Chapter 53: The Seaside Country and Sky Training
“Thank you for saving us from that dangerous situation. My name is Mayleen Cazatia.“
A soaking-wet woman saluted us and expressed her thanks. This person was the captain commanding the Vertino fleet that, just moments ago, was being chased by Megalo Whales.
After rescuing them from their ship, which had unfortunately capsized in the mysterious massive waves, we stopped our ship at the edge of the sea route to talk.
Ah, I took responsibility for recovering Vertino’s ships, so they’re fine. They were a little broken, but apparently, they’ll be fine if repaired, so no problem. Yup, compared to being wiped out, just capsizing and getting soaked is no big deal!
“My name is Barn Dobag! Commander of the Tion Country Inner Sea Knight Order and Captain of the newest battleship Good Loser!“
Barn-san introduced himself with the exact same greeting as before. He might be fond of it.
“You were from Tion Country. To think you repelled that absurd monster… it was nothing short of splendid.“
“No, no, I merely gave orders and did nothing great. It was all thanks to the achievements of my excellent subordinates.“
“How humble…“
Amazing, the conversation is working even though they’re not on the same page.
“Please, everyone, use this to dry yourselves.“
The Vice Commander cut into the conversation, which was derailing endlessly, by offering towels.
“This is much appreciated.“
“By the way, Captain, shouldn’t we get to the main topic soon?“
“Oh, right.“
“The main topic…?“
Thanks to the Vice Commander’s course correction, Barn-san remembered his original purpose.
“Yes, we came to the river mouth to investigate the monster from earlier.“
“You know something about that monster!?“
Learning that we came to investigate the Megalo Whale, Mayleen’s expression changed, and she demanded an explanation from Barn-san.
“Very well. We were also hoping to have a detailed discussion with the people of Vertino regarding the monster investigation.“
“That is most helpful. That monster has been troubling us as well.“
“O-Ooh!?“
When Mayleen smiled and grasped Barn-san’s hand, Barn-san visibly reddened and flustered. Although she’d wiped her wet hair, perhaps because of its soft texture, Mayleen’s long hair clung damply to her skin, making her look vaguely alluring. So, Barn’s type is the alluring sort, huh. Yup, pretty useless information, but still. And so, just like that, it was decided we would head to Vertino Country.
◆
“And that’s why we’re on standby until Barn-san and the others finish their meeting.“
Barn-san and the Vertino folks went to this country’s castle for a conference. Perhaps because Vertino is a seaside country, its royal capital was also built by the sea, located close to the river mouth. But since we’re commoners, we can’t go with Barn-san and the others. So normally, we were supposed to wait on the ship with the other crew members, but thanks to Mayleen’s arrangements, we were allowed to borrow her villa.
“You are our saviors, after all. I’m just sorry I can only repay the favor with something like this.“
She said, and poof, lent us a gorgeous villa. One with servants, and a private beach…
“Uooooh! Awesome!“
“It’s a villa, but it’s a huge mansion… Could that person be an incredible heiress…“
“We can’t really tell her we’re partially responsible for her ship capsizing, can we…“
While Jairo rejoiced, Liliera and Mina’s faces turned pale with shock and guilt. It’s fine, the Megalo Whales were the ones at fault. Therefore… we’re in the clear!
“In any case, it’s nice to be able to stay on land. As expected, traveling by ship all the time is tiring.“
Ah, I can certainly understand that. In my previous life, when I went to save the continent across the sea, I was truly relieved when I got on land. I even thought about just becoming a person of that continent rather than crossing that sea again to return.
“Alright then, off to Vertino town!“
“Annd stop.“
I grabbed the scruff of Meguri’s neck, who was excitedly trying to head to Vertino’s royal capital, and captured her.
“Let go! The capital will run away!“
“It won’t run away. More importantly, there’s something I need you all to learn first.“
“””””Something you want us to learn?“”””””
Everyone’s gaze gathered on me.
“Yup, I want you all to learn flight magic.“
That’s right, since we finally have time, I decided to teach everyone the flight magic Liliera had been requesting.
“Seriously!? We can fly in the sky just like you, Bro!?“
“Depending on the training, yes.“
Hearing they’d learn flight magic, everyone’s faces turned serious.
