174-Episode 172: Makoto Takatsuki talks with his friends




A toast to the reunion of former Class A students.
 Me, Fujiyan, Sa-san and Kawakita-san came to the tavern in Gamelan, the capital of the Fire Nation (Great Keith).

 Kawakita-san has been freed from slavery, so Sa-san said he wanted to celebrate with his former classmates.
 Of course, Fujiyan and I had no objection to that.

'Thanks, guys. You saved me after all.
 Kahoku-san smiled a little embarrassed.
'That was good, Keiko-chan!
 Sa-san is hugging Mr. Kahoku.
 We had been talking about girls for a while, and then Kahoku-san turned to me as if she had suddenly realized.

'Did Takatsuki call up the big guy in this country? Thanks.
'When I talked to the general, Kahoku-san had long since been released. It's a credit to Fujiyan and Sa-san.
 I chuckled and scratched my cheek.

'But you've never talked to Takatsuki in class at all. I've known Michio for a long time and Aya is a friend, so I understand. Takatsuki is a nice guy.
 Kawakita-san was cute when she said that and smiled.
 When we were in class, she was a bit scary, with her girly, tight-lipped tone.
 But when I talked to her, I found her to be surprisingly nice.

''Oh no, but you've saved my life. Thanks to Sasaki-dono breaking the Fire Nation's Holy Sword Balmunk, I was able to repay the Fire Nation for their kindness.
I think it's more difficult to fix a holy sword.
'Hahaha! It just so happens that an acquaintance of mine was someone who was close to a 'Holy Grade' blacksmith. I was lucky.
 Fujiyan laughed with a teasing smile.

 But I know.
 Whenever I ask Fujiyan for a favor, he usually says, 'Well, a friend of my acquaintances...' and that usually solves the problem.
 I have too many contacts!

 After that, we talked for a while about the hardships of coming to this world and the previous world.
 Kawakita-san and Sa-san are having a great time complaining about the lack of sweet things in the other world.
 Come to think of it, the ice cream I got at Noah-sama's place was the best I've had in a long time.

 By the way, many of the dishes in the Fire Nation are spicy.
 The specialty of the food in the bar was the spicy spit-roasted skewers and the chili soup.
 I like it a lot.

 We ate a good meal and drank a lot of alcohol.
 It was about the time we were all sober.

Hey, Michio. Do you have a girlfriend?
 I heard such a conversation.
 Kawakita-san may be drunk, but she is leaning on Fujiyan.
 No, that was more of a sidelong glance than a drunken one.

(Hmm?)
 Me and Sa-san looked at each other.
 In addition, I looked around to see if Nina was there (she wasn't).

''Well.......... What can I say about that........
 You don't have a girlfriend.
 I have two wives.
 He is stammering for Fujiyan, who speaks cheerfully about everything.
 Mr. Kawakita doesn't seem to notice the situation and looks at Fujiyan with feverish eyes.

''You know.......I was being strong, but I'm really afraid of being bought by a nobleman I don't know.... I'm really grateful for that, and besides, Michio is a local nobleman now, right...? I don't have anywhere to go, so...
Of course, you're welcome to stay here as long as you like, Lord Hebei. You are welcome to stay as our guest!
Oh, no, that's not what I'm talking about. Also, you can call me Kay like you used to. 

(Uh.)
 This is not good.
 Fujiyan (married) is being hit on by a stiff.

 Fujiyan's eyes are swimming.
 I have to help her as a best friend here!
 I was wondering.

'Keiko-chan, Keiko-chan.'
 Sa-san moved first.
 He brought his mouth to Kahoku-san's ear and spoke in a whisper.

 I gently activated my 'listening ear' skill.
 I didn't need to hear it.

''Fujiwara-kun, you already have two wives, right?''

 Ah, Kahoku-san is frozen.
 Yeah, you're right.

 Fujiyan, you didn't tell me.
 I glanced at my best friend's face.
 She looked awkward.
 I know.

"Hee hee...! Oh, yeah! What the hell, I see!
 Mr. Kahoku's face is bright red.
 She has some teary eyes.
 Poor guy.

"Kozuki, why are you looking at me like that?
It's nothing.
 I'm pissed.
 Scary.
 Old Mr. Kahoku.

Aya! I'm drinking today! Go out with me!
'What? Uh-huh! I'll go out with you!
 Mr. Kahoku drank all the ale in one gulp to cover his embarrassment.
 Mr. Sa-san is drinking a glass of wine to go along with it.
 Wine and ale are totally different in alcohol content.

 I put my hand on Fujiyan's shoulder and sipped my glass in the corner.
 The party continued until morning.


 ◇


 ...my head hurts.

 I had too much to drink yesterday.
 But I enjoyed talking with my former classmates for the first time in a long time.
 After all, after that, Kawakita-san asked Fujiyan what kind of woman the two wives are! Let me see her!
 I was involved in this.
 She's so strong.

 It's the first time I've talked so much with Mr. Kahoku, but it was interesting to know a lot of things.
 You never know until you talk to her.

