![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
At Mount Guren, Where the Beloved Child Plays - Episode 1
Episode 1 | next episode →
[ Magical Manor - Mithra’s Room ]
It was a starry night.
And here I was, in Mithra’s room.
Akira: You are getting very~ very~ sleepy~ Very sleepy, Mithra~
Mithra: ………
Akira: Mithra, you’re supposed to be looking over here! Here, watch closely this coin that’s swinging in front of you!
Mithra: (sigh) ……
Mithra was lying on bed, surrounded by eye masks, plush cushions, empty tea cups, and potpourris…
There was also a gently fragrant scented candle with its flame wavering. I had surrounded him with all sorts of different sleep-aids, but he only buried his face into the pillow. It looked like a stormy mood was imminent.
Mithra: I don’t care anymore. Please stop swinging this thing around. Please stop chanting bizarre hexes at me too, I’m sick of it.
I’m not feeling the least bit sleepy, anyhow… I’m thinking that you’ve been slacking off too much recently.
Akira: That’s not true… I’m putting all my heart and soul into this, but it’s not working out…
Oh, I’ve got it! How about I put Saccie on top of your tummy?
Saccie isn’t as warm as a cat might be, but it’s vaguely warm, and its body warmth might help you sleep…
I scooped up Saccie, who had been curled up on my lap. I placed it down on Mithra’s abdomen.
But Saccie’s hackles immediately rose, and it stared up at Mithra warily.
Sacrificium: …!
Akira: H-Huh? What’s wrong, Saccie? Mithra’s not scary.
Mithra: Wait, what? I am scary. How dare you oppose me.
Also, I’ve told you before that this thing reeks of the twins and I don’t like it.
Akira: Oh, but…
With his face scrunched in displeasure, Mithra grabbed Saccie by the scruff of its neck and carelessly tossed it aside.
His attention moved away from Saccie, who had landed back into my lap. It shifted back towards me in the form of an insistent gaze.
Mithra: I’ve tried drinking herbal tea today, and I’ve also tried changing my sheets.
I’ve tried overeating for dinner. I even went and fought a bout with Bradley…
And there’s still more that you expect me to try?
Akira: I-I’m sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of help…
I’d noticed that the rings under Mithra’s eyes were darker than usual.
But of course they were, because even though I’ve been trying everything I could every day to put Mithra to sleep, he just couldn’t fall asleep.
Akira: (Magic users don’t need as much sleep as humans do, but even so, not getting any rest at all must be terribly taxing.)
(If only there were something else we could try. Something that we haven’t tried before, something like…)
Mithra: (sigh) …… Tossing and turning doesn’t seem to help either. Maybe I’ll just rampage out this restlessness.
Akira: W-Wait, Mithra, please! There is one more thing that we haven’t tried yet that might get you a good night’s sleep.
Mithra: And that is?
Akira: Um, uhh… that would be…
Akira: (Think, Akira, think! What’s something that could help Mithra, but it has to be something that you’re familiar with…)
Akira: A SAUNA!
Mithra: S…auna…?
Akira: That’s right! It’s like a hot bath. You sit in a room that’s heated to high temperatures, and it makes you sweat a lot in there.
After that, you exit the room, bask in cool air, and take a cold bath. You’ll feel like you’ve been reborn, or should I say, you’ll feel like all your stress has been washed away…
Oh, but maybe that’s not the right remedy for a lack of sleep…? It sounds counterproductive…
Mithra: ………
Mithra was silent, and he remained silent as he stared straight at me.
Eventually, he languidly pulled himself upright. He scratched his head and yawned a little yawn.
Mithra: Well…… It might be worth a try.
Akira: You think so?! Ah, I’m happy to hear that…!
But we’ll need a special facility to experience this sauna thing.
I wonder if filling a bathtub with extremely hot water and shutting all the windows would work as a substitute. I-I’ll see if I can make that happen…
Mithra: No, it’s fine. I’ve done something similar before.
Akira: You have…? Are there sauna-like things in this world too?
