With the blazing sun at my back, sweat dripping from my forehead, and a throbbing pain in my arm with every step, I reach the top of a long stairway and finally see the church in front of me. When I look back, I see the entire city stretching all the way to the sea, which would be a beautiful sight for tourists if I weren’t so exhausted.
— What a view… What are those ships?
Some ships are completely enclosed, long, and windowless, reminding me of submarines. As soon as they approach the harbor, they simply sink into the water and disappear, leading me to believe there must be some submerged structure for them to dock at.
— …This world is really full of women.
When I pay attention to the people walking around the city, I rarely see any men. Most of them are just women walking the streets or working in the shops.
Even the other races in the city seem to follow the same pattern.
— The aquatic folk is quite diverse… If I recall correctly, some are nearly extinct.
Throughout the novel’s story, it is mentioned that some races are unable to bear male children. In a world where the disparity between the number of men and women is already so large, such races eventually disappear little by little
This is also one of the reasons why many of them united into a single kingdom instead of splitting apart.
The race with the greatest impact on the story was the mermaids, beautiful girls who simply cannot bear male children and need other species to ensure the continuation of their lineage.
— The princess of that race joins the protagonist’s harem, doesn’t she?
In one of the chapters, the protagonist needed to learn a breathing technique to enter a certain underwater dungeon.
It was because of this event that he went to the kingdom of the aquatic race and ended up meeting the mermaid princess.
— It must have been a real challenge for him to bring her to school…
To transport a mermaid without her dying, you need a huge water tank. And considering the distance between the port and Noctis, it was certainly a complicated journey.
Because of this, the Noctis Royal Academy renovated a large part of its structure, creating connections via water pipes and installing special seats that were, in practice, small pools.
All of this only proved the immense financial support the school received to integrate other races.
— Well, if they educate the mermaid princess well, future connections with the aquatic folk should become easier… Certainly a good reason for all the trouble they went through to accommodate her.
Thinking this, I turn my gaze to the sea and see some girls briefly coming out of the water to negotiate and then diving back.
— …Honestly, how inconvenient must it be to date a fish girl? She can’t stay out of the water for long, and he can’t live in the water… — I think, feeling a little more respect for the hero.
For a moment, I think about what it would be like to have a home around here, watching this scene every day, but I soon turn my attention to the church, which is quite busy.
Several nuns are tidying up the place while novices help them.
The church in Maralto is relatively small, since the city is far from the capital and a good portion of its population consists of other races with different religions. Even so, it is respected by all and no one dares to do anything against it.
Not quite sure what to do, I approach a nun who seems less busy.
— Excuse me, could you tell me where the orphanage is?
The nun looks at me with slight surprise, but soon offers a kind smile.
— Hm? Are you looking for the orphanage? It’s right over there.
Looking in the direction she points, I see a relatively small building, even smaller than the church.
— Thank you.
After thanking her, I head in the direction she points and arrive at a building surrounded by a low wall of moss-covered stones. The structure is simple, made of wood reinforced with iron beams and some stone walls. In front, a small garden with wildflowers grows almost spontaneously, and a makeshift wooden fence separates the vegetable garden cultivated by the nuns and children from the rest of the space.
Arriving at the door, I see that it is open and a woman is looking after some children.
As I watch, the woman notices me and approaches, carrying one of the children in her arms.
— Good afternoon… What brings a boy to the orphanage?
Unlike the nun before, this woman looks at me in a somewhat strange way.
— Good afternoon, I’d like to know if there’s room at the orphanage…
Only after hearing my request did the nun understand my intentions. She looks me up and down, carefully examining my bandaged arm and my overall condition, before letting out a sigh.
— Haa… Boy, there’s a shed right behind the house, you can stay there.
With that, she turns away and goes back to taking care of the children.
Looking closer, I realize they’re all girls, who look no older than thirteen.
— Is that the age limit? Around thirteen… And only girls… Haa…
I sigh as I head toward the shed. It’s a small space, made entirely of wood, about the size of a bathroom, full of dust and mold. A few old shelves hold rusty tools, but there’s nothing I could call a bed.
