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Chapter 55

"Did you find anything worthwhile?" Miguel asked.

“Roughly,” Ian answered nonchalantly, munching on jerky.

Lucy, who emerged pale but maintained her composed demeanor, didn\'t touch her food.

Miguel asked with concern, "What happened that you can\'t eat?"

Lucy’s answer was simple, "The sight was too grim to bear with a clear mind."

Upon hearing from Lucy, Miguel decided not to press further.

On the other side of the valley, there was a stream of very clean and cold water. Thanks to this, the group was able to wash up and continue their journey refreshed. Given their ragged state, this was a welcome luxury.

"We\'ve gained at least two days. And if we travel for about half a day more, we\'ll reach another lord\'s territory. Maybe our reputation hasn\'t reached there yet." Miguel added, holding the reins.

"If we\'re lucky," Ian murmured, shaking his wet hair.

Fortunately, they encountered no pursuers after leaving the valley, and the group\'s vigilance gradually relaxed.

"Will the Temple of the Brazier also teach magic?" Lucy suddenly asked.

Ian shrugged, "I doubt it, at least not immediately."

Priests generally did not favor mages, not just because of the prejudice that saw them as potential apostates but also because they considered magic a mimicry of divine miracles.

If it weren\'t for the mage’s significant influence, they might have been purged during the twilight of magic. Particularly, the zealots of Lu Solar believed the world\'s miracles should solely come from divine power. Of course, this was a general sentiment. There were magic towers and even certain sects that maintained friendly relations or more with specific orders.

"But as you study, opportunities will arise eventually. You have the talent for it," Ian reassured Lucy.

"I\'ve read that a mage’s power is measured by the number of spells they\'ve learned. So, I\'ll be able to learn various spells too, right?" Lucy pondered.

"...Where did you read that?" Ian asked.

"In a book," Lucy replied.

"That book is nonsense," Ian spoke firmly.

If a mage’s ability was determined by the number of spells, Ian would be considered a grand mage.

"What matters is the level of spells you master and how far you\'ve developed them,” said Ian.

“I see...,” said Lucy.

“And by that measure, I\'m particularly lacking," Ian said with a wry smile. Becoming a grand mage, a master of one field, was an unreachable future for him.

"You didn\'t seem lacking at all," Lucy countered.

"You\'ll understand once you\'ve grown a bit more as a mage."

Come to think of it, it\'s about time I should use some skill points, thought Ian.

While Ian was thinking, Lucy added. "Does that mean I\'ll serve a master, too? I\'ve heard that the spell is passed down with strict discipline.”

"Did you read that in the same book?" Ian asked.

"Yes," Lucy replied.

"Well, they got that right. So, don\'t even ask me to teach you spells. I have no intention of taking on an apprentice," said Ian.

Ian couldn\'t teach her even if he wanted to. He opened the skill window, with a vast skill tree unfolding before him.

"Your talent is too great to be limited by fixed notions. You might even create your own spells as you study," said Ian,

"Then, could you at least teach me about magic, if not spells?" Lucy asked.

"I don\'t know much myself," Ian replied.

"Even basic knowledge would help," said Lucy.

Well... this is indeed better than being pestered to teach swordsmanship, thought Ian.

As Ian gazed at the red magic skill tree, he began to speak, "Red magic, as you know, is intuitive and destructive. But with those traits, it comes with dangers and difficulties in control."

The higher the magic level, the more the advantages and disadvantages were maximized. It\'s said that the drawbacks are offset only upon reaching a transcendent state, a level Ian knew he could never attain.

That was why Ian decided to learn and evenly master various types of magic to the necessary extent. Betting everything on one attribute wouldn\'t make him a grand mage. It was more pragmatic to learn and utilize magic that could synergize for greater effects, despite the risk of becoming even more of a ruined character.

"What about blue magic?" Lucy asked.

"There\'s no need for you to know about blue magic aside from red, at the moment," said Ian.

"But it\'s interesting. I\'m curious. ...Can\'t you tell me?" said Lucy.

"...Blue is solid and sharp. It allows for diverse changes. But it also requires finesse. It\'s not very strong until mastered," said Ian.

