Chapter 68: Return to the Royal Capital

I rolled the exhausted Gail onto the grass I had cut, and poured the treasured liquor for Steve and the others, toasting to Gale’s magic.

“But Leon’s dome is transparent or dirty and hard to see through, yet barrier magic glows faintly, so it really stands out at night.”

“Since it’s next to us, we can check its state tonight. Parties camping usually make makeshift huts from thorn bushes, but even if the barrier is a bit conspicuous, it’s safer. And if you block the entrance and make small attack windows, you can take down approaching beasts with arrows. Making money safely and easily—that’s every adventurer’s dream.”

“True, but I want to continue working with Mintz and Scott from now on.”

At Steve’s words, Kyle and Rings nodded along.

“By the way, when will Gale be able to move again?”

“When I ran completely out of mana, it took eight hours to recover and wake up. He’s just on the verge, so he should recover in five or six hours. He should be able to move soon.”

As we had dinner and sipped the liquor slowly, Gale began to stir.

“Gale, how are you feeling?”

“Tired. Before, I only used magic two or three times, so I felt a little sluggish but could move. I’ve never used this much mana before.”

“Next, use only the mana up to just before your elbow bend when casting magic.”

“Can you make a solid barrier with so little mana?”

“This dome and the whirlwind use the same amount. In your terms, Gale, you’re only using mana up to two or three fingers from your wrist. You don’t need more mana to make a solid barrier. When practicing the camping dome, gradually use less mana. That increases the number of times you can cast and teaches you your limit.”

I prepared a cup for Gale and poured the liquor. He alternated between looking at the clean bottle and the poured liquor, carefully sipping. Unlike ale, the alcohol smell startled him.

“Gale, take a good sip. It’s good!”

Prompted by Rings, he tried a sip but was overwhelmed by the alcohol.

“Blugh… what is this?!”

Rings panicked, drenched by the spurt, while Steve and Kyle laughed.

“This is a celebratory drink for passing your magic test. Drink slowly; it’s strong.”

“With this barrier, camping will be safe, right?”

“Yes, wolves or small dogs won’t be a problem. Start camping near town.”

“Then I need to get a bed.”

“And food. Buy from the market every four or five days, and you won’t worry about meals.”

“You can decide with Mintz and Scott about that.”

When Mintz and Scott arrived, we called Gale over, bent his arm at a right angle, and pressed down from mid-upper arm to just past the elbow.

“Use mana from your wrist up to this point to make the dome. If you can do this, it doubles the number of times you can use magic. It’s the first step in learning to minimize mana flow.”

‘Lady Felicienne, grant us a protective barrier… ha!’

We confirmed in front of the two whether he had minimized mana use, but it seemed the same as usual. He’d only just begun using magic, so expecting him to monitor and reduce mana flow is too advanced.

“Can you cut off mana at the point I indicated? If you can manipulate mana, you should be able to do that.”

He looked at his arm seriously, then happily shouted, “I did it!”

“Then let’s make another dome next to it.”

‘Lady Felicienne, grant us a protective barrier… ha!’

I signaled the two watching, and Scott smirked as he thrust his short spear into the dome.

“Ah…”

“Forgetting to make a solid dome can be deadly. Gradually reduce mana from now on and test the limit where magic doesn’t trigger. Once you can do that, practice with the barriers I showed yesterday.”

“Got it. I’ll do my best.”

“Since Leon approved, from today the prey will be shared evenly. Don’t forget sturdy shelters and domes.”

“Yes!”

Gale gave a respectful bow with a perfect response.

“The lord hasn’t said anything since, so maybe you can return.”

“It hasn’t even been a year. I have business in the capital, so after two or three days there, I’ll return. In summer or fall, I’ll come back secretly.”

“Alright, let’s see Leon’s hunting again. Near the forest, maybe?”

***************************

It had been almost a year since hunting in Linus Forest, and the bird population had increased.

“Mintz…”

“Yes, everyone gather. Gale, watch closely.”

I’ll start the demonstration with a ring shield to show Gale.

“Hey, a flock of Carions!”