“It certainly would be convenient if we could learn it. We’d be able to ignore terrain problems no matter where we are.“
“Yes, I think flight magic will be extremely important for carrying out this request. If we can fly, even those of us who aren’t mages can fight enemies on the water with swords and spears, and above all, having an emergency escape method is huge.“
“That’s right, as a healer, being able to quickly reach the destination has great advantages. Though I’ll probably need to be careful not to use too much magic power for movement.“
“Whatever, I want to learn it quick and go to the royal capital!“
Meguri is the only one at her own pace.
“Well then, we’re starting flight magic training now, so everyone change into these and gather on the sandy beach.“
“””””Yes!“””””
◆
“Alright, we will now begin flight magic training.“
I declared the start of training to everyone gathered.
“Wa-Wait a minute. I have a question before that.“
“What is it, Liliera-san?“
“Don’t ‘what is it’ me! What are these training clothes! There’s almost no fabric here!“
“Eh? There is, isn’t there?“
Liliera and the others were wearing the swimsuits I had prepared. The men, including me, wore standard briefs-style. The women, including Liliera, wore bikini-type swimsuits.
I’m glad I learned how to make clothes for survival situations in my previous life, just in case. I’m glad I prepared this just in case we came to a seaside country so we could practice flight magic. Luckily, this isn’t a survival environment, so I was able to prepare the materials beforehand.
“Th-This is underwear, isn’t it! It’s not training gear at all!“
“Rex… you pervert…“
For some reason, the women were extremely embarrassed. Maybe they don’t know what swimsuits are since they’re all from inland countries?
“Man, what a great view.“
“N-No, um, this is a bit too much stimulation for me…“
While Jairo grinned, Norb was looking down with a bright red face. Ah, he got a nosebleed.
“It’s not underwear, it’s a swimsuit. This is clothing for playing or being active near water. It’s properly made from monster materials resistant to water.“
Yup, if we’re training in the sea, swimsuits are necessary after all. By the way, I didn’t know everyone’s sizes, so they’re the type of swimsuits where you adjust the length with strings.
“Why is water involved in flight magic training!“
“Because it’s necessary to fly in the sky, of course.“
“I demand a satisfactory explanation!“
Yes, right. Explanation is important. I have to properly teach them how to deal with failure before starting training.
“Listen, everyone. Flight magic is magic to fly in the sky. But it’s also very dangerous magic.“
“Is it dangerous just to fly?“
Norv raised his hand and asked.
“Exactly. Everyone, think about it. Humans don’t have wings like birds. In other words, humans originally can’t fly.“
Everyone nodded in agreement at my words.
“And this time, the purpose of the training is to forcibly make humans who can’t fly, fly using magic. Are we clear so far?“
“””””Yeees!“””””
“Then, next. Let’s say you continue training and actually manage to fly.“
“””””Uh-huh!“””””
“But if you fail to control it the next moment and fall to the ground, what happens to a person? Yes, Liliera-san.“
“Eh? Me? Umm… Depending on the height… you could die. Best case, serious injuries?“
“Yes, exactly. You might be able to withstand it somewhat if you activate Body Enhancement Magic, but there’s a limit. And there’s no guarantee you can conveniently activate Body Enhancement Magic when panicking.“
Thereupon, I pointed at the sea in front of us.
“That’s why we’re training over this sea.“
Mina, finally understanding the meaning of the swimsuits, raised her voice.
“Right, if we fall over water, we won’t get hurt!“
Though if it’s too high, you’ll get hurt anyway.
“Exactly, that’s why it’s swimsuits that are fine getting wet.“
“””””I see!“””””
Voices of understanding finally rose regarding wearing swimsuits.
“But can’t we wear something a little thicker? It’s embarrassing to show this much skin.“
“If there’s too much cloth, it’ll absorb water and make it easier to drown.“
“I’m fine with a swimsuit!” “It’s embarrassing… I’ll learn fast and change.“
Jairo raised his voice happily, while Meguri, blushing, was still worried about the royal capital, her gaze wandering.
“Then let’s start flight magic training. There are many types of flight magic, but what’s important is an image that matches your own element and aptitude.“
“What do you mean by aptitude?“
Mina, curious about a magic technique she didn’t know, actively asked questions.