— Just what I do…
When I turn to leave and look around, I see a girl standing a few meters away from me, looking in my direction.
— …What is this girl?
Her appearance has a slightly somber yet delicate air. Her expressionless face, along with her long, delicate black hair that falls to her waist and her deep pink, almost violet eyes, convey an unreal beauty.
She seems shorter than me, probably around 1.55m tall, wearing a simple dark blue dress.
Of all the girls I’ve seen in this orphanage, she appears to be the oldest, probably around fifteen years old.
— …Fifteen years? Old enough to start high school, right? That must be the maximum age, I guess…
Thinking about it, maybe that’s the real purpose of this place, to provide enough education so the children can get into a good school and then continue with their own lives.
— Leaving that aside… Do you need anything? — I ask the young girl, who is still looking at me silently.
After standing there for a while, the girl slowly approaches and reaches out her hand toward my arm.
Seeing this, I quickly step back and shield my broken arm.
— Could you not touch it? It still hurts a lot.
The girl blinks slightly, as if thinking about something, and then murmurs.
— Can I… see?
— Little girl, I don’t even know you, so why would I let you see? — I reply, still shielding my arm.
If it were just the fracture, I might consider it, but with the flower possibly still inside, I need to stay on guard.
— …That reminds me, how is it now? — I wonder, looking at my bandaged arm.
Ever since I woke up at that old man’s house for the first time, I’ve never actually seen the state of my arm.
I don’t even know if the flower is still in it or if it’s already entered my body.
— I can… heal it.
— …Huh? Are you a novice or something?
The girl shakes her head, denying.
— If you’re not a novice, how are you going to heal me? — I ask, becoming even more interested in this brooding girl.
— I have… a magic… — she says slowly.
Honestly, this conversation seems very suspicious.
Usually, the only people with healing magic are those connected to the church, like priestesses who receive the Goddess’s blessing after years of dedication, or nuns with great potential, but their effects are more limited.
And now this girl, who appeared out of nowhere, tells me she can heal my arm, even though she doesn’t work for the church.
— Should I accept? — I ask myself, looking at my arm. — …I don’t have much of a choice.
I can’t even imagine how long it would take for my arm to fully recover if I left it like this.
Besides, there’s the possibility that it won’t heal properly and I’ll never be able to use it properly again.
— ...All right, I’ll accept your offer. — I say, untying the bandages from my arm for the first time.
Every careless movement causes pain throughout my entire arm, making me extremely cautious as I slowly untie them. After a few minutes, I finally remove the bandage and see the disastrous state of my arm, covered in cuts, bruises, and injuries.
Despite this horrible appearance, there seem to be no signs of the flower, which leaves me somewhat relieved.
— Could it be dead? — I wonder, but I still don’t dismiss the possibility that it’s alive.
I’m afraid to try touching my arm to feel it because of the pain.
The girl brings her hand close without touching me, and after a few moments, a pink flower petal, the exact color of her eyes, slowly descends and dissolves onto my skin.
— ...I don’t feel any difference. — I murmur, looking at my arm.
It looks basically the same, with no change at all.
The girl remains focused, summoning three more petals. Only then does she stop, looking exhausted with a bit of sweat trickling down her face.
She probably never trained her magic properly, causing her to quickly reach her limit.
— Was there any change… Did that cut close up a little?
As I look at my arm, I think that maybe some cuts have closed a little, but I can’t be sure.
The magic had almost no effect, making me sigh.
— Haa… Looks like I’ll have to wait after all. — I think, before turning to the girl. — It seems like you haven’t practiced much this magic of yours.
— I discovered the effect… recently… — she replied, leaning her back against the orphanage wall.
— Hm… Do you have any other magic?
— Yes… But I don’t know… its effects…
— I see…
I don’t have much to say, since I’m in the same situation with two of my magics. Besides, asking more would be intrusive toward someone I barely know.
— ESTELA! Where are you!? — the woman’s voice echoes from inside.
