Chapter 148

The thick cloud cover promised rain. It took Nick a moment to remember that it hadn’t rained in weeks, yet the fields remained fairly healthy.Nick doubted that things would deteriorate further with the Purification of the Ashes looming in the coming days. Although his memories of the event were of limited use, as he hadn’t had the experience or power to sense the mystical effects of the ritual back then, he still knew that once it was completed, the fields began to flourish quickly. This was why planting had to be done immediately after.

As a result, the first harvest came remarkably fast. Farmers were able to gather grain and vegetables within two weeks without the need for fertilizer. However, after that initial miracle, the process slowed, and the next harvest would take a month.

It was still quite quick, but considering that everyone had mana in this world, perhaps he shouldn’t be so surprised.

“Are you going to come in? I doubt that watching the grass grow will make Elia arrive any faster,” Rhea teased.

“Actually,” Nick said, getting back up and staring at the figure on the road coming their way, “she’s here.”

Indeed, after making them wait several hours longer than agreed, it seemed that Elia would finally grace them with her presence.

They stayed there for a few minutes until Rhea grew impatient and grabbed Nick’s arm, pulling him toward their friend. “Let’s go. We're going to my secret spot anyway, so waiting here is pointless.”

Nick grumbled to himself, but he had the good sense to keep quiet.

When they finally got close enough to her, Elia looked extremely tired, yet there was a spark in her eyes that indicated she had achieved what she set out to do.

“It’s nice to finally see you,” he said quickly, preventing Rhea from unleashing her annoyance at the secrecy.

The foxgirl smiled, inclining her head apologetically. “Yeah, I'm sorry for taking so long. I went to bed very late yesterday to finish, and it took me some time to organize everything this morning.”

“Ugh, wait until we get there!” Rhea interrupted, grabbing Elia’s arm and pulling both of them along. Nick exchanged a smile with his friend, and they silently agreed to let Rhea have this one.

Finally, they arrived at the meadow where they had planned the steps for Nick’s wand, and a pang of loss struck him. It still frustrated him greatly that Sashara had destroyed it, regardless of how lucky everyone insisted he was.

Rhea threw herself onto the ground, urging them to join her quickly. Once they were all finally seated, she turned to them with an expectant look. “Well?”

Elia took a deep breath and released it. “Alright. First, I need to apologize. I didn’t mean to be so secretive, and I know you would have understood if I had explained everything. However, this is a sensitive matter, so I wanted to avoid letting anyone know that I might not be working on this alone.”

Nick could admit he was curious. The entire beastmen situation was quite complicated, and although tensions had eased recently, they remained at a slow simmer. A single incident could reignite the brewing rebellion.

“As you know, after Sashara descended, the revolt was temporarily called off,” Elia began, and Nick and Rhea nodded. That much they knew. “That’s just part of the story. While it's true, it doesn’t really explain everything that happened in the background.”

Seeing how Rhea was nearly vibrating with impatience, Nick placed a placating hand on her thigh. “She’s getting there; give her a moment.”

Elia nodded in thanks. “I am. What happened is that my mother and the others faced an impossible choice. They could try to go through with it, but doing so risked splitting the community. Many people were only tangentially involved in the first place, and after having a literal goddess descend and interfere in our favor… Yeah, not many were willing to start fighting.”

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“Before they could come to a definitive decision, though, the others had already begun discussing how I had been trying to prevent the rebellion.” Elia tucked a lock of hair back, pursing her lips. “Usually, this would be very bad. I’d been trying to play both sides while subtly trying to slow things down, but I might have overplayed my hand. In this instance, it made me almost appear like a prophet. I had no idea Sashara would descend, of course, but there is a long-standing tradition of Seers among my people; so when the rumors began, they spread very quickly.”

That was very interesting. Nick didn’t have particularly good experiences with Seers and prophecies, as they always seemed either so vague that they could be interpreted in any way or so definitive that taking action to prevent them would likely lead to their realization anyway. He also doubted Elia had such powers at her disposal, but he supposed Kitsune were known to bring omens of the future. It was possible that her Path might eventually lead her down that road.

“So what happened is that my mother and her group were sidelined for the first time in a long time. Elders who had kept away from everyday affairs came back to the forefront, and they all agreed that my “prophecy” indicated that I am the heir of the Nine-Tails.”

