What is magic? When Oran draws his bow, he uses mana to do it.

  Thus, Mafu reasoned that "magic" would be different from a skill somehow. A skill is the internal use of mana to produce a result. Such as Oran strengthening his muscles to draw his bow more easily and aim the arrow more precisely.

  Magic would then be the external use of mana. If he looked at his fungal wizards and studied when they used their magic while looking at the manaflow, he could see it.

  Before the spell itself activated, mana would form up in the area where it was to be activated. In the case of the fire wizards, it would form a circle high up in the air. Then, when the spell activated, the mana would be consumed to produce the "portal" where a stream of fire came through.

  Portal to where? Mafu had not quite figured that one out yet.

  Then, Otek was technically using magic by that definition, no? When he created his clone, he took a "snapshot" of himself in a way. He then transferred the mana that he had frozen into his picture away to the desired location and then activated the mana.

  Of course, it was hard to see, even with Mafu's perception stat being quite high.

  Then another question entered Mafu's mind. Why could he see mana with his perception, but Oran could not? Oran had a higher perception than him.

  It took quite a while, debating with Athena and coming up with theories, but eventually they arrived at a possible answer. Oran was not looking for mana, while Mafu was.

  It was the way in which they used their stats. Oran used it to enhance his long-range vision, noticing the smallest details of nature. To him, mana was something that came from inside him. An invisible force that had existed since long before he was born. It did not strike him to try to see it.

  Mafu, being from Earth, had a different perspective. As a former scientist, his thinking was more logical, and he was taught to try to explain phenomena. When he got to this universe, he learned that mana existed. Thus, when he used his perception, he tried to use it to understand the laws of this new world.

  And of course, he was interested in learning about mana. But seeing mana was useful for many different purposes.

  Mafu had therefore called back Oran from Dolorans' world. He trained with Oran, while both of them tried using their perception under the guidance of the other.

  Mafu got an insight into how Oran spotted wildlife and how he evaluated the environment and used it to his advantage. He also got better at seeing at long range.

  Meanwhile, Oran managed to see Mana. He was amazed, as it seemed to him that the world had suddenly changed. Mafu instructed him to use it to train his skills and see if he could improve the use of them that way.

  Another interesting thing was how Oran used his skills. It was mostly subconscious.

  For example, when he used a skill to drastically increase the power of the arrow he shot, something strange happened. As he drew his bow, the area around him was flooded with his mana. Nothing around him was outside of his control, and it was as if the mana was vibrating slowly.

  As he was about to release the arrow, all that mana was drawn into the arrow itself. The area around him suddenly became a void. The air in the area was pushed out of the way, and a corridor opened in front of Oran where there was no air or other obstructions.

  The arrow filled with mana was then released through that corridor, and it seemed as if the mana was used as a sort of propulsion. A lot of it remained within the arrow, but some was used as if the arrow were a rocket.

  Then, a few milliseconds later, the area stabilized to what it had been before.

  All of this was subconscious. Oran did not know he was doing it but was similarly amazed by the result of studying his skill.

  Mafu and Oran then tried to fiddle with the process. At first, they tried to have Oran infuse more mana into the arrow. However, it did not work. As the mana increased, the arrow started acting wildly as if possessed and started moving by itself.

  Widening the corridor did not work either. Rather, it worked, but it did not have any visible effect on the shot arrow.

  Finally, after a couple of days, they succeeded. They tried to do it simply by widening the area influenced by Oran's mana. As a result, the arrow was then infused with more mana in the milliseconds before it was shot and did not become erratic.

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  The power of the skill was increased a lot, and it still had room for growth.

  Oran was both baffled and excited, saying that he would try to relearn all he had learned about his skills.

  This was when they got word from Otek that the invitation of the barony's migration had been accepted. Soon, the entire town was set into a frenzied state.

  Craftsmen started producing more weapons, wagons, and other supplies. Parek and Tudain gathered in the capital again and started organizing and training their troops for the upcoming campaign.

  The ants started digging a highway over to the portal, with the dwarven builders laying stones in the dug-out ground to make a smooth road.

  It was a frenzy indeed. Mafu looked at the people running about and doing their tasks and was happy that there was no one who asked him about it. The people in the kingdom were competent indeed, and even though Mafu was a driving force behind the invitation to the baron, the people knew what to do without being led.

