I ended up going on hiatus. I ask for your generous understanding……^^.
I plan to begin serialization again starting today. For the time being, I will try, as much as possible, not to go on hiatus,
so I hope you will watch with interest. Then, I shall begin the serialization.
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“Then from now on, I will begin explaining the process by which magic is deployed.”
It was the dark of night. It was a time when everyone but the sentries had fallen into deep sleep, yet Doyle and Damon were wholly absorbed
in a magic lesson. Perhaps because he had enjoyed an excellent dinner, Doyle was especially enthusiastic
as he conducted the lesson. Damon, too, seemed to be listening intently to Doyle’s explanation,
his eyes shining. It was only natural, for today was finally the first lesson in which they would enter the main subject of magic.
Not the preparatory stage for learning magic, but the actual lesson itself. He could not help but feel his chest swell with anticipation.
Doyle’s explanation came clearly to his ears.
“You have already reached the level where you can draw in mana. Though it is still faint, you possess the ability to selectively gather
mana of each attribute, so deploying magic will not be all that difficult for you.”
Having finished speaking, Doyle glanced at Damon.
“Then first, I will explain the deployment principle of Fire Ball, the most basic of spells. As you
know, Fire Ball is the most fundamental attack spell, and also a spell with considerable power.
So I want you to listen carefully to its deployment principle.”
“Wait a moment, Master.”
When Damon suddenly cut in, Doyle’s eyes went round. Until now, Damon had
not once interrupted the flow of a lesson.
“What is it?”
Damon looked at Doyle’s face with a serious expression.
“To be honest, rather than learning how to use Fire Ball first, I would like to hear an explanation
of Magic Missile.”
“Ma, Magic Missile, you say?”
At Damon’s unexpected response, Doyle asked back with a bewildered face. Since Damon had followed
his teaching methods without a single word of complaint until now, he honestly found it hard
to understand. After organizing his thoughts for a moment, Doyle gave his opinion.
“I think there is a bit of a problem with learning Magic Missile first.
Although Magic Missile uses the mana of wind, and is therefore relatively easy to cast,
that is because the mana most widely distributed in the atmosphere is mana with the wind attribute.
However, in terms of power, Magic Missile is an attack spell that can never compare to Fire Ball.
That is because Magic Missile can only inflict physical impact.”
“But, Master……”
Doyle quickly cut Damon off.
“It would be better for you to follow what I say. Of course, fire mana is the rarest
in the atmosphere, but it also has that much merit. If you can gather sparse mana,
then gathering other mana becomes relatively easy. Once you are able to properly deploy Fire Ball,
you can learn other magic comparatively smoothly.”
But Damon did not give up his insistence.
“But Master. There is a reason why I specifically wish to learn Magic Missile.”
“A reason?”
Doyle tilted his head for a moment, then soon straightened it. If Damon had some other thought, it seemed better to
hear it first. When he nodded, Damon immediately began revealing what he had been thinking.
“As you know, Master, I consider my greatest strength to be my quick movements.
I believe that is something I must continue to maintain even if I become a mage.”
“Hm! That is true.”
Seeing Doyle show even a slight sign of agreement, Damon seized the moment and began explaining.
“To cast Fire Ball, one must concentrate for quite some time, and it also has the disadvantage
that one cannot move at all while gathering and rearranging mana. In other words, it means I cannot use
my specialty, quick movement, at all. Of course, I have heard that mages of a high class
can easily deploy low-circle magic even while moving. But that does not apply to me,
who has only just entered the path of magic. And as far as I know, there is only one kind of mana
that can be gathered while moving the body.”
At Damon’s explanation, Doyle’s eyes flashed.
“Mana with the wind attribute! I see. Is that why you wish to learn Magic Missile?”
“That is exactly right. Mana bearing the wind attribute is the only mana that can be gathered
while moving one’s body. Since the attribute itself is fluid, I do not think it is impossible.”
But Doyle still opposed Damon’s opinion.
“But I cannot particularly recommend learning Magic Missile, which has little power and poor accuracy,
for such a reason alone. Magic Missile may be able to inflict a certain amount of damage on multiple enemies,
but it has the disadvantage of being unable to deliver a fatal attack.