I created a three-meter-high, semi-transparent ring to surround everyone and beckoned Gail, making attack holes.

“As impressive as ever.”

“And your skills have improved a lot.”

“Is that Leon’s real strength?”

“Amazing—he made that tall enclosure in no time.”

“Stop dawdling, prepare your bows! Don’t put your hands through the holes, you’ll get hurt. Ready… aim… fire!”

〈Screech〉〈Yelp〉—the cries faded as the Carions scattered.
I froze the three that remained and enclosed them in a whirlwind, then removed the mana at the right moment.

“Alright, the Carions are gone, let’s clean up.”

“Take the kill back—was that Leon’s instruction?”

“Yes, I ambushed them behind the ring and collected them.”

“Rings, Kyle, take care of these too. Leon’s here, so the prey is always plentiful.”

“Also, include this.”

“Two high orcs? Where did you hunt them?”

“On the way back to Linus, inside Kreis Forest.”

*****************8

“Guildmaster, this is a warning from Kreis.”

“A warning… what happened?”

“Seven Battle hawks were brought into Kreis.”

“Only in Kreis? Any other unusual reports?”

“That’s it. Other guilds only reported as usual.”

“We can’t conclude much yet. We’ll alert guilds around Kreis and check reports from those heading deep into the forest.”

“This time, it’s Kreia?”

“The Battle hawks have a wide range, so we can’t be sure it’s just Kreis. But if Battle hawks are caught around Kreis, it’s better to be cautious. We need to know where the A- and B-rank adventurers are, and how many skilled mages are present.”

“Seven Battle hawks at once… that reminds me of the gentle breeze.”

“That guy was in the capital, wasn’t he?”

“And just recently, he brought in a large number of birds again.”

“Submaster, rumors of Battlehawks are spreading. The duke also requested them as a gift.”

“Good grief, who’s the duke’s agent this time?”

“A man who leaves no chance or lapse, I see.”

“Nobles and wealthy merchants hire people to make extra money wherever, using their wealth. So, were the ones brought in the same ‘Gentle Breeze’?”

“Yes. He earned just over 8,000,000 Dara. Has the capital guild said anything?”

“Not yet. It’s unusual for Battle hawks to fly this far, so they’re observing.”

“If it were just birds, it’d be fine, but weird people popping up would be troublesome.”

“Even if something does appear, let’s hope it’s not nearby.”

Since Gale was able to determine the mana limit before the magic fails, he should be able to use magic around ten times, so I decided to return to the capital.

“Are you really sure you don’t need it?”

“It’s thanks for taking care of the four of us. When I return to Linus, I’ll rely on you again.”

“You’re far stronger now, we’re just a burden.”

“Even so, it’s true that everyone helped me grow.”

I parted ways with everyone and walked through the grasslands along the road to the neighboring Korfult, carefully entering the forest to avoid meeting anyone. I set up a campsite early and took a short nap, but the cloudy sky meant no night flight tonight. I decided to sleep again and depart at dawn.

At early morning, I flew toward the capital, looking diagonally down at the Blange Road. Passing Korfults, Randall, and Werner, I headed into the forest at Folka for a short rest. Care was needed when reducing lift and diving from above the forest, slowing down before landing.

After a slow lunch and tea, I continued the aerial journey. I ended the flight at Rosenne, Korche, Gerrand, and Heliant. It seemed possible to fly between Linus and the capital in two days—if pushing hard, one and a half days, or even one day if I didn’t worry about being seen. On the third day at dawn, I left the forest near the capital and headed for the west gate.

I could have stopped by the guild and met Gains of Iron horn, but with a new target, I chose the more profitable option and headed to the usual Martins Hotel.

After changing at the hotel, I called for a carriage and went to the Commercial Guild to check my balance.

The paper handed to me at the reception showed 20,560,000 Dara, with 9,600,000 Dara recently deposited.

The depositor was Grandis Trading Company. I thought they might be patrons of Jaeger-san and his group, but that’s none of my concern.

I don’t know the price of a relatively large house in Linus, but if I earn ten times this, I should be fine.