Chapter 72
A series of ringing metallic sounds echoed one after another.
Lidan, the knight before me, and I swung our swords at angles as precise as if measured with a ruler.
A powerful sword wrapped in aura.
But I had that same technique, too.
I calmly let the slowly coming blade slide by and observed him.
[Lidan Drake]
A member of the Drake knight family and a Rank 4 knight.
He possessed strength on the level of an A-rank hunter.
We traded blows.
He really was a pretty strong knight.
But I didn’t think I’d lose.
Compared to when Carnaroff used body enhancement, both the density and the amount of mana were lower.
Besides, being caught in the Observation skill meant he was A-rank or below.
To finish this, I put more force into the sword I was swinging.
—Kaaang!
Our swords bounced off each other.
“You were hiding your strength.”
“Same here.”
Neither of us was fighting at full strength.
I lowered my strength rank by one level and swung lightly, and he hadn’t shown all of his aura either.
He was only using basic sword aura, about on my level.
“Did you learn swordsmanship somewhere?”
“Who knows?”
The swordsmanship I use is a modern reinterpretation of medieval sword forms.
But that’s just a grand way of putting it; really, I’d just honed the swordsmanship taught at the training camp.
“So it isn’t swordsmanship premised on using mana.”
“I guess not.”
“Good work, young mage.”
After bowing my head, I looked at Chris.
“Will this do?”
“Yes. It’s several times more impressive than the rumors said. To pass the test without even using magic...”
Chris said, looking at me.
I hadn’t noticed at first, but I could feel eyes on me from all over the estate.
“At this rate, I can trust you and leave it in your hands.”
“Heh, the pay will be pretty sweet, right?”
“You’re more profit-minded than I expected. Good, if you really handle it properly, I’ll guarantee it.”
“Let’s go!”
Those demon bastards are all dead!
* * *
“Aaaagh!!”
“Help!!”
Black flames shot up, and monsters overflowed.
Unlike the report, the demon worshipers were much fiercer.
A wave of monsters that even Hans, a Rank 3 knight, was struggling with.
“Damn it, if only I were a little better at large-scale monster combat...!”
They had succeeded in cutting down the demon worshipers.
But what happened after that was the problem.
Monsters were being summoned endlessly from the demon magic circle they had set up.
The demon worshipers were bait.
A writhing mass of tentacle monsters.
The tentacles’ raw physical force was truly absurd.
Every time they came down, roads and buildings burst apart.
We somehow managed to evacuate the Empire’s citizens, but the flood of enemies kept coming.
“Where are the reinforcements!!”
We needed knights or mages of Rank 4 or higher.
Especially mages.
Strong firepower and area-control ability.
And aura didn’t work very well against them either.
At the very least, we needed Expert-level aura.
If only we could even use adventurers...!
“They’ve sent reinforcements!”
“From where!”
“They say they’re students from Reinhart!”
“Ooh!!”
“If it’s Reinhart, aren’t they the kind of talents who reach at least Rank 3 by their third year!”
They were exactly the people most needed right now, while we were being outnumbered by the enemy.
“So, what kind of people are they!”
If they had any sense, they’d have sent some pretty skilled people.
Reinhart is even a school with a practical curriculum, sending students out on missions from second year.
“They say they’re first-years!!”
“What!! First-years?”
If they’re first-years, aren’t they still green sprouts!
I’d heard it was hard to expect support from Reinhart, but not this hard.
“Dammit, it’s better than nothing, but where are they?”
We have to break through somehow by joining forces.
Just as he was thinking that.
“Index, Barrier.”
The barricade, which looked like it would be breached any second, was completely patched up by magic.
The tentacles that had been inflicting severe damage on the barricade with a single strike were helplessly stopped by the defensive spell.
Since allied attacks could pass through, the tentacles had no choice but to take the hits.
“W-what!?”
“They definitely said first-years had arrived!”
“First-years can use magic like this?”
The monsters’ attack faltered.
