Chapter 14

As the cherry blossoms danced in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

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Jacob listened to Ricardo and the others, and asked about the points he found questionable.

"Is it really safe to use in actual combat?"

He seemed uneasy upon hearing that the rod had been processed by the amateur Ricardo.

"It's fine to use as long as the magic coating is done properly. It just looks bad... but since the material is a branch of Trill, its durability is low."

Even with magic infused, it would be fine to hit a Devil Mouse or a Headbutt Rabbit, but it might break if used against an Elbir, the magic tree.

While they were having this conversation, they encountered a pack of Horn Wolves.

"Be careful. There are a lot of them."

Jacob ran towards the Horn Wolves.

Patrick and Marcello took out the catalysts from their pouches and prepared themselves. Ricardo gripped the magic-formed rod and stared at the Horn Wolves.

Six wolves attacked simultaneously. The soldiers surrounded the Horn Wolves and began their assault. Some of the soldiers were hesitant. They had been gathered for this magic tree hunt, but it seemed that not all of them were accustomed to fighting magical beasts.

One of the Horn Wolves was about to bite a hesitant soldier. The soldier jumped back in surprise. Taking advantage of this, the Horn Wolf broke through the soldiers' encirclement.

"Idiot!"

Jacob's angry voice echoed through the spring mountains.

The Horn Wolf that broke through the encirclement started running towards Ricardo and the others.

Marcello and Patrick began preparing their magic. Marcello, who finished his preparations first, cast [Wind Slash]. The blade of air, solidified by magic, flew towards the Horn Wolf.

Perhaps by instinct, the Horn Wolf dodged the invisible blade of air and charged at Marcello.

Just as the wolf's fangs were about to reach Marcello's face, Ricardo struck the wolf's back with his magic-infused magic-formed rod.

The moment the rod hit, the Horn Wolf's back made a cracking sound. The magic infused in the magic-formed rod created a shockwave that broke the wolf's spine. The wolf fell to the ground, unable to move.

Marcello stood there, his face pale.

"Marcello, are you okay?"

Patrick called out to him. Marcello nodded and looked at the fallen Horn Wolf. Blood was spilling from its mouth, and its eyes were rolling back. It seemed to have suffered internal injuries.

"This is the power of the magic-formed rod," Marcello muttered. Hearing this, Patrick looked at Ricardo.

"The magic-formed rod is really powerful."

Ricardo, recalling the magic-formed rod he saw at the weapon shop, modestly replied.

"This isn't much. I saw a magic-formed rod Flavio ordered, and it was amazing."

Marcello's pale face brightened a little.

"Right. It was ordered from the capital."

Marcello answered a bit proudly. He seemed happy that his father's magic-formed rod was praised.

Flavio and the other magicians who belonged to the border viscount's territory were not considered top-tier magicians by the general public. Skilled magicians usually joined the capital's magician association or became magicians for ducal families or the royal family.

In particular, those who became royal magicians were called court magicians and were the stars of the magician world. The royal family had vast territories, and managing them required a large number of magicians, soldiers, and officials.

Patrick noticed the sheath on Ricardo's back.

"Hey, is the spare rod also a magic-formed rod?"

"Yeah, it's the same."

"If you don't mind, can I borrow the spare?"

It was a bold request, but Patrick had helped him a lot. Plus, Ricardo was curious to see if someone else could use the magic-formed rod he made.

He handed the magic-formed rod to Patrick.

"Make sure to infuse it with magic when you use it."

Patrick took the magic-formed rod and nodded. Then he infused it with magic.

"Wow, the magic flows well. It's a good rod to use."

Patrick said he wanted to test it and struck a Headbutt Rabbit they encountered on the way.

The rabbit's neck bone was broken, and it died instantly.

"Great, I like it."

Patrick happily swung the rod. Marcello watched enviously.

Ricardo and the others continued deeper into the mountain path.

The trees gradually grew larger. This area was rarely visited by people, so it was not uncommon to find trees that were hundreds of years old.

