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Chapter 2

Mithra: 《Arthim》

Mithra: There we go.

Mitile: Ah, Mister Mithra!? Uwaa, w-wait a second!

Mithra, suddenly in good spirits, took him under his arm, Mitile's hands flailing in the air. 

Witnessing this sudden event and Mitile's bewildered expression, I reached out and grabbed one of Mitile's hands. 

Sakitty, resting on a nearby tree stump, launched itself onto me. It dug its outstretched claws into the fabric of my jacket and dangled from my back. 

Mitile: Master Sage...!

Akira: Mitile...! Waaah!

[Location: Southern village, daytime]

Akira: ...Where is this? 

We found ourselves standing in a small, peculiar village square.

Dry wind blew into our faces, mixed with the serene scent of hay. 

Sakitty glanced around, then yawned and curled up at my feet. The village seemed to be just as serene as it looks. 

Mitile: Such dry soil... It looks like Southern Country. Mithra, what village are we in?

Mithra: Who knows. It was just some place that came to mind, though it certainly looks peaceful.

Mitile: Some place that came to mind, huh…

Sturdy-Looking Man: --You think we can keep going like this!?

Abruptly, a voice rang out close by, Mitile and I both jumped, startled.

As we turned around, we saw adults and elders gathered in the center of the square.

Akira: (Are they from this village? For some reason, they're all really fit... And muscular...) 

Sturdy-Looking Man: We have to keep the traditions of our village alive. I think we can all agree to that, huh!?

Villagers: Yeah, yeah!

Old Man with a White Beard: Yeah!

Old Man with a White Beard: ... Hey, you three back there! We can't hear you!

Mithra: Ha? What are you going on about?

Villagers: ... Huh!? Who are you!?

Man Wearing a Straw Hat: Hey! Those guys are strangers!

Old Man with a White Beard: Mm..? Oh...?

Lady Wearing a Blouse: Grandpa, your eyesight has been pretty bad lately...! 

The villagers, noticing us, began to murmur amongst themselves. Mithra smugly crossed his arms. 

Mithra: Hello. I am Mithra, a wizard of the North. 

Villagers: Ahh!?

Sturdy-Looking Man: Mithra of the North! One of the ones responsible for the folklore of origin! 

The villagers rushed over to us. They looked overjoyed, as if witnessing a star, and an excited crowd quickly formed with Mithra at its center.

Mithra: Goodness, what is this all of a sudden? It feels a little nostalgic.

Old Man with a White Beard: Surely, it must be fate! The land itself signals that the festival must go on! 

Sturdy-Looking Man: At long last, the blessing of the spark... Scintilla's Blessing shall rain down upon us!

Mitile: Scintilla...?

Akira: (Isn't that... Mitile's new spell?)

As Mitile's eyes widened, one of the older men shifted his gaze over to him. He pushed up his glasses, bowing with reverence. 

Old Man Wearing Glasses: If that is the very Mithra of the North... Then, perhaps, you must be Tiletta? 

Mitile: …Huh? What!?

Mithra: Hah?

Man Wearing a Straw Hat: ...Oh? But according to the lore, wasn't Tiletta a witch?

Old Man Wearing Glasses: ...Was she...? 

Mitile: Uh... Uhm!

Mitile regained his composure. He straightened up and looked over the brawny-looking villagers.

Mitile: Did you all know my mother?

Sturdy-Looking Man: Your mother?

Mitile: Yes. I'm Mitile, a Southern Wizard. I'm the son of the Great Witch Tiletta. 

Old Man Wearing Glasses: Oh, goodness! Our "Tiletta" must be your mother - that is, if she is the Great Witch Tiletta. 

Mitile: Wow, I thought so…!

Lady Wearing a Blouse: To think the Great Witch Tiletta would have children! How is your mother doing? 

Mitile: Well... Actually, my mother passed away a while ago.

Villagers: What...!

Mitile's words immediately caused a stir. The villagers stared at each other in shock. 

Then, bending his muscled body down, the burly man looked warmly at Mitile with his kind, Southern gaze. 

Sturdy-Looking Man: I see. I didn't know Tiletta was gone...

Lady Wearing a Blouse: But she left behind such a polite, nice child.... May your mother's soul rest in peace.

Old Man Wearing Glasses: I suppose we will no longer be able to witness Scintilla's Blessing.

Old Man with a White Beard: I thought that if we had that blessing shine down on us again, I might've been able to make these youngins understand the importance of strength once more...

Akira: ...Um, excuse me. My name is Akira, and I'm the Sage.

Man Wearing a Straw Hat: "The Sage"?

Old Man Wearing Glasses: They're a human from another world, who leads the chosen wizards in Central Country.

Man Wearing a Vest: Ahh, yeah. I think I've heard of that. It must be hard being so far from home.

Akira: Ah, not really! Mitile, Mithra, and everyone else have been very kind to me. 

Akira: .... Although, umm, what are you all doing right now? It seems you know Mithra, right?

Mitile: I would also like to know about Scintilla's Blessing. 

Mitile: "Scintilla" was my mother's spell, so… Does that mean "Scintilla's Blessing" is related to her?

Sturdy-Looking Man: Is that so... Then I'll tell you about it in detail.

Sturdy-Looking Man: Our village has been around since the very dawn of the Southern frontier. Nowadays, daily life is much easier, but by all accounts, our ancestors had a real hard time getting established.

Sturdy-Looking Man: The first Strongarm's Mettles were competitions meant as a one-day distraction, since their lives didn't leave much room for rest or entertainment.

Everyone would take the day off work, compare and boast about the brawn they'd gotten through daily labor, and then praise each other for a job well done. 

It was intended to be a small event. But then, a Witch of the North, who had decided to visit Southern Country, suddenly joined the event on a whim.

Sturdy-Looking Man: Within our village, we have an Elder… A wizard who had been the guardian of the village since its establishment.

Sturdy-Looking Man: Back then, Tiletta had joined the festivities and went up against the Elder in a brawl. According to the stories, Tiletta won instantly. 

Mitile: Heh....! Mother, that's amazing!

Mithra: ...

The attendees of that festival had been enthralled by the competition between two wizards.

And before leaving for home, Tiletta had given everyone in the village her "Blessing of Sparks".

Akira: ...Huh? But what did Mithra have to do with it all? You mentioned his name was related to the legend...

Mithra: If I recall correctly, I was standing around and holding a chunk of honeycomb. The one the villagers had given Tiletta as a token of their gratitude, or some such nonsense.

Akira: (Tiletta, you turned Mithra into your baggage carrier... So powerful...)

Spurred by the great success of the first full-blown festival, the festival known as Strongarm's Mettle was held the next year, and the year after that, and the year after that.

And before long, it became tradition to hold the festival in the village.