236: Coming home, you can feel the changes, huh?

The hidden village of mages was a massive island.

It was shaped like a near-perfect circle, with only the peak of a caldera poking above sea level.

The old master who taught Eva, Paradio, told us the entire perimeter was sheer cliffs—impossible to get inside from the outside.

And even worse, the area around the island was full of reefs. Without knowing the route, you’d almost certainly run aground.

It’s night now, so the danger’s even higher.

That’s why the boat’s been swaying back and forth, adjusting course every few seconds.

After a while, a huge cave—sea cave—came into view.

You’d never spot it unless you knew where to look.

As the large sailing ship slowly entered the sea cave, ropes were thrown from both sides of the platform and secured to the vessel. Then, the islanders pulled the ship by hand and magic, sliding it sideways into place against the dock.

Inside the sea cave, it was quite spacious—large enough to fit several big ships. Maybe they even turned the ships around in here.

Jitarou’s eyes sparkled as he looked around.

“Whoa! This is like a little fortress!”

“Yeah. The island itself’s basically a giant castle. And this harbor’s probably the only one.”

Just as we were talking, Elder Paradio came up beside us.

“Only ships can communicate with the outside. Perfect for guarding the village.”

“Location. Access. All thought out, huh.”

“Grateful for the wisdom of the ancestors.”

"Seems pretty careful about hiding things. You could’ve at least shown us the way, right?"

"Doesn’t matter. More people were pushing to reveal the island’s existence. Visitors from outside? Good for a change of pace."

"Then that’s fine."

The cave glowed with magic light and torchfire, casting an oddly dreamlike haze. Maina was thrilled—don’t go spilling blood from excitement, now.

Damn, got kicked hard.

Persia, the guard knight, leveled a frosty glare at me.

"You’re really a dull one, aren’t you?"

"Uuu… I have no idea how women think at all."

I can’t even speak normally around her—complete brain freeze. Usually I just act normal around Persia, but…

"You really are…"

She shot me that icy stare again, then stepped off the boat with Maina.

I stood there, tongue-tied, watching her go. Then the maid Ryuuko came up.

"Master. I recommend treating her not as a child or a knight, but as a lady."

"Yeah... I know that in my head, I really do..."

Growing up in an orphanage made it hard to treat little kids like ladies. I end up treating them like sisters without even thinking.

Persia... she’s Persia. I’ve already half-given up on that.

Anyway, I should get off the boat. I want to see the village already.

The crew was busy with repairs, but old Paradio seemed to be leading the way.

Behind the dock, there was a wide area lined with storage sheds, set up for unloading cargo. Everyone who’d disembarked was wandering around, checking things out. The harbor inside the cave had a real charm to it.

"Right this way."

Following Paradio’s lead, we moved deeper inside. A massive iron gate stood ahead. When the old man gave a signal, it creaked open slowly.

A cavern stretched far into the distance—wide enough for two or three carriages to sit side by side. It sloped upward gently.

"A carriage has been prepared. Please step inside."

"Thank you."

We split into four carriages. Each held six people, with one local resident per carriage. Standard precaution.

I was with Paradio, Maina, Persia, Leifan—and Eva.

"Eva doesn’t travel with her sister?"

"Staying with my master lets me talk more during the journey. Plus, if something important happens while I’m gone, I’d just have to hear it later anyway. Saves time."

I doubt we’ll be having that kind of talk, though.

Leifan lets out a small sigh, as if reading my mind.

"Craft, you just can’t help but cause trouble during idle talk, so I can’t just leave you alone."

"Hey, that’s rude."

"Try to have a little more awareness, okay?"

Honestly, that’s pushing it... no, maybe I’m not even aware when I cause trouble. Gotta watch myself.

Maina casually climbed onto my lap, though she seemed a little grumpy about it.

Leifan and Eva sat on either side of me. Both probably preferred the window seats. Though all you could see was a wall of rock.

Not only were the hanging lamps in the carriage lit, but we also used “floating light orbs.” The area was plenty bright.

The road was smooth. No jostling. The carriage rolled forward.

◆

A good amount of time passed. Maina was dozing off, leaning against me.

At first I chatted casually with Paradio and the others, but figured I’d lose the fun if I dug too deep before we reached the village, so I kept it light.

