Chapter 66 : Chapter 66

Chapter 66 - The Second Fishing Trip

Cailin wanted to follow, but a yawn escaped her.

“Ms. Cailin, how about you go to sleep? You look tired.”

“I am a little, but I still want to watch you two train!”

“No, no. If you push yourself like that, you might make a mistake while moving through the forest. Then we'd have to fight. Quickly. Go to sleep now. Let's go.”

“Eh, eh...?”

Cailin was naturally(?) sent to bed by Josephine.

Under the dark moonlit night, only Josephine and the Youngest Son entered the empty warehouse in the merchant ship.

When they turned on the light in the pitch-black warehouse, the light bulbs connected in a row on the ceiling shone brightly.

In the space bathed in yellow light.

The sorcerer and the magitech engineer... who had become a magician for this moment, stood facing each other.

“Wisdom's magic, in a word, is regulated chaos.”

It sounded like a pie-in-the-sky statement, but the Youngest Son understood.

“The reason it's called that is─”

“Magic's power or manifestation varies infinitely depending on the will imbued in it. But you've created a path for it with formulas, runes, and incantations. Am I right?”

“R-right. By any chance.... Does Millesdusk also teach the basics of our Wisdom magic?”

“Not a chance.”

“R-right. Of course not.”

Josephine scratched her head for a moment and moved on to the next step.

“I'm glad you asked me to teach you water-attribute magic. Among the Five Elemental Orders, the water attribute is the easiest.”

The Five Elemental Orders.

Like the Four Sorcery Orders, it referred to five attributes.

The water attribute was one of them.

“Water is the most similar to magic, and its image transformation is just as easy, so it's what most magicians choose first. But.”

The Youngest Son was a Magic Assimilator.

A Magic Assimilator could only use the single attribute they could assimilate with.

In the Youngest Son's case, it was Blood.

“Shall we temporarily call it the blood attribute? Will you show me that blood-attribute magic first? That way I'll know what would be good to teach you.”

“Understood.”

I focused my magic on the palm of my hand.

I felt the circulation of blood in my body accelerate.

The assimilation of blood and magic in my body, which I had completed at the mansion.

Since blood was already throughout the body, it was the same as magic being throughout the body.

‘The speed of concentration is just as fast.’

There was no need to draw it up from the abdomen; it started from the palm of my hand.

The entire body had become the starting point and the destination.

Josephine was also surprised by the speed of concentration.

‘I know the Fifth Son is much younger than me.... He gathered his magic almost as soon as he opened his hand. At this rate, he's faster than the direct-line members.’

The Millesdusk Youngest Son's magic concentration speed was faster than that of Wisdom's direct line.

Considering that Wisdom created a core and even wrapped a ring around it to increase output.

The Youngest Son, with no core and no ring, was ridiculously fast.

While a few short thoughts passed.

“This is it.”

The Youngest Son had also finished manifesting his magic.

“In my case, where blood and magic are assimilated, since I'm half vampire royalty, I can use magic like blood. And I can use blood like magic.”

“...So even if there's no blood to assimilate with nearby, you can create blood to use on your own. Conversely, you can also use others' blood as your power.”

“You could say that.”

“Crazy....”

She swore without even realizing it.

She couldn't help it.

In theory, as long as there was blood, he had no limit to his power.

And water-attribute magic, which allowed for various attack methods using liquid like blood.

If this was combined.

“......”

Josephine's body trembled.

“You're a monster....”

“I'll take that as a compliment.”

“Ah, ah. Sorry. That wasn't meant in a bad way. It was a compliment, just like you said.”

Ahem, ahem.

Josephine, clearing her throat to change the mood, took something out of her pocket.

It looked like a fountain pen, and its use was similar.

The difference was that it used magic instead of ink and drew in the air instead of on paper.

“The water attribute, as I said earlier, is a basic attribute to learn, so it builds a solid foundation for magic. And if the foundation is solid?”

“The high point gets higher.”

“Good answer.”

His attitude in class was far better than that of her young nephews, who were mesmerized by the flashiness of magic and completely ignored the basics.

The incantation for water-attribute magic, which she wrote down as she spoke.

