“You have no mana at all?”
“Unfortunately, this is the first time I’ve ever felt this empty.”
“Heavens.”
Hale stroked his chin, looking genuinely surprised. He had wondered why Ian, having returned from the Sea of the Abyss, had come north instead of to the Imperial Palace, and now he had his reason.
The mages, also in disbelief, straightened their posture and carefully observed Ian. They had been relieved that he seemed to have no external injuries, but that was apparently not the case. What in the world had happened in the Sea of the Abyss to completely drain the mana of Ian, of all people?
“This is the first time I’ve seen it, as far as I can remember. You being unable to use your mana, Sir Ian. Didn’t you say it’s been a few days since you came out of the Sea of the Abyss? Someone of your level should have recovered to some extent by now.”
“What is the extent of what you can do?”
“Even unleashing my mana is impossible.”
“Unbelievable.”
As the mages faltered, Beric cleaned his ear with a pinky, as if they were making a big fuss over nothing. He’d just been rolling around in the Sea of the Abyss, not some playground. Of course he’d be running on empty.
One of the mages, noticing his nonchalant expression, wagged a finger at him and added firmly.
“This isn’t a simple matter, Beric. Sir Ian possessed mana that was far larger and stronger than any other mage. That’s why there were many times he held on alone when everyone else had reached their limit.”
“And?”
“And now you’re saying it’s completely bottomed out. Unleashing mana is as instinctual as breathing. If he’s unable to even do that…”
The mages simultaneously turned to look at Ian. Every one of them had a serious expression, yet Ian met their gazes with a relaxed smile.
Oh, please stop smiling, sir. This is a serious moment, and you’re making us want to smile along with you. As the mages smiled through their teary faces, Hale rolled up his sleeves.
“We can’t gauge it just by looking. Let’s give it a try.”
“Hmph. So in other words, we have to pump a ridiculous amount into him? What terrible cost-effectiveness.”
“The only thing with terrible cost-effectiveness is your stomach, Beric. Sir Ian’s recovery will accelerate once we raise him to a certain level.”
As Hale politely extended his hand, Ian took it without hesitation.
In that instant, a despairing thought flashed through the mages’ minds. What if… what if Sir Ian has permanently lost his mana?
Wasn’t that what had happened to that man named Vandor¹, who had returned from the Sea of the Abyss long ago? Although he had survived in another’s body, he too had been stripped of his qualifications as a mage. By the Sea of the Abyss itself.
“W-Wait, just a moment! Captain!”
“Is it really okay to do this here? How about we return to the Imperial Palace first and then try? Just in case…”
The mages all grabbed Captain Hale’s wrist and cried out. If their assumption was true, if Ian was now in the body of an ordinary person, he would be unable to receive Hale’s mana. On the contrary, it would have adverse effects, like pouring poison into his body.
“It’s alright.”
But Ian, as if having foreseen their worries, simply shook his head.
“Vandor lost his mana in the Sea of the Abyss for a different reason; the Sea of the Abyss itself was not the cause of the loss. And above all, I clearly felt you all approaching from a great distance.”
What could be more certain than that? As they were mages connected by their senses, Ian gestured for them not to be afraid and to share their power at once.
Hale’s eyes, a cigarette bitten between his teeth, instantly turned gold.
Ziiiing! Ziiing!
Whoooosh!
A current of mana slowly circled around the two of them. It was a warm feeling, like a spring breeze.
Beric continued to watch from atop his horse, chin in hand, while the mages clasped their hands together and prayed. Please, let there be no more pain or trials for Sir Ian.
“Ah.”
Ziiiing! Ziiing!
Some time passed. Sweat began to drip from the tip of Hale’s chin. He shrugged his shoulders and gave a meaningful smile, as if something was wrong. At this, the mages covered their mouths, tense.
“Sir Ian, we have a problem.”
“What is it?”
“At first, I thought I was mistaken because it’s been so long, but I wasn’t. I’m nowhere near enough.”
Over the past ten years, Ian had remained the same, but something inside him had changed. The depth of his mana vessel, which had already been so immense it was astounding, had now become so profound it was impossible to even fathom.
This was not a level that could be filled even if Hale transferred all of his power.
“Didn’t you feel it too, Sir Ian?”
“Ah, a little. I did think it felt a bit lacking.”
“…I will give you as much as I can, but I suspect it will have little effect.”
Ian nonchalantly wiggled his small hand. Was it thanks to his time in the Sea of the Abyss, or was it because he had realized this body itself belonged to a god? Or perhaps, was it a blessing bestowed by the gods? He didn’t know.
Beric, not understanding, shot up from his horse and asked again.
“Little effect? What does that mean?”
“Literally, it means it barely makes a dent. The depth of his vessel for holding mana has become so vast it can’t even be compared to before. It will take much longer to recover, and once he does—”
Once he does? They would witness a power on a completely different dimension. His vessel could already contain the entirety of the Ministry of Magic, and now it had surpassed that by an unimaginable margin. Hale couldn’t even begin to imagine how vast and distant Ian’s limits would be.
“So he’ll be an empty can for a while then?”
“Stop saying can, can! You’ll hurt Sir Ian’s feelings!”
“What? Ian, are you offended?”
“It’s rude to even ask that!”
“And you, shithead, are you being polite to me?”
“That’s rich, coming from someone with the same rank. Get lost.”
While the mages and Beric bickered, Ian felt a faint current of mana stirring within him. Before, it had been truly empty, but thanks to Hale’s help, he could at least feel the flow now.
To what level must I recover to be able to use magic without issue? As Ian stared down at his palm, the mages gathered one by one and placed their hands on top of his.
“Sir Ian, it’s our turn now.”
