Ch.55. Training (1)

When busy days repeat, time flows quickly.

Thanks to that, it’s been about a year since I became Master Dahlia’s disciple. I’ve finally reached the level where I can at least read and write the Elven… Druidic language that Master Dahlia taught me.

“…”

Looking back now, it was disgustingly difficult to the point where I wonder how I ever managed to learn it, but I was able to acquire enough skill to read and interpret it reasonably well.

And at this point, I had fulfilled the first condition to officially receive “Druid education.”

“Yes, that’s it! Gregory, you’re doing well!”

“This is… thank you, Master!”

Meanwhile, Master wasn’t the kind of stuffy educator who only taught theory.

After confirming that I had firmly grasped the basics of internal mana manipulation, she taught me advanced mana manipulation techniques to keep me interested.

A prime example is physical enhancement using mana, which involves circulating internal mana through the circulatory system like blood vessels and the heart… surprisingly, this is considered almost basic level.

“This is considered basic?”

“Of course. Would you like me to show you?”

When I expressed surprise that this enhancement—which allowed me, barely 6 years old, to exert strength equivalent to an adult male—was considered basic level, Master Dahlia cast a druid spell on me… and only then did I understand why this was called basic.

“There, done. Do you believe me now?”

“…Yes.”

After the mana born of mystery settled into my flesh, the power of the spell surging through my body granted me physical abilities that made me feel like I could leap into the air at any moment.

My previous physical enhancement couldn’t even compare; if forced to make a comparison, it would feel like child’s play.

Moreover, the mana manipulation methods that needed to be mastered to learn druid magic didn’t end with simple physical enhancement.

Regardless of type, magic is fundamentally the operation of mysteries established outside the body. Therefore, I absolutely had to learn how to release mana outside my body…

“…Hnngh!”

“Don’t blame yourself if it’s not going well, Gregory. The difficulty of mana release is quite substantial.”

Unlike all the mana operation methods I had mastered without much difficulty until now, learning how to release internal mana outside the body was considerably challenging.

Basically, mana is spread chaotically throughout the entire body without any specific location, and simply manipulating this is mana control. Furthermore, if you circulate the organized mana through blood vessels and such, this becomes physical enhancement.

However, unlike the internal mana manipulation that follows this relatively logical structure, when actually trying to bring mana outside the body, I couldn’t even figure out how to extract it in the first place.

“Master, isn’t there some kind of trick to easily manipulate mana?”

“Gregory. This is an area where I cannot help you. You must learn to handle your power on your own.”

So when I tried to seek help from Master, Dahlia firmly rejected my request, unlike her usual self, saying that this was something I had to figure out on my own.

At first, I felt a bit disappointed and even resentful, but after cooling down and thinking about it carefully, I could understand the meaning behind Master’s words.

When Master Dahlia taught me mana manipulation theory, she explained that individual techniques play a major role in how one uses mana, and that regardless of the method, the technique one develops for oneself is ultimately the most efficient way to operate mana.

In practice, Master circulates mana to strengthen her body without using any particular medium, while I use blood vessels and the heart as mediums to continuously circulate mana along with blood.

‘…I guess there’s no other way.’

Recalling the theory Master had explained, I eventually began training to discover how to release mana on my own…

“…Huh?”

In the midst of daily training, without any particular special experience, I suddenly realized how to release internal mana and became able to use it.

And only after becoming capable of mana release did I understand the real reason why Master didn’t want to teach me the technique for mana release.

This… there’s no way to explain it. You truly just have to practice and figure out the knack for it yourself.

If I had to compare it to something, it would be like driving—no matter how much someone talks you through it, it’s no help unless you gain experience and learn it directly.

Unlike physical enhancement based on the clear concept of circulation, even now that I’ve mastered it, I can’t clearly explain the exact principle behind this mana release.

Anyway, over the course of a year, I learned all the skills necessary for learning druid magic…

“Good, I think we can start tomorrow.”

“Really…?”

“Of course.”

Finally, I would be able to learn druid magic from Master.

※ ※ ※

The next afternoon.

After the morning theory class concluded, I moved to the backyard of the house—the lawn now used as a training ground—just as I had done for the past year, and met Master who was already waiting for me.

“Master, I’ve arrived.”

“…Yes, good. This moment has come several times faster than I expected.”

As always, but even more so now, she looked at me with a pleased expression… a warm gaze reminiscent of a grandmother from a previous life—

“Gregory, are you thinking something strange?”

“N-No, not at all!”

Could she see through my thoughts with her years of experience?

When I expressed my passionate and sincere denial to Master’s questioning, she looked at me for a moment with a curious gaze… then struck her staff on the ground and got to the point.

“Gregory, what are the three principles by which druid magic is formed?”

“Resonating with the celestial, borrowing the power of nature, and communing with wild beasts.”

“Yes, that’s right. Druid magic consists of these three elements, and you’ve learned that each is organically connected to the others, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Then today… let’s take a step further from there.”

She was going to teach me about the three branches of druid magic that I had previously learned about in theory… or more accurately, that we had briefly skimmed over. As someone who only knew the basics, I looked at Master with anticipation as the lesson began.

“Gregory, what do you think it means to resonate with the celestial?”

“Celestial… sky… controlling the weather?”

“That’s not an incorrect answer. Many druids primarily utilize celestial magic in that way, for example… like this.”

As Master spoke, she tapped the ground once with her staff, and suddenly dark clouds began to gather in the clear sky above our heads…

—CRACK!!!

‘Lightning?!’

After a streak of blue lightning struck the bare ground in some clearing in the distance, the dark clouds that had gathered in the sky instantly vanished without a trace.

“How about that, isn’t it impressive?”

“…It certainly is!”

“This is an offensive spell among celestial magic. Of course, this is just one application. Resonating with the celestial… is connected to astrology. Seeing fate and foreseeing the future is the essence of this magic.”

“Future prediction… is that really possible?”

“Of course. Though celestial magic isn’t as easy as it sounds… only druids well-versed in celestial magic can freely perform divination. Well, even divination is really just seeing events with a high probability of occurring, so you shouldn’t expect too much.”

Master spoke as if it were nothing special, but I perceived it differently.

No, even just that… isn’t it amazing enough?

Predicting the future is certainly no easy feat, even in this world where all kinds of supernatural phenomena coexist. Having built up some basic knowledge of the mysteries, this resonated with me even more.

According to the celestial principles I occasionally understood while looking at the night sky, the future in mystical terms is a continuum of countless possibilities, and the number of those possibilities literally exists infinitely.

In other words, the skill of selecting possibilities with a high chance of realization from those infinite possibilities is not only mystically significant but also has high practical applications in various fields.

“…”

As I gazed at Master with a rather subtle look, either aware or unaware of my gaze, Master Dahlia looked at me with a beaming smile and provided the next example.

“Let’s move on to the next one. Magic that borrows the power of nature is my specialty.”

“Really?”

And the moment Master explained that nature magic was her specialty, I temporarily set aside my thoughts about celestial magic and began to focus on Master.

I held the expectation that I might catch a glimpse, even if just a fragment, of Master Dahlia’s power that she had never shown me until now.