Self-Directed Learning (1)
“Thinking about it, there’s really no reason for me to build up my stamina.” Patrick replied, crunching on homemade potato chips he’d thinly sliced and fried in oil. “I’m a wizard, you idiot, not a farmer.”
“······?”
“Instead of training my body so I can work the fields harder, researching magic that actually helps with farming suits me better. That’s what I’m saying.”
“But Teacher, you don’t do any research or studying at all.”
Ben delivered the blow without missing a beat, but Patrick remained unfazed. “I do it when you lot aren’t around. See those papers on the table?”
“Yes. Should I throw them away?”
“Hey, don’t you dare throw those out. That’s a letter for Robin.”
“Who? Robin? Ah! That wizard teacher who got exiled to the mountains?”
“······Since when is every random person a teacher?” Patrick shot back, feeling oddly jealous, then continued. “Well, yeah, that wizard. I asked him before if he knew anything about spiritism since I’m clueless about it. While I was at it, I figured I’d write to him about some research I’ve been stuck on and ask for advice.”
The handwritten magic notes the soldiers had delivered from Robin were quite detailed, but that didn’t make them easy. Magic wasn’t the sort of thing you could master just by reading a book or two and running a few experiments.
‘In the end, it all comes down to understanding, and I just can’t seem to get a feel for it.’
Each spell required grasping the flow of mana, and the success of Dig had inflated Patrick’s confidence only for it to come crashing down. In the end, he made his choice.
‘If I don’t know, I’ll just ask! His food supplies must be running low by now, so there’s no way he’ll refuse.’
Weaponizing food supplies wasn’t anything special. Patrick was certain that no matter how precious the knowledge, anyone struggling to put food on the table wouldn’t dare reject his offer. Besides, for some reason, Robin seemed to have a favorable impression of him.
‘From what the soldiers said, he sounds like a bookworm who only ever did research at the tower. People like that are easy to butter up. Real-time lessons would be tough, but getting cheap tutoring on the side isn’t a bad idea.’
There was just one problem.
‘Why the hell aren’t the soldiers here yet?’
They were supposed to come check on the exiles every month, and it was about time, yet there wasn’t a single sign of them.
‘Ben probably feels frustrated too, even if he doesn’t show it.’
It sounded a bit ridiculous, but Patrick genuinely thought of Ben and the other children as his disciples. That was why he wanted to help Ben, who still didn’t even know the attribute of the spirit he’d contracted.
“Wizard, sir! Wizard, sir!”
“Speak of the devil.”
The familiar-faced soldiers waved as they approached, right on cue. Judging by their sheepish expressions, they’d dragged their feet until they couldn’t put it off any longer.
“Whew, it’s hot.”
“Here, have some of this. It should help with the fatigue.”
Since he needed a favor, Patrick couldn’t afford to offend them. He handed over his special fatigue-recovery drink—made with several herbs known for restoring energy, lemon, and a touch of honey for sweetness.
“Whoa, that’s refreshing!”
“If you lower the intensity of the ice magic, this is easy enough.”
“Eh? You made this with magic?”
“It’s nothing difficult. Haha!”
The soldiers examined the wooden cups with curiosity, looking at Patrick in a new light.
“Ah, right. Here! The thing you asked for last time. That stubborn fellow actually wrote it down without any fuss.”
The message from Robin that Patrick had been waiting for had arrived.
“He seemed pretty interested when he heard you’d taken on a spiritist disciple.”
“Wizards are basically corpses without their curiosity. Haha.”
“Still, it’s surprising, isn’t it? That Robin guy isn’t exactly the flexible type like you, Wizard. I didn’t think he’d reply so readily.”
“Maybe it’s some kind of solidarity among exiled wizards? They’re all in the same boat.”
“Fair enough. Helping each other out is the way to go. Now, just sign this document saying nothing happened in the past month. There we go.”
Then the senior soldier asked in a casual tone, “I heard from the village chief that you’ve been making all kinds of medicines?”
“Yes, well. Even though the herbs on the island are limited, I can make enough for basic emergency supplies.”
“So, do you think I could get some of that medicine too?”
“Medicine?”
It was an unexpected request.
“If it’s medicine made by a wizard from the capital, the effects must be excellent even without seeing it······. I’ve got kids at home and an elderly mother, so having something like that would put my mind at ease.”
The senior soldier, who usually spoke so casually, had suddenly switched to a more respectful tone.
‘He really wants it.’
Being so far from the capital, the trust that came with “medicine made by a wizard from the capital’s tower” seemed to carry significant weight. After all, even in 21st-century Korea, neighborhood clinics with “Seoul” in the name and cram schools boasting “Daechi-dong” instructors were everywhere. People were the same no matter where you went.
‘It’s not like I’m making anything extraordinary, so why not?’
Since he’d need the soldiers’ help to exchange goods with Robin anyway, Patrick figured this worked out nicely.
“Just a moment. I don’t have much left right now······. Let me check what’s there.”
