Chapter 5

As dusk approached, the two of them overlooked the village that appeared to be in ruins from a small hill. The rain began to fall sporadically, and it was quite chilly. The footprints they had been following all led into that village.

"It seems they entered that abandoned village. If the rain had started an hour earlier, we might not have found them. At least we managed to reach the hideout of the bandits safely, right?"

Al nodded in response to Barbara's words. The ruined village was about 8 kilometers north of the place that had been attacked, at the border between a wasteland and a forest. The surrounding fields were completely overgrown, and at first glance, it seemed that no one lived there. In these frontier areas, it was not uncommon for villages to become deserted after failed attempts at cultivation, and this was one of those places. However, upon closer inspection, the fence to keep out wild animals was well-maintained, albeit skillfully camouflaged, and the doors and windows of the most impressive house, which was likely the mayor's, and the largest building, the church, were closed, suggesting that they were being used.

"Can we get a bit closer to investigate in more detail? I hope the number of people left is small..."

Barbara nodded as if it were a given. The two of them began to approach the village cautiously, being mindful of any sentries. Once they got close enough, Al took off his gloves and placed his hand on the ground.

"Enhanced Perception" - Enhanced tactile sense

He deduced the number of people from the vibrations traveling through the ground.

"There are quite a few in the impressive house... It's difficult to tell because of the echoes inside the buildings... There seem to be more than ten people... They're walking around as if they're searching for something. There are probably two people in the church. They're staying still."

"Hmm, can't you hear their voices with that Enhanced Perception spell?"

Shaking his head in response to Barbara's question, Al said:

"Vibrations from walking can travel quite far, but voices get lost in the sound of the wind. We need to get a bit closer to hear them. If I could use the Floating Eye spell, it would be easier, but I'm not there yet."

It seemed that even he, who could use various spells, was not all-powerful.

"Alright, it's almost dark. They won't go anywhere until morning. Let's observe for a while."

Barbara crouched behind a bush overlooking the village. Al also hid beside her without hesitation. Although she was not a professional scout, she was proud of her considerable experience and skills. However, his work was just as good. She was impressed that a young boy who had just graduated from middle school could have such skills.

"Not bad for someone so young. You said you worked as a scout at the capital's adventurer guild. Is the level that high there?"

"Maybe it's because I've been doing tracking since I was a child. Our village was technically under the lord's jurisdiction, but it was in the mountains, so there wasn't much arable land. We couldn't even grow barley properly, let alone wheat, and there was no proper tax revenue. Despite that, there was a mountain of work as the lord, so the whole family had to work. I learned hunting and foraging from my father when I was young, and by the end of elementary school, I was going into the mountains alone. Thanks to that, I've been able to make a living as an adventurer since coming to the capital."

Saying this, Al placed his hand on the ground again and cast a spell. He was undoubtedly checking for any signs of life around them. When it came to reconnaissance by a mage, the Floating Eye spell he mentioned earlier was typical, but few mages could use it, and most of them were employed by the knight orders with high salaries. The spell he was using was something she had rarely heard of, but from their experience working together, it seemed quite useful.

"I see. But why were you working as an adventurer while attending middle school? From what you said earlier, didn't you want to study magic all the time? Wouldn't it have been better to focus on studying magic?"

Al smiled wryly in response to her question.

"Of course, I would have preferred to do that. But I didn't have the luxury. My father told me not to worry, but we were financially strained. Still, I didn't want to give up on attending middle school. It's not often you get the chance to learn magic from a teacher. So, I needed to earn money to help with tuition while I was in school. Besides, I wanted to continue researching magic after graduation, so I thought being an adventurer was the best shortcut to achieve that."

Elementary school goes up to age 10. While many children help with family businesses while attending school, it's rare for a child to go into the mountains alone, where barbarians and monsters appear, to hunt and forage. That experience must have led to his current role as a scout. Barbara had also heard that learning spells was expensive. It could cost several gold coins to buy a spellbook, and sometimes even dozens of gold coins. Indeed, it would be difficult to save that much money with a regular job.

"In that case, wouldn't it be better to get hired by the knight order? With your skills, you'd be hired. You could even ask Lord Narish. He might get you in right away."

"Hmm, I think there are other mages at my level, and if I join the knight order, I'll only be taught spells useful in war and won't have the freedom to research. Besides, my dream is to find a 4th-level spell. That won't be possible if I join the knight order."

"I see, I understand... I learned a lot. Well, keep up the good work."

She thought he was a unique mage for his age, but decided to save further conversation for after they dealt with the bandits, perhaps over a drink. Barbara looked around again, reconsidering the situation.

Thank you for reading.

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April 14, 2023 - Added line breaks and formatted the text.