Chapter 37
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Red Giant Mountains (2)
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Lindelmann, who had been shivering from the successive blasts of icy headwinds, seized the moment when Rubens fell slightly behind to casually strike up a conversation.
"Hey, Valahan."
"You can just call me Ruby."
Lindelmann nodded, feeling a bit more at ease at the sight of Rubens's ever-present cheerful grin.
"Oh? Alright then. Anyway, you said your master who taught you magic passed away, so you came down from the mountains. And someone came looking for you following your tracks?"
"Yes."
Rubens nodded with a dejected expression.
It had already been nearly a month since his master's death, but mentioning it still didn't feel natural.
"In that case, you'd head straight to the central regions, right? So why go to Swanji up north? Wouldn't this very path we're on now have been faster? Plus, you said that robe helps you avoid magical beasts?"
Lindelmann gazed at Rubens with eyes mixed half curiosity and half envy.
Rubens, raised deep in the Red Giant Mountains, knew the quickest route out to the central regions and even wore a mysterious robe that masked his presence from magical beasts.
So it made no sense why he'd chosen to head to a small northern village instead of going straight central.
"Well, actually..."
Rubens began to answer Lindelmann's question with a somewhat embarrassed look.
A moment later, bewilderment spread across Lindelmann's face.
"What? You went there because you wanted to eat some good food?"
"Yes. My late master had traveled far and wide, so he was an amazing storyteller. Whenever he had a chance, he'd regale me with tales of the places he'd visited and the foods there. I was so curious about what they tasted like..."
"Ha!"
Rubens continued with a sheepish expression.
"Anyway, that's why I headed toward Silver Lake first. You're right that this path is faster, but to taste proper food, I had to go through a village. The Silver Lake route lets you reach one much sooner, and I wasn't in any particular hurry..."
"So that's how it was."
Lindelmann finally understood Rubens's demeanor when they'd first entered the pub and how he'd savored his meal. He nodded inwardly in agreement.
It made sense. Having lived in the mountains since childhood without tasting real food, it was no wonder he'd been captivated by his silver-tongued master's tales of culinary feasts.
Come to think of it, hadn't he himself been drawn to Northernrocks Fortress by the heroic sagas of the Knights of Cheonryak told by his swordmaster in his youth?
Shiiing!
A blade-sharp gust of wind howled in again.
"Ugh! Oh, right!"
Shuddering, Lindelmann suddenly thought of something and turned back to Rubens.
"Any chance there's a spell to block the wind or warm things up a bit?"
"Pardon? Well, I didn't make many scrolls—Magic Scrolls, that is. A physical barrier only blocks the wind itself, so the cold from low temperatures still seeps through..."
"What the hell does that even mean? Scrolls? What's that? Can't you cast simple spells without them?"
"Ah, yes. At a profound level, you can chant without them, but I'm still far from that. Most spells, though, I can prepare as scrolls."
Unlike his initial standoffishness, Lindelmann kept engaging him, so Rubens gladly answered with enthusiasm.
"You said you don't have any? Those scrolls or whatever. Wait, what even is a scroll?"
"Oh, like this."
Rubens pulled out several long bundles of paper from a backpack strapped inside his robe.
Each was about the length of a palm, wrapped in threads of different colors, and sealed with red wax stamps.
"Ho! So it's literally bundles of paper. Anyway, no warming spells among these?"
"No. They're all non-fire-related incantations... Sorry."
"Fire? Oh, no, I don't need fire... Wait! So, like yesterday, turning people into toads—is that one here?"
Lindelmann edged away from Rubens, asking with a somewhat fearful expression.
Rubens shook his head with an innocent smile.
"No. That's an extremely advanced and tricky spell; I only made one. And that guy? He'll probably turn back by sunset."
"Really?"
"Yes. To permanently transform a person into another animal requires a huge price. The scroll I used yesterday cost one gold coin, so the effect lasts about a day."
"Huh? Magic costs money?"
Lindelmann asked in considerable surprise, a fact he hadn't considered.
"Of course. Nothing in this world comes free. It's the law of equivalence—we mages must adhere to it strictly."
"Ho! So magic requires a price? And you pay it with gold or silver?"
"Yes. Depending on the spell, materials vary, but precious metals like gold are essential."
"Precious metals? So expensive gems make it stronger?"
"It depends on the spell and gem, but yes—rare gems boost success rates and power."
"Success rates? So it can fail?"
"Yes. The second spell I used yesterday was Invisible Hand. I only used one silver coin for it since I was short on funds... Anyway, it worked on two but missed the third. Luck factors in too."
"Aha!"
Lindelmann nodded.
Indeed, one of them had only stumbled slightly, unlike the other two who'd collapsed.
"So if you'd used gold coins for those scrolls, all three would have gone down?"
"Even a few more silvers would have done it. Wider range too—about five or six meters around me?"