Mithra: There’s a volcanic field in the frontier of Northern Country, all the way by the coast.
The climate in that area is extremely hot by Northern Country standards. Tiletta brought me there once, back when she was still teaching me magic.
Akira: Why would she? And to that sort of place too…
Mithra: Because there’s primordial spirits living there. Their presence makes the land well-suited for magical training.
But even after she first brought me there, I’d visit the place on my own when I had spare time, just to stroll around or to collect stuff. When I got bored of that, I’d dive into the sea, or take flight to the skies…
I remember thinking that it all felt rather pleasing. That means I’d been reborn anew.
Akira: T-That’s such a feral way to do it. But maybe there’s more similarities than meets the eye.
Mithra: I’ve not been there in some time, though. It’s hot and exhausting there, but it’s the sort of place you’d feel like visiting every now and then.
The volcanic crater itself is so hot that it feels like your skin might melt off your body, but I found myself choosing to weaken the barrier around me so that the heat could surround me…
With the hot steam enveloping me, I would then dive deep into the cold sea water. Indeed, it was not bad at all.
Akira: (He’s into that sort of thing…)
Akira: All things considered, you’re talking about a volcanic field in the North… It’s so cold and hard to survive in the North, but there’s still a hot place like that, huh.
Mithra: I don’t think the climate has got anything to do with how hard it is to survive. If the North’s cold can freeze you to the bone, fatal to man and animal alike, then it’s no surprise that the North’s heat is fatal too.
The volcanic field is a land of spirits. The ecosystem is primeval, filled with truly natural geological formations, and there’s magma too.
Apparently, angering the spirits will make the volcano erupt. It’ll run rocks down upon you and swallow you up in the lava…
Somehow, Mithra’s voice sounded just a bit restless as he elaborated.
I couldn’t clearly see his expression because his hair had fallen into his face. But despite how tightly his lips were pursed, I could see that they were faintly curved upward. His hushed voice belied a certain eagerness.
It was almost like listening to an innocent boy tell me all about his secret base.
Akira: (It sure does seem like the wizards of the North love their homeland, for one reason or another…)
(And I wonder if Mithra is no exception in his fondness of it.)
Mithra: ………
But now Mithra had fallen silent. His dark green eyes shifted, ever so slightly.
Akira: Mithra, what’s the matter?
Mithra: It’s nothing… It’s just been a very long time since I last talked about that place.
I keep feeling like I’ve forgotten something related to it.
It’s like, long ago, I forgot that I left something behind there…
Akira: I wonder what that is…? Did you forget an item or something?
Mithra: It doesn’t feel like that’s what I forgot, though. I could go there in an instant if it was something I wanted to retrieve.
Well, if I can’t remember it, then it’s probably not anything important. I’ve been told I’m forgetful.
Akira: If we went there, you might remember what it was, though.
It’s already so late today, so if there’s time in the future… It’d be nice if we could go and find that, uh, forgotten thing of yours.
Mithra: Well, I suppose so.
Mithra reached out with his long fingers, and I returned the gesture by holding his hand and bringing it close to me.
Akira: (He’s already used to holding hands like this with me, huh.)
(It sure would be nice if he’d be able to fall asleep for a little while tonight…)
Mithra’s eyelids fluttered shut. Atop my lap, Saccie shifted.
And so, the night passed in silence.
[ Magical Manor - Corridor ]
Akira: (yawn)
Cain: Oh. That sounds like… Kenja sama, is that you?
Akira: Cain! Good morning.
[ High-five sfx ]
Cain: Mornin’. Someone looks rather sleepy.
Akira: Ahaha, you can tell? Yesterday, Mithra and I were discussing ways for him to fall asleep, and I guess we ended up staying up all night.
We burned candles, drank tea, swung coins… We tried all sorts of things, but nothing worked.
Cain: You… swung coins? Every day sure is a challenge for both Mithra and yourself, Akira.
I mean, I know you’re the only one that can put him to sleep, but if you keep this up, you’re going to run yourself ragged.
