episode_0025

The word ‘magic peddler’ was very famous. It was a word coined by the vanguards, who rubbed shoulders directly with enemies, to belittle the mages who just cast magic from the back, wasn’t it? In Wihim, it was almost a forbidden word, so Asel knew its origin and meaning very well.

Honestly, he didn’t have much feeling towards the word itself. But hearing it said directly to his face, it was true that he felt unpleasant. He quite liked magic, and all the people he had built deep friendships with were mages. He couldn’t think well of an expression that lumped together and disparaged the field and people he liked.

Yes, to put it simply, he felt ‘uncomfortable’.

“Ignorant meat shield.”

So he responded with an equally derogatory expression. It was a longer phrase than ‘magic peddler’, but seeing Grace’s brows twitch, it seemed to have hit its mark properly. Asel curled up the corner of his lips and continued speaking.

“You just know how to swing a sword ignorantly, and you belittle mages? Do you think the continent’s civilization would have developed this far without mages?”

It was the truth. Most of the tools for convenience that currently existed on the continent were items designed by magitech engineers and had their circuits laid out by mages. Without them, humanity would still be living a primitive life, roasting meat over a fire. Many ignorant warriors tried not to admit this truth, but it was an undeniable fact.

Grace seemed to acknowledge that inwardly, as she pouted and muttered.

“…I really didn’t think I’d be having this conversation with you. Is this the butterfly effect or whatever it’s called…? But I haven’t done anything yet…”

“If you want to retort, speak up. I can’t hear you.”

Asel said that and turned his head towards the ceiling.

The pain that had tightened his chest had subsided by then. This was thanks to his Core being more than half full of magic power. He had also almost completely shaken off the symptoms of magic exhaustion, and it seemed like using magic would no longer be a big problem. He raised his upper body and rotated his shoulders, and there was no creaking feeling anymore.

‘Seems like I can move now.’

The reason he fainted, and the reason he lay quietly in bed, was due to magic exhaustion. Now that he had shaken it off, there was no reason to stay still. Asel immediately got up from the bed and stretched his arms and legs. His body, stiff from lying down for a long time, relaxed quite a bit from that.

“You, you’re going?”

“Since I’m fine, I can’t just lie here and take up space.”

“I, I’ll go too!”

Grace said that and tried to raise her body, but after wrestling for a long time, all she could raise was her upper body. It seemed the injury she sustained from Pernan was quite severe.

‘Did he push her harder because she was a fellow swordsman?’

Asel glanced at the bandage tightly wrapped around her abdomen and then handed her the last potion left in his backpack.

“Drink this. It’s a painkiller.”

“…You’re giving it to me?”

“It’ll just go back to the warehouse if I save it. Might as well use it here before I go.”

“Th-thank you…”

Grace reached out with a trembling hand to take the potion Asel offered her. Asel saw the bandage wrapped around her arm was slightly stained red, sighed, and opened the lid for her instead.

“Tell me if it hurts.”

“…Because I might be a nuisance.”

“…I’m not so twisted as to consider that a nuisance.”

He lightly infused magic into the potion inside to confirm its effect, then brought it directly to Grace’s lips. Grace rolled her eyes as if hesitating for a moment, but soon opened her mouth and drank the potion.

Gulp, gulp.

The sound of her drinking the potion quietly echoed in the tent. Asel looked at her slightly flushed cheeks and ignited magic power above his palm. The magic power transformed its shape freely according to his will, leaping about on his hand.

Fortunately, the nature of his magic power had returned from lightning to a fluid form. This was because he had consumed all the magic power absorbed through Absorb Thunder using high-level magic. Thanks to this, he could now use other types of magic again.

Although it wasn’t that inconvenient, he still had to get rid of all the lightning-attributed magic power to use magic for convenience.

‘If I leave it as is, I might scorch the entire room just by using a simple cleaning spell.’

Such a mishap had to be avoided as much as possible. Even to avoid being murdered by Evelyn or Hayley.

