Chapter 34
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: A Convenient Misunderstanding
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As soon as the sun rose, we got up and returned to the main force, where the outpost construction was in full swing.
As expected, we had to take several breaks due to my stamina issues, but thanks to the elf ranger’s superb guidance, we managed to make it back before sunset.
“...There was a tremendous lightning storm around dusk, but Sir Alter said there was no need to send reinforcements. What on earth happened?”
I was panting, my robes soaked in sweat, so Sergeant Trian explained the situation in my stead.
“There was a large stone under the biggest tree, and when the mage touched it, a lightning spirit appeared. But the spirit was extremely angry. So Bin here calmed it down… He was certainly a remarkable mage. It was quite impressive how he handled the lightning spirit so skillfully without a hint of fear, even when face to face with it.”
Isn’t this bastard a sergeant? Why is he speaking so casually and confidently in front of everyone, even Company Commander Bellua?
“...I sensed an unusual aura, but to think it was a lightning spirit.”
And why is Company Commander Bellua just letting it slide?
This Trian guy is seriously intimidating…?
“How in the world did you find it? I couldn’t sense any magic at all.”
“Truly a natural-born talent… To say he is beloved by magic would be an understatement.”
The mages of the company, who had gathered to hear the story, each added their own thoughts to Trian’s account.
“I would like to meet it myself someday.”
It wasn’t just the company’s mages who were deeply impressed by Sergeant Trian’s story.
Alter Haindel, the 8th-Circle mage who had written hundreds of papers over eighty years for the advancement of the evocation school of magic, was just as unfamiliar with the term ‘lightning spirit’.
“...The spirit made one request of us. It asked us to remove all the mana mines in this forest. It said it would grant us some kind of reward for doing so… but I’m not sure what that reward might be. It also said it would prepare a special gift, especially for Bin here.”
“A special gift?”
“To capture a spirit’s heart in such a short time.”
“He is clearly beloved by magic. It’s a talent that’s beyond envy…”
Exclamations of awe poured from the soldiers listening to Trian’s report.
Normally, I would have offered a word of thanks for the flood of compliments that would make anyone blush, but unfortunately, I was too busy gasping for breath.
All I could feel right now was sweat, heat, and a consciousness that was threatening to fade…
Seriously, a second trip to see the spirit might actually kill me.
“Hmm… If it will help the General, then we must assist. After all, he is a monstrous mage who will reach the level of a Sword Saint within three years. Our army has a duty to aid the General’s growth.”
Upon hearing this, Bellua of the Black Hammer summoned the mages of her company and the platoon leader of the archers. It seemed they were graciously willing to actively help with the quest given to me.
“We should only need to pull about seven from the archer company. If we pair one elf ranger with each mage to search the forest, I believe the work will be finished within the week. Platoon Leader Kalix, I have already scouted the general terrain of the uncharted territory, so I believe it would be more efficient if you temporarily transfer command authority to me.”
“I agree.”
Well, would you look at that. The elf platoon leader is just as crazy. Handing over his command authority just like that.
What’s more, this guy, a second lieutenant, is using honorifics with a sergeant. This army is a real piece of work.
Did the concept of a chain of command not exist in the medieval era?
Damn it, if I wasn’t so busy trying to breathe, I would have said something right in front of everyone…
“*Gasp…* *Gasp…* No.”
I forced myself to swallow and spoke between ragged breaths. Rireu looked at me with genuine concern, as if she thought I might actually stop breathing, while Trian stared at me as if he didn’t understand.
“What do you mean, no?”
“...Still, the top priority… *Huuu*. Is to ensure the outpost construction proceeds perfectly. *Huuu*. If we commit all the mages to this operation, we could be… defenseless… against a potential Mazoku ambush…”
I wasn’t sure if my message got across, as I had to pause for breath between words. I wanted to speak in a continuous sentence, but my body kept screaming for oxygen, even though I was inhaling as hard as I could.
“So… at least I and Rireu should remain with the main force…”
Uh, oh…?
As I was speaking, my vision flickered between white and black. My heart rate climbed to an unknown bpm, and in response, blood coursed through my veins at a speed that felt like it would set them on fire.
No matter how deeply I breathed, there wasn't enough oxygen.
It seemed this pathetic body of mine wasn't strong enough to endure a two-day forced march.
Hyperventilation set in, and my body lost its balance, staggering before finally collapsing.
In the moment my consciousness faded, I felt the slender fingers of an elf catching my body.
…I thought I had taken plenty of rests along the way, but my body was weaker than I could have ever imagined.
To be this broken after a mere two-day march.
***
Moonlight and dusk caressed my cheek. When I opened my eyes, I was, as always, inside the military wagon prepared for the mages.
A sharp pain shot through my entire body. Every joint felt like it was protesting, forming a labor union that didn't exist in the medieval era to picket in my brain. Various muscles and tendons had joined the demonstration.