Akira: I’m doing just fine. It’s worth the effort anyhow. Yesterday, it did seem like Mithra was able to get some sleep…
[ Boom! ]
[ Smoke fills the corridor. ]
Cain & Akira: !?
Suddenly, a loud explosion echoed around us, and my vision was filled with a hazy white.
At the other end of the corridor was the source of all the billowing white smoke.
Akira: What the—!?
Cain: Isn’t that Mithra’s room over there? Let’s go!
Cain and I exchanged glances, then we headed down the corridor through the white smoke.
Lying in wait for us was…
Chloe: (cough) (cough) Ugh, the corridor’s filled with smoke too!
Murr: Ahaha! It was a spectacular failure then!
Akira: Huh? It’s Chloe and Murr!
Cain: What are you two doing here…
Chloe: Ah, Kenja sama, Cain! Sorry about the loud noise, it all happened so suddenly…
Murr: First things first — Cain, high-five!
[ High-five sfx ]
Mithra: Hey, you didn’t say that this would blow a hole in the wall.
While a soot-stained Murr exchanged high-fives with Cain, Mithra poked his head out of the broken door.
Maybe parts of the door had been blown off by the force of the explosion. The entire hallway was filled with shrapnel from the door and pieces of wall, and those weren’t the only things strewn all over the place in a complete, utter mess.
Akira: F-For now… I’m just glad no one’s hurt.
But what on earth were you trying to do that caused this explosion?
Murr: Mithra asked me to help him make a contraption! For this ‘sauna’ thing that he wanted to do!
I brought out stuff from the storehouse, like some mystic tools and magical science apparatus, and I went ham trying!
Akira: Sauna, you said!? In… Mithra’s room!?
Chloe: Mhm! By the way, I’m Murr’s assistant!
It’s not every day you have Mithra asking you for a favour! I don’t really know what a ‘sauna’ is, but I gave it my all regardless.
Cain: A ‘sauna’… I’ve never heard of such a thing. If it’s something that can be made, it must be like a type of device, or a mechanical contraption, right?
Mithra: No, it’s a method to relax.
You alternate between burning hot temperatures and absolute zero, and while you bask in that, you feel at ease, and then you’ll have an easier time falling asleep, for instance.
Cain: Seriously? It sounds like it’d do more harm than good, if you asked me…
Mithra: That’s not a concern. It’s just that if I were to do this whole sauna thing anyway, I may as well try it where my bed is.
That’s why I asked this guy if it was possible to make a device that does just that.
Murr: It sure is fun experimenting around with the art of creating things you don’t fully understand~
Prototype #1 was unable to withstand high heat, and thus it broke.
Akira: (So it was my attempts at cultural exchange that resulted in this explosion!?)
Chloe: Right, the device itself did heat up quite a lot while it was in use. I’ll do an extra good job at fanning next time, so the next prototype won’t overheat itself!
Murr: Thanks, Assistant Chloe! Time is of the essence, so let’s give this another shot!
Chloe: Yeahhh!
Mithra: No. I’ve had enough of this. If you’re unable to make it happen at once, I shall depart for that place myself.
Mithra: « arsim »
[ Door sfx ]
Mithra waved his hand, and beyond his fingertips a transpatial door appeared in the middle of the corridor.
With the tip of his shoes, he nudged aside what must have been his personal possessions that were now littered all over the floor, and then he glanced over his shoulder at us.
Mithra: Then I’ll be going.
[ No BGM ]
Akira: By ‘going’, where exactly…?
Snow: Hey, Mithra!
It was Snow who leapt out from behind the door, the words ‘hold it right there’ on the tip of his tongue.
And then, for some reason, he had Owen by the hand, who was stumbling along behind him. He, too, made his way to stand in front of the door.
Owen: Oww. Don’t just drag me around all of a sudden.
[ BGM starts ]
Cain: Owen. And is that Snow sama with you?
Chloe: Why are you two holding hands…?
