Chapter 61: Teaching
For the next few days, Rhodes's party stayed in the village.
Every morning, the clearing at the village entrance was crowded with villagers who had come to learn. But not everyone had a talent for magic. After a process of elimination, only seven of them were left, and three of them were children.
At first, Rhodes had been hesitant to teach the children. They were too young and didn't have enough mana built up in their bodies. But Norne had proposed a solution: weaken the spell to a tenth of its original power. That way, the mana cost would be significantly reduced, and the children could learn the basics. As they grew older and their mana increased, they could then master the full version. Norne had also offered to transcribe the first chapter of their still-unfinished grimoire for the villagers, so that they could pass the knowledge down to their own children. Rhodes had agreed to his proposal and had modified the spell accordingly.
Norne stood on a flat rock and began to explain the fundamentals of mana perception. "Close your eyes. Imagine a warm stream flowing through your body..."
"Feel the flow of mana inside you," Rhodes said, patiently guiding a young boy.
Even Eirik was helping. He conjured a small ball of light in his palm. "Like this. First, you feel it, then you guide it."
Serie stood to the side, watching them coolly. Somme walked over to her. "How long do you think young Rhodes plans to stay this time?"
"Not too long."
Serie had no intention of taking on an apprentice herself, so she just watched. She had once thought of making Rhodes her first apprentice; his talent had certainly caught her attention. But he had refused, instead elevating his status to that of her partner. She didn't feel much regret about it. Whether he was her apprentice or her partner, as long as she could see more of his magic, she was satisfied.
After a few more days, most of the adults were still struggling, but the children had successfully managed to guide their mana, making their fingertips glow with a faint light.
"It's too hard," a stout villager said, shaking his head in frustration. "I just can't imagine how the mana is supposed to flow."
"Don't be discouraged," Rhodes said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Everyone perceives mana differently. As long as you keep at it, you'll learn it eventually." His encouragement gave the man a renewed sense of hope. He had seen how powerful Rhodes's magic was, how a single wave of his hand could create dozens of light arrows, each one leaving a small crater in the ground. The sight of such power had filled him with a deep desire to learn. But it was only when he had tried it for himself that he had realized how difficult it was.
"Don't worry, Mr. Rhodes! I will definitely master this spell!"
Just then, a cry of surprise came from nearby.
He turned and saw that one of the children Norne had been teaching, a small, thin girl, had successfully managed to conjure a ball of light in her hand.
Rhodes knew this was the first step. All she had to do now was use her imagination to shape the ball of light into an arrow and then fire it, and she would have officially mastered the basics.
"Lisa did it!" the other children cheered.
Even Serie was drawn over. She squatted down and, in a rare, gentle tone, asked, "How did you do it?"
The girl, whose name was Lisa, answered shyly, "I... I just imagined it, and then it happened."
"A fine talent," Serie said, standing up and looking at Rhodes.
The most important factor in casting magic was the power of imagination, and this young girl possessed it.
Lisa's success lit a fire in everyone. Rhodes, his party, and the villagers—they could all see the hope.
A week later, all of them could conjure a ball of light, and Lisa had already begun to shape hers into an arrow. Though she was still far from a true mage, it was a remarkable start.
"Lisa's talent is exceptional," Norne said, looking up from the grimoire he was writing. "Her aptitude for magic is probably no less than my own."
Rhodes nodded. "Indeed. Perhaps we should focus on teaching her first. That way, even after we leave, she can teach the others."
"That girl..." Serie suddenly said, "I'll teach her."
Everyone looked at her in surprise. It was rare for even Norne and Eirik to receive direct instruction from her.
"What's wrong? Thinking of taking on an apprentice?" Norne teased. It would be a fine thing for the future Grand Master to take a human as her first apprentice. A certain red-haired mage would just have to deal with it.
"No. I'm just doing it on a whim." Serie had no real intention of taking an apprentice. She was just looking for something to do. That was all.
Another week passed. Lisa could now cast a small light arrow spell. Though she was still clumsy, she could now be called a mage. Her arrow was, of course, a weakened, single-shot version, a far cry from the wide-area volleys that Rhodes and the others could cast. But it was enough for self-defense.
One morning, Serie took Lisa to a clearing. She took a small ring from her pack, a magical item she had taken from the dwarven city. It helped the user to better control their mana.
"Concentrate," Serie said, placing the ring in Lisa's palm. "Try to make it glow."
Lisa nervously closed her eyes and drew on the small amount of mana in her body. A moment later, the ring began to emit a faint silver light.
"Very good," Serie said with a satisfied nod. "It's yours." The ring was of little use to a powerful mage like herself. It was better to give it to someone who needed it more. I'm sure that human would have thought the same, she mused.
Watching Lisa run off to show her friends, a small smile touched Serie's lips. So this is what it feels like to teach, she thought. It's not so bad.
If only every beginner were like this little girl, and not like Rhodes, who could reverse-engineer her spells and turn her into the apprentice.
After everyone in the village with a talent for magic had mastered the basic light arrow spell, Rhodes and his party prepared to leave.
Before they left, Norne solemnly handed a handwritten copy of the first chapter of the grimoire to the old village chief. They didn't have enough dragon-hide paper, so it was written on ordinary paper.
"It's only the basics, but it's enough to protect the village," he said.
The old chief took the book with trembling hands. "This... this is too precious. We don't know how we could possibly repay you."
"There is no need for repayment," Rhodes said with a smile. "Just see that this knowledge is passed down."
When they left, the entire village came to see them off. Lisa followed them for a long way, and only stopped when Serie turned and gave her a final look.
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