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Episode 14
Richie’s Hideout (3)
Is it because we’ve known each other for thousands of years?
It was their first reunion in 300 years, but there wasn’t much to talk about.
Because of that, we started heading to the training room to practice magic without anyone saying anything first.
How long did it take?
After going through countless rooms, we finally reached our destination.
“This is… … .”
The end of the cave.
There was a huge waterfall flowing.
Inside, there was a wide open space, but its interior was not visible because it was obscured by the waves of the waterfall.
“Isn’t the flow of magic strange?”
Richie continued, laughing heartily.
“This is a space that I have created with great care and dedication over a long period of time together with my teacher.”
“… … .”
“It’s a training room with a distorted time axis.”
* * *
half a year.
It’s a very short time for an apprentice “Apprentice” to catch up with a mid-level wizard “Advanced” .
It was the same even for a genius like Riley.
But what if.
What if the time given to us were quadrupled… …. so, extended to two years?
“… … That doesn’t make sense.”
In the vacant lot.
Riley looked around with a look of disbelief on her face.
All around, golden magic circles were shining at every moment.
High-level techniques that distort the time axis ratio to 1:4.
Thanks to its magical action, four hours here felt like only one hour outside.
“How is this possible?”
[We had quite a bit of trouble, too.]
“That’s right. I’m curious about the principle.”
Hmm.
If I were to explain the principle, it would be a bit complicated.
[It’s roughly inspired by magic spells like “Thought Acceleration” and “Time Confinement”, and applied to specific spatial coordinates, using the waterfall as a medium and the empty space inside it… ]
“Ugh, I don’t understand.”
[Yeah. Let’s just hit it.]
I don’t feel like explaining it either.
It wasn’t important enough to warrant an explanation in the first place.
[anyway.]
Then you must have arrived at the training room.
Now it was time to begin practicing magic in earnest.
[From today on, we will focus on just one magic.]
Our goal from the beginning was to do well in the selection test, and thus catch the eye of Yann Lantes.
The selection test is a competition.
This meant that it was no different from a fight between the test takers.
And on my home planet, Earth, there exists a book that contains the secrets to winning this fight.
It’s called the Art of War.
[There is a saying that if you keep your distance, you will lose a hundred battles.]
If you know your enemy and know yourself, you will not be in danger even if you fight a hundred battles.
[First, Riley, let’s take a look at you.]
Riley was very agile.
The movements she showed in the basement of Rethemis last time are still vivid.
The sight of him easily avoiding traps popping up from all directions.
With that level of kinetic vision and motor skills, Riley should be able to react to most speed magic without a hitch.
[Not only that, you have an incredibly good affinity for mana.]
What is this?
I think I don’t need to explain it any further since I’ve said it enough times.
[In other words, you have two advantages over other wizards.]
Excellent physical ability.
And it even has better mana affinity.
[From now on, we will focus only on these two.]
If Riley can work on both of those strengths over the course of six months of training, she could really explode.
Perhaps even to the point where he could stand up to high-ranking magicians, let alone middle-ranking magicians.
As it turned out, I knew a way to take advantage of both of Riley’s strengths at once.
[Do you know what dispel is?]
“Dispel?”
[huh.]
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Dispell.
Of course, Riley would know this technique too.
After studying at Retemis for a year, it would be more strange not to know about this.
“Isn’t that a spell that dismantles other magic? It’s a spell that dismantles the magic the opponent casts without the need for defense.”
[That’s correct.]
also.
That was the perfect answer.
As Riley said, “Dispel” was a defensive magic that was a counter to the magic used by others.
This meant that we could make fireballs flying towards us disappear into thin air.
[You probably know why I’m telling you to practice this, right?]
“yes.”
Riley nodded in response.
“In the selection test, use “Dispel” to prevent the opponent from using magic. Then, use my physical strength, which is my strength, to drag them into a close combat. Isn’t that what you’re saying?”
[Yeah. That’s it.]
Riley’s mana affinity is unparalleled.
Even mid-level magicians are no match for her.
What if we use that to our advantage, dismantle the magic of the high-ranking magicians, and drag them into a mud fight involving close combat?