Murr: Ooh, I know! It’s a type of punishment game!
next episode →
[ Magical Manor - Mithra’s Room ]
It was a starry night.
And here I was, in Mithra’s room.
Akira: You are getting very~ very~ sleepy~ Very sleepy, Mithra~
Mithra: ………
Akira: Mithra, you’re supposed to be looking over here! Here, watch closely this coin that’s swinging in front of you!
Mithra: (sigh) ……
Mithra was lying on bed, surrounded by eye masks, plush cushions, empty tea cups, and potpourris…
There was also a gently fragrant scented candle with its flame wavering. I had surrounded him with all sorts of different sleep-aids, but he only buried his face into the pillow. It looked like a stormy mood was imminent.
Mithra: I don’t care anymore. Please stop swinging this thing around. Please stop chanting bizarre hexes at me too, I’m sick of it.
I’m not feeling the least bit sleepy, anyhow… I’m thinking that you’ve been slacking off too much recently.
Akira: That’s not true… I’m putting all my heart and soul into this, but it’s not working out…
Oh, I’ve got it! How about I put Saccie on top of your tummy?
Saccie isn’t as warm as a cat might be, but it’s vaguely warm, and its body warmth might help you sleep…
I scooped up Saccie, who had been curled up on my lap. I placed it down on Mithra’s abdomen.
But Saccie’s hackles immediately rose, and it stared up at Mithra warily.
Sacrificium: …!
Akira: H-Huh? What’s wrong, Saccie? Mithra’s not scary.
Mithra: Wait, what? I am scary. How dare you oppose me.
Also, I’ve told you before that this thing reeks of the twins and I don’t like it.
Akira: Oh, but…
With his face scrunched in displeasure, Mithra grabbed Saccie by the scruff of its neck and carelessly tossed it aside.
His attention moved away from Saccie, who had landed back into my lap. It shifted back towards me in the form of an insistent gaze.
Mithra: I’ve tried drinking herbal tea today, and I’ve also tried changing my sheets.
I’ve tried overeating for dinner. I even went and fought a bout with Bradley…
And there’s still more that you expect me to try?
Akira: I-I’m sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of help…
I’d noticed that the rings under Mithra’s eyes were darker than usual.
But of course they were, because even though I’ve been trying everything I could every day to put Mithra to sleep, he just couldn’t fall asleep.
Akira: (Magic users don’t need as much sleep as humans do, but even so, not getting any rest at all must be terribly taxing.)
(If only there were something else we could try. Something that we haven’t tried before, something like…)
Mithra: (sigh) …… Tossing and turning doesn’t seem to help either. Maybe I’ll just rampage out this restlessness.
Akira: W-Wait, Mithra, please! There is one more thing that we haven’t tried yet that might get you a good night’s sleep.
Mithra: And that is?
Akira: Um, uhh… that would be…
Akira: (Think, Akira, think! What’s something that could help Mithra, but it has to be something that you’re familiar with…)
Akira: A SAUNA!
Mithra: S…auna…?
Akira: That’s right! It’s like a hot bath. You sit in a room that’s heated to high temperatures, and it makes you sweat a lot in there.
After that, you exit the room, bask in cool air, and take a cold bath. You’ll feel like you’ve been reborn, or should I say, you’ll feel like all your stress has been washed away…
Oh, but maybe that’s not the right remedy for a lack of sleep…? It sounds counterproductive…
Mithra: ………
Mithra was silent, and he remained silent as he stared straight at me.
Eventually, he languidly pulled himself upright. He scratched his head and yawned a little yawn.
Mithra: Well…… It might be worth a try.
Akira: You think so?! Ah, I’m happy to hear that…!
But we’ll need a special facility to experience this sauna thing.
I wonder if filling a bathtub with extremely hot water and shutting all the windows would work as a substitute. I-I’ll see if I can make that happen…
Mithra: No, it’s fine. I’ve done something similar before.
Akira: You have…? Are there sauna-like things in this world too?