My body was in such bad shape that it was difficult to even turn my head. My whole body ached to the point where I felt I should be heading to a hospital immediately.
‘Wait, a hospital… in the medieval era…?’
I recalled fragments of videos I’d seen on my smartphone while lying on my studio apartment bed, things like ‘The Truth About Medieval Surgeons…!’ The image of a doctor sawing through a skull with a bone saw as onlookers watched sent a chill down my already cold spine.
…I’d rather visit a church than a hospital.
Most skilled clerics possessed healing skills. It felt rather apologetic to ask them to use their precious healing skills on something as trivial as muscle soreness… but it was far better than having my head split open by a bone saw.
I slowly turned my stiff neck to look outside the military wagon.
Whether it was because the dwarves had worked diligently or because I had been asleep for longer than I’d imagined, the foundation of the road was mostly laid, and the ground where the outpost building would stand had been flattened.
“Are you awake?”
I heard Rireu’s voice, but unfortunately, I couldn’t turn my head at the moment, so making eye contact with her was impossible.
“How long was I asleep?”
“About ten hours?”
…This is insane. I’m usually out for about five hours after using Blooming, but the backlash from a march knocked me out for ten?
I couldn’t help but sigh as I watched the stout bodies of the dwarves, who had lit their lanterns and were already moving their rugged hands in the early dawn.
‘I seriously need to get an artifact that boosts physical abilities, or at the very least, one that helps with movement. Nothing happened this time, but if the Mazoku had decided to invade while I was unconscious…’
I would have had my head neatly chopped off without putting up any resistance.
Either that, or I’d wake up to find my torso fused with one of those hardworking dwarves over there, turned into a slave of the Mazoku.
The thought didn’t just send a chill down my spine; it froze it solid. This damn medieval fantasy world was filled with too many dangers, and my body was far too frail to withstand them all.
“Get some more sleep. I just checked the report. The mine disposal team is set to move out as soon as the sun is fully up.”
Rireu said, tapping her crystal ball with a fingernail.
“I’ll wake you if anything urgent comes up.”
I didn’t refuse Rireu’s consideration. My current condition left me in no state to worry about anyone else.
The moment I closed my eyes, my mind instantly grew hazy. The hard floor of the military wagon felt as comfortable as a five-thousand-dollar bed; I couldn’t have told the difference.
The sounds around me quickly faded, and my whole body felt like it was sinking into the floor. The pounding of my heart grew fainter, and even the sense of ‘I’ began to slowly dissolve beyond the threshold of consciousness.
“Um… can I ask you something?”
Just as the haziness was about to give way to sleep, at the very moment my mind was being pulled into a dream, Rireu posed a question, her voice cutting through the loud clamor of the dwarves.
“...What is it?”
I asked back, my voice languid. There was nothing more annoying than someone talking to you right before you fell asleep, but I suppressed my irritation as best I could.
“Why did you say that I, specifically, should stay behind? Honestly, I think you alone would be enough to defend the outpost…”
So that’s what she wanted to ask. Isn’t it obvious?
“I need someone… who can use communication magic.”
I’m so damn tired… I can’t use any magic other than ‘Blooming.’ How many times do I have to…
Before the thought could even form a period, my consciousness was finally pulled into the world of dreams.
Rireu added something in response to my words a moment later, but I didn't hear it.
***
Dawn slowly raised its head over the thicket. The darkness began to scatter, and the crystal ball quietly held its blue light.
The elf named Rireu simply stared blankly at the white-haired boy revealed in the faint light.
“...You can’t use communication magic?”
Communication magic using a crystal ball was the most basic of basics.
It was a spell that even an eight-year-old brat who had just entered the Mage Tower could use. Even someone who learned magic on their own without enrolling in the tower could use it, as long as they had the intelligence and mana of a ten-year-old. It was a very simple and easy spell.
“...What does that mean?”
Therefore, the boy’s answer was utter nonsense.
He was a man of such immense magical talent that he could change the weather of an entire area with a single flick of his finger and pinpoint a lightning spirit whose very existence she hadn’t even been able to perceive until she was right in front of it.
Was it even plausible that a genius, who was certain to reach the 9th Circle before long, couldn’t use a simple communication spell?
Rireu couldn’t fathom what the boy was thinking to have come up with such an absurd excuse.
“...”
As Rireu searched for a reason why the boy would tell such an obvious lie, she suddenly felt a flush of heat on her cheeks.
‘Isn’t that just something you’d say because you wanted to keep me by your side…?’
Rireu pulled her hood down again, hiding her face so no one could see it.
She didn't know what this feeling was, but the way her face was heating up on its own was a sure sign that her state was far from normal.
Her pointed ears, burning bright red, peeked out from under the brim of her hood.
“Alright, let’s start preparing breakfast!”
Lest the dwarves, who were finishing their work and moving about to prepare their meal, see her, she ducked her head low, burying her face completely within her robes.
What this feeling was, she had no idea at all.