Chapter 7

The next morning, when Ricardo arrived in front of the Viscount's Delbrueck Castle, about twenty soldiers were packing up. A man who seemed to be a commander, giving orders to the soldiers, approached him.

"Hey, kid. This isn't a place for a novice monster hunter."

Ricardo was dressed the same way he was when he went into the mixed forest, holding a shield, a war pick on his belt, and a backpack on his back. It was no wonder he was mistaken for a monster hunter.

"I'm an apprentice magician," Ricardo replied.

"You're a new face. Are you Alessandro's?"

"Yes, I'm Ricardo, his apprentice."

The man who called out to Ricardo was Jacobo Cornelio, the viscount's confidant and the commander of the guard, who was in charge of the hunt for the demon tree. He was a heavyset man in his late thirties, resembling a heavyweight professional wrestler. He was puzzled by the strange apprentice magician who had appeared.

"Alessandro is quite a character," a voice came from behind Ricardo. Turning around, he saw a tall man with sharp eyes, wearing a robe. He had a belt pouch similar to the one Alessandro wore.

"Who are you?"

"I'm the magician Flavio. I'm sure I was only included to make up the numbers. Just stay out of the way in the back."

Behind Flavio were two boys, about five years older than Ricardo, wearing the same belt pouches. They probably contained catalysts. They didn't seem to be full-fledged magicians, as they wore short robes that only reached their thighs and had no weapons, suggesting they fought using only magic.

"You're called Ricardo, right? For a magician, you don't have a catalyst pouch," Flavio remarked.

A catalyst pouch apparently referred to a belt pouch. Ricardo blushed, feeling mocked. Neither Alessandro nor Massimo had told him. It seemed that the two of them had only taken him on as an apprentice to participate in the demon tree hunt. Ricardo realized that his master and fellow apprentice had no serious intention of training him as a magician.

"Are you Flavio's apprentices?"

The two boys proudly puffed out their chests and nodded.

"I'm Benito, a third-year apprentice magician," the tall, thin boy with a red nose introduced himself.

"Hey, why are you introducing yourself to someone like him? He won't be of any use in the demon tree hunt anyway," the boy with the monkey face said harshly. Ricardo later learned that the boy's name was Marcello, a fourth-year apprentice magician and Flavio's son.

In addition to these two, there were two more apprentice magicians participating: Ivan and Patrick, apprentices of the magician Eduardo. Ivan was a quiet boy, while Patrick was a young man who spoke with a Nagoya accent. To clarify, it wasn't a real Nagoya accent, but the intonation was similar. In this country, one is considered an adult at the age of fifteen. Patrick was seventeen, the oldest among the apprentice magicians.

"Are you called Ricardo? When did you become an apprentice?"

"Two months ago."

Patrick looked surprised.

"...Alessandro is... a terrifying person."

Patrick realized that Alessandro had taken Ricardo on as an apprentice solely to create a record of sending an apprentice to the demon tree hunt. He felt sorry for Ricardo.

"Can you use magic yet?"

"Just a little of the basic spells."

"From Alessandro?"

"Yeah, I guess."

His vague answer made Marcello interject.

"Probably just 'Ignite' and 'Flame Dart.' Those can be practiced with cheap charcoal."

Half right. 'Ignite' and 'Flame Dart' seemed to be the first spells a beginner magician learned.

"Let me tell you, you can't use fire magic in the mountains. If you brought cheap charcoal, throw it away."

Marcello warned. When Ricardo looked troubled, Patrick defended him.

"You can't help it if you didn't know."

Ricardo shook his head.

"I knew. But if I'm about to be killed, I'll use it."

Marcello and Patrick were surprised, their faces showing it.

"I told you, you can't use fire magic."

Marcello's voice contained a hint of anger.

"Are you saying it's okay to die but not to start a forest fire? Or that the demon tree Elbir will escape?"

"We're going to hunt the demon tree Elbir for the viscount. Why would we let it escape?"

"Of course, I'll try not to use it. But if my life or someone else's is in danger, I won't hesitate. I don't want to die."

During the hunt last spring, two apprentice magicians died and three soldiers were seriously injured. They might not have died if they had used fire magic.

"Interesting, Alessandro has a unique apprentice," Jacobo, who had been listening, said. Jacobo had also been in charge of the spring hunt, where he felt responsible for the casualties and considered resigning. However, the viscount persuaded him to continue, and he swore to God that there would be no more casualties in the next hunt. It's no wonder he found Ricardo's words intriguing.

With everyone assembled for the demon tree hunt, Jacobo gave the signal to depart. The magicians and apprentices traveled by carriage. They would ride the carriage to the edge of the mountain near the hunting grounds and then walk into the mountains. Soldiers were positioned to protect the magicians and apprentices as they walked along the mountain path. The mountain was said to be home to various monsters in addition to the demon tree Elbir.