First, she wrote it in runes, and was about to write the translated interpretation below it.

“Just the runes are fine. No need to tire your hand by adding the translation.”

“...You know runes?”

“To some extent.”

“Millesdusk learns runes?”

“I taught myself. There are books.”

To be precise, it was from seeing the letters outside the monitor.

I had seen them so many times that the meaning of those shapes was ingrained in my head.

“Then, will you read it?”

Josephine crossed her arms.

She had been a little flustered from being surprised so many times, but runes were different.

Because this was truly scholarship, and the beginning of scholarship.

And language was something overflowing with room for interpretation.

‘There's no need to be strict with the water attribute, but still, perfect is good.’

She rationalized her words of nitpicking to see his flusttered expression by twisting them around.

Since it was probably a side of him no one had ever seen.

The Youngest Son's eyes, widened in surprise, were definitely worth it.

“From the left here. Read them in order.”

“I will.”

The Youngest Son, who had spoken calmly, continued.

What she had written were three incantations mainly used in water-attribute magic.

With just a bit of magical sense added to these, the stability of most water-attribute magic could be achieved with these three.

First, the first one.

“Yuyeon. It refers to the property of water that flows continuously without stopping. This is like the spirit that water-attribute magic should pursue.”

Second.

“Samche. Water is an attribute that can be liquid, solid, and gas. Therefore, when using the water attribute, it signifies the pursuit of diversity and fluidity, not being limited to one form.”

Finally, the third.

“Heupsaek. Water absorbs various colors and accepts them as its own. This implies that the water attribute is focused on defense, and that it uses that defense to lead to an attack and counterattack.”

Yuyeon.

Samche.

Heupsaek.

This was the water attribute and image as defined by Wisdom.

A direct blood relative of Millesdusk, and the youngest at that, had interpreted it.

Perfectly, as if he himself had made the definition.

“......”

Josephine was at a loss for words.

But Wisdom was the family of wisdom and sagacity.

Josephine squeezed out her wisdom and barely found something to say.

“...Well done. Very well done.”

“Then I'm glad.”

“And I've found it. I think I know what to teach Dante. I've never properly tried it myself, and I couldn't, but if it's Dante....”

Josephine recalled the past.

The magic education that a branch family member received.

It was different from the magic education that a direct-line member received.

Some magic was missing, and know-how was also missing.

Literally, they only taught.

It was a format where they didn't care much whether you did well or not and just passed the time.

‘When I first saw the direct line's magic education by chance, I was so surprised.’

Her teacher, who had been so cold and always annoyed with her.

‘With the direct-line children, he never got angry and was always smiling.’

The sense of discrepancy was enormous.

And the teacher knew more than he let on.

It was knowledge he did not share with the branch family members.

From then on, Josephine always eavesdropped on the direct line's classes, but she almost got caught once and quit.

Because she started to feel that the teacher was keeping an eye on the outside.

She didn't want to get caught and become a cripple with a broken core.

This magic was what she had obtained from that last eavesdropping session.

The teacher had said.

─The masters of water-attribute magic in Wisdom all achieved mastery in this.

What she was about to teach now was that ‘this’.

***

The Mariella arrived at the branch office near the Great Forest.

It was a branch that handled exchanges with Dark Elves and trades with other non-human races.

After parting with Josephine, the party took a hot air balloon down and received a seal from the branch manager that would serve as a letter of recommendation.

Marvin, who had handed them out one by one, added.

“If you carry this, there will be less friction with non-human races you can communicate with.”

“Connections, connections, I wondered why they preached it so much.”

Halsin muttered as he accepted it.

He remembered the old days when he fought countless monsters while passing through the forest more than 15 years ago.

If he had this back then, it would have been much less difficult.

He was seeing the benefits now.

“Fifth Son. What exactly are you trying to do by finding the Forest Witch? What do you want at the end of this family reunion?”

Before entering the forest entrance.

Halsin asked at the entrance.

The Youngest Son answered calmly.

“Peace.”

Bring peace by getting rid of Mystics with the Forest Witch.

Bring peace to the family by having the Forest Witch meet the Magic Assimilators.

