Magic can bring more smiles than frowns- 83
Mana began to flow slowly from Juro's palm. It moved at a steady, gentle pace, almost calming to watch.
Marc's eyes followed the flowing mana.
Juro glanced at him before asking, "Do you love magic, Marc?"
Without the slightest hesitation, Marc answered in a soft voice while continuing to stare at the mana.
"Yes..."
…
"Do you wanna continue being a mage?" Juro continued.
"Yes..." Marc replied.
"Then... whether you witness someone losing their life or find yourself being the one to take it, I'm sure your reason for continuing down this path, even when those kinds of challenges eventually appear in your life, will become clear to you."
Juro paused briefly before asking another question.
"Though your own life would be put in danger, would you still continue?"
Marc's eyes remained focused on the mana. He remembered the conversation he'd had with Bell and, after a moment of quiet thought, replied, "Yes... Even if my life is at risk, I wanna continue loving magic, using magic, and exploring magic. I wanna help people whenever I can with magic."
Juro smiled at his response before slowly closing his palms. The mana surrounding them gradually dissipated.
As it disappeared, Marc spoke again.
"But I still don't like the thought of taking someone's life... So, with magic, I'll do whatever I can to never reach that point where I have to make that decision."
Juro let out a sigh, though a gentle smile remained on his face. "Take things slowly," he said, placing a hand on Marc's head. "Discover things, discover magic, and discover yourself along the way."
Marc felt a warmth spread through him as he took in Juro's words. He looked up at his teacher and smiled.
"Yeah... Thanks, Teacher Juro."
Juro simply smiled and nodded.
"By the way, Teacher Juro, what was your reason for continuing down this kind of path?" Marc asked curiously.
Juro took a moment to think, placing a hand on his chin. Then, a gentle smile slowly formed on his face.
"Because magic can bring more smiles than frowns."
It was a simple answer, perhaps even a somewhat childish one. Yet Marc felt genuinely happy hearing it.
"That's a really cool reason, Teacher Juro!" he exclaimed with a bright smile.
"I know, right?" Juro replied, grinning before letting out a laugh.
The two of them laughed together, sharing a few more chuckles before Marc suddenly remembered something.
"Ah, wait! Where did Bell go?"
"Oh, Bell? I asked him to hunt for some food earlier while you were still asleep," Juro replied.
"Whaaat? Awe, I wanted to hunt too!" Marc complained.
Just then, both Juro and Marc spotted Bell approaching them. He was carrying two deer, dragging their bodies along the ground as he made his way back.
"Ooo, deers!" Marc exclaimed.
"Since I didn't get to help hunt, can I help cook?" he asked excitedly, looking towards Bell.
Bell simply smiled. "Sure."
And so, Bell and Marc began preparing the deer, cutting the meat and carefully skinning the fur away. Meanwhile, Juro gathered some flat stones, washed them with water, and arranged them over the campfire so that the flames would heat the stone slabs from beneath.
He also prepared several stone cups using the magic Taza and carved out a few wooden plates. All three of them busied themselves with their own tasks, each wearing a small smile as they prepared their meal together.
..
Unsurprisingly, Bell finished cutting and preparing the deer rather quickly. Juro noticed that he was already done and glanced over at the prepared meat.
"Oh, done already? Well then, just put some meat on top of that flat stone I placed earlier. There's no need for oil since the fat from the meat will melt as it heats up. That should keep it from sticking."
Bell nodded and began placing the meat onto the hot stone. As it cooked, Juro finished carving the last wooden plate.
"There. Now we got three plates."
He set the plate down, then picked up his steel flask and began pouring water into the stone cups.
Just in time, Marc finished slicing and cutting the remaining deer meat. By then, the meat Bell had placed on the stone earlier was fully cooked.
"Marc, sit here. Take some meat, and place the new ones down as you eat. That way, we'll be cooking while we're eating," Juro said, offering him a wooden log to sit on.
"Okay, Teacher Juro!"
Marc sat down, grabbed his plate, and began picking out pieces of meat. He also placed some of the freshly cut ones onto the hot stone, just as Juro had instructed. The three of them enjoyed their meal together, occasionally turning the meat over as it cooked. While eating, Marc suddenly brought something up.
"Teacher Juro, did you go to a village or kingdom to call those knights?"
