Ep 63. Get A Life, Will You? (3)

Ep 63. Get A Life, Will You? (3)

Ep 63. Get A Life, Will You? (3)

“Got your sap?”

“And a coat.”

Patrick replied to Ilias in a muffled voice through his newly acquired scarf and coat, walking down the wide market streets beside the red dragon. He hadn’t exactly expected himself to go on a shopping spree for winter clothes in the middle of summer, but it was what it was; after all, it was practically winter all-year round in Inosis.

The enforcer spared a brief glance at the leather sack over his shoulders, bundling a number of bottled ethensia saps within. Easy ingredient was off the list.

‘Time for the tough one. Although...’

When Patrick nervously looked towards the red dragon, her steps were as light as ever – which was odd, because her bare legs seemed like they would freeze any minute now. Except they didn’t.

Ilias remained indifferent to the cold. Her only focus was on their next destination – she’d looked forward to meeting these supposedly-dangerous-monsters in person.

“Alrighty, time to get that crystal! Where were these golems again?”

“From what I heard, the ice golems in Inosis are usually spotted on flatter areas east of town. They’re pretty big, so they gravitate towards terrains that don’t have any obstacles.”

“Ooh, that’s useful. You know a lot!”

“I mean, I just asked around while I went shopping. Though...out of curiosity, what were you planning to do if I wasn’t here?”

“Probably fly around until I find one?”

Patrick squinted his eyes at the dragon’s answer.

“...Wait, fly around? The entire mountain, you mean?”

“Yeah! Why?”

“...Nothing. Never mind.”

Patrick himself would probably take weeks to even make a brief scan around the entire mountain. When one could zip around the air and ignore the cold, not so much.

“Well, anyways...it shouldn’t take that long to get to where they are. Merchants were saying that they’re not too far away from the town gates, so we-“

Before Patrick could finish, Ilias abruptly wrapped her tail around the enforcer’s waist, lifting him off his feet. He was practically dropped into a bridal carry as the red dragon’s wings spread open to take them into the air.

“Why walk when you can fly?”

“Because I didn’t WANT to fly! Can you at least transform back into a dragon or something?!”

“Oh psh, that’s a waste of energy. I can carry one person in this form just fine! I used to fly all the time like this with Light!”

“That’s not the poin-“

The enforcer’s defense fell silent as Ilias kicked off the ground, taking into the air again with the mage in tow. A streak of tear was rolling down Patrick’s face while the cold mountain air rushed past him.

‘...I hate it here.’

At least only a few people were there to see him being carried off.

Only a few.

✧ ✧ ✧

Serenis beckoned the professor over as she stopped at the middle of the woods. Contrary to the crow’s expression, she seemed indifferent as usual.

The branch in his hands was rapidly reshaped into a towering greatsword. Karas raised the weapon high into the air as streaks of mana flashed across his arms and the blade’s surface, strengthening their structures before slashing downwards.

At first, Serenis erected several metal pillars to bar the blade’s path. A thunderous noise rang throughout the forest as they clashed.

But the dragonlord narrowed her eyes when the metals began to crack and shudder. She then leapt backwards as Karas’ weapon crushed through the iron bars and into empty soil, cutting deep into the earth.

Once the weapon returned to being a simple stick, the professor tossed it aside, shrugging at his unharmed student.

“And that, is how hunters engage in combat.”

Mages could not skip calculating and formulating when using spells. Even Gio, despite his expertise as an archmage, could not entirely skip such procedures.

On the other hand, active hunters faced lethal dangerous in the form of monsters and beasts; their lives were often decided within split seconds, and because of this, they’d devised ways of using mana without calculating. That was reinforcement: using mana to fuel their physical bodies, which were readily available without having to be calculated or formulated.

What Karas had just demonstrated was a step further. Instead of using the readily available physical body, the professor had used sticks and leaves as medium; none of which needed calculating, but available nonetheless.

Still, Serenis quizzically tilted her head. The real question, was...

“...Aren’t you a mage, Karas?”

“I am. But no man is limited to being only one thing at a time.”

Admittedly, Karas had sufficiently demonstrated reinforcement’s practicality to her. Serenis had initially planned to not move a single step from her original position – she had truly meant to ‘only’ defend. Making her physically avoid an attack was already a remarkable feat.

And it wasn’t just the dragonlord who was aware of this. Karas gave another shrug towards his student.

“And, quite frankly, I didn’t see a point in contesting you as a mage. At least this way, you’ve learned something useful in your workshop. Yes?”

Serenis wore a light smile as she nodded back.

“I suppose.”

“Good. Now, if you’d like, I can also teach you how-“

Thwack!

A sudden thud interrupted Karas as a twig flew across the air, smacking right into his face. He fell to his knees with a pained grown, rubbing the part that had just been hit by the branch.

“ARE YOU TWO FIGHTING?!”

Light emerged from the brushes to approach Karas following the high-pitched scream, holding a basket of limen leaves in one hand. Her other hand was already holding onto another branch she’d picked up on the way here, though it was yet to be thrown. For now.

Karas quickly raised his hands defensively, shaking his head.

“No no, you misunderstand, Light. We’re not fighting.”

“Then what was all that noise? I swear I heard something break and explode.”

The half girl glanced around the area. Clear signs of destruction were evident in numerous places – especially the ground before Karas, which had a huge cut running across.

“Don’t lie, professor! I mean, just look at the place!”

“I was...teaching magic to Serenis.”

“Wh- but not me?! That’s even worse!”

Karas darted his gaze towards the dragonlord for help. Unfortunately, the only help he got was a shrug.

The professor slowly turned back to face his angry student. If he told Light the actual reason behind their little sparring, then he’d have to tell her their whole venture about challenging the deity of death – which was NOT going to happen on his watch.

Karas practically sighed out his next answer.

“...You’re right. We were actually fighting.”