After another day passed, Umara and I had one last proper dinner with our squad before getting ready to leave for the Blooded Hold.

The dinner was cheery and was essentially a triple date.

Feiden and his girlfriend were getting along well. They weren’t quite as open with their relationship as Umara and I were, but that was normal. I was far bolder than typical, one of the reasons Umara was always so embarrassed.

As for Vetsmon and Tana…

Well, they hadn’t gotten far, but progress there was definitely progress. I could only applaud Vetsmon for his efforts.

He and Tana were a lot more chummy, definitely much closer than they had been a month or so ago. But Tana was still oblivious.

I was worried about Vetsmon getting too deep in the friend zone, but there was only so much I could do to interfere. Making him panic and then rush it could ruin everything before it even started.

I didn’t want either of us to overthink, so I left the guy to work his magic. He was at least trying, which meant, sooner or later, the make or break moment would arrive. I just had to sit back and wait and offer what little help I could.

…

The Magisterium’s fourth year class was set to leave for their next expedition.

There was no grand departure ceremony this time. The underclassmen who idolized the Elites and the students’ families came to the platform for a final send-off, but the platform felt more like a typical train departure.

As we boarded the Rail with our luggage, I suddenly thought of something while looking out to the families.

The Puppet Master had said that none of his Elites had ever died under his care. That was an amazing track record to have. His training obviously worked well.

But that didn’t apply to those in the fourth year who weren’t Elites. There had been a few deaths in the normal student body. Still, it wasn’t impossible. Murphy’s Law would screw over anyone not up to standards and ensure those who did would meet something beyond.

It must be scary for all these parents to send their children to the frontlines. They weren’t even soldiers yet, and they were already risking their lives.

That was the unfortunate reality of this world.

War on Earth seemed a lot better in comparison to this. Modern battles had a lot less collateral damage, casualties in general were heavily reduced, and the fighting was dictated by the people at the top. Parents could direct their rage at actual people in charge and had a chance to at least revolt and try to effect some change.

But in this world? The Scourge was an existential threat. The common people who fed the war machine couldn’t even revolt; the very people who fought off the strongest of the Scourge were also the ones who ruled with an iron fist. The ordinary man could only swallow their discontent. Only by the grace of those at the top who still held a sense of justice were the ordinary able to live relatively good lives.

It was just another difference between this world and the one I called home.

I turned and boarded the Rail when Umara tugged my sleeve.

It was a three day trip to the base. We would be making a stop midway as well in a city.

It was one with a name I actually recognized.

……

…

“We’re here.”

“All students, gather!”

An instructor called us onto the platform,

“This is the City of Haelsverg. You all have 3 hours to wander and do as you wish before we continue our journey. Don’t cause trouble and don’t be late to return. This Rail works on the military’s schedule and it won’t wait for a stray student to board. Unless you want to be stranded here, keep an eye on the clock. That’s all. Dismissed!”

With that, the students dispersed through the terminal to enter the city proper. My squad and I followed, laying eyes on the modest city.

There were a lot of farms around here, so this place acted as a transportation hub. This terminal was especially important for transporting food to other cities like the capital.

“What should we do?”

Vetsmon asked while looking around. The city was smaller and not as rich, so options were limited. There really wasn’t much around.

I looked around and nodded my head toward a main road.

“Let’s wander. If we see something we like then we’ll go from there.”

“Alright.”

The rest of my squad nodded, all of us taking a walk. It was good to loosen up the muscles anyway.

Feiden’s girlfriend joined us along the way, so the 6 of us went around the small city and took in some of the sights.

We stuck out like a sore thumb. Gazes fell on us and flicked away just as quickly, our rich-kid-from-the-city look painfully obvious to the small-time merchants and farmers out in the streets. Anybody we came across was quick to get out of our way.

I felt like I was being treated like a mob boss.

There were a few shops that caught our eye, so we just went where we felt like and bought some things — some jewelry stores, clothing shops, armories, smithies, tea shops, the works. We checked out anything interesting.

Nothing really caught my eye, but my main focus was elsewhere.

We wandered through the quiet market for another two hours.

And just as my hope started to wane, we came across a small side plaza, vendors neatly lined up against the squat mud brick buildings.

And there, standing behind a counter talking to another man, was my old friend.

My eyes brightened.

“Chief!”

“Hm?”

The old guy turned around, his eyes widening in panic as his gaze fell on my coat, but immediately narrowing when he saw my face.

“John?”

“Yea! It’s been a while.”

“I-It has! I didn’t expect to see you here.”

He seemed a bit baffled as I went up and shook his hand, patting his shoulder with a broad smile.

“I happened to be passing by. How are you? How’s the village?”

“We’re doing just fine, as always. What about you? Things seem to be going well in the capital.”

