Chapter 10

"Finally, I've met someone who resonates with me. What's your name?"

The day after I heard the story about the speaking dead from my father, I entered the forest as usual and was spoken to by a person in their early thirties with pale skin.

"My name is Alfred Reinford. In life, I was a court magician for the Margrave of Blichreiter."

This person who suddenly spoke to me turned out to be the speaking dead mentioned in the story. Moreover, he didn't trigger my detection magic at all, and since I was looking down to gather items, my heart was pounding.

"It seems I startled you. I got a bit too excited meeting someone who resonates with me. I'm sorry."

This gentleman, with his good looks, polite demeanor, and charming name, bowed apologetically to me, who was surprised. He was such a good man that if I were a woman, I might have fallen for him.

If it weren't for his pale skin, he would have been perfect, but that paleness was a characteristic of the speaking dead, so it couldn't be helped.

"You seem to be quite skilled at detection magic for your age. In fact, you could be considered a rare talent. By the way, I didn't trigger your detection magic, but it's not because undead creatures don't trigger it. It's because I'm an expert at masking detection magic."

"Amazing magic."

"Yes, it is. There are probably only ten people on this continent who can use it. Of course, I plan to teach it to you."

"Wait, what?"

I couldn't help but make a strange sound at the sudden proposal from the speaking dead.

"Have you heard about how to help the speaking dead move on?"

"Yes, it's about fulfilling their wishes."

"My wish is to find a disciple to whom I can pass on the magic I've learned over these thirty years. You have a strong affinity for magic and have succeeded in achieving near-expert level through self-study. While magic mastery is mostly achieved through self-study, if you learn some tips from me for a week, your progress will be much faster."

After this conversation, I became the disciple of Alfred Reinford, the former court magician of the Margrave of Blichreiter.

In the morning, after a simple martial arts training, I headed deep into the forest, where my master, who had prepared game and collected items to deceive my family, was waiting with a smile.

This was to allocate as much time as possible for magic training during hunting and gathering.

"But it's amazing."

"Being able to use magic is indeed amazing. It ensures you won't lack for a living."

Indeed, my master was skillfully using magic to catch quick creatures like Holoholo birds. Moreover, he had already mastered the magic for my crossbow in no time.

"Let's start, then."

"What will we do first?"

"Um, a training method called 'vessel matching.'"

I, who had been self-taught, didn't know this, but it was apparently a method to rapidly increase one's magic power in a short period. We would form a circle by holding each other's hands and gradually circulate a large amount of magic power through our bodies. The person with less magic power would then match the amount of the person with more.

"However, this is a matter of potential. The maximum magic power is predetermined, so it won't increase beyond that."

In other words, if a person with 10 magic power and a person with 100 magic power did vessel matching, theoretically, the person with 10 would reach 100. But if their maximum magic power was 10, they wouldn't grow, and if it was 30, they would only reach 30. Even if it was 200, they would only reach 100. So, this wasn't an excuse to slack off in training.

"Still, I have ten times more magic power than you. It should be very helpful for you, whose magic power is still growing."

"Is it safe to suddenly increase magic power like that?"

"Hahaha, you won't burst. However, if a person with low maximum magic power is suddenly flooded with a large amount of magic power, they might experience magic intoxication and feel unwell for two to three days. It's not life-threatening, though."

While listening to this explanation, my master and I held hands. His hands were a bit cold, as he was dead.

Then, we closed our eyes, generated magic power, and imagined flowing it into each other's magic reservoirs through the connected hands.

Gradually, I could feel a vast amount of magic power flowing from my master's hands.

"Wow, this is more than I expected."

We stayed in this state for about ten minutes, but suddenly the flow of magic power stopped.

"Alright, the vessel matching is done."

When the ritual ended and we let go of each other's hands, my master looked at me with shining eyes.

"Indeed, as I expected. Your magic power is now on par with mine. However, this isn't your limit. You have the potential to become a great magician whose name will go down in history."

"Really?"

"I guarantee it. You can become a magician who surpasses me. Just don't get complacent and continue to train diligently."

For the next week, I continued to receive detailed magic training from my master. While I couldn't practice advanced combat magic over a wide area, my master said I could do this later in a place where no one was around. So, I focused on training in other difficult and special magic.

"Master, what is that stick?"

"It's the hilt of a magic sword I made."

"Can you make magic tools?"

"Only simple ones."