Moreover, because its attack speed is markedly low, Magic Missile does not work
on enemies with quick movements. They need only see it in advance and dodge.”
Damon gave a gentle smile.
“I have already thought of a solution for that. This is something that applies only to me.”
Doyle looked into Damon’s eyes for a moment, then nodded as if something had occurred to him.
“Very well. Try explaining it in a way that can convince me.”
“As you know, Master, I have mastered the vital points of humans and monsters.”
“That is something I, too, find very strange. But from what I heard before,
the technique of attacking vital points requires extreme precision and the proper amount of force.
So how do you intend to hit a vital point with Magic Missile, when its accuracy is low and its attack speed is slow?”
“It is entirely possible.”
There was a deep smile on Damon’s lips as he stated it decisively.
“I intend to use only a single Magic Missile. If I do that, I should be able to create
a Magic Missile with even greater power. And I intend to solve the problem of its slow attack speed
through close combat.”
“Close combat?”
“Have you forgotten my specialty? If I approach the enemy’s body as closely as possible
and fire Magic Missile, I think I can sufficiently overcome its slow attack speed.”
Having grasped Damon’s intention, Doyle nodded as though it sounded plausible. Of course, if an ordinary mage
had heard Damon’s idea, he would have immediately dismissed it as madness. Mages, being typical
scholars, choose only orthodox methods. But Doyle was a dark mage who had learned
magic at a late age and greatly valued efficiency. His way of thinking could not help but differ
from that of ordinary mages. Apparently finding Damon’s idea reasonable, he readily granted permission.
“Very well. Then let us try it your way. First, I will teach you the deployment process
of Magic Missile. But increasing its speed and accuracy depends solely on you.
It will likely require bone-grinding training. Do you understand?”
“I understand, Master.”
A light of delight spread across Damon’s face after receiving his master’s permission.
From that day on, Damon entered intensive training under Doyle. It was training to make
Magic Missile a part of his body. Doyle drove Damon so harshly that he could hardly
even breathe properly. Normally, he was a man of few words and relatively kind, but once lessons began,
Doyle showed not the slightest mercy. Since Doyle himself had learned magic
through an extremely difficult process, it was only natural.
But Damon, too, was a warrior trained and tempered by arduous cultivation, and he handled
the harsh, almost cruelly difficult process without any particular trouble. Fortunately, the 8th Corps to which they belonged
did not engage in battle for a while, and thanks to that, Damon was able to secure ample time for training.
Thus, after immersing himself in training to the point of forgetting food and sleep, Damon finally became able to use
a rudimentary Magic Missile after ten days.
“Magic Missile!”
Thud.
With a loud boom, the middle of a tree so large it would take both arms to encircle was deeply gouged out.
Standing a short distance from the tree was Damon, his entire face filled with delight.
Unable to contain his joy, Damon finally opened his mouth.
“I, I succeeded. Master.”
Though it was only beginner-level magic, Damon had at last become able to cast Magic Missile
with his own skill. Beside him stood Doyle, watching him with a warm gaze.
Before long, a pleased smile hovered around his lips.
‘This fellow truly has an extraordinary level of comprehension. No matter how easy Magic Missile may be,
this can truly be called astonishing growth. It took me more than six whole months
to use Fire Ball…….’
But Doyle never revealed his pleased expression outwardly. That was because the process
Damon still had to go through would be incomparably more arduous than what he had faced so far.
Thinking that Damon must not relax, Doyle instead stiffened his expression and approached him.
“There is nothing to be so pleased about. The Magic Missile you deployed can hardly be called proper yet.”
A look of doubt appeared on Damon’s face.
“What? Wh, what do you mean?”
“A true Magic Missile is like this.”
Taking the magic staff from Damon, Doyle silently gathered mana.
Sssssss.
An enormous amount of mana gathered around the crystal sphere embedded in the magic staff.
Feeling its presence, Damon trembled faintly. From the amount of mana gathering,
he truly realized how enormous the difference in skill was between his master and himself.
Now that he had entered the path of magic, Damon could fully sense the flow of mana.
