Chapter 63

Since the day Greta became Isarco's apprentice, she began visiting Ricardo's laboratory every three days.

If she came to learn magic, Ricardo had told her to come in the morning, so Greta would come to the laboratory at the time Ricardo arrived at the Magic Guild.

"Greetings, Master Ricardo."

"Good morning."

"Good morning, Monta."

Monta, who had been drawing a surreal picture that rivaled Picasso's, looked up from the paper on the desk.

"Good morning, Greta."

Greta, curious about the picture Monta was drawing, asked,

"Are you drawing an Ubatar?"

An Ubatar is a bird similar to a turkey.

"No...Rica."

"Huh?"

Ricardo was shocked to learn the truth and was taken aback.

"Yes, I'm drawing Master Ricardo. It's good, isn't it?"

Ricardo smiled wryly, noticing Greta's bright face.

"Have you managed to release magical power yet?"

"Yes, I managed to do it last night."

Greta answered and demonstrated by moving the magical power from her right palm to her left.

"It's been eighteen days since you started practicing magical power control. They say it usually takes at least a month, so you might have a talent for magic."

"That would be wonderful."

Greta had already memorized the contents of the 'Self-Study Magic Textbook.' When the Marquis Boniperti learned this, he bought her three magic textbooks: 'Basic Concepts of Magic,' 'Catalyst Theory in Magic,' and 'Fundamentals of Magic Language.'

The studious Greta read these three books and expressed dissatisfaction.

"Why are the magic textbooks written like this? I wish they were as easy to understand as the 'Self-Study Magic Textbook.'"

"No, the general way to write magic textbooks is like 'Basic Concepts of Magic.' The 'Self-Study Magic Textbook' is a new, easier-to-understand version."

Greta understood but didn't seem convinced.

"Shall we try a lower-level magic spell next?"

Greta looked worried.

"Is it okay?"

"Lower-level magic is fine as long as you can control magical power a little."

Ricardo taught Greta basic magic spells like 'Ignition,' 'Summon Water,' 'Breeze,' and 'Flying Pebbles,' and had her practice them.

She failed a few times, but with Ricardo's guidance, she managed to successfully cast 'Ignition' and 'Summon Water' by the end of the day.

Greta, who had successfully cast magic for the first time, blushed and seemed excited.

Ricardo thought it would be better to stop further magic training for now, as Greta had a small amount of magical power.

"Aren't you feeling a bit tired?"

Greta tried to deny it but realized her body felt heavy.

"Now that you mention it, my body feels heavy."

"You're running out of magical power. Let's continue next time."

"...Yes."

Greta replied, sounding disappointed.

"Instead, I'll teach you a meditation technique that helps recover magical power. Try it out."

Greta smiled happily at this.

"Thank you."

Ricardo taught Greta a probing meditation technique. Ricardo practiced meditation daily and had developed a deep understanding of it, covering everything from posture and breathing techniques to mental aspects.

Of course, those without a source gate couldn't recover magical power immediately, but after meditating for about ten minutes, they could recover their magical power in about four hours by resting without using it.

Meditation seemed to put them in a state where magical power was easier to recover.

However, the four-hour recovery time was only possible when the amount of magical power and meditation proficiency were balanced. If the amount of magical power to be recovered was large and the meditation proficiency was low, it would take longer.

Ricardo instructed Greta to consume magical power through magic or magical power control training three times a day—early morning, noon, and before bed—and then meditate to recover it.

This was a training method to increase Greta's magical power through the recovery process.

The fastest way to increase magical power would be to slay magic beasts, but it wasn't appropriate to take a noble's daughter on such expeditions.

After Greta left, Ricardo, alone in the laboratory, compiled his unique theories written in the 'Self-Study Magic Textbook' into a paper.

The theory was about the relationship between magical power and the human body.

People in this world believed that magical power floated in the air, which Ricardo also considered a reasonable assumption.

It was said that humans absorbed magical power along with the air and stored it in their hearts.

Ricardo had doubts about this and hypothesized that magical power was stored in the lungs. When he tried to control magical power with the image of it flowing out of his lungs, he felt it moved more smoothly than when he assumed it was stored in his heart, and he compiled this into a paper.

