Chương 41: 40 – Brighter Sides

I gained the skill. It sucked. Braindumping the grueling hour spent depleting and replenishing my mana, I trudged home, finally ready to end this long, long day. Of course, when I stepped into our house, I saw two of our three guests. Even my exceptional social stamina had been run ragged by the day.

After crafting for Omoali, discovering Hadra would be leaving, the arrival of a small army, the encounter with Maulander, learning the Mana Pool skill with Mom, and finally hearing about what the Duchy of Estermont had been like… All I wanted to do was sleep. I plastered on a smile for our guest anyway. Tired as I was, it still wasn't difficult as his son was absolutely adorable.

"Hello!" I said.

"H-hi!" he jumped.

"Mewa!" exclaimed the toddler sitting in the corner as he played with some little stick figure carvings. I beamed. Gwiredel Patenteer was a mousy little man in his early forties. He had a long mustache and beard that covered most of his face. He was one of the few people in this world whose job kept him inside almost all of the time, and so his skin was pale in a way I found familiar only from April's world.

"Is everything going okay? I haven't seen either of your parents all day," he asked anxiously. Mom had not returned with me, instead detouring to the fields to help gather what we'd give to the general in the morning. We were lucky we had Stoutgruff. I had been given leave to sleep, finally, but I had strict orders to visit one of the healers from the army in the morning for my arm.

"Just busy," I said, shaking my head.

"That's a relief," he replied.

"We're sorry again for taking your room."

"Don't be!" I exclaimed.

"I saw Eparri at the bar earlier today. She was helping Edra care for the wounded." He smiled.

"They are our neighbors and friends. They'd do the same for us. I just wish I had skills that could help you more. My wife, at least, can help with cooking and the wounded, but my talents are useless at a time like this." I patted him on the shoulder.

"You get my patent to the offices in Denarla and get some people to start making this stuff, and I'll forgive you ten times over!" Patenteers were a bit like merchants, except their job was to reach out to nobles and present them with ideas. They basically hunted for investors and shopped their patents around, trying to get people to create their products, usually taking one or two percent of the profits for bringing the idea to nobles who had the money to hire crafters or build infrastructure.

I didn't actually know if there was an equivalent in April's world. She'd never encountered anyone with a job quite like that. Movie producers maybe? Still, the man was obviously well off. He gave the vibe of a real estate agent. He'd managed to keep his horse and get out of town with his entire family before ever truly encountering danger, so I had to assume he had his ear to the ground as well.

"I wanted to mention that. I'd been trying to speak to your parents about it, but we are probably going to be joining the City Guards that came to fetch Miss Hadra," he said. I knelt down to the little baby and made some faces at him. He giggled uproariously, his face spreading in a wide grin.

"Mewwa!"

"You sure are up late, little man! Have you been keeping your dad awake, Davender!?" I asked loudly. He shook his head vigorously, but he was still a little too young to understand what I was saying. He was responding to tone more than anything. I beamed at him.

"You haven't? Then why are you still awake so late? It seems like you have!" He giggled, small fingers running all over his face, tasting everything. He had a tiny crop of blonde hair that he got from his mother and light brown eyes. I stood up and turned to Gwiredel, but the little boy didn't like that. He screamed and ran over to me, clutching my leg.

"I've found a little leech!" I said, to the boy's father before I pretended to put great effort into tugging the boy off my leg. Gwiredel laughed along with his giggling son. Kids were so cute. I bent down and wrapped my hands under the boy's shoulders and picked him up with little difficulty. He went without protest.

"I am a bit surprised you're both awake. It's closer to morning than evening, isn't it?" I asked. He sighed before taking the boy from me.

"Tell that to the child. Normally, I'd have insisted he sleep, but I've been waiting for news about the army in town. I'll sleep easier tonight knowing they're here. Or at least I would if not for this little disaster."

"A little. General Maulander is here. They're here for the harvest and intend to head back to the frontline soon. I think they'll be gone by tomorrow evening, but I'm pretty sure the Mayor convinced the general to clear out Mitoras on his way back." This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. I hoped Maulander did clear them out, but the picture Mom painted of him made me doubt it.

"Well that's a relief. Even beyond the trolls and goblins, I'm afraid of what we'll find when we go back. What if there is nothing left to save?" He asked. I frowned. The man seemed defeated. Lost, tired, and terrified he wouldn't be able to provide for his son, in a world where his profession would be the first relegated to obsolescence during wartime. I put a hand on his shoulder.

"Then we rebuild. What are we going to do? Lay over and die? You'll rebuild your house, and then if your neighbor is still struggling, you'll help them rebuild theirs. On and on until everyone is happy and home. That's what a community does." Never mind that April had never seen it in her overpopulated, yet somehow far more lonely world. I had. I'd seen it here. And hell, if no one in Mitoras helped him when he got back, I'd do it myself! He gave a sad smile. The requirements for his need bubble lessened.

His was one of the ones that I wouldn't be making in front of anyone. I was pretty sure it was a book, like Mom's had been. Unsurprisingly, he needed to protect his son.

"I'm not glad this happened. But I am certainly glad we met you, Mera. Will you visit Davender whenever all this is over?"

"Of course!" I said happily.

"I suppose I'll be visiting quite a bit, anyway. The Pepper Paste is only the beginning of what I'm going to make!" He grinned.

"Always happy to hear that." I took a few steps towards the bedroom, but turned back before entering.

