He walked through the city streets.

His whole body felt heavy. His mind was complicated, and it felt like there was a stone in his chest.

Each step was difficult, as if his legs were shackled.

It was because of what the middle-aged man said.

He debated whether he should hire a guard.

He doubted Lorina would accept it.

If he told her there were people targeting them, she wouldn’t enter the Deep Forest. Then there would be no reason to teach her to read and write.

No matter how he thought about it, that wasn’t right.

He didn’t have enough money to hire a writing teacher.

It was also difficult to imagine that his current income would continue.

Once the research was over, herbs might not be needed. It would be troublesome if he lost his job. He had to accumulate as much wealth as possible before then.

He decided to forget what the middle-aged man had told him. He just needed to be careful for a few months.

He hid the truth from Lorina.

Perhaps because of that, his chest ached. He wasn’t sure if it was his conscience bothering him or if he felt guilty. He just hoped nothing bad would happen.

He scared Lorina.

It was the last bit of his conscience.

He said that recently, he had sensed the presence of mercenaries in the forest. After that, she stopped going into the Deep Forest. It seemed she still had enough herbs.

He had gathered a good amount of herbs over the past month. The research was also said to be nearing its end.

It was said that those who knew how to make potions were treated with great respect.

He wasn’t just a simple technician.

It was a potion called an extra life.

He was the kind of person who could manufacture such potions.

He boasted that if he could do that, his situation would change. Lorina already seemed well-off. He didn’t understand why anything needed to change.

Her efforts were good to see.

The protagonist became lazy.

He recalled the first time he succeeded with magic.

At that time, he was desperate. But as his life gradually stabilized, he became complacent. He didn’t feel a reason to become stronger.

Most of all, training became difficult.

That was actually the biggest obstacle.

It was like climbing a steep mountain that he had to cling to.

One step. One step.

The further he went, the more his head throbbed, and the less the castle’s scent was, making it even harder.

If Lorina hadn’t been by his side, he would have given up.

When he was with the girl, he controlled his emotions.

As they grew closer, it was inevitable that feelings would blossom. However, he kept in mind that their statuses were different. Still, he hadn’t given up hope.

Mages are rare.

The protagonist might even become great.

The girl’s father was a Mage.

And a Noble. He was a person who proved that with great skill, one could earn respect even from a Lord with vast territories.

He might not be as good as him, but he thought he could at least reach a level where he wouldn’t be ignored.

The dream self is said to be a low-ranking Mage.

He was told that even if he could properly cast just one Water Ball, he could reveal himself as a Mage.

If he learned various spells and delved into ice magic, which is superior to water, he might even earn a title.

He didn’t know how many years it would take. He had only just learned one spell. Even speculating was disrespectful.

If he earned a title, he would be on par with a noble’s daughter like the girl.

Thinking so gave him strength. The protagonist felt a surge of motivation, enough to be called a Gnoll. He didn’t know why.

At any rate, what mattered was that he felt a strong desire.

Desperate humans could become strong.

He was able to endure the difficult life because he had something to wish for.

Thinking so, his stomach growled. He remembered his first wish: to eat something delicious.

That day, he ordered the most expensive dish at the inn.

The innkeeper’s lips stretched to his ears. He showcased his skills in the kitchen for the first time in a while.

Roasted venison, slathered with various spices and accompanied by garlic and onions, appeared steaming on a large plate. It cost 20 copper coins. Considering that a decent meal he usually ate only cost about 3 copper coins, it was an enormous price.

The taste was satisfying.

He had no memory of encountering such tender meat in his life. The spices were a luxury. As he felt the various ingredients enhance the flavor, he realized he couldn’t go back to how things were before.

Tears streamed down his face. He felt grateful to be alive. The man next to him offered a cloth. He didn’t know who he was. He seemed to be a fellow guest.

He wiped away his tears with the cloth.

He turned his head.

The man was drooling, staring.

