Chapter 41: Delivered letter from Pauline
From the capital city, Sumner Territory was located far in the southeast. It was morning in the border town of Deals, situated at the edge.
While simmering rice porridge, I focused on making toppings. Yesterday, the sweet and savory minced fish was well received by the women. It tasted delicious when sprinkled with finely chopped ginger and plenty of green onions.
“Kuro, what’s wrong? You’ve been restless all day.”
“Meow meow meow!”
Kuro somersaulted in the air multiple times, flapping its little wings and flying around the ceiling.
“We’re going to sell a lot of rice porridge again today, right? I’ll buy your favorite cheese on the way back. Today’s toppings are sweet and savory simmered nuts and bacon, and ginger-flavored chicken soboro. I hope they sell well.”
Kuro wasn’t listening. It puffed up its tail like a brush and raised the fur on its back. By the time I, Victor, and Pauline-san went out to sell rice porridge and gelato, Kuro was nowhere to be seen.
The town was bustling today.
People were gathering here and there, whispering to each other. I wondered what was going on, and then I noticed a paper posted on the bulletin board in the square. For those who couldn’t read, an official was loudly reading it aloud.
“There is a severe magic depletion illness spreading in the capital city. The disease is also spreading to the Sloane Territory. Some people suddenly collapse and get injured. Those with magic abilities should refrain from going out and stay indoors as much as possible.”
Upon hearing that, a few individuals hurriedly left. Were they magic users? Most people seemed to be without magic. Their reaction was more like, “Oh, I see.”
“They’re calling it a magic depletion epidemic, but Victor, is there such a contagious disease?”
“I’ve never heard of it. From the capital city to the Sloane Territory, huh? It would be good if it stops there.”
Deals is located by the sea and the border. Although it is a distance from both the capital city and the Sloane Territory, if it’s an epidemic, this place won’t be safe either. But right now, there is not enough information to take any action. I worry that Victor, who hasn’t fully recovered, might be in danger.
Furthermore, Pauline-san has been acting strange since three days ago. Even when selling gelato, she lacks energy and is restless. Even now, she’s sitting on a kitchen chair, not saying a word.
“Pauline-san, did you have a bad vision?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. I had a clear vision of something bad. It felt like taking a step towards a great disaster in this country.”
“What did you see?”
“Well, the ground was torn up in various places, buildings disappeared as if they were torn off, and animals went on a rampage in herds.”
I had a vague sense of unease. If Victor’s summoning was successful, it seems that I will have to do something about the disaster. But buildings disappearing? No, no, it’s too big of a scale for me to handle, right? My mind was swirling with thoughts.
Victor, who was chilling the gelato, seemed worried about me.
“Haru, what’s wrong?”
“I was just thinking if I could be useful in preventing the ground from being torn up or buildings from being destroyed, you know. . .”
“Because Haru can erase magic?”
“Yeah. Hypothetically, if I were the saint, and if I could be of help, then I guess I have no choice but to do my best. Lately, I’ve been thinking that way. After all, Victor summoned me with all his strength, even to the point of endangering his own body.”
“Haru. . .”
“Haru. . .”
Victor and Pauline looked at me with a sad expression, their brows furrowed.
“Stop it. If you look at me like that, it feels like my life is in danger.”
I said it in a joking manner, but no one laughed. Wait, is my life really in danger?
(Don’t get depressed over hypothetical situations!) I scolded myself and focused on my business. That day, rice porridge and gelato sold out quickly. Above all, above all, let’s temporarily forget about the saint (hypothetically). It’s too much for my heart.
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“Pauline! How dare you shirk your responsibilities like this! How selfish of you! What a useless person you are!”
Jim Byrd, the head of the General Affairs Department, read the letter he received and stomped his foot in anger. Pauline, who was about to finish her hundred-day vacation, had written that she wanted more time off and was willing to be fired if it wasn’t allowed.
“I have to report this to Brent.”
Furious that Pauline was not working despite having the foresight, Jim Byrd rushed to the room of the Magic Corps Captain, Brent Baynes.
After reading the letter handed to him by Jim Byrd, Brent’s attention was drawn to a different part.
“Is Pauline with Haru Ayukawa?”
According to a report from a lord that had been circulated and read previously by the Prime Minister, Haru Ayukawa possessed special abilities. It was written that she could not only see magical power with her eyes but also “erase magic that causes magic depletion” and “nullify offensive magic.”
Brent hurriedly headed to the Prime Minister’s room. Although he didn’t know Haru’s whereabouts, he had to report that the visionary wizard, Pauline, was with Haru.
Prime Minister Benedict was surprised when he read Pauline’s letter. The subordinate who had been arranged to bring Haru had returned empty-handed. Despite losing any further leads, they unexpectedly confirmed Haru’s existence.
“Where is this letter from?”
“It seems they used a carriage to collect letters from various places. We will investigate, but we only have a rough idea of the general direction.”
“That will do. Just find out which direction the carriage came from. It could be a clue to bring back both Pauline and Haru.”
“Understood. And what should we do with Pauline?”
“Don’t sever ties. Let her keep her position.”
“Understood.”
Leaving the Prime Minister’s office and heading to his own room, Brent chewed on something bitter.
“If only we hadn’t abandoned Haru Ayukawa, we wouldn’t have needed to search. . . No, now is not the time to blame others.”
The recent incidents of magic depletion in the capital city had been occurring since shortly after the unveiling of the new magic. The fact that there were no casualties was a small relief, but if that new magic was the cause, even Brent’s position would be in jeopardy.
“It couldn’t be that the new magic was too powerful, right?”
A chill ran down Brent’s spine.
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