Ch.77. Training (3)

About two weeks after the talent verification.

During those two weeks of diligent training in basic druid magic, I heard something completely unexpected from my master.

“…Gregory. Your talent is truly exceptional.”

“Is it really that special?”

Having already been told that Master Dalia had taken me as her disciple because I was born with the rare ability to sense the mysteries of nature, her words initially sounded like mere encouragement to boost my morale.

However… my perspective changed after hearing what she explained next.

“Even druids with extraordinary talent in wild magic can typically contract with only about three Animal Friends on average. The highest number I’ve ever seen was six.”

“Then, could it be…”

“Yes. You… will likely be able to contract with more than 10 Animal Friends. Of course, it doesn’t mean much right now, but… you can consider yourself blessed with a talent destined for greatness.”

Master explained that this was possible due to the subtly different structure of my soul compared to ordinary humans. As I stood there dumbfounded yet slightly excited, she briefly explained the unique characteristics possessed by those specialized in different types of magic.

Beyond simply handling certain magic more efficiently and quickly, there were unique traits that only druids specialized in specific fields could use.

For example, just as druids talented in wild magic could contract with multiple Animal Friends, those specialized in nature magic and celestial magic also had their own distinct characteristics.

“So the tree giant you summoned as a demonstration that time… was a spirit?”

“That’s right. I gave physical form to a tree spirit.”

According to Master, druids with an aptitude for nature magic can summon and command spirits of nature.

These spirits, entirely different from the four elemental beings, are mysterious entities born from nature’s wonder. Considered the very essence of natural mystery, they assist druids in casting nature magic.

Of course, their combat power is nothing to scoff at either.

Meanwhile, Master explained that druids specialized in celestial magic can almost constantly use the ability to read and interpret fate.

“A friend of mine says he gets a certain feeling when danger is about to occur. And sure enough, crisis always follows.”

“That’s amazing…”

If I were to briefly summarize my understanding of this ability… it would be something like a ‘magical hyper-sensory passive.’

The greater the danger, the stronger the celestial warning becomes, and the warnings are more accurate for magical threats than physical ones.

Though it might seem like a simple ability, because of its nature, it cannot be easily nullified by methods that would counter normal detection abilities, making it an extremely powerful merit.

Anyway, after discovering that my talent was exceptional… that I could tame an extraordinary number of Animal Friends…

“…Hmmmm.”

What can I say? Two weeks was such a short time that I had barely been introduced to druid magic.

Druid magic fundamentally works by temporarily harmonizing oneself with nature’s mysteries, then using one’s magical power to draw upon those mysteries to cast various spells.

Celestial, wild, and nature magic all operate on the same basic principle, so I started with harmonization with mystery, which is considered the foundation of all druid magic, but…

This was more difficult than I had anticipated.

To be precise, superficial harmonization was manageable enough, but when it came to properly harmonizing with the mysteries, the difficulty skyrocketed.

Every day I practiced harmonizing with the mysteries with Master’s help, but… when I tried to do it myself, I felt strongly that something was blocking me from reaching the level of harmonization that Master had shown me.

Of course, even this superficial harmonization was sufficient for casting simple spells, but…

Finding myself in a fantasy world learning proper magic, it’s not strange that I’d want to master powerful spells, is it?

‘Well, let’s prepare.’

So after being lost in thought for a moment, I resumed practicing harmonization with the mysteries, gradually calming my consciousness to achieve deeper connection.

Unlike exceptional druids like Master, for me, meditation and calming my mind were essential steps for harmonizing with the mysteries.

And then suddenly, a thought occurred to me.

Why had Master suddenly left, saying she had some business to attend to?

※ ※ ※

Here, along the edge of the forest, a wagon bears terrible signs of destruction.

The two horses pulling the wagon were struck by lightning from the sky, reduced to charcoal. The coachman guiding them was also well-cooked by the electric shock, crisp and done.

Yet strangely, the wagon itself with its white cloth roof remained almost intact, leading any educated person of this era to conclude that the attacker must have been a powerful mage.

And… considering that druids are a type of magic user, this wouldn’t be entirely incorrect.

“…”

From the sky, a female druid descends slowly to the ground, flapping a pair of giant eagle wings that have sprouted from her back.

With deer antlers growing from her head, dressed in predominantly green attire, and holding a staff, her name is Dalia Aleinos.

As the guardian of Aleinos Forest, she appeared to hunt down the evil poachers who were detected by the intruder detection barrier set throughout the forest, those who defiled the forest and nature’s mysteries.

[…Bind, vines.]

-KWAAAANG!!!

No sooner had she finished her short incantation than plant vines erupted from the ground, shattering the wagon and violently slamming the armored man hiding inside against the ground, binding him tightly.

“Kuk! Kuhuk, kueok!”

At first, he seemed to resist somewhat thanks to the high durability characteristic of Aura manifesters, but eventually, limits are meant to be reached.

His body was slammed against the ground repeatedly, and the plants compressed his body with tremendous force, creating unbearable pain.

The pieces of iron armor he had been wearing had already fallen off, and now he was merely enduring with the robust physique of an Aura awakener.

“Ah, AAAAAAHHHHH!!!”

As the poacher screamed in pain that seemed about to crush his body to pieces, Dalia, who had landed on the ground and dispelled her eagle wings, removed the crumpled helmet from the tattered poacher.

“Keu, keuuuuu—”

“…You’re noisy.”

—KWAJIK!

She smashed the delicate face of the female poacher revealed inside the helmet with her staff. More precisely, she used magic to make wooden tentacles burst from the ground and pierce through the face.

The renowned poacher known among druids as the Egg Thief and her group met such an inglorious end.

After effortlessly annihilating this elite poaching organization of five members, Dalia… suddenly realized that the strange mystical residue she sensed originated from this wagon.

‘Lightning… no, thunder.’

This unique mystery, different from the residue of the lightning she had called down, was enough to make Dalia think of a certain creature.

‘…This is it.’

So Dalia moved toward the cargo area of the wagon. Among the numerous piles of straw used for shock absorption, she found a wooden crate of considerable size, and upon opening it…

“…”

Inside was an egg about the size of a melon. Its surface was marked with patterns that seemed like golden currents flowing, nestled between soft cushioning materials and magic heating stones.

The identity of this egg was a thunder bird. A magical beast originating from the New Continent across the sea, born with mysteries of thunder, lightning, and weather… a creature very close to being a spirit.

Dalia considers: could she return this egg to its mother?

Though she would like to return it anytime, Dalia cannot leave Aleinos Forest freely. In a situation where she cannot return it even if she wants to, the best option would be to raise it herself…

‘…Hmm.’

An idea occurred to Dalia.

Since her disciple had exceptional talent in wild magic, what if she let him make this thunder bird his Animal Friend?

At first, it was just a spontaneous thought, but the more she considered it, the more appealing this option became.

She would need to raise this egg anyway, and if things didn’t work out, she could leave the choice to her disciple Gregory.

“Gregory, take this.”

“What is… this?”

“It’s a thunder bird egg. Try to hatch it and raise it well.”

“…Pardon?”

And this was how Gregory found himself in the position of having to raise a thunder bird egg overnight.