The back-and-forth questions and answers continued. Grey magic was either fast or deadly, but not both. Brown magic was unconventional and destructive but came with many restrictions. Lucy listened intently with sparkling eyes as Ian explained.

Even Ian was surprised at his fluency in explaining. Perhaps the information from strategy guides and his firsthand experience had merged internally.

...I should have known this when everything was just a game, thought Ian.

"Now I see," Lucy finally nodded. "Even if I had the choice, I would have learned red magic."

Ian smiled faintly and nodded, "Having your desires align with your talents is a blessing."

"But it is not that I wouldn\'t learn other magics, though it\'s not possible. But like the ancient white mage," said Lucy.

"White Mage...?" Ian asked.

"Don\'t you know? In the old days, when magic was first emerging, magicians weren\'t divided as they are now. They shared knowledge and studied various attributes of magic." Excitement flickered in Lucy\'s eyes.

"Eventually, a grand mage who mastered all magics appeared. They called him the White Mage, as all lights mixed turn white."

Looking at Ian, who nodded vaguely, Lucy added, "The White Mage taught his magic to others. But upon his ascension, his disciples divided and split his legacy, which is now entirely lost or fragmented."

"...Did you read that in a book?" Ian asked.

"A history book," Lucy replied.

"Ah, I see," said Ian.

"It\'s not just a legend?" Miguel interjected. Although the other two thought Miguel was lost in thought because he was quiet. It turned out that he had been listening intently to the conversation between Ian and Lucy.

"You know this story?" Ian asked.

"It\'s a well-known legend. You are a mage and you\'ve never come across it?" Miguel asked.

Strategy guides didn\'t cover such lore. Ian shrugged. The lore and legends required piecing together from books or NPC dialogues, a task not prioritized by Ian, who was too busy following the main storyline.

"The legend says all mage’s knowledge and spells come from a single ancient grand mage. It’s a fascinating notion, suggesting a progenitor of mages, a human closest to the divine. I thought it was fanciful, but it seems there\'s a historical basis," said Miguel.

"The White Mage..." Murmuring, Ian gazed at the skill tree before him.

Suddenly, Ian was reminded of an old man who once sought his knowledge, possibly because of that legend.

He would have thought differently when he had seen this in action,

thought Ian. Mastering all these skills seemed impossible to Ian.

Then Miguel asked, "Isn\'t there more you haven\'t mentioned?"

"Like what?" Ian asked.

"You said there are various types of dark magic,” said Miguel.

Taking turns to annoy me now, thought Ian.

"Why would you need to know?" Ian sighed.

"Just curious. Who else could I ask except you?" said Miguel.

"You\'re not even a mage..." said Ian.

"Knowing helps you live longer. Even now, knowing how to deal with a sorcerer, or rather, mage, comes in handy," said Ian.

"More like knowing how to kill one," said Ian.

"Well, I didn\'t say I hadn\'t thought about that..." Miguel mumbled awkwardly.

"Another time. Today\'s not the day," said Ian.

"Alright. I\'ll wait for a day when you\'re in a better mood," said Miguel.

"Yeah. Shut it for now.”

Miguel quickly fell silent, allowing Ian to finally concentrate, carefully taking in the skills laid out before him.

It was hours later when he invested several skill points.

With this, I might as well qualify as a low-end version of White Mage.... Ian chuckled to himself, closing the skill window without regret. Only time would tell if his decisions were correct.

***

“Psh...”

With a long exhale, Ian emerged from his meditation. The sun was tilting westward. The gentle yet barren uphill path and the cool wind blowing over the hill were signs that they were nearing the north.

"Are you awake?" Miguel\'s voice was languid.

After checking on Lucy, who was still asleep, Ian spoke, "Where have we gotten to?"

"Are you asking about today or in general?" Miguel asked.

"Both," Ian replied.

"Well, once we cross this hill, we\'ll soon reach a fork in the road. Turning north there leads to lands governed by a new lord. Reaching there would mean we\'ve hit today\'s goal. Overall..."

Scratching his bearded chin, Miguel eventually added, "It seems we\'ve passed the halfway mark. If we keep up this pace, we might arrive sooner than expected."