— I’m going…
The girl, named Estela, gives me one last look before turning and entering the orphanage.
— …Strange girl.
I watch the door she went through for a little longer before picking up the bandage I’d untied and trying to wrap it around my arm again.
After a while, I still can’t get it tied properly, so I just leave my arm half-wrapped and turn my gaze toward the shed.
— I think I’d better tidy up a bit… And see if I can make a makeshift bed.
I grab an old broom from the corner and start sweeping, removing as much dust as possible. Then I examine the shelves in search of something usable as a bed, but I don’t find anything.
— Hmm… I guess I’ll just have to sleep on the floor… At least it’s made of wood.
I turn to look outside and see that it’s getting dark. Besides, near the shed, there’s a hard bread roll and a cup of water.
Without thinking much, I grab the bread and force myself to eat it.
— …I need to get some money.
After finishing my light meal, I sit at the shed door and stare at the dirt floor, somewhat distracted. The pain in my arm continues, but it’s bearable.
— … [Connection].
I feel a slight headache after activating it for a while, but nothing happens.
— [Trail].
Again, I feel a slight headache, but nothing happens.
These two magics are a mystery, as they don’t work instinctively like [Remembrance] and [Protective Membrane].
I keep thinking about the two magics, and some theories pop into my mind, so I get up and walk a little further ahead of the shed.
— The easiest one to figure out must be Trail… Let’s start with that.
I look around and try to walk while using the spell, but nothing happens.
— If this magic has to do with leaving traces for me to follow later, then why doesn’t it work?
As I think, I look at the path leading to the church. Although there’s a small path leading to it, there’s also some brush growing in the middle of it.
Some of these bushes have been trampled to the point of being dead now, indicating that people are passing through there.
As I think about this kind of trail, I end up remembering a possibility.
— These trails are physical, but mine is magical… Do I need something with magic?
With this theory in mind, I look around and head toward a tree. Since this is a magical world, I believe that all living beings must possess magic, even if only a little.
When I stand in front of it, I touch my hand to its trunk and activate the magic.
— [Trail].
After activating it, I step back a little and finally notice something different. It’s as if there were gum stuck between me and the tree. The farther I move away, the thinner it becomes, but when I get closer again, it returns to its normal size.
And after reaching a certain distance, it breaks.
— Weird magic…
I can’t actually see the magic, but that’s the feeling it gives me when I use it.
— Alright… Now it’s [Connection].
I activate it and nothing happens, just as I expected.
This magic is the biggest mystery right now, because even its name confuses me.
I even try using it on the tree, thinking it might be something similar to [Trail], but in the end, nothing happens.
— Connection… Connect…
As I think about it, I go back to the shed and lie down on the floor.
— If I think about that flower… It seemed to be connected to the other flowers.
As I recall the flower, a new theory pops into my mind.
— This connection doesn’t let me sense the tree, but something must be connected, right?
If the flower could sense the other flowers and control them, then I must have formed a connection with the magic, only there were no apparent results.
— …I wonder if I can hear its thoughts?
That was the only idea that came to mind, but I need to test it on something that actually has thoughts.
— But that’s strange… That flower didn’t seem to be able to hear the thoughts of others.
If it could hear thoughts or sense the other flowers, it wouldn’t have thought I was already dead and being controlled by the flower.
— It’s more like it was giving commands… Could that be it, then? Since the magic is mine, when I connect with something or someone, can I transmit my thoughts or feelings?
Of all the theories I’ve had so far, this seems to be the most plausible. The only problem is how this transmission works.
— I have to run some tests tomorrow…
With that thought, I slowly close my eyes, getting ready to sleep.
— …I can’t sleep.
Sleeping on the floor isn’t comfortable at all.
[To be continued…]
[???]:
— …Hey, what are you doing?
[+++]:
— Working.
[???]:
— …Do you work?
[+++]:
— Of course I do! You’re the one who doesn’t work!
[???]:
— …Someone’s coming, isn’t it?
[+++]:
— …