Chapter 13
Chapter 13
Translator : Elizabeth
Haley grabbing my wrist despite my euphemistic refusal. Eventually, the words saying it’s okay didn’t work even a bit.
‘I’m really okay though….’
While being dragged along trudgingly as if resigned, I muttered inwardly as if grumbling dejectedly. However, expressing my current feelings wouldn’t be much use. I move my legs obediently as Haley leads.
The place we arrived at after walking for quite a while was the Mana Measurement Center. A grave where numerous children’s hopes are buried, scratching the one-time-only lottery in life. A measurement center with quite a large size even at a glance. Why bother measuring in such a building? If it were a manga or anime, one could know everything from one to ten just by touching a crystal ball as if following a set pattern but…. This world is profounder than thought, to the extent that there is a separate building specializing only in mana measurement. Starting from solutions that simply determine the presence or absence of mana, to magic tools capable of measuring elemental aptitude and mana amount. If it’s a measurement center of this scale, one could probably know various things at once, starting from mana amount.
Intimidated briefly by the pressure the huge measurement center gives. I am led by the force pulling tug tug from the front as if giving a signal.
“Now now… quickly, let’s go in!” “Uh, um.”
Haley looking excited as if she is more thrilled than me for some reason. With an uncomfortable groan, I cross the threshold of the measurement center.
“Welcome.”
A voice that sounds kind yet dry echoes. Inside the counter, a young man looking at us sideways.
“Is the person to receive the measurement the one in front?”
Without a shred of doubt, he asked if the person to receive the measurement was Haley in the front.
“No, it’s the person behind.” “Ah, yes… Huh? You mean the person behind?”
Soon, as Haley shook her head and pointed at me, the young man opened his eyes wide in surprise and turned his gaze to me. Naturally, he must have thought Haley would receive the measurement, right? There is a reason why the young man is surprised like that. The time to receive mana measurement is late teens at the latest. Whether early or late, children visiting the measurement center led by their parents taste great joy or disappointment respectively. After all, it’s a big event on which the future depends. If only determined to have mana, life might change significantly, so there would be no other human who leaves it rotting until late 20s. Unless one is in a rural backwater without a single measurement center, or a human blown to another world around their 20s.
Ah, in my case, should I view it as both?
Anyway, I didn’t have big expectations. Humans with mana are roughly about one in a hundred. Mana is harsh even to locals, so there’s no way it would bestow that grace on me, a mere illegal alien.
“Do you want a simple measurement, or a precision measurement?”
As I stood apathetically without any expectation, the young man composed his expression and asked with a business smile. Simple measurement or precision measurement. Naturally, the simple measurement would cost less money, right? Just when I was about to choose the simple measurement without hesitation.
“Sim….” “Precision measurement please.”
Haley, snatching my answer, said abruptly that we would do a precision measurement.
“Confirmed! Father, could you come this way?” “…….”
The clerk’s cheerful answer following. As I looked at Haley with a displeased expression due to absurdity, she had her arms crossed with a face seemingly saying ‘Not a chance!’. Since she is the one paying, I can’t say anything either. More than that, who is the father, you brat. A short feeling of anger rose in my heart, but it cooled down quickly thinking it’s a composition that can only be seen that way. Right, anyone would see a close father and daughter. How could anyone think of this relationship as a former slave and a slave trader.
Anyway, the preparation for mana measurement was smooth. Whether simple measurement or precision measurement, the beginning is the same. Dipping the hand in a solution that determines the presence or absence of mana. If it doesn’t shine here, it ends there. Precision measurement or whatever, it’s just over. Of course, even that costs quite a bit of money. Not up to gold coins, but dozens of silver coins disappear lightly.
“Please dip your hand carefully so it doesn’t splash around.” “Yees.”
At the clerk’s guidance, I carefully pushed my right hand into the solution instead of the left hand with the wound.
‘Cold.’
Perhaps it was left in a chilly warehouse or something, the solution wrapping my right hand was quite cold.
“Don’t look at the solution, please raise your gaze up….”
Despite the clerk’s words, my right hand looking down apathetically. The solution probably won’t shine. Like this, I’ll just pay the simple measurement fee and leave.
‘After that, go to a restaurant, eat, and go home….’
Flash-!
At an unexpected moment, a brilliant flash piercing deeply into my half-open eyes.
“Aack!”
Unknowingly pulling back the hand I use often, I brought that hand to my eyes to cover them out of habit. …That right hand moist with solution, that is.
‘Ah.’
Inwardly thinking oops, a sigh passed, but it was already too late. The measurement liquid entered between the eyelids. It soon presented a burning pain.
“Kuaaack-!” “C-Customer! Are you okay!?”
A stinging and heat similar to shampoo getting into eyes. The price for not considering the 1% possibility was too great.
A short while later. Precision measurement continued with eyes shut tight.
“I told you to raise your gaze up….”
The male clerk grumbled briefly beyond the closed vision, as if this was also something he had experienced. No, but would I have known it would shine? Saying 1 out of 100, naturally I thought it wouldn’t work. Even while thinking so inwardly, I spit out words of apology.
