Chapter 68

Rain stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

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In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of the promise written there.

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This operation is being conducted in secrecy.

If the head of the mage corps were to come, there's a risk that the spies hiding in the capital might find out. If there were time, Rain would have discovered and eliminated them, but because they are racing against the clock, he has to stay behind.

"Truly a magnificent surge of magic power! I wish I could have shown this scene to my master!"

"R-really?"

The old men looked at him with shining eyes, and he couldn't help but feel a bit intimidated. He had never been passionate about anything during his student days. Not to mention, he was no expert in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and he even lost to the hardcore fans. The only thing he could beat them in was his imagination and simulations. Therefore, unfortunately, he couldn't understand their feelings.

By the way, when they talk about a surge of magic power, he doesn't understand at all. Do they have some unique sensory organs?

He stops only the deputy corps leader, Liberto, who is about to leave.

"Hey, Liberto-san..."

He had something he was curious about and called out to him.

"Yes? What is it?"

Only Liberto stopped.

"A, e, um..."

He hesitated to ask, even though he had already spoken. But once he was curious, he couldn't stop himself from asking.

"Um, is it okay?"

"What is okay?"

He took a deep breath.

"Is it alright to call you all to such an operation?"

He is calling the group with the highest firepower in the kingdom just to supply magic power. Needless to say, they have their pride, hard-earned efforts, and a history and honor they have built up.

"Hmm... That's a good point..."

Liberto frowned and thought for a moment.

You don't usually ask such a question, right? Of course, you don't.

But he couldn't help asking. He had always been concerned about how others perceived him. Even if he asked and it made no difference, he still wanted to hear it.

"I do have some thoughts, of course."

Of course, that's what he thought.

"It's not jealousy, but when I see someone with overwhelming talent that I don't have, I can't help but feel envious. I can't help but think, 'If I had this talent...'"

"R-really?"

He could understand the feeling all too well. In his previous life, he felt the same way whenever he saw someone smart or good-looking. If he were as good-looking as them, if he were as smart as them, if he had their social skills, he might not have been bullied. He couldn't help but think that.

"I'm s-sorry... But that's a minor issue."

Liberto interrupted him.

"It's just wishful thinking. If you don't have it, you don't have it. Besides, I haven't mastered this path at all! I'm at the highest level 7 in the dark, water, and wind trio. There's still much to do. Instead of envying, you should focus on leveling up!"

He said this with increasing intensity.

"Why can you give up so easily...?"

He couldn't give up so easily. If you don't have it, you don't have it. That's true. But he couldn't help reaching out.

Then, Liberto's face suddenly turned serious.

"Easily? Do I seem to give up easily?"

He said this with a hint of anger in his voice.

"S-sorry! I misspoke. I apologize."

He bowed his head.

Of course, he had gone too far. He had said too much.

"No, I'm sorry. I also shouted. I apologize."

He bowed his head.

"N-no, I was clearly in the wrong. I shouldn't have asked. I really apologize."

It was a clear mistake, a blunder, and a slip of the tongue.

"No, you're still a child, Rain. I'm still learning too. Why can you give up so easily?"

"I... Yes."

He thought about refusing, but after asking, it would be even more impolite to refuse when the other person was about to answer, so he nodded.

"It's the same as before. Because you know you can't get it."

"Yes..."

"And I have a talent and a clear path. I also know what I can't do."

He was struck by this.

"I see..."

The biggest difference between this world and Earth is the status. Talent is visible in a tangible form. That's why you can give up. You can see it immediately. If you don't have it, you don't have it. In this world, where that is absolute, you can give up.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

He was still a child, it seemed. His heart had remained a child's since then. That's why he muttered this.

"You're so grown-up..."

"Eh? What is it?"

"Ah, no, sorry. It's nothing. I learned something again. Thank you."

"That's good. I'll be going now. See you at sunrise."

"Okay."

As he was about to leave, he suddenly stopped and said this.

"I was a little happy to realize that heroes are human too."

Then he left.

Kou, who had been silent until then, spoke.

"You're grown-up."

"Yes..."

And the night passed, and the sun came up.

He was called again, and this time he prepared to create fog to hide the ships. He connected the ships with chains in front, back, left, and right, and placed his ship further back within the fog's effective range. He also left the middle open to allow this ship to enter.

He arranged for the fog to spread from the center of the fleet to cover the entire area, making it appear as if it was coming from a magic device on another ship. Although it would be unusual for this ship to be further back, the captains were supposed to handle the deception.

"Let's go."

He took another deep breath.

"Great and wise god of water, benevolent ruler of all living things! I beseech you! Hide us with your great feathered cloak!

Dense Fog!"

Then, from over 4 kilometers away, the fog spread to envelop all the ships except his.

"Wow! Amazing! What a beautiful sight!"

Liberto was excited again. But this time, he could understand. It was truly a breathtaking sight. Even though he couldn't see through the fog, he could hear the amazed voices from inside.

After confirming that he was wearing the magic power-blocking cloak, he slowly entered the fog.

"Excellent, Rain."

"Thank you."

He was starting to respect Liberto, so being praised by him made him a bit embarrassed.

After that, he slept and remained still until the sun set. He repeated this until they reached their destination.

The fog was visible from the outside, but in this world, it's not unusual for fog to appear at sea. According to ancient scholars with the skill to see magic power, it looks like a large amount of magic power is emitted from the sea, forming the fog. There are also places on land where magic power is emitted, such as the Forest of Confusion in Pornesia.

This dungeon is such that once you enter and move far enough that the entrance is no longer visible, the position of the trees in the blind spots changes. The trees move after absorbing magic power. You might be able to get out if you're within 100 meters, but if you go 200 or 300 meters, you're almost certain to be trapped.

At sea, the fog will clear in half a day unless it's a place where the magic power continues to emit. Therefore, if a ship is suddenly enveloped in fog, the standard procedure is to drop anchor and wait for the fog to clear. Moving in the open sea can lead to losing direction, and for a fleet, it can cause ships to drift apart or collide, which is dangerous.

The next night, Mei reported a status update. Two days after the first fleet set out, the second fleet of 300 ships departed from the empire.

It was fewer than expected, but since he didn't know the detailed military situation of a great nation, he accepted it.

This continued for three days. Then, Mei reported again. The first fleet from the empire had arrived near Pornesia.

There was also a report that another 200 transport ships had set out from the empire.

The next chapter would be a map that both the author and readers would be happy to see.