"We're getting close to where the Elbir might be. Don't let your guard down," Jacob called out to the soldiers.

Ricardo performed magic detection. Magic trees were difficult to detect with magic detection, but occasionally they could be caught.

He felt a calm magic presence to the west. The magic itself was not small, but it had little movement, making it easy to lose track of if not careful.

"There's something to the west."

Jacob turned and looked at him.

"Alright... let's head west."

After walking for about five minutes, they reached a clearing where the trees were sparse. In the center stood a single tree.

It was the Elbir. It was slightly larger than the one hunted in autumn, standing about five meters tall. At this size, it was difficult to attack its weak point, the knot, with swords or spears.

As Ricardo and the others noticed it, the Elbir also seemed to notice them.

"Move aside, I'll take it down."

Marcello pushed the soldiers aside and stepped forward. He was eager. In the autumn magic tree hunt, Ricardo was the only apprentice to receive praise, and he was expected to perform well in this hunt, which made Marcello feel incredibly envious and frustrated.

He seemed to intend to use the recently learned [Storm Fang Array]. Perhaps he learned it from Flavio, who was skilled in this magic. His stance when casting magic resembled Flavio's.

The [Storm Fang Array] was activated. Nine blades of wind were released, fewer than Flavio's, probably due to insufficient magic power.

The Elbir noticed the magic and swung its four large branches to intercept the wind blades. Unfortunately, the [Storm Fang Array] was blocked.

Next, Patrick's [Crashing Water Lance] attacked the Elbir.

Water spiraled and shot out like a lance, hitting the Elbir. The water blade cut through the obstructing branches and advanced towards the Elbir's weak point, the knot, but it lost its power and disappeared just short of the target.

"Just a little more!" Patrick exclaimed in frustration.

Ricardo, thinking it was not the time to be frustrated, focused on his magic. He chose the [Explosive Scatter Lance]. The catalysts swirled around the magic-formed rod, and magic emitted a brown light.

The Elbir, angered by the surprise attack, swung its four branch-like arms and approached.

"Amril Parosepior Spelgorma"

A long, square spear appeared in the air, aimed at the Elbir, and shot forward like an arrow. It flew through the air and was about to hit the Elbir when the Elbir bent its four branches to guard its knot.

The [Explosive Scatter Lance] hit the branches and exploded. The impact caused the Elbir's branches to break and fall to the ground.

The shockwave reached where Jacob and the others were standing, forcing them to take a few steps back.

"Damn, that's a powerful magic," Jacob muttered, shielding himself from the shockwave.

The Elbir, though fallen, was still moving its roots, trying to get up.

"It's getting up. Marcello and Patrick, prepare your next magic," Jacob instructed.

Ricardo, without waiting for the order, began preparing his next magic. He quickly took out the [Earth] catalyst from his pouch and infused the magic-formed rod with magic.

While Ricardo was preparing his magic, the Elbir got up. Marcello and Patrick's magic hit it, but they missed the weak point and did not finish it off.

Multiple wounds appeared on the Elbir's trunk. Ricardo then fired the finishing [Explosive Scatter Lance]. The [Explosive Scatter Lance] hit just below the knot and exploded, scattering fragments. The high-speed fragments cut through the knot, and tree sap oozed out.

"Good, we did it."

The soldiers cheered.

The Elbir they had killed was disassembled by the soldiers. Carrying the materials on their backs, the soldiers looked exhausted but happy to have completed their important task.

On the other hand, Flavio successfully killed the Elbir, but Alessandro failed.

Alessandro and his group engaged in an evenly matched battle with the Elbir. Despite several injuries, they fought hard but ultimately let it escape.

The Elbir might flee if its knot is injured. It seems Alessandro encountered a cowardly Elbir.

Alessandro and his group searched for another Elbir and wandered the mountains until the deadline, but unfortunately, they could not kill one.

Ricardo and the others, who had killed the Elbir early, started their return journey.

As the day grew dark, they set up camp. The three apprentices, feeling a sense of accomplishment, went to bed early.