“The wounded, over here!”
A youthful voice shouted.
But the injured were elsewhere, and they needed to be moved quickly.
Besides, there were still monsters inside the barrier that needed to be dealt with.
“Dammit, we have to clear them out fast and move them...”
Someone darted over.
“...Who?”
“I’m the one here to save you guys.”
White hair fluttered and mana flashed.
White mana bullets pierced the monsters all at once.
“...A girl?”
A girl so beautiful she was almost blinding.
The delicate girl, who inspired the urge to protect her, was slaughtering monsters with nothing but a staff.
The knights and soldiers could only stare blankly at her.
“It’s basically all sorted out now.”
She said that, then headed toward the injured.
“Wait! If you touch them carelessly, it’ll make things worse...”
“Don’t worry, that won’t happen.”
And when she touched them, the injured vanished without a trace.
Yumia stored the injured in her inventory.
Then she ran over to Aris, farther away, and took the injured back out.
The injured were moved in an instant.
Hans watched the scene.
“In Code, Cleanse!!”
Hans was a noble too, and he knew the unique magic of the Empire’s renowned houses.
Unique magic that made things become what they ought to be.
“S-Script ducal house?”
“It’s the young lady! The young lady is here!”
“The wounds are healing!”
In no time, the front line was cleared and the injured received emergency first aid.
Of course, they weren’t fully healed, but the fact that there were no casualties was a miracle in itself.
Even a veteran adventurer party probably couldn’t have sorted the situation out this quickly.
Then, someone poked his side.
It was the white-haired girl from before, who had dealt with the monsters and moved the injured.
“Mister.”
“...What is it?”
“You’re the one in charge here, right? Explain it to me.”
“I was just ordered to keep holding them off for now. It’s hard to explain in detail.”
“Well, can’t we just smash it all to pieces?”
“...What?”
Hans stared at her, dumbfounded.
She casually proposed a ridiculous solution.
This little brat.
“Wouldn’t it be enough to just smash that magic circle?”
“Say something that makes sense!”
The monsters were still hammering at the barrier.
Monsters were still pouring endlessly out of the black magic circle.
Go out alone and you’ll likely end up trapped.
“Go out and fight? That’s suicide! A mage without a tank is helpless!”
“Hmm. Just watch for a second.”
Yumia drew her sword.
A blue aura flowed clearly.
“...Aura!?”
Aura is a technique that can only be used after years of training.
It shouldn’t be something you can just pull out that easily...
“And who says there’s no tank?”
“What?”
“Leokan!”
The sky split open, and a monster fell.
—KWAANG!!!
“WRAAAAAA!!!!”
A house-sized monster wielded a sword that made your knees weak just by looking at it.
It carved a path by sweeping away the monsters.
Yumia smiled and pointed at the empty road.
A road blasted open like a highway.
“Let’s go.”
“R-right...”
Hans had nothing left to say.
* * *
—Kieeek!!
—Kyaaaak!!
“Kyaa, easy. Too easy.”
I said while drinking a mana potion.
“I gave up because the cost didn’t make sense, but now I feel like studying giant summons a bit. I had no idea it’d be this convenient.”
Linia muttered as she followed behind.
That was how broken Leokan was in fights like this.
They were monsters that would have taken several hits from my basic magic to kill, but Leokan’s attack put them on the verge of death in one blow.
Maybe because Leokan’s attacks carried divinity.
Of course, against a real powerhouse, it wouldn’t even amount to a jab.
But that’s because Carnaroff is the odd one.
With Leokan out front, Linia and I took point.
“Looks like the cleanup is more or less done.”
The soldiers followed from a distance, dealing with the remaining monsters.
As we cut our way through the monsters, the magic circle that had been summoning them came into view.
“Ew, gross. Casting Bullet.”
The tentacle monster that popped out with a squelch died instantly.
[Detected demonic energy!]
[Eliminate the source at once!!]
“So all we have to do is break this.”