The odds were good enough.
What if the opponent has a higher magical level than Riley?
Just disable that magic.
That’s how we were going to deal with the wizards in the selection test that would take place half a year later.
[Then Richie.]
“yes.”
[Please.]
After hearing my words, Richie walked forward. A sinister magical energy began to leak out from his body.
“Wait, no, wait a minute.”
Riley, taken aback by the momentum, began to back away.
“You’re just going to do it right away? You didn’t tell me anything about “Dispel.”
[Didn’t you learn it from Retemis?]
“That’s advanced magic. You learn it in your third year… .”
[okay?]
Then it’s better.
It means that you can explore your own method from the beginning without any foundation.
It’s a method that’s perfect for a genius like Riley.
“No, wait a minute. No matter what… … .”
[Yeah, okay.]
I continued.
[Originally, if you do this a few times, it will increase quickly.]
“……yes?”
* * *
“Uuuuuk… … .”
What the hell.
I just got beaten up.
[… … This isn’t it?]
Riley was lying on the floor after being badly hit by Richie’s magic.
I looked at her like that and was lost in thought for a moment.
What’s the problem? This is the first time this method didn’t work.
I asked Richie.
[If you get hit, won’t your skills improve by leaps and bounds? Because you don’t want to get hit anymore?]
“That’s true.”
[But why is he just standing still?]
Riley just dug for an hour.
I didn’t even have a basic grasp of dispel.
Even though I didn’t teach her anything about “Dispel,” it seemed odd that Riley had made no progress, considering her talents.
“Well, Riley didn’t even try to dispel it. She just ran around dodging the spell for an hour.”
That’s right.
Riley only frantically ran away from the spell Richie unleashed, making no attempt to calmly dispel the attack.
Is there something wrong with the method?
I stared at Riley, questioning my methods.
[… … .]
It’s already been three days since I met that girl.
Although it was only a short time, I had finally figured out her personality.
Riley was a very determined child. She was especially focused when it came to practicing magic, and she was always calm and collected.
And a little bit too much, no… … . It was really really too much.
If there’s anything special about it, it’s that I like lamb skewers and I get seasick? Well, I guess that’s about it.
But one thing is most important.
Riley, she had a huge ego.
It could be said that Riley was extremely reluctant to reveal her weaknesses. In any case, Riley had a great aversion to failure.
The obsession and concentration she displayed while practicing magic were also a manifestation of this aversion.
Because I don’t want to fail the magic.
no.
To be precise.
Because I don’t want others to see me fail.
That’s why Riley gave it her all in every practice.
The effort felt slightly pathological.
In some ways, you could say it was a kind of obsession.
In the Thieves Guild, she couldn’t fail a mission. This psychological pressure that had built up since she was young may still be affecting her to this day.
okay.
perhaps…….
Isn’t it for that reason that you didn’t try to “Dispel” and just ran away?
Are you afraid of failing?
“No.”
“No, Master?”
[… … .]
“I just ran away because I was afraid that it would hurt if I got hit by magic.”
“Is that so, Master?”
[… … .]
No, not that.
* * *
After that, I rested for about 10 more minutes.
By the time Riley had caught her breath,
I calmly began to further explain “Dispel”.
[You probably know the principle of dispel.]
It was very simple.
It’s over if you dig into the source of the spell your opponent is casting and interfere with the spell.
Of course, Riley would know this too.
Even if “Dispel” is an advanced course, you will learn the basic principles in the first year of Letemis.
[What you don’t know is the method, not the principle, right?]
“Yes.”
therefore…….
How to detect your opponent’s casting, how to dig into the source of the spell, how to dig into their technique, etc.
Riley would be completely unaware of the individual detailed steps that go into implementing Dispel.
[But there is.]
I continued speaking slowly.
[I’ve already told you everything you need to know.]
“yes?”
Woohoo─.
At that moment, Richie, who was right next to us, finished preparing everything.
In the center of the vacant lot.
There, a green ball of magical energy summoned by Lich was floating around in the shape of a ball.
This sphere, entangled with all sorts of complex spells, was the target that Riley had to destroy using “Dispel” from now on.
