Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Translator : Elizabeth
Like that, several hours of torturing my arms and legs alternately…. Around the time my stiff muscles were hardening like stone, training stopped with a single word ‘Stop’.
“Hoo, ha.” “You have useful tenacity for someone who abandoned a child and ran away.”
While leaning on my knees that felt like they would fall off my body any moment and gasping for breath, the old man spoke words I couldn’t tell were praise or insults. No, money isn’t something that works out with tenacity. I was so out of breath I couldn’t refute immediately, and after catching my breath for a long time, I barely parted my lips.
“That, has nothing, to do… with tenacity, does it haa.” “What do you mean nothing… since the slave trade collapsed, you should have looked for other work.”
The old man thrusting correct logic at the rebuttal I barely spat out. Although it was nothing but correct words, it was an impossible method for me at the time. If that worked, I wouldn’t have been a slave trader in the first place. Talks recklessly without knowing others’ circumstances. Even knowing that the ID card received after returning the slave trader license was valid came much later…. Feeling that making various excuses was meaningless, I gave up refuting and decided to accept it.
“Yes… let’s say that’s the case, ugh.”
Crack-!
An ominous sound heard as soon as I straightened my bent back. As soon as the sound was heard, my body collapsed forward.
“Ugh…!”
A single moan bursting out at the intense pain covering my waist. An electric current starting from the sprained waist flows through the whole body.
“Kugh-uh….” “Tsk tsk, already like that, how will you manage?”
However, whether I was in pain or not… the old man wandering around apathetically as if uninterested.
“Ah, right….”
Did he think of something to say amidst that? Ignoring me leaking tragic groans, he started speaking.
“From now on, don’t use fast-acting potions if possible, whether it’s muscle pain or whatever.”
The old man telling me to refrain from fast-acting potions.
“Wh-What is the reason?”
While unable to recover from the shock of spraining my waist, I barely corrected my posture and asked.
“Pain is something you naturally have to get used to, it doesn’t work just by eliminating it with medicine.”
Then, fixing his gaze on the floor, the old man explained that pain isn’t solved just by eliminating it with medicine. Even after hearing the explanation, it was hard to understand what he meant. If it hurts, you should take medicine; telling me to just endure it? Isn’t it too outdated an idea in a world where there are potions that heal wounds just by drinking? Of course, fast-acting potions are that much more expensive, so is he worrying first about waste becoming severe? Anyway, I have no intention of using such precious potions for pain or wounds that heal over time.
“Well, understood for now….” “Don’t listen carelessly, it’s serious advice.”
As I tried to respond appropriately and move on, the old man emphasized it once again, perhaps thinking it was a quite important part. This old man says something even if I say I understand. Actually, when he talked about mana and such, I thought he was trying to teach me magic.
“At first, I thought you were trying to teach me magic at least….” “I don’t know magic, I just checked if you could use it or not.”
As I spoke grumbling with a strangely disappointed feeling, the old man revealed the reason he instructed me to use magic, saying firmly he doesn’t know magic. As expected, he doesn’t know much about the magic side. Indeed, if he were a wizard, he wouldn’t have become such a muscle monster at that age. Rather, if a wizard’s body is like that, that’s more terrifying. Because he would just beat you to death with strength even after using all his mana. Balance destruction, it’s balance destruction.
As I was letting such thoughts flow only inwardly, the old man waved his hand as if annoyed and spoke.
“Handle magic on your own, that’s outside my domain.” “Ha.”
The old man giving up without lingering attachment saying he doesn’t know. Even a hollow laugh flowed out at the refreshingly clean abandonment.
“What about Haley? She could use magic too.”
Suddenly recalling Haley who must have gone through training first, I asked the back of the old man walking towards the house.
“Hm?”
Grandpa Gent who might have no interest in me but his heart thinking of Haley is terrible (terribly strong). Stopping with a single word at the short question, he groaned ‘Hmm’ as if recalling the past, and continued speaking.
“That child also handled the magic side on her own, likewise, there is nothing I taught her.” “Is that so.”
Just like me, he taught nothing about magic. That blunt answer, felt to the point of being indifferent, strangely added credibility.
“Well, magic is good too but… stamina comes first for now.”
Just when I thought the conversation would flow to magic stories for a moment, the flow moves to stamina being the conclusion.
“Come on time tomorrow too, got it?” “If you understood, it’s done. Now stop spreading sweat smell in my yard and disappear.”
As I predicted the words that would follow and beat him to it, the old man waved his hand telling me to leave the yard quickly if I knew. Geez, would it hurt to speak a bit nicely. Despite the cold reaction, I couldn’t argue because of what I did in the past, and I left the yard obediently covered in sweat.
Like that, about 10 minutes on foot from the old man’s house.
‘As expected, it’s hard to expect fresh fish.’
