Chapter 34

We rose with the break of dawn, returning directly to the main camp where construction of the forward base was well underway.

Inevitably, there were rest stops due to my stamina, but thanks to the Elf Ranger’s exceptional tracking skills, we somehow made it back before sunset.

“…A massive thunderstorm is expected tonight, but Lord Alter says it’s not necessary to send reinforcements. What exactly happened out there?”

I was wheezing, sweat-soaked robe clinging to me, so Sergeant Trian explained the situation in my stead.

“There was a large stone beneath the biggest tree, and when the mage touched it, a lightning spirit manifested. But the lightning spirit was extremely angry. So, Bean here calmed him down… He really is quite a mage. Faced with a lightning spirit, he wasn’t intimidated and handled it skillfully. It was pretty impressive.”

Isn’t this b*stard supposed to be a Sergeant? Why is he casually speaking informally in front of everyone, even Captain Velua?

“…I sensed an unusual energy, but a lightning spirit, really.”

Why is Captain Velua just letting it slide?

This Trian… is he someone to be feared?

“How did you even discern it? I didn’t detect any magical power at all.”

“It’s a gift, pure and simple… He’s more than loved by magic, he’s embraced by it.”

The mages of the company, drawn in to hear the story, each added their own remarks to Trian’s account.

“I would like to meet him sometime.”

It wasn’t only the company’s mages who were deeply impressed by Sergeant Trian’s tale.

Alter Heindel, an 8th Circle mage who had written hundreds of treatises for the advancement of lightning magic for 80 years, also found the keyword ‘lightning spirit’ unfamiliar.

“…The spirit had a request for us. To remove all the magic landmines in this forest. In return, he’d bestow some kind of reward… what kind, I don’t know. Especially for Bean here, he said he had a special gift prepared.”

“A special gift?”

“To capture the heart of a spirit in such a short time…”

“Surely touched by magic’s favor, a talent beyond envy…”

Admiration spilled from the soldiers listening to Trian’s report.

Such a torrent of praise would normally warrant a thank you, but alas, I was too busy gasping for air.

All I could feel now was sweat, heat, and a consciousness fading in and out…

At this rate, another two spirit encounters and I might seriously kick the bucket.

“Hmm… if it aids the Lord General, we must assist. A monster mage reaching swordmaster levels in three years, you say? Our unit has a duty to foster his growth.”

Black Hammer Belua heard this and summoned the mages and squad leader from the archers under his command. It seemed they would graciously assist with this quest bestowed upon me.

“Seven or so archers should suffice. Pairing each mage with an elven ranger for the forest search, I reckon we’ll finish within the week. Squad Leader Kallix, having already scouted the rough terrain of the uncharted lands, I believe temporarily ceding command to me would be most efficient.”

“I concur.”

Well, isn’t this elf squad leader just as bonkers. Handing over command so readily like that.

What’s more, the guy is a lieutenant using honorifics with a sergeant. The military’s in tip-top shape, truly.

Does the concept of hierarchy not exist in this medieval era?

Damn it, if I weren’t so preoccupied with breathing, I’d say a thing or two in front of everyone…

“Hrrk… Hrrk… No can do.”

I swallowed thickly, forcing the words out between ragged breaths. Lirr gazed at me with genuine concern, worried I might actually expire, while Trian just stared, uncomprehending.

“What’s no can do?”

“…Even so, the top priority… *wheeze*… is the outpost construction progressing perfectly. *wheeze*. Placing all the mages on this operation leaves us… vulnerable in case of… a sudden demon raid…”

I’m not sure if it came across properly, given the constant gasping for air. As much as I wanted to speak in complete sentences, my body kept demanding oxygen. Even as I sucked in air with all my might.

“So… Lirr and I… will remain with the main force…”

Uh, oh…?

My story cut short, the world before me flashed white, then black, over and over. My heart hammered, BPMs climbing to some unknown peak, and in time with it, blood surged through my veins, a burning torrent coursing through every inch of me.

No matter how I gasped, oxygen eluded me.

This wretched body, it seemed, was not forged strong enough to endure two days of relentless marching.

Hyperventilation seized me, and my body, losing all purchase, staggered before finally collapsing.

In that fading moment of consciousness, I felt the slender fingers of an elf catch me.

…I thought I’d built in sufficient rest stops, but my flesh was more fragile than I ever imagined.

To be laid low like this by a mere two days’ trek.

* * *

Moonlight and shadow together caressed my cheek. As ever, I awoke within the military carriage designated for mages.

Agony bloomed across my body. Every bone shrieked in protest, threatening to form some preposterous medieval-era labor union to picket my brain. And joining this strike were all manner of muscles and sinews.

My body, as it stood, was in no condition even to turn my head. I was so thoroughly broken that I felt I should be rushed straight to a hospital, were such a thing available.