He shared a little. The man’s expression brightened. Despite his aversion to men, seeing that expression made him feel good. His gloom dissipated.

He called the Innkeeper. He tossed a Silver Coin, telling him to give a Beer to each of the guests. A voice said it wasn’t enough. He pretended not to hear.

Rael asked for a Beer for the Protagonist too. Instead, Warm Milk came out. He chugged it down. It was a night for getting drunk.

The atmosphere of the inn improved.

Shop Owner Sir was Rael. More than anyone, the Shop Owner liked it the most.

Since that day, the Shop Owner’s attitude improved.

It seemed to be because he was a generous customer. The Working Girl even looked at him with an expectant gaze. When he didn’t give a tip, she didn’t acknowledge him. She seemed sulky.

The next day, he regretted it a little.

Yesterday, he was very generous with his spending.

It seemed to be due to guilt. He tried to resolve the lump in his chest with money.

He did something he wouldn’t normally do.

He should have felt the money was a waste.

Strangely, he didn’t feel like he had lost anything.

It seemed to be because of his heart.

His chest was still heavy. Still, it was much better than yesterday.

He felt more at ease.

The Innkeeper’s attitude also became more casual.

Human relationships are essential for living. He thought he had invested in that.

“Let’s work hard again today.”

He told himself, as if admonishing himself.

Until now, he had focused on learning to read and write.

But starting today, it was different.

He began to diligently train his Magic again.

He checked the current power of his Magic.

When he used Water Ball, the size of the Water Mass was the size of a head.

It was powerful enough to feel like being struck by a mace; an ordinary person would have been finished the moment it hit their chest.

Even without hitting a vital spot, it seemed capable of shattering limbs like twigs.

The further the distance, the weaker its power became. For now, about 50 meters was the limit.

Its power and range were now at a practical level for real combat.

Now it was time to increase the number.

He created two Water Masses.

It was practice throwing them in different directions. It was very difficult.

Just increasing the number of Water Masses was proving to be a challenge.

It was easier than learning new magic.

There was progress, however. Though his steps were small, he was moving forward. Whenever it was tough, he thought about the throbbing in his head.

When his head throbbed, he became stronger. The protagonist was growing stronger. If this accumulated, it would become significant. He had to do it with a steady mind.

Thinking that way, his pace seemed to quicken as well.

The deeper he ventured into the forest, the greater the sense of danger became.

He wondered if he would have won if the mercenaries had attacked him then.

He probably would have lost.

The protagonist is a mage.

He could exert his power only when positioned at a medium range, if not long range. Normally, he would need a vanguard like Dorian to protect him from the front.

It was disadvantageous from the moment he came face to face with the mercenaries.

He could manage two or three if he attacked first.

But there were six opponents. Once they got close enough to swing their swords, it would be over.

For a mage, it was crucial to start a battle from an advantageous distance.

The Water Ball was much more powerful than an arrow.

Similar to a blunt weapon, the impact itself was significant. If it hit anywhere, it could incapacitate or severely injure the opponent.

He could fire twice before the opponent could approach him.

Once when making the first move, and once more before the opponent closed in. That was twice. If he increased the number of Water Masses, he could defeat up to four people.

It would be nice to have a companion, but I assumed I would be fighting alone.

What the middle-aged man told me bothered me.

There might be a situation where I would have to fight for my life.

I always had to consider the worst-case scenario. That’s how I could survive.

It was at that time that I was diligently intensifying my training.

Lorina placed something on the rock. It wasn’t a book.

It was a glass bottle.

“What is this?”

“A potion.”

“A potion?”

Rael brought his face close to the glass bottle.

Inside the glass bottle was red liquid. Perhaps because it was the color of blood, it felt full of life. It felt like if he drank it, vitality would gush forth.

He asked for the price. The answer was 10 silver. He gasped.

“I’ll give it to you.”

“Really?”

“You’ve helped me all this time.”

“Thank you.”