“Well, I got into the Magisterium. And it’s been tough, but I’d say things are working out quite well. I’m an Authority 4 now.”

“O-Oh my. Congratulations, John. I’m very glad you were able to make your way.”

He looked shocked at my news, his eyes bulging a bit as he forced out a smile.

I could see him glancing at my squad behind me. They were rather confused, and the Chief was quite overwhelmed, so I decided it was right time to make introductions.

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“Chief, these are my friends from the Magisterium. We’re in a squad together. Guys, this is the Chief from Yumir village. He helped me get to the Capital when I was stranded and had absolutely nothing to my name. I owe quite a lot to him.”

“The- there’s no need to exaggerate so much. It’s a- a pleasure to meet you all.”

The Chief stammered out a greeting, shakily bowing before exchanging handshakes with everyone in turn.

He seemed a bit more comfortable after that, almost as if he had confirmed that the squad and I were real.

“John, you said this is your squad? Are you all going to the frontlines?”

“Yes, we are. I was placed in the fourth year, and I managed to get into the Elites after that.”

“E-Elites? You all…”

He looked around at everyone with quite the reaction. I wasn’t sure if he was just surprised or scared.

That’s when Umara spoke with a small smile.

“John here managed to fight his way up to Elite Rank 3. He’s the best summoner to ever walk through the Magisterium.”

“Summoner?”

“He also managed to kill an Authority 7 Scourge beast. He’s in the Hall of Fame now.”

“S-Seven?”

With every sentence spoken, the Chief’s terrified surprise became more evident.

I elbowed Umara who seemed to enjoy exasperating the problem.

“Alright, no need to butter me up so much.”

“Huhu, alright. Still, I’d like to make a proper introduction. Hello again, Chief.”

Umara smiled and curtsied toward the Chief.

“My name is Umara Talerria, daughter of Duchess Talerria, Rank 6 of the Elites, and John’s girlfriend. Pleasure to meet one of my boyfriend’s patrons.”

“Y-Yes…”

The Chief wasn’t sure how to react to all that sudden information, bowing a bit with a blank yet panicking expression.

I clicked my tongue at Umara’s antics. But then, I saw Vetsmon step up with a goofy grin.

“I’ll also introduce myself again! I’m Vetsmon Verga, son of Ignatius Verga, the family head of the 4th Paladin Peerage of the Church. Also the Rank 4 Elite.”

“I’m Feiden Desmus, Son of Marquess Adran Desmus, Rank 2 Elite.”

“I’m Tana Choron! Daughter of Count Falan Choron, Rank 12 Elite.”

“I’m not actually a part of their squad, but I’m Mira, Daughter of Marquess Revanon, Rank 11 Elite.”

“...”

The Chief and I were silent as everyone introduced themselves. The little plaza had gone silent. I felt dozens of stares on me and my friends, a scattered mix of fear and awe.

The sons and daughters of some very powerful people were here.

I suppose the Chief hadn’t expected such an intense greeting, because he was now completely flabbergasted.

If not for him trying to show these noble children a respectful smile, he’d probably look horrified.

“Y-Yes… It’s a pleasure to meet you all…”

He forced the words out, his face almost red with strain.

I clicked my tongue, shooting the others a look before patting his shoulder.

“Don’t worry about these posers, Chief. Come on, let’s go get a drink.”

“Who’s a poser? I want a drink too.”

“Me too!”

“Don’t let Tana have a drink…”

Everyone quipped as they followed the Chief and I, heading to a bar where we ordered some alcohol.

I sat on the edge of the table with the Chief, a bit of separation between us and the others.

Once he got some breathing room, he patted down his sweat with a long breath.

“Goodness, John. You’ve made some powerful friends. It hasn’t even been a year.”

“A lot has happened.”

“Nonsense. You’re dating the daughter of a Duchess. Are you secretly a noble?”

“I’m not.”

I chuckled and took a sip, the Chief stealing glances.

I found the difference between an ordinary village Chief and us Magi rather amazing. I was ordinary just like him not even a year ago, but now I had risen to live a life likely unfathomable to him.

I came from his perspective, so I could understand both sides. I guess that’s why I was feeling quite close to him. I could relate to him in a way the others couldn’t.

Even then, I couldn’t imagine what he must be feeling, being in front of so many high nobles like this.

Back when I had first met him and showed him my Crest, he had bowed in respect, and that was merely because I was a Magus. Now, he was in front of these people who sat even above Magi, wielding both incredible power and Kingdom-wide influence.

He had been raised in this world; such an encounter completely contrary to common sense was beyond anything he could ever dream of.

Well, it would be one hell of a story to tell, that’s for sure.

After a bit more conversation with the man, I asked him a question.

“Chief, do you have a spatial sack?”