“I finished it.”

While lost in thought, Grace spoke to him, licking the potion left around her mouth. Asel closed the empty bottle’s lid again and put it away in his backpack.

Speaking of which, none of the cores he had put in his backpack were visible. Did they automatically disappear upon leaving the testing grounds, or did the test administrators collect them? He didn’t know. It didn’t matter anyway, as his research on the circuit was complete.

“Then, I’m going. See you at the entrance ceremony.”

Asel said with a faint smile, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. Grace bit her lip slightly and was about to nod, but suddenly her eyes widened as if something occurred to her.

“Ah, right! Asel!”

“…?”

“By any chance, what’s your ideal type?”

“…Why that all of a sudden?”

Asel frowned at the unexpected question. Ideal type? Isn’t that a question completely out of place for the situation? It wasn’t a question he couldn’t ask, but he didn’t feel like they were that close yet. The sense of distance felt weird, too weird.

But Grace’s expression was only serious. The most serious expression he had seen on her face so far. So Asel, although he considered just ignoring it, answered roughly.

“I haven’t particularly thought about it.”

“Still! You must have some idea!”

“…*Sigh*. Someone with a broad mind?”

“You mean someone with big breasts, right?”

No, why would it turn into that?

Asel let out an absurd chuckle and stared at Grace, but she lightly ignored his gaze and let out a sigh of relief. Then, she gently looked down at her own chest and muttered.

“This is still the same. Good.”

“I’m going crazy.”

Asel muttered that and started walking towards the outside of the tent. It seemed no good words would come out if he continued the conversation.

“Asel!”

Grace shouted towards him. When he turned his head, he saw her smiling faintly and waving her hand.

“See you next time.”

“…Okay.”

Asel chuckled and waved back at her. Thus, he left the tent.

As soon as he came out, the bright sunlight welcomed him intensely. It had been night before he fainted, but it seemed a day had already passed. The rain seemed to have stopped, and the dark clouds had disappeared long ago.

His location was… the entrance to the forest. It was a familiar place, so he recognized it quickly. It seemed they were treating the injured here.

“Ah, Asel!”

While looking around, a familiar voice was heard from behind. When he turned his head, he saw Ellen and Elena wrapped in bandages. Asel smiled lightly and walked towards them.

“Are you feeling okay?”

“It was just magic exhaustion, after all. No need to be listless for so long.”

“You’re probably the only one who can talk about magic exhaustion like that.”

Ellen replied with a voice that now sounded exasperated. Asel checked the splint wrapped around her ankle and opened his mouth.

“Is it broken?”

“They said it was a crack. But well, ending up like this after fighting a Master is a good outcome.”

“Are you okay elsewhere?”

“Yeah, just simple bruises. It must be thanks to Lord Pernan controlling his power.”

It was true. If Pernan had used his full power, the three of them, including Asel, would have fainted immediately before they could do anything. The gap between a Master and those who weren’t was that immense. The fact that Asel was able to damage him with magic was only possible because Pernan reduced the output of the aura covering his body.

‘Still a long way to go.’

Asel thought that and let out a long breath, and Ellen opened her mouth with a smile.

“By the way, Asel, do you know something?”

“…? What is it?”

“As a commemoration of the end of the test, I asked one of the supervisors walking around the number of cores needed to pass the test. He said it was 5.”

“What.”

Elena, who was standing beside Ellen, reacted first to Ellen’s words. Asel frowned and asked again.

“…5? You need 50 to activate the device, though.”

“That’s right. But they said the passing criteria isn’t activating the device, but whether you fill it with ‘meaningful’ energy or not. The minimum requirement for that is 5 cores.”

It was an absurd answer. Did that mean all the hardship they went through until now was in vain?

“If it was like that, we would have finished on the first day! Why didn’t they tell us?”

“They said finding out that minimum requirement was also part of the test.”

“That’s malicious!”