"Ho! Could be incredibly useful depending on the situation!"
"Yes, yes. That's why I made three more Invisible Hands. All with one silver each, though."
Thrilled by Lindelmann's curiosity and acknowledgment of magic's value, Rubens nodded eagerly.
"Got it. So silver's okay, but gold's better, and gems are best? Then diamonds must be the strongest, right? Rarest gem and all."
"Well... Diamonds are highly valuable magic stones, but not the most powerful. That's... something else."
Rubens's excited expression suddenly darkened a touch.
"Huh? What is it?"
Lindelmann tilted his head curiously.
At that moment, a low, cold voice cut into their conversation.
"A human life."
"Whoa!"
"How did you...!"
Lindelmann and Rubens startled and whipped around.
Blake, who hadn't uttered a word till now and had simply ridden along, slowly reined in his horse to meet their gazes.
"Heard it from someone once. Anyway, get ready."
"Ready?"
Lindelmann echoed uneasily.
Blake straightened up, facing the direction of the wind, and replied.
"For battle. There's a troll's stench mixed in the wind."
"T-Troll!"
Lindelmann jumped in alarm, flailing about.
"Oh, is there?"
But Rubens remained surprisingly calm.
He casually tied his mule to a tree and gripped his staff steadily.
A moment later, his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Ah! You're right. There's a magical beast nearby."
"Y-You're sure?"
Lindelmann, fumbling for his sword and shield, turned with even greater shock.
"Yes. This is a mana stone—it darkens in the presence of corrupted mana from twisted lifeforms."
Rubens pointed to the gem embedded in his staff's head.
Sure enough, it pulsed with an increasingly black hue.
Thud! Thud-thud!
Then, a heavy roar echoed from the forest on one ridge.
No fool could mistake it for anything but a massive something approaching.
"Ugh!"
For the first time facing a magical beast—and a troll, the beast of beasts—terror drained the color from Lindelmann's face.
"Bl-Blake."
In such a pinch, Lindelmann desperately turned to the one he could—must—rely on.
Shring!
As if to honor that trust, Blake drew his massive jagged greatsword.
"No need to panic. Just do as I say."
"Wh-Who said I was panicking?"
His heart pounding, cold sweat streaming down his back, Lindelmann blustered anyway.
"Good. Don't forget what I told you."
Blake murmured lowly, then pulled a small vial from his combat pack, pouring a bit onto his blade and rubbing it in.
"What's that?"
Lindelmann asked hurriedly, but Blake simply applied some to Lindelmann's sword without reply.
"Rub it on the edge."
"R-Right."
The acrid stench stung his nose, but Lindelmann complied.
"Oil from the pale serpentwood tree in the Northern Great Mountains. Barbarian warriors use it—excels at halting troll regeneration."
"Indeed, serpentwood oil. As you say, trolls are weak to fire and strong acids, and serpentwood's acidic components are potent. Coating blades definitely slows their regen considerably."
Rubens chimed in agreement.
Mages were called sages for their vast knowledge, especially of exotic flora and fauna.
"Hm."
A glint of interest flashed in Blake's eyes at Rubens's explanation.
Raised in the mountains, this mage knew more than expected.
"Ooh!"
Lindelmann's face brightened somewhat. Trolls terrified most due to their insane regeneration.
Minor wounds clotted and healed in a few breaths; severed limbs reattached if pressed together—unless decapitated.
But if that regen were neutralized?
'M-Maybe we can actually do this?'
"But serpentwood oil loses acidity on metal after about the time to drink a cup of tea. Finish it before then."
"Ack!"
Clouds returned to Lindelmann's briefly hopeful face.
Thud! Thud-thud!
"It's coming!"
Yet Rubens stared toward the intensifying tremors with calm resolve, raising his staff.
Another glint crossed Blake's eyes.
Rubens and Blake differed utterly in looks and temperament, but shared traits: hopeless in villages or cities, yet at home hunting beasts in the wilds.
Thud-thud! Thud!
The troll's unmistakable roars drew nearer.
Rubens stepped back a few paces from Blake and Lindelmann.
"Don't look back when attacking the troll. No fire spells prepared, but I have one Lightning Flash."
"Lightning Flash?"
Blake echoed.
"Yes. Fires a burst of intense light. Meant for finding paths in dark nights or fog, but direct to the eyes blinds temporarily."
"Enough to affect a troll?"
"Yes. But only briefly. Hard to aim precisely at the face continuously, and trolls or ogres recover sight in two breaths."
'About five slow counts.'
Blake instantly devised how to use the 'Lightning Flash'.
"That's plenty. When it first attacks, signal me—fire it immediately."
"Yes!"
BOOM! Thud!
Kraaaargh!
A deafening roar pierced their ears as, some thirty meters off, a red troll—a mountain giant—burst through the conifers into view.
(To be continued)