I don't believe in God, but I'll use the "Miracle of God" freely ~I'll increase my magic arbitrarily and become invincible in another world~ - Chapter 11

Several days have passed since the day Mika got burned.

 

It’s still a bit early for evening, and Mika is on his way back from practicing magic in the forest, as usual.

 

In the distance, he notices Diego.

 

Diego works in the cotton fields and is usually not in the village. Even when he’s in the village, he’s often stationed at the watchtower, making sightings rare.

 

When seen, he is usually with members of the vigilante group, teaching everyone swords and spears.

 

It seems Diego has considerable experience and skill in combat, as he apparently serves as the captain of the vigilante group in Lish Village.

 

Today, Diego seems more agitated than serious, giving instructions to the vigilante group members loudly.

 

Even during sword training, he usually has a serious face, but today, it’s more like he’s on edge.

 

You might even say there’s a killing intent.

 

(What’s going on? I’ve never seen the vigilante group members so bustling.)

 

As he watches, he hears the sound of a bell ringing from afar.

 

Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding, it rings five times, pauses for a few beats, then ding-ding-ding-ding-ding, rings five times again.

 

What’s this? Suddenly, something pops into Mika’s head.

 

(If the bell rings five times, it means gather at the assembly hall. What could have happened?)

 

Mika’s memories tell him that he has experienced evacuating to the assembly hall before. Each time, it was when a pack of wild dogs or wolves appeared near Lish Village.

 

By the way, three bell rings indicate a fire, four rings mean stay at home, and one and two rings are used for timekeeping.

 

The timekeeping bells are in the bell tower of the mayor’s house, while the alarm bells are in the bell tower and the bell on the watchtower.

 

From where Mika is now, his home is closer than the assembly hall. It’s practically within arm’s reach.

 

A bit earlier notice would have been nice, but he has to accept that luck wasn’t on his side.

 

Spotting a villager carrying a baby and heading towards the assembly hall, and confirming that the woman is heading towards the assembly hall, Mika decides to follow suit.

 

When he arrives at the central square, he can already see many villagers gathered at the assembly hall.

 

In front of the mayor’s house, men who appear to be vigilante members are gathered, seemingly in the middle of a meeting.

 

Among these vigilante members, a few groups are seen running towards the south gate.

 

Some of them are wielding swords, and there’s a man with a spear-like weapon whittled from wood.

 

(Something happened at the south gate.)

 

Mika feels a twinge inside.

 

This is what you might call curiosity.

 

For Mika lately, it might be a “bad illness.”

 

Once he gets curious, he can’t be satisfied unless he takes action.

 

(Let’s take a quick look.)

 

The moment this thought crosses his mind—

 

“Mika!”

 

He hears Loretta’s voice.

 

Turning towards the voice, he sees Loretta running towards him on the path he just walked.

 

Perhaps she went home.

 

“What are you doing in a place like this? Come on, let’s go. Hurry up.”

 

Saying that, she takes Mika’s hand and starts running towards the assembly hall without waiting for a response.

 

Arriving at the assembly hall with a quick pace, she says to the person at the entrance, “Loretta Noisheim and Mika are here.”

 

“Yes, Miss Noisheim. Where’s your mother?”

 

“She’ll come later. For now, just me and Mika.”

 

With a quick confirmation, they are directed towards the back of the assembly hall.

 

Inside, it seems about 50 villagers have already gathered.

 

There are children holding hands, mothers with babies, and it seems quite crowded.

 

(I wonder if Amalia is still at the textile factory. Did Loretta go ahead first, and did she receive instructions to secure me?)

 

While he could handle evacuating alone, he refrains from complaining internally. Since he hasn’t taken any action yet, there’s nothing to be upset about.

 

The reason Loretta evacuated ahead of Amalia is probably due to Amalia worrying about Mika and giving her instructions, not some secret mission.

 

For an assembly hall, it’s smaller than a school gym, but it’s spacious enough to accommodate all 200 villagers in Lish Village with room to spare.

 

Besides the main entrance, there are doors on the side of the building, and all the windows are wide open.

 

However, it’s quite hot due to the summer heat.

 

Maybe it was kept closed because no one had used it until now.

 

Mika wants to believe that opening them will eventually cool things down.

 

He wants to believe, but it’s still scorching hot.

 

Compared to Japan’s humid summer, Lish Village’s summer is much more comfortable.

 

Thanks to the low humidity, if you avoid direct sunlight, the perceived temperature is entirely different.

 

The fact that the assembly hall is stuffy might be because it was kept closed due to not being used until now.

 

He wants to believe, but it’s still unbearably hot.

 

He contemplates going to the nearest door for some relief when he realizes he’s still holding hands with Loretta.

 

Loretta is looking at the entrance with an anxious expression.

