LIGHTNOVELONLINE [10] : Mika’s Parents’ Legacy
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With memories of his grandfather in mind, Mika slowly walked home.
Gently pushing open the door, he saw Yahweh, Airmid, and Mellie standing before him.
"What's wrong? Did something happen, Mika?" Airmid, who had grown up with Mika and knew him best, quickly asked upon seeing his face. She could tell he wasn't in a good mood.
"Nothing, just feeling a bit sentimental," Mika replied, shaking his head as he pulled out a key from his pocket. "Everyone, it seems we won't need to worry about our initial funds for going to Orario."
The thought of resolving their funding issues instantly changed Mika's previously troubled expression into a smile.
After deciding to go to Orario, securing funds had become a pressing concern for the four of them. After all, living in Orario wasn't easy!
Originally, Mika planned to rent a small house with their current money and make do until they could afford something better. But learning about this inheritance changed everything. Maybe they could now get through the toughest times quickly.
He just wondered how much his parents' inheritance was worth. While it might seem ungrateful, Mika really needed the money right now. As for memories of his parents, they had faded quite a bit.
Mika's parents were adventurers in Orario and important members of their Familia, which made them very busy. So, when Mika was a bit older, he was sent to live with his grandfather. Though his parents often visited, they were rarely together as a family for long.
They had planned to bring Mika back to their Familia once he was older so he could become an adventurer. But a disaster struck and took their lives. It had been six years since their deaths.
"Funds? Where are you getting funds?" Yahweh's and the others' eyes lit up at the mention of money. They had been worrying about this for a while.
"Follow me!" Mika gestured to them before heading to the side of the yard, where there was a cellar.
...
Holding shovels, Mika and the others quickly dug in the cellar. According to the letter, Mika's parents' belongings were buried under the ground here. Mika also told Yahweh and the others about this while they dug.
"Who knew your parents were high-level adventurers? It's like I poached someone from another Familia," Yahweh laughed.
According to Orario's customs, if parents belonged to a Familia, their children were considered reserve members. Once grown, they would naturally become adventurers. So Yahweh joked about taking someone from another Familia.
"But it's strange. Even if your parents died, their god should have taken you into the Familia. Why weren't you invited to join?" Yahweh couldn't imagine Mika refusing such an invitation.
Mika wasn't surprised by her reaction since he had never talked about his parents. "That god is no longer in Orario."
"Not in Orario?" Just as Yahweh wanted to ask more, Airmid's shovel hit something.
"We found it!"
Mika and Mellie quickly dug harder, and soon, they uncovered an iron door to the secret room beneath the cellar.
Using the key to unlock the door, they waited a bit to let in fresh air before entering. Turning on the magic stone lamps, everything inside the secret room became visible.
In the center was a stone pedestal with two chests on it. One chest looked ordinary, similar to what people usually used to store items. The other, longer chest was obviously unusual, and the four instantly knew what it contained.
After examining them, Mika approached the chests. He opened the ordinary one first, expecting it to contain money.
As he lifted the lid, golden light reflected on Mika's face. The chest was filled with Faris (gold coins), turning his face golden.
"So much money! There must be over a million Faris here!" Airmid exclaimed, never having seen so much money before.
"It's definitely more than a million. Besides Faris, there are valuable materials here, worth more than gold," Mellie said, shaking her head. "But no matter how much it is, we have enough startup funds now. Let's worry about high-level things later."
Closing the chest, Mika turned to the unusual one. Opening it slowly, they found various weapons inside: staffs, greatswords, single-handed swords, daggers, a shield, and even a book.
Though there were many weapons, Mika's attention was drawn to a greatsword and two staffs. These were his parents' main weapons, ones he had seen before.
Mika's father was a magic swordsman with a powerful spell. Besides a greatsword, he also carried a short staff for switching to a mage. His mother was a true mage, and the longer staff was hers.
Mika knew from his grandfather's letter that his parents hadn't died directly from monster attacks. They died from untreated injuries while escaping. Despite fighting till the end and exhausting all healing potions and healers, their relics were sent back intact.
Gently touching the weapons, Mika asked, "Yahweh-sama, you plan to develop our Familia as an exploration Familia, right? Do you have any requirements for exploring the dungeon?"
"Requirements? I haven't thought about it since our Familia is still small. I don't want to burden you," Yahweh replied gently. "But if you have ideas, feel free to share them. You're our Familia captain, after all."
Raising the shield with his father's Familia crest, Mika said deeply, "Then how about defeating the Black Dragon?"
Mellie, observing Mika's actions and words, covered her mouth. She recognized the crest on the shield. It was the emblem of the Hera Familia!
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Although the Hera Familia had disappeared from Orario, it had only been six years since both the Zeus and Hera Familias were expelled. Traces of these two familias still remained in Orario.
"Mika is actually a descendant of the Hera Familia. Could the battle that led to his parents' deaths be that one?" Mellie exclaimed in disbelief.
