Chapter 152 – Readjustment (1)
Verden's teachings were effective.
The magic theory viewed from a perspective Geltone himself had never even imagined was utterly refreshing. It felt just like when he had first studied magic theory.
Day by day, the towers of knowledge piled inside his head collapsed, only to be rebuilt again and again.
That process was, without doubt, what Geltone desired.
But that did not mean he could be entirely pleased.
The knowledge he had accumulated through the Academy, the magic tower, and up until now, every time those things were mercilessly refuted, it felt as though the decades of his life were being denied. No matter how he tried to argue back, not once did Geltone ever win.
'To think, we are both mages, and yet our views differ this much.'
When Geltone looked at a leaf, the mage imparting lessons upon him grasped the roots of the tree. And, moreover, managed to keep the vast web of knowledge cleanly untangled, perfectly understood.
As if he himself had created the Multi-dimensional Continuity Theory, he wielded it freely.
By comparison, Geltone was little more than a newborn.
Even the stubbornness he had clung to was crushed without resistance, leaving him a powerless mage.
Should he feel fortunate to be learning under such a genius mage, or despair that such a mage even existed in the world?
Their perspectives differed so greatly that, thankfully, he did not feel the shameful sting of jealousy, but emotions too complex to name crawled up unbidden, again and again.
He rejoiced in the new magical knowledge he came to understand, and despaired that he could not have accomplished it alone.
Torn back and forth between such opposing emotions, there was no way his mind could remain intact.
In the end, Geltone fell into depression.
***
Perne's tavern.
Sitting in a corner, Geltone downed his cocktail.
The sweet fruit juice tingled on his tongue, followed by the harsh bitterness of strong liquor.
His face flushed red. His limit was long surpassed, yet Geltone showed no sign of stopping.
With unfocused eyes, he weakly raised his hand.
"One more here…!"
Standing in for Perne, Samwell was working as a temporary bartender.
After some hesitation, he decided to serve the drink. He had been told to always treat Geltone as a guest, and as such, Samwell had no right to deny a guest's order.
Instead, he prepared a recipe with the alcohol diluted as much as possible.
A special fruit cocktail, newly devised by Samwell, based on what he had learned at Roafra. With this, even an intoxicated guest should not suffer too much.
"Charlotte, take this to the guest."
Nod, nod.
Charlotte nodded her head and served the cocktail.
Just as Geltone reached for the glass—
Thud.
Losing consciousness in an instant, he collapsed limply onto the table.
Drunk in broad daylight, already fallen asleep, his appearance was nothing short of pitiful.
'This has been going on for days now.'
Samwell could not help but worry.
Having checked Aiden's mana state, Verden came up from the underground chamber. Looking upon the sleeping Geltone, Samwell quietly approached and asked,
"Um, Sir Asher. As you said, I have treated him as a guest regardless of business hours… but is it really alright to just leave him like this?"
Geltone had taken to relying on drink, and not a day went by without his being drunk.
Day by day he looked more haggard, barely different from a derelict of Roafra. Using alcohol as an escape always had its limits.
At this rate, if he fell into deep addiction, he would never be able to climb out.
Verden, however, answered without concern.
"If he were not struggling this much, that would actually be the greater problem."
"…Excuse me?"
Geltone possessed a frame of his own.
A frame is a conviction any mage should have, but at the same time, it is the denial of possibilities.
Once you accept the notion that black is white, shattering that notion yourself becomes nearly impossible. Especially for mages.
Verden had cracked that frame.
He had made unstable the very convictions Geltone had believed were right.
For Geltone, this was a transition he had never once faced in his life, and it was bound to be painful. To break the frame was the same as discarding the self he had been until now.
'But a frame cannot be broken by another's hand.'
If mishandled, Geltone might not endure, and crumble entirely.
Verden's role was merely to provide a new perspective, to plant doubt in the convictions Geltone already had. What Geltone needed was the process of fully understanding that perspective, and then forging new convictions.
This was something he had to endure alone, without anyone's help.
