Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Promised Price (3)
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"My disciple? It might be tough, but could you hold that state steady for a bit?"
"Leave it to me."
Bang!
As Rishir confidently replied, the mana and wind gathered in his hand scattered in all directions.
Since it was magic crafted relying on momentary instinct and intuition rather than refined experience and knowledge, it crumbled the instant his will intervened.
"...What I meant was just to leave it to you. No guarantee I'd give it back—"
"Oh, rebellion."
Roera roughly smoothed her hair tousled by the wind and grinned playfully.
"Rebellion? Come on, Roera. Rishir wouldn't do that. It must be my fault for misspeaking. I meant to tell him to dispel the magic right away, but my tongue got twisted? Rishir just noticed that?"
"Damn it. Pamon. That's pathetic. Even a discarded pillar husband wouldn't be that desperate. How the hell did you fall that far?"
"Master, I'm sorry. I was trying to focus, but suddenly I got all scattered— It seems because it was magic relying on that instant sensation."
Pamon was already analyzing the mana traces dispersed around the area, even as she bantered playfully.
Her silver eyes stared into empty space. Her long fingers probed the air like touching water droplets.
"This is the result of relying on momentary sensation?"
Pamon muttered meaningfully, then began scanning the surroundings.
"What is it? An intruder—?"
"No, no. It's not that—"
Pamon calmed Roera, who was reaching for her sword, and continued.
"I just checked the state of this place for a moment? In case there's something unusual I missed. Like, maybe the wind energy here is exceptionally strong?"
"Ah. So that's why this kid could make something like that wind arrow earlier?"
"I thought so too—"
"...Thought so?"
She looked at Rishir as she spoke.
"My disciple?"
"Yes, Master."
"Is your body okay? No discomfort anywhere?"
Rishir calmly assessed his condition at Pamon's words.
"A bit fatigued, but nothing to worry about."
"Good. Then, my disciple? Could you reproduce that one more time?"
Rishir nodded and immediately entered a state of focus.
"..."
A mass of mana formed—
But it scattered before taking the shape of an arrow.
Rishir tilted his head. Tried again.
Again. Again.
"Hoo... Hoo..."
The process repeated numerous times.
His breathing grew markedly rough. Sweat beaded across Rishir's face.
"..."
Roera didn't know magic.
Thus, she didn't grasp Rishir's current state, which made her even more worried.
Roera glanced at Pamon.
Is that okay to keep going?
She meant to ask that—but in the end, Roera held back the question.
Daring to offer an outsider's opinion when Pamon's face was so gravely serious.
Her silver eyes, hidden behind a mischievous smile, gleamed intently as they fixed on Rishir.
"Is this really okay?"
A dazed mutter.
Roera couldn't fully grasp its meaning.
"Hah... Hah..."
His clothes were already soaked with sweat.
His legs trembled uncontrollably.
Thud.
In the end, Rishir's legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground.
He urgently checked his palm in alarm.
"Phew..."
A relieved smile spread across his lips.
The wind arrow he'd just completed still hovered there.
Its scale was markedly reduced compared to before.
Not simply to make control easier.
Then?
A self-question. And silence.
Rishir couldn't answer his own question.
His current knowledge lagged far behind his abilities.
In other words, his abilities were growing at a speed his knowledge couldn't keep up with.
Rishir clearly sensed the magic arrow he'd created. And controlled it.
"Oh..."
An exclamation slipped from Roera's lips.
The bead-sized wind arrow moved freely at Rishir's gestures.
"Master?"
Rishir immediately looked up to gauge Pamon's reaction.
"..."
Deep contemplation. That was Pamon's response.
She couldn't tear her eyes from the wind arrow Rishir had made.
Definitely—
Pamon recalled the first wind arrow Rishir had created.
It had taken the form of a standard arrow.
Its structure was straightforward too.
Shape mana into an arrow form, then imbue it with wind properties.
The problem was.
Rishir hadn't learned mana shaping yet.
Let alone property control.
Mana shaping was the step after mana control, but property control was an entirely different category.
