headed for the changing room.
■■■■■■
The second month of Water, the third week, a Saturday.
We were doing Rimliche's special training as per the Saturday tradition, but Rimliche, unusually, collapsed from overusing mana.
It wasn't to the point of fainting from mana depletion, but she felt unwell, so I sent her back to the dormitory.
(Rimliche using up almost all her mana is really rare.)
It seems she has been practicing recently by significantly increasing the amount of mana offered first for [Physical Enhancement].
Since this determines the basic output, the merit of offering a large amount here is great.
However, she offered too much mana and immediately ran out.
It seems Rimliche is not good at fine control of mana.
If she offered too much at the beginning, she should reduce the mana consumed constantly, but she can't do that well.
That is why she collapsed today.
On the other hand, Mika can be said to be good at fine control of mana.
When manifesting [Physical Enhancement], Mika, who goes all-in, is constantly reducing the mana consumed.
However, since the total amount of mana inside Mika is also increasing day by day, the amount of mana offered first is increasing steadily.
Even so, the enhancement ratio can be kept at two to three times because he is somehow reducing the mana consumed constantly.
If he couldn't reduce the mana consumed constantly, the basic output would increase along with the increase in Mika's total mana.
If that happened, even the lower limit of enhancement could exceed five times.
If that happened, his body would no longer be able to withstand the enhancement, and he would be unable to manifest [Physical Enhancement].
A wonderful [God's Miracle] like that would become unusable due to excessive output.
To prevent that, Mika is working seriously on mana control every day.
So, with his schedule free, Mika came to explore the Capital.
He had roughly grasped District 3, so next was the exploration of District 4, on the opposite side of the Southeast Main Street.
First, he ran around roughly flowing through the relatively large streets within District 4 to get a general overview.
While doing that, he happened to pass by and found it.
Gleaming with suspicious neon... that is an image from the world before.
Of course, neon does not exist in this world.
However, even without neon, Mika could tell just from the atmosphere.
Mika's great olfactory senses were saying "Yes."
Yes, this was the pleasure district.
Even though it was daytime, the streets were somewhat dim, lined with taverns and inns.
And at the end of the street, several ladies exposed their skin shamelessly.
Men who had drunk alcohol since noon, turning their faces red, were appraising such ladies.
"............."
One boy watched such a scene with an expression as if he had become a sage.
(No, no, no, what am I looking at!? I can't go in!)
He stopped in his tracks and couldn't help but look.
Because he was interested!
In Sarbengeal, they basically operated in the refined northern districts and main streets, so he never found such a shop.
Well, even if he found one, he couldn't go in, but it's not like he can help being interested.
I'm a fifty-year-old uncle in total age, you know.
So, he immediately started walking down the street.
Basically, it seems the main shops are places to drink alcohol happily with ladies.
The inns here are likely love hotels.
The ladies standing on the street are either catchers for drinking shops or streetwalkers. In