[Think about it carefully.]
“… … .”
[Just now I was just panicking, afraid of getting hit by an attack, but now I can think calmly.]
How can I dispel it?
How can I completely destroy the opponent’s magic?
How can we do this more effectively and quickly?
If Riley ponders the magic sphere that Richie summoned, she will surely be able to come up with the answer.
And Riley’s sensory realization would be far more effective than if I taught her directly.
[ruler.]
“… … .”
[Then go and get rid of that magic sphere.]
Riley fell silent after hearing my words. She took a deep breath and walked towards the magic sphere that Richie had summoned.
She stares intently at the sphere.
Dismissal─.
As I carefully placed my finger over the sphere, sparks flew. The highly concentrated magical powers were shaking unsteadily.
As she examined the orb of magic, Riley muttered quietly to me.
“You said you had told me everything I needed to know.”
[huh.]
It wasn’t a lie.
Although it had only been three days since I met Riley, I had already given her all the information she needed to cast Dispel.
“But the only things the magician taught me were ‘Pathfinding’ and ‘Telepathy’.”
[huh.]
“So you’re saying I should apply these two?”
[well.]
When I answered vaguely, Riley smiled faintly.
“Okay, I won’t ask any more questions.”
Instead, I will try to forge my own path as the magician had previously advised me to do.
Riley spoke to me through “telepathy” with her mouth tightly shut.
With those words, she closed her eyes and began to concentrate.
* * *
I could feel Riley’s senses through the “Power of Binding” that was connected to me. All of her nerves were focused on the magical sphere in front of her nose.
Woohoo─.
Inside the magic sphere.
The spells were intricately intertwined, and the magical circuits branched out into several branches.
Among them, there were circuits that led to dead ends in order to deceive the opponent.
It feels like a maze.
A maze that partially conceals the paths to the Core.
“……maze.”
okay.
maze.
We’ve been through the maze twice.
The underground passage of Retemis. And to Lich’s hideout.
Woof─.
Riley’s “Pathfinding” shines.
One by one, particles of her magical power began to spread out in all directions along the interior of the sphere Richie had created.
Ssak, ssak─.
And so slowly the map begins to be drawn.
The source of this magic, the spell, the magical circuits, and even its central core.
Everything unfolded before Riley’s eyes.
[it’s okay.]
“… … .”
[Now, let’s beat those spells one by one.]
Riley began to pour her magic into the sphere.
Secretly.
So that others won’t notice.
It’s like the “telepathy” that Riley and I use to communicate secretly among ourselves.
Dismissal, dismissal─.
The interference of those subtle magical powers is tearing apart the sphere. The sphere, which has been wobbling in the air, begins to emit its final words.
Crackling, crackling─.
A mass of magical power that sways unsteadily.
Dismissed─!
“…ah.”
Finally, Riley opened her eyes.
The sphere of magical power that had brightly illuminated the empty lot had already disappeared.
[It worked.]
“… … .”
[congratulations.]
Riley had a blank expression on her face. She looked at her shaking hands and asked.
“How long did it take?”
[4 hours.]
“Oh, so in reality, only an hour has passed… … .”
[no.]
I cut her off.
[Four hours have passed outside time.]
“… … .”
[So, you’ve just been wrestling with that magic ball for 16 hours.]
Slap─.
As soon as I finished speaking, Riley sat down in her seat.
I guess the aftereffects of 16 hours of nonstop concentration are finally hitting me.
“ha…….”
She took a deep breath and said.
“… … Time really flies.”
[Yeah. But it’ll be even more so in the future.]
I wasted 16 hours just to “dispel” one spell.
It’s only the beginning, but considering the screening test, we will have to continue to practice really hard in the future.
“it’s okay.”
Riley, hearing what I said, spoke confidently.
“I think I’m getting the hang of it now.”
[okay?]
“yes.”
[Well, that’s good.]
* * *
Time passed by so quickly.
The seasons changed, and so the six months of training that felt like two years to us finally came to an end.
September.
A cool autumn day when the sun begins to set early.
The season of the five major magic tower selection tests, which the magic world pays the most attention to throughout the year, has arrived.
