Chapter 65: Is the Journey Smooth?

“Ah, I get it now.”

“Hmm?”

On top of a wagon that lacked anything resembling a ceiling.

The two of them lay there, staring blankly up at the sky, using a thin pile of luggage as a makeshift sleeping bag.

It was then that Luirin, as if finally understanding, thrust a confident face toward Kariel.

“You were hit because you had no bloodlust.”

“Bloodlust?”

“Exactly. That’s why I was hit so irresponsibly.”

“…In this case, wouldn’t ‘helpless’ or ‘incompetent’ be a better expression than ‘irresponsible’?”

“The Imperial language is difficult. Let’s just start using Bada Rasa.”

“Suit yourself.”

“Eh? What? You knew it?”

“Somehow.”

It was one of my few talents.

I suppose it was because I had been dragged here and there since I was young, and the sounds became familiar.

Foreign languages.

In this regard, I was among the top students even within the Academy.

…Though that’s only because it wasn’t an official subject.

Even so, being familiar with the sounds and actually being able to speak the language are two different matters.

“…….”

But what did it matter?

“When you commit a hostile act against something, you instinctively emit bloodlust or hostility, but I think you lacked that, customer.”

“Is that so.”

I had a guess.

To begin with, what I learned was not a method of killing, overpowering, or defeating an opponent.

The prerequisite itself was a form of reacting to the opponent’s hostility and murderous intent.

For example, self-defense rather than aggression.

It focused on defense and counterattacks rather than offense.

That didn’t necessarily mean I couldn’t take the initiative to attack.

But does a tree that stands still ever hit a creature passing by?

What about a rock?

And what of water or wind?

“…….”

If you think about it, rather than imitating nature, it was more like blending into and becoming one with it.

Because I focused on that, my consciousness naturally seemed to flow in that direction.

Still, if there was a difference from before.

I felt that my emotional expression and reactions had become richer than when I considered myself a tree or a rock.

“Are you listening to me?”

“Up until the middle part.”

“Ugh, seriously. I told you I hate it when people talk too much.”

…No, isn’t that a contradiction?

He says that while he himself speaks dozens of words for every one word I say.

“Ah, excuse me! I’ll get off here! Pardon me!”

Then, glancing somewhere as if he had spotted a marker, Luirin urgently asked to stop the wagon.

“From here, we go this way.”

Despite there being no distinct path, he suggested diving straight into the forest.

Looking up slightly, I saw the forest leading into a mountain path and realized that once we entered, it would be difficult to see a paved road or street for a while.

“Alright.”

“Aren’t you curious? What makes you trust me and go this way?”

“If you’re a competent guide, I assume you’ve already judged it correctly?”

“That’s also true. But accepting something so readily is also a problem. You might get stabbed in the back by someone other than me.”

With that, he rummaged through his clothes and pulled out a small leather map.

“A large map is necessary, but in places like this, a sketch map that details a specific area is what’s truly important.”

“Especially in a place you’re visiting for the first time?”

“It differs from person to person. People with a good sense of direction and intuition can wander around just fine after visiting once or twice without a map. I’m not quite at that level.”

“But you have no problem if you have a map or a sketch?”

“Exactly. You’re smart, customer, so it’s great that I don’t have to explain things two or three times.”

“…….”

I knew it was a compliment, but for some reason, it left a slightly bitter taste in my mouth.

“It’ll take a while if we go on foot.”

“Then we can just run.”

I immediately stepped up onto a nearby tree.

“Eh?”

Then, I dashed through the trees and moved forward by leaping.

“What exactly is your identity, customer?! Are you an Ear-person?!”

The bewildered shout quickly faded into the distance.

“No, wait! Adjust your speed! It’s not like we’re in a running race!”

…He followed quite well.

From what I had observed so far.

Luirin’s physical abilities were on a completely different level than those of an ordinary human.

Was it because he was a Half-beast Tribe?

Or was his physical function naturally superior regardless of that?

“What speed is best?”

As I descended from the tree, I saw Luirin catching his breath, though only slightly.

“Customer, you’re not human, are you?”

“I am a pure human.”

“Then did you grow up in the forest? But a human couldn’t possibly show movements like that.”

“Instead, my Mana utilization is trash.”

“Does that have something to do with it?”

I wonder.

Kariel also became a bit curious about that point.

“If you had moved like that using Mana, I wouldn’t have said anything.”

“You followed just fine, didn’t you?”

“I chased you as best as I could.”

He said, looking back.

“Look! You can’t even see the starting point anymore, no matter how hard you look!”

“That’s just because it’s hidden by the trees.”

“Stop being stubborn!”

I wasn’t being stubborn.

If the view were open, it would have been clearly visible.

If I climbed a tree right now, I could probably see it.

“At this speed, we’ll leave a few days earlier than planned. I now perfectly understand why you were so calm even when I suggested climbing a mountain!”

“Uh, sure.”

“But can I learn that too?”

“……I don’t know.”

I had never even thought about teaching this to anyone.

As long as one has Mana, high-speed movement isn’t actually a big problem.

While I move quickly, this is actually specialized for long-distance travel.

Therefore, in terms of instantaneous speed, it was lacking compared to movement or maneuverability methods established based on Mana.

And if those were polished and perfected as individual Arcane Secrets?

My simple movement would be nearly useless in combat.