Suddenly, a shout burst from Doyle’s mouth.
“Hah!”
Before the echo of the shout had even faded, the entire tree trunk was smashed apart.
Craaaack.
It had been torn to shreds by six Magic Missiles generated in an instant.
In both firing speed and power, it could not even be compared to the Magic Missile Damon had deployed.
Doyle looked at Damon with a satisfied smile.
“At the very least, it must be about this much to be called Magic Missile.”
Damon, who had been standing with his mouth open, soon grumbled.
“Come on. How can you compare yourself to me, Master? Even if we estimate the time
you have spent learning magic as low as possible, it must be dozens of times longer than mine……”
Doyle replied as though it were only natural.
“Of course it cannot be compared. And one more thing. Even a Magic Missile of this level
can barely kill something like a goblin. With this, you should assume you can hardly deal any damage
to an ogre, let alone even an armored orc.”
“Su, surely not.”
“It is true. These days, monsters have developed resistance to magic as well, so the majority
will not fall even to a decent Fire Ball.”
Doyle looked for a moment at Damon, who had become somewhat dispirited, then turned away.
“Now that you can deploy Magic Missile, increasing its power and accuracy depends entirely
on your training. I will test you in a week, so work hard. If I am not satisfied,
there will be an appropriate price, so you may look forward to it.”
Having finished speaking, Doyle strode off into the darkness. If he failed to satisfy him,
it was obvious that he would have to spend a full ten days as a blind and deaf man.
That was the “appropriate price” Doyle had spoken of. Damon watched the direction in which he had disappeared
for a moment, then gritted his teeth hard enough to crush them.
“This is only the beginning. No matter what it takes, I must make Magic Missile completely my own.”
Of course, using Magic Missile to seal an enemy’s acupoints was by no means an easy matter.
That was because sealing acupoints was only possible by applying force to the exact location without the slightest error.
Applying to unfamiliar magic a technique that was difficult even for a master who had accumulated sufficient internal energy training
could, in a way, be said to make no sense.
But since there was no other way, Damon immediately began training. First, the most important task
was to ingrain the use of Magic Missile into his body. Even without Doyle’s warning,
he had steeled his resolve. He had already staked his life on the discipline called magic. Again
In other words, since there was no way for him to grow stronger except through magic, he had to become a mage by any means necessary.
That was Damon.
From that day on, Damon plunged into relentless practice. He even cut down on his sleeping and mealtimes, immersing himself in training.
“The key is to improve accuracy.”
Once he had opened the path, getting Magic Missile into his body was comparatively easy. However, imbuing a Magic Missile with enough force to suppress an enemy’s acupoints was by no means simple. Suppressing acupoints required tremendous accuracy and delicate control of power. At Damon’s current level, even maintaining a single Magic Missile was difficult.
“I suppose I should think of it not as a Magic Missile, but as a Magic Arrow. Hah!”
A sudden dazzling light flared from the magic staff Damon held. The surrounding mana was rapidly condensing, giving off light.
Sssssss.
Something like a long, thin rod formed in midair. It was, in effect, a magic arrow made of extremely compressed air. Staring hard at it, Damon rearranged the mana according to the prescribed method. The completed Magic Missile soon shot toward a single point at high speed. Its target was a great tree standing over there.
Thud.
Dust billowed up, and a hole large enough for a fist to fit into was gouged deep into the tree trunk. It seemed to have gained considerably more power than when he had first cast it, but Damon shook his head with a bitter smile.
“It’s still far off. With this, suppressing acupoints is impossible.”
Damon lowered his head and looked at the magic staff in his hand. Of course, it was one his master, Doyle, had lent him for a short while. Since there was no way to obtain a magic staff, a top-grade artifact, on a harsh battlefield, he had arbitrarily borrowed his master’s and was using it for training.
“It would be nice if the staff were a little shorter……”
Still, taking comfort in the fact that its power had improved even a little, Damon continued to deploy Magic Missile. He even forgot to sleep and eat. As Damon’s training went on, the unfortunate great trees gradually turned into honeycombs.