“It’s less than what Captain Hale has, but, well, this is what they mean by ‘many a little makes a mickle.’ We would be truly happy if it helps.”
“Many a mickle! Oh, I know that one now.”
“Sir Ian. Please, accept it.”
Ziiiing! Ziiing!
On the wide field, a shimmering golden light. A haze of mana rose up, centered on Ian and the mages.
One of them, a mage he had last seen ten years ago, seemed overcome with emotion and began to shed large tears once more. Back then, it had been a power that pushed Ian toward his death, but now, it was to help him. The thought seemed to move him deeply.
As the mana focused, Ian’s blond hair began to fly slowly in the air.
“How is it?”
A mage, sweating slightly, asked cautiously. He was asking if it was helping, but Ian’s answer was unexpected.
“It’s warm.”
“…!”
“…!”
The mages’ eyes grew wide as if they would pop out, and then, without exception, they all unleashed their mana with even greater force. He had said it was warm, smiling with those fresh green eyes. How could they possibly stop?
Sensing the mages were overexerting themselves, Ian tried to pull his hand away.
“You should save enough strength to get back to the capital.”
“It’s alright. There are mana recovery potions Captain Akorella sent waiting for us back at the rampart. You should have some too, Sir Ian. They’re not spectacularly good, but they are effective.”
“Recovery potions? Not amplification potions?”
“Yes, it’s already been ten years, hasn’t it? Captain Akorella has caused quite a few major accidents during that time. Haha. She’s made all sorts of things. One time, a basement explosion was so big that she had to give the top floor to the Mana Stone Management Department.”
Ian thought, She hasn’t changed a bit, at the sight of the mage laughing heartily as he spoke. He suddenly wondered what else she might have created besides recovery potions. She would have surely made some amazing things.
As the mages gripped his hand tightly, telling him not to worry, Ian nodded in acceptance and received all of their power.
Ziiiing! Ziiing!
“Hah, hah…”
“Oh man, I’m beat.”
“I guess we’ve gotten older, huh?”
“Would you mind not including me in that ‘we’? I’m, still, doing fine.”
“Wipe the drool from your mouth before you say that.”
A long time passed like that.
As the sun began to set, the mages lay sprawled out on the field, leaving only Ian standing in the center. They were all drenched in sweat, but they were smiling as if refreshed.
Beric chuckled as he gnawed on a piece of jerky.
“Ian, it looks like you took them all out.”
“Can everyone make it to the rampart?”
“Yes, yes, just, just need to rest a little bit! Haha!”
“Look at them, so happy. Sheesh. Ian! Can you unleash your mana now? We scraped together every last bit from these guys, so that should at least be possible, right?”
At Beric’s question, the mages lifted their heads slightly to look at Ian. Please, it worked, right?
“…Hmm.”
Ian seemed to ponder something for a moment, then nodded.
In the next instant, the wind around Ian stopped for a moment, then exploded outward. The short grass swayed coolly, instantly cooling the mages’ sweat.
Ziiiiiing! Ziiing!
“Whoa, whoaaaa!”
“It worked, it worked! This is enough for today, Sir Ian! All that’s left is to go to the Imperial Palace!”
“Yessss!”
As Ian’s green eyes sparkled with gold, the mages cheered. They hugged each other and rolled around in the field, and someone even jumped on Beric, who willingly gave them a piggyback ride. It had only been for a moment, but they had confirmed there was no problem with Ian’s mana, and had indirectly gauged that some of its strength had returned.
“The sun will set soon. Sir Ian, let’s head to the rampart first. Everyone has the strength to fly, right?”
“For real, just a sec. Just a little, five minutes!”
“Oh, and Hale.”
As the mages playfully begged, Ian gestured toward Beric with a nod of his head.
“I heard the Atan tribe has been causing problems nearby. Beric will hold talks with them under the orders of His Highness, Crown Prince Jin.”
“…Is he the troubleshooter sent by the Imperial Palace?”
“Oh, damn it. I have zero expectations. Beric, you do know what ‘talks’ are, right? You can’t just get pissed off and fight. The area beyond the rampart is full of rifts and sensitive to mana.”
“Am I a child?”
Watching Beric and the mages bicker, Hale looked toward the north as if the timing was perfect and spoke to Ian. Come to think of it, he could faintly see the rampart in the distance.
“It’s true that the Atan are causing a disturbance nearby. But before coming here, that is, before meeting you, Sir Ian, I met with Efdiram first. She said she was crossing over to Burgos to find Rutherford. Seeing as you have returned from the Sea of the Abyss, Sir Ian, it is expected that Rutherford is also somewhere in Burgos. In any case, since she is heading that way, there is little chance of her causing problems at the northern rampart for the time being. Whether it is appropriate to have Beric meet with Efdiram in the current situation is…”
It could be needlessly stirring up trouble.
What if, in the process, Ian’s existence was revealed? No one could guarantee whether it would be a gain or a loss. Not even Ian himself.
“However, if it is an order from the Imperial Palace, then it is right to carry it out. If we miss this chance, a situation could arise where Beric has to chase the Atan into Burgos, couldn’t it?”
At someone’s argument, Ian snapped his fingers lightly. As if to say, That’s exactly it.
“Are the Atan still within Bariel?”
“They were spotted on the northern mountain, so they should cross the border by tomorrow night, wouldn’t they?”
“Good. That’s perfect. Hale, tomorrow, don’t worry about anything else, and first, guide Beric to where the Atan are. Beric, you will—”
“Me? Why?”
Beric pointed at himself with wide eyes.
Ian grabbed his arm firmly and gave his instructions, like an adult sending a child on an errand. Even though Ian was a head shorter.
“Listen carefully to what I’m about to say and remember it. You can at least do that much now, right?”