When the draft of the paper was completed, the servant Robson visited.

"Master Ricardo, a messenger from Master Bernardo says he wants you to come to the store."

Robson relayed Bernardo's message.

"Thank you. ...I wonder what it's about."

Ricardo decided to clean up the paper the next day and went to Bernardo's store with Monta.

When they arrived, Bernardo was waiting.

"Ricardo, I've been waiting for you."

"Bern."

Monta called out to Bernardo, asserting his presence.

"Is Monta with you? I got some delicious nuts, so I'll bring them later."

Monta was pleased.

When Ricardo asked about the matter, Bernardo said,

"Do you know about coal?"

"Yes, I know about it, but what about it?"

"The royal family is considering granting the mining rights of the Parente coalfield to major merchants in the capital, and it seems the Milan Financial Group, my main family, is starting to move to acquire them."

The Mikelotti family, Bernardo's lineage, had established the Milan Product Transportation Company, which transported goods produced in various territories of the kingdom to all parts of the country, accumulating wealth.

Currently, Bernardo's nephew was the head of the main Mikelotti family and had asked the branch family, Bernardo, to invest in the Parente coalfield mining project.

Ricardo tilted his head.

"I don't know much about coal."

"No, I called you to ask what you know about the armored mountain cats, ground-running spiders, and death oaks living in the Parente Highlands."

Ricardo shared the information he knew about these magic beasts with Bernardo.

"I see, armored mountain cats and ground-running spiders can be hunted with weapons."

"Yes, but it's difficult to defeat the death oaks."

The death oaks were protected by bark that had transformed into scales, making them almost invulnerable to anything but powerful 'Fire' magic.

Moreover, the two branches called scale-tooth whips, which grew from the barrel-like trunk, were powerful weapons. Enemies struck by the scale-tooth whips suffered deep wounds and bled to death.

"Can a magic cannon staff be used to defeat a death oak?"

After thinking for a while, Ricardo answered Bernardo's question.

"Maybe, if it can reproduce upper-level intermediate magic."

Ricardo recalled Isarco's test of the magic cannon staff, which had reproduced the 'Earth' magic 'Scattering Spear.' The magic released from the staff had shattered a board into pieces, suggesting that if it hit the tumor on the death oak's trunk, it could defeat it.

"The problem is if the death oaks attack in a group. ...Would the steel scorpion's poison be effective?"

"Whether the arrows can pierce the scale-like bark. If not, only magic will work."

Ricardo thought a magic-powered rifle might work but required a large magic-powered vine, which was not easy to make.

"I want to try the poison. Can you give me some?"

Ricardo divided the remaining steel scorpion poison into another bottle and gave it to Bernardo, who paid a considerable amount as the price, knowing how valuable it was.

Igor Mikelotti, the head of the main Mikelotti family and the leader of the Milan Financial Group, bought the mining rights to the Parente coalfield, gathered coal miners and guards, and sent them to the Parente Highlands.

The leader of this group was Igor's younger brother, Lambert.

"Why do I have to go through such trouble?"

Complaining, he moved eastward through the Parente Highlands.

The landscape was a vast grassland with small forests scattered here and there. The group of about fifty people consisted of forty coal miners and ten guards, including three magicians.

Lambert, a young man in his late twenties with a plump build, was wiping sweat from his forehead while looking at a map on horseback.

"It should be around here..."

They saw a landscape with numerous small ponds.

Upon arriving at the Parente coalfield, the group set up tents after a short rest.

They would live and work here until they extracted the target amount of coal.

Life and work here were harsh, as ground-running spiders would approach and try to stab with their venomous fangs at any moment, leaving no room for relaxation.

After four days of repelling magic beasts and mining coal, they had extracted about seventy percent of the target amount when one of the guards noticed a death oak swaying and walking towards them from a distance.

"Trouble, it's a death oak."

Lambert confirmed that it was only one death oak and ordered the guards to repel it.

"First, let's see if the poison arrows can pierce it."

One of the guards took out a bow, nocked a poison arrow, and drew it. The next moment, the arrow was released and flew towards the death oak.

