Chapter 15

Chapter 15. A New Power (2)

After that, Dane kept trying in one way or another to squeeze even a single extra coin out of Balun, but every attempt came to nothing.

Balun simply never gave him an opening.

How in the world could a man be this thorough when it came to money? And how was he so quick to catch on?

Even Dane, who had met more than a few barbarians in his life, had never seen one like this.

“Very well. I will introduce you for free. Consider yourself lucky. Chances like this do not come often. Do you have any idea how many people want connections through me?”

“Speak properly. Not free. 10 gold.”

“You are the one who should speak properly. The money you gave me was a gift for a friend. It cannot be considered payment for work.”

“People have shame. If they receive a gift, they return one. But you, no shame. Money-crazed bastard.”

“M-Money-crazed... what is that supposed to mean?”

“It means a bastard mad for money.”

Look at him. He refused to yield even a single word.

“Ahem, Balun. Are you not being a little too harsh? No matter what, I am at least twice your age. Show me a little respect.”

“You are wrong. Dane, you are my friend. Friends are close with each other. They do not obsess over age.”

“……”

Dane had lost the argument completely.

To a mere barbarian, no less.

He already felt as though he would lose in a fight of strength, but now he had lost in words too, and the humiliation was beyond description.

“Now that I think about it, the gift you gave me was a bit excessive. Very well. I will consider my fee and make the introduction.”

“You are not pretending you received it. You received it.”

“Ahem. I will speak to him today, so come back here at this time tomorrow.”

After that, Balun returned to the inn.

He spent that day training his axe techniques in the empty yard behind the inn, then went to see Dane again at the same time the following day.

Dane, who had been getting ready to go out, welcomed him.

“You came on time.”

“Balun keeps promises. You keep promise too.”

“Of course. I am Dane. Remove faith from me and I am as good as dead. Follow me.”

Balun followed behind Dane as he took the lead.

After they had walked for quite a while with no sign of stopping, Balun finally asked,

“How far are we going?”

“It is a little far. Though even so, it is still inside Milford.”

It was not a matter of “even so.” Milford was a city in name and fact. You could not stroll from one end to the other as though taking a casual walk.

And Milford was built on a hilly rise. Yet Dane kept going farther uphill.

Thanks to that, Balun found himself climbing a mountain he had never planned to climb.

Balun had excellent stamina by nature, so it was not difficult, but it did strike him as strange.

‘So someone lives up here.’

Balun looked around. The atmosphere was rather eerie. There was not a single house in sight, only a narrow path leading farther up the hill.

‘Why would anyone live in a place like this?’

Balun’s curiosity only grew stronger. What kind of people were Mages, that they lived in a place like this?

What was he, some kind of hermit?

“Is he really a great Mage?”

“Ah, Lord Calrent? Of course. He is one of the Seven Sages, after all. He is the Gray Sage, Calrent himself.”

“Seven Sages?”

“Ah, I suppose you may not know who they are. Just remember that he is an extraordinary man. To receive his teaching is the good fortune of a lifetime.”

Balun stroked his chin. It did not feel very real to him. A man that great lived up here?

“We are here. That house.”

At the top of the hill stood a fenced yard, and inside it was a two-story house.

Behind it were several small one-story huts clustered together, with mist drifting around the area.

Putting the whole picture together...

‘It looks exactly like the kind of house where ghosts would appear.’

Whenever people went exploring haunted houses, there was always a place that looked like this.

“Lord Calrent. It is I, Dane.”

“Come in.”

The voice came from inside almost at once after Dane knocked on the door.

When they opened it and entered, they saw an old man seated in a rocking chair, wearing a loose gray robe and letting a pale beard hang down.

‘Oh, what is this atmosphere?’

He looked remarkably convincing.

Almost as though he could pose for a portrait shoot.

“So this is the barbarian you mentioned.”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“Hm.”

The Gray Sage, Calrent, looked Balun up and down.

“He is even more interesting than I had heard.”

“You will find him still more interesting once you speak with him.”

“Very well. I will ask him myself. You may go now.”

“Yes. Balun, speak well with Lord Calrent. Do take care not to offend him. He is a truly great man.”

After giving that warning, Dane left.

“Do not stand there. Come here and sit.”

At Calrent’s gesture, Balun obeyed without protest.

When he sat in the chair opposite Calrent, the old man poured him a cup of steaming tea. It had a gentle fragrance, very much like green tea.

And the taste was similar as well. As Balun sipped it, Calrent asked,

“Does it suit your taste?”

“It does. I like it.”

“That is unexpected. I thought you would dislike it.”