At last, the week he had promised Doyle passed. When the appointed time came, Doyle unfailingly came to the training ground to check Damon’s progress.
“I wonder how much the brat’s skill has improved.”
The first things to enter Doyle’s eyes were trees that had been shattered and broken. All of the trees, which looked to number nearly a hundred, were riddled with fist-sized holes. It was difficult to find a single intact tree. Seeing that sight, Doyle clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“Just how much training did the brat do……”
“Have you come, Master?”
At the sudden voice from behind him, Doyle turned his head. The moment he saw his disciple, he could not help bursting into laughter. Covered all over in dust and splinters of wood, Damon was, quite literally, a sight too wretched to behold.
“Puhuhu. Brat, what is with that appearance?”
“Kekeke. I haven’t washed for a bit……”
Damon let out a strange laugh and roughly shook out his hair. As dust puffed up, Doyle frowned and took a step back.
“Very well. Let us see whether your skill has grown as much as your sorry state.”
“Yes, Master.”
Damon planted himself firmly in place. Light rapidly rose from the magic staff he held.
“Magic Missile.”
When the incantation ended, a Magic Missile instantly appeared in midair. Guided by Damon, it shot like an arrow toward a tree ahead that looked somewhat intact.
Thud.
With a sharp sound, the thick tree trunk was gouged in. It was roughly deep enough for one joint of a finger to enter. A look of disappointment briefly passed over Doyle’s face.
“The firing speed is usable enough, but what is that power?”
“Please wait just a moment, Master.”
Without delay, Damon began preparing to fire the second shot. The gathered mana condensed, went through the process of being rearranged, and the second Magic Missile once again flew toward the tree trunk.
Thud.
“It is a little better, but it is still not a proper Magic Missile.”
“This time is the third shot.”
In the end, it was only after Damon fired five Magic Missiles that he could see Doyle look satisfied. That was because the final Magic Missile had pierced straight through a tree that seemed to be thirty centimeters in diameter. Apparently pleased enough, Doyle’s face showed a trace of satisfaction.
“Brat. You trained quite hard, I see. But why did you drag it out instead of showing me that from the start?”
“Please come this way for a moment, Master.”
Damon led Doyle toward the tree that had become the target. Then he pointed with his finger at the holes drilled into the tree.
“Please take a look at your disciple’s achievement.”
Doyle, who had been peering into the holes in the tree, opened his eyes wide. The five Magic Missiles Damon had fired had been lined up perfectly in a vertical row. It was as accurate as if measured with a ruler. If that were all, there would have been nothing especially surprising, but each of the holes had a different depth. Seeing how the depth of the holes gradually increased from top to bottom, he could tell that Damon was already able to control the power of Magic Missile at will. Finally, as he touched the hole that had been pierced all the way through, Doyle exclaimed in admiration.
“Impressive. To think you can already adjust the intensity of Magic Missile…… I can well imagine how much you trained.”
Damon scratched his head with a wry smile.
“Hehehe. Well, once I applied the hidden-weapon techniques I used where I came from, it wasn’t that difficult.”
Doyle looked at Damon with warm eyes. He could not help being proud of a disciple who, when taught one thing, could understand ten. However, Doyle was still an experienced master. Praise could end as praise, but one must never allow a disciple’s mind to slacken.
“That said, do not be too pleased. On the battlefield, the enemy will never stand still like that tree……”
“Th-that may be true, but……”
Doyle looked at Damon with a cold face.
“I will give you one more week. During that time, train so that you can accurately hit the vital points of a moving target. As for the method, find something suitable on your own…… Do you understand?”
“Y-yes, I understand.”
Doyle turned away, leaving behind a somewhat dissatisfied Damon. A pleased smile hung at the corner of his mouth, but Damon failed to see it.
After Doyle disappeared, Damon, left alone, was greatly at a loss.
“Damn it, how am I supposed to find a moving target? I can’t very well use my subordinates……”
And with good reason, for he had no way to find a suitable target. Now, firing Magic Missile and increasing or decreasing its power were not particularly difficult for Damon. Since he was still low-class, he could not deploy it many times, but that was a problem time would solve. After thinking for a while, Damon seemed to have an idea and clapped his hands.