 Come to think of it, I wonder how the other classmates are doing.
 I hadn't seen Sakurai-kun's face in a long time.
 I looked out the window of the inn, wondering if I should go visit him at least once.

 Raindrops were tapping on the window.
 It doesn't rain much in the Land of Fire (Great Keith), but it seems that my spirit magic the other day made the weather a little crazy.
 It rains a lot these days.
 Since it's such a nice weather, I think I'll go out.

 I suddenly looked out of the window of the inn and saw the back of the wizard in red clothes.
 I climbed out of the window.

'Lucy, what are you doing here?'
 Lucy was there in the rain, wetting herself and holding her wand.

'Practicing magic. 'My mum says I have to do it every day.'
Why don't you just do it in the house?
When you fail, you blow up everyone around you.
I see.
 That's no good.

I'd rather do it outside.
 The inn we're staying at is a royal Roses inn.
 It's horrible to think of the amount we'll have to pay back when we break it down.

'But we can wait until it stops raining, can't we? Shall I clear it up?
 I raise my right hand to the sky.
 Lucy looks at it and gives me a dubious look.

'You'd have to be a great sage to change the weather, wouldn't you?
I know, I have a feeling I could do something with it.
 I had Noah-sama show me this once.
 If it's the magic power that resides in the 'spirit's right hand' right now, I think I can handle it.

''Umm........I'm scared because Makoto might do it....... Aya would become a hero. I'm the only one left behind.
 Lucy is slumped over, wistfully fiddling with the ground on her toes.

'Lucy?'
 You don't look well.
Hey, how am I doing?
 He looked at me anxiously and asked.
 Oh, come on, don't ask me stupid questions.

'I wouldn't be here right now without Lucy.
Do you think...?
 In the Land of Trees (Spring Rogue), a lot of things went well because of Lucy.
 I made the acquaintance of Rosalie and the brave Maximilian, the wooden goddess of wood, and I got to know her.

 Lucy was the great-grandson of the legendary magical archer Jonny, who was a companion of the savior Abel.
 And she is also the daughter of Rosalie, the Red Lotus Witch, who is an active hero and the daughter of Rosalie, the Red Lotus Witch.
 She and Maximilian, the brave hero of the wooden goddess, were seniors and juniors at school.
 The priestess of the Tree Goddess is her sister-in-law.
 In the Land of the Sun, she has even become an apprentice of the Great Sage Master.

(Come to think of it, they're a ridiculously elite family.)

 Honestly, it's funny that she had a hard time finding a mate in the water city of McAllen.
 But Lucy has low self-esteem and doesn't use her family to appeal to me.
 Clumsy.
 If your mate is down, you have to lift them up with praise.

'Lucy will be like Miss Rosalie in time. So, what have you been training for?
"I don't think I can catch up with my mom.... I'm practicing the spatial transference (teleportation) that my mom taught me, but it's not working at all...
 Oh! Come on!
 It would be great to have a companion who can use space transfer (teleportation).

What's the success rate right now?
Well you need to increase the success rate a bit to make it work, don't you?
 Sluggishly, Lucy is nodding off.
 It's a high difficulty magic to begin with.
 I don't think it's natural that you can't do it that quickly.
 Maybe we should give them a change of scenery.

It's a good idea to have a look at it with me. And I want to see Lucy's space transfer (teleportation).
 I shook Lucy's hand.
'We both? I can't get it to work on my own...
 He grips back.

'When you get stuck, you might as well change your mood and try different things.
Hmm, I don't know.
 Lucy twisted her head, but she was ready to do it.

'Well, I'll be going then,'
 Lucy holds the wand in her right hand and my hand in her left.
She is chanting a super-grade magic of the "gold" attribute - a spatial transfer (teleportation) and short-range spell.
 At the same time, I can feel a frightening increase in magical power (mana).

 Spatial transfer (teleportation) is a famous magic, and there are many wizards who try to learn it.
 However, there are few wizards who use it.
 One of the reasons for this is its poor fuel efficiency.
 Anyway, it consumes magic power (mana) like a fool.
 That's why it seems to work well with the elves who are born with enormous magic power.

 Lucy finished casting the spell.
 There are several huge magic circles floating around us.

(Lucy's magic power is bottomless........)

 I've never seen them go on an adventure together and I've never seen them lose their magic.
 The only time I've ever lost my magic is when I've lost my focus.

'Makoto, I'm coming.'
Yeah, you'll be fine.
Teleportation!

 We were surrounded by light.


 -- The next moment, the scene in front of us changed completely.


 And then a strong wind slammed into my face.

'Lucy! It's working... what?
Oh, Mako! Didn't we fall?
 The transfer point was in the air.

 And it's not a bit high.
 We were (probably) less than a thousand meters off the ground.
 We were jumping above the clouds.
 I was getting closer to the ground.

"Kyaaaah! What am I going to do, what am I going to do, Mako!
 Lucy's screams and impatient voices could be heard mixed in with the sound of the wind.

