Chapter 300 – Archmage of Rain #1

“So… Do we have to perform a magic performance for the people of Jakarta in the central square tomorrow?”
“Yeah. It’s something I’ve already promised, so I can’t take it back. I need Bella-noona now. Please show up after a long time transforming into a high-quality image.”
“Hwajirguji! It’s a name full of memories.”

Bella put on a longing look on her face when she heard her stage name, Guji.
The reason Bella and I met was because of the performance.
At that time, Bella, whose hobby was to change into a crow and tour her city, she joked around and helped her perform, but she revealed her true identity to me.

“Whoops! Her sister is in trouble, and she should help her. So, what should I do specifically?”
“I’m going to make it rain in the central square tomorrow. You can fly in the rain and sit on my shoulder when the rain stops. Give the people of Jakarta a cool salute with your wings.”

In heavy rain conditions, it would be difficult for normal birds to fly, but Bella was different.
Her crow transformation form uses her mana as her power source, so her stamina is significantly higher than that of normal birds.
Flying in harsh environments was no problem.

“Okay. I’ll fly to the central square when the time is right.”

Bella gave a playful salute and readily accepted my request.
With this, it is as if the mage and crow duo have been resurrected.
What do Jakartans think when they see a crow saluting?
I’m going crazy because I’m curious about the reaction.

It was the next day.

I visited Yoensu City Hall from early morning to prepare for the performance.
There is an outdoor stage for artists in the central square, and it was possible to rent a stage by paying money to City Hall and applying.
It didn’t take long to get permission to perform from the city hall staff.

“I’m going to do a performance in the main square this afternoon.”
“A performance? Wait a minute! Where have you seen many…?”

The city hall clerk, who took a close look at my face, immediately clapped his hands as if he remembered something.

“Ah! Aren’t you the wizard who used to perform at the Tabard Inn? The wizard who performed the water show with the mysterious crow.”
“I did have a magic show last year.”
“Wow…! I went to the concert hall every day and watched it. I was a fan.
“Yes.”

The City Hall staff really stood up and shook my hand as if they were fans.
When we performed last year, the streets around the inn were almost filled with spectators.

In a different world where there were very few things to play with, seeing magic was a fun pastime.
Even on Earth, where there are many things to do, everyone would go crazy if they actually saw magic.

“I’ll take care of it quickly. You’re performing at 6:00 PM? I’ll have to leave work early today and go see it with my family.”

The city hall staff accepted my performance application at the speed of light, unbecoming a public official.
As soon as I was about to say thank you, the city hall staff threw a question with curious eyes.

“Is it possible that Hwajir Guji returned? My daughter really likes that crow! I don’t know how many coins she tossed.”
“Of course I’m back.”

Thanks to the reputation built up in advance, we were able to get permission from the city hall without difficulty.

‘There are things I need to prepare.’

I stopped at a general store before the performance time and bought a disposable umbrella.
When it comes time for the performance, it will rain, but you can’t turn Jakartans into wet rats.

Of course, I told Princess Selma that it would call for rain.
But the people of Jakarta can’t believe me right away.
I came from a country with only third-rate wizards, so how could I believe that the climate was manipulated with magic?

‘Because there were forty Jakartans who came as a delegation. I guess I can take it along with the takeover.’

I bought forty umbrellas and moved them to the central plaza.
It costs a lot of money to prepare for the performance, but it’s not really a loss.

It was an opportunity to build a personal relationship with a country’s princess, but trivial expenses could be overlooked.
It’s also an opportunity to publicize the abilities of a mage like me to the people of Jakarta.
If you’re moved by a performance, they’ll give you something, right?

Time passed and it was 5:00 PM.
While meditating on the stage in the central square, I realized that people were slowly gathering around me.
These are not people who pass by by chance.
Everyone turned on the light in their eyes and took their seats in the plaza.

“That’s him! The wizard who performed at Tabard Inn last year!”
“Hurry up and grab a seat. I’m glad I came early.”

While preparing for today’s performance, I never put up posters or advertised separately.
However, as if everyone had heard the rumors from somewhere, the citizens of Yoensuu flocked to the central square like a cloud.

‘Did the City Hall staff spread the rumor?’