One of the soldiers asked Ricardo, "You're a magician's apprentice, right? Why are you dressed like a monster hunter?"

"If other monsters attack besides the demon tree Elbir, I'll fight with this," Ricardo showed his war pick and buckler.

"Are you not going to use magic?"

"Catalysts are too precious."

Ordinary magicians didn't fight minor enemies; that was the soldiers' job. The soldiers were armed with short spears and knives, though two of them carried bows.

After climbing a bit up the mountain path, two Horn Wolves appeared. The soldiers stepped forward, spears at the ready. They were about the size of large dogs, with brown fur and a rifle-bullet-sized horn on their foreheads.

"We'll surround and kill them."

The wolves attacked the soldiers, trying to knock them down with growls. While ordinary wolves would choose to flee, these monsters chose to fight, driven by an extraordinary combat instinct.

The magicians and apprentices had taken out small wooden cylinders from their catalyst pouches, preparing to cast spells. They seemed ready to act if the wolves broke through the soldiers' formation.

Within minutes, the wolves were bleeding and lying on the ground.

"Strip the horns and let's move on," Jacobo ordered. The soldiers stripped the horns and continued their journey, apparently targeting only the demon tree Elbir. The mountain seemed to be teeming with monsters. Demon-faced Rats and Headbutt Rabbits were everywhere, and the soldiers eliminated all of them on the mountain path.

However, when they encountered a group of about twenty Demon-faced Rats, the soldiers' formation was broken, and the rats attacked the apprentice magicians. Marcello used a catalyst made from the powdered bones of a Blood Smoke Bird's wings to cast a spell.

"Shena Brid Win."

It was a wind-based spell, 'Wind Slash.' Marcello's magic power glowed purple, forming a vortex with the catalyst and flying as a blade of air. The slightly purple, glowing air blade flew at the Demon-faced Rats, severing their heads.

The Demon-faced Rat that attacked Patrick was cut in half by his water-based spell, 'Flowing Blade.'

"Amazing!"

Ricardo was impressed by the power of the spells. However, he didn't have time to be amazed, as a Demon-faced Rat attacked him. He blocked it with his buckler and finished it off with his war pick, a familiar combat pattern that ended the rat's life instantly.

Jacobo clicked his tongue at the soldiers' poor performance. His job included ensuring the magicians didn't waste catalysts until the battle with the demon tree. Considering this, the response to the group of Demon-faced Rats was a failure. However, seeing the new apprentice magician defeat a Demon-faced Rat, he hoped other magicians would respond similarly. Demon-faced Rats were minor enemies, and with a little training, the magicians could defeat them with weapons, not just magic. He felt like complaining that they could be defeated without using catalysts.

Ricardo defeated another Demon-faced Rat with his war pick. That ended the rat attack. As the soldiers stripped the rats' fangs, Ricardo did the same with the one he had killed. In this hunt, those who killed monsters other than the demon tree Elbir were allowed to keep the fangs.

While stripping the fangs, Marcello approached.

"Hmph, for a magician's apprentice, you're using such weapons."

Ricardo bristled at the mocking tone.

"Do you really need magic for something like a Demon-faced Rat?"

He retorted sarcastically, then regretted it. Since taking over Ricardo's body, he had been responding without thinking, unlike the cautious man he used to be. Magician Flavio glared at him.

"You're quite bold for Alessandro's apprentice, who only talks."

Flavio despised Alessandro, who didn't emphasize practical training. He thought Alessandro's apprentice would be someone who only crammed with knowledge, but was surprised to find him practical. However, it wasn't the way a magician should think. Magicians believed in solving everything with magic.

An awkward atmosphere spread among the magicians and apprentices.

"I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologize. There's no set way for magicians to fight. However, it's said that magic power dislikes iron, so magicians don't use iron weapons."

Ricardo realized this. However, he didn't remember his magic power weakening when he used his war pick.

"Let's go," Jacobo called, and they resumed their climb up the mountain path. The demon tree's habitat was on the mountain's mid-slope, where coniferous trees were abundant. As they approached, the weather turned ominous, the sky covered in dark clouds, and the wind turned cold.

Patrick approached.

"Best to ignore Marcello."

"I couldn't help but retort."

"He's always saying things to provoke. Just grit your teeth and ignore him, or he'll keep harassing you."

Marcello seemed to have a problematic personality.

"I'll be careful. By the way, do magicians not use weapons?"

"Almost no magicians use iron weapons."

Ricardo asked if there were magicians who used other weapons.

"Some use wooden staves or rods. Special materials can make them as strong as steel swords."

These expensive weapons, when infused with magic power, became as sturdy as steel rods and could inflict damage with some kind of shockwave. Perhaps they didn't require catalysts. It seemed worth trying.