'I thought Lucy couldn't use flight magic?'
 Popular intermediate magic.
 Relatively anyone can use it.
 I'm an apprentice wizard, so I can't do it.

I'm practicing, and I can't get it to work!
Okay.
 I have a feeling I'd better learn that one first.

Well, Makoto! I'm going to fall! I'm going to fall off!
 Lucy's voice became a cry.
 Not good. I was the only one who was too calm with my 'clear water' skill.

 --Hey, genie.

 I thrust my right hand forward and unleashed the "Water Magic Phoenix".
 In the blink of an eye, a giant water phoenix appeared.
 I pulled Lucy's hand and dove onto the back of the giant water bird.
 I managed to disperse the impact of the fall with my water magic method.

''Huh? Ew! Ehhh!
Sorry, Lucy. I should've just done the magic in the first place.
Mako! This is royal grade magic. How is it so easy to use?
Because of this thing.
 I showed him my 'Spirit's Right Hand'.
 Through my right hand, I can immediately draw the magic power of the spirits.
 We live in a convenient world. Isn't it?

 Lucy and I rode on the back of the water phoenix and leisurely flew over Gamelan, the royal capital of the Fire Nation.
 We searched for the location of the inn from the sky.
 For a while, we flew leisurely in the sky.

 But suddenly, with a bang, the water phoenix lost its balance.

''Oops.''
"Aha!
 We're losing altitude and for a moment we're going to fall.

Come back!
 Control it and avoid the fall.
 Jesus.
 I'm not sure I'm ready for this.

Sorry, Lucy. Are you okay?
'Yeah, I'm fine. It's very unusual for Makoto to miss control of water magic.
It's difficult, this genie with his right hand.
 He showed a glowing blue arm.
 Seeing that, Lucy frowned.

'Mako, does it hurt?'
It doesn't hurt, I mean, I can't feel it.
Yeah, well that's what I'm worried about.
'It makes me miss the fine controls sometimes... well, but it's better now. I can do this stuff.
 I looked up.
 The sky is filled with gray clouds and rain is falling in flurries.

 I extend my right hand towards the sky.


 --Spirit, scatter the clouds.


 
 Just above us, the sun showed its face.

It's a good thing that you're not the only one.
Yeah, that's convenient. There are a lot of water spirits, though I can only do that when it's raining.
....
Lucy?
 I was immensely disappointed.

 When we arrived at the inn, I said, "Let's practice spatial transference again then," but he said no.
 Apparently, the magical power of the person I was jumping with would affect the spatial transition destination.
 I heard that my spirit's right hand could have been attracted to the rain cloud.
 So that's why I jumped high into the sky.
 It's a difficult magic, space transfer.

 Lucy is working hard on her training, so I felt bad about interrupting her, so I decided to go somewhere else.

'Mako! I'll catch up with you soon!
 Leaving.
 "Take it easy," she said desperately.
"Take it easy, okay?
You keep pushing yourself too hard, don't you!
 ...Is that right?

 I wasn't sure if I was successful in cheering him up or not.


 ◇



 I woke up early in the morning.
 Then I unbuckled the bandage on my right arm as I decided to train before breakfast.

 --I look at my right hand, which glows blue.

 An arm that hasn't returned since I became a spirit, an arm that hasn't returned since I became a spirit.
 It's my arm, but I can't move it freely...a funny feeling that it's connected to somewhere far away.
 The magic power is pulsing in my arm like a vein.

 And a little above the elbow.
 A faint red bruise is glowing.
 The light is like a flickering, dead-battery light bulb, perhaps because Noah-sama is sealed in the undersea temple.
 However, according to Eil-sama, this seems to be something called 'divine energy'.

 
 Calm down.
 I'm still not able to control the spirit's arm or Noah-sama's 'divine energy'.
 I don't have them, but........

Have I gotten stronger lately?

 I was able to manipulate the weather a bit yesterday.
 My mouth is grinning.
 I'm thinking about what I'm going to do today.

"Brave little Makoto! Are you awake?!

 Someone came into the room suddenly without knocking. 
 If you're Lucy Ka-San, I'd complain to you.

Seriously, Sofia. Good morning.
 She was a princess.
 I hurriedly returned to my expression.

''Oh, you were in training, weren't you?''
 Princess Sophia looked at me and smiled, her expression immediately serious.
 What's the case?


We have set a firm date for the Northern Expedition.
 Princess Sophia quietly announced.

''The Northern Expedition Plan you plan to head to the Demon Continent to defeat the Demon King. When is it?''
 It's the one I've been hearing about for a while.

'About a month from now. The operation will begin on the first day of the lion moon.
In a month's time we won't have much time.
 I was surprised.
 I thought it was at least three months away.
 For a large-scale military operation, isn't this too hasty?
 Princess Sophia nodded a little at my words.

''I think so too. I think that something unforeseen has happened........ That's why I've received word that all the heroes and priestesses should assemble at Symphonia, the royal capital of the Land of the Sun (Highland).

 -- Princess Sophia announced an emergency summons from the Land of the Sun (Highland).