The Mages’ Situation

The fight against Stalkey’s group had ended with our victory.

It would have been much harder with just Liz and me, but we were lucky the carriage driver had a weapon—and a very good aim.

Although, to be honest, I still have trouble processing the existence of that rifle.

“Do those things really exist here too?” I asked, still in disbelief.

“What do you mean?” Liz asked.

“The rifle. I find it hard to believe that firearms exist in this world as well.”

When you picture yourself being transported to another world like this, you think of weapons like swords, spears, and all sorts of magic. Firearms don’t usually come up in those kinds of discussions.

“They’re still recent,” Liz said. “When mages stopped being useful, people looked for alternatives to defend themselves from monsters, and that’s how those weapons came to be.”

“Wait, wait—how did mages stop being useful?” I asked. It seemed strange to me that such clunky, slow rifles could be more practical than conjuring magic out of nowhere to attack.

Unless magic had ridiculous requirements, I couldn’t see it losing to firearms that impractical.

“…It was because of the destruction of the Great Tree Mildfir.”

That war from a hundred years ago again. Describing it as the most important event in this world didn’t seem exaggerated at all the more I learned about it.

Liz looked at me and began explaining more about the current state of mages.

“For mages, there were two types of mana: their own and that of the tree. When their own mana was depleted, the tree’s mana helped mitigate the consequences of exhaustion. But when the tree died, everything started going wrong…”

Liz lowered her head as she continued her story, as if it was something that still affected her somehow.

“Without the tree’s mana, spells lost power and their cost increased—but the worst part was the exhaustion. Without mana to soften the effects, mages who ran out of their own mana ended up completely empty… They would turn into undead, like the one that attacked us in the castle ruins.”

I see.

It truly was a terrifying situation. Not only did it take more spells to deal the same damage as before, but using too many would practically kill them.

“And with all those disadvantages, things went downhill for them, didn’t they?” I asked.

“Yes… They were no longer accepted in parties, for fear they’d turn into undead if they weren’t careful. And that’s not even counting the fact they were no longer as strong as before…” Liz replied.

That was why they tried to come up with better ways to attack from a distance—and that’s how firearms were born in this world.

The Great Tree Mildfir… its loss truly marked the end of the world as they knew it.

Just thinking about the possibility of never being able to return home because of the tree’s death makes my head hurt, but we have to keep going.

“Go to sleep. I’ll take the watch now,” I told Liz, who still looked a bit downcast.

“N-no! I-I’m fine! I can still—”

“Do you want me to remind you how you were right before we were attacked?” I replied, giving her a judging look.

Liz tried to say something back, but no words came out of her mouth; she only lowered her gaze, looking defeated.

I chuckled a little at the sight, which annoyed her.

“What are you laughing at?” she asked, irritated.

“It’s nothing, don’t worry. Go to sleep—tomorrow you’ll be my guide through the town, so you need to rest while you can,” I said as I patted her head.

I’m not sure why I did that.

Maybe because the scene felt adorable, maybe because I just wanted to tease her a little more—I don’t know. I just did it.

I thought she’d get even more annoyed, but that wasn’t the case.

“…Alright,” she replied, eyes lowered.

Things hadn’t changed much, but I felt her mood had improved.

She went to her sleeping bag and I sat by the campfire. It didn’t take long for her to fall into a deep sleep.

The driver had already gone to bed while we were talking, this time with his weapon at his side.

With both of them asleep, I was left completely alone in the night.

Luckily, nothing else happened while I kept watch, and the first rays of morning slowly emerged from the horizon, bathing everything once again in its natural yellow hue under the growing light of the sun.

***

After everyone woke up, we packed everything and continued our way to the nearest town.

It was just as boring as yesterday, but at least this time I managed to entertain myself a little more while talking with Liz.

“And what’s that for?”

“It’s a social network—it’s for meeting more people and sharing things.”

“And what about that other one?”

“That one’s for making calls.”

At some point along the way, I got so bored that I took out my phone to pass the time. But Liz grew so curious that she began asking about every single thing she saw on the screen.

She was as adorable and curious as a child.

“And what’s that thing?” she asked once again.

“Oh, that’s the camera—it’s the app you use to take the pictures I showed you yesterday,” I replied.

Liz’s eyes lit up like never before, and she quickly moved closer to me.

“Could you show me how it works?!” she asked, excited.

She’s way too close!

“O-okay, just give me a little space…”

Liz accepted and stepped back a bit.

I tried to think of a way to explain how it worked, but then I had a better idea.

“Liz, look over here.”

Liz looked confused by what I said, but she did it anyway.

Snap

“Eh!? What was that!?” she asked, startled.

“And that’s how the camera works,” I replied, showing her the phone’s screen. “Look.”

When she saw the phone, Liz’s eyes widened as far as they could from the surprise, still unable to process what she was seeing.

“That’s me!? How!?” she shouted, unable to take her eyes off the screen.

It’s fun seeing her this excited. Maybe I should show her some of the songs I have saved, too.

“We’re here!” the driver shouted.

Hearing that, both Liz and I turned to face forward.

In the distance, we could finally see the town—our first destination.

I guess the music can wait for now.

We gathered our things and prepared for our arrival.

***

“Welcome to my town, Naoya!” Liz said as she stepped off the carriage.

The town certainly looked like something straight out of the Middle Ages, but the wear and tear was visible everywhere. They looked like ruins that had been patched up just enough to function as homes or businesses.

Once again, the world showed me that things weren’t going to be easy at all on this journey.

“Excuse me, miss, but you’re short on money.”

“Eh!?”

It seemed Liz and the carriage driver were having a small disagreement.

“What do you mean? The payment’s complete—it’s the usual amount,” she replied.

“But I had to bring along an extra person this time,” the driver argued. “I’m sorry, but that’s how it is—you’ll have to pay the extra fee.”

Seeing that the driver wouldn’t change his mind, Liz went quiet, eventually resigning herself to paying the extra.

This one’s my fault. I’ll have to make it up to her somehow later.

The driver took the money and left without saying much, though he didn’t seem to enjoy the situation either.

Judging by the state of the town, I can imagine he does it out of sheer necessity.

“Sorry about that, Naoya…” Liz said, trying to force a smile. “Come on, we have things to do before heading home.”

I simply nodded and began following her lead. It felt like the right thing to do.

And so, after two days, we finally arrived at Liz’s town. Our first destination.