Mithra: There’s a volcanic field in the frontier of Northern Country, all the way by the coast.
The climate in that area is extremely hot by Northern Country standards. Tiletta brought me there once, back when she was still teaching me magic.
Akira: Why would she? And to that sort of place too…
Mithra: Because there’s primordial spirits living there. Their presence makes the land well-suited for magical training.
But even after she first brought me there, I’d visit the place on my own when I had spare time, just to stroll around or to collect stuff. When I got bored of that, I’d dive into the sea, or take flight to the skies…
I remember thinking that it all felt rather pleasing. That means I’d been reborn anew.
Akira: T-That’s such a feral way to do it. But maybe there’s more similarities than meets the eye.
Mithra: I’ve not been there in some time, though. It’s hot and exhausting there, but it’s the sort of place you’d feel like visiting every now and then.
The volcanic crater itself is so hot that it feels like your skin might melt off your body, but I found myself choosing to weaken the barrier around me so that the heat could surround me…
With the hot steam enveloping me, I would then dive deep into the cold sea water. Indeed, it was not bad at all.
Akira: (He’s into that sort of thing…)
Akira: All things considered, you’re talking about a volcanic field in the North… It’s so cold and hard to survive in the North, but there’s still a hot place like that, huh.
Mithra: I don’t think the climate has got anything to do with how hard it is to survive. If the North’s cold can freeze you to the bone, fatal to man and animal alike, then it’s no surprise that the North’s heat is fatal too.
The volcanic field is a land of spirits. The ecosystem is primeval, filled with truly natural geological formations, and there’s magma too.
Apparently, angering the spirits will make the volcano erupt. It’ll run rocks down upon you and swallow you up in the lava…
Somehow, Mithra’s voice sounded just a bit restless as he elaborated.
I couldn’t clearly see his expression because his hair had fallen into his face. But despite how tightly his lips were pursed, I could see that they were faintly curved upward. His hushed voice belied a certain eagerness.
It was almost like listening to an innocent boy tell me all about his secret base.
Akira: (It sure does seem like the wizards of the North love their homeland, for one reason or another…)
(And I wonder if Mithra is no exception in his fondness of it.)
Mithra: ………
But now Mithra had fallen silent. His dark green eyes shifted, ever so slightly.
Akira: Mithra, what’s the matter?
Mithra: It’s nothing… It’s just been a very long time since I last talked about that place.
I keep feeling like I’ve forgotten something related to it.
It’s like, long ago, I forgot that I left something behind there…
Akira: I wonder what that is…? Did you forget an item or something?
Mithra: It doesn’t feel like that’s what I forgot, though. I could go there in an instant if it was something I wanted to retrieve.
Well, if I can’t remember it, then it’s probably not anything important. I’ve been told I’m forgetful.
Akira: If we went there, you might remember what it was, though.
It’s already so late today, so if there’s time in the future… It’d be nice if we could go and find that, uh, forgotten thing of yours.
Mithra: Well, I suppose so.
Mithra reached out with his long fingers, and I returned the gesture by holding his hand and bringing it close to me.
Akira: (He’s already used to holding hands like this with me, huh.)
(It sure would be nice if he’d be able to fall asleep for a little while tonight…)
Mithra’s eyelids fluttered shut. Atop my lap, Saccie shifted.
And so, the night passed in silence.
[ Magical Manor - Corridor ]
Akira: (yawn)
Cain: Oh. That sounds like… Kenja sama, is that you?
Akira: Cain! Good morning.
[ High-five sfx ]
Cain: Mornin’. Someone looks rather sleepy.
Akira: Ahaha, you can tell? Yesterday, Mithra and I were discussing ways for him to fall asleep, and I guess we ended up staying up all night.
We burned candles, drank tea, swung coins… We tried all sorts of things, but nothing worked.
Cain: You… swung coins? Every day sure is a challenge for both Mithra and yourself, Akira.
I mean, I know you’re the only one that can put him to sleep, but if you keep this up, you’re going to run yourself ragged.
