I was tired, not physically, but mentally. Studying was worse than I had thought. That bothered me, it was not as if I were lazy, I just got tired of having to do it.
The day of the exam was approaching, so I kept studying. At the same time, I tried to develop a spell of my own, since it was common for mages to have a favorite spell, and some even created their own. In some cases, they could be variations of spells that already existed, like shaping a fireball so that it looked like an arrow. In theory, it was the same thing, the only difference was the shape. Maybe it caused more damage or something like that.
Basically, there were six elements: earth, air, fire, water, light, and darkness. Where I came from, there were only four and we could use any of them, it was more the user's choice. Here it was different, these elements were not chosen, people were already born with one element and kept it for the rest of their lives.
The most common was for a person to have affinity with only one, but in some cases, it was possible to have two or more. I had affinity with four elements, fire, water, darkness, and earth. That made me somewhat rare.
Darkness was a confusing element, in it was everything that was different from the other elements, like gravity magic, teleportation, lightning, and others. Although some considered lightning magic just a variation of fire magic. So there was still no consensus on whether it was or was not a specific element. Just like there was neutral magic, such as healing, which did not fit into any type of element, since anyone could learn it, besides being variable, some people could conjure healing fire or water that heals. So it was a very broad type of magic that varied with the user. Although there were people who could not advance in learning healing magic, still, the element was not the obstacle.
There was another classification in the magical system. There were people who could not cast spells like fireballs, no matter that they had affinity with the element, but they could cover their hands with fire and fight, or place it on their weapons. Like Bedelia, she did not cast spells, but used magic to strengthen her body.
Actually, she did cast, but not for fighting. She could only use healing magic, as well as strengthening and acceleration.
Even though that was in books, it was still confusing, there was no convention or anything like that. In my view, these people could be considered mages, but in the magical system, they fell into other categories, like magic swordsman or magic archer. One more way of dividing things.
Silas had affinity with air and fire. His favorite spell involved using air and fire in arrow shapes. He could make fire magic stronger by controlling the air and adding more oxygen to his flames. That was impressive, since using two elements at the same time was considered difficult. I had already managed to use water and earth magic. With that, I could create mud, which was useful for trapping enemies or just slowing them down. But that consumed a lot of mana and the control was a little complicated, the mind had to be in a different state. In a life-and-death battle, I would die if I tried to use it.
Silas did not think it was difficult, he thought it was natural. Maybe it was just my lack of practice.
While I was thinking of a spell to create, Bedelia entered my room, this time she was dressed, and invited me to go hunting.
In the forest, I was watching some animals and monsters. I stood still while looking at two giant orcs. They were of normal size, but still very large. We needed to kill at least five, which would provide food for at least six months.
"Are you okay?" I asked after noticing she was nervous.
"Yes, I just feel tired, I spent the day hunting and still haven't rested."
"But what's the reason for this? Are we stocking food for some reason?" She paused and then began to speak, " Kiy had a vision, she said the country will face famine and we needed to stock food. She has never been wrong, and because of that everyone is on alert. The sale of wheat and corn to other villages and cities has stopped, the farmers are storing what they can and the hunters are doing their best. We don't know how long it will last, nor when it will happen, that's why we are worried."
Kiya had affinity with the darkness element. Clairvoyance was considered a branch of darkness magic.
"So we need much more than five orcs, am I right?"
"Yes, today we will hunt five, tomorrow five more or as many as we can. Besides orcs, I want to hunt some basilisks and, if I find a bird, I will also try. Silas is buying some vegetables and milk, Thalya is storing eggs and started fishing. Better to have food left over than lacking."
When did they start doing this and for what reason was I only finding out today? I thought. I was really out of touch.
Storing that much food would not be complicated. In this world, there were items that allowed the storage of an infinity of things without spoiling. I did not know how it worked, but there were bags that could even hold a house. They were really useful items, but expensive.
"We also have to hunt for the butcher. He is working for free in exchange for supplies. It's a good deal, since I hate cutting monsters."
For a few days I helped Bedelia. Our stock was enough to feed us for at least two years and a few weeks.
During the hunt, I learned a few things. In my past life, I used to hunt, but they were deer and some wolves. Monsters like orcs did not exist. That's why I gained a lot of experience fighting against an enemy that could kill me with a single blow.
Orcs were bipedal monsters that looked like pigs. Their meat had an incredible flavor. What made it difficult was their appearance, which at first sight only caused disgust. But pigs themselves were already ugly and disgusting animals, yet it was still a bit strange to eat a bipedal being.
Basilisks were giant serpents. The meat was also tasty. After eating, it became normal. I had never eaten snakes in my world, but there were places where it was common. Both humans and demons ate them.
"Are you ready?" Jasly asked me.
"No, I'm not. I just think I'll fail and that, in a way, comforts me."She laughed. I was not joking, it was serious, but my words had come out as if it were a joke.
"I'll do my best, even though I'm not very confident," I said as I looked at her.
"Don't be like that, between the two of us you are the one who has more talent for magic. I barely know how to hold a sword. So you're going to score higher than me, at least that's what is expected."
In a way, she was right, because there was a physical aptitude exam, and using weapons granted more points. But she was still better at using magic, so she could still score much more than I. But she never admitted to being that good, I don't know if she didn't realize it or if it was just her way.
There was still the written test, and for that one I was not sure of anything, literally anything could be on it.
Silas wished me good luck, then Bedelia and Thalya. They said goodbye, Jasly and I entered a carriage. We were going to the capital. It would be an eight-day trip, the village was almost on the border with Countries Free of Lys, a strange empire, which I considered too small to be an empire. To be honest, it was only a little bigger than the Kingdom of Verdania, the place where I was. Not even in the country's name was there an indication that it was an empire.
To put it into context, I was in a village called Albedo. It was only a few kilometers from Countries Free of Lys and quite far from Dune, the capital of the kingdom. The closest city was Zhara, a commercial city. That was where the adventurers' guild Bedelia went to was.
In every city there was a guild. The guild usually served the nearby villages and was the place where young people who left home looked for work. Not only them, there was an infinity of jobs a guild could offer, so it was a good place to get money, but there was a risk.
I was carrying an item bag. It had enough food for Jasly and me to survive for a few months. Bedelia spared no effort in hunting all that food, nor Silas in buying fruits and vegetables. Having people like that was something I valued. I had already had three companions I deeply missed. They were like that. I remember once I lost weight and they argued with me and tied me up. Then, Vespera fed me. It went on like that for almost two weeks. I gained weight and promised I would eat regularly, only then I was released.
"We're here," Jasly said as she looked out the window.
I considered the village big until I saw the city of Zhara, but looking at the capital, I could tell I was spoiled. It was so big I think it would take more than a day to see all of it.
Huge walls protected the city. Their width was almost my height. No, they were even thicker. The city would surely remain standing even after several attacks from the Hero's group.
Zhara also had big walls, but those of the capital were much larger.
The city was divided into two. The first part had shops, houses, and even some nobles' mansions. The second part was where the castle stood, it was almost like another city within another wall.
Around the capital, there were villages and more nobles' mansions. It was truly something magnificent.
The castle was bigger than mine, which made me somewhat envious, but in this world I was only a commoner.
"Are you the children of Lord Whisper?
"Lord Whisper? Who would that be?
"Yes, we are the children of Silas Whisper," Jasly said.