“I didn’t know it would shine, surely. I am sorry.” “That can happen! I will prepare to move to the next step, so please sit and wait for a moment.”
Then the man said that can happen, and left words asking to sit and wait for a moment while he prepares for precision measurement. Sit, where? I open my closed eyes very narrowly and fumble with my hands. The hand flailing in the air soon grabs something.
“Still, hurting?” “It got a little better….”
A slight warmth wrapping the chilly right hand. The person who held my hand was naturally Haley. Only then stopping the hand fumbling in empty space, I answer the question Haley threw. It was an accident caused by carelessness, so I couldn’t blame anyone. If I had to resent something, I should blame this body having mana despite not even being from here.
“Preparation is finished, please come this way!”
It was a measurement I thought would end with a few minutes of simple examination, but eventually, it proceeded to precision measurement as Haley wished. Magic tools visible between drowsily open eyes. Just how many meals are flying away with those things once. I glared at them with the heart of a middle-aged man whose heart no longer flutters at magic. Whether I did or not. The precision measurement just proceeded smoothly by the clerk’s hands. Touching magic tools I’ve never seen before, or putting stones I was holding with force on a scale. After finishing measurements in various ways like this and that, we came to wait until the results came out.
“Your aptitude attribute is high in Earth, and mana amount is… Wow! It is incredibly high!”
Like that, a short while later. The clerk walking toward us holding organized charts raised his voice while checking the chart once first.
“Ah, is that so….” “Why did you get examined only now with this?!”
As I blurred the end of my sentence apathetically, rather he got more excited and argued why I examined only now.
“Because I couldn’t afford it.” “It would have been good if you measured and knew since you were young, something is wasteful….”
As I responded appropriately, the clerk sympathized with me sullenly as if genuinely regretful. Since I have no interest in this field other than the presence or absence of mana, I don’t know well even looking at the chart organized by precision measurement. More than that, who cares about mana talk. My eyes hurt as if pierced and my stomach is hungry as if tearing.
Growl-
My stomach also roared at the prolonged mana measurement. A body already accustomed to the regular life of the countryside. It’s a signal to bring out breakfast or lunch quickly.
“Ah… right! Let’s go to the restaurant!”
Only then does Haley bring up the restaurant story. What is it? An attitude that she forgot until just now….
‘Ay, surely not.’
I cleared the thought grazing my head for a moment and shook my head. Even so, that’s the reason we came out together. She must have forgotten briefly due to the mana measurement talk.
Like that, guided by Haley to an unknown street, we stopped in front of a plain-looking restaurant. One of the restaurants commonly seen on any street. I felt this during the meal too, but it seems Haley’s taste didn’t become terribly luxurious compared to her earnings.
“Why?”
As I stopped my feet inadvertently at such a thought, Haley, who was about to enter the restaurant, also stopped her feet successively, spun her body around, and asked.
“No… since you earn quite a bit now, I thought of a variously fancy restaurant.”
I voiced the thought that grazed me at the short question as it was. Considering Haley’s personality, it’s a plausible event enough.
“Just because it’s expensive, doesn’t mean everything is delicious.”
Then Haley answered with a slight smile. Along with the correct argument that it’s natural that not everything expensive is delicious.
“Besides….”
Soon, ‘besides’ popped out of Haley’s mouth. Besides that, it seems there was a reason for choosing a plain restaurant in its own way. While waiting for the answer without a word. Poke poke, avoiding my gaze and touching her index fingers together, a subtle shyness was felt from Haley’s gesture.
“Fancy places, the portion is a little… compared to the price.”
A sigh of understanding grazed my mind at the few words flowing afterward. Simply, the fancier the shop, the less the portion. Is it like an Omakase with small portions in modern terms? Haley was also on the side of eating quite a lot quietly, right? If she ate something like a course meal at an expensive shop, she might have felt a little lacking.
“Aha, you were on the side of eating quite a bit even if quiet, right? Haley too.”
A few words just let out as if recalling old memories.
“Mister.”
However, suddenly a chill was felt from the front. A coolness not created by the cold air of early autumn.
“You’re not supposed to say such things, to a girl.” “Ah, u… uh.”
Overwhelmed by Haley warning me while glaring glare, I only spat out a bewildered answer.
“Hmph!”
Only then loosening the glaring gaze, Haley opens the door first and enters. Doesn’t eating well and a lot mean healthy and good? I don’t know where I touched a reverse scale.
“Phew.”
Should I consider it fortunate she let it slide once for now? Just when I was sighing in relief and entering the shop following her.
“Ah, Mister! You can’t come in!” “Huh?”
For some reason, Haley’s urgent voice was heard. Why is she like that? The moment I stopped my feet thinking that. A dark shadow cast from the entrance side.
“Right, you came well.” “Ah.”
Waiting at the door entrance was, Grandpa Gent? A single word sigh flowed riding my mouth. Is that visible in front of my eyes truly a human fist? To think that fast fist looks this slow. In an instant, my own life flashing before my eyes in a split second. The only thought coloring my head black was one thing.
‘Ah, I’m dead.’