Chapter 4

Ricardo, even after becoming a disciple, found that his treatment did not change. He was still not freed from cleaning and other chores.

The only thing that changed was that he was allowed to read the magic textbook.

He understood that Alessandro was thinking of sacrificing himself instead of Massimo.

He had no intention of being sacrificed. To achieve this, he needed to learn enough magic to counter the demonic tree, Elbir.

He had already mastered the basic levels of fire, wind, water, and life magic.

Even at the basic level, these were lower-tier spells that did not include offensive magic.

The effective magic against the demonic tree was fire, but the purpose of hunting was to obtain the catalyst. Burning it would be unwise.

However, without a reliable method to repel it, it would be dangerous. Offensive fire magic included spells like Fireball, which threw a ball of fire at the enemy, and spells that functioned like flamethrowers.

The demonic tree Elbir hated fire and would flee, so using these spells could repel it. However, capturing it would be difficult as it could run very fast despite being a tree.

For now, he learned the Fireball-like spell, Flame Soaring Bullet. The catalyst was cheap charcoal. He couldn't afford expensive catalysts with his limited funds.

Thinking to try out the Flame Soaring Bullet, he headed towards the river on the east side of town. The river was about twenty meters wide, and there was no one on the riverbank. This place would allow him to practice magic without being seen.

Ricardo extended his right hand forward and released magic power from his palm. Next, he sprinkled the powdered charcoal from a wooden tube over the glowing white magic power. The catalyst was drawn towards the magic power and swirled around it.

"Fana Spellogoma"

The catalyst turned into gray dust and disappeared, and the magic power transformed into a swirling flame the size of a softball. In the next instant, the flame burst out, colliding with the center of the river and exploding.

The explosion echoed, and water splashed high into the air.

"Ahahaha... it worked."

The power was probably equivalent to a full swing with a bat. He had used about 20% of his magic power. He could cast five in a row before his magic power was depleted.

His magic power seemed to recover to about half in about three hours. According to the book, his magic power was average.

Being born on Earth didn't make him special.

He tried a few more times, but the power didn't change. This power was far from enough to defeat the demonic tree Elbir.

"How can I increase the power? Should I raise the temperature of the flame?"

He had started talking to himself more often because he spent a lot of time alone.

"Maybe I need to change the catalyst."

The charcoal he was using was made by crushing ordinary charcoal from the mansion. He saw the used charcoal on the ground. It seemed not all the catalyst was consumed.

"What a waste."

He refilled the empty wooden tube with the fallen charcoal. The cap was a cork. These cork-topped tubes were sold by catalyst shops and came in nine sizes, from No. 1 to No. 9. The size of the tube varied depending on the amount of catalyst needed for the magic and the quality of the catalyst. No. 1 was the smallest, about the size of a pistol cartridge, and No. 9 was the largest, about the size of a 100 ml energy drink.

For the advanced basic spell Flame Soaring Bullet, using cheap charcoal required the amount that fit in an No. 8 tube. This was stated in the textbook's "Theory of Catalysts in Magic."

Cheap charcoal was an eighth-grade catalyst, so even for an advanced basic spell, a large amount was needed.

After a short break to recover some magic power, he decided to practice a bit more.

He released magic power and sprinkled the catalyst. The catalyst, which should have swirled around the magic power, fell to the ground.

"What's going on?"

He looked at the catalyst tube. It was the one he had refilled with the fallen charcoal. He alternated his gaze between the empty tube and the fallen charcoal, thinking.

"I see, not all of the catalyst contains the necessary elements."

He recalled how the catalyst swirled around the glowing white magic power. It seemed that some of the catalyst was just impurities, not containing the necessary elements.

Removing the impurities might improve the catalyst's quality.

The problem was how to remove the impurities. It was known that catalysts were drawn to magic power, but contact with magic power would alter the catalyst, making it unusable.

"Can't be done. If it were easy, someone would have already done it."

Deciding to think about the catalyst problem later, he resumed practicing fire magic.

Ancient magicians had tried to increase the power of the basic spell "Fana Spellogoma" by adding something to the incantation.

For example, they inserted "Scalde" to compress the magic power between "Fana" and "Spellogoma," or "Brid" to shape it into a blade.

There were some results, but the differences in power were minimal.

Ricardo also thought about it.

He tried inserting "Lumes," which meant to spiral.

"Fana Lumes Spellogoma"

The ball of fire spiraled and formed a spear-like shape before flying and exploding on the river surface.

"The shape changed. Interesting. But the power didn't change much."

He took out his magic notebook and reread the section summarizing the key points of "The Basics of Magic Language." The magic words were written in Optul letters.

He was drawn to "Lapiselavon," which meant to shine like the sun.

He tried it out.

"Fana Lapiselavon Spellogoma"

The catalyst swirling around the magic power turned gray, and a dazzling ball of light was born and burst. However, the ball of light disappeared after flying about two meters.

"Disappeared... Ow!"

The moment the ball of light was born, he felt intense heat. His palm was hot and painful. He seemed to have burned himself. Ricardo put his hand in the river to cool it down.