Furthermore, this depends heavily on the space or environment.

Even in the same forest or mountains, if no path or gap is visible… it’s neither here nor there.

“Then that really is an Ear-person trait. But since you’re human, the restrictions are severe, meaning it’s only a half-baked ability.”

“Is that so?”

“Didn’t you even learn that? About your own ability?”

…It wasn’t exactly a talent worth showing off or boasting about.

I only ever heard things like “the roof breaks when you climb the building” or “don’t leave footprints on the wall.”

So I only used it in the middle of the night or when climbing over walls; I hadn’t shown it openly very often.

‘It was only recently that I started actually using it.’

I developed a knack for it while climbing walls, and in doing so, I realized the best way to move around.

Since I figured it out incidentally, I never dreamed I would become this proficient.

“That’s good. For my own circumstances, it’s better if the customer is someone I can learn at least one thing from.”

From then on, he questioned me persistently throughout the journey.

“It’s fine if you don’t know everything, just tell me.”

Since he said so, I explained it as simply as possible within a range that wasn’t annoying.

“It really does seem like a racial trait. What do you mean, gaps created by the wind? How do you see the path? Do you think that makes sense? Wind isn’t something you can see. You know that, right?”

“Well….”

“Shaping wind in the name of Wind Magic is purely for show and display. To actually deal with an opponent using wind, you should instead kill the sound and even suppress the minute winds generated by the action to maximize stealth….”

As expected, he talks a lot.

He didn’t seem to be aware of it himself.

Still, the things he said were not without merit, so I listened to them.

…Though more than half of it was content to be let in one ear and out the other.

Soon, in less than a few hours, as we entered the mountain path, the slope became gentle, and valleys and cliffs began to come into view.

“Can you climb that too?”

“…It’s difficult, but shall I try?”

“That’s a relief. It would have been quite a nuisance if I had to climb while carrying the customer on my back.”

Huh?

As he said that, he suddenly began climbing the cliff with his bare hands.

“Uh….”

He grips and steps quite well.

“Is it possible?”

A path was visible, albeit clumsily, but seeing how it quickly crumbled….

If he missed the timing, he might just fall.

“…….”

If all else fails, I’ll just die.

Only after reaching the top did I realize my thinking had been wrong.

At the time I attempted to climb, I didn’t even realize what was wrong and just blindly scaled the cliff.

“Good. Let’s camp here. Since we just got off the boat, the land-sickness probably hasn’t worn off yet.”

“Really?”

Land-sickness.

That’s an interesting expression.

“There are no temples or apothecaries here, so if your condition worsens rapidly without you noticing, there’s no solution. You should take care of your physical condition before that.”

He didn’t seem to have much luggage, but as he shook his thick robe a few times, the sound of something pouring onto the ground was heard.

“…That’s a Magic Tool too, right?”

“Unlike yours, this only increases the volume capacity. The weight remains the same.”

Thump!

Even though only the hem of the robe touched, the ground was partially gouged out.

“Like this.”

“…I see.”

I didn’t ask at the time because he seemed to intentionally hide it around other people.

But when he quickly shoved purchased tools and daily necessities into his robe, I figured he had no intention of hiding it from me.

So when the opportunity arose and I asked, he responded immediately.

Even I, though to a minimum, had been carrying a cumbersome backpack.

“You manage to show such movements while carrying that.”

There was a plausible reason why large figures were knocked back by his body slams.

…So that’s why he couldn’t understand how he was neutralized by my intervention?

“It’s part of the training. I have to diligently improve my skills to make a living, right? Who’s going to guarantee the training time or the time to build skill if I neglect training because I’m working? The sky? The ground? The sea? The waterside? The lake? The swamp? The fields?”

“…….”

His words are a hundred percent correct, but the footnotes are too long.

“Since that’s the case, please teach me the knack of harming or taking down an opponent without emitting bloodlust.”

“……?”

He made the request as if it were a given.

“Is it not allowed?”

“Is that included in the request fee?”

At my question, Luirin slapped his forehead.

“Geez! Would it be so hard to just be a nice person and tell me like a pushover?”

“…….”

I like that he doesn’t seem like he’d deceive people, but I don’t know why he’s openly calling me a pushover and a nice person.

Is it a form of spoiled behavior—thinking that if he requests and demands, I might actually give in?

Because asking with words is free?

Once you start conceding small things, it’s only a matter of time before you concede big things.

Similarly.

Once you start allowing small things, it’s only a matter of time before you allow big things.

…That is a very expensive lesson I learned while being thoroughly despised and pushed around by others.

Anyway.

Perhaps because he saw my indifferent expression.

Luirin began to spout sophistry.

“I’ll put that much more effort into my role as a guide, right? Besides that, we might move beyond a simple guide-customer relationship and form a deeper bond? We might even end up in a truly deep relationship?”

His slightly flushed face and the eyes looking up at me were quite adorable.

However, Kariel just blinked his eyes without much reaction.

“Is that actually a benefit for me?”

“Ugh, seriously! Being able to get to know a competent guide like me over the long term is a huge advantage! How can someone as smart as you not know that?”

He is bold.

And audacious.

Kariel shook his head as if defeated.

“Alright. It’s not like teaching you is that difficult.”

“Yes!”

Watching Luirin pump his fist with all his might.

Kariel let out a faint smile.