Dragging my legs trembling like a baby deer, I came out to the commercial street and looked around shops one by one. Early afternoon, a situation where the street still harbors vitality. Yesterday I was exhausted enough to receive support, but today my body condition is quite better than that.
‘This much is enough to make dinner and then some.’
Showing enthusiasm like that and deciding the menu in my heart, I bought a few chunks of root vegetables and a hefty piece of meat and returned to the house kitchen. This vegetable used as a substitute for potatoes here, Grune. After clumsily peeling its skin, I mashed it as much as possible using hands or a bat. Then mixed it with water and waited for a while. If sediment remained under the bowl, the preparation was complete for now. Drying this sediment remaining at the bottom is exactly starch. Here, should I call it Grune sediment? If dried here, it becomes starch but…. Today I intend to use it as is, so I don’t need to dry it. Water batter made with meat and starch sediment. If we came this far, the answer was already clear. Today’s dinner is, Tangsuyuk (Sweet and Sour Pork).
The reason I made even the sediment myself is because there is no usage level other than grain flour for making bread or porridge yet. In the first place, there is no place selling such starch powder separately either. A part where I look forward to today’s dinner table in many ways.
“Thish, ish! Shink I can shell ith!”
As expected, the reaction was explosive. The clean breaking texture peculiar to starch batter. It seems that completely captivated Haley’s taste buds.
“Really? Shall we open a shop?” “Ooooh!”
As I jokingly suggested opening a shop at the words saying we could sell it, Haley nodded repeatedly having lost her language. Is it that delicious. Indeed, it was natural for such a reaction to come out. The substitute for flour in this world falls far short of even pancake mix, let alone modern frying powder. Since even grain husks are mixed as they are in millstone milling, frying with such powder won’t make proper fried food. Meat starch fry appearing suddenly in such a situation. Naturally, it could only come as a touching texture.
“Reawy delishus!”
Haley eating the prepared Tangsuyuk well like a hamster. The crunchy sound of batter breaking doesn’t stop. Still, since it’s dinner, you’ll gain weight if you don’t eat moderately? I didn’t want to dampen the mood of Haley eating excitedly, so I held back from saying such words.
It’s awkward to say it’s a replacement, but I decided to ask this and that about magic, which I lived without interest in until now. Although I don’t feel the mana amount or whatever yet, it seems somewhat wasteful to let it rot as is.
“By any chance, how much magic can you use, Haley?” “Mawgic?”
Crunch crunch crunch crunch.
Haley chewing and swallowing the Tangsuyuk she was holding like a snack with slurred pronunciation at the short question.
“I do as much as others, why…?”
Soon emphasizing ordinariness saying she does as much as others, she asked back shortly perhaps finding the question itself a bit suspicious. Either way, now I am in the position where I have to learn. Scratching my cheek with a low posture, I revealed the intention of the question.
“Um, it’s nothing special… just hoping you could teach me a little.” “Yes?!”
Bang-! Clatter.
As a slender palm hit the table, the bowls on it floated briefly and settled down. I was rather startled by Haley’s startled shout. What is there to be so surprised about. As I was blinking surprised eyes similarly, Haley was jumping up and down excitedly to an unprecedented degree.
“Really!? No taking backs!” “Huh? Yeah… okay.”
Haley holding even my hands with a face looking happy no matter who looked, confirming the fact repeatedly. Is she excited that she became the one teaching? Then or now, I don’t know girls’ psychology well.
Like that, late evening after finishing the meal. Dressed firmly together with strangely high-tension Haley, we came out to the front yard of the house to learn magic.
“Then, it’s the basics of magic!” “O, Oh.”
Contrary to the dark street as the sun set, Haley’s eyes shining brightly. At the appearance containing strangely intense spirit, I also put in an interjection as if showing enthusiasm along.
“First is being conscious of mana, and putting will into it!” “Uh, um.” “Now now, don’t be too tense.”
Haley who became completely teacher mode just like that. Approaching with a beaming, good-natured smile, she grabbed my left wrist and made me place my palm on my chest. Soon, Haley’s whisper heard from over my shoulder.
“Try closing your eyes, I’ll help you.”
Although I closed my eyes as told, it seemed my concentration would rather scatter due to the whispering voice.
“Now, focus… feeling the palpitation? Imagine what you want to make with earth, how you want to move it, what size you want it to be.”
Amidst Haley’s unwanted ASMR continuing, I focus on magic as seriously as possible. Be conscious of the heart’s beat. What do I want to make?
—A small cylindrical pillar.
How do I intend to move it?
—Soaring from the ground.
What size?
—The circumference of a small tree stump.
‘Be conscious, and put in will….’
Mana circulates at the end of imagination. A sensation as if something happened. The sound of earth falling thud in the air grazes.
“Done…!”
At Haley’s whisper, I slowly open my eyes; what remained in front of my eyes was an earth pillar like a single tree. It was the first magic I used with proper consciousness in this world.