Chapter 119
Chapter 119
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Guest (4)
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The clueless Rian only added fuel to the fire of Olina's anxiety.
“Father, instead of just standing around, let's go chop some wood right now. To celebrate Shirone being here!”
“Puhaha! Should we? Alright, let's have the three of us men really go all out!”
“Honey! What do you mean, chop wood? You've been drinking. Go inside and sleep it off first.”
“Mom, it's okay. We'll go and be back.”
Shirone readily agreed. Since it had come to this, he thought it would be nice to properly catch up.
Olina, on the other hand, couldn't shake her worries. Vincent could hold his liquor, but climbing a mountain while drunk was a perilous task even for the most seasoned mountaineers.
“Will you be okay? What if you get hurt?”
“I’ll be there, so it’s fine. We’ll be back before lunch.”
In the past, he would have listened to Olina, but things were different now. He had faced down fearsome Ulks to protect children before; the kind of accident she worried about wouldn't happen.
Olina found this side of her son unfamiliar. His expression was certainly brighter than before, and his words and actions brimmed with confidence.
*Is this the power of education?* He had always been a good son, but there were many times she couldn't tell what he was thinking. Now, he was like a completely different person. Above all, it seemed he had learned to love himself a little more.
With Olina’s permission, the three men set off for the logging area, catching up on all the things they hadn't been able to say. Rian, in particular, quickened his pace, eager to show off his progress.
During the two days he stayed at Vincent’s house, Rian had heard stories about Shirone’s childhood. The part that impressed him most was about Thunder Break. He was especially interested because he had struggled against Shirone's Sword Kill during their duel at his family home.
Arriving at the logging area, Rian shouted.
“Alright! Let’s chop some wood like real men! What do you say, Shirone? Wanna make a bet? The loser grants the winner a wish.”
Rian, who had grown bigger than before, had no trouble wielding a two-handed axe with one hand. To exaggerate, if Rian was an old tree, Shirone looked like a squirrel standing next to him.
“Sure. Let’s do it.”
Shirone readily agreed. He had never lost a bet to Rian. When the loser issues a challenge, how could the winner possibly run away?
Rian lifted his axe and nodded to Vincent, who gave him a thumbs-up from under his crossed arms.
“I’ll go first, then.”
Rian swung the axe with all his might. With a *thud*, the tree trunk shook violently.
It was devastating power. One could tell just how grueling his training had been for the past six months.
“Wow, that’s amazing. Is that Schema?”
“Hm? Ahaha! Of course not! Why would I need to use Schema for just chopping wood?”
Rian’s answer was a bit awkward, but Shirone decided to let it go for now.
Rian raised his axe again. He looked back at Shirone and gave him a wink.
“The real show starts now.”
Rian’s axe struck the same spot where the bark had burst. With a sharp crack like thunder, the tree toppled in a single blow.
“Thunder Break…”
Shirone recognized it instantly. Successfully performing Thunder Break meant that Rian could now also use Sword Kill.
“Hahaha! How’s that, Shirone? I’m not the same person I used to be!”
Despite his triumphant shout, Rian’s heart was pounding. Honestly, there had been a small chance of failure.
He had learned Sword Kill at the sword academy, but his success rate against people was quite low.
However, after Vincent explained Thunder Break to him, he had practiced all day and raised his success rate to nine out of ten when targeting trees.
“That’s incredible. The sheer power is on a different level from my Thunder Break.”
“I’d say this is just the expected result. Anyway, a bet’s a bet. Since I did it in two tries, you’ll have to knock it down in one!”
Vincent let out a hearty laugh.
“Haha! Give it your best shot, Shirone. If it’s a tie, you keep going until one person wins. At this rate, we might run out of trees even if we clear this whole mountain.”
Vincent figured Shirone would be no pushover either. Rian’s strength was impressive, but Shirone had always shown a natural genius for the technical aspects since he was a child.
“Here, use my axe.”
“No, it’s okay. I’ll do it like this.”
Shirone approached the tree and held out his hand. Vincent and Rian looked on, bewildered. How could he possibly fell a thick tree without an axe?
Shirone gauged the position and entered the Spirit Zone. Then, he struck the tree with Wind Cutter, a spell that could be called a basic magic.
A sharp *tak!* sound, like something splitting, came from inside the tree trunk.
And with that, it was over.
As the two onlookers tilted their heads in confusion, Shirone slowly pushed the tree. It toppled over, revealing a clean-cut surface.
“Yahoo! I win!”
While Shirone jumped for joy, Vincent and Rian stood with their mouths agape, as if their jaws had dropped.
How could a tree be cut without any physical impact? It was impossible unless one used magic.
*Ah, so that’s magic.*
Rian examined the stump of the tree Shirone had cut down. Not even a swordsmanship trainee could cut it this smoothly.
“What in the world is this magic?”
“It’s called Wind Cutter. It creates a gust of wind and sharpens the air. It’s actually one of the most basic spells.”
Vincent was at a loss for words at his transformed son.
Of course, since he’d sent him to a magic academy, he had guessed Shirone might have learned a spell or two, but he had honestly been imagining something on the level of a circus trick.
But to fell a log in a single go… Depending on how it was used, this was no different from a deadly weapon.
“Heh heh. I can’t believe it. Can you teach your dad? If I use that magic for logging, I could earn much more than I do now.”
Shirone gave an awkward smile at Vincent’s simple words.
“It might be a basic spell, but it’s not something you can learn that easily.”