Just six years ago, the Zeus and Hera Familias, who had ruled Orario for a thousand years, faced their final challenge after completing two of the three great challenges: the Black Dragon. In this battle, both familias suffered unprecedented defeat, with almost all their elites perishing. Taking advantage of this, the Freya and Loki Familias drove them out of Orario and became the new rulers.
Thus, the Zeus and Hera Familias, who had ruled Orario for a millennium, vanished from the world, and no one knew their whereabouts. But now, a descendant of the Hera Familia had reappeared, even though he was no longer part of it.
Realizing this, Mellie became excited. It was the perfect hero's tale. "I knew I chose the right person!" Mellie thought to herself.
At the same time, Yahweh laughed out loud after a moment of silence in response to Mika's words. "Excellent, very excellent! To become the strongest Familia, we just need to defeat the Black Dragon."
"Exactly!" Yahweh excitedly patted Mika's shoulder, making him feel slightly bewildered. "I'm being serious here. Your reaction makes it seem like a joke," Mika thought, but he knew Yahweh wasn't joking. She truly had this in mind, filling Mika with warmth.
"Then it's decided. From now on, defeating the Black Dragon will be Yahweh Familia's goal. What do you two think?" Mika asked Airmid and Mellie.
"Wherever Mika goes, I go!" Airmid said.
"The Black Dragon fits my ideal monster. Defeating it will make our deeds legendary," Mellie added.
Hearing their support, Mika's smile grew even more satisfied. He then grabbed the staffs from the chest and handed them to Airmid and Mellie.
"This... this is!" Both Airmid and Mellie were thrilled as they looked at the staffs.
"They're yours now. Use them well," Mika said nonchalantly. Although gifting these staffs was partly impulsive, it was mostly well-considered. As an ordinary person destined to have only one type of magic, Mika didn't intend to become a mage, making the staffs useless to him.
From what Mika knew of Airmid and Mellie, the former would become the best healer and the latter the best mage. He gave Mellie his mother's staff and Airmid his father's, hoping they could maximize their potential and help explore the dungeon further, eventually reaching the Black Dragon's lair. Mika knew that soloing in the dungeon had no future.
"If you say so, we'll gladly accept!" Mellie said joyfully, gripping the staff tightly. As a human-elf hybrid with elven blood, she naturally aspired to be a great mage like Riveria. Though she mostly learned close combat techniques after joining Yahweh Familia, she also had her own magical pursuits.
"I'll cherish this staff," Airmid said gently, stroking the staff.
"How you use them is up to you. They're yours now," Mika said, turning his attention back to the chest. He reached for an unusual item—a book.
"Could this be a grimoire?" Mika wondered, opening the book without a title. As he read, his consciousness was completely absorbed by it.
"Autobiography: Magic Mirror, Magic Mirror, Who is the Most Beautiful Magical Girl in the World? ~ Side Story: Aim to Be a Grand Mage! ~"
Mika chuckled at the familiar, chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) tone and continued reading.
"Modern Magic Even Goblins Can Understand! Part Three."
It was a familiar format and tone. Mika was now certain it was a grimoire.
"Magic can be broadly classified into innate and acquired types. Innate magic is tied to one's natural talent or racial roots, often resulting in powerful and large-scale effects after training and rituals. Acquired magic sprouts from the potential granted by the gods and is realized through self-actualization. It lacks any fixed rules and branches infinitely, heavily influenced by 'experience points.'
Magic is a matter of interest. This element is especially crucial for acquired magic, as one's interests, identity, hatred, longing, sorrow, worship, vows, and desires serve as triggers. These factors are clearly revealed under divine blessings."
As Mika continued reading, he felt increasingly energized. The words in the book transformed before his eyes, forming another Mika who scrutinized him.
"Ask and you shall be answered. Seek and you shall find. A true mirror, free of falsehood, stands ready. So, to you (me), what is magic?"
Mika instinctively replied, "Magic is a miracle, the power to turn the tables in any situation." He thought of the heroes in the Nasuverse and King Arthur's shining sword against the sea demon.
"To you (me), what is magic?" the other Mika asked again.
"It's the power to protect my companions in any circumstance," Mika responded, thinking of his friends and the short film 'Fire Will Never Fade' he had watched before.
"What is magic to you (me)?" the other Mika continued.
"Fire," Mika answered. In his past life, fire was the most terrifying weapon. Even in a comfortable modern society, Mika worried about gas explosions while cooking. Fire was what he feared most and wanted to control.
"What do you seek from magic?"
"I want more magic!" Mika thought of Loki Familia's strongest mage, Riveria, who could use nine different spells. Every mage aspired to be like her. Mika did too; he wanted to be someone who could clear the battlefield with a wave of his hand.
"Is that all?"
"That's all!"
"Greedy, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am. I want it all!"
"But that's who I (you) am!"
In the end, the two Mikas laughed together, having reached a mutual understanding.