 

“Sister, hand.”

 

Lifting the hand held, he sees that Loretta had been holding onto his hand.

 

But without letting go, she turns around him and loops her hand around his back.

 

It seems his unnecessary comments have raised her alert level even more.

 

“Why are you so wet?”

 

“…I took a shower.”

 

The expression of annoyance is evident as Loretta utters a “Mou” but she doesn’t let go of Mika’s hand.

 

Now their bodies are even closer, making it even hotter.

 

Mika feels like his trust level is close to zero, probably because of the previous actions of the younger Mika. It must be that way.

 

(I’ve been behaving well lately, though.)

 

After the swap, he was confused for a while, causing trouble and worry, but recently he has been keeping quiet… at least on the surface.

 

However, it seems that hasn’t been enough to change the evaluations so far.

 

Sighing, Mika resigns himself, and he, too, gazes at the entrance.

 

At that moment, he notices something.

 

Loretta’s hand and body are trembling slightly.

 

Looking up and checking Loretta’s expression, she still seems anxious, staring at the entrance.

 

(Is she… scared?)

 

Yes, she is scared.

 

Whatever is happening, the villagers have been instructed to evacuate, and Amalia, their mother, is not here. Although she’s acting strong, saying she needs to protect her younger brother, Loretta is still a 13-year-old girl.

 

It’s natural for her to be scared.

 

His mind quickly cools, and thoughts race.

 

“Release limiter off.”

 

Muttering quietly so that no one can hear.

 

(Even though I have almost no magical power left now, I’ll use magic even if I have to collapse. The top priority is the safety of my family. Based on past experiences, evacuation orders to the assembly hall are issued when the village is attacked by a pack of beasts. We should assume that even this assembly hall might be approached by a pack of beasts in the worst-case scenario.)

 

(But, don’t rely on magic easily. My reckless actions could bring harm to Loretta and the others. I should only use this when there is absolutely no other choice.)

 

If Mika tries to do something, his family will stop him. His thoughtless actions might even put his family in danger.

 

(Without knowing the threat level of the expected enemy and the village’s strength, there’s nothing I can do. It’s best to stay quiet and not cause trouble.)

 

Prepared for when it’s necessary, he will limit himself to gathering information within visible range for now. Asking around would be bothersome. Now, the best course of action is to stay still.

 

Outside the opened door, men who seem to be vigilante members with spears and large farming tools are visible. Probably patrolling around the assembly hall.

 

(Is there still no attack happening? If they were in the midst of a battle, they would probably seal off the doors and windows.)

 

He observes the people at the entrance to predict the situation.

 

The entrance becomes a bit more chaotic, with more people going in and out. Several men are seen using carts to transport something.

 

An older man who seems to be the village chief gives instructions, and adults seem to be carrying something inside.

 

(Those boxes and water jars… Water and food, and medicine, perhaps? Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen a food storage, but was there one somewhere?)

 

He didn’t notice when he was strolling through the village. Well, it’s natural since he couldn’t see from the outside. Some houses were unknown to him. One of them might be used as a food storage.

 

Observing the people at the entrance, he spots Radi and Kifrod.

 

Even the evacuating villagers seem to have noticed Radi and Kifrod, as they quickly gather around them.

 

Radi and Kifrod guide the villagers to a place slightly away from the entrance.

 

They talk to each worried villager, smiling gently as if to say there’s nothing to worry about.

 

(The shining image of “Smiling Madonna Rafinmaria.” In times like this, religion really proves useful.)

 

Their role as a psychological support for people is significant. Faced with difficulties or threats, not many can keep looking forward, and those who don’t give up need psychological support, knowing that they are not alone.

 

It doesn’t necessarily have to be limited to religion, but in this world, the role played by the Light God religion is indeed significant.

 

Watching the group that began to pray, he sees the outside through the window reddening with the evening glow.

 

As the temperature inside the assembly hall drops, they start closing the doors and windows.

 

Since the windows have lattice glass, they are covering them from the outside with boards.

 

It seems to be a precautionary measure to prevent them from breaking if something happens.

 

Wall-mounted lamps are lit, and portable lamps are placed in several locations.

 

Even so, closing the windows makes the place quite dim.

 

Shortly after, about 20 people enter from the entrance.

 

Among them is Amalia, and probably the others are employees from the textile factory.

 

Amalia surveys the entire assembly hall.

 

“Mom!”

 

Raising her hand, Loretta calls out to Amalia.

 

Amalia notices quickly and walks towards them with a relieved expression.

 

“Are both of you okay? Did you find Mika quickly?”

 

“Yeah. We also boarded up the house.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

Amalia smiles and pats Loretta’s head.