It was true that if one mastered Wind Cutter, they could chop over a hundred trees a day. But no mage in the world earned money by chopping wood.
Even if one chopped a thousand trees, a mage’s daily wage was far higher. It wasn't that a thousand trees were of little value, but that a mage's salary was just that high.
Realizing this fact made Shirone feel good. When he had first enrolled, he was terrified of failure, but now he was relieved to know he had a skill that could provide for his family, even if he didn't graduate.
Anyone else would think a mage who had unlocked the Immortal Function was crazy, but that was how precious his family was to Shirone.
“Anyway, I won, so I’ll state my wish. Rian has to carry the wood back to the house.”
“Tch! Fine. I was going to carry it anyway.”
Rian chopped the fallen tree into logs, then prepared to head back with a carrier on his back.
Though he had lost the bet, a smile played on Rian’s lips as he descended the mountain. Shirone had proven with his own body that Rian's judgment had not been wrong.
*You’re amazing, Shirone. Of course, what you showed me today isn’t everything you’ve got, is it?*
When they returned home, Olina had prepared all sorts of dishes. It was a true feast for a king, with delicacies that seemed to have come from the land, sea, and air.
“Wow, this looks delicious. Thank you for the food!”
While eating, Shirone told them about what had happened at the academy.
He naturally omitted the life-threatening situations, but even without those, there were so many stories to tell.
“...So the answer ended up being number 3. Hahaha! Thanks to that, I’ll be promoted to Class Four starting next semester.”
“Ah, I see.”
Contrary to his expectations, Vincent and Olina had little reaction. Shirone, wondering if he had more to say, finally seemed to realize and spread his hands.
“It’s a really, really big deal.”
Only then did their faces light up. Having never attended school themselves, they couldn't understand even half of what Shirone was saying, but their joy in their son’s achievements was no different from any other parent’s.
“Aha! So that’s how it is? Congratulations, Shirone!”
“I’m so proud of you, son. Mom was so worried.”
Olina lifted the tablecloth to wipe away her tears.
Rian watched the scene of the loving family with a warm smile. He felt he understood where Shirone’s calm nature came from.
“By the way, Rian, why did you really come here?”
“Oh, right. I came because there’s something I need to ask your permission for.”
“You can ask us anything. If it’s something we can do, of course we’ll help.”
Vincent said this, but he was quite worried. What kind of permission would the son of a noble family be asking a woodsman for?
“Can I take Shirone on a trip? For about a week.”
Shirone turned his head, looking dumbfounded.
“What, a trip? Why are you talking about something I don’t even know about? Where are we going?”
“Galliant Island. Don’t worry. I’ve already planned it all out.”
“Huh? Galliant?”
Shirone’s eyes widened. He was startled to hear the name of a place that had been on his mind recently come from Rian’s mouth.
“You were cooped up when you were working at the library. Let’s get some fresh air this time. It’s close to Creas, too. It’ll be fun. Galliant Island is one of the most popular vacation spots in the world.”
“And the Kergo Ruins are there, too.”
This time, it was Rian’s turn to be surprised.
“Huh? You knew?”
“No, I only knew the ruins were there. Whoa, so it’s that famous? That’s unexpected.”
Shirone, who had been poring over maps for the past few days, had found out that the Kergo Ruins were on Galliant Island. He had a vague impression of what ruins were, but since it was close by, he remembered deciding to visit.
Shirone glanced at his mother. He had been planning to go once during the break, but he knew she would be disappointed if her son, who had just returned after six months, immediately said he was going on a trip.
But as always, Olina went along with Shirone’s wishes.
“Go ahead. We fully support it.”
“But Mom, I was planning to help Dad with his work when I got back from school this time…”
Vincent let out a hearty laugh.
“You rascal! Did you come back from a war? You just came from school, it’s only natural to go on a trip during your break. A young man who clings too much to his parents won’t get anywhere in life.”
Shirone pouted, feeling a pang of guilt. Of course, the magic academy was a school, but it was no exaggeration to say the dangers he faced there were comparable to a battlefield.
“Then, can we make it ten days?”
“Huh? Ten whole days? I don’t mind, but I don’t think there’s enough there to see for that long.”
“Ah, actually, there’s something I want to investigate separately.”
Rian made a weary face.
“Studying even there? You’re really something else.”
For Shirone, who had devoured every history book in the Ogent family’s collection, studying at a resort would be nothing.
*Hehehe, but it won’t be easy this time. Will he even be able to focus on studying there?*
Thinking of his trump card, Rian smiled secretly to himself and waited for tomorrow.
* * *
Shirone packed his travel bag and got ready for bed. Rian was staying for the night as well, so the two laid out blankets on the floor and lay down side by side.
“Anyway, tell me. Why didn’t you go home?”
“Huh? Oh, that…”
Rian trailed off. Just as Reina understood her brother, Rian knew his sister well. She had probably sent his report card home to keep him there.
But he couldn’t tell Shirone the truth. He wasn't ashamed of being last, since he had done his best, but he just couldn't bring himself to say it.
“Just some minor family issues. Haha.”
Shirone didn’t press any further.
“Well, it worked out. I was planning to go there once during the break anyway.”
“The Kergo Ruins, you said? What are you planning to investigate?”
“I don’t know yet. I’m going to enjoy the vacation as a vacation, so it’s fine. I’ll hang out with you on the island first, and then I’ll stay behind to investigate alone later.”
Rian sensed something was off. The Kergo Ruins were a tourist destination. If Shirone was simply going to do some research, there was no reason for him to tell Rian to go back first.