How long that would take, no one could know.
For enlightenment comes differently to each person. But Verden was certain, once Geltone overcame this trial, it would not be long before he could understand the Multi-dimensional Continuity Theory.
Well, if he were to fall apart from mere liquor, then it would be hopeless.
"Anyway, leaving him be right now is the best way to help. You need not concern yourself."
"Ah, y-yes."
Though Verden explained simply, naturally Samwell did not grasp even a fraction of it.
He was an outsider to magic. Even if he heard it again, it would be the same, so he only nodded.
At that moment, Verden pointed at the fruit cocktail.
The fresh drink, untouched by Geltone.
"Is this something you made?"
"Yes, a recipe I created myself. With Lady Perne's permission, I've been selling it here, and the response has been very good. I'm still thinking of a name."
Was this one of the drinks Perne had praised so highly?
Verden suddenly grew curious about the taste. After all, his morning training was done.
"I'll pay for Geltone's tab."
Saying so, Verden took a sip of the cocktail.
The crushed strawberries and fruits were abundant, but the way the alcohol blended in harmony was far better than expected.
"It tastes good. It will definitely sell."
"Th-thank you."
Blushing with embarrassment, Samwell scratched his cheek at Verden's compliment.
"Ah, by the way, when will we be able to head to Rines?"
He was not pressing, really.
It was just his roundabout way of asking about Aiden's condition. Since he had been strictly forbidden to speak of the unusual trait, Samwell was extremely cautious.
Nearby, Charlotte pricked up her ears.
After another sip of the cocktail, Verden answered.
"Tomorrow."
"Ah, tomorrow…"
Samwell blinked.
"Pardon? Tomorrow?"
***
Aiden possessed magical talent, yes, but perhaps because of the harsh experiences he had undergone, he also had his own measure of persistence and stubbornness.
Preventing his mana circuits from activating on their own,
There was no reason for Aiden to take long in acquiring this fundamental skill of a mage.
'Of course, there are still shortcomings.'
When emotions ran high, or when he was on the brink of death, his mana might still slip out of control as a defensive reaction.
To attain the level of fully controlling one's mana required long years of handling it. For Aiden, who had only become aware of his mana circuits not even two weeks ago, it was a realm far beyond his reach.
Still, Aiden had achieved his original goal, the minimum level of mana manipulation.
He was now at a point where daily life posed no problem at all, so there was no longer any reason to remain in Asern.
The next day, a carriage was prepared in front of Perne's tavern.
"Thanks to you, I've learned well how to run a shop, Lady Perne. This is just a small token, but…"
Samwell handed Perne a note.
Peeking it open, she found inside the recipe for the special fruit cocktail that Verden had said was delicious.
"Is it really alright to give me this? I might even use it as a product."
"Of course, I don't mind at all. I still have several other recipes, and our businesses won't overlap anyway. Besides, Sir Asher seemed to like it too."
"In that case, I won't decline. Thank you."
Samwell nodded, then climbed up onto the driver's seat.
After him, Aiden and Charlotte, ready to depart, bowed their heads.
"Thank you for everything!"
Bow.
At the siblings' farewell, Perne waved lightly.
Once the two climbed into the carriage, Verden took a seat beside Samwell.
Verden spoke to Perne.
"Then, I'll be off."
"Have a safe journey, Sir Asher."
He had told Perne that after escorting Aiden's group, there would be a place he needed to visit.
Seven days at the shortest, twenty at the longest.
That much time would be enough for Verden to accomplish his purpose. Since he could not pinpoint the exact timing, he could not ask Perne to arrange Gray's request in advance.
'Time is on my side.'
For the time being, there was no looming interest, so there was no need to hastily repay the 2.72 billion Elk borrowed from the moneylender Bartol and Dyna Bank.
And above all, what Verden always placed importance on was his own strength.
He had also left a word with Geltone.
Well, in his current state, it was impossible for him to take any more theoretical lectures anyway, and until he overcame it himself, it was effectively an enforced break, so there was no need to worry for now.
