Chapter 03 …..
Water Magic
The next day, I woke up at dawn and tidied up the bedding.
I folded the worn-out pieces of leather and, as soon as I got up, started a fire to heat the pot. I went to the village well to fetch water, added the fruits and leaves, and let them boil thoroughly.
Around that time, I woke Dorian. You must never shake him awake. If you did, he’d howl like a dog from the very morning.
After grabbing a wooden bowl to have a quick meal, the day’s work began. I first checked the boar meat I had smoked yesterday.
It felt hard to the touch. There were no insects. If the smoking hadn’t worked properly, it would have been crawling with bugs. Success.
I scraped the meat with a short knife. I brought a piece of the tough jerky to my mouth. One piece would be fine. To be safe, I left the rest gathered in front of the pot.
When I returned to the hut, Dorian was finishing his meal and putting on his gear. He normally didn’t even go into the mountains.
He stretched his thick hands to put on the heavy cloth and tightened his belt. Hanging at his waist was a sheath. Only mercenaries carried such things. It was a sudden mystery where he had gotten it.
“Dorian.”
“What?”
“Were you a mercenary?”
“Just for a little while, a long time ago.”
“Then you’d know about the outside world well, right?”
“Not really anymore.”
Dorian moved toward the counter. Every step he took made a clattering sound. It sounded like he was rummaging through something, searching.
“Here it is.”
“A crossbow?”
“You can use it.”
“How do I use it?”
“First, hold it.”
Dorian handed me the crossbow with one hand.
It was heavy. I stared at it in surprise. In the village, even bows were rare, let alone crossbows. There was no blacksmith, and even if there were, it would cost money.
“Handling a crossbow is easy. Just try shooting it.”
“What should I shoot at?”
“There’s a tree over there. Pick any part of it and shoot.”
“All right.”
Shooting was simple. Just point it in the direction of the target and pull the trigger.
I held my breath to stop trembling and fired the crossbow. The bolt embedded itself in the tree. Success. The target was large, so missing was unlikely.
“Well done.”
“Is that it?”
“Now try reloading it.”
“Reloading?”
“Stand the crossbow up, step on the stirrup, and pull the string as hard as you can. Though I’m not sure you can do it with your strength.”
“I can.”
“Really? It’s surprisingly hard to pull.”
His tone was dismissive. I set the crossbow upright and stepped on the stirrup. Following his instructions, I pulled the string with both hands as hard as I could. It was so stiff that my arms shook, but the string wouldn’t stretch.
I felt Dorian laughing behind me, so I exerted even more force.
Fortunately, after some effort, the string locked in place.
“Is this right?”
“Yes, well done. You lack strength, but with practice, it’ll be fine.”
“This is old, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“So that’s why it’s stiff?”
“Crossbows are always like this.”
“No way.”
“You’re just too young.”
I closed my mouth tightly. If I said more, I felt a punch might come flying. Still, I was glad I proved I could pull the string.
If I had failed, Dorian probably wouldn’t have entrusted the crossbow to me.
“A crossbow is the only tool you can use to fight from a distance.”
“Yes.”
“Practice it for later.”
I nodded, though I wasn’t entirely convinced. I had magic. The old man in my dream had smashed a tree with a water mass.
Compared to that, a bolt from a crossbow was trivial. I couldn’t do it like the old man yet, but with practice, I could.
Dorian told me what to gather. Mostly things for camping. Many of the items weren’t available, and fetching them would be my task.
I dragged the sack that Caril was carrying through the village. Since we might be away for a long time, it was best to distribute supplies beforehand.
The villagers looked worried knowing we were leaving. Many things had been easier with him around. Some couldn’t understand that.
Curiosity stirred, but I stayed quiet. Though I hadn’t packed much, the load on my back pressed down heavily.
“Did you pack everything?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s go.”
Dorian led the way. We exited the village along the path between the palisades. I glanced back. It seemed unlikely I would need to see this place again.
“Rael.”
“Yes?”
“How do you feel?”
“I don’t know.”