It seems that the city hall staff took care of it and spread word of mouth.
Amidst the swarming crowd, there were many churchgoers, as if Kate had spread the story.
Before the performance started, I gave the audience a warning in advance.

“Are you all here to see the performance?”
“Yes!!”

I was also excited by the lively reply.

“Thank you for coming a long way, but we need supplies to watch the magic show today! We’re planning to make it rain in the square when the show starts. Please bring an umbrella before you get caught in the rain and catch a cold.”

Citizens murmured at the word that it would rain.

“Magic to make it rain…? Is that possible?”
“What could be impossible for a wizard? Besides, he said he became a first-class wizard this year. The scale is different from previous performances.”
“A first-class wizard…?! Someone so young?”

Some in the audience were aware of my rank as a mage.
It was because he was a high-ranking wizard that was extremely rare on the continent if he was a first-class wizard. It wouldn’t be strange if rumors about me spread among people.

“Hey wizard! You just need to bring an umbrella, right?”
“Yes. Bring a big umbrella.”

The spectators quickly dispersed and each returned with an umbrella.
The weather today was clear without a single cloud, but everyone believed my words to some extent. The Northerners valued magic more highly than the Jakartans.

When it was time for the performance, Rebecca, Kate, and Wendy appeared in the main square.
Kate climbs backstage to shine the lights, and Rebecca and Wendy cheer me on from downstairs.

“Luke! I brought Wendy too! I thought she’d like to see us all perform together. But Bella has disappeared somewhere and I can’t see her.”
“I mean. Where did Bugilma-sama go? She left her vacation in the afternoon and then disappeared altogether. I heard there was something urgent, but I don’t know what it was.”
“What a waste.”

They regretted not being able to bring Bella to the concert.

Come to think of it, did she not know that Bella was playing around in her crow form?
In order to protect your privacy, you should not inform us at will.

Aww!

Just then, a large crow flew in and circled over my head.
Just as Bella had promised, she appeared at the concert transformed into a crow.
The moment the crow Bella appeared, the audience cheered.

“Fijirguzi! Firejirguzi!”
“It’s a wizard and a crow!! I never thought I’d see that combination again while alive!”

The preparations for the performance are over.
The large clock hanging in the central plaza finally announced 6:00 PM.

At that moment, Jakartans walked into the square.
Princess Selma proudly walked towards the front of the stage with Pamela.
Because of the overwhelming charisma flowing from the princess’s body, the citizens of Yoensu split into sides like the miracle of Moses.

‘Everyone has gathered.’

It was time to start the show.

*

As soon as Princess Selma appeared, she looked around and responded with a puzzled look.

“The courage to show up without running away even after showing off is imaginary. But why are there so many people in this plaza? Everyone is holding an umbrella in their hand.”
“All of them came to see my performances just like the Queen. Since I have performed frequently since before, I am well-known as a wizard by the citizens. Doesn’t the Princess know the reason I brought an umbrella? It will rain in this plaza today.”

It seemed that he was puzzled by the crowd of spectators in the central square.
Because Princess Selma did not believe that she could summon rain with magic.
Other Jakartans didn’t bring any umbrellas or anything like that.

Because I knew it would be like this!
It helped that she had brought her extra umbrella.

“Whoa, whoa. You’re trying to trick me by mobilizing strangers. Why do you need an umbrella or something? Your magic is sure to fail anyway. I’ve never heard of magic being able to bring rain in my life. Pamela , have you ever heard of it?”
“Neither do I. But there is a story that magic has developed in the world of strangers.”
“Magic is something that can only be used when lighting a fire in a furnace! How much difference would it make in terms of technology if I developed it? I really want to see that man kneel in front of me today.”

Looking around at the citizens of Yoensu who brought umbrellas or raincoats, Princess Selma reacted as if that was what it was.
The princess with her belly button exposed still couldn’t believe my words.

I need to finish what I need to do quickly before I talk more.

“Get an umbrella before you catch a cold.”
“What?”
“I thought you wouldn’t bring an umbrella, so I prepared everything. Here.”

There is no need to hand out umbrellas to Jakartans one by one.
I released telekinesis with magic and lifted the umbrella that had been spread on the stage into the air.

[Telekinesis]

Magic to manipulate objects from a distance with telekinesis!
Third-class wizards can only lift stones with telekinesis, but first-class wizards can lift heavy objects with ease.

