Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: Dream On (2)
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When about ten children gathered at the table, Lumina's mother dished out heaping portions of boiled meat.
Shirone felt a bit awkward. A meal like this would have cost a fair amount of money. While paying for it wasn't an issue for him, that in itself would have been strange.
As if reading Shirone's mind, Altor spoke up.
“Don't worry about it. We can sell the monster's hide for money. We're planning to start working on it tomorrow. Of course, we need your permission first.”
“Huh? No, of course, you should. Oh, and the monster's name is Ulk. I heard its claws and fangs can fetch a pretty good price.”
He had expected Shirone would naturally agree. Moreover, hearing that other parts were also valuable meant a larger income than anticipated.
But what pleased him most was learning the monster's name.
In this world, knowledge was also money.
If they took it to the market without even knowing its name, they were bound to be ripped off. They could potentially lose more than the effort they put into tanning the hide.
“I see. Anyway, thank you. Not just for the Ulk, but if it weren't for you, our village would have had no choice but to move elsewhere.”
For people who had farmed the land for generations and lived by selling what the mountains provided, losing their home was a terrifying prospect. In that sense, Shirone was the hero who had saved the village.
“It's alright. This place is precious to me, too.”
Shirone meant it sincerely. Even though the Ulk's meat would spoil over time and become unsellable, the children had stayed behind instead of going up the mountain.
They weren't wealthy. Life was hard, and they had more reasons to blush in shame than nobles, but he liked these people who knew how to live together.
Martin mumbled while chewing on his meat.
“Anyway, I'm sorry your hard-earned vacation turned out like this. Why don't you come up the mountain with us tomorrow? We can sell the hide and claws and have some fun with the money.”
When it came to having fun, the children of the slash-and-burn village were second to none, but Shirone shook his head with regret. Right now, he wanted to return as quickly as possible to analyze the enlightenment he had gained.
“No, it's fine. I've rested enough. Thanks to you all, I'm feeling refreshed. Now I need to study hard. I should head back to the academy tomorrow morning.”
* * *
After dinner, the children returned to their homes. The moon was out, but they still had work to do. They had to maintain their equipment and check the carts throughout the night.
Shirone climbed a small hill and looked down at the village. Children were moving from house to house with torches, preparing for the next day's work. A gentle smile touched his lips as he watched them joke around and chat happily.
“Shirone, so this is where you were.”
“Oh? Altor, how did you find me?”
“I just had a feeling you'd be here. What are you thinking about? You didn't even notice me approaching.”
“The old days. I used to run around so much when I came here with my father. We even played tag in those fields over there.”
“Yeah, we did. But you spent much more time reading books by yourself. I'm sure it was because of us, though.”
“No, it's not that. I just really loved books…”
Altor let out a good-natured laugh.
“You don't have to say that. It would be crazy if we didn't know. The other kids have admired you since we were young. That's why I was jealous of you a lot, too. Thinking back now, there are so many things I feel sorry for.”
“No, I was the strange one. Maybe I was afraid of meeting people. It was a confusing time for me.”
In the village, Shirone had been his parents' pride, a child who, unlike the others, never caused any trouble. But in reality, ever since he encountered magic at the age of twelve, his life had been a continuous series of endless anguish and worries.
Altor nodded as if he understood. He had realized it after seeing Shirone's magic today.
The boy he thought was just a naive bookworm was, in fact, fighting more fiercely than anyone else.
“I'm sorry, Shirone.”
“I told you, it's fine.”
“No, not about that. I mean, back when we were drinking. I overstepped my bounds. Everyone has their own capacity, their own place in the world. I made a mistake. Don't take it to heart.”
Shirone recalled Altor's sharp words from the previous night. He hadn't been hurt by them. It was a burden he had to carry, having chosen the path of magic.
“I don't think that way. In fact, I'd never once thought about it until now. About how blessed my life is. How lucky I am.”
“That's not it, Shirone. You've worked hard. That's why other people help you.”
“But a fact is a fact. What you said is my reality, and it's something I have to embrace and live with for the rest of my life.”
Altor gave a bittersweet smile. There was no one in the village who could criticize themselves as if they were a stranger.
“It's amazing, being a mage.”
He couldn't fathom the way mages thought. But perhaps that was why the world held them in awe.
Shirone and Altor looked down at the village. Neither spoke, but their gazes were fixed on the same sight.
* * *
The next morning.
The adults had started their day at the crack of dawn, leaving only the children behind.
Shirone had breakfast at Lumina's house and then set out.
The children saw him off, but they too were burdened with tools for butchering the Ulk.
Witnessing their lives, which offered not a single day of rest, Shirone was once again reminded of the heavy responsibility of the path he walked.
“Take care, Shirone. Study hard. And make sure you become a mage.”
Altor offered a handshake. The other children also crowded around Shirone to say their goodbyes.
“Shirone, you'll come visit again, right?”
“Tell us lots of stories about the magic academy next time you come.”
“Haha! Alright. I'll come when the semester is over. You all take care, too.”
After saying his goodbyes to the children, Shirone turned to look at Lumina. Amidst the cheerful atmosphere, her face alone was somber.
Shirone had a vague sense of Lumina's affection for him. But what could he do? Matters between a man and a woman weren't something one could resolve with logic.