What struck me most was the village itself—there were plenty of non-mages here, not just magic users. And a good number of them carried heraldic sigils. More people than I’d imagined, definitely.

After staring at the same scenery for so long, my internal clock was going haywire, but then finally—there it was. A glimmer of light ahead.

We emerged from the tunnel into a southern land.

The area near the exit was lined with fortress-like structures, but once we passed through and pushed through a forest of unfamiliar trees, we reached the heart of the village. Bigger than I’d expected, no doubt.

Thousands of households, maybe?

The climate felt warm, and the buildings weren’t just the usual stone or brick. There were plenty of thatched-roof huts made from stacked coconut palms too.

The place was dripping with foreign charm, and my energy spiked.

Maina was excited too, pointing at unfamiliar sights and bouncing around.

“Over there! Tower! Big! Huge!”

“Don’t stand out, that tower. Bigger than the nearby castle.”

“Brother! Look! Look! The castle’s shape’s strange!”

“Yeah. Never seen anything like it.”

Leifan tilted his head slightly.

“Odd step pattern. Ah, right. Probably shoots magic from up there. Well-made, huh.”

Old Paradio narrowed his eyes, glancing our way.

“Figured it out at a glance.”

“Had a hand in castle designs myself.”

“Hmph.”

Back in the old days, we couldn’t call it a castle—just a fortress. But I won’t say more. The thing was already bigger than a royal palace from the start.

At the village’s entrance, a wide road stretched all the way to the fortress. Shops lined both sides—enough life to make it feel alive.

No, I’m probably just comparing it to the capital or Goldendown. It’s fully developed, more like a town than a village.

“Looks like they’re living normally.”

Paradio answers my mumble.

“Only when basic life is stable can proper research and training even begin.”

“Huh. I see.”

“Still, lately there’s been more voices saying we should add more entertainment, open up exchanges with the outside.”

“Can’t really blame them. The island’s pretty big, but stuck in a sealed-off space. People get claustrophobic after a while.”

“True. That’s why the debate over opening up to the outside never ends. It’s like a thousand-day stalemate—just circles around and around, never getting anywhere.”

“Ah…”

Meeting’s like dancing, huh.

In moments like this, it’s nice to have someone like Van around to lead.

Paradio gives Eva a quick glance.

“After you left the garden, things changed here too.”

Eva blinks, surprised.

“Changes? Now that you mention it… they seem more lively than before. I thought it was just because we’re here.”

“Possibly. We’ve declared the ‘Hermit’s Garden’ an island. And we’ve increased the number of people allowed to leave.”

“Wait—what? I didn’t even realize this place was an island…”

“The Hermit’s Council decided it was pointless to keep up the various concealment spells we used on the villagers.”

“So that’s what they were doing.”

"Uh-huh. Now, those seeking the world's secrets join voluntarily. Naturally, proper strength is required."

"That’s… quite a change, isn’t it?"

"Most now agree the village’s existence should be made public."

Eva turned her gaze toward the village, face tight.

"Hard decision… but I’ve seen the outside world. I can support that view."

"Is that so… If we had a clear reason, we could choose one way or the other."

"A clear reason?"

Paradio stared straight at Eva.

"Uh-huh. A big enough reason, that is."

"...So you’re in favor of lifting the restrictions, Master?"

"No. I’m just a half-hearted man, undecided."

A self-deprecating tone.

It nagged at me. I couldn’t help but cut in.

"Means you’re carrying a heavy load, right?"

"Knowing that, I feel a bit lighter."

Paradio’s expression eased slightly.

Well then, let’s welcome you properly. Welcome to the hidden village of magicians, “The Hermit’s Garden.”

So here we are, finally made it to the hidden village of mages.

The guy who shoved some fruit in my face at that exact moment.

Craft! This coconut juice is seriously delicious!

Hey! Jitarou! Don’t cut in on a good scene like that!

What about the currency!?

Wait, Maina! Don’t run straight to the stall!

Stop, Persia!

No! What the hell are we doing standing side by side, you damn useless piece of trash!

...A rare guest, lively as ever.

Sorry about that, really!

The manga adaptation of "Kubi Alchemy" Volume 6 is releasing on November 7th—