 

It seems the secret mission was indeed real. Loretta returned home from the textile factory, boarded up the windows, and then came to the assembly hall to look for Mika.

 

If Mika was at home, that was fine. If not, they would meet up at the assembly hall. If he wasn’t there either, they would have to search the entire village.

 

Amalia seems genuinely relieved that both of them are safe.

 

“Why did the evacuation order happen, Mom?”

 

Loretta asks.

 

Although Amalia’s expression darkens slightly, she steps closer.

 

“…I don’t know the details. It seems like magical beasts might be coming from the forest.”

 

“Magical beasts?”

 

She lowers her voice to tell Loretta without others overhearing

 

(Magical beasts… What is that? It doesn’t ring a bell in Mika Noisheim’s memories.)

 

It’s a word he’s hearing for the first time, and he’s curious.

 

Mika stays quiet and listens intently to the conversation happening above his head.

 

I apologize for the misunderstanding. Here is the continuation with the corrected gender:

 

“Loretta seems to have experienced it once, but he doesn’t remember.

 

Since he was still small at the time, he might not have understood it in the first place.

 

Even if he did understand it at that time, considering that he had been constantly evacuating from beast attacks afterward, there is a possibility that his memory of that time has changed.

 

(But magical beasts in the forest… Could it be that I was in serious danger?)

 

Today, as usual, he was diligently practicing magic in the forest.

 

There was a not-so-low possibility of bumping into them unexpectedly.

 

Although the forest is mentioned in a word, it is considerably vast, so it was fortunate that he didn’t encounter an encounter encounter. However, maybe he should reconsider practicing in the forest.

 

(Since relying on luck won’t lead to anything good. It’s better to consider this time as a narrow escape.)

 

No matter how much magic he can use, it’s not guaranteed to be effective, and after practicing, in a state without magic power, he’s no different from a child around there.

 

Since he has no experience in actual combat, it would be wise to discard naive thoughts.

 

Thinking about it again, he deeply felt the danger of his past actions.

 

While Mika was reflecting on the danger of his actions, the area around the entrance and exit became busy.

 

The door was closed, and instructions were given to the evacuated villagers to gather in the center of the assembly hall, sealing it with tables.

 

When they gathered in one place, everyone sat down and voiced their anxieties.

 

Some children seemed on the verge of tears. Nunzia, who had tried magic together at the church, closed her eyes tightly and clung to someone who seemed to be her mother.

 

(It’s troubling not to understand the situation at all.)

 

The current Mika is a protected target, so it’s unavoidable not to share information. After it’s over, only the results will be informed.

 

And so, after 5 minutes, 10 minutes passed, but nothing happened.

 

(If only there were the internet for information gathering.)

 

During disasters, he always gathered information like that. Information necessary at that time, such as earthquakes, typhoons, and river flooding, could usually be collected without much difficulty.

 

However, since he has never actually experienced being a victim, he doesn’t know the true difficulty of the parties involved.

 

After 30 minutes passed, around 1 hour, something could be heard.

 

A sharp intake of breath, and Loretta, who was hugging Mika from behind, also felt his body tense.

 

Amelia embraced Loretta and snuggled his shoulder.

 

(…Some kind of roar? It didn’t feel like a howl. It feels more like the roar of a bear or something.)

 

There is a certain distance. Although it wasn’t a loud roar, it had enough effect to make the evacuated villagers frightened.

 

Some children started crying, and among the adults, there was a person who began praying fervently.

 

Radi and Kiflodo comforted and encouraged such people.

 

At that moment, Mika unexpectedly made eye contact with an unknown woman.

 

The woman held a baby, stared at Mika for a moment, and immediately began to soothe the baby again.

 

After a while, the shouts of men from outside became faintly audible.

 

The roar of the magical beast was louder than before.

 

It seems that it is approaching here.

 

(Really, the worst has become a reality.)

 

The lower abdomen twinges, and the chest becomes restless.

 

Fear wells up, but it’s not a time to be scared.

 

Rallying oneself and putting determination at the center of the heart.

 

It’s not a time to be afraid, but to prepare for the worst.

 

(Magic can be squeezed out, about one “Fireball” worth. At most, he’ll send them a hot greeting.)

 

Deciding, he confirms the magic power within himself.

 

It hasn’t recovered much, so if he uses magic, he’ll definitely collapse afterwards.

 

But, he doesn’t know about what happens afterward.

 

Unraveling Loretta’s hand, he slips out from his arms.

 

“Mika, no!?”

 

“I’m here. My butt hurts from sitting for so long.”

 

He speaks a silly reason and stands up on the spot.

 

(If he’s carried, he won’t be able to move in an emergency.)

 

He’s been sitting for a long time, so he lightly loosens his tense body.

 

Listening carefully to the outside sounds, he tries to predict the situation.

