Chapter 283

Encia’s magic poured down rain, soaking the parched earth and bestowing blessings upon the village.

The crops that were withering away regained life from those raindrops, and the land that was turning into a red desert was covered with small patches of green.

The dry stream that only had faint water stains began to flow with clean water, and the people who were scraping together muddy water to quench their thirst could now solve their thirst with clear water.

Encia, praised by everyone in the village. The rumors about the girl who possessed the magic to summon rain spread quickly.

“Honestly, I didn’t know so many people were suffering this much from the drought.”

「Water is an essential element for all life to survive. Especially if you live near the scorching desert, even more so.」

“Is that true?”

「That’s true.」

Encia nodded her head at Tia’s words. Of course, your throat gets dry when you’re in a hot place, and plants need to be watered to grow.

Since all of that was obvious.

“But why did you oppose me bringing rain to other villages?”

「Sia, you don’t understand the value of the power you possess. Being able to make it rain at will is an incredibly great power. You can save people who are drying up and dying, control the agriculture of the land, and if you keep making it rain on the desert, there’s even the possibility of changing the environment itself.」

“Is that true?”

「That’s true.」

Encia merely tilted her head at Tia’s words.

It was a happy thing that the rain fell on the parched village, and both the villagers and her parents were pleased. But was it wrong to share this with other villages?

Young Encia was still innocent.

“I want to bring rain to other villages too.”

「No. If you insist on doing it, you should receive a proper price in return.」

“Why? Shouldn’t helping others be a good deed? Isn’t helping others a good thing?”

「That may be so, but human hearts are extremely fickle. They tend to take goodwill for granted.」

“Goodwill?”

「Yes. They might come to regard your kindness as a right. Once that happens, they won’t thank you and will start complaining, ‘Why aren’t you helping our village?’ They might even resort to despicable tricks to use you.」

“Is that true?”

「That’s true.」

Encia slightly nodded her head at Tia’s words. Though she didn’t fully understand, if Tia said it, it must be correct.

Tia had never been wrong about anything she taught.

「If people ask for help, I’ll help them as much as I can. My power can handle countless complaints. But you can’t. You can’t handle endless grievances from countless people. Listening to all their complaints without limit will end up choking you.」

Tia’s words carried deep emotion.

The experience of being harassed by countless humans. Those emotions stemmed from that experience.

「So, if they wish for rain, let them pay the appropriate price first. Then, those who are truly desperate will beg you even after paying the price. And most importantly…」

Tia paused to catch her breath before speaking.

“Things done well shouldn’t be given away for free.”

Encia didn’t fully grasp the meaning of those words but simply nodded her head.

After all, Tia had never been wrong.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

The rumors about Encia spread far and wide, reaching even the city of Procyon, the city of mages.

A mage with the power to cover an entire village with rain clouds. A special existence like the Dragon Priestess, wielding immense magic.

Interest in such an Encia continued to rise.

“Come to Procyon. We’ll secure a position for you.”

“A position?”

“Yes. With your abilities, you could become one of the top mages in Procyon. Numerous mages would admire you.”

The mage’s words made Encia tilt her head slightly.

She knew enough about Procyon but hadn’t felt the need to go there.

“If you gain some experience in Procyon, you might even unify the divided sections of Procyon into one. You have that kind of potential.”

“Unify Procyon? Was Procyon divided?”

“While outwardly there’s only one Procyon, the city of mages, internally it’s divided into several zones competing for territory. However, the skills of the mages governing each zone are evenly matched, maintaining a balance.”

「They separated the zones because if one person ruled over the city of mages, there’s a risk they might go rampant with their power. What is this mage talking about?」

While listening to Tia’s words, Encia spoke to the mage in front of her.

“I’m still young, so I don’t understand things like that. I don’t get what you mean by unifying Procyon or whatever. I just want to study magic and live peacefully.”

“That’s precisely why you should come to Procyon. Research on magic is thriving there. Movements to understand the possibilities of magic and turn them into theories are in full swing. If you come to Procyon, you can witness these research efforts firsthand.”