Akira: I’m doing just fine. It’s worth the effort anyhow. Yesterday, it did seem like Mithra was able to get some sleep…
[ Boom! ]
[ Smoke fills the corridor. ]
Cain & Akira: !?
Suddenly, a loud explosion echoed around us, and my vision was filled with a hazy white.
At the other end of the corridor was the source of all the billowing white smoke.
Akira: What the—!?
Cain: Isn’t that Mithra’s room over there? Let’s go!
Cain and I exchanged glances, then we headed down the corridor through the white smoke.
Lying in wait for us was…
Chloe: (cough) (cough) Ugh, the corridor’s filled with smoke too!
Murr: Ahaha! It was a spectacular failure then!
Akira: Huh? It’s Chloe and Murr!
Cain: What are you two doing here…
Chloe: Ah, Kenja sama, Cain! Sorry about the loud noise, it all happened so suddenly…
Murr: First things first — Cain, high-five!
[ High-five sfx ]
Mithra: Hey, you didn’t say that this would blow a hole in the wall.
While a soot-stained Murr exchanged high-fives with Cain, Mithra poked his head out of the broken door.
Maybe parts of the door had been blown off by the force of the explosion. The entire hallway was filled with shrapnel from the door and pieces of wall, and those weren’t the only things strewn all over the place in a complete, utter mess.
Akira: F-For now… I’m just glad no one’s hurt.
But what on earth were you trying to do that caused this explosion?
Murr: Mithra asked me to help him make a contraption! For this ‘sauna’ thing that he wanted to do!
I brought out stuff from the storehouse, like some mystic tools and magical science apparatus, and I went ham trying!
Akira: Sauna, you said!? In… Mithra’s room!?
Chloe: Mhm! By the way, I’m Murr’s assistant!
It’s not every day you have Mithra asking you for a favour! I don’t really know what a ‘sauna’ is, but I gave it my all regardless.
Cain: A ‘sauna’… I’ve never heard of such a thing. If it’s something that can be made, it must be like a type of device, or a mechanical contraption, right?
Mithra: No, it’s a method to relax.
You alternate between burning hot temperatures and absolute zero, and while you bask in that, you feel at ease, and then you’ll have an easier time falling asleep, for instance.
Cain: Seriously? It sounds like it’d do more harm than good, if you asked me…
Mithra: That’s not a concern. It’s just that if I were to do this whole sauna thing anyway, I may as well try it where my bed is.
That’s why I asked this guy if it was possible to make a device that does just that.
Murr: It sure is fun experimenting around with the art of creating things you don’t fully understand~
Prototype #1 was unable to withstand high heat, and thus it broke.
Akira: (So it was my attempts at cultural exchange that resulted in this explosion!?)
Chloe: Right, the device itself did heat up quite a lot while it was in use. I’ll do an extra good job at fanning next time, so the next prototype won’t overheat itself!
Murr: Thanks, Assistant Chloe! Time is of the essence, so let’s give this another shot!
Chloe: Yeahhh!
Mithra: No. I’ve had enough of this. If you’re unable to make it happen at once, I shall depart for that place myself.
Mithra: « arsim »
[ Door sfx ]
Mithra waved his hand, and beyond his fingertips a transpatial door appeared in the middle of the corridor.
With the tip of his shoes, he nudged aside what must have been his personal possessions that were now littered all over the floor, and then he glanced over his shoulder at us.
Mithra: Then I’ll be going.
[ No BGM ]
Akira: By ‘going’, where exactly…?
Snow: Hey, Mithra!
It was Snow who leapt out from behind the door, the words ‘hold it right there’ on the tip of his tongue.
And then, for some reason, he had Owen by the hand, who was stumbling along behind him. He, too, made his way to stand in front of the door.
Owen: Oww. Don’t just drag me around all of a sudden.
[ BGM starts ]
Cain: Owen. And is that Snow sama with you?
Chloe: Why are you two holding hands…?
Murr: Ooh, I know! It’s a type of punishment game!
next episode →