22 – Ready

It was a bit chilly after the rain.

I put on a coat and headed to the training ground as usual.

Before starting the training that day, Silverin talked about magical powers.

First of all, I told you the precautions for my sword. It was an explanation of the effect my sword had on people.

Following that, additional explanations about magic were followed.

“Your resistance to magic pressure itself is very good.”

Even if it was good, I really had no sense of what exactly was good.

“What good is that?”

“First of all, the reason you can hold that sword is thanks to your resistance to magical pressure. And if you have good resistance, the ability to control magic will improve quickly with a little training.”

Since it is so basic to Sylverine, it must have stuck in her mouth, but she calmly continued to explain my question without showing any signs of annoyance.

“If you control your mana well, you can use it very efficiently. Magic is, in fact, you don’t know where it will bounce. A lot of things end up in strange places.”

“Where do I learn the magic control ability and use it?”

I wouldn’t even be learning magic.

“Um, sword skills?”

“… … !”

“Among those who make a name for themselves with swords, there aren’t that many people with large pots of magical power. Rather, there are people who are closer to average or less. Even so, the reason why you can use sword skills without lacking is because you use all your mana efficiently.”

It’s black, it seems like a very distant story. I’ve only heard of sword fighting in stories or books, and I’ve never seen anyone deal with it in real life.

But what will happen if I blow sword energy into my sword? I can’t imagine what it would look like.

“And again… .”

Silverine thought for a moment as she tapped her upper lip with her index finger.

“You will be able to put the artifact to good use. The higher the artifact, the better. The higher you go, the better you need to have both magic control and magic pressure resistance.”

It’s nice to be able to handle it, but there are other problems.

“Will there ever come a day when I will get my hands on a High Artifact?”

I heard that high-ranking artifacts are so priced that even rich nobles can get them without spending all their money.

“If you work hard, opportunities will always come. When you go to the academy later, be sure to make friends with the students from the Faculty of Magic. Most of the highest level artifacts are made by people from Eternia.”

Faculty of Magic?

Magic, alchemy, and swordsmanship, these three are somewhat familiar after facing each other a few times. However, sorcery is completely unknown territory.

Have you ever seen someone who is well versed in sorcery? No matter how much I think about it, no one comes to mind.

Even when he was living in Harman, he had heard of swordsmanship, magic, and alchemy, but had never heard of sorcery. It was not a field that could be easily encountered in everyday life.

I know it’s a study to make things like stitches or enchantment equipment using magic stones, but I don’t know anything more than that.

“I’ve never seen a sorcerer in my life.”

“It can be enough. It’s not something anyone can do. Besides, it’s not easy to meet sorcerers in everyday life because they like to be stuck in the lab.”

“Then how do we get to know each other?”

“It won’t be difficult. Give me something sweet every time we meet.”

“If it’s sweet, a snack?”

“yes.”

just like that? Are you kidding?

“that is… Will it work?”

“You will be amazed later on how well it works.”

You talk like you’re taming some kind of beast, but I’m not trying to fool you.

Faculty of Magic. Silverin seldom said the word ‘must’. If it’s enough to emphasize that much, you should engrave it in your head instead of asking and arguing.

***

After the lecture on Silverin’s magical powers, the training began again.

Footwork training has evolved one step further, and the level of difficulty is slightly higher than before.

It wasn’t a big change. It just changed from the existing footwork training to holding a sword and blocking stones.

However, even if it was a small change, it seemed like it would cause cramps in my eyes. It was because he had to block stones the size of his knuckles with a thin blade. I thought I could see the flying stones accurately, but in reality, most of them missed by about a span of a hand.

If you want to feel comfortable with the training and get used to it, move on to the next step. There is no time to be arrogant and relax.

I was engrossed in training, and I suddenly thought of it and asked Silverin.

“Teacher.”

“yes?”

“The test of Zeldan Heart, is there a next step?”

This footwork training itself was said to be a kind of test made by Zeldan Hart.

And I heard that this is definitely the first step.

If you think about it, it’s really questionable why someone who has reached the highest level in terms of swords made something like this out of regret.

Silverin threw the stone he was holding in his hand and said.

“Yes. As far as I know, there are five levels.”

I just remember that step 1 was written on paper. All you have to do is follow the instructions written on the paper, up to the 5th step.