“Right. For example, people good at wind magic operate flight magic while imagining they’ve become wind, or imagining wind clinging to their body. But with a different element, the exact same image is impossible. For example, even if a person good at earth magic imagines earth clinging to their body, it doesn’t feel like they can fly, right?“
“So you mean you need your own image of how you might fly?“
“Right, furthermore, the high-speed movement Jairo apparently uses with fire Attribute Enhancement can also be used for flight if you increase the output.“
“Seriously!? I can already fly!?“
“If you can adjust the output well.“
“Alright, I’ll try it!“
No sooner said than done, Jairo activated Body Enhancement Magic and shot flames from behind him.
“Uoooooooh!!“
Flames erupted from behind the fired-up Jairo, and he floated lightly into the air.
“”””H-He flew!?“”””
Just as everyone raised voices of surprise, Jairo crashed with a poof sound.
“Gueh!“
“Are you okay, Jairo-kun?“
When I approached the fallen Jairo, he spread his arms and legs in an exhausted ‘X’ shape.
“What is this? It’s insanely exhausting.“
“Ah, you’re releasing too much magic power uselessly. People who fly like you, Jairo, need to narrow down the place where they release power.“
“Narrow down?“
“Right, don’t release it all at once, but narrow it down small to increase the force. Like this.“
Saying that, I shot fire magic power from the soles of my feet and soared into the sky.
“Since posture control is difficult at first, it might be good to release magic power from your hands like this to keep balance.“
Saying that, I changed my body’s balance by releasing flames from my palms and fingertips.
“Ooh! So that’s how I should fly! Alright, I’ll try it when my magic power recovers!“
“Good luck.“
He’s full of motivation.
“Um, according to the explanation earlier, does me being good at earth attribute defense mean I don’t have talent for flying?“
Norb asked, looking dejected and dispirited.
“Don’t worry. As I said earlier, what’s important is an image matching your aptitude. For earth attribute people, it seems it’s good to have an image of an invisible ground in the sky.” “Invisible ground?“
“Yes, instead of clinging magic power to your body to fly, you create a magic power field at your feet and ride on it. Like this.“
I jumped into the air, landed on a foothold made of magic power, and stopped still in mid-air.
“He stopped in mid-air!?“
“Well, just like that, the trick to flight magic is thinking about how you would fly if you were to fly, and how you can fly using your specialty element.“
“So you mean flight magic isn’t just one type.“
“Exactly. Flight magic is a type of magic said to have as many varieties as there are mages. So please think about your own way of flying.“
“I wonder if I can do it well.“
“I’ll just try it anyway!“
While Mina was unconfident, Meguri was just trying to fly in the sky anyway, repeatedly jumping into the air while cloaking her body in magic power.
“Also, everyone, when you fly, please do it towards the sea. I’ll catch you if something happens just in case, but there’s a danger I might not make it in time by mistake.“
“””””Understood!!“””””
Yup yup, their lives are on the line, so everyone’s reply is serious.
◆
“Uooooooooh!?“
Jairo, who flew into the sky, failed at posture control and crashed into the sea. Since he flew up with momentum, he plunged in with momentum when falling too.
“Uwa-wa-wah!?“
Mina, whose power field she generated in the air wasn’t strong enough, stepped right through her magic floor and fell. It looked a bit like pantomime, it was funny.
“Ukyaah!?“
Meguri failed to control the wind and fell into the sea spinning round and round.
“Ah-reeeh!“
Norb was floating up in the air little by little, but when he started moving to fly forward, he couldn’t maintain the floating power and plunged into the sea.
“Awawawa.“
Liliera flew up with quite a bit of momentum and I thought she flew well in the air, but she failed to turn and fell straight into the sea.
“Well, this is how it is at first.“
No matter how many times they fail here, there’s no worry of injury, so everyone, do your best.
“Kyu kyu kyuu!“
Amidst that, Fluffy ran on the sea surface and caught a fish that jumped up. And it started eating the fish deliciously on the water.
Huh, it looks just like it’s walking on water, but it’s actually using flight magic. Flying as if running on the sea, that’s quite a skillful way of flying.
