Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Aurellen
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Almost the instant the man in front of me collapsed, adventurers drew their weapons, surrounding us from all directions. Some had even closed in right up to us. Their approach was far too swift, but the fact that they hadn't swung their weapons was entirely thanks to Durel's magic.
Five sharp spears had risen from the ground, pointing outward around me from every side. I'd sensed faint mana fluctuations from behind, so it seemed he'd been timing it perfectly, ready to intervene at any moment.
"That guy... he's not hurt."
At my words, some of the adventurers turned to look at the fallen man. His body twitched intermittently, but there were no visible wounds. On top of that, he seemed to have regained consciousness, blinking and mumbling.
"Hey...! Hey, Cardia! You okay?!"
"He looks fine to me? Looks like he went easy on him..."
"What a crazy bastard... Told him to pick his targets..."
The man who had swung his sheathed sword—Cardia—confirmed he was unharmed, and the tense atmosphere eased considerably.
The sharp blades that had been aimed at me now pointed at the floor instead. Only then did I let out a sigh of relief and take a step back. They'd drawn their weapons the moment it happened, even knowing we were mages.
Their reaction suggested Cardia was someone with considerable standing in this district.
'There's still so much I don't know.'
The awkward atmosphere fully dissipated only after Cardia dusted himself off and stood. He set his sword down on the floor, then bowed his head politely in apology.
"I'm sorry... And thank you for your concern."
His attitude shifted just from a show of strength. A world that plainly revered the strong. Where power trumped law. And most people took it as a given.
This was another cultural norm I'd have to get used to. I lightly shook out my cloak, which had been flapping wildly from my mana control, settling the surging mana completely.
Whoosh—
The fierce whirlwind calmed, wrapping softly around my body.
"We were the rude ones. Sorry for disturbing your rest."
Cardia said nothing in response. Silent affirmation. Even after taking a hit from me, he carried himself that way. He acknowledged clear wrongdoing and yielded, but held firm on what he wouldn't concede.
An interesting guy.
"Let's go, Durel."
"Huh? Just... like this?"
"Yeah."
I turned to Durel and started walking away. There was no mood for further conversation. These weren't the type to fear mages much, and if I pushed harder here recklessly, blood might actually be spilled.
As we descended the stairs to the first floor, the main hall was deathly quiet. They'd clearly noticed the commotion from upstairs.
I gave the people on the first floor a casual glance, then left the building with Durel.
"What...! What was that?! If I didn't see wrong... that was from the sky..."
The moment we stepped out of the Adventurer Guild, Durel erupted like he'd been holding it in. His eyes were wide, pupils dilated. His excited tongue sprayed spit as it danced in his mouth.
Crackle—
Blue light flickered from the tip of my casually raised hand. I wondered how the people of this world viewed lightning.
"Lightning."
"J-Just as I thought...!"
Was it really that amazing? Durel's reaction exceeded my expectations. He even rubbed his arms as if goosebumps covered them.
"I never imagined Master had carried on the Remnant Light of Creation School to such an advanced level..."
"Remnant Light of Creation?"
"The echoes of the words left by the creation gods...! Only they handle the fragments of the verses the gods uttered when shaping the world with their will at its genesis...!"
"Not that."
"Huh? No way...! Lightning magic is unique to the Remnant Light of Creation!"
"That school's the only one? Why?"
"Of course...! Everything about it is too distant. The sound that follows the flash of light, the fleeting instant too quick to examine properly—it's all phenomena beyond human comprehension."
"I just made it because I needed it."
"Th-That's impossible...!"
"Why are you so surprised? The magic in the Warden Stick last time was similar..."
"That... That was at least comprehensible. But creating new magic...? Let alone lightning, known as the voice of the gods...!"
"Is it that weird?"
"I... I find Master's reaction more bizarre. If... If you'd said you created magic dealing with fire or wind—natural phenomena closely tied to daily life—I might've barely believed it."
"Barely?"
"Magic is generally based on common natural phenomena we witness around us. You understand the laws within them, assimilate them into yourself, then establish your own world inside... That's how new magic, new schools, are born. Lightning, though... that power called a fragment of the divine..."
"Durel."
"So... that's... Huh?"
"Boring. And loud."
Durel blinked at my words. Only then did he seem to notice our surroundings and shut his mouth. His raised voice had drawn stares from passersby. I pulled my hat low over my head and turned to walk away briskly.
As I walked, I thought it over. Indeed, all the magic I'd seen in this world so far was basic natural phenomena mixed with new laws.
The nameless mage's flame magic, meant to inflict searing pain on people.
Raymond's Golden Wind magic.
Talisman's magic from the Sunken Vein School.
Even rejection magic was similar. Granting intangible physical force to push everything away from the desired spot.
'Wind-based magic.'
The known and the unknown. That was the gap between me and this world's mages. But that gap was infinitely vast.
Like that, as I walked ahead, I recalled something I'd sensed earlier and quietly spoke up.
"Durel."
"Yes...!"
"You. Want to learn my magic?"
"Pardon? But I already know magic..."
"That's just application methods. I mean proper magic."
"B-But I can't imbue laws into magic..."
"You won't know until you try all the way."
Durel nodded uncertainly at my response. But I wasn't too worried. The magic I planned to teach him was a bit different from the norm. A semi-permanent Mana Circle.
This world's mages needed preparation time for spells. A problem stemming from not storing mana in their bodies.
And the Mana Circle was the key to solving that.
Even if he couldn't make it himself, it didn't matter. If he failed, I'd just make it for him.
The creation process for a Mana Circle wasn't crucial. Once formed, it absorbed ambient mana continuously, maintaining itself. Just needed to create it.
Durel was a receptive student. The moment we returned to the inn, he entered the room, knelt in the center, and waited obediently for my instruction.
"The magic I'm teaching you is called a Mana Circle."
"Mana Circle...?"
"It's like a semi-permanent magical organ that absorbs natural mana and takes it into the body..."
"Ah..."
"You get it?"
"No."
I scratched my head at Durel's reply. Teaching someone wasn't easy. Especially when that person—Durel—lacked any prior knowledge of the concepts I needed to convey.
To me, who'd built imagination and knowledge through various subcultures, Durel's ignorance felt utterly alien.
"Just do as I say for now."
"Yes."
"Concentrate mana at your heart. Like wrapping it in a ring."
"...At the heart... mana."
"Now. Make that ring start rotating, absorbing ambient natural mana. Try it."
"Yes..."
"Doing it?"
"You can't just tell me to do it blindly... You need to give me the Erkamon for this magic."
I closed my eyes and rubbed my forehead at Durel's words. It was like telling someone to breathe, then having them ask how.
For me, who didn't need that intermediary Erkamon step, teaching a regular mage wasn't simple.
"Erkamon... Please teach me."
"Just give me your hand."
"Pardon?"
Unable to bear the frustration, I grabbed Durel's hand. In that instant, the mana transfer began.
My two Mana Circles spun rapidly, mana flowing into Durel's body. It headed straight for around his heart. The targeted mana began wrapping it like a circular band, per my will.
That was the moment.
Durel's face paled in an instant. He spat rough breaths, wrenching his hand away and stumbling back.
"Guh, guk...! Cough...!"
"Durel?"
"W-Wait... Cough, cough...!"
Durel collapsed to the floor, drooling uncontrollably.
Watching him, I furrowed my brow.
'What's this?'
Something was inside Durel's body.