NOVEL NEXT Chapter 34
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34. Magic And Cool Old Man
“…Yes. Keep pouring your power into it just like that. Imagine the magical energy contracting and taking form.”
“Contract the magical energy… Form!”
Zap! Snap!
At the moment I visualized Raize’s words, electric currents surged through the palms of my hands. Not metaphorically, but quite literally.
“I did it! I can finally use magic!”
“It took quite a while, but you managed it properly. Seems like my teaching was just bad for your case.”
My magic attribute seems to be like thunder. The sensation of using magic for the first time made my body tremble.
“Orteze family, get out of the town!”
“Don’t forgive those who destroy our town for their own gain!”
What reached us was the sound of a protest march in the streets.
It had been a week since Rauche invaded the town. The town had been in this state for a while now.
Due to the turmoil, the misdeeds of the Orteze family got exposed, and the lords locked themselves in their homes. The town’s people, including adventurers, were angered because the forest got destroyed and were working to protect the town.
In more personal matters, Raize and I had regained our qualifications as adventurers.
It seemed Dan had been pulling the strings behind the scenes, and with his apology, everything got resolved.
For the past week, I have been training in magic with Raize. It turned out the gem Rauche gave me was a pretty rare item. It’s worth several million Gil if sold. Well, I used it myself.
Everything was going smoothly. However, my mood was not bright.
“Arx, you’re spacing out again?”
Raize peered at my face with a puzzled expression.
“Sorry. I was just impressed that I could use magic.”
“…Well, even though it’s the most basic, you’ve learned to use magic. Let’s take the afternoon off.”
Since Raize suddenly suggested that, I was surprised.
“Why? I can still go on, you know?”
“Sometimes you need a break. We’ve been pushing pretty hard for the past week, so take a day off. Knowing you, you’re probably leveling up slimes, right?”
As she said, I had released the slimes into the nearby grassland area. Thanks to them working tirelessly 24/7, my level had increased by 2 in a week.
I’m doing what needs to be done. So maybe it’s okay to take a break. Let’s go to the shopping district for a change.
When I went to the shopping district, it was bustling with people as usual.
Now, what should I buy? I have plenty of money. Since it’s a holiday, maybe I should see a circus. Buying a book might also be nice.
“Baldy, huh?”
While thinking about various things and walking through the town, someone called me.
I turned around to see a cool old man wearing a black hat. His brown beard added to his rugged coolness.
I knew this person. He was definitely Irene’s master and the manager of the weapons store—
“Danztel-san?”
“Still bald, huh? It’s been a while. How have you been?”
We had only met once, but it seemed he remembered my face.
“How’s everything going lately? Is Irene still a handful, as I predicted?”
“Not at all. I think she makes really good weapons.”
“I see, that’s good. Well, compared to my skills, she’s still an amateur!”
“Why are you competing with your disciple?”
Danztel-san laughed and looked at me with a calm gaze.
“Baldy, do you have time right now?”
With those words from Danztel-san, we entered a cafe. There were mostly men inside, creating a calm atmosphere.
While waiting for our coffee, we enjoyed some small talk about adventurers and blacksmiths.
After about five minutes, the coffee arrived. Danztel-san took a sip, then looked at me with a serious expression.
“…Hey, baldy. Have you been troubled by something recently?”
He sees through me.
This person is amazing. He effortlessly grasped my fleeting thoughts.
“I might seem rough, but I’ve lived longer than you, baldy. If you have something to say, say it.”
Let’s be honest. I don’t know if I can express it well in words, but I’ll try.
“An acquaintance of mine died in the recent Rauche Giant Spriggan incident.”
“Oh?”
Danztel-san calmly accepted the news.
“He was truly a despicable guy, and I absolutely couldn’t forgive him. I wanted to become stronger as an adventurer to get revenge on him.”
“He must have been quite a villain.”
“Yes, he certainly was. So, when I made him kneel and apologize, it felt refreshing. But I wondered if he really needed to die.”
“Why? Wasn’t he scum? Didn’t you think he wasn’t worth living?”
“I did. But now that he’s dead, I’m not sure why I wanted to become stronger anymore. And also, getting stronger was for the purpose of defeating him. Now that he’s dead, I don’t know why I should become stronger.”
I expelled the foreign substance from my body and poured my feelings into Danztel-san.
The vague unrest within me was gradually finding its way into words.
“So, what are you going to do now, baldy?”
“…I don’t know. I can live as I am now, so maybe I’ll stop trying to get stronger and continue being an adventurer, or maybe—”
Should I just quit? I had been vaguely considering that.
After drinking a sip of coffee, Danztel-san looked at me silently for a few seconds.
“If that’s what you think, then those feelings are genuine. I don’t think you need to throw away all the effort you’ve put in so far.”
“What do you mean?”
“If the reason for becoming strong is gone, create a new one… Yes, that’s it.”
Danztel-san took a piece of paper from his pocket and quickly wrote something before handing it to me.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a favor. Can you go into the dungeon and bring back this material? Of course, I’ll pay you for it.”
It was a simple request for mining a certain type of ore.