“That seems all positive so far, but I’m guessing there's something else, or you wouldn’t have needed all this time,” Nick said when she stopped.

Elia nodded. “Yeah. The elders essentially appointed me as Miko, which serves as both a spiritual guide and a future leader. It’s something that hasn’t happened in a long time, but everyone knows about it. It caused a huge stir in the community because if I were recognized as Miko, I would have the final say in matters like the rebellion. I would essentially speak for the ancestors, and my word would be decisive.”

Nick could already see a dozen ways this role could be misused, but he doubted that Elia was concerned about that. She had matured significantly over the past year and was no longer the kid who played catch with him in the temple grounds.

“Your mother contested it,” Rhea interjected, staring directly into Elia’s eyes.

“Yeah. Yeah, she did,” Elia murmured sadly. “She was the one who put me into a leadership role, so I hadn’t expected her to turn around and oppose me so directly, but she did. Once it became clear I wouldn’t use that power to push for rebellion, she claimed that the elders were wrong and that while I had gotten a second tail, I could not be the Miko, as I lack the Trait.”

The implications of political roles being permitted only if recognized by the System were fascinating, but Nick wisely kept that to himself. Elia looked very distressed by the betrayal, and his curiosity could wait, especially since it seemed the story wasn’t over yet.

“So I hid in our archives for a while. I was too angry at the time about how she claimed I was a false Miko in front of the elders to be rational, but it’s a good thing I did. Once I calmed down, Elder Beor came to see me and showed me the records of the last Miko to explain why he thought they had made the right decision. After he left, I started reading more.”

Nick suddenly realized where she was going. “You discovered how to get the Trait.”

Elia smiled mischievously, looking like the spirit from which she supposedly descended. “I did. I need to complete a trial within an active temple and gain the approval of the elders. Since I already have that, I just need to do the first. I am also allowed to be accompanied by up to three people, but I need to consider them equals. There can be no mistrust.”

“And you spent the last two days looking through the records to find the nearest temples.” Rhea finished for her, suddenly looking much more excited about the whole thing.

“I did. I have three locations within the grassland that records indicate were used at least once for the ceremony, along with two others that are a bit further away. I also got the elders to agree to support me, so we have the traditional month of time to prepare before I need to present myself and demonstrate that I have received the Trait from the ancestors.” Elia then gave them a tentative smile, taking their hands in hers.

“Would you two come with me?”

“Of course!”

“Yes!”

Their answers overlapped without hesitation, and Elia laughed brightly, the lines of stress and tiredness finally smoothing out to reveal hope shining through. “Thank you.”

They said they would accompany her on her self-imposed mission, and while a month might seem like a long time, Nick knew they were actually quite pressed for time.

Elia had asked for a few more days to finish studying what would be required of her during this mysterious test, as well as to catch up on some sleep. They would leave the day after the Purification of the Ashes, unless something unexpected happened. This was a very real possibility, but Nick hoped for a peaceful ceremony.

When he’d asked if she needed a place to crash, given the apparent rupture of her relationship with her mother, Elia had shaken her head sadly and said she was staying with Elder Yulla, a distant aunt who had taken her in without needing to be asked.

With that settled and a practical solution for the rebellion in sight, Nick rushed back home.

The dungeon expedition had been quite unexpected, and his low level had prevented him from making significant preparations without incurring excessive risk. However, with another deadline approaching, he aimed to maximize his equipment as much as possible.

For a moment, he wondered if he should take Talbot along. The cat was certainly bound to the house, but he knew that with some effort, he could break that bond.

But he soon dismissed it. Talbot was still very young. Nick might have been able to do it if he had been at least a year old, but attempting it now would severely damage his development.

First, Nick returned to the field he used to practice. He needed to work through some of his nervous energy, and what better way to do that than to test the new limits of his power?

He found the area to be overgrown with weeds. It was surprising, considering how much of a beating he had put it through, but he supposed that Wind Magic didn’t necessarily prevent plant growth.

“I doubt anything will grow once I’m done with it this time,” he murmured as lightning sparked around his fingers.

Nick felt neither scared nor annoyed despite the major task that had unexpectedly landed in his lap. He had something new to work toward. He felt energized and couldn’t suppress the grin that spread across his lips.