"It's going to be okay, yeah? We'll pull through this." He nodded. I gave him a final smile before I shut the door and tumbled into the bed, barely managing to remove my shoes before I was out like a light. I probably slept longer than I needed to, as the sun was already edging towards midmorning when I finally awoke to the sound of the door opening.

"Hey, Onion," Dad said. I rubbed at weary eyes, but jumped when the time of day actually registered.

"Dad! You shouldn't have let me sleep so late! I could've helped! Did you get the whole harvest gathered? What about the Pepper Paste?" Dad looked like he'd been awake for a month. I got up out of bed, wishing I had time to boil the water for a bath. I'd slept in my clothes and felt grungy. It was a misty morning, and the air was cold outside the blankets. I grinned suddenly when I realized that starting a fire to get a bath going would be easier than ever.

I had fire magic, and my single skill point in the Mana Pool skill had bumped my mana total from three hundred sixty to four hundred fifty. An increase of ninety mana. Mom had been very pleased with a twenty-five percent expansion of my mana and had explained that each time I leveled the skill, I would receive that same bonus. If I spent fifty points on the skill, that would be an instantaneous bump of forty-five hundred mana.

Conscious of the advice from Mom and Oxana, I had opted not to drop points in the skill until I'd gotten it to at least level thirty naturally. Another reason for this was that I still hadn't gained the Mana Regeneration skill. That would come with constant repeated refills of my mana pool. That would take a lot longer if I had a couple thousand mana instead of just five hundred. Unfortunately, hard work was the key to quicker mana regeneration. No lazy meditation for me.

Alone, it regenerated at about the wisdom stat plus my intelligence stat per hour. While working hard at some task, Mom said that the rate improved a little bit more. Something about engaging vitality to aid in the regeneration. Either way, she figured that, at absolute best, I could regenerate fifty mana an hour, but it would probably be closer to forty. All this was to say that I was going to be lighting a fire with my level one fire magic, and then heating the water with it until I was ready for a nice soak.

After that, I'd have an empty mana pool and a full day of work ahead!

"You needed your rest, Mera," he said.

"Not more than you! The danger isn't gone yet, and you're going to need to be wide awake when another attack comes," I told him.

"Well, I'm here to get that now. I just finished loading up most of our harvest onto the wagons. Soldiers helped us all night. Good lads. The nicest, most generous thieves you'll ever meet." I frowned.

"It's not on them."

"I know. Allow an old man his bitterness. We've been working on that grain for nearly a year. Seeing it taken…" he growled.

"Look on the bright side. At least now we don't have to pay the miller," I said.

"Always the bright side with you! Let me wallow in peace!" he said, kicking off his boots.

"You may not!" I said. I lowered my voice conspiratorially.

"Did the general appreciate the skins?" Dad snickered.

"As far as I know, his lordship hasn't left his tent yet this morning. If you head to the bar, you might be able to catch it." I shrugged.

"Hopefully I'll get to. I need to work on my Mana Pool skill. Heating water this morning."

"Oh! Did Naska finally find time to teach you?" he asked.

"Mmm. Last night. I got ninety points!"

"Marvelous!" he said.

"I only get about sixty-five. It's tough for me to level that skill. Even an entire field doesn't require that much household magic from me anymore, and I tend to regenerate it almost as fast as I can spend it."

"Maybe you should pick up Mom's fire magic, too?" He shook his head.

"I'm willing to try, though she said my growth magic might make it more difficult."

"She would know, wouldn't she?" I said. He lay down on the bed as I strapped on my own shoes.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"She told me who she was… before."

"Told you that, too, did she? Must've been quite the night. No wonder she insisted on letting you sleep." I shrugged.

"I've learned to trust her when it comes to almost everything academic. I'm quite certain she never had fire magic before you gave her that book." he said.

"Huh. So… what type of magic does she have? Is it something to do with communication? She always just seems to know things even if she's never been out of town." He grinned.

"Not my secret to tell." I frowned. I'd get it out of her eventually.

"Well she became a farmer. Why didn't she ever try to learn your kind of magic?" I asked.

"I don't really have a type of magic, Mera. It's just household magic, bent towards growth. She taught me Mana Pool and Mana Regeneration of course, but I've never learned anything formal. Still not sure how the hell Edra turned her own household magic into something more. I've thought about asking her, but I'm a little afraid that would lead to me being responsible for cleaning the outhouse." I shuddered.

"Heavens forbid that." He laughed.

"Well, you get some sleep, Dad. I'll try to make sure the bath water is still hot later today," I said.

"Thanks, girl. Your mother decided to give ten barrels of the pepper paste to the general if he wants them, and if that sounds good to you. Talk to the Mayor about that, since she doesn't want that man to lay eyes on you again. Oh! And your mother told me to remind you to go see a healer first thing!" he replied as he closed his eyes. I gave him a quick salute and I was off. Baths in Enora weren't like baths on Earth.

There wasn't a tub big enough to hold a person in town, though I certainly would like to make one someday. Instead, I just heated the water in a basin and rinsed myself off as best I could with oils behind a privacy curtain. The bath rinse felt great, but the awful feeling of being completely out of mana did not. Soon enough, I was refreshed and on my way to the bar, only to hear a shout that shook half the buildings in town.

"Mayor Dobretin! What is the meaning of this gods-be-damned stink!?" I grinned. It seemed I'd arrived just in time.