Chapter 19
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Rainy Day Lessons
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It was the familiar ceiling of a carriage.
The same military carriage ceiling I had been staring at for the past week.
The faint sound of rain echoed off the ceiling, a simple canvas stretched over a dry wooden frame.
The air was damp, and the wood creaked from all sides.
“Have you awoken?”
Alter Haindel gave me a benevolent smile as I sat up, letting out a groan more befitting an old man.
The elf, Rireu, sitting across from him, also said something to me in a small voice, but my head was still so foggy I couldn't quite make out her words.
Well, it sounded like a greeting… It didn't seem important enough to ask her to repeat it.
“If you can manifest Blooming at such a level, your mastery of Bolt must be considerable. Is there a reason you chose to use Blooming on a young dragon? A simple Bolt would have been sufficient to fell it…”
“Even a young dragon is still a dragon. I believed it more efficient to use my full power from the start.”
I answered, massaging my throbbing temples with my thumbs.
For someone who had just woken up, it was a pretty decent excuse.
“A dragon is certainly a dangerous creature… but with your capabilities, Sir Bin, you could have easily subdued it without resorting to a high-risk spell like Blooming.”
Alter looked at me as if asking why I'd used a flamethrower to kill a mosquito.
“I wanted to show you my most confident spell. I had a feeling you wanted to test me.”
I racked my foggy brain for a way to convince Alter, who was giving me a strange look.
And this excuse, I had to admit, was a pretty good one.
“Indeed, I have confirmed your talent. The rumors were no exaggeration.”
Finally seeming to accept my explanation, Alter stroked his white beard and smiled.
“I apologize for testing your talent, Sir Bin. The rumors were so incredible that I needed at least some proof for myself.”
Alter bowed his head of thick white hair, offering me an apology. I quickly bowed back, assuring him there was no need and that I would have been just as skeptical in his position.
“Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease. Thank you.”
“The honor is all mine. The famed Tower Master, Alter Haindel, came all this way to teach someone like me!”
“When the honor of teaching a genius who appears once in a millennium awaits, what does the Magic Tower matter? It seems you are not yet aware of how remarkable you are, Sir Bin.”
“Yes, well. Thank you. Yes, well. Haha…”
…Remarkable, my ass.
I barely suppressed the sigh rising from deep within my chest and masked my expression with an awkward smile.
***
Day 11 of the expedition. Around 2 PM.
I focused on absorbing the various magical theories Alter taught me, concentrating on improving my skills as much as possible.
The creaking and rattling of the carriage grated on my nerves, but I couldn't afford to waste this precious time.
“It isn’t just calling a spell’s name that makes magical calculations faster and more precise. We call it incantation. By speaking words that aid the calculation, you make it easier for the brain to manifest the magic.”
Even as my head throbbed and my limbs screamed in protest, Alter's words, strangely, came through with perfect clarity.
It was a strange sensation. The pitter-patter of the rain and the creaking of the carriage should have been distracting, yet I could absorb every single word he said, engraving it into my mind without missing a letter.
“Even when using the same magic, the incantation can differ from person to person. Because every human brain is different, even when going through the same calculation process, there will always be formulas that are emphasized or omitted… For example…”
As if he'd grown accustomed to my cursedly low stamina, Alter lectured for exactly two hours before concluding with, “That will be all for now.”
Rireu was reviewing her notes, rereading what he had said, while I leaned back like a boneless heap and quietly closed my eyes.
The canvas covering the rattling carriage shook violently in the downpour.
Despite the considerable distractions, my brain, unbidden, began to organize what Alter had taught me today.
The key points of the two-hour lecture could be summarized as follows:
1. Chants are not recited merely for show, but to enhance magic.
2. The words that form a chant vary from mage to mage, even for the same spell.
3. A mage must create their own chants.
The core concepts Alter had emphasized several times during the lecture were tattooed deep into my mind.
It was a strange feeling.
Is this what it felt like for those kids who were naturally good at their studies when they learned literature or math?
Lucky bastards.
“Start scouting for a campsite! It'll get dark quickly with this rain!”
The platoon leader gave the order to find a campsite earlier than usual.
Soon after, the scouting party that had been dispatched returned and led us to a suitable clearing.