  Jod, who was organizing the entire thing, felt Mafu's thoughts and could not help but send a slightly annoyed feeling over through their mental link.

  ---

  Baron Villen sat at the head of his long table as the maids were running about packing things up. He felt tired but did not doubt his choice.

  After all, his people did suffer in this world. He was the head of a mere barony and had no political power to speak of. Last year, two viscounts from the central provinces had visited and had asked for hospitality that the baron could not afford.

  When he had failed to provide them with adequately expensive wines and lodgings, they had started saying that they would make sure to make him pay for it.

  It did not matter that they had visited without prior notice, nor that they expected too much of a baron. They were viscounts, and he was a baron. No matter what, they were right, and he was wrong.

  Thus, they had demanded recompense in the form of some of the finest weapons and armor that he had. Heirlooms, obtained by his forebears at great cost. He had, of course, relented and given them the items requested.

  Otherwise his head would fly off, or his people would have to pay the price for his defiance. His people were the targets of slavers and loansharks. If they had a bad harvest, many farmers had to sell a child or two so that the rest of the family could survive the winter.

  The baron tried intervening in these events, giving money or produce from his estate to help them. But some years, he did not have enough. He could only curse his own incompetence during those harsh years.

  A promise of having his people housed and fed for free. And this promise was backed up by his head knight as well. It was too good to be true, but the baron was at the end of his rope.

  If they had been lied to, he would fight to let his people survive. He would rather trust the devil he did not know than the devil he knew. Because he knew that the devil he knew would never help.

  "The knights are ready to move at any moment." Goran reported while taking a knee.

  "Rise. Sit down with me for a while." The baron pointed to the seat next to him.

  The baron made a gesture with his hand, and a maid came out with a wine pitcher. She poured a cup for the baron, and on his insistence she poured one for his head knight as well.

  "In two weeks, I might no longer be your baron. So let's drink a cup of wine as friends now." The baron said in a tired voice.

  Goran looked at his liege with a puzzled look and then smiled a kind smile.

  "You might find it hard to believe the stories I've told you, but they are true. In two weeks you will smile and be able to rest again." Goran said as he put the cup to his lips.

  "How are the people holding up? What do they think of this... escape?" The baron said while massaging his head with his fingers.

  "Most of them are fine with it. They don't have much in the way of possessions, so there are very few who aren't ready. Some of them are sad about leaving the lands of their ancestors."

  "As am I. From today, we will be a people with no history, wandering towards a strange world." The baron sighed.

  "History is remembered by one's descendants, not by the land itself." Goran countered and drank another sip from the cup of wine.

  They sat in silence sipping on their winecups for quite a while as they listened to the sounds of people moving things around the estate.

  "When is the Amanita army arriving?" The baron asked as he looked towards the window.

  "Tomorrow at the earliest, depending on how fast the message can reach them."

  "And you are sure that they are enough to protect everyone?"

  Goran fell silent for a while while thinking.

  "They said that the only one they are wary of is 'Faithful,' but I am sure that there are others they should worry about. Otek is strong, and there are others that are strong in the Amanita kingdom, but I have some small doubts."

  The baron sighed but did not elaborate on the matter.

  "Have our scouts spotted any issues?" the baron asked.

  "No. It seems there hasn't been any activity in the neighboring territories. But some of our people left instead of going with us or staying here. They might have been spies for the Inquisition."

  "They most likely were. My weak heart does not allow me to execute those who wanted to leave, though."

  "Sparing lives is never evidence of a weak heart." Goran said silently.

  Goran had been invited to quite a few territories when he came of age and joined the knighthood. He had acquired a good reputation, both in terms of his character and his skill with his sword.

  But he had never doubted that his place was by the side of Baron Villen. This barony, while poor and far out of the way, was one of the few places that truly valued human life and the dignity of the people.

  The baron often ate cheap food to spare his people and spent no money on luxuries. They had a culture of survival, but not at the expense of anyone else.

  Goran knew what he wielded his sword for. It was all he had ever known.

  He looked at the baron he served with eyes filled with emotion.

  Yes, it would work out. The people would live and prosper once they got to the new world.

  They would get there.

  They had to.