“Why is it unexpected?”

“Well, because barbarians dislike tea.”

Balun tilted his head. What kind of nonsense was that supposed to be?

What did barbarians have to do with tea?

“Most barbarians dislike tea, saying it is something only weaklings drink. I have never seen a barbarian who liked tea the way you do.”

“I see.”

Balun nodded. Now that he heard it, it was not exactly wrong. Back in the Red Fang Tribe, no one drank tea except the priest Ulan.

Even Balun himself had started drinking alcohol from the age of twelve.

“So, you wish to learn magic.”

“That is right.”

“What made you think that?”

“Balun will become stronger. So I learn powerful magic.”

“You wish to learn magic in order to become stronger? Are you serious?”

“I am. Magic is good. I learn it and escape the pitiful life of a miserable melee fighter!”

After that, Calrent asked several more questions, and Balun answered them all as sincerely as he could.

Once he had heard every answer, Calrent nodded in satisfaction.

“Remarkable. To think there was a barbarian with such an open mind.”

Calrent let out a sound of admiration. His face had brightened with excitement as he looked around the room. Then he suddenly stood up.

“Wait here a moment. I must write this down. My meeting with you may be the beginning of my great research.”

Calrent went upstairs, then came back down about two minutes later carrying paper and a fountain pen.

Then he began writing furiously, almost as though he were scribbling.

His sudden intensity was so unexpected that Balun could not help asking,

“What are you writing?”

“I am recording everything you have said.”

“My words? Why?”

“Because they are valuable research notes. I cannot afford to let any of it go to waste. Please bear with me a little.”

‘What is this situation?’

Balun felt bewildered. This was not some mad scientist, was it?

‘Surely he is not planning to use me as an experiment or sell me off somewhere, is he?’

If that were the case, Balun would split his head straight down the middle.

“So, will you teach me magic?”

“Of course. I will teach you magic.”

“Good!”

Balun nodded in satisfaction. At the very least, it seemed he had found himself a magic teacher.

“I pay tuition. How much do you need?”

“There is no need.”

“Hm? No need?”

“That is right. You do not need to give me money.”

“Then what do I need to give?”

“Nothing at all. You do not even need to serve me as your master. All you need to do is stay with me for a while and faithfully follow my instruction.”

At those words, Balun’s eyes narrowed. The suspicion came to him at once.

He was not taking money? What was this? A scam? Was he going to cut his body apart and sell the pieces somewhere?

“Answer honestly. I can see your heart. It is black.”

“See my heart? What in the world are you...”

“Balun is a stranger. We just met. But you are kind to me. That makes no sense.”

“Hm.”

“You are strange. Are you a swindler?”

Calrent let out a low groan.

A sharp aura had begun flowing from Balun’s body.

It was a chilling sensation and a razor-edged wariness, like standing before a starving tiger. In an instant, it rose and washed over Calrent.

His body shrank back on its own, but Calrent remained calm.

“Settle yourself. I have not the slightest intention of deceiving you.”

“Tell me your intention. If not, your head splits.”

“Very well. I will speak plainly. So please put away that killing intent. It would be rather unsightly if I were to wet myself here.”

At that, Balun eased his killing intent.

“Whew. I almost did.”

“Do not lie. You were not afraid. I know.”

“Truly now. What strength could an old man like me possibly have?”

“Your eyes do not shake. That means you are not afraid.”

Calrent looked into Balun’s eyes. There was not the slightest trace of doubt in his expression. A faint smile soon touched his lips.

‘He is not an easy one.’

He had sharp eyes. Even knights were often fooled by that performance, yet this boy had seen through it.

‘Is he really sixteen?’

If Calrent had not heard it from Dane the day before, he too would have assumed Balun was a seasoned warrior, one worn smooth by twenty years on the battlefield.

“I wish to study you.”

Calrent said it directly.

“Study?”

“Yes. You, as a barbarian.”

Calrent leaned forward.

“Barbarians despise magic. Because of that, we know almost nothing about the relationship between barbarians and magic. How those sturdy bodies accept mana, how the mind of a warrior interprets magical systems. Most of it is an unknown field.”

“So?”

“But you said you want to learn magic. A barbarian learning magic? What would happen if that body and magic were combined? How exactly would the power of mana take effect? Is that not fascinating just to imagine?”

Calrent’s eyes were shining.

“You need only learn magic. I, in turn, will record and study every aspect of you. Based on those research notes, I will write a paper. How delightful. Truly delightful.”

As he listened to Calrent’s excited voice, Balun thought,

‘What is this? He is just an ordinary mad scientist.’