"Hm? Oh, the knights? No, I didn't need to go to a village or kingdom. I just called them from afar," Juro replied, chewing on a piece of meat.
"Ehh? You called them from afar? Did you have to scream? Or yell?" Marc asked, looking confused.
Juro chuckled at his reaction. "What, you don't know? I thought this was one of the very, very first magics they taught you when you were still a kid."
"Whattt? Magic? I don't remember being taught any magic!" Marc replied.
Bell listened quietly as he continued eating, thinking to himself, "The village where Marc and I stayed probably had really poor education. It's not surprising..." He let out a light sigh before taking another bite.
Meanwhile, Juro simply smiled at Marc and casually began explaining.
"Well, this magic is something that almost anyone living in Demanas can use. Our current king declared it a required teaching for everyone across Demanas, and it was highly recommended to be taught to children as their very first magic."
The more Marc listened, the more excited and intrigued he became.
"What is it???"
Juro smiled before answering. "Well, it's nothing grand. It's a magic that lets you call any nearby knights. Basically, it's called Mege. Incanting that word will instantly notify the closest knights to you. Not only will they know your location, but you'll also be able to talk to them for up to two minutes. And no matter how little mana you have, it'll still work. The magic was intentionally made to have the lowest mana cost possible, giving people the opportunity to ask for help whenever they need it."
Listening to Juro's explanation only inspired Marc even more.
"That... That's so coooool! A magic like that exists for everyone who needs help!"
Marc smiled brightly. He was so fascinated by the idea that he had momentarily forgotten about the food in front of him. Looking down at his plate, he still wore that same smile as he recalled Juro's earlier words.
"Magic can bring more smiles than frowns"
"Magic really is so cool..." Marc thought to himself as he picked up another piece of meat and ate it. But then, he suddenly turned toward Juro, speaking while there was still food in his mouth.
"Wbait, tchr Jr, hobt chrettet tuoht mgjgh??"
Both Bell and Juro turned toward him, looking confused. Juro couldn't help but laugh, while Bell calmly reminded him to swallow his food first before offering him some water.
Marc quickly gulped down what was in his mouth and took a drink.
"Thanks, Bell!"
He then turned back to Juro and repeated his question. "Teacher Juro, who created that magic????"
Juro simply looked at Marc with a smirk, not saying a word. But that small gesture was enough for Marc to catch on. His face immediately lit up with a bright smile. "Ah! It's him! The Greatest Mage! He's really so cool!"
Juro and Marc laughed together, while Bell took another sip of water, a slight smile forming on his face.
"Well, the idea didn't come from me... It actually came from the king himself."
…
After that, the three continued chatting casually as they finished their meal.
A few minutes later, with their plates nearly empty, they settled down and drank some water. Bell's gaze quietly rested on Marc as he thought back to something.
"Last night... he said he felt a tiny bit of my mana at the orphanage."
"So he really is becoming like him..."
Bell smiled to himself before closing his eyes and continuing his thoughts.
"I just need to bring this topic up with him. The more aware he becomes, the better he'll be able to learn and understand more. But how do I naturally bring this up without making Juro suspicious...?"
"I mean, with Marc, I can just use the book as an excuse... Hm... Alright, I've got it."
Bell opened his eyes and placed his cup down. His expression had grown somewhat serious as he stared at the ground.
Just as Bell had expected, Marc noticed him spacing out.
"Bell, is something wrong?" Marc asked as he approached him.
"Hm? Oh, Marc. No, nothing's wrong. I'm just a bit confused," Bell casually replied.
"Confused?" Marc asked.
"Yeah... I've been observing a lot, and I noticed something. Whenever someone uses mana manipulation magic, we can notice their mana, right? But when that same person uses magic by simply incanting something, we don't notice their mana. Mana is still being used, yet we can't seem to sense that person's mana at all."
Marc looked surprised by Bell's observation. He began thinking it over, recalling the different times he had seen both mana manipulation magic and ordinary magic being used.
"Hmmmm... Ah! You're right!" Marc exclaimed.
Juro, who had been lying down nearby, opened one eye after hearing Marc's voice.
"I wonder what these kids are talking about..."
But before he could give it much thought, Marc called out to him.
"Teacher Juro!"
Juro opened both eyes and looked toward them.
"Hm?"