That they had only reached halfway despite the long journey left Ian resting his back and sighing. It had been a terribly long voyage. If only there were magic to transport them instantly, but no such convenience existed in this damned world. Their carriage reached the hill\'s crest.

"Eh...? You might want to take a look at this." Miguel\'s voice followed.

Ian looked ahead and narrowed his eyes. Beyond the gentle downhill path at the point where the road forked, two riders stood. They were clad in black armor, riding warhorses.

"So they really did come this way."

"See? I was right. We didn\'t take the wrong path. We just got ahead."

As Ian noticed the men casually conversing while leaning on their horses, his gaze turned icy.

The expected has arrived,

thought Ian.

"Are they... what I think they are?" Miguel couldn\'t take his eyes off them.

Ian instructed, "When I get down, pull the carriage back. Far enough that you can\'t see me. Got it?"

As Miguel nodded,

"Anyway, I win this bet. Stay back."

The blonde, tossing the reins to his companion with brown hair, leisurely stepped forward. Putting on his helmet, he waved toward the carriage.

"Good to finally meet you!"

"Damn it..." Miguel\'s expression soured. An unfriendly person acting friendly usually meant they had a strong backing.

The blonde continued, "So, which one of you is the master of the sword? I have some business with him."

Ian\'s brow furrowed, not expecting to hear that again. This was followed by the thought that it was a relief.

"I am. Not a master, but close enough," said Ian.

Playing along might yield the necessary information. The blonde\'s arrogant attitude suggested he\'d readily spill the details. Ian, after covering Lucy with a robe as she woke up and looked his way, nodded and stood up.

"Oh... quite confident, I see."

The blonde exclaimed dramatically, then turned to his companion, "It\'s not quite what I imagined. I expected someone more... burly. What do you think, Kenneth?"

"Well, you can\'t judge a person by their appearance alone." Kenneth, holding the reins, shrugged nonchalantly.

They seemed overly confident, thought Ian.

Ian, jumping down from the carriage, approached the blonde and started speaking, "Now that I\'ve answered, it\'s my turn to ask."

"Go ahead."

"How did you manage to get ahead of us?" Ian asked.

"Surprised? I thought you\'d ask about our identity first," said the blonde.

"I already know. You\'re underlings from the Libra Trading Company," said Ian.

"Oh..." Despite the exclamation, the blonde\'s eyes momentarily sparkled with pride. Clearly, he was a man with a lot of pride.

As Ian pondered, the blonde shrugged. "So, what leopardess said was true. You\'ve been keeping an eye on us. Unfortunately, we\'re not mere underlings."

"So, your answer?" Ian asked.

"It\'s simple, we can run a distance in a day that would take others three days. And every day." Pointing toward the warhorses behind him, the blonde looked back at the carriage retreating the way they had come.

"In other words, there\'s no point in running away."

The ease they exhibited, now that they had encountered Ian and his companions, stemmed from the confidence that they wouldn\'t let them escape. To Ian, this confidence seemed justified.

They were from the empire and were not encountered until chapter three in the game. Although not the empire\'s best, given they were employed by the trading company, they would certainly be a cut above the common folk Ian had faced so far. Of course, that didn\'t mean Ian expected to lose.

"We\'re not running away. Just moving the carriage out of harm\'s way." Ian stopped at a safe distance and added, "If the carriage is damaged, the journey ahead becomes troublesome."

"No need to worry about that. Your journey ends here." The blonde, smiling, drew his sword. It was a blade that looked as if scales had been fused onto it.

Ian continued, "What\'s your name?"

"Kyle," said the blonde.

"Well, Kyle. If you\'re serious, you\'d better attack with your friend over there. We\'re about to fight. And you alone won\'t stand a chance against me," said Ian,

"...Ha!" Kyle, momentarily stiff, burst into laughter.

He turned to Kenneth, "Seems he\'s a master of the mouth, not the sword—"

Crack!

Before he could finish, Kyle’s head snapped sideways as if struck. His helmet flew off, and the dagger that had flown at him spun into the ground.

Kyle slowly raised his head. "You... son of a...?"

Meeting Kyle\'s bloodshot gaze, Ian casually smiled.

"One last chance. Attack together if you want to win."