He did not seem like a bad person.

Just a strange one.

***

That was how Balun came to learn magic from Calrent.

The condition was that he would live in Calrent’s house with him for the time being.

It was almost absurdly favorable.

Not only would he learn magic for free, he would also be given free lodging and meals. What kind of astonishing arrangement was this?

Thanks to that, Balun saved his money.

He had thought he would be forced to pay a huge sum in tuition, only to discover he did not need to spend a single coin.

“First, we will measure your aptitude.”

“My aptitude?”

“That is right. One must possess the aptitude to learn magic. I do hope you have it.”

“Can you confirm that?”

“Ordinarily, no. But I can.”

Calrent led Balun down to the basement.

The basement was quite spacious, and in the center of it a large circle had been drawn.

What made it stand out was the variety of geometric patterns inscribed within that circle.

“Stand in the middle. Just remain at ease. You may move if you like, but do not step outside that area. The flow of mana will become unstable.”

Balun obediently did as he was told. Once he stood in the center of the circle, Calrent picked up a long wooden staff hanging on the wall.

Calrent struck the floor with the staff. The point where it touched became the center of a faint wind that spread outward in a circle.

It was a curious thing. There was not even a trace of wind in the basement.

“Is this magic?”

“Not quite magic. It is merely a simple manipulation of magical power.”

“How fascinating.”

“Now then, we begin. Stand still until I tell you I am finished.”

Then Calrent closed his eyes and murmured words Balun could not understand, and something astonishing happened.

The geometric circular patterns drawn on the floor began to glow.

The sight was so beautiful that Balun stared without thinking, when suddenly he felt something strange.

It was as though some invisible thing had wrapped itself around his body and was pressing down on him.

Unfamiliar with the sensation, Balun shifted uneasily, and Calrent asked,

“What is it? Do you feel something?”

“I feel something strange.”

“Strange? Truly?”

“Truly.”

“This is madness! Have you already sensed mana?”

Calrent’s voice rose at once.

“Is that a good thing?”

“Of course! This is an excellent start!”

At the excitement in Calrent’s voice, Balun found himself growing excited too.

‘This means I have talent, right?’

There was no doubt. It had to mean that.

Without realizing it, Balun’s imagination began to soar. He pictured himself as a Mage, standing in the rear and launching magical bombardments.

In that vision, Balun held no axe, and he was not bare-chested. Instead, he wore a robe and held a magnificent staff, reciting spells with great dignity.

From the safest place possible.

Balun stood in the very back line, where there was no danger of being stabbed or hit by arrows.

The moment he imagined his spell finally completed and annihilating his enemies with overwhelming magic, Balun shuddered all over.

“Yes! This is it!”

Balun laughed foolishly. The thought that he might finally graduate from the cursed life of a barbarian warrior made him feel too good.

From now on, he would no longer stand in the vanguard and risk his life.

Instead, he would remain safely in the back and attack only from afar.

‘Still, giving up axes entirely feels a little wrong. I should at least keep a hand axe.’

He would need some kind of weapon for self-defense, after all.

And besides, he had grown attached to them after using them for so long.

The men of the Red Fang Tribe played with weapons from the time they were infants. Balun too had played with an axe from the age of one, which meant it had already been fifteen years.

At that point, discarding it would feel stranger than keeping it.

‘If anyone gets too close, I can just cut off his head with an axe.’

Balun was busily spinning hopeful fantasies when Calrent’s voice reached his ears.

“What exactly are you feeling? Can you tell me?”

“Something wrapped around Balun. It presses down while doing that.”

“That would be earth. Just as I expected. Then that means my hypothesis was correct.”

As Calrent copied down Balun’s words into a book, he asked,

“Do you feel anything more? Warmth, perhaps? Or dampness in your body? Or perhaps a tingling sensation? Anything at all will do.”

“Yes. I also feel something cool.”

“Wind! It is wind! Earth and wind, dual affinities! Remarkable!”

“Is that good too?”

“Of course! Most Mages cannot even be born with a single affinity! But you have been born with no fewer than two!”

“Oh!”

Balun snorted through his nose. Born with them?

‘Maybe I am a genius!’

While Balun stood there in delight, puffing air through his nose, Calrent strode into the circle and placed a hand on Balun’s shoulder.

“What is it?”

“I shall make one final measurement. It will not harm you. I only wish to look inside your body. So you may trust me and be at ease.”

“All right.”

When Balun relaxed and entrusted himself to him, Carlent placed his palm on Balun’s shoulder and murmured words Balun could not understand.