“That should do it.”
He rose to his feet. Leaving the training ground where he had devoted himself to training for an entire week, Damon headed without delay for the barracks where the soldiers were stationed.
“No, what brings you here?”
A middle-aged, bushy-bearded soldier wearing work clothes raised his eyes in puzzlement. Judging by the thick calluses on his palms, he was clearly no ordinary soldier. Before him stood a man with a hideous appearance, staring fixedly at him. Of course, he knew very well who this grotesque man was.
Damon Solo. The chief guard of Doyle, the mage infamous for his ugly face, had suddenly come looking for him. Carpenter, a middle-aged soldier who had once been a carpenter, frowned and kept stealing glances at the chief guard’s face.
‘What a truly hideous face. As expected, like master, like disciple.’
Though he went around covered by a robe, Doyle’s ugly appearance had long since become a topic of conversation among the soldiers of the 8th Corps. Leaving Carpenter rolling his eyes as he thought such things, Damon thoroughly looked over the inside of the workshop.
“Hmm! This should be entirely possible.”
The place he had come to was none other than the woodworking shop attached to the 8th Corps. It was an important place that made and attached handles to weapons forged at the smithy, and produced major parts for catapults and combat equipment. Therefore, most of the work soldiers here were men selected from among experienced carpenters. Damon had come here precisely with that in mind. He abruptly opened his mouth toward Carpenter.
“Can you make something like this?”
After listening to Damon’s explanation, Carpenter’s eyes grew round.
“A human model made of wood, you say?”
“That’s right. Its size and shape must be the same as a person’s, and it must have joints so that it moves exactly like a person.”
“Th-that is……”
Carpenter wore an expression of disbelief. Of course, it was not as if he could not make something of that level, but with his assigned duties already excessive, there was no way he had time for it. And naturally, even by strict military regulations, there was no time to grant such a personal request. Having made up his mind, Carpenter shook his head and refused Damon’s request.
“As you know, we are extremely busy. Unless it is an officially issued order, I cannot comply.”
Damon stared at Carpenter for a moment, then smiled faintly.
“Is that so? It can’t be helped, then. If you had granted my request, I was thinking of showing off my skills and treating you to a meal…… But if it cannot be done, then there is nothing for it.”
Damon slowly rose and made as if to leave the workshop, showing not the slightest lingering attachment.
“P-please wait just a moment.”
Carpenter hurriedly ran out and grabbed the hem of Damon’s clothes as he was about to leave. His face was thick with a certain sense of anticipation. In truth, Damon’s cooking skills had already become widely famous within the 8th Corps. Carpenter was also well aware that even the corps commander, Marquis Hauzen, had completely fallen for his cooking. When he had heard the rumors at the time, Carpenter had been extremely curious about what the food tasted like.
“Just how good is his cooking for everyone to make such a fuss?”
However, for him, who was merely a low-ranking work soldier, tasting that cooking was, quite literally, out of the question. Because of that, Carpenter had been forced to be satisfied with rumors alone. And now, out of nowhere, the person himself had appeared and put cooking forward as the condition…… Unable to let such a golden opportunity slip by, Carpenter urgently asked back.
“Are you saying that if I make that for you, you will truly cook for us?”
“That’s right. Enough for you and the carpenters of the workshop to eat your fill.”
Hearing Damon’s answer, Carpenter’s eyes shone. Since a definite recompense had been guaranteed, there was no need to hesitate.
“I will make it for you. By when should it be completed?”
“How about in three hours?”
It was a deadline Damon had set arbitrarily because he wanted to train as soon as possible, but for Carpenter, it was an extremely demanding task.
“Th-three hours, you say?”
“That’s right. During that time, I will make the food. As soon as the wooden dolls are completed, you will be able to taste the meal.”
“H-how many of them?”
“I think about ten should do. What do you say? Is it possible?”
“It is possible. Of course it is possible.”
Although it seemed a rather strenuous task, Carpenter nodded frantically. If all the carpenters assigned here put aside everything else and threw themselves into it, it was entirely possible. With the 8th Corps’ finest cook showing off his skills and treating them to food, there was no way any other task would remain in their minds.
