Infinite Mage

Chapter 119: An Unexpected Guest (4)

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Oblivious, Rian fanned the flames in Olina's anxious heart.

"Father, instead of this, why don't we go chop some wood now in celebration of Shirone's return!"

"Haha! Should we? Alright, let's set the woods ablaze, just us men!"

"Honey! You've been drinking, and now chopping wood? Just go inside and sleep it off."

"Mom, it's okay. I’ll be back soon."

Shirone readily agreed. Given the situation, letting off some steam seemed a good opportunity.

On the other hand, Olina couldn't help but worry. Even though Vincent was strong with alcohol, climbing a mountain in an inebriated state was perilous even for experienced woodsmen.

"Are you sure you'll be okay? What if you get hurt?"

"I'll be there, so it’ll be fine. We’ll be back before lunch."

Olina’s words would have been enough to dissuade Shirone in the past, but now things were different. He had faced fearsome Ulks and protected children, so he was confident nothing worrisome would happen.

Olina found her son's newfound confidence unfamiliar. He seemed brighter and more self-assured in his speech and actions.

Was this the power of education? He had always been a good son but often hard to read. Now, he seemed like a completely different person, seemingly loving himself a bit more.

With Olina's reluctant permission, the three men set off to the logging area, exchanging stories they hadn't shared in a while. Rian, eager to show off his progress, quickened his pace.

During his two-day stay at Vincent's, Rian had heard about Shirone's childhood tales, especially impressed by the Thunder Strike. Having struggled against Sword Smash in a duel with Shirone at the main house, Rian's interest was piqued.

Upon reaching the logging area, Rian shouted.

"Alright! Let's chop some wood like true men! How about it, Shirone? Wanna bet? The loser grants a wish."

Rian, now bigger, effortlessly held the two-handed axe with one hand. Exaggerating a bit, beside Rian, who resembled a sturdy oak, Shirone looked like a squirrel standing beside him.

"Sure, why not."josei

Shirone easily agreed. He had never lost a bet to Rian. It wouldn’t be right for a victor to run away from a challenger.

Rian lifted the axe and nodded at Vincent, who responded by giving a thumbs-up signal.

"Then I'll start."

Rian swung the axe with all his might. A thud echoed as the tree trunk shook violently.

An almost lethal destructive power. It was clear how rigorous his training had been for the past six months.

"Wow, amazing. Is that Schema?"

"Huh? Ahaha! Of course not! Why would I need Schema for chopping wood?"

Though Rian's reply was somewhat awkward, Shirone chose to let it pass.

Rian raised the axe again, winking at Shirone.

"The real show starts now."

Rian's axe struck the same spot where the bark had burst open. With a loud crack like thunder, the tree fell in one strike.

"Thunder Strike..."

Shirone recognized it immediately. Rian's success with Thunder Strike meant he could now perform Sword Smash.

"Hahaha! How about that, Shirone? I'm not the same as before!"

Despite his boastful shout, Rian's heart was racing. There was a slight chance of failure.

He had learned Sword Smash at the swordsmanship academy, but its success rate was much lower against human opponents.

However, after hearing about Thunder Strike from Vincent and practicing all day, he had improved to a point where he succeeded nine out of ten times against trees.

"Impressive. Your Thunder Strike has a different impact from mine."

"Of course, it's only natural. Anyway, it's a bet. I succeeded in two tries, so you have to bring it down in one!"

Vincent burst out laughing heartily.

"Haha! Give it your best, Shirone. If it's a tie, we'll continue until one of you wins. We might end up clearing the whole mountain at this rate!"

Vincent thought Shirone would be no pushover. While Rian's strength was remarkable, Shirone had always had a natural talent for technical skills since he was young.

"Here, use my axe."

"No, it's fine. I'll do it this way."

Shirone approached the tree and extended his hand. Vincent and Rian looked puzzled. How could he bring down a thick tree without an axe?

Shirone entered his Spirit Zone and used Windcutter, a basic magic, to strike the tree.

A snapping sound came from inside the tree trunk.

And that was that.

As the two onlookers gaped in confusion, Shirone gently pushed the tree, revealing a clean cut as it fell over.

"Yay! I win!"

While Shirone jumped for joy, Vincent and Rian stood with their mouths agape.

How could a tree be cut down without any physical blow? Unless magic was used, it was an impossible feat.

'Ah, so that was magic.'

Rian inspected the cleanly cut base of the tree. Even a swordsmanship trainee couldn't have made such a smooth cut.

"What kind of magic is that?"

"It's called Windcutter. It sharpens the air by creating wind, but actually, it's quite a basic magic."

Vincent was lost for words at the transformation in his son.

Of course, he had sent Shirone to a magic academy, so he had expected him to learn some magic, but he had only imagined something akin to a circus trick.

But to cut down a tree in one go? Depending on how it's used, it could be as deadly as a weapon.

"Hehe. Unbelievable. Can you teach me that magic? We could chop way more wood with that."

Vincent's innocent remark left Shirone smiling awkwardly.

