Chapter 33

The merchants' carriages, which had been thrown into chaos by the attack, fortunately regained their composure in about 30 minutes. There was no serious damage to the carriages, and the caravan was soon ready to depart again. During this time, Al and Reta were able to board Eric's carriage.

His carriage was a large, roofed one with seats arranged in three rows, two abreast, facing forward. It was surrounded by wooden boards to withstand attacks such as arrows from bandits or stones thrown by barbarians. Fitz and Eric were already seated in the back row, and Marcus and Lucas were in the front, so Al and Reta took the second row.

After departure, Eric and Fitz frequently chanted spells and closed their eyes. It seemed they were using two types of spells, but both were unknown to Al, so he couldn't tell what they were. One was probably the floating eye spell Reta had mentioned, likely used to check for enemies from above.

"It's a telepathy spell. They're informing Sir Jonas of any threats they discover."

Reta whispered this to Al, who was listening intently.

"Wow, that's amazing. So this is what a guard mage does?"

When Al murmured this, Reta nodded happily, as if she had been complimented.

"Hey, so, do we have anything to do while we're moving?"

Reta shook her head lightly in response to Al's question.

"Maybe occasionally offering water to the masters. But observing what they do is also an important part of an apprentice's job."

Al scratched his head. Reta was watching Eric and Fitz with a tense expression, while Marcus and Lucas were chatting in low voices. Al watched them for a while before resuming his usual spell practice.

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The carriage continued to move. As the sun was about to set, Fitz finally spoke to Al and Reta. He had been using the floating eye spell and telepathy spell alternately and looked quite exhausted.

"We should reach the campsite by sunset as usual, and we plan to leave the campsite a little before sunrise tomorrow. We'll be at the campsite for about 11 hours, but we'll exclude the first and last hour for arrival and departure, leaving 9 hours for vigilance, which we'll do in cooperation with the guards. Since we now have six people, including Al, we'll form pairs of two. Reta and Al, Fitz and Marcus, and Eric and Lucas. We'll take turns every three hours."

The apprentices nodded. Fitz continued his explanation.

"In addition to the vigilance, Al, I'd like you to help set up the campsite and use light spells to illuminate the area, minimizing blind spots. Your light spell in the previous test was excellent, and it remained lit until the afternoon of the next day. I think you might even surpass me in terms of light spell proficiency. How many can you light at once?"

Casting spells requires mental energy. The more you cast, the more tired you become, and your concentration wanes, leading to more mistakes. After the previous test, Al had reviewed the duration and number of times he could cast the light spell. He could cast it continuously for 20 hours and about 20 times without issues, but beyond that, the success rate dropped significantly.

"About 20 places. Beyond that, the success rate drops considerably."

Fitz nodded vigorously.

"Excellent. We have 11 carriages, including ours, so 20 should be more than enough. Reta, you'll direct where he should light them. Of course, Marcus and Lucas will accompany him to observe his casting closely."

Al and Reta nodded. Marcus, sitting in the front row, looked at Al with admiration and shook his head.

"Twenty hours is impressive. You're younger than me, but I can only manage about an hour."

Lucas, sitting next to him, nodded in agreement.

"Isn't it too bright? That would shorten the duration."

When Al said this, the other five looked puzzled. Al sighed and smiled wryly. He had given this explanation to mages before, and they usually reacted the same way. He hadn't intended to bring it up, but he decided to explain it as he usually did.

"Look at this."

Al cast the light spell twice. The light on his right palm was about the same brightness as a candle, and the light on his left palm was as bright as a torch. The five were surprised and opened their eyes wide. Lucas instinctively grabbed Al's arm and leaned in to compare the two lights closely.

"Fitz, when you saw my light spell during the test, you said, 'The brightness is fine,' right?"

Caught off guard, Fitz hesitated, swallowed, and then nodded.

"I might have said that... After years of teaching, I sometimes encounter someone who is too dim. But what does that have to do with this?"

Al smiled.

"Fitz, you must have noticed subconsciously that the brightness of the light spell varies from person to person."

Fitz looked at Eric, and they nodded at each other.

"Different...? Yes, that's true. But what does that have to do with the two different brightness levels you just showed us? Explain the difference."

Fitz seemed frustrated that he couldn't understand Al's intention. Eric listened intently, and the apprentices, Reta, Marcus, and Lucas, looked at each other with puzzled expressions.

"I'll explain step by step. Do you remember the spell book for the light spell? The first symbol drawn is complete darkness, and then a white, round, glowing symbol gradually appears. The things illuminated by it take on color. I thought it was the sun rising. When I asked other mages, they said something similar. What about you?"

Al paused. Everyone, including Eric, nodded or tilted their heads. Seeing this, Al continued.

"That image, or inspiration, is probably the key to the brightness of the light spell. I believe the difference in brightness is due to the difference in this image. When I learned the light spell, I focused on this aspect. As a result, I can change the brightness by intentionally altering the image. There are also parts of other spells that can be changed. I call these options. For the light spell, the option is brightness, and changing it also affects the duration."

"That's ridiculous..."

Fitz looked at Al as if he were a strange creature. Al shrugged and smiled wryly.

"I've given this explanation many times. But no one has been able to change the brightness. My teachers at the beginner school tried many times but couldn't make it work. So, beyond that, you just have to believe me. In my case, the duration of the light spell changes based on the brightness. I thought Marcus's light spell might be too bright."

"But... still..."

Fitz tried to speak, but Eric stopped him.

"Although it's hard to believe, it's a fact that Al can change the brightness of the light spell. We must first acknowledge this. Then, as teachers, we need to understand how to change the brightness of the light spell. We can verify the relationship between brightness and duration later. There are still unresolved questions about the magic perception spell, which might be related to this."

Fitz reluctantly nodded at Eric's words.

"Al, unfortunately, I have completely internalized the light spell as an image and can't recall the exact description from the spell book. To address your point, we need to revisit the spell book and recall how the image was constructed. After this guard duty, I'd like you to help with this. Of course, I'll provide compensation."

Al thought for a moment. He had explained this several times and had even tried it with other mages, but no one had succeeded. However, if he said this directly, it might be interpreted as doubting Eric's ability.

"I would like others to reproduce it, and I will help. But..."

Al hesitated. Eric nodded, understanding his hesitation.

"I see. You're saying the chances of success are low, and it's hard to calculate the compensation. Let's think of a different approach. In any case, let's focus on completing this guard duty. After that, I'll make a proposal. Is that acceptable?"

Al, Fitz, and Reta all nodded. The sun was already setting behind the mountains to the west, and the hill they were climbing was almost at its peak. They would likely reach the campsite at the top, which would offer a good view and allow them to spot approaching barbarians or beasts quickly.

"The campsite is just ahead. Once we arrive, it's time for the light spell. Al, follow Reta's instructions, please."

Fitz said this, and Al and Reta nodded vigorously.

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