Not even part of basic magic fundamentals.
How many steps did he just skip?
From mana shaping to property control, the countless intermediate stages.
Was it possible to skip those stairs and reach the endpoint?
Pamon's mind couldn't comprehend the phenomenon.
Probably no mage could.
So Pamon formed one hypothesis to understand.
Perhaps—
He hadn't skipped the intermediate processes.
He might have already passed through all of them.
Just without realizing it himself.
"Ha!"
Her thoughts reached that point, and a chuckle burst from Pamon's lips.
"Master...?"
"Heh heh. What is it? Hey, Rishir. Whatever it is, you must've made some ridiculously stupid mistake. All that cockiness for nothing—"
Roera interpreted Pamon's laughter in her own way and mocked Rishir.
The bastard slumped on the floor and the wind arrow hovering over his hand looked pathetically small for some reason.
"What's this? A group bullying scene? The bastard can't escape his fated scorn?"
"Pfft...!"
But the laughter that followed corrected their misconception.
Pamon sat down on the spot.
Her back heaved repeatedly.
And intermittent chuckles she couldn't fully swallow.
A moment later.
Pamon finally looked up.
"Sorry, Rishir. Seeing you play with that cute little magic arrow is just too adorable."
"...I think that hurts a bit."
"And—"
Pamon fell into thought.
"Pfft...!"
Then burst into laughter again.
"Rishir?"
"Yes, Master."
"What the hell are you?"
"...Yes?"
Pamon kneaded Rishir's face with both hands.
"Where did a mysterious, precious being like you drop from?"
"Mmph...?"
"My disciple?"
"Yes, mmph."
Sense mana.
Wield mana.
And when you can shape mana into desired forms, you become a true mage.
Shaping magic.
The standard to prove a mage's qualification.
Rishir had proven a mage's qualification.
And—and—and—
She didn't know.
What Rishir had proven.
What he had achieved.
"Congratulations."
"...Yes?"
Thus, Pamon decided not to define it boldly.
She simply blessed his talent and qualities.
Having poured all his mental strength and stamina into that short burst of focus, Rishir fell asleep as soon as he rested.
Pamon, Roera, and Duran.
The remaining three resumed their meeting.
The topic was thoroughly tailored to Rishir.
Bendel Family possessions.
Among them, what might help the current Rishir.
Talk of the Bendel secret vault came up then.
In truth, it wasn't much of a 'secret.'
A prestigious house like Bendel naturally had a hidden vault for family heirlooms.
A poorly kept secret everyone in the know was aware of.
The issue was the vault's location and contents—
"Only the family head knows that."
"Ah~ Perfect~"
"...Perfect?"
Pamon left after those meaningful words.
A few hours later.
Pamon returned as if nothing had happened.
Accompanied by a hulking plant zombie carrying a large chest.
"..."
For a brief, very brief moment, Roera thought.
Ah.
Just go back to Bendel?
This moment with Rishir and Pamon— Roera's world was collapsing in real time.
"Well then. Business done. Shall we prepare to leave? Haeren."
In the dead of night, when all were asleep.
Pamon left the lodging and headed to Haeren's library.
"Ah. As expected, it's here too."
That's— Ugh. That lunatic's autobiography who wants to marry a mirror, right?
The Star of Radiance.
A freak infamous for extreme narcissism and the resulting antics.
Yet, one of the greatest mages of the era, earning a star's name purely on magical prowess despite the notoriety.
A grand archmage bearing a star's name mass-printing his autobiography and spreading it worldwide... What, like some cheap promo novel. Why bother reading that?
"That's why I want to read it."
What?
Heavenly talent combined with pathological narcissism made the contents utter fantasy.
So Pamon chuckled.
What is it? So ridiculous it made even you laugh?
"Well, he claims he reached 3rd Rank in under a week of learning magic? And suddenly picked up property control while learning shaping."
...Huh? Isn't that Rishir's story?
"Exactly."
What?
Thud.
Pamon closed the book and shook her head.
"My disciple's story is even wilder than this guy's?"