He waited for the pain to subside by cooling his hand with cold water.

"Why did it disappear... Maybe I didn't have enough magic power."

The heat contained in that light was considerable. It was possible that he didn't have enough magic power to successfully cast that spell.

If he could increase his magic power a bit more... But, using it once and running out of magic power isn't good. Plus, getting burned every time he used magic wouldn't work.

Had other magicians tried the magic word "Lapiselavon"?

They had, but they couldn't achieve the same power as Ricardo. The image of the sun that other magicians associated with "Lapiselavon" was a warm, cozy existence, not a scorching one with a surface temperature of about 6000 degrees.

The difference in perception seemed to affect the magic.

Even if the power was a bit lower, was there something else? He flipped through his magic notebook, searching for magic words written in Optul letters.

The 278 magic words listed in "The Basics of Magic Language" were from the foundational section of the "Great System of Magic" written by the sage Manuel, and it was said that magicians should memorize them.

After looking through them multiple times, the magic word "Ganubador" caught his eye. It was described as something that harbors anger at the bottom of the earth.

At first, he didn't understand, but the hint about the bottom of the earth made him realize it might be magma.

"I should try it out."

He sprinkled the last of the catalyst he brought, confirmed that it swirled around the magic power, and cast the spell.

"Fana Ganubador Spellogoma"

A flame was born, condensed, and tried to turn into magma, but the transformation stopped and it disappeared.

"Failed... What went wrong? Is the combination of magic words impossible? Or is there a problem with the catalyst...?"

If the combination of magic words was impossible, it would be fundamentally flawed. He tried to improve the catalyst. Since "Ganubador" meant something that harbors anger at the bottom of the earth, he used both fire and earth catalysts.

The result was a failure. The flame lost its momentum and disappeared more quickly than when using only the fire catalyst.

As a last resort, he tried using both fire and water catalysts.

"Fana Ganubador Spellogoma"

A basketball-sized flame was born and began to condense. When it reached the size of a softball, an orange, magma-like spherical object appeared at the center. In the next instant, it burst forth and hit the river surface. The magma caused a massive explosion upon impact. The temperature of the magma was about 1000 degrees, not much different from ordinary flames, but the amount of heat it retained was significantly greater.

He made a victory pose and cheered. Despite being in his forties, he felt like a young boy.

"This is incredibly exciting. Fun... But why did it work with the fire and water catalysts?"

He felt short of breath. This was a sign that his magic power was depleted.

He decided to name the spell he had just completed "Molten Flame Bullet" and returned to the mansion that day.

As soon as he returned, he was called by Massimo.

"What were you doing?"

"Yes, I was practicing the magic as you instructed."

Massimo frowned, seemingly displeased. He was unhappy that Ricardo was studying magic to go on a dangerous hunt in his place.

For Massimo, studying magic was a privilege and a source of pride. The fact that a small boy from the countryside was learning magic was not to his liking.

"Have you mastered magic power control?"

"I have."

"What?!"

Massimo was greatly surprised. It had taken him three months to master magic power control, yet Ricardo had done it in less than a month.

Jealous of Ricardo, Massimo gave him only one of the five silver coins Alessandro had entrusted him to give to Ricardo.

"Use that to buy catalysts."

Ricardo took the silver coin and thanked him. One silver coin wouldn't buy a good catalyst. Massimo smiled with a malicious look.

"Use that to buy catalysts and do your best."

Alessandro had instructed Massimo to teach Ricardo magic, but Massimo hardly did so.

Meanwhile, Alessandro returned to Delb Castle and headed to the dining room used by the castle's officers.

The castle, a rare stone building in the town, was a sturdy structure combining cylindrical towers and stone walls. The inside of the cylindrical tower was a spiral staircase leading to the second floor.

In the dining room, magician Flavio was eating. He looked more like a warrior than a magician, tall with a well-trained physique visible through his clothes.

"Alessandro, are you participating in the autumn hunt?"

Flavio, skilled in fire and wind magic, had a combat-obsessed personality and looked forward to the annual hunt.

Many magicians brought their apprentice magicians to the mountain hunt, but Flavio, who enjoyed actual combat, eagerly participated.

"No, I won't."

"Then, are you sending your son?"

"No. I took on a disciple this year. I'll send him."

Flavio snorted.

"Hmph, will a beginner be of any use?"

"Be quiet, it's none of your business."

Alessandro showed his displeasure and glared at Flavio. Flavio continued his questions calmly.

"How old is the beginner?"

"About nine, I believe."

"Come on, that's a joke. He'll just get in the way."

"He's from a remote rural area. He won't be a burden."

"What about his magic?"

Alessandro's face twitched.

"He has decent talent. Don't worry."

Flavio noticed Alessandro's unease. Something was up.

"You know, the spring hunt was a failure. If we don't get the demonic tree this time, the viscount will be embarrassed."

The spring hunt had been a disaster, with many casualties and the target escaping.

The only offering they could present was the leftover charcoal from the demonic tree Elbir from the previous year. They had used up all the remaining charcoal. The viscount had ordered them to capture the demonic tree Elbir by autumn.

2017/2/7 Typo corrections