According to books, only magicians with special talents could make magic tools. However, my master said this wasn't entirely accurate.

"There are two types of magic tools."

He showed me a book titled "How to Make Magic Tools and Their Design Diagrams."

"The method is as described. As long as you grasp the basics, even a slightly rough construction will work fine."

Indeed, the magic tools in the book were mostly ordinary daily items. The only difference was that they had a grain-sized magic crystal attached.

"That's a very small magic crystal."

"Yes, it's for activation."

In other words, it didn't contain much magic power. It served more as a bypass to connect the magic power flowing from a magician's body to the tool itself.

"Wait, so?"

"These magic tools can only be used by magicians. However, as long as you have magic power, you can activate magic you can't use yourself. Most magicians have multiple ones, and many can make them."

On the other hand, the magic tools that couldn't be made by many magicians were those with large magic crystals that acted like batteries. These could be used by anyone, even those who couldn't use magic, and were highly versatile.

"However, it's not just a matter of attaching a large magic crystal. If you attach it carelessly, the tool might explode during use. That's why versatile magic tools are expensive."

When the magic crystal's power runs out, it needs to be recharged, which only magicians can do. That's why they don't spread easily.

"Magician-only ones are easy for you to make."

"I see, that's how it works. By the way, about that sword..."

"It can be used against monsters. It's a magic tool that emits attribute magic from the blade."

He then made a pale blue flame about one and a half meters long appear from the sword hilt.

"Blue flames are very hot. If you block an attack from this, even a steel sword would melt."

He continued to generate ice, wind, and even rock blades from the hilt.

"Many monsters have weak attributes. For those weak against fire, use a fire blade; for those weak against water, use an ice blade; and for those weak against earth, use a rock blade, which is effective despite its appearance."

After the explanation, I successfully learned how to make these magic tools and the magic crystals to attach to them.

The magic crystals are made from magic stones found in the bodies of monsters. Since there were no monsters in this forest, the materials were provided by my master.

"It doesn't take as long as I thought."

"Basic training doesn't. In real combat, even I can make mistakes."

During this week, I was convinced of my master's exceptional skills. However, even such a skilled magician could easily die in this world.

"Before the power of numbers, individual strength is powerless."

During the magic training, I heard many stories from my master. He was an orphan but had a talent for magic and made a living as an adventurer. He was hired by the Margrave of Blichreiter, but his first major task was to lead an army into the Demon Forest.

"You have bad luck with superiors."

"You know a lot of difficult words for someone so young. In a nutshell, that's true."

Despite his rapid rise, he died soon after. I wondered if he was regretful. As if reading my mind, he continued.

"To say I'm not regretful would be a lie. But I became a speaking dead to find a disciple to whom I could pass on my magic."

"Is that me?"

The more skilled a magician, the more sensitive they are to the presence of other skilled magicians. While magic power is mostly contained within a magician's body and isn't easily detectable, there's a sixth sense that allows them to sense it.

"But I..."

"In your case, there were no magicians around. But from now on, you'll gradually become more sensitive to the presence of other magicians."

My master protected the Margrave of Blichreiter from a horde of monsters in the Demon Forest, killing thousands with magic. However, he ran out of magic power and met an anticlimactic end.

After his death, he became a speaking dead, waiting for a magician to whom he could pass on his skills.

"When I sensed your presence, I was overjoyed. But this enjoyable time is almost over."

Our secret training had already exceeded the planned week and was approaching two weeks. During this time, I prepared lunch to spend as much time as possible with my master in the forest.

My family probably thought I was enjoying hunting and gathering.

"Finally, I want to teach you the special elemental magic 'Holy.'"

The book described 'Holy' as similar to water. It's used by clerics to destroy undead creatures. Even clerics without magical talent can activate it after rigorous training, creating holy water that acts like sulfuric acid on undead creatures or stopping their movements by praying to a cross.

However, it's only effective if the cleric has undergone serious training. The existence of such dedicated clerics is rare.

Many high-ranking clerics in the church, focused on their careers, can't even make holy water, which is a well-known secret.

There are also a few clerics who can use magic, casting light-like spells to heal the cursed, using pure healing magic to treat injuries, temporarily adding the holy attribute to the weapons of church warriors to defeat undead creatures, and using a wide-area holy light spell to destroy groups of zombies.

It's like the holy magic in a certain RPG from my previous life.

"You can definitely master it. And as your final test, I want you to help me move on."

Unusually, my master made this request with a serious expression.