Then another strange sensation came over him. It felt as though something was writhing inside his body.

Like a worm crawling through him...?

After quite some time, Carlent removed his hand, and the sensation vanished with it.

“It is done. You may step out now.”

At some point, the light had gone out.

Balun stepped outside the circle and asked with an expression full of expectation,

“How are the results? Are they good?”

“There are two pieces of good news and one piece of bad news. Which would you like to hear first?”

Balun’s expression turned strange. The good news was one thing, but what was this bad news?

Clarent's face was difficult to read. A moment ago he had been smiling, but now his gaze had turned distinctly serious.

“The bad news first.”

“I thought you would say that. Better to take the blow first.”

After taking a deep breath, Carlent opened his mouth.

“The bad news. You cannot use magic.”

“……What?”

Balun scratched at his ear. What did he just say?

“I mean exactly that. You cannot use magic.”

“Then Balun cannot shoot a fireball?”

“You cannot.”

“Not ever?”

“Not absolutely impossible, no. If you trained for about thirty years, you might perhaps be able to cast a second-circle Fire Bolt. Thirty years of training for a second-circle spell. A rather exhausting prospect.”

For some reason, Balun felt as though his vision had gone hazy.

Was it his imagination?

“The reason is this. The outlets of the mana circuits inside your body are far too narrow. Because the density of your muscles and bones is too high, the outlets of your mana circuits have been compressed. The exits are practically closed, which means magical power cannot manifest outward.”

And yet, even in that moment, Balun understood those words exactly.

‘So what he means is... I cannot use magic because I am too heavily built?’

“This is a highly fascinating case. I have examined the bodies of many knights, yet I have never seen one like yours. This is the first of its kind in all my life!”

“……”

“Good heavens. The strength of your muscles is so great that your mana circuits have narrowed. Can such a thing even make sense? This is worthy of a paper. If I presented this at an academic conference at once, every Mage would turn their eyes toward you!”

‘My magical bombardment... My dream of becoming a ranged damage dealer...’

Balun rubbed at the corners of his eyes. He could not give up like this. How could he so easily abandon a dream?

‘It is not over yet. He said there were three pieces of good news.’

Balun widened his eyes and shouted,

“The good news!”

“My, you startled me. Why are you shouting?”

“Tell me the three pieces of good news quickly!”

Carlent flinched. Balun, glaring at him with his eyes wide open, looked terrifying enough to kill a man.

“You will be the death of me.”

Clicking his tongue, Carlent continued,

“The first piece of good news. You possess supreme natural physique.”

Balun’s expression turned strange. That was something he had heard all his life.

Though the wording was somewhat different.

“I have measured the bodies of many knights, but I have rarely seen a natural physique as excellent as yours. Strength, elasticity, durability, recovery, there is not a single weakness. Your body is truly one that might as well have been born for the martial path.”

“I see.”

“To be perfectly honest, I cannot understand why you wish to learn magic. At this rate, if you simply continue swinging your axe, there will come a day when no one will dare challenge you.”

“Even without magic?”

“If your swing kills them anyway, is such a thing truly necessary?”

“What if they fire magic at me from far away?”

“Then chase them down and kill them. Or throw your axe and kill them.”

“Is that really possible?”

As though he had read Balun’s thoughts, Carlent asked sharply,

“Then let me ask you in return. If an archer shoots at you from afar, how do you deal with it?”

“I dodge, then chase him down and kill him.”

“And how is a Mage any different from that?”

“Well... hm.”

“In some ways, archers are even more troublesome. If we speak of the battlefield, archers are numerous, while Mages are few. Which is more deadly, a rain of arrows or fireball magic?”

“A rain of arrows.”

“There, you see? You already know the answer.”

Balun stroked his chin. There was a reason in those words.

“I understand what worries you, but let me say this: it is a pointless worry. How can it make any sense to abandon talent that reaches the heavens, only to cultivate talent that scrapes the ground?”

At Calrent’s sharp words, which struck right at the weakness in him, Balun’s mood, which had sunk to the bottom of the sea, slowly began to rise again.

Hearing that, he felt strangely pleased.

After all, hearing such things from ignorant barbarians and hearing them from a man who was a Sage were worlds apart.

‘I am good at physical things. I have never lost an arm-wrestling match, and I am the fastest runner in the tribe.’

He had always thought of it only vaguely, but hearing it put this way made it feel real.

‘Well... that must be why I killed a bear at ten. And why I kept going to war.’

The despair that had settled in Balun’s chest quickly faded. Perhaps because there were still two more pieces of good news left, he even began to feel expectation rising within him.