Forty umbrellas flew through the air to the people of Jakarta as if possessed by a ghost.
Not only the Jakartans who were ignorant of magic, but also the Northerners were surprised to see the flying umbrella.

“Ooh, is the umbrella haunted?”
“I don’t think it’s a ghost. It’s moving according to the wizard’s gestures. That wizard must have blown the umbrella away.”
“Isn’t there anything impossible with magic?”

Do-do-doo-doo-doo-dududuk!!

Umbrellas fell lightly at the feet of Jakartans.
Jakartans looked at the umbrellas vertically planted on the floor with puzzled expressions.
The moment they finally hesitated and grabbed an umbrella, I started the performance in earnest.

“From now on, we will make rain pour down on the streets centered on the central square. Showers will fall in an area within a kilometer radius around this stage. I’m glad everyone brought their umbrellas.”

In fact, the range at which a first-class wizard could use meaningful magic was about 500m. Beyond that distance, the grip on mana weakens and magic loses its power. It is impossible for a wizard alone to cover a wide area of ​​1km. However, if it were me, I could dramatically increase the range of my magic.

“Spellbooks with wisdom, obey my orders.”

I summoned thirty ego books with great magic and put them on the stage.
Thanks to the application of the principle of independent maneuver, they are ego books that can move without problems even in the outside world.

“Fly high. Keep a certain distance and float in the sky as if surrounding the square. Follow my magic. From now on, I’m going to create clouds.”

Upon receiving the command, the ego drums soared vertically high and spread their distance. They were books that stopped flying only when they looked like small dots on the ground. Seeing the book fly away, the eyes of the audience were distracted for a moment.
At this point, I called Kate backstage.

“Kate! Please turn on the lights.”
“I understand! Heavenly Father shines on the brothers and sisters!”

Dig!!

A blinding flash burst from behind and illuminated the stage where I was. Lighting is essential as the day will soon be forcibly darkened by magic.
As soon as I received the splendid light from the divine incantation, the eyes of the audience naturally focused on me again.

“Fellow audience, it is water vapor that creates clouds in the sky. The condensation of water vapor and the dense collection of particles is what we see in the form of clouds. If we use magic, we can forcibly condense the water vapor.”

[Water drop]

Through magic, I summoned water droplets as large as rocks on the stage.
I cast a spell to manipulate the fluid at the water droplets floating in the air.

“Liquidra!”

It was [Liquidra], Which can be said to be an advanced level of liquid magic that manipulates fluids.
It was a much more useful magic than [Liquid], Which had an excessively low output, and [Liquid Ring], Which could only create waves.
It is only when this magic is used that it becomes possible to freely manipulate fluids.

Aaaaa!!

The round water droplets vaporized in an instant and dispersed into water vapor.
They were invisible vapors, but as an expert in water magic, I could recognize them all.

“Come together as a cloud.”

I stretched out my hand and made a fist, forcibly compressing the vapors.
You don’t have to pose, but it will be good to get the audience’s response.

Finally, a white mass of clouds was born on the stage.
The audience cheered as clouds that could only be seen in the sky rose from the ground.

“Waaaaa!!”
“Oh, the wizard really created the clouds!”
“Can I touch that? It looks so soft!”

Seeing some of the magically simulated natural phenomena, the Jakartans reacted more riotously than the northerners.
If Rebecca hadn’t stopped her in front of her, she would have jumped onto the stage right away.

“Oh, did you really create the clouds? Is that really possible with magic?”

Princess Selma, who had acted bluntly, was staring at me in a state of fascination before I knew it.
Pamela also seems to be unable to hide her surprise.
However, it was difficult to think that everything was over with just this.

“Anyone can create clouds as long as they can handle water magic. The scale just varies depending on the hierarchy.”

I explained lightly and looked up at the sky.
Ego drums floating high in the sky were waiting for my command.
It is preparing to release its mana and draw in the moisture around it.

“Start!”

Widely!

The moment the signal was sent by snapping one’s fingers, the ego books unleashed water-attribute magic.

At that moment, a wonderful change began to occur in the clear sky.
It was the moment when nature, which was a sacred object of worship for Jakartans, was realized by magic.