 

(The sound is still a little distant. Hasn’t it reached the square yet? But, it’s definitely getting closer.)

 

The roars and shouts are getting louder.

 

At first, he didn’t understand what they were saying, but now he can distinguish instructions like “Get back!” and “Seal it!” besides the cries of determination.

 

Already, most of the surrounding children are crying, and parents are desperately trying to comfort them.

 

(Well, he understands the feeling of wanting to cry. He wants to cry and run away too. Quite seriously.)

 

Wanting to escape from obvious danger is something unrelated to whether one is a child or an adult.

 

And that danger is getting closer step by step.

 

Gwoooooooah!

 

A clear roar, different from before, reaches his ears.

 

It’s clear that it’s “close.”

 

“Mika!”

 

Amelia pulls his arm and hugs him like covering.

 

(Wait a minute! He can’t move like this!?)

 

Somehow, he manages to turn his face in the direction where the roar was heard.

 

Then, following the sound of something breaking, something collides with the entrance door with a thud.

 

Simultaneously, screams rise, and the villagers who had gathered in the center of the assembly hall retreat to the back.

 

“Are you okay!?”

 

“Don’t let them come over there!”

 

“Seal it! Seal it! Seal it! Team 3, move forward!”

 

“Woooo!”

 

“Someone lower the shutter! We’ll get caught in it!”

 

The voices of the vigilantes are clearly audible.

 

On the other side of the door, the vigilantes are fighting magical beasts at the risk of their lives.

 

The roar of the magical beast and the shouts of the vigilantes move from the front of the assembly hall to the side, and every time something hits the wall with a thud, screams rise from various places.

 

Especially when something hits strongly, the glass of the windows breaks and scatters.

 

How intensely are they fighting?

 

How strong is the magical beast?

 

Mika, who can only know the battle through sounds, still shivers with fear.

 

Amelia, who is desperately covering Mika and Loretta to protect them, is also trembling.

 

Closing his eyes tightly, the hand grabbing Mika’s shoulder is painfully tight and tense.

 

(Is this the time to be scared!? He has to protect his family!)

 

Desperately rallying himself, Mika gathers his magical power. The amount of magical power is insufficient, and it doesn’t gather as he wishes, but the problem is probably not just the quantity of magical power. The interference of fear makes it difficult for him to concentrate as usual. Still, he desperately gathers magical power, preparing himself to manifest it at any moment.

 

(Even if one “Fireball” might not be enough to defeat it, blinding its eyes could give me a chance to escape. I’ll turn its brains to ashes!)

 

He forcibly suppresses his trembling body. Imagining the unseen magical beast, he desperately listens for sounds of battle, trying to anticipate the magical beast’s position. Then, once again, with a powerful impact, the window glass shatters, and the board covering that window is blown away.

 

The hand that appears in the window frame is covered in pitch-black fur, and the face of a bear-like magical beast peers through. The magical beast has four eyes, all glowing a bright, fiery red.

 

“Uwaaah!”

 

“Kyaaah!”

 

“Woooh!”

 

As a huge roar echoes from the magical beast, large screams erupt from the surroundings. The roar vibrates the entire building, causing a shiver.

 

(It’s too far from here! If I can’t dodge it, it’s over!)

 

Since he can only shoot once, he needs to hit it accurately. Biting down on his teeth, while still covered by Amalia, he extends his left hand towards the magical beast.

 

(If it comes through that window, I’ll hit it with this “Fireball”!)

 

Concentrating magic power in his left hand, he prepares to manifest it at any moment. At that moment, the magical beast emits a particularly loud roar.

 

Gagagaaaaooh!

 

(Is it coming!?)

 

Just as Mika tries to manifest magic, the shouts and cheers of the vigilante members outside suddenly escalate.

 

“We did it! We did it!”

 

“Go! Go! Go! Stab it! Stab it!”

 

“As expected of Mr. Diego!”

 

“Don’t let your guard down! Team 6, step back for now!”

 

“Oraaaa! Dieeee!”

 

It seems that Diego has delivered a fatal blow to the magical beast. Although the magical beast still resists, there’s no longer the intimidating atmosphere from moments ago.

 

(Is it over…?)

 

While harboring such flag-like thoughts, all the strength drains from his body. He breathes out a huge sigh.

 

“…Mom, it seems like it’s okay now.”

 

Still covered by Mika and desperately trying to protect her family, Amalia, unaware of the situation, is gently patted on the hand.

 

Even so, it takes a while for Amalia to notice, but once she realizes that the magical beast has been defeated, tears flow as she joyfully celebrates the safety of her family.

 

(This guy seems to have come to an unimaginable world, it seems.)

 

Held by Amalia and Loretta, Mika thinks such things.