‘Wait…a hospital…in the Middle Ages?’

I dredged up fragments from videos I’d watched on my smartphone back in my one-room apartment, things like ‘The Reality of Medieval Surgeons…!’ The image of surgeons sawing open skulls with bone saws, watched by a morbid gallery of spectators, sent a fresh chill down my already cold spine.

…Better to visit a church than a hospital, then.

Competent clerics are most often able to mend with restorative skills. While requesting they expend such precious gifts on something as trivial as muscle aches felt almost sinful…it was surely better than having one’s skull cleaved in two.

Slowly, I turned my head, my neck protesting with every inch. Through the carriage window, I gazed upon the unfolding camp.

Either the dwarves had labored with inhuman zeal, or I’d slumbered longer than I knew, for the roadbed was largely complete, and the land where the outpost buildings would stand was leveled and prepared.

“You’re awake?”

Rirr’s voice reached me, but alas, my state did not permit me to turn my head and meet her gaze.

“How long have I been out?”

“Ten hours, perhaps?”

…This is insane. Normally, when I use my Burst and collapse, I’m out for maybe five hours. Are the repercussions of this march a ten-hour knockout?

I lit a lantern and gazed at the stocky bodies of the dwarves, their calloused hands already hard at work in the early dawn. I couldn’t help but sigh.

‘I seriously need to acquire an artifact that boosts physical ability, or even something that just helps with travel. Nothing happened this time, but what if the demonkin had launched an invasion while I was unconscious…’

I would have had my head neatly lopped off without so much as a whimper of resistance.

Or, upon waking, found myself…integrated. My torso a grotesque addition to the tireless assembly line of demonkin slaves, alongside those dwarves still working diligently in the distance.

The thought sent a shiver, not just cold but glacial, down my spine. This damn medieval fantasy world was teeming with dangers, and my body was woefully inadequate to withstand them.

“Sleep more. I checked on you earlier. The mine disposal unit won’t move out until it’s fully light anyway.”

Lirr tapped her crystal orb with a fingernail as she spoke.

“I’ll wake you if anything urgent comes up.”

I didn’t bother to refuse Lirr’s consideration. I was in no condition to be worrying about anyone else right now.

As soon as I closed my eyes, my mind turned to mush. It was just the hard floor of a military wagon, but to me it felt as luxurious as a five-million-credit bed. Irrelevant noises faded as my entire being seemed to sink into the surface below. The pounding of my heart grew fainter, and even the awareness of ‘me’ slowly dissolved into the ether.

“Um… can I ask you something?”

The fog had deepened to the point where my consciousness was on the verge of being sucked into the realm of dreams. Lirr’s voice cut through the din of the dwarves, their booming voices a constant presence.

“…What is it?”

I mumbled drowsily. There were few things more irritating than being spoken to right before sleep, but I did my best to suppress my irritation as I replied.

“Why did you specifically ask me to stay? Honestly, I think Master Bin alone could handle the outpost defense…”

Is that what she wanted to know? Wasn’t it obvious?

“Because… I need someone to cast communication magic.”

Dying for sleep, damn it… I can’t use any magic besides ‘Bloom,’ how many times do I have to say it…?

Before the thought could even hit its period, my consciousness was sucked into a dream.

Lir added something belatedly to my words, but I didn’t hear it.

* * *

Beyond the thicket, dawn slowly raised its head. Darkness began to scatter, and the crystal ball silently held its blue light.

The elf named Lir just 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.

Even an eight-year-old kid who had just entered the magic tower yesterday could use it, and even if you learned magic independently without entering the tower, anyone with the intelligence and magical power of about ten years old could use this simple and easy magic.

“…What is this.”

So, the boy’s answer was nonsense.

The boy was so magically talented that he could reverse the weather in an entire area with a single finger movement, and accurately find an elemental of lightning that she hadn’t even been aware of its existence before she met him.

How could it be possible that a genius certain to reach the 9th circle soon couldn’t use a simple communication spell?

Lir couldn’t understand what that boy was thinking, making such an absurd excuse.

“……”

Lir, searching for the reason why the boy had told such an obvious lie, suddenly felt heat rise in her cheeks.

‘…Isn’t he just saying anything to keep me by his side…?’

Lir pulled her hat down once more to cover her face, so no one could see her.

She didn’t know what this feeling was, but the way her face was heating up uncontrollably made it clear her condition was far from normal.

Bright red, pointed ears stuck out beyond the brim of her hat.

“Alright, time to get started on preparing breakfast!”

She ducked her head low, burying her face completely in her robes, lest any dwarves, tidying up their work and heading back to prepare the meal, should see her.

Just what this feeling was… she couldn’t even begin to guess.