Hopefully, he would pull himself together soon.
"Hyah!"
As Samwell flicked the reins, the carriage set off.
Beyond Asern's city gates, a vast green plain spread out before them, and the sky was impossibly clear.
***
The journey to Rines was both quiet and noisy.
Especially the siblings, perhaps because they had rested well in Asern, no longer showed the appearance they had back in Roafra.
Though the carriage traveled swiftly, the leisurely feeling in their hearts made the journey peaceful.
And so, they arrived at their destination.
"So this is Rines…"
The eyes of the three sparkled.
For Verden, it was no different from Aurofl, just another city, but for them, it was different. After all, this was famed as the safest city in the kingdom.
They passed through the gates without difficulty, then returned the rented carriage.
Verden handed each of them an envelope.
"The inheritance of Costa I promised you."
Since Galliark had not taken the money, the amount was greater than expected.
"Thank you!"
Samwell bowed vigorously as he received the envelope.
"Thank you, Sir Asher."
Bow.
For Samwell, it was fine, but for Aiden and Charlotte, it felt shameless. Yet they could not refuse, for their livelihood depended on this money.
They received the envelopes carefully, with the resolve to repay it someday.
Then, Charlotte pulled a tiny charm from her pocket and handed it to Verden.
──It's a gift.
With the money she had earned working at Perne's tavern, she had bought the charm at Asern's market. Of course, it was far from enough to repay the debt to Verden, but wishing him good fortune, that was the best gift Charlotte could offer.
It was the simple sincerity of a country girl.
"I'll accept it with thanks."
When Verden accepted the charm, Charlotte beamed with a bashful smile.
At her side, Samwell chuckled warmly.
"When you visit Rines again, please come to my shop. I'll treat you."
"What will you name the shop?"
"Ah, that… I thought of putting my own name in it. Something like Samwell's Tavern."
Using his own name for the shop had always been one of Samwell's dreams.
"If the chance comes, I'll visit."
"Haha, I'll be waiting."
Samwell and Charlotte each gave something in return, however modest. In contrast, Aiden, who had received the most, had nothing he could offer.
Fidgeting awkwardly, Aiden suddenly shouted.
"I-I'll definitely repay your kindness someday!"
No one could know what path Aiden would take.
He might use his talent to become a mage, or live as an ordinary man in the city. He might even develop his unique trait further and leave his name in history.
Perhaps, someday, an opportunity would come for Aiden to repay Verden's kindness.
'The future is unknown, after all.'
Though Verden had already told him there was no need to repay, Aiden seemed unwilling to listen.
Saying it again would only be wasted breath. Verden did not repeat himself, and answered instead with a simple nod.
From Roafra to Rines, their bond had continued.
And thus came their farewell.
***
After delivering Aiden's group to Rines, Verden flew through the sky.
Zion Forest.
There, within the forest, lay one of the forbidden places, the Cave without Light. By mana detection, Verden confirmed that no one was anywhere nearby.
Suspending himself in the air, Verden closed his eyes.
'Has it been a year since I left the magic tower?'
The Magic Festival was held every four years, so it was not exactly the same date, but,
By the calendar, it was today, the very day he had achieved Defying the Heavens in the magic tower, escaped, and arrived in the duchy.
The memories of this time last year came back to him.
Saving the merchant Conrad from danger, subjugating the Grand Orc in Pythe territory. Then, opposing the Doctor of Gluttony and clashing against powerful Undead.
Later, he received a request from Pale, and also met Harkan, founder of the Black Hour, who had passed on holy magic and helped him rise to the 4th tier.
It had been only a single year, yet it felt so far away.
Surely because there was such a vast gulf between the self he was then, and the self he was now.
Verden opened his eyes.
At the same time, he shifted his thoughts. The reason he had come out to this forest, devoid of people, was singular: to readjust his current power.
Now, having finished urgent matters, was the perfect moment.
It was time to directly confirm his own strength.