There was a magic circle clearly giving off ominous mana.
Linia chanted.
“Index, Bullet.”
—Ting!
“Huh?”
A defensive spell had been placed on the magic circle.
“Hmm, it’s sturdy. Maybe I should learn beginner magic.”
“Then I’ll do it.”
Looks like we’d have to punch through with dragon mana.
“Casting, Bullet, Double.”
—KWAACHAAANG!!
The first mana bullet pierced the barrier and vanished, and the second destroyed the magic circle.
“Ueek...”
Ominous mana was spilling out.
It was horribly unpleasant.
* * *
We stopped by Linia’s house.
Linia’s father, Chris, was overjoyed.
“As expected of our daughter, she’s all grown up!”
“Father, that’s embarrassing...”
“Getting along well is a good thing!”
I looked at Aris.
Come to think of it, wasn’t her side every bit as much of a daughter-obsessed household as this one?
“I can’t thank you enough, you two. Sorry to have dumped our work on you.”
“Oh, it was nothing.”
As long as the numbers are right, feel free to call me as many times as you want.
“It’s a small token, but please take it.”
Just as I was about to take the bag of silver coins and leave.
Something caught my eye.
The office desk, with numbers written beneath the quill pen.
“By the way, do you do all your calculations by hand?”
“...I do, though? For complex calculations I use mana, but I can’t spend precious mana on simple arithmetic.”
“Use mana... for calculations?”
“Of course. That is, for nobles with abundant mana.”
“Isn’t the quill inconvenient?”
“What’s inconvenient about a quill? Everyone uses them just fine.”
Chris asked, looking like he didn’t understand what I was saying.
“Then... are all your records on paper?”
“Of course. Making copies is quite a hassle, but once it’s organized, it’s really helpful.”
...This.
I had a feeling this might spark a revolution in the Empire.
* * *
“But that’s a story for later.”
Aris reacted to what slipped out of my mouth.
“Huh? What did you say?”
“Nothing.”
We’d been back in the dorms for a few days.
By now, those going home had all gone home, and those staying behind remained.
Aris seemed satisfied after going home once.
Linia didn’t seem to go home much in the first place.
This is my home.
So the three of us were left.
“Heh heh, for now I can squeeze some money out of there.”
“You’re thinking something weird again...”
What should I do once I have money?
That’s already a headache.
As I always think, it’d be nice if I could get an internet connection.
First, I’d need to go back to Earth once.
Then I’d have to make plans for the future.
I need to stabilize the barrier magic, and since I’m getting bored, I should bring in a computer too.
In winter, I’ll probably need to bring in a heater too.
The temperature-control magic circle had been restored.
But honestly, it wasn’t all that effective to begin with.
It basically just made hell lukewarm.
If it weren’t hot outside, it would be spring-like, but right now it’s a fairly humid season.
It was nowhere near the power of an air conditioner, which also doubles as a dehumidifier.
There’s a reason I bother maintaining the barrier in the height of summer.
Looks like rain clouds are gathering too, so I’d better get an umbrella ready.
I’ve got way too much to do.
“But I don’t feeeel like doing it...”
Honestly, going out to do anything is just too much of a hassle.
Even hunter work becomes really unappealing once the temperature goes above 30 degrees.
Back then I did it because I didn’t have money, but now I do.
“Do I really have to work in the summer...?”
In the end, I chose to learn miscellaneous spells like copying magic and cleaning magic.
And to improve my dragon mana proficiency.
Those were my two goals.
“I guess I’ll research attack magic and healing magic more.”
“Isn’t what you already know enough?”
“I think once it gets past serious injuries, the mana cost gets huge and it also seems to require technique...”
Aris had set a goal too.
To learn the language of this world, meaning Korean, and to develop her unique magic while reading healer guidelines.
“I’ll just read books heeere... If there’s something you don’t know, ask meee.”
Linia was just her usual self.
And so each of us set our own goals.
And by the time that came to an end, the second semester had begun.