"It's basic, but not so easy to learn."

Mastering Windcutter would naturally enable one to chop over a hundred trees a day. However, no mage ever chopped wood for money.

Even if they cut down a thousand trees, a mage's daily wage was much higher. It wasn't that the value of a thousand trees was low, but the wages of a mage were high.

Shirone felt good realizing this fact. When he first entered school, he was overwhelmed by the fear of failure, but now he felt reassured, knowing he had skills to support his family even if he couldn't graduate.

Others might think a mage who had opened the Immortal Function was crazy to consider such things, but for Shirone, his family was that precious.

"Anyway, since I won, I’ll make a wish. Rian, you carry the wood back home."

"Tch! Can't help it. I was going to carry it anyway."

Rian chopped the fallen tree into pieces and prepared to carry it back on a yoke. Despite losing the bet, a smile lingered on his lips as he descended the mountain. Shirone had proven his eyes weren’t wrong.

‘Amazing, Shirone. Of course, what you showed today isn’t all you’ve got, right?’

Back home, Olina had prepared a feast of delicacies from land, sea, and air.

"Wow, this looks delicious. Thank you for the meal!"

While eating, Shirone shared his experiences at school.

He naturally omitted life-threatening situations, but there were still many things to tell.

"...so the correct answer was actually number 3. Hahaha! Thanks to that, I'll be advancing to Class Four from next semester."

"Ah, is that so."

Unexpectedly, Vincent and Olina didn't show much reaction. Shirone, realizing they might not have grasped the significance, spread his hands and emphasized.

"It's a really big deal."

Only then did the expressions on their parents' faces brighten. They might not have understood half of what he said, but they were as happy about their son's achievements as any other parents would be.

"Ah! That’s great, Shirone! Congratulations!"

"Well done, our son. I was so worried."

Olina dabbed her eyes with the tablecloth, moved to tears.

Rian watched the loving family scene with a pleased smile, understanding where Shirone's calm temperament originated.

"By the way, Rian, why did you really come here?"

"Ah, right. I came to ask your parents for permission."

"You can ask anything. If it's something we can help with, we surely will."

Vincent said this, though he was quite worried. Why would the son of a noble family ask permission from a woodsman?

"Can I go on a trip with Shirone? For about a week."

Shirone turned in surprise.

"What, a trip? Why are you talking about something I don't even know? Where are you planning to go?"

"Galiant Island. Don’t worry. I’ve already planned it out."

"Galiant? Really?"

Shirone's eyes widened. The place that had recently occupied his thoughts was now being mentioned by Rian.

"I was stuck in the library when working. Let’s get some fresh air this time. It's close to Creas and will be fun. Galiant Island is one of the most popular resorts in the world."

"And there's the Kergos Ruins too."

This time, Rian was surprised.

"Uh? You knew about that?"

"No, I just knew there were ruins there. Oh, it's that famous, huh? That's unexpected."

Shirone had been scouring maps for the past few days and found out about the Kergos Ruins on Galiant Island. He had planned to visit them during the vacation anyway.

Shirone glanced at his mother. He had intended to visit at some point during the break, but announcing a trip right after returning home for half a year might disappoint them.

As always, Olina was supportive of Shirone's plans.

"Go ahead. We fully support you."

"But Mom, I was planning to help Father with his work after returning from school..."

Vincent laughed heartily.

"You lad! Did you go to a battlefield or something? It's just a school you're returning from. It's okay to go on a trip during the break. It’s not good for a young man to stick too close to his parents."

Shirone pursed his lips guiltily. Although the magic academy was technically just a school, the risks he faced there were almost akin to a battlefield.

"So, can I stay for ten days?"

"Ten days? That's fine, but it seems a bit long for just sightseeing, doesn’t it?"

"Ah, actually, I have something I want to research there."

Rian looked exasperated.

"You’ll be studying there too? You really are something, seriously."

Considering Shirone had devoured every history book in the Ogent family library, studying at a vacation spot would be nothing for him.

‘Hehe, but it won’t be easy this time. Will he really be able to study there?’

Thinking of his secret plan, Rian smiled to himself, eagerly awaiting the next day.

Shirone packed his travel bag and went to bed. Rian, who had decided to stay for the night, spread a blanket next to him.

"So, tell me. Why didn’t you go home?"

"Uh, well, that’s because..."

Rian trailed off. Just as Reina kept tabs on her brother, Rian knew his sister well. She probably sent his report card home to keep him there.

But he couldn't tell Shirone the truth. Although he wasn't ashamed of coming last since he tried his best, he found it hard to say it out loud.

"Just some minor family issues. Hahaha."

Shirone didn’t probe further.

"Anyway, it’s good. I was planning to visit there during the break."

"The Kergos Ruins, right? What do you plan to research?"

"I'm not sure yet. I’ll enjoy the vacation and then stay back to investigate."

Rian felt something was off. Kergos Ruins was a tourist site. If it was just for research, Shirone wouldn’t ask him to return first.

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