“O-Of course not. Those are quite the legendary items. Even my entire village couldn’t save enough money to buy one.”

“Well, I promised I’d pay you back. I want you to take this as my thanks for your help back then. A proper thanks, too. Not the measly thousand coin I had given to you. Umara.”

I turned, catching my girlfriend’s attention and tapping into my telepathic connection with her. We had made it a habit to simply keep it active.

(Can you create a barrier around the two of us? If you can block sight and sound that would be nice.)

(Alright?)

(I’m just going to give him some money. It’s for his safety, just in case.)

(Oh, sure.)

She nodded and cast some magic, covering me and the Chief in a dome of condensed vapor.

Nobody could see or hear anything from without, so I took out the item I had prepared in case I was actually able to find him.

“Here Chief. This is a spatial sack. It can hold about a chest’s worth of items. I made sure it was subtle and could be used by ordinary people.”

“W-What?”

His eyes bulged when he saw the band I placed on the table in front of him.

It was a Polaris-brand spatial sack carved from a special kind of wood, powered by an embedded White Crystal. There was no indication of any magic though. It looked like a completely ordinary wooden band, like something an ordinary carpenter would carve for fun.

Because the Chief was completely ordinary, utilizing its storage features was the limit of what he could do. He didn’t have a Crest that it could bind to, so it would be up to him to keep it safe.

So long as he did so, it would remain a very valuable item. But that wasn’t even the good part.

“Inside that band is 80 thousand coin. Alongside what the band itself cost, it’s a bit over a tenth of my savings. I felt that was a good amount to give you.”

“80 what? I-I’m sorry John, I couldn’t possibly take so much money from you.”

“Chief, you went out of your way to help me when I had nothing. I don’t care that you only spent a few coin to get me into the capital. You were the one who brought me there and opened the door to all the other opportunities I got. You secured my future. Without you, things would look quite bleak for me. Now, I want to secure your future.”

I grabbed his hand, slipping the band over it and onto his forearm.

It shrunk to his size before activating. His eyes went blank for a second, likely seeing everything inside. He couldn’t stop the magic even if he wanted to.

He was soon aware that there was in fact 80 thousand coin inside, broken up primarily into silver denominations. It wasn’t like I could give him 80 gold bullion and expect him to actually use that.

That meant the band was loaded with a pile of silver coin. Only 10 of those coins were gold bullion.

After seeing more money than his entire village made in years, he tried to take the band off.

“John, I can’t-”

“Alright, stop. I think I said this last time, but I’m not taking no for an answer. It’s about time I paid you back, so take the band and use it wisely. It should be enough for you to live comfortably, or to get yourself to that point. Besides, I’m going to be making more money as I increase my power. Don’t stress yourself out and accept this.”

“...”

He went silent as I stared him down, seriousness in my eyes. It was almost like I was threatening him to accept it.

But this was what he deserved. I didn’t believe in simply paying back what I owed. I believed in paying back that debt proportionally. What he had given me back then wasn’t even something that could be repaid in money, but it would have to do for now.

I lifted my Aerial, seeing the time and realizing we had to leave soon.

I stood.

“Alright, our Rail leaves shortly. That money and band is yours to do with however you wish. The only thing I can ask is that you’re smart with its use. This dome around us is meant to prevent anyone from knowing you have this kind of money. But once you step out of here, it’ll be up to you to keep it safe and hidden. I don’t know when I’ll be able to see you again, so until then, I wish you and your village good health.”

Right as I said that, the dome dispersed. I stepped out of my seat, joining the others donning coats and bags.

The Chief stopped me right as I was about the leave.

“John.”

“Hm?”

“...May the Lord bless you. I know you’re fighting the Scourge. Please, keep yourself safe. The world is a better place with a good man like you in it. I wish upon you happiness wherever you go.”

“...Thank you, Chief.”

I went and shook the man’s hand one last time before leaving with my squad.

As we walked back to the Rail, Vetsmon elbowed me.

“Did you give him a fortune or something?”

“No. It was just a gift for his help.”

“Knowing you, it was probably a hundred thousand coin. I also saw the spatial sack.”

Umara chimed in, shooting me a glare.

“You can give away all the money you like yet can’t accept something like a stupid lute without being forced to.”

“I’m indebted to him, not the Raven Family Chief.”

“That’s besides the point and you know it. I can’t believe that I actually wish for you to be more selfish sometimes.”

“Why should I be selfish?”

“For your own sake, stupid!”

“Ack...”

I jumped a bit as she kicked my leg, a small smile on my face.

The others made similar comments as we walked back to the terminal. The platform bustled with activity, students about everywhere in final preparation for our resumed journey to the frontlines.

I sighed, rather content after handing off my gift. It was the first time I was able to properly pay back a debt.