A smile appeared on Damon’s face.
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
Seeing Damon turn and stride away, Carpenter came back to his senses with a start.
“Right, this is no time to be standing around.”
He dashed frantically into the workshop. He intended to make the carpenters absorbed in their work stop everything and produce what Damon had ordered. A smile gradually spread across Carpenter’s mouth.
“Once they know what the reward is, there won’t be a single one who refuses.”
Even so, Carpenter, faithful to his professional spirit, ran while reaching for the one propped against the workshop wall.
He was examining the timber. To find the wood best suited for making wooden dolls,
that was why.
This time as well, Damon was able to obtain cooking ingredients without difficulty. When he entered the supply depot,
the soldiers in charge of it provided him with ingredients without a word of complaint. Even though he had asked for
veal rib meat, something ordinary soldiers could not so much as glimpse. Of course, word of it would go straight
to Marquis Hausen’s ears, but that was none of Damon’s concern. He had already prepared
an appropriate countermeasure.
“What should I cook for them?”
After pondering for a moment, Damon decided to make jang-uyuk (醬牛肉), which was simple to prepare.
It was a decision he made because he could not use the cooking tools in his quarters.
“There should at least be some simple cooking utensils in the workshop.”
Carrying the ingredients he had wheedled out of the supply soldier, Damon trudged toward the carpenters’ workshop.
“I-it’s true, isn’t it, Master?”
“Hah! To think we’ll get to taste the cooking of that man everyone’s been talking about……”
The carpenters, including Carpenter, were now completely absorbed in their work. Shaving wood into
human form and tying the joints with cord so they could move freely
was not particularly difficult for them. They were all skilled carpenters. Carpenter, who had been planing away without pause,
turned his head and looked toward the storeroom Damon had entered. From the storeroom, now turned into a temporary kitchen,
a savory smell was already drifting out. One carpenter flared his nostrils
and cried out in admiration.
“Kya! I don’t know how it’ll taste, but the smell alone is really killer.”
Carpenter’s eyebrows curled upward.
“Let’s hurry. This must never become known outside.”
Recalling Damon’s warning, Carpenter sternly cautioned the carpenters under him, and they
hurriedly immersed themselves in the work. Thus, when the promised three hours had passed, Carpenter and
the other carpenters finally managed to complete the ten wooden dolls Damon had requested without incident.
“They’re finished.”
Seeing the completed wooden dolls, Damon nodded in satisfaction.
“Then I’d like you to move these to the place I mentioned without letting the soldiers see them. After
that, you may look forward to a splendid dinner.”
“U-understood.”
Looking at the storeroom from which the smell still wafted, Carpenter rose unsteadily. If they only
moved the completed wooden dolls to the place Damon had mentioned, a splendid dinner would
be waiting for them. Because of that, they were impatient.
“Now, let’s hurry……”
Under Carpenter’s command, the carpenters all shouldered the wooden dolls and rose to their feet. While they
went to the training ground and back, Damon found a moment to make one more simple dish.
There had been a little of the ingredients left over. Before long, the carpenters returned to the workshop.
“We’ve finished everything.”
“You’ve worked hard. Then I hope you enjoy a good dinner. I’ll be going now……”
The carpenters, with Carpenter at their head, paid no heed to Damon as he rose and rushed urgently into the storeroom.
Before them, the dishes made by the Eighth Legion’s finest cook filled the table.
The carpenters reached out frantically toward the dishes proudly displaying themselves. The taste of the food
was excellent enough to make them forget the three hours of hard labor.
“Kya! This is really delicious. It’s just like the rumors said.”
“I’ll never forget the taste of the food I ate today for as long as I live.”
Leaving behind the carpenters as they devoured the food in a frenzy, Damon stepped out of the workshop. A faint
smile appeared on his face.
“I’ll probably have to ask the carpenters for favors often. But how am I going to get cooking ingredients?
Taking them from the supply depot will only work once or twice……”
Without another word, he headed for his quarters. The night was deep, and the training tools had been prepared,
so he intended to begin his training in earnest tomorrow.