It wasn’t just words. He was truly grateful.

Rael’s income was 9 silver coins for a whole month’s work. In reality, it was even less than that.

For a boy, it was a considerable income.

Even for Rael, the potion was an expensive item, enough to make him give up the thought of buying it.

He held the glass bottle. It had a stopper. He opened it and smelled it. It was a mysterious scent, a mixture of various herbs.

“Why are you smelling it?”

“Just because.”

“Do you think you understand something?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

There was a smell.

It was the smell of the herbs I had collected. I sniffed them and named each one.

I didn’t know the names of the rare herbs.

Instead, I described their characteristics. As I listed them one by one, there were over ten.

Before I knew it, Lorina was staring at me with her mouth open, as if asking if I could really distinguish them all. I scratched my head.

I looked at the potion and said,

“That’s amazing.”

“Of course it is.”

Lorina had said that those who could make potions were highly respected.

I remembered hearing that before.

I didn’t know how much respect they received, but it felt like my own value had leaped. I was precious.

My skill seemed excellent.

Cooking also results in garbage-like taste if you just randomly throw ingredients in.

Especially with soup.

Mixing various herbs would also make things strange. But the potion was different. Subtle scents harmonized with each other. It was a very difficult task.

I closed the stopper.

I felt good, probably because I had obtained the potion. It was like having an extra life.

“How amazing is it?”

“In terms of status, you’d be at least a quasi-noble.”

“A noble?”

“Potions are hard to make. That much is natural. Even someone of my level would be a quasi-noble.”

Quasi-noble.

They weren’t true nobles, but their status was higher than commoners. Knights who had their own estates were quasi-nobles.

That alone was impressive. After all, it was still a noble title, wasn’t it?

Even a low-ranking mage wasn’t usually granted a title. At best, they were quasi-nobles. While their fields of training differed, in terms of skill, they were similar to or as great as the protagonist.

On the one hand, I was also worried. It would be troublesome if she refused to enter the forest.

Lorina said we still had a long way to go.

I had just made a potion. I had to repeat it until I was properly skilled.

It was a relief.

I wondered how much longer it would take to learn to write satisfactorily.

I was nearing the end.

Even now, I could read and write most things.

I was better than those who had learned to write haphazardly.

Lorina said I learned to write very quickly.

It was to the point where I would learn everything in three months, let alone a year.

She said that commoners who dabbled in poison studies or learned ambiguously knew more about what they couldn’t read than what they could.

In contrast, she said the protagonist would reach a properly learned level. Although she did add that I needed to study for another month.

The girl also taught me about herbs. It seemed to be because she was in a good mood.

She didn’t ask for any compensation. Perhaps it meant we had become close enough for her to share knowledge.

These were much more expensive herbs than the ones Dorian had told me about.

I committed them all to memory.

Then, I thought of the Blue Flower. The Blue Flower wasn’t among the things the girl had told me about. It was the same when I asked. My curiosity grew.

I wondered what its true nature was. The Blue Flower was vibrant. Any flower would quickly wilt if pulled from the ground.

It had been several months since I started living in this place. Its vitality was eerily strong. It was chilling. I wanted to eat it, but I felt like there would be a problem. I had a strange feeling about it.

I trusted the protagonist’s intuition. Since I started training mana, my intuition had become reliable. It was a sensation that shouldn’t be ignored.

On the way back after sunset, Belief’s gaze was strange.

It was jealousy. Her eyes showed it.

There wasn’t anything particularly to find fault with.

I had only returned with Lorina once before. Still, since I treated her kindly, she seemed to have roughly caught on. It was burdensome.

There were other burdensome things.

On my day off, I ran to the Alchemist’s house.

Because I had been told by Belief to go there.

“Go inside. The master called for you.”

Master.

The only person Belief called master was the Alchemist.

He was Lorina’s father and a titled noble.

He worried about why such a person had called him.

But there was no avoiding it.