“What is step 2? Are you doing it now?”

“no. You can’t do it here.”

“… why?”

Silverin smiled.

“It’s too early for that. Probably more difficult than the masters class screening?”

“… ?”

You think the difficulty level goes up that fast?

“There is no need to hurry, student. Whether you want to or not, the time will come when you will have to pass all of Zeldan Heart’s tests.”

Why do you say so meaningfully that the time will come one day?

“You cannot pass the next level unless you have mastered the previous level perfectly. So just do what you’ve been doing or do your best.”

Silverin picks up a stone from the ground and throws it at me. And the stone deflected my sword without a doubt.

***

Upon returning to the mansion, he drank the special potion as usual. Thanks to pouring in the potion every day, my body was getting stronger and more resistant to fatigue.

While I was lying on the bed reading an alchemy book, Ezra, the butler, came to me and brought me the items I asked for.

“Here, these are the things I brought from the village workshop.”

They were items for metalwork. In addition, the meteorites processed in the form I requested were also in the butler’s hands.

He took a lump of meteorite, removed impurities, and extracted only pure meteorite and cast it into a thin stick.

In the state of a stick, trim it the way you want, put a pattern on it, roll it round, and attach the seam to form a ring right away.

I accepted the tools and twenty meteorite sticks the butler had brought and said,

“Thank you very much.”

“Silverin-nim said to donate as much as you need. If you need anything, let me know anytime.”

Silverine is so generous with me that I wonder if I can enjoy such a luxury.

“Oh, and do you remember the girl who was injured by the ghoul and was lying in the hospital room?”

“of course.”

“That child wants to see Damian.”

“Me?”

You want to meet me at this late hour? It was something I hadn’t even thought of.

“That’s right. They are waiting at the door now.”

“uh… . Please tell me to come in.”

As the butler beckons, the girl enters the room. The butler then quietly moved away.

I stare blankly at the girl as she opens her mouth as if to say something, then hesitates for a moment, probably nervous.

An awkward silence followed.

“What are you doing?”

“Ah, I… I heard that Damian exterminated all the ghouls. You avenged my grandmother. That’s why I’m here to say thanks.”

“Even if it wasn’t me, someone else would have done it.”

I didn’t want to leave a debt in my heart because I didn’t do it to get gratitude.

“Still, Damian-nim caught me. It was an important thing for me. thank you so much.”

“There is no need to come out with a sick body.”

“I don’t feel any pain now.”

I’m glad my body is all better.

wait, so what happens now?

“I’m glad you’re getting better. But are you going home now?”

“Nope! Actually, I met Silverin-nim a while ago and talked about it. I asked you to let me work as a maid here, and Lady Sylverin said yes.”

It’s a good choice. Silverin’s mansion is, above all else, safe for this girl. Few people live here, and there are no visitors, so the work won’t be that hard.

I was saddened when I heard someone cry in the morning, but he is a smart kid who knows how to find his way to live without worrying about me.

Looking at this girl, I can feel the special treatment I receive from Silverine. I get everything I want without working.

The girl continued as if she had remembered something else.

“And there is another reason for coming here. Silverin-nim told me to help Damian-nim. That’s my job. Helping Damian.”

“Are you helping me with my work?”

“Yes. To be precise, he said, ‘Join the secret work that Damian is plotting’.”

“… .”

As my complexion deteriorated, the girl fidgeted about what mistake she thought she had made.

“That secret thing… Did I, no, did I make a mistake?”

“Do you know what I am going to do?”

“No, me, but my grandmother was an alchemist. I’ve seen and learned things while helping my grandmother, so I’m confident in alchemy, even if I don’t know anything else.”

I hit my forehead.

Silverin seems to know that I am trying to make a potion according to Zverev’s recipe. If it was just a normal potion production, I wouldn’t have needed this girl’s help.

I know all too well what I need.

No matter what you do, it’s in Sylvery’s palm.

I sighed lightly and said.

“There is exactly the person I need.”

Contrary to my words, the girl was unable to speak for a moment, probably because her expression looked bad.

“Ah, yes, I’m glad. I… . My name is Lyria. I wish you well in the future.”

Then he bowed his head towards me. I ignored her greeting, which seemed to be dealing with a superior, and stepped forward and shook her hand.

“Please take care of me too.”