Mitile's 4th Anniversary SSR Card Story — "Between Strength and Kindness"
Akira: (Is that Mitile…?)
Akira: (He looks worn out, I wonder if something happened…)
Bradley: “You showed up at a good time. Invite the Southern Shortie out for a holiday, would’ja?”
Akira: “Huh? I’m happy to do that, of course, but why—?”
Bradley: “I’ll leave ya to it then.”
Akira: (From the way he was talking, it seems like Bradley knows why Mitile looks so tired… Well, I guess I’ll just pay Mitile a visit instead.)
Mitile: “I’m glad to see you, Master Sage! I only just got back home, so I’m happy we didn’t accidentally miss each other… Was there something you wanted to talk about?”
Akira: “Well, I saw you going into your room a few moments ago… You looked kind of worn out, so I got a little worried.”
Mitile: “Oh, is that all! Well, to be honest… Mister Bradley has been teaching me magic recently, and it’s pretty tiring.”
Mitile: “It’s a lot more intense than the relaxed classes I used to have in the South, so I usually feel exhausted by the end.”
Akira: (Oh, I see… So that’s why Bradley came up to me earlier.)
Akira: “Is it difficult, then…?”
Mitile: “A little bit, yeah. It can be hard work, and sometimes I get frustrated or even angry at the way Mister Bradley speaks to me…”
Mitile: “But it’s really been worth all the effort! He did say to me ‘I won’t go easy on you as your teacher’.”
Mitile: “He doesn’t treat me like I’m just a kid — I feel like he really sees me as his equal in being a wizard… And that gets me fired up about working even harder!”
Mitile: “Thanks to him, I can use my magic in ways I never even thought of before!”
Akira: “That’s amazing…! Bradley’s very dependable.”
Akira: (Ways of using magic that Mitile’s never thought of before…? I can’t help but feel like that might be dangerous…)
Mitile: “Still, maybe I pushed myself too hard today. I’m sorry for worrying you.”
Akira: “Oh, no, it’s okay. Just knowing why is a relief on its own. That being said… If you have the time, would you like to take tomorrow off with me?”
Akira: “We can relax in the Magic Manor together, or go out if there’s a place you’d like to visit. Preferably somewhere not too stressful, of course.”
When I smiled at him, the worried expression on Mitile’s face suddenly disappeared. Then, looking a little fidgety, he opened his mouth to speak.
Mitile: “If you don’t mind, then…”
So, the next day Mitile and I went to a plateau not very far from the Southern Tower at his request. A number of stalls lined the road beneath the clear blue sky.
Mitile: “The villagers from around here like to gather in this spot to sell each other some of their own handmade things. There are so many one-of-a-kind items that it’s fun to just look at everything!”
Akira: “Thank you so much for bringing me to such a wonderful place. I’m excited to find my own personal treasure here!”
Akira: “Still, there’s really so many stalls here. I’d love to visit all of them if I can, but I’m not sure we’re going to have enough time…”
Mitile: “What if we split up for now, and then when we find some stalls we’re really interested in, we can meet up again and show each other?”
Akira: “Good idea! I’ll be sure to find some great stalls to take you to you later.”
Akira: (They’re selling things carved out of wood at this stall. The fretwork pattern here is beautiful… Oh, that coaster might be nice to get.)
Akira: (I know Mitile has a habit of bringing drinks to his table when he’s studying, so I’m sure he’d get good use out of something like this.)
Blond-Haired Man: “Hmph, how could anyone try and sell such a misshapen ring for a price like that?”
When I turned to look for the source of those words, I saw a fairly tall man walking behind me with his shoulders slumped.
Akira: (That man doesn’t seem like a citizen of Southern Country… He’s being stingy over almost every item on sale here. What a rude guy…)
Blond-Haired Man: “This thing here is free, yes? I’ll be taking it, then.”
Stall Owner: “W-Well, hold on…”
Akira: “E-Excuse me…! If you do something like that you’ll be putting this person in a difficult position, so I really think you should pay—“
Blond-Haired Man: “Shut your mouth!”
Mitile: “Oh, wow! These inks made of flowers come in so many beautiful colours… And the flower that was used as the ingredient is labelled on each of the jars.”
Mitile: (Maybe Master Sage could use these for writing in their book? I’ll bring them to this stall later so they can choose the inks they’d like.)
Mitile: (…Now that I’m thinking about it, I was happy when Master Sage spent a lot of time getting to know me and listening to me talk after we met each other for the first time.)
Mitile: (It still makes me feel kind of lonely to think that the only reason they were writing all that down in the first place was to help the next Sage after they leave…)
Mitile: (But I understand how it feels to want to go home, too. I’m sure they must have friends and family waiting for them to come back…)
Mitile: “Still… I really don’t want to say goodbye…”
Mitile: (Because the more I get to know about Master Sage, the more I find myself really liking them…)
Mitile: (…I wonder how much they think I’ve changed since they first wrote about me in the Sage’s Manual.)
Mitile: “Did I just hear someone starting a fight…? Something might’ve happened over there…!”
Mitile: “Master Sage…?! Are you okay?”
Stall Owner: “Your friend there tried to scold this man for not paying for his things, but they were shoved to the floor…”
Blond-Haired Man: “Of course you’re going to get hurt if you attack someone so brazenly. It’s only expected that I would defend myself as a foreigner here.”
Mitile: “…Grr… I won’t let you bother any of the people here, or Master Sage!”
Blond-Haired Man: “What an impertinent brat. What could someone like you ever do to me, hm?”
Mitile took out his magic potion jar. At that moment, I saw Bradley’s face flash through my mind.