Fill the capacity of the bloodstone here to bring peace for the future.

“The Forest Witch is a necessary existence for peace. For you and for me.”

“......”

“Let's go in.”

“Have a safe trip.”

Halsin bowed his head and saw them off.

The role of the guide ended here.

Now it was time for the two hunters to step up.

“Cailin. Halsin.”

“Okay!”

“I know.”

The two hunters had different ways of scouting their surroundings.

Halsin spread his magic thin and wide, making contact with the shadows scattered throughout the forest.

Even if light shone through in the middle, there was definitely a connected corner in the shadow.

From this shadow to that shadow. From that shadow to the shadow beyond it.

He detected life on top of the shadows by repeatedly moving and returning.

On the other hand, Cailin was more primal.

“Haaa. The smell of the forest is so good.”

She just stuck her nose in the gentle breeze the forest provided.

And sniffed more diligently than usual.

Because her habitually twitching nose detected abnormalities in that breeze.

Sniffing diligently was the entirety of her method.

At that sight, Halsin posed a natural question.

“You seem to be a Werewolf of a rather outstanding bloodline. Why do you follow a Noble of Blood? And the Queen's direct descendant at that.”

How can you follow the son of the one who killed the king of your race?

Cailin's answer was simple.

“We made a pact with Dante Black Millesdusk, not with vampires. We've learned to distinguish our enemies.”

He had reached out his hand to Cailin.

At first, she didn't take his hand and pushed it away.

Nevertheless, the Youngest Son reached out his hand once again and saved her somehow.

How could she express this gratitude in words?

In the face of such gratitude, the difference in race was not even a concern.

‘Thank you. Dante. If you're in danger, I'll save you somehow.’

Just as you did for me.

I will definitely do so.

Cailin resolved herself once again.

***

The Youngest Son. The vampire hunter. The only daughter of a hunter Werewolf. The son of the next Great Witch.

The four of them went deeper and deeper into the forest.

Blocked by the dense trees, the entrance they first came through was soon out of sight.

They wandered around without paying attention to paths in the first place.

The Youngest Son looked around.

And officially declared.

“We are lost.”

Let everyone rejoice.

We are lost in the largest forest in the East.

Usually, one would have to pray to the heavens, but at least now it was good news.

Cailin also smiled brightly and clapped her hands.

“We've met the minimum condition to find that woman, the Forest Witch, or rather, for the Forest Witch to find us.”

The Forest Witch was only ever discovered by those who wandered the forest aimlessly.

She was never found by those who sought her out.

Even Halsin here had aimed for the Forest Witch, but he had never moved to find her.

As if he were truly lost. He had just run through the forest like a madman.

That didn't mean the party had to run around too.

Rather, what they had to do was fish.

Fishing in the forest.

The one to be caught was, of course, the Forest Witch, and the one to be used as bait was.

“Kio. Come here for a moment.”

“What is it?”

“I have something to do to you.”

I wrapped my hand around his wrist.

And poured my magic into it.

Since this magic was blood.

“Done.”

“...What did you do?”

“It's easier to think of it as attaching a location tracker.”

“Ah.”

Kio nodded.

Of course, he seemed to think it was in case we got separated...

But that answer was, strictly speaking, wrong.

JJEEOOEOEOK─

GRAB─

A subspace opened, and a Griffin that flew out in an instant grabbed Kio.

Then it flew deep into the forest like a shot arrow.

“─!”

There was no time to hear a scream.

He had already become a dot and moved far away.

“Fifth Son!”

“Don't get excited. The Forest Witch will worry about Kio more than you will.”

The fishing trip using Edwin as bait was a success.

Since this was the second human bait.

I could do better the second time.

Of course, since it was fishing, I had to wait until I got a bite.

Until then, Kio would have to survive somehow in the depths of the forest until the big fish reacted.

In short, it was someone else's problem.

Of course, not for his father.

“Keuk...!!”

Halsin rode the shadows and dashed in the direction the Griffin had flown.

“Fishing is also good for relationship recovery.”

The fisherman muttered and waited for a bite.

While practicing the magic he had learned.

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