The poison arrow bounced off the trunk.

"Damn, Bernardo's poison doesn't work."

A magician approached the frustrated Lambert.

"It seems it's our turn."

Lambert ordered the magicians to defeat the death oak.

The three magicians began their preparations, apparently planning to cast their spells from different directions.

The three magicians almost simultaneously cast 'Scattering Spear.'

The first Scattering Spear missed and passed to the left of the death oak, the second was deflected and shattered by the scale-tooth whip.

The last Scattering Spear hit the trunk and exploded.

However, it didn't hit the tumor on the tree liver, so it wasn't defeated.

Lambert, growing anxious, watched the death oak approaching.

"Trouble, a group is coming."

One of the coal miners shouted. Lambert, looking behind the injured death oak, saw a group of about ten approaching.

"Retreat. Magicians, defeat it!"

Lambert put the extracted coal into a storage crystal and approached his horse.

At that moment, an armored mountain cat leaped out from the side bushes and scratched Lambert's face with its sharp claws.

"Ah!"

The guard, alerted by the scream, rushed over.

The guard drew his sword and slashed at the armored mountain cat. The cat's fur was thick and steel-like, deflecting the sword's strike.

The guard changed his strategy to thrusting with the tip of the sword. Another guard with a spear also rushed to help, and the armored mountain cat was defeated.

Lambert was bleeding from his face and screaming.

With the group of death oaks approaching, there was no time to treat his wounds. The guards lifted Lambert onto a horse and left the mining site.

The group, fleeing from the coalfield, reached the edge of the plateau.

There, they finally treated Lambert's wounds. However, the treatment was delayed, leaving a scar on his face.

"Lambert, it seems we escaped from the group of death oaks. Let's spend a day here and then return."

The guard's words made Lambert angry.

"Don't be ridiculous. Why do we have to return?"

"But we haven't reached the target amount of coal."

"If you want to go, go by yourselves."

In the end, they decided to return.

The group, returning from the plateau to the capital, went to the Milan Product Transportation Company and handed over the extracted coal to Igor, the head of the main Mikelotti family.

Lambert, with a scar on his face, spat out,

"I'm never going back to the Parente coalfield."

Igor glared at Lambert coldly and silently checked the quality of the coal.

"The quality is good, but the quantity is a problem. Why didn't you reach the target amount?"

Lambert, unable to withstand the pressure in Igor's gaze, averted his eyes.

"Death oaks. A group attacked us."

"That was expected. The plan was to retreat and then return to resume mining."

"Look at my face. I was injured."

Igor sighed, seeing the ugly scratch on his brother's face.

"Enough. I was foolish to expect anything from you."

Lambert's face turned red with anger.

"What do you mean? I worked hard even though I was injured."

Igor dismissed his brother and ordered a servant to call Bernardo.

When Bernardo arrived a while later, they started talking in the reception room.

"Uncle, have you heard about the Parente coalfield?"

Igor, the leader of the Milan Financial Group, had been taught his duties by Bernardo, the only person he couldn't stand up to.

"Lambert returned safely, didn't he?"

Bernardo, slightly on guard, replied to his nephew Igor.

"However, Lambert failed."

"Wasn't he too hasty? He should have taken more time to plan before setting out."

Igor's face turned stern.

"I sent him with sufficient guards. What more could have been done?"

"The poison I provided for the death oaks didn't work with a regular bow, right?"

"That's right."

"Didn't you think a regular bow might not penetrate the death oak's bark? Yet you did nothing about it."

"..."

Igor, hit where it hurt, looked regretful and then smiled slyly.

"It was my mistake. ...So, I'll leave the next mining operation to you, Uncle."

Bernardo was surprised by Igor's unexpected counterattack.

"Why should it be me? This is a situation where the young and wise should come up with solutions."

"No, I want to see an example from someone with rich life experience. I'm asking you as the leader."

Bernardo, though reluctant, was forced to accept. In return, he secured the right to sell twenty percent of the extracted coal.

Back home, Bernardo pondered what to do.

"No choice. I'll consult with Lord Isarco, Emilia, and Ricardo."

2017/12/10 Typo correction

2018/2/3 Typo correction