Unfortunately, the storeroom didn’t have much medicine left. He’d given it all away to the villagers, and with the rainy season arriving, he couldn’t go into the forest to gather more herbs.
‘The herbs in the garden aren’t ready to harvest yet······.’
He couldn’t give away his own emergency supply either. In a place without a 24-hour emergency room, who knew what might happen? He wasn’t about to hand over his last reserves.
“What’s left······.”
“So the village chief was telling the truth.”
The senior soldier, who had followed him into the storeroom, spoke with mild surprise.
“You really gave away all the medicine without taking any money?”
“I didn’t take money, but I did receive something else in return.” Patrick quickly added, not wanting to seem like he was giving things away for free.
‘If he asks for it for free too, that’ll be a problem.’
Gathering, boiling, and drying herbs took a lot of effort.
“By the way, what’s this? Soap?”
“Ah, yes. That one’s soap made with herbs, and this is something you apply to the skin······.”
“Ointment?”
“No, cosmetics.”
“Eh? Wizard, aren’t you a man?”
“I am.”
“Then why would a man use cosmetics?”
“Eh?”
Patrick had no intention of letting his appearance go to waste. Even though farming was necessary for survival, he’d been blessed with this handsome face thanks to divine intervention in his second life.
‘I have to take care of it.’
Having a face like those pretty idol singers on TV? Of course he wasn’t going to squander it. He needed to maintain it now if he wanted to keep using this good-looking face for a long time.
—Since I roughly know how to make soap, I should try making it properly with some herbal oils.
That was how he’d started making soap with herbs and herbal oils in his spare time, along with toners and massage oils, applying them to his face whenever he had a moment.
‘It’s annoying having to make them often because of the short shelf life, but that just means they’re fresh.’
Besides, the ingredients were incredibly eco-friendly—freshly pressed olive oil, herbs grown in a place without a single speck of fine dust, and beeswax and honey he’d collected himself.
“A real man should be proud of his sun-tanned, copper skin. What’s with putting powder on your face like some noblewoman?”
“It’s not about hiding flaws with powder. It’s about keeping the skin smooth so you don’t need thick makeup to cover it up in the first place.”
“Still, for a man······.”
“Copper skin is nice. But dry, flaky skin covered in rashes with sweat pouring down versus smooth, glowing, radiant copper skin—how are those the same?”
“W-well, I guess······?”
“This is how they do it in the capital.”
“······.”
That last line was the finishing blow.
‘After all, he’s the one who was going on about medicine made by a capital wizard.’
Patrick figured the man wouldn’t have anything to say to that, and he was right.
“Even men in the capital do this?”
“Of course. Being able to take care of yourself is proof that you have the luxury to do so, isn’t it?”
“Now that you mention it, that makes sense······.”
“Would you like one?”
“······Two?”
“They’re made with only natural ingredients, so they don’t last very long. Even if you take two jars, they won’t last. You shouldn’t apply spoiled products to your skin.”
“I thought it was something special, but the downside is pretty big······.”
“The short shelf life is exactly why it’s valuable. It means it’s hard to come by.”
“I-is that so!”
The moment the senior soldier fell for the “capital trend” line, he was as good as caught. Since he had no way of knowing the truth anyway, he had no choice but to believe whatever Patrick said.
“Um, so about the price······.”
“Oh, come on, Soldier. Are we really the kind of people who’d haggle over something like this?”
When Patrick winked and acted friendly, the senior soldier’s face lit up.
“If you could just do me one favor—when you go to get Robin’s signature, could you deliver a few things for me as well? Would that be possible?”
“Goodness! Why are you being so formal about it between us? What kind of things?”
“Ah, nothing much. Just some ingredients and a letter.”
The two of them had started calling each other like old friends in no time.
***
“I’ve decided to make the emergency medicines by the time they come back next, so there’s still some time.”
He’d have to make frequent trips to the forest to gather herbs, but it wasn’t a bad thing.
‘I should talk to the Oren Merchant Group about selling the medicine.’
From the senior soldier’s attitude, it seemed there were quite a few people who held fantasies about the capital. If that was the case, he might be able to earn a few silver coins to spend freely, even if not a fortune.
“When I make money, I’m buying clothes!”
He only had two sets of clothes, and rotating between them had already worn them thin. It wouldn’t be long before holes appeared.
‘Even if I wore rags, this face would probably make it look vintage, but I still want to try wearing custom-made clothes at least once.’
Thanks to the fabric gifted by the villagers, he’d managed to make towels and pillow covers. Those were simple enough that even without sewing talent, time was all he needed. But clothes were different. He’d tried a few times, only to waste precious fabric.
Making clothes was far more difficult than he’d expected.
“So, the first thing I need to do······.”
Right. He should study the information on spiritism that Robin had sent and teach the kids.
‘······Should I just make them self-study?’
Self-directed learning or whatever it was called—didn’t they say it was pretty effective?