We left late anyway, but the main street is full of activity.
Walking calmly through the main street while looking around at the town doesn’t feel bad. People knew my face and name in the capital, so just walking around was enough for them to hurl abuse at me.
But no one knows me here in Minerva, so I can walk around freely.
“Sensei, you’ve been in a really good mood. Did something good happen?”
“I was just feeling how wonderful it is to be able to walk around freely without fear of people.”
“Please stop talking like you’re a kind monster that wants to be friendly with people. I’m getting sad just listening to it.”
Says Lela with an awkward smile on her face.
“Forget the past and live a fulfilling life in this new land. That’s the best part of your second life, sensei. And don’t worry, I’ll protect your peace.”
“Loyd, don’t forget that I’m with you as well.”
My pupils’ kind words move my heart.
They’re actually responsible for a hundred percent of my troubles, but I don’t know that at this point, so I accept their words at face value and feel my eyes getting hot.
The theme of my life here in Minerva is definitely going to be a peaceful daily life.
Not standing out, having fun, taking it easy. Hunting with partners I get along with, having fun eating and shopping. And trying my hand at romance from time to time.
I want the peaceful life that was out of my reach when I was an exclusive mage.
All right, let’s try my best with my carefree life, without anyone holding me back.
◇ ◇ ◇
After walking a little longer, we reach a square in the center of town. There’s a fountain and benches, and I see kids having fun playing tag.
Minerva is a town famous for its adventuring business, but it has a thick religious atmosphere, and the square has a statue to the saintess that is the representative of the Goddess of Order Emeraude.
The Goddess of Order Emeraude strictly forbids idolatry, so no one knows what she actually looked like originally. But the current saintess is always deified so people can offer prayers to the goddess through her.
For example, a hundred years ago, it was the saintess who was in the hero’s party that had a statue here.
Getting back to the main point. There are streets going to the east, west, north, and south from the square, making this the main street. From the point of view here in the square, the adventurer guild is to the north.
But just as we are about to leave, we hear a scream from the western side.
A wagon is speeding this way through the florid main street lined with stalls, out of control.
It’s blowing away the stalls as it charges forward, and since the street is paved, the horse’s hooves echo a lot.
People over on the western side fall into a panic instantly, and I can hear their yells and screams.
“Uwaaaaaaaaah!? Someone stop the wagoooon!”
The driver is yelling too, while holding the reins and trying to somehow stop the rampaging horses. But it’s no use, and it’s out of control.
“That looks like a lot of trouble.”
“I’m going there to stop it.”
“Eh? But what about your peaceful daily life, Loyd!?”
It’s not the time for that, dumb pupil.
I don’t listen to their replies, and run out.
Grow is already active, so I weave through the panicking people as I move in the opposite direction, and stand before the wagon.
I hold my staff, rotating it a few times in front, a few times behind like a windmill, and then I start chanting, taking aim at the two mad horses pulling the wagon.
“Sleep.”
I activate sleeping magic, and my staff gives off a blue light.
The rampaging horses’ movements get duller the moment the magic hits, and they stop moving. I’m not too familiar with horse ecology, but I guess they sleep standing up.
Then I check if they’re really asleep, and cast the high rank magic Mega Sleep on top of it.
They should be docile by the time they wake up.
“W-wow! That mister made the horses fall asleep so fast!”
“But why did he cast Sleep when he can use Mega Sleep?”
I can hear people mumbling to each other.
Yes, you might think it’s odd, but there’s a good reason.
Sleep is a low rank spell to put a target to sleep. This spell excels at two things. One is reliably putting a target to sleep for a short amount of time, and the other is the two second incantation.
A seconds difference minimizes the damage, so I used that one without hesitating.
From my point of view, anyone who would cast Mega Sleep there would be wrong.
I think what kind of magic a mage can use is less important than whether or not they can pick the right magic.
Looking around, I see a lady sitting on the side of the street. She’s holding her right leg, and her face shows pain.
I rush to her, and our eyes meet.
“Excuse me madam, what seems to be the issue?”
“When I dodged that wagon before, my leg…”
Her right leg is red and swollen, and I can tell it was broken by an impact.
“It seems the bone is broken. I will heal it now.”
“Eh?”
“Healing.”
I cast the mid rank spell Healing, and the red swelling gradually heals. It’s completely healed five seconds after the spell has been cast, and the woman’s face goes from pain to impressed.
“A-amazing! You fixed my broken leg!”
