[EN] Episode 15 - A special summer lesson 1

Summer vacation had arrived.
For several years now, Wingester had spent every summer vacation holed up in a mountain cabin for two weeks, immersing himself in special training.


He believed that to master the Barrett Staff, he needed to learn the agile and stealthy movements of a hunter.


“Huff, huff, huff…!”


He sprinted up the steep mountain path to his cabin, breathing minimally.
The cabin looked shabby, overgrown with vines and covered in dust, as if it had been neglected for a year.


“Guess I have to start with cleaning again.”


Though he'd expected it, the thought of doing it again felt bothersome. After catching his breath, Wingester pulled out the cleaning supplies.


Only after sweeping and wiping the surroundings for a while, giving it a thorough tidy-up, did the cabin regain its proper appearance.


“Now it feels livable.”


Just as he finished bringing his luggage inside and stepped out, familiar faces came into view.


“Senior!”
“Hey there. Wingester.”
“...Berett? And, Romulus?”


He hadn't told the club members about this place, so how had they found it?


“Your parents said you'd be doing two weeks of physical training here during your break.”
“Oh.”


Only then did Wingester realize how they'd found him, scratching the back of his head.


“So, what brings you here? The mountain paths aren't properly maintained, so it must've been pretty rough getting here.”
“We couldn't let you do this great activity alone. Since it's a rare chance, we thought we'd make it a club training camp.”
“...Are you sure? It's a pretty grueling course for beginners, right?”


He was genuinely concerned, but Romulus gritted his teeth and raised his fist.


“You've been doing this for years, so there's no way I can't do it! Even if catching up right away is impossible, I'll climb right up to your chin!”
“No, that's not what I meant...”
“Like you, I'm not very good with mana either, so I figured building up my physical strength might come in handy somewhere! I'll work hard!”


The two looked full of enthusiasm.
Finally, he shook his head and shifted his gaze to the remaining two.


“Zessler. You're full of enthusiasm too?”
“I came to conceptualize new blueprints in the fresh air. Exercise... I'll join if I feel like it.”
“I came because I'm interested in the medicinal herbs growing wild on this mountain. Help me find them, and I'll make you some good medicine later.”


Seems everyone had their own purpose after all.


“You've prepared thoroughly, right? Two weeks isn't short.”
“No worries. If it comes down to it, I'll just teleport there and back.”
“...No way.”


Teleportation is strictly an upper-tier spatial movement magic at the very beginning of the 6th Circle.
No matter what, there's no way he's already reached that level...


“...No problem if I calibrate the coordinates with a magic circle.”


Romulus's declaration, accompanied by a confident smile as if asking Wingester what he thought, caused Wingester to grit his teeth inwardly.


Even so, to have already entered the 6th Circle?
Just how much talent does that guy have?


“Huh? Senior Romulus, you've already reached the 6th Circle?!”
“...No way. That's like the level of legendary Archmages.”
“Ha ha ha! I haven't fully entered it yet. It's more like hanging on by a thread. Still, with a few more months of effort, I should be able to get in.”


Receiving everyone's congratulations, Romulus proudly carved a magic circle containing teleport coordinates into the empty space in one corner of the hut, just in case.


“Don't overuse it. It's bad for your physical training.”
“...I know.”


*


The two weeks that turned into an intensive club training camp began.


While Zessler and Haixian began focusing on their own tasks, Romulus and Berett doggedly stuck to Wingester's training regimen.


“Huff... huff...!”
“Haah...!”
“Puff... puff... puff...!”


After running nonstop for two hours, Wingester finally stopped. Romulus, who had been crawling along behind him, collapsed and slumped down.


“Damn it…! It's way harder than I thought…Huff…much harder…!”
“…I'll give you credit for your grit, but if a beginner pushes to keep up with my pace, you'll wreck your body before you build any stamina.”
“Guh... Ugh...!”


Wingester calmly looked down at him, who was twitching his eyebrows as if annoyed, and offered advice.


“You don't have to match my speed. Just complete my course at your own rhythm. You still have two whole weeks.”
“Guh...! I see... I was too impatient... Huu... What a sight.”


Romulus, whose face had been clenched in determination, now had a calm, settled look in his eyes. He shook his head, regaining his composure.


“Berett too. Don't push yourself too hard.”
“Ah... Haa... Yes!”


That night.
They gathered ingredients, made a pot full of stew, and each took a bowl to finish their meal.


“Huh... Are you running at night too?”


Wingester shook his head at Romulus's question.


“It's dark, and the ground's damp, making the stones slippery and dangerous.”
“Then what are we doing now?”
“......”


Wingester silently pulled a book from his luggage and showed it.


“Indeed. So you hone your studies at night.”
“Yes.”


What had once been Wingester's solitary reading time became a shared moment with his club friends, exchanging research and learning from each other.