That sounded quite tempting.

Research findings. What kind of research had the mages of Procyon conducted?

She was genuinely curious.

「Hmm… Honestly, I wonder how far the mages of Procyon have come with their research… But maybe this could be a worthwhile experience. Sia, do as you wish.」

With Tia’s approval, Encia gave a slight nod.

Even though she couldn’t directly speak to Tia in front of the mage, her nod alone conveyed her intent.

“I won’t completely relocate. My home is here. I’ll visit home once a month under that condition and go to Procyon.”

“You’ve made a wise decision. Once you visit Procyon, you might be captivated and decide to settle there. But we’ll leave that for later.”

The mage smiled and extended his hand, which Encia hesitantly shook.

Thus, the rain-summoning mage, Encia, headed toward Procyon.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

“Woah…”

「You look dazzled. Sia.」

“But I’ve never seen such a big city before.”

It was natural for Encia, seeing a city for the first time in her life, to have a dazzled expression.

In the square, giant flames were burning, and many people were offering numerous prayers to the fire.

Merchants buying magic scrolls infused with magic, apprentice mages carrying scroll materials.

A cart of mana stones being moved to the Church of Life, another cart of mana stones leaving the Church of Life for somewhere else.

And… spiral towers rising everywhere.

Procyon’s appearance was like another world that Encia had never seen before.

“Alright! Since I’m here, I should give it my all!”

「Hmm. Full of enthusiasm, aren’t you? Go ahead and try.」

And so, Encia lived as a mage in Procyon.

“Uwaaat! Papyrus!!”

「Your magic is too powerful for papyrus to contain. Would vellum work? No, it’s impossible with the mana stone’s power; it’s beyond its limits.」

While attempting to create a scroll containing the rain-summoning magic, she failed.

“Your magic covers a wide area with rain, correct?”

“Huh?”

“Such rain-summoning magic seems close to elemental magic, doesn’t it? Join our Elemental Research Society.”

“Hold on! What nonsense! Her magic reads and twists the weather to summon rain; she belongs with our Prophecy Confederation!”

“The one controlling existing clouds to make it rain fits better in our Control Magic Research Institute, doesn’t it?”

Encia found herself caught between many mage groups coveting her magic.

As Encia spent her days living in Procyon…

“Please! Bring rain to our village!”

“Huh?”

A man, dusty and disheveled, bowed deeply in front of Encia.

“I’ve heard of the rain-summoning mage’s reputation and came seeking help! Please! If it doesn’t rain, our village’s crops will be completely ruined!!”

Encia hesitated slightly at the sight of the dirt-covered man. She should follow Tia’s advice and not offer her services for free.

“I can’t help for free.”

“B-but, somehow….”

The desperate look on the man’s face made Encia sigh softly.

“Don’t you have anything to offer? Did you come empty-handed?”

“It-it’s just… I used all my money for travel expenses… Please! Can’t you somehow help?!”

Seeing the man’s plight, Encia sighed again and glanced around as if checking someone’s invisible eyes.

“Then, let’s do it on credit. Send me part of the proceeds from selling your crops. If you promise that, I’ll bring rain to your village.”

“R-really?! Thank you! Thank you so much!!!”

The man joyfully bowed deeply in gratitude upon hearing Encia’s words.

And then…

「Sia. You’re helping on credit?」

“Tia.”

「Will this guy keep his promise? Human hearts change easily, you know? Like how different you feel before and after using the bathroom.」

Encia couldn’t answer. Honestly, she felt a bit uneasy about it herself.

「Ugh. There’s nothing we can do. If he doesn’t pay later, we’ll have to make him pay the appropriate price then.」

“Is that true?”

「That’s true.」

Encia nodded at Tia’s words. Tia was right, so that’s what she should do.

Thanks to Encia’s magic, the village received rain and successfully harvested their crops that year. However, the following year, an even worse drought destroyed all their crops.

「Cause and effect.」

“Hmm…”

Encia felt a slight pang of guilt but tried to suppress it. Still, only the village was devastated, and no one died, so it was okay.

[!– Slider main container –]