Chapter 12 · 9 min

Chapter 12

Silver light rose from Herdrode’s hand.

As his hand touched, the overflowing magic power disappeared in one go.

“Good work. You endured well.”

“...”

I cursed with my eyes for a moment, but Herdrode didn’t care at all and put his hand into his bosom.

“It’s praise. You really endured for a long time. Thanks to that, I found three path seeds.”

When he unfolded the thin paper he took out, a drawing of a person was revealed.

“The method to find path seeds is simple. Flow magic power throughout the whole body. If there is a place without abnormality, that place is a path seed.”

He lifted the pen and drew a circle on the solar plexus of the person in the drawing.

“However, one cannot erode the whole body just to find path seeds.”

He put one dot on the shoulder, and one each on the left side and the dantian side.

“Move magic power from the Magic Root and the end of the roots to raise light, and find the places that light does not reach.”

Magic light is not as dangerous as magic power, yet is absorbed by path seeds that have resistance to magic power.

Illuminating the internal world with a torch like that, the process of finding places the light does not reach was path seed exploration.

“This matter is difficult for others to help with. Do you know why?”

“Because it’s something happening inside me.”

If someone raises magic power and tries to shine that light even inside my body, wouldn’t that be trying to kill rather than explore?

“Correct. However, if you randomly extend paths and wander to find path seeds, can you form a diagram with that path?”

“Probably not.”

“That’s why they say to hold overflowing magic power near the Magic Root and circulate it to raise intense light.”

“It doesn’t seem like a general method.”

“Yes, there needs to be a person who will retrieve the overflowing magic power.”

Herdrode briefly contemplated looking down at the drawing.

“Shoulder and dantian...”

He put the pen on the circle of the solar plexus in the drawing and drew down toward the dantian.

“Starting like this will be good.”

“The positions are all good.”

Turning my head, David had approached at some point and was looking down at the drawing.

“Wouldn’t it also be good to first extend toward the shoulder and try finding the path seed of the hand?”

“Opening the hand path seed is convenient and helpful in combat so it’s the highest grade, but extending to the arm from the start leaving the dantian is greed.”

Hand path seed. Inferring, it’s the path seed of the hand.

Herdrode absorbing magic power by putting his hand on my chest also seemed a skill possible because he had opened a conduit root in the hand.

“The dantian is also regarded as a high-grade path seed as the center of the body, so first extending Margo vertically and connecting, then checking the next path seed will be good.”

“Hmm, comparing with other path seeds found near the dantian and heading to the shoulder won’t be late.”

At David’s words nodding, Herdrode finally turned his head.

“Seeing you like this here, it seems you’ve read and understood everything I gave?”

“Yes, I’m going.”

David who answered like that tapped my shoulder and passed by saying.

“Congratulations. The start is good.”

“If your progress today is not good, it’s excommunication.”

He says that, but the inside might be different.

Even if the outside is cold, he might be a person with deep affection.

If I couldn’t distinguish truth, I would have thought that, but surprisingly every word he said was completely sincere.

Herdrode who looked at David as if displeased rolled the paper marking the path seeds and handed it to me.

“If you find a path seed while extending the path, record the position one by one.”

“Yes. May I ask just one thing?”

“What is it?”

“What do I do if I make a mistake while drawing the diagram?”

“Burn it with mana.”

Since it’s a part with strong magic power resistance and swallows magic power to grow, it would be difficult to burn with magic power.

So it seemed he cuts it using mana.

“However, side effects remain.”

“What kind...”

“What would that strand you cut and burned be holding.”

“Magic power.”

“Yes, the held magic power seeps into the surroundings and causes faint erosion. So even a greatly wrong path cannot be burned away at once, and even after spending a long time erasing it, one must recuperate for a while.”

“Understood.”

Herdrode raised silver light from his hand.

It seemed he was gauging the magic power he had retrieved into the conduit root in his hand.

“You absorbed half of Equira’s 3rd-grade magic power pill. From the strengthened light, it seems even the vessel grew.”

“Yes.”

“As expected, the aptitude is good. Advance diligently from now on.”

“Thank you.”

“For the next class, no need to come together with David. Come find me around the time the magic power of the Magic Root is insufficient and you can no longer extend the path.”

“Understood.”

When I bowed my head in greeting, Herdrode said.

“Then go up first.”

“Is there no swordsmanship class?”

“There won’t be time for that.”

When I tilted my head, he walked toward David with a whoosh and said.

“It’s sufficiently high compared to the rank of the path of magic. Don’t neglect training as you’ve been doing so far, and concentrate on completing Margo.”

Swordsmanship is later?

I was a bit regretful curious about what sword I would learn as a magic practitioner, but I obediently left the sparring ground and moved my steps toward the main castle.