Mitile: “«Ortonik Cealsispilce»!”
The man was unharmed, despite how the loud bang made him brace himself in fear. Nothing nearby seemed to have been destroyed, either.
Blond-Haired Man: “Gah! S-So you’re a wizard, are you?!”
Mitile: “That’s right! Cause any more trouble here and I’ll do a lot worse than make a loud sound next time!”
Blond-Haired Man: “S-Shit… I don’t need this!”
Mitile: “…Phew. Master Sage— Oh…”
Though there were few humans who held prejudices against wizards in Southern Country, many of the people around us still seemed shocked by the abruptness of the situation. Mitile’s gaze wavered with anxiety in the still and silent air.
Standing, up I gently grasped Mitile’s hand with my own. I could feel his fingers trembling against my palm.
Akira: “Mitile. You did a good job protecting everyone. Thank you. I think we’re all just surprised because the noise was so loud.”
Mitile: “O-Oh… Um… I’m sorry for scaring you, everyone.”
Mitile: “All I did was make the air vibrate to create a loud sound… It’s not the kind of magic that could hurt anyone, really.”
As he turned to face the people around him, Mitile explained himself with a sincere voice.
Stall Owner: “Ah, so that’s what it was. Thank you. You’ve been a big help.”
Hatted Woman: “Ah, so it was like one of those bells that drive away beasts. It’s a relief knowing nobody was hurt just now.”
Once everyone had realised that things were alright again, the area quickly regained its former liveliness. Mitile’s tension was quickly washed away, perhaps relieved by the sight.
Mitile: “…That spell I just used was something Mister Bradley showed me.”
Mitile: “He told me that so long as my opponent isn’t a wizard, I don’t really need to use serious magic to scare them away.”
Mitile: “I thought— maybe I could use what Mister Bradley taught me to frighten that guy off without hurting him… But I ended up scaring everyone around me, too.”
Akira: “…You really haven’t changed at all, Mitile.”
Akira: “Since the day I first met you, all you’ve ever wanted is to protect others using your own strength. I think it’s amazing how that part of you hasn’t changed one bit.”
Akira: “Even though you’ve recently been thrust into a situation where you’re having to learn from people whose values are very different to your own, and you’re growing up at a surprisingly fast pace.”
Akira: “You’re really cool, Mitile. I respect you a lot.”
Mitile: “…Thank you so much!”
Mitile: “To be honest, while I was wandering around the stalls by myself, I couldn’t help but wonder how you thought of me now, Master Sage…”
Mitile: “So it makes me feel really happy to hear you say that!”
Mitile: “Oh, that’s right — I found a really great shop while I was looking around. They sell lots of different coloured inks made out of flowers. Can I take you there after this?”
Akira: “Oh, yes please! It’d be wonderful if I could write about everyone in the Sage’s Manual using flower ink.”
Mitile: “Are you going to write about my hard work and what I learnt today once we’re home?”
Beaming at me happily, Mitile held my hand in his so that we wouldn’t be separated until we arrived at the stall he wanted to show me. I squeezed his palm gently.
The idea of having to someday leave behind my Sage’s Manual is a difficult one — because I never want to forget Mitile’s gentle warmth.
Sub-Episode: Mitile and the Door of Days Gone By
Akira: “Apparently, there’s a door that lets people see into the past appearing on the beach of Borda Island.”
Akira: “Speaking of the past, I used to get very anxious when I first arrived in this world. Whenever I felt particularly bad, I would calm myself down by recalling a certain memory of mine.”
Akira: “Mhm. Of an adult I trusted reading me a book when I was a child.”
Mitile: “Me too! I used to love having my father and brother read to me as a child!”
Akira: “Ahaha. We’re the same then, huh?”
Akira: “If you don’t mind me asking, how do you comfort yourself when you feel lonely, Mitile?”
Mitile: “Oh, um… Well, I’m not really sure…”
Mitile: “I have memories of being by myself, and feeling lonely and sad.”
Mitile: “Of course there have also been times when I was upset or angry, and didn’t want to see anybody at all, but…”
Mitile: “I guess what I mean is that I don’t really understand what loneliness is yet.”
Mitile: “Even when me and my brother fight, we usually make up really quickly.”
Mitile: “And if we don’t, I still have my friends from school to talk to, and Doctor Figaro, and Mister Leno — Mister Mithra, too.”
Mitile: “It’s not like I have plans to go somewhere far away all by myself…”
Mitile: “To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever really felt truly alone.”
Akira: “Ah, I see! But you know, I think that’s a very good thing, honestly.”
Akira: “It makes me happy to hear that you’re surrounded by people you can rely on. It’s relieving.”
Mitile: “You really think so?”
Mitile: “Loneliness… I guess what I really think of when I hear that word is Mister Leno.”
Mitile: “Yeah. Mister Leno never spent much time in or even near the Town of Clouds, really.”
Mitile: “When people would talk about him, I’d always think of this man herding sheep all by himself on some far away mountains…”
Mitile: “Totally alone with only the sheep and his sheepdog to keep him company. Doesn’t that sound lonely?”
Mitile: “I remember that it used to make my heart pound. Though, maybe that’s not the right way to put it… I just thought it sounded like something I could never do.”
Akira: “I get it… Sheep and dogs are cute, but you’d start missing people after a while, right?”
Akira: “What about Rutile and Figaro, then?”
Mitile: “My brother and I have always been together. I know he’s got lots of his own friends.”
Mitile: “And Doctor Figaro is a popular person everyone can always rely on.”
Mitile: “Maybe once I’m grown up I won’t feel lonely living by myself, though.”
Mitile: “I hope I can stay together with everyone, even when I’m older…”