I glanced at him, unsure why he asked so suddenly.
“You’re not feeling regret, right?”
“No.”
“Don’t think too badly of it. It’s lucky they didn’t harm you. If they really thought you were an outsider, you wouldn’t be walking around.”
“Really?”
“You look like you don’t believe me.”
“They did hit and beat me sometimes, though.”
“That’s only because you haven’t experienced the harshness of the world yet. If you’d really been struck hard, you wouldn’t be talking back.”
It was hard for me to accept. While staying in the village, I had gained hardly any benefit from them. More than that, Dorian hadn’t even ensured I had proper meals.
At most, him being present meant I didn’t have to throw punches constantly. The villagers only started noticing when I carried all the herb-gathering work. Before that, they constantly scolded me as an orphan whenever we met. A garbage village.
Dorian looked apologetic. I seized the moment to ask:
“Why did you come outside the village?”
“To repay a favor.”
“A favor?”
“Your parents saved me once. So I thought I’d help enough for you to be self-sufficient. Do you remember what your parents did?”
“No.”
“They were mercenaries. They were handy and fixed farming tools and such. Had they survived, you’d have lived comfortably in the village. A blacksmith is a big deal.”
“Why did they die?”
“The raiders attacked the village. Bad luck.”
“Why…?”
“Why didn’t I drive them away?”
“Yeah. If it bothered me, I could’ve given them a little money. No need to personally escort you to the city.”
“I already told you, they came from the raiders. It’s peaceful now, but a few years ago, traces of them were visible. Even if it was near the village, we might have met them on the way to the city. If a child were killed by them, it would have been messy, so I meddled a bit.”
I wanted to shout that it was a lie. I’d felt so wronged for so long that suddenly being treated well left my mind in turmoil.
Dorian’s expression didn’t look deceitful. Even if it was a made-up story, I had no way to verify it.
After walking for a long time, my back was damp. The surroundings were getting dim. We had to prepare for camping.
“We’ll rest here tonight.”
Dorian set down the load. While he made sparks with flint, I gathered dry branches from the ground and built a campfire.
“Are we just taking a break?”
“We’ll sleep until morning. Traveling through the forest at night is too dangerous.”
The pot went on the fire. Dorian tilted his canteen, but no water came out. It was all gone.
“Rael.”
“Yes?”
“Is there any water left in your canteen?”
“A little.”
Dorian clicked his tongue.
“Looks like we’ll have to manage with jerky tonight.”
“What about soup?”
“Not enough water.”
I got up. Perhaps I could fetch some water.
“Where are you going?”
“To get water.”
“There’s none nearby.”
“I’ve found a spot.”
“Really? You have to come back quickly.”
“Got it.”
I left the campsite. I deliberately walked farther, far enough that the light couldn’t reach, and then glanced back.
I took a deep breath. The dark night made me tense.
I focused on moving the mana in my stomach. Mana slowly rose from below. There was a reaction.
The mana reached my chest, then ran along my shoulders to my fingers. At that moment, the incantation finished.
My lips parted.
“Water.”
Water gathered on my fingertips. The magic had worked. It only succeeded once in ten tries, but I had manifested magic. My heart pounded at the thought.
If I followed what the old man said in my dream, I could really become a magician. Then survival would be no problem.
I slowly poured the water I had created into the canteen, concentrating to avoid breaking focus.
I shook the canteen. It was heavy. Returning to the campsite, Dorian greeted me.
“Water?”
“I got some.”
“Oh, you really did.”
Dorian’s expression relaxed. He poured the water into the pot, added the leaves and herbs, and cut the pieces of meat in. A fragrant aroma rose.
Watching him eat, I picked up a spoon. Tasting the soup warmed my cold body.
Perhaps because of the biting night cold, it tasted even better. I was glad I had brought water.
After finishing the meal, I gathered nearby branches. Dorian tossed them into the fire and asked,
“What about the watch?”
“I’ll take the first shift.”
I said immediately. I still couldn’t trust Dorian. Perhaps he was trying to reassure me before selling me as a slave.
