Awakening
It didn't take long to suppress the situation. Even seasoned mercenaries would be insane to stand their ground against massive wolf-type demonic beasts like these.
The mercenaries scattered like fallen leaves swept up by a broom. The young noble ran with them—but the pampered mage's sprint was far slower than the others.
"Protect me—ugh?!"
Thud!
He crashed to the ground. Something had snagged his ankle and sent him tumbling. He tried to scramble up, but strangely, one leg wouldn't move.
Panicked, he looked back.
A tentacle was coiled around his ankle.
Slaaash—
Rex yanked it hard.
The noble's body was dragged across the dirt.
"Aaaagh! Help me!!"
He wailed pitifully, reaching toward the retreating mercenaries. But they were far too busy saving themselves to worry about their abandoned employer.
Soon, the noble was delivered before the wolf pack.
Four wolves bared their fangs as they surrounded him.
Faced with them, the noble looked as though he might faint at any moment.
Pssshhh…
The lower half of his trousers grew damp.
The sharp stench of urine filled the air. I waved my hand repeatedly to disperse the smell.
"…I don't even know what to say," Claire muttered with a sigh, clearly disgusted by what she'd just witnessed.
"What should we do?"
"Let's just leave him like this. I don't want to waste time because of him."
"Honestly… I feel the same."
Still, it needed to be wrapped up.
I stepped forward to clean up the mess. As I approached, the wolves parted to either side.
"Hey."
The young noble looked up at me with vacant eyes. His expression was almost amusing—but I had no desire to deal with this filth any longer.
"Stay out of sight like a dead mouse. If I see you again, something's going to break."
"...."
"Answer."
"Y-Yes, sir!"
He hurriedly bowed his head.
Originally, I'd planned to punch him a few times—
But he looked so frail that one blow might kill him. The wolves must have thought the same; there wasn't a single bite or scratch on him.
"Get lost. Before I change my mind."
I waved him off as if shooing a fly.
He tried to stand, but his legs gave out. Half crawling, half stumbling, he fled.
Drip. Drip.
Yellow droplets fell from his trousers as he retreated. Nearby citizens laughed or looked on with open contempt.
Claire murmured,
"That's another tale for the bards."
"That's almost pitiful."
He had once become a laughingstock after being beaten and humiliated by Claire.
Now, having wet himself in front of countless witnesses, he was socially ruined. Today's disgrace would likely follow him for life.
…Come to think of it, what was his name?
I'd forgotten to ask.
Not that it mattered. I probably would have forgotten it anyway.
"Let's get back to what we were doing."
"Alright."
We resumed walking.
****
The city guards arrived belatedly. With so many witnesses—and given the noble's already infamous reputation—they chose not to press the matter.
"There's a good place to demonstrate magic."
After leaving the city, Claire said this with a knowing look. She must have had somewhere in mind.
If we rode the wolves, we'd get there quickly.
I gestured to Rex. He approached and lowered his body instinctively.
Claire's eyes widened.
"Wow… you even have a proper saddle now?"
"The Church Alliance provided it."
"This brings back memories."
Smiling, Claire mounted Rex. Then she patted the space behind her, urging me to get on.
There were four wolves, after all…
But I chose not to point that out.
I climbed up behind her.
Naturally, she leaned back against my chest as if resting against a chair.
"Which way?"
"That direction."
At her signal, the wolves sprinted.
Soon, a vast lake surrounded by woodland came into view.
The water was crystal clear. The long branches of nearby trees reflected perfectly on its surface. A stag drinking at the shore bolted in fright when it saw the wolves.
"It's a beautiful view."
"Yes. And we're about to ruin it."
A lake this large was ideal for spell practice. Deep water suppressed magical firepower and prevented secondary damage.
It was similar to how the military throws grenades into water during training exercises.
"I'll go first."
Grinning mischievously, Claire stepped toward the water's edge and raised her right hand.
"Glacius Sagitta."
Shaa—
Her palm glowed a deep sky-blue.
Particles of pale blue light swirled in the air, gathering together and shaping themselves into a sharp arrow of ice.
Bang!
With a sharp crack of displaced air, the ice arrow shot forward.
When it struck the lake, frost spread across the surface like thin ice.
I stared in admiration.
"Ice Arrow is a third-circle spell… You cast and fired it immediately?"
"Yes. That much isn't difficult."
She said it casually.
But it was far from easy.
To stabilize a spell, mages typically prewrite the formula—composed of runic characters and diagrams—onto paper.
The usual preparation known as memorize. That's why mages always carry books.
Claire stepped aside.
"Your turn. You said your spellwork improved a lot."
"Compared to you, it's embarrassing."
I moved forward as she watched intently.
It felt like solving a problem in front of a professor.
…A bit nerve-wracking.
Whether I'd perform at my best or not, I had to try.