“Dammit, why can I do it when that guy can!?“
“Or rather, what is that creature, really?“
When everyone threw gazes at Fluffy, who had mastered flight magic, Fluffy, noticing them, looked at everyone and smirked.
“Pukyu.“
“””””..!!?“”””””
“That bastard! It just laughed at us through its nose!“
No no, the opponent is Fluffy, you know?
“It pitied me, a mage, even though it’s just a beast!“
Whoa whoa, calm down, Mina-san.
“The gods said: Thou shalt not be arrogant. I think it’s better not to overestimate your own power too much.“
Ah, even Norb-san.
“…I’ll go to the capital a little later. I’m getting serious now.“
Yes, Meguri-san, please be serious from the start.
“……“
Good. Liliera-san is calm.
“I’ll drag it into the sea and make it look like an accident.“
No good! Not calm at all!
“Let’s do this, oraaaa!“
“”””Ooh!“”””
Well, if they’re motivated, I guess it’s fine?
“Ukyaah! My swimsuit top got washed away!“
“FWOOOSH!“
“I’ll go get it now. Also Norb-san, please use healing magic on yourself.“
“Uooooooh! I can’t maintain my posture well!“
“Jairo-kun, calm down. Lower the output before panicking. That’s the iron rule of acceleration-type magic. Here, like this.“
I advised Jairo, who was accelerating too much and didn’t know which way he was facing, to lower his output for a moment. Then I also flew at high speed by releasing flames from under my feet, then lowered the output to a level where I wouldn’t fall, maintaining altitude. Then I maintained my posture by releasing flames from my palms, just so I could be fine at any angle or posture.
“See?“
“Woah, it’s hard to maintain the output.“
“Mina-san, don’t try to forcibly maintain the same output, float up a little stronger at first, then control your posture while gliding. Here, like this.“
I taught stepped control to Mina, who was struggling with stable magic activation. Once accelerated, stop the acceleration there and spread a film of wind under your body to glide. When gliding, concentrate only on posture control.
“When in trouble, let’s solve things one by one.“
“L-Like this! Awawa.“
“Norb-san, if you’re that type, try imagining lifting and carrying your own body. Like a big hand is holding you. Like this.“
I tried recommending the image of someone else carrying him to Norb, who was having trouble moving. I also floated my body, imagining I became a doll grasped in someone’s hand. And the imaginary hand lifts my body and moves it as if playing with a doll.
“The trick is to feel like you have your own doll in your hand.“
“Woah, tot. Nnnngh.“
“Meguri-san, don’t try to control the wind, how about trying to feel like the wind is carrying you? Here, like it’s lifting you up from below like this.“
Since Meguri was struggling with wind control, I suggested a freer wind image more like her. I showed her riding the wind with an image of wind blowing up from below me. And I manipulated the wind, feeling like the wind that lifted me was carrying me where it wanted.
“See, no matter what posture you’re in, the wind will lift and carry you, so you won’t fall.“
“Kuu! Uwah! Abububbu.“
“Liliera-san, calm down. Remember how it feels when we usually fly together. It’s fine to fly more slowly. Imagine your body being enveloped in wind.“
Since my flight image seemed to suit Liliera, who was wobbling in the air, I tried holding her hand and flying together.
“When flying normally, let’s start by eliminating the part you feel most anxious about.“
And by the time the sun set…
“Alright! I can fly!“
“After this is just pace distribution for flying long distances, I suppose.“
“I’ve gotten quite used to it. Flying fast is difficult, but in return, I can stay in the same place and make delicate movements.“
“Yup, I’ve become able to fly fast. With this, I can go whoosh to the royal capital!“
“Ah, being able to fly myself is great. Goodbye to that unstable life of relying on someone else’s flight magic!“
Everyone has become quite good at flying.
“Yup, if you can fly this much, it should be fine.“
With this, the range of responses will widen if there’s any trouble next time!
“But, there’s something I’m not quite satisfied with.“
“Ah, me too, me too.“
“Probably me too.“
“Actually, me too.“
“Same here. We struggled so much, and yet…“
And, for some reason, everyone is staring at me.
“Umm, what is it, everyone?“
“””””Why can you demonstrate everyone’s different flying styles so perfectly like it’s normal!?“””””
Huh? I feel like I was complained at for a somewhat unreasonable reason.