While walking, I flowed mana into the Margo diagram stone tablet and quietly gauged its form.

Entering the lodging, I entered the personal training ground.

Feeling the diagram of Margo with my fingertips and walking briefly, a jar entered my vision.

Round elixir pills that David filled the jar full and brought saying I would need them.

He was very proud of placing the jar in the training room, and informed that if I eat and need more, I can buy them at the cafeteria of the main castle.

After eating once, laughter burst at the taste and I asked why on earth eat something like this, he answered that I’ll end up eating them all and even recommended a bet.

While answering that there’s absolutely no chance of eating them and not accepting the bet because it was suspicious, I was worried whether even if it doesn’t spoil well, leaving it endlessly like that wouldn’t make it rot.

I turned my eyes from the jar and walked to the center of the training ground.

Seeing that miscellaneous thoughts come, it seems I’ve confirmed the diagram sufficiently.

Sitting down as is, I closed my eyes and looked into the Magic Root.

The expanded Magic Root and the magic power full inside it.

What to do is clear and what is needed for it is also prepared.

Is this the teaching of a prestigious path of magic family.

As I was about to raise magic power, I put down the diagram stone tablet I had been holding until just before to the side.

Did he say if a finger flies off on the stone tablet, it’s excommunication.

If holding it and magic power flows in and the insides get shredded, it would be instant death before excommunication.

Thinking that perhaps there was a reason for that strict warning, I quietly raised magic power.

Slowly extend the path downward.

Stop in the middle, inflate and widen, then come down a bit and extend the path.

Checking meticulously, and as I was about to extend the path further down, concentration was disrupted.

I was hungry.

Should I have eaten a bit and started?

Not being able to sit stickily and train, getting up right after starting because I’m hungry.

Patience must have dropped as I got younger.

I opened my eyes.

Strangely the vision seemed faded and there was no strength in the body.

The light of the faint ceiling lamp felt dazzling.

The small sound of the mana panel circulating air grew louder, and it approached slightly sensitively.

Extreme thirst.

Air felt differently from just before.

Even though in a training ground blocked on all sides, that alien sensation was clearly felt.

I got up and opened the curtain.

The midday sunlight was pouring down.

What time did I come in?

Probably thinking evening meal was a bit early, I entered the lodging without stopping by the cafeteria.

And after training briefly and getting up, it became day.

Did the day pass.

Unable to endure the hunger, I opened the jar and chewed and swallowed the elixir inside.

When the hunger lessened a bit, I crossed the living room and checked the calendar in my room.

Not the next day.

Having passed an entire day, I opened my eyes on the day after next’s daytime.

I understood why the master said there wouldn’t be time for that.

The process of drawing the diagram accompanied immersion.

Once starting to look into the Magic Root, one forgets time and abstains from food and drink.

At first I tried to train moderately and get up on time to eat a human-like meal, but then I couldn’t even progress and had to get up after only polishing around the path.

In the end I gave up and began continuing training while filling hunger with that bizarre item named Wall Valley Pill.

This is medicine.

With this taste, it can absolutely not be called food.

I just temporarily gave up the enjoyment of meals for training.

Devoting myself to training like that, time truly flowed quickly.

***

I was exchanging swords with him in the yard in front of David’s house.

As he said his swordsmanship was worse than mine, if purely competing with swords, eight or nine times out of ten the match was decided with the tip of my sword going up on the back of his hand.

But one must not misunderstand.

The white tassel hanging below his sword hilt meant he had already completed five diagrams.

Among the diagrams he completed, there must clearly be defensive magic arts.

The moment he raises magic power, even if I strike his hand with all my strength, he won’t let go of the sword.

However, David cleanly declared defeat with the tip of the sword placed on the back of his hand, and withdrew saying he learned one thing.

After sparring sweating, David made a refreshing expression and brought out words.

“Margo?”

“Now half.”

The thought that I must not make a mistake was limiting the speed.

Coming to about half, the time checking the made diagram also lengthened.

Operating magic power along the made path, flowing mana into the diagram stone tablet and checking whether somewhere was slightly twisted, whether there were parts where width or depth was subtly different.

“Decent. Seems you’re working hard.”

But David and Herdrode said like that.

It was a sufficiently fast speed that wouldn’t go against the expectations of those geniuses.

That’s why I was trying not to be hasty.

“Come to think of it, uncle asked what kind of work you want to do.”

“Work?”

“They’re trying to decide your duty from above, and said they would reflect your opinion.”

I understood.

When first stepping on areas not permitted as a student, new magic practitioners with the same purple tassel as me were standing guard.

Like them, the time has come for me also as an Equira magic practitioner to take on and perform the family’s work.

This is a problem with a fixed answer.

“Which department has the most matters of going outside the castle?”