“T-that man’s awesome… He stopped that wagon and used healing magic too. Who is he…?”
I hear people talk.
I’m not important enough to give my name. Just a little meddling mage.
I whisper that in my mind, and I feel like Iris’ phrases have infected me.
I don’t like to draw attention anyway, so there’s no reason for me to say who I am.
And the theme here is a peaceful life, so I should leave before this turns into a big deal.
But then…
“You got that right, sensei’s awesome! He uses master rank magic, you know!!?”
Mars starts bragging like he’s talking about himself.
““““““Master rank!!?”””””
Everyone here is shocked to hear that.
The mood suddenly shifts, and I freeze in place.
W-what is this atmosphere?
There’s an odd combination of great admiration and fear as they look at me.
“Mom, what’s a master rank?”
Asks a kid that’s probably around four years old.
“Master rank means being a great mage that’s the best even among mages. That means he’s great.”
“Mister’s great! Cool! Marry me!”
A kid is screeching while waving at me and laughing.
And I can hear other people talk about master rank too.
“Hey! What’s all this noise!?”
And then, three men wearing knight armor rush into the main street.
“Listen to this, mister knight! That man is great. He stopped a rampaging wagon all by himself! And then he healed me!”
“And apparently his magic is master rank!”
People keep approaching the knights and talking about me.
“Master rank!? Hey you, declaring yourself to be a master rank in public is a serious crime! We’ll overlook it this time because you apparently saved people, but next time you try to pass yourself off as a master rank, we’ll throw you in a cell!!”
A knight says while approaching me, and yelling close enough that his spit flies in my face.
It was Mars who said I’m a master rank, I’m innocent.
If you’re going to throw someone in a cell, take Mars, my pupil.
But deal with the wagon first instead of wasting time with me. This guy’s got his priorities all wrong.
From what I can see by peeking at the path the wagon took, the damage is easily over a hundred gold coins.
I don’t like their oppressive and haughty attitude.
“There aren’t any master ranks this young anyway!
If you were a master rank, you’d be able to use a couple of storage spells like Item Box…”
“Like this?”
I hear a couple of words I recognize, and reflexively bring out the Item Box in front of the knight.
It’s a rectangular box that’s like a treasure chest, and about a meter long.
And yes, Item Box is magic.
“Ueeeeeeeeeeee!? You really brought out an Item Box!?”
The knight in front of me yells and falls on his backside.
“It only holds a thousand things though.”
“A thousand!? Even the great mage Crowley’s only holds a hundred!”
The knight in front of me is so surprised, that he wets himself and passes out.
The others were mad until just now, but now they have big smiles on their faces.
“Hey you, we need to talk, so can you come with us to the knight’s station? It’s nothing bad. We just want to know if you’re interested in being a knight. We’ve only been getting knights who use swords lately, so we want to pump some strength into the magic field. And you… Sir, are the kind of wonderful great mage we need as a great teacher.”
“We will also make sure to tell the captain about the wonderful great mage.”
They’re using full on flattery now.
Scary… Almost everyone flip-flops like a fish once they learn I’m master rank.
It’s so strange that it scares me.
“L-Loyd! Let’s run before it’s too late!”
“Y-yes… That’s right! This doesn’t look good.”
““““Ah, please wait great maaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!””””
People start drawing closer like zombies, and we decide to get away.
“Sleep!”
Lela quickly casts a spell on the approaching citizens, but they’re so excited, that they resist it.
“Hey, are these people zombies!?”
“I get what you’re saying, but don’t call people zombies, idiot! And let’s not use magic anymore, or that will be a problem later! Let’s just run for it!”
“Uwaaaah! Why did this have to happen Mars and Loyd you idiots!”
Lela screams as she takes off running first.
That’s my senior. As she declared, she’s the fastest at running away.
I also try to run away, but then I remember something.
I turn my eyes to the driver, that seems to be looking off in the distance, completely absent minded despite everyone else being at a fever pitch.
Makes sense. He’s going to have to pay a hefty sum in reparations.
I could just leave it, but I was an exclusive mage, so…
“Hey.”
“Y-yes!?”
The driver is very shaken when I speak to him all of a sudden.
“Take it.”
I throw the driver my wallet.
“Eh? W-what?”
“There’s a couple hundred gold coins in there. It should help pay for it.”
The driver then puts his forehead to the ground.
“T-thank you so much!!! I will never forget this kindness!”
“Don’t worry about it. I made a bit of money. That much is no big deal.”
I say, and this time, really do leave the main street.
MC why?