After pushing through the dense forest, an unexpected clearing opened up before us. It seemed many adventurers and soldiers had camped here before; rusted swords and cracked plate armor lay discarded nearby.
“It's a shame the forest blocks our line of sight, but if we delay any longer, night will fall. We have no choice. We'll make camp here for the night.”
Once the platoon leader made his decision, the soldiers busily began setting up makeshift tents with blankets, tarps, and iron poles.
The skilled elite soldiers finished constructing the makeshift tents in less than thirty minutes.
Rireu, Alter, and I followed the platoon leader's guidance and moved inside one of the newly erected tents.
The makeshift tent had a ceiling so low you couldn't stand up straight, but its near-perfect waterproofing meant no puddles formed on the floor, nor did any rain leak through.
On a day with such a torrential downpour, just being able to sleep on a dry floor was a huge stroke of luck.
I gave the platoon leader a nod of thanks and was the first to enter the tent.
“Go on inside. I'll go get us some dinner.”
Alter said to the elf, Rireu, who was standing behind him in the rain. Rireu glanced back and forth between her master and me, who was already sitting inside the tent.
“Do you want to get dinner?”
“Huh? No, no. Absolutely not.”
Rireu shook her head violently, her large hat whipping back and forth as she expressed her firm refusal.
…What in the world are those two talking about?
“Then wait inside.”
“…”
As if she had no other choice, Rireu lowered her head and carefully crawled into the tent.
A moment later, Alter closed the tent flap and walked off somewhere.
‘The rain probably means we can’t start a proper fire… so it’ll be bread instead of stew tonight.’
I thought idly about what we would have for dinner.
I just hoped the rationed bread wasn't too hard. This godforsaken body had a jaw strength about half that of a normal person.
“…”
A slightly uncomfortable silence began to settle inside the tent.
Come to think of it, I had barely exchanged a proper word with this elf, Rireu, over the past week.
Since she was Alter’s prized pupil and had been learning magic far longer than I had, there was probably something I could learn from her…
“This is the first time we've been alone like this. It's a bit awkward, isn't it?”
I smiled and spoke to Rireu first.
Alter had already vouched for her skill as a mage… If I got on her good side, maybe I could pick up some magical knowledge?
“…you.”
Rireu's large eyes darted around the tent, as if unsure where to look, before she finally dropped her head and mumbled quietly.
“Pardon?”
Her voice was drowned out by the sound of the heavy rain beating against the tarp.
“…”
With her head bowed and her face buried in her chest, she tentatively raised her trembling fingers to her ears.
Her ears were burning bright red, as if she had a fever.
“What's wrong…?”
“Th-thank you!”
Rireu shouted in a cracking voice before I could even finish my question.
“…What?”
I couldn't help but stare at her, slightly bewildered by her sudden outburst.
Thank you? For what? So suddenly?
“Uh, pardon?”
I asked again, certain I had misheard.
“F-for teaching me that it's polite to take off my hat! And for encouraging me, telling me I could apologize… I've been meaning to thank you, but we never had a moment alone…”
“…Couldn't you have just said thank you anytime?”
Anyone watching would think we were sharing some profound secret. Wasn't it just a simple thank you for some simple advice? If that was all, she could have said it anytime after Alter’s lesson…
“It's embarrassing if Master Alter hears!”
Rireu shouted, her face still buried in her chest.
…So shouting like that isn't embarrassing, but saying ‘thank you’ in front of someone else is?
Is she introverted or just prideful?
Pick one, for crying out loud. This is so confusing.
“Is something wrong?”
“*Gasp…!*”
Alter, having returned from the quartermaster with food, pulled aside the tent flap with a perplexed look on his face at the sudden outburst.
At Alter's appearance, Rireu held her breath and pulled her hat down low, completely hiding her face.
…I was about to ask if holding her breath was really necessary, but I stopped myself. I had a feeling I wouldn't understand her reasoning no matter what she said.
“No, well… Nothing happened.”
Alter glanced between my face and Rireu’s for a moment before sighing as if he'd figured things out. He ducked his head and entered the tent.
From inside his robes, Alter took out the large loaves of bread he had received from the quartermaster and handed one to each of us.
It was at that moment.
“All troops, assemble!”
The platoon leader's urgent command rang out.