A Message

“Yuki! Yuki!! It’s coming this way!” Nono jumps out of the shadows and stands in front of me. She puts two hands on the ground and raises them up with strained force.

“Earthwall!” she screams and the ground itself rises up to build a protective wall around us.

Seconds later there is a loud crash. It feels like an earthquake. The wall, so quickly built, crumbles like dust. A shining sphere drops to the ground in front of us, rolling out of the debris. It looks like a giant pearl, shimmering in all colours of the rainbow. Then, all of a sudden, a face appears in the sphere. It is the face of a young woman with short, black hair. She is wearing a full plate armour, scratched and stained from use. Her head is wrapped in bandages and there’s blood on her face.

Then, she speaks.

“My name is Suzu Kato, and I am the Hero of Fire. I hope this message reaches you, wherever you may be, hero of light. We have observed movement in the demon army as a consequence of your sabotages and the advance of the Atol troops. We will attempt to break through their ranks to liberate the land between Char and Atol, which will benefit both cities. We will meet you halfway. Godspeed.”

The sphere stops shining and turns into what looks like transparent glass. A moment later it pops like a soap bubble, breaking into thousands of pieces.

At the horizon, a storm rises.

A storm of fire.

“That’s… That’s the direction of Char!” Poru says. “Are they actually charging into the demon lands? How did they know?”

“I asked my sister to send messengers, telling the troops of Char to wait for a sign. I was hoping that at least one would make it though, and it did,” Safrim explains. “This vast expanse of blue sky in the middle of otherwise occupied territory was enough of a sign, it seems.”

“But the Hero of Fire couldn’t be longer in this world than I am…”

I look towards the horizon. The firestorm has died down again, but the message is clear: This is the time. We are coming. Safrim turns around to face the various commanders of the force, which had joined us.

“We will make camp in Granlal, around the church of our Lady Erya. I leave it to your discretion to set up shelter and search the surrounding area, including the castle—though it might not be habitable after our attack,” he instructs them.

I don’t know if he outranks them, but they all stand at attention. For some time, I listen to them discuss the logistics, if only because it gives me room to breathe. I watch the troops set up a perimeter more quickly than I could even plan one out. They are so used to living like this, it’s frightening. But maybe, maybe…

“Yuki?”

I look up to find Safrim standing in front of me.

“Yes?”

“I know your powers must be running out, but every bit of shelter you can give us will be appreciated.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“That’s all that’s necessary.”

I smile weakly. To be honest, the spell I performed together with Poru left me drained, but maybe Erya will lend me some power if I ask her. I walk back over to the church and ask anyone inside the building to step out for a moment.

“Manipulation durability +140!”

I can feel the application of my power like a muscle ache deep in my limbs. My stomach flips. And the church stands once more. No matter how many times I see it, the sight still fills me with awe. Not only me, apparently, as I hear people around me cheer and clap.

And just like that, the golden form of Erya appears in front of the church and everyone falls to their knees. Everyone but me.

“I did not expect this victory,” Erya says.

“Shoot me directly, why don’t you?”

“Tsk.”

I cross my arms.

“You have a most useless skill, yet you have already achieved more than many before you. Not only that: Your power does more than conquer: It heals.”

“Lend me some strength so I can provide sheltered beds for these brave men and women.”

“It shall be so.”

Erya steps forward and puts her hand on my head. My whole body glows and the fatigue is blown away in an instant.

“Rebuilding places of worship strengthens me. Continue this endeavour and I will be able to provide you with even more power.”

“Understood.”

Erya eyes me again, looks me up and down. “For what it’s worth: I am sorry. You did well.”

And just like that, she disappears.

Ha! You think that tsundere behaviour will work on me? Think again.

——

After restoring most of the buildings around the plaza in front of the church, I am thoroughly drained. Even with Erya’s power, even if I’m getting used to the feeling of magic seeping out of me, it’s a lot to do. I don’t even manage to create shelter for all of the troops, which continue to trickle into Granlal to fortify the region. Finally I opt to take a bed in a tent next to the church, as Safrim has made it the current headquarters.

After hours of being bombarded with notifications like spam advertisements, I lay back, look at the tent ceiling and examine the system text in detail.

[Congratulations! Hiroyuki Satoyama has reached Level 20!

Stamina +100

Intelligence +150

Dexterity +20

Wisdom +100

Bonus skill points: +180

Please distribute (220) skill points]

“Wait. What?”

[Please distribute 220 skill points.]

“Where did that bonus come from?”

[A bonus is sometimes awarded based on the difference in level between you and the defeated enemy.]

“So enemies have levels too? Does everyone?”

[Affirmative.]

“Why can’t I see them?”

[Microscopic skill not high enough.]

Ah. So there’s a lot more to see and manipulate, then? Makes sense—the skill tree is pretty empty and many nodes are still unreadable.

“If everyone has levels, why can only I level up?”

[Everyone levels up through experience. Without skill Divine Appraisal, this process is passive.]

“That’s… huh. Alright. Put all points into Divine Appraisal, as usual. Half into Manipulation, half into Microscopic.”

[Skill points assigned to Divine Appraisal. Subskill leveled up: Manipulation (150/500). Subskill leveled up: Microscopic: (110/200) Main skill Divine Appraisal increased to Stage 4. 140 more points required to level up skill further.]

I step out of my tent and look over at where Karina and Nono are giving Gale his well-deserved brushing. The church garden has been cleared of the massive vegetation, leftover rubble pushed aside. There are still signs of the destruction all around, but the church looms over us, intact, shining, and gives everyone hope.

It hits me that I did this.

I gave them hope.

I still can’t believe it.