Steeling myself, I began.
Swish. Sweep.
My hands moved quickly, as if weaving invisible signs.
Gradually, both palms glowed red—like shaping spheres of scarlet light.
A second-circle fire spell formed.
Scorching Shot.
It launched toward the center of the lake.
BOOM!!
With a thunderous explosion, a massive column of water erupted.
Claire looked genuinely surprised.
"That's a casting method hardly anyone uses… Where did you learn that?"
"I just happened to figure it out."
A casting method that invoked spells through hand gestures forming runic characters.
Mage Enoch, lacking natural talent, had often relied on such tricks.
Of course, considering my old level of skill, this was tremendous progress.
"You seem to have talent for magic too, Jin. How about coming to the Magic Tower to study?"
For Claire to make such a suggestion—
But I shook my head without hesitation.
"This is an ability I gained through a shortcut… Even if I entered the Tower, I wouldn't achieve much."
It was a skill acquired by taking the inner core of a Dark Priest. In the end, I had merely inherited someone else's knowledge. The moment I entered the Tower, my limits would be exposed.
That was why I refused.
Yet Claire didn't look ready to give up.
"Even if it was learned through a shortcut, if you organize the knowledge in your head properly, you might still get good results."
"That's true."
She wasn't wrong.
Still… was there really any need to enter the Magic Tower?
"Wouldn't it be enough if you taught me magic, Claire? Then there's no need for the Tower."
When things became less busy in the future, I could just take private lessons from her like before.
At that, Claire nodded as if convinced.
"That would definitely be more efficient. Since we're on the topic, shall I teach you some magic here?"
"Uh… now?"
"Yes. It's quiet here—perfect for studying. I even brought some textbooks."
She rummaged through her bag and pulled out several grimoires.
I couldn't help but admire her.
She brought books all the way out here…
Thinking back, I had handed her a hundred gold coins precisely because I'd witnessed that passion countless times before. No matter how I looked at it, Claire seemed like someone born to be a mage.
I readily sat beside her.
Under the shade of a tree by the lake, the two of us discussed magic.
It felt almost like a picnic.
…Suddenly, Claire smiled faintly.
"Why are you smiling?"
"It just… feels like one of my dreams came true. When I first saw this lake, I thought about how nice it would be to sit here and read with you."
Her smile was bright and unguarded.
But it soon faded into something tinged with sadness.
"I wish things could stay like this…"
"There's no need to get sentimental already. I still have plenty of vacation time left."
"I'll take comfort in that."
She straightened herself, trying to regain composure.
Watching her, I grew concerned.
Her mental state doesn't look great.
The gifted are bound to attract jealousy.
Earlier, that young noble had harassed her—but beyond him, there were plenty of mages who envied her talent. The constant strain of tiresome human relationships had clearly piled up into serious stress.
How should I deal with this…
"…Could you stand up for a moment?"
I gestured.
Claire rose without hesitation.
"What are you planning all of a sudden?"
"Isn't it exhausting to constantly control your strength?"
"…It is."
Ever since she began harboring Karma, Claire had to pay constant attention to regulating her strength. A single careless move could smash whatever was nearby.
From experience, I knew that constantly suppressing one's power was itself a form of stress.
I pulled out a strip of demonic beast hide from my pack and wrapped it tightly around my left arm.
A simple makeshift sandbag.
Holding it up, I stood before her.
"Alright. Punch this."
"This is supposed to help me?"
"Just trust me and try."
At my urging, Claire hesitated before extending her right fist.
Thud.
A timid punch.
"Be bolder. Like when you did that low kick."
"Like this?"
Smack!
"Better than before. Harder."
Wham!
"Imagine it's the face of someone you hate."
BOOOOM!!
"…Whoa, hey. You've been holding a lot in, haven't you?"
"Was that too much?"
"I can handle this much."
When I answered calmly, the corners of Claire's lips curled upward slightly.
"Then I can put more strength into it?"
"…Wait. That wasn't full power?"
"I think I can hit harder."
"Go ahead."
KRAAANG!!
It sounded like thunder striking.
I clenched my teeth slightly.
For a fleeting moment, I thought this might be harder than studying.
…Is she stronger than Rex?
How in the world did it turn out like this?
As I absorbed her punches one after another, I retraced the events in my mind—
And then a memory of the inner core surfaced.
Vikram's Insight.
Vikram's Insight had originally been incomplete.
He had lost both physical eyes, yet failed to properly awaken the eye of the mind—leaving him in an in-between state.
Despair consumed the young monk. Having abandoned everything, he was destined to live the rest of his life as a defeated man…
Until a Dark Priest appeared and granted him power.
That power was undoubtedly Karma.
A technique that used Karma to awaken and amplify another being's latent abilities.
It seemed I had accomplished the same thing—unintentionally.
"…This is worth researching."
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