“Pretty much.”

Ellen replied with a smile, and Elena fumed. Asel looked down at them and let out a small chuckle.

It was all in the past anyway. Nothing would change by getting angry and arguing now.

“Are you going to stay here?”

Asel asked the two of them. Ellen tapped the splint on her leg and nodded.

“It’s hard to walk anyway. I decided to get some more treatment and go with someone when my family comes.”

“I’m also going to wait until someone picks me up. I received word that someone was sent from the Duchy.”

“Then I guess I’ll go alone.”

They were two people he had grown quite close to after taking the test and fighting together. He would have liked to go to the city with them if possible, but it seemed he would have to go alone. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t disappointed, but he wouldn’t dwell on it too much since there would be opportunities to meet in the future.

Asel nodded with a smile and slowly got up from his spot.

“See you on the entrance ceremony day.”

“Okay! Bye, Asel! No pretending not to know us then!”

“Goodbye.”

Asel waved at the two of them and turned around.

“Hmph…”

He glanced at the medical staff busily moving around everywhere, then walked towards the shape of the city visible far in the distance beyond the forest.

He didn’t worry about entering the academy. Pernan had said he had surpassed the criteria at the end, so his admission was probably automatically confirmed. There was no need to ask for further confirmation. For now, he just needed to rest well, return to Wihim, and wait until the entrance ceremony.

As he was walking along, thinking that, he saw a group of clerics walking towards him from the opposite direction. It seemed the academy had called them to handle the injured.

Except for one person, the rest didn’t seem to have much connection with combat. However, it was certain that they all handled ‘Holy Power’.

It was the first time he had seen clerics who handled Holy Power directly. The elderly nun who visited the slum during volunteer activities was just a devout believer, after all. Those who were so openly connected to God usually stayed within the Order and refrained from external activities.

He had heard that there were also clerics who mainly did missionary work, but in Wihim, where magic was worshipped instead of God, clerics couldn’t frequent the area much. In the first place, the entry procedures were strict, so it wasn’t a preferred country.

‘I’d like to see Holy Magic once.’

The ‘Holy Magic’ handled by clerics was a type of spellcraft based on Holy Power as its source. Its branches were very vast, ranging from the most basic healing arts to barriers, buffs, and more. There were quite a few high-ranking clerics who could handle various spellcraft. They were just not noticeable because they didn’t leave the Order.

Among the branches of Holy Magic, the most widely known and used healing art was similar in nature to healing-type magic. Both were capable of rapid regeneration of even physical loss, and the amount of magic power and holy power consumed was not that much.

However, while Holy Magic healed injuries without any cost, there was a difference in that healing spells were accompanied by terrifying pain. There was a reason people went to clerics and paid a lot of money instead of going to healing spellcasters.

This difference could absolutely not be bridged by talent or improvement of the spell formula. Magic and Holy Magic had completely different origins and development directions, so it was impossible to fix it just because their nature was similar. Still, he wanted to get a rough look at it. Knowing and not knowing made a significant difference in itself.

“Sister. Over there.”

While lost in thought, he heard the whispers of the clerics walking towards him. Asel used auditory enhancement magic to eavesdrop on their conversation.

“They’re coming out of the place where we heard the injured were gathered?”

“Wow, he’s handsome.”

“…Sister?”

“…Ahem. Since he doesn’t seem to be seriously injured, let’s approach and ask about the situation of the injured.”

“Yes? Ah, yes!”

A small girl who was talking with a woman with purple hair nodded and scurried towards Asel. Asel knew the contents because he had eavesdropped on the entire conversation, but he pretended not to know and tilted his head, looking down at her.

“Who are you?”

“Pleased to meet you, Brother. I am Tina, a priest from the Order dispatched at the request of the Academy.”

“Ah, the Order… Have you come to treat the injured?”

“Yes. So I would like to ask a few things, if that’s alright?”

While Tina was speaking, the other clerics did not move. Instead, they only looked at her with pleased gazes.