The next morning, shortly after leaving the campsite, one of the soldiers spotted an Elbir.

"Captain Jacob, what should we do?"

The Elbir did not seem to have noticed them, so a preemptive attack was possible.

"Ricardo will attack first, followed by Marcello and Patrick. If that doesn't finish it, you can use [Fire] magic next."

The soldiers seemed to prioritize bringing back the Elbir's materials safely. Jacob was a steady and wise commander.

Fortunately, Ricardo's first attack hit the Elbir's knot, killing it. Jacob praised Ricardo for his great achievement.

Marcello, who lost his chance, glared at Ricardo, looking unhappy.

Ricardo and the others returned to where the carriage was waiting, loaded the Elbir's materials onto the carriage, and waited for Alessandro and the others to return.

Flavio's group returned two days later, and Alessandro's group returned three days later.

Alessandro and his group returned in a ragged state. They had not killed any prey and looked dejected.

Jacob tried to console them.

"Sometimes things don't go as planned. That's the nature of hunting. Fortunately, our team killed two Elbirs. We've achieved our goal. Let's return to the city with our heads held high."

The soldiers, relieved to hear that the necessary prey had been killed, looked relieved.

Alessandro, however, had a complex expression and listened to the soldiers talking about Ricardo's performance.

When one of the soldiers said, "The apprentice is better than the master," Alessandro's eyes began to burn with anger.

The group, having achieved their goal, returned to the capital.

Back in the capital, Alessandro called Jacob and asked in detail about the magic Ricardo used.

"Hmm, Ricardo used a lot of [Earth] magic?"

Jacob looked puzzled. As Ricardo's master, Alessandro should know his strengths.

Alessandro realized he had misspoken when he saw Jacob's face.

"Ricardo's real strength is [Fire] magic... but since it was a battle in the mountains, he used a lot of [Earth] magic."

Jacob nodded in understanding.

"I see. He used a magic similar to [Flame Soaring Bullet] to drive away the double-horned armored bear in the fall. It must be an intermediate-level magic, but it was impressive."

At that time, Ricardo was only supposed to know basic magic. Alessandro, realizing Ricardo was hiding something, left Jacob and returned home.

At the entrance of his house, he called out for Ricardo, but there was no response. It seemed Ricardo was out.

He went up the stairs to the attic. In the dim room, there was a table that seemed to have been repaired from a broken leg.

He glanced at the bed and noticed a box under it. It was a square wooden box. He pulled it out and opened the lid.

Inside were a stack of papers. Reading them, he realized they were summaries of magic textbooks.

"Hmph, he's been studying diligently."

As he flipped through the papers, he found something different.

"What's this?"

Reading it in detail, Alessandro's face changed.

"T-this... is it a research paper on a new magic? Did Ricardo write this?"

It was a paper on a [Fire] and [Water] composite magic that Ricardo named [Molten Flame Bullet].

At first, he thought someone else might have written it, but the handwriting matched the summaries of the textbooks. It was definitely written by Ricardo.

"Unbelievable... a nine-year-old child shouldn't be able to write something like this. Is he a genius?"

Alessandro was not surprised for nothing. The research paper was logically sound and could be considered a high-level research paper.

Reading the entire paper, he realized it was unfinished. The catalyst ratio and conclusion were incomplete.

However, with a little more work, it would be a fully functional paper.

"If I submit this to the Magician Association, Ricardo will be recognized as a magician."

Massimo came to mind. Even from a parent's perspective, he was not stupid. However, he was slower in advancing in magic compared to other apprentices.

Alessandro did not think Massimo lacked magical talent. As his son, he must have talent; it was just taking longer to develop.

Massimo was scheduled to go to the capital with the group delivering the Elbir's catalyst to take the magician certification exam. It was his third attempt, and he was worried about the outcome.

"This can be used. If I submit this paper under Massimo's name, he will be recognized as a magician."

Alessandro, gripping the research paper, was convinced. To do this, he needed to take the paper from Ricardo.