“Lumina, thanks for all the delicious food. You'll make it for me again, right?”
Only then did Lumina show a smile. It was a smile of transcendence. She knew that wanting anything more would be greedy.
“Of course! So come often. If you become a mage and pretend you don't know us, I'll punch you.”
“Okay. I'll definitely be back.”
As he walked down the hill from the village, Shirone suddenly looked back. He shouted to the children who were still standing there.
“Goodbye, everyone! Stay healthy!”
As Shirone turned and walked away, Lumina finally let her head fall weakly. More saddening than the fact that Shirone was leaving was the reality that she could no longer even allow herself to like him.
“Hey, are you okay?”
Altor asked, placing a hand on Lumina's shoulder. Lumina couldn't hold back her tears and began to cry. Altor felt upset for no good reason. He had known about her crush on Shirone since they were kids, but he hadn't realized it was this serious.
“Tch, if you're that upset, you should've just told him. Want me to beat him up and drag him back for you?”
“No, it's okay. Shirone hasn't left.”
Lumina wiped her tears with both hands and lifted her head. A bright smile had already appeared on her lips.
“Shirone is on his way to his dream.”
Lumina prayed to the gods of the mountains and forests.
May a warm light shine upon his path.
* * *
On his way back to the academy, Shirone contemplated the question the village had posed to him.
Just how far can I go?
Becoming a guest of the Ogent family and studying with the students of the magic academy didn't mean he had achieved anything yet.
The advice to learn from failure and steadily advance did not apply to him, a commoner.
He had to unleash his talent without rest. He had to improve without a moment's hesitation.
He was attending the academy with the support of the Ogent family, studying the advanced discipline of magic through his parents' sacrifices.
Is this really the right path?
If, by some chance, he failed, could he meekly accept it and go back to living his old life?
Arriving at the academy, Shirone headed for the research society's room. His mind was too troubled to feel like going back to his dorm.
‘I wonder if the guys are having fun? I hope they haven't lost too much…’
By now, Iruki and Nade were probably betting excitedly at a casino, a whole different world. He just hoped they wouldn't bet the deeds to their houses.
Passing through the Maze of Istas, Shirone reached the warehouse where the research society was located and stopped in front of the iron door. The sound of voices was leaking through the crack.
“Huh?”
When he opened the door, he found Iruki and Nade sitting on the sofa, locked in a heated argument. The debate was so intense that Iruki was more agitated than he had ever seen him.
“You idiot! I'm telling you, a perpetual motion machine is absolutely impossible!”
“Why are you so damn stubborn? I'm not talking about infinite power, I'm talking about a perpetual motion machine of the second kind!”
“That violates the law of entropy!”
“Then what is this! What is this thing I made!”
Nade pointed to a wind-up carriage on the table. In truth, it was more of a wheeled metal box, hardly deserving of the name 'carriage'.
“Uh? Hey…”
Nade turned to Shirone. Without any preamble, he picked up the wind-up carriage and waved it in front of his face.
“Shirone! You take a look and tell me. I'm telling you, I made this. First, you wind it up like this, then you put it on the floor…!”
The carriage moved in a circle. Yet, the wound-up spring wasn't unwinding.
Iruki glared and pointed an accusing finger.
“Hey, Shirone! Don't fall for it. That thing is a total fraud!”
“What do you mean, a fraud? You were waiting for it to stop, too, and got tired, which is why you're arguing with me now!”
“You moron! If it could be proven in just one or two hours, anyone could have made it! Your machine is just highly efficient, that's all! And when I tried winding the spring, it was ridiculously tight!”
“What about it? It has limitations because it's a miniature. If I made it bigger, I could increase its performance a hundredfold!”
“How big are you going to make it? As big as the sky? It'd be far more efficient to just feed a horse and have it pull a cart!”
“I just need to show the possibility! Technology always moves toward miniaturization over time!”
“Technology without a supporting theory will eventually crumble!”
“Who cares about theory! If you can make it and use it, that's all that matters!”
A mathematician and an engineer. Both of them had a point. Shirone blinked as he listened, then examined the carriage.
Watching them get so worked up over a useless carriage, he suddenly felt his earlier worries melt away.
‘Ah… I see.’
One day, that wind-up carriage, through the research of countless scholars, would be born with a proper name. And someone, in turn, would use it to create new knowledge.
How arrogant to think that he was the only one who could accomplish something. He hadn't come this far because he was exceptional.
If his father hadn't bought him books, if he hadn't entered the Ogent household, if there hadn't been a teleportation test, if he hadn't met Iruki and Nade…
The Shirone of today would not exist.
A series of coincidences, each with a minuscule probability. All those events had led Shirone here.
‘Thank you. For allowing me to be here.’
Lost for a moment in his own emotional revelation, Shirone quickly regained his smile and asked his friends.
“By the way, how did the casino go?”
Nade, who had been butting heads with Iruki, turned with an aggrieved expression.
“What do you think? We lost everything in a single day and came back. If only that last bet had hit, we would've struck it rich.”
“That's why I told you it would be spades. With a 57 percent probability.”
“Don't make me laugh! I listened to you and lost a ton! 57 percent, my ass! How is that any different from a coin toss?”