Perhaps because she was the youngest nun, they wanted her to have various experiences directly? Considering the rumor that clerics were generally excellent speakers, it wasn’t something he couldn’t understand. It seemed they wanted to improve their communication skills by stepping forward and leading the conversation themselves.

Since it wasn’t unpleasant, he readily decided to play along.

“Yes, it’s alright.”

“Ah, thank you. May God’s blessing be upon you.”

Tina murmured as she folded her hands in prayer, then looked up at Asel and asked.

“Is it correct that Brother was with the injured?”

“Yes. I felt a bit better, so I came out first.”

“Ah, I’m glad you’re feeling better. But just in case, would it be alright for me to check your condition myself?”

“That’s fine. In fact, I’d like to request it.”

Asel smiled and held out his arm. At his smile, Tina cleared her throat and took Asel’s pulse.

“Ahem… Well then, I will check.”

She said that and slowly circulated Holy Power. Asel narrowed his eyes and observed the movement.

Aura is used by storing it in the heart. Because it has a physical form, destroying the heart also destroys the vessel.

On the other hand, the Core has no physical form. To be precise, it exists in the spellcaster’s mind. It cannot be physically destroyed, but it can be shaken by attacks that target the soul or mind. Or by interfering with the pathways through which magic power moves. If it’s another mage, extracting it through magic is also possible.

Holy Power had properties closer to magic power between the two. Without a physical form, Holy Power was drawn from a spring etched in the soul to operate Holy Magic. No spell formula or complex calculations were needed in that process. One simply had to move Holy Power according to their will and imagine what they wanted.

‘To put it simply, it’s similar to praying and wishing.’

If magic was the implementation of a type of law, Holy Magic was like wishing for something from God. A miracle that was impossible to use without unconditional faith in God. It wasn’t for nothing that those with insufficient faith or those who were not devout could not awaken Holy Power.

‘Too bad, but it seems hard to use.’

He grasped the structure at once. Just by observing, he had obtained all the information he wanted. However, as expected, handling Holy Magic was impossible. But it seemed possible to newly create Holy Magic other than the healing art they used by adjusting it into a magical form.

‘Another thing to research has increased.’

He had no time, but his desires kept growing. Asel wore a bitter smile and watched Tina take her hand off his arm.

“Are you finished?”

“Yes. As you said, you are not injured. That’s fortunate.”

Asel replied with a smile instead of words and glanced at the gathered clerics.

“More than that, I’m worried I’m taking up the time of you valuable people. You must need to see the injured quickly…”

“Ah, it’s alright. I requested it myself, so you don’t need to worry too much.”

“Still, I can’t help but feel bothered. It’s not much of a substitute, but if there is anything you are curious about, I will answer with all sincerity.”

“Ah, then right away…”

Asel also adopted a formal tone when dealing with the clerics. There was no reason to make them dislike him.

The conversation continued smoothly. Tina asked Asel about the number and condition of the injured, and Asel explained in detail what he had seen. He also told her the appearances of those who seemed serious. Having received the answers she wanted, Tina bowed lightly and smiled.

“Thank you for your answers.”

“Haha, this is nothing at all. More than that, is it alright if I go now? I’m a bit tired from taking the test…”

“Ah, yes. I’m sorry, it seems I kept you for a long time. May God’s blessing be upon your future path, Brother.”

“Thank you.”

Asel replied with a smile, bowed his head slightly towards Tina, and started walking the way he was going.

When he turned back slightly, he saw an older priest, who seemed to be the eldest, roughly ruffling Tina’s hair. From what he vaguely heard, it seemed like he was praising her for doing well. Asel chuckled and was about to turn his head forward.

Just then, his eyes met with the nun who had purple hair. She smiled coyly and waved at Asel.

Asel smiled and waved back. As he did so, he thought.

‘For some reason, I feel like I’ll see her often.’

His instinct as a mage told him so.