Wingester spent some time discussing the design plans for a new airship propulsion system with Zessler, then received a brief explanation from Romulus about high-level offensive magic.


Romulus, for his part, eagerly questioned Wingester about the structure and application of mana concentrators, showing particular enthusiasm about how to better utilize his own wand.


“So, each concentrator has its own unique direction for channeling mana?”
“Exactly. Knowing or not knowing that direction is the key to mastering the concentrator.”


Romulus fiddled with the cylindrical concentrator attached to his own wand, which he had brought along.


“Can you tell this one's rotation direction too?”
“Easy.”


Wingester lightly placed a leaf beside his concentrator.


“Now, try manamotion.”
“Huh? Got it.”


Wiiiiiiiiing-


Mana swirled with a deep, resonant hum befitting its vast quantity. The leaf crackled and began whirling wildly to the left.


“It's turning left.”
“Huh... I never noticed. I always consciously used it for right turns.”


Romulus, who had paused his maneuvering, sprang up from his spot.


“Romulus?”
“Just a sec! I want to try something.”


Romulus, eyeing a large boulder positioned on one side of the cabin's entrance path, aimed his staff and activated his concentrator.


“Left turn... left turn...!”


Kiiiiiiing-!


Unlike the first time, the Focused Energy activated with a much more powerful and sharp sound. It reacted, even sparking, as if signaling that the massive amount of mana had reached its critical point.


“...!!...Lightning Javelin!”


Spaaaat-!!


Faster and thicker than before, the lightning spear pierced the rock, discharging wildly and making the stone glow briefly.


Seeing steam rise from the rock, Romulus's eyes burned with satisfaction.


“…Impressive…!”
“I knew the theory, but I never imagined the effect would be this different….”


If only Romulus had known this technique during their magic duel….
Wingester suddenly felt a chill run down his spine and gritted his teeth.
Without realizing it, he had elevated his rival to a higher level.


“This... I have to step up my game too...!”


The formula for the high-level offensive magic he learned from Romulus would undoubtedly be a huge help to Wingester.
If he applied this formula well, it would evolve the magic bullets of the Barrett Staff into something even more agile and deadly.


*


The next day was spent with berett.
They gripped magic stones together, immersing themselves in mastering the know-how of her craftsmanship techniques.


“You need to relax your grip a bit more.”
“Uh... like this?”


Clunk.


“Ah.”
“Oh dear...”


Watching the magic stone slip limply and roll across the floor, Wingester broke out in a cold sweat, wondering if she'd relaxed her grip too much.
It was definitely tricky work.


Romulus was testing his magic on the same rock again, trying to fully internalize the direction of the concentrator's rotation.


“Turn left...! Left side...! Make it whirl...!”


Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiㅅ


Wingester could tell Romulus was different now—no longer the cocky fool who relied solely on talent.


“Ugh... mana... mana...”


After recklessly spamming magic, he finally collapsed from mana depletion.
Wingester chuckled softly, paused his work, and helped him onto the hut's wooden platform.


“Aren't you pushing yourself too hard?”
“Pushing myself? High-level magic is my specialty! This training camp has given me a new goal! I will master the concentrator! Just you wait and see!”
"... Yeah. I'm also going to create a new magic bullet using the magic formula you taught me.“


Wingester proudly revealed his research, flashing his wicked smile.


”Hmph. Next time, I'll properly block you with defensive magic.“
”I'll prepare something that can pierce through that defensive magic."
“Guh! You're so annoying!”
“You're the one.”


A week passed, and each had achieved some results from their exchange.
Wingester gained the ability to craft focusers with more delicate hand movements.


Romulus now genuinely kept up with Wingester during daytime physical training, closing the gap to just two steps behind.


As he grew more accustomed to wielding his staff, a stable hum began emanating from it—a welcome bonus compared to the initial clumsiness.


Thanks to advice from Wingester, Zessler scrapped his initial blueprints and succeeded in drastically compressing the propulsion unit's volume by about half.


Haixian scoured the locations Wingester mentioned, gathering large quantities of medicinal herbs.


“By the way, you're an alchemist, but you do pharmacology too?”


To Wingester's curiosity, she merely offered a faint smile.


“I come from the White Witch lineage.”
“……!”


He knew the story: some of the witch factions persecuted in the Northern Continent had fled south, seeking refuge and settling in the Magic Kingdom.


However, the Magic Kingdom didn't recognize distinct professions like alchemists or witches. Instead, it lumped them all together under the single term ‘magician’. As time passed, many witch families saw their distinct identities blur and fade away.


“That... must have been tough.”
“Not really. Unlike other kids, I just have low magical aptitude, so I focus on this instead.”


She shrugged it off coolly, gathered a few herbs haphazardly, and headed toward her cauldron.


-To be continued-