The refugees lived in empty houses in the village or temporarily gathered in the Assembly Hall.

They couldn’t accept all of them. Even accepting those with skills and value to the village as members was overwhelming. Among them, the villagers mainly accepted mercenaries.

The air of war was slowly gathering. The fact that refugees had reached the village meant that the flames of war could spread here.

No, perhaps it was only a matter of time.

There were also the Orcs who had just ruined the Trade Caravan. The stories of The North told by the refugees also raised the villagers’ awareness.

The villagers held a meeting.

They had to prepare for what was to come. Even if not, whenever something important happened, the strong men in the village would gather and exchange opinions.

Simply showing up at such a meeting was a source of pride.

At least within the village, it was. It might not matter to wanderers, but for those who lived their entire lives in the village, it had a special meaning.

It wasn’t a really big meeting. It was a meeting where only the people from the East Village gathered.

Anyway, Rael also attended the village meeting.

It was a gathering of adults, but it didn’t matter.

The protagonist had proven himself to be much stronger than most. Hansen’s testimony also gave weight to this. He was a Mage who could deal with Orcs with a single spell. He was an essential talent for them.

When he reached the front of the Village Assembly Hall, Hansen greeted him.

“Hansen!”

“Rael. You’re late?”

“Well, I wasn’t sure if I should come.”

Rael couldn’t help but hesitate.

Having lived in the village from the start, he had some common sense.

It was only a few years ago that he was learning by being beaten under Dorian, and openly ignored as an orphan.

Although he had changed after learning magic, this place was much larger than the village Rael lived in. He wondered if he, as the protagonist, should really be stepping forward like this.

The protagonist was still very young. If he were a normal village boy, he would be at an age where he’d be actively learning work by helping his parents.

Despite his age, those who came to the Assembly Hall were adults who had their own roles even in villages capable of taking in and teaching apprentices. There were probably many who were even greater than Dorian.

As Rael cowered, Hansen laughed.

“You said you barely got by in the village until a few years ago, right? I understand. But considering what you’ve shown, I don’t think you need to be so intimidated.”

“Really?”

“In some ways, you’re the most amazing person in this village. You’re a Mage. These villagers don’t really know how amazing Mages are. You even taught them that, didn’t you?”

“There are still more people who don’t know, though.”

People don’t believe things unless they see them directly. Many people did come to see the duel. But more people didn’t see it. There were also more villagers than expected who had their own livelihoods and weren’t interested in rumors.

“Anyway, Mage, you just need to be confident,” said the beggar.

Hansen patted his back. Listening to him, it was really true. The protagonist was a Mage.

Even just properly learning low-level magic was enough to be treated like a semi-noble; that’s how amazing Mages were. And Rael was the one who learned such an amazing skill.

Even without that, just being able to identify herbs meant he was properly fulfilling his role as a necessary member of the old castle in the village.

Although he was young, he had enough value to more than compensate for it. If not, Bruno wouldn’t have clung to the protagonist so much.

“Thank you.”

“No problem.”

Rael confidently entered the Assembly Hall. The stares around him were sharp. It felt awkward for the protagonist to be among the adults.

Still, he stood confidently. He knew that being intimidated would only make things worse.

“Who’s that kid?”

At that moment, a middle-aged man shouted, looking at Rael.

He didn’t know who it was. He hadn’t been in the village long, and he couldn’t remember all those villagers.

“Kid. This isn’t a place for children. Go.”

The middle-aged man tried to drive Rael away. Rael said he had been called, but the man didn’t believe it. The protagonist also thought he wouldn’t believe it.

Fortunately, there were people around who knew Rael. Another man grabbed the middle-aged man’s shoulder.

“Don’t you know that kid?”

“Who is it?”

“You know, the outsider who just arrived.”

“Oh, the herbalist?”

The middle-aged man said as if he remembered, but he didn’t seem convinced.

He had an expression that seemed to say, “So what if the boy is a herbalist?”

“What about that herbalist?”

The man holding his shoulder clicked his tongue.

“That herbalist dueled recently.”

“A duel? Wasn’t that a mage?”

“The herbalist is a mage.”

“This kid is a mage?”

The middle-aged man stared in wonder. It seemed like a gnoll to him that a young boy could not only identify herbs but also use magic.

“Watch your mouth. Your limbs could break like twigs with one magic spell.”

“Oh, come on, no way.”

The middle-aged man spoke in a dismissive tone. His voice trembled slightly, as if he was scared. He slowly backed away while speaking.

Rael thanked the man who intervened. If it hadn’t been for him, it wouldn’t have been a problem, but it would have been annoying.

The man just waved his hand, saying he’d want cheap herbs if he ever got sick later.

Around that time, the village chief appeared.

He wasn’t alone. The Northern Faction Village Chief was also there.

He appeared leading a gang of ten people.

Rael prepared to fight if necessary. He didn’t know what might happen.

No matter how much it was a duel, the protagonist broke his son’s arms and legs. They gathered to retaliate and attacked Bill Capital City.

Even if the protagonist had assimilated into the village, it was nothing compared to the village chief. His life would be in danger if even a few gang members appeared secretly at night.

But that was the protagonist’s misconception.

Boil’s father, Bairo, instead came to apologize to the protagonist.

He was bewildered.

Strictly speaking, it was Boil’s fault. But considering the village chief’s authority, that was nothing. There was no need to apologize.

He thought about the reason for the village chief’s behavior. It seemed like he wanted to get along well with the protagonist.

He also handed over a heavy pouch, saying he was sorry for his son’s stubbornness. Inside were twenty silver coins. The corners of his mouth automatically turned up.

No matter how much money he had, it was not enough to buy magic tools. In that sense, the money given by the village chief was welcome.

He didn’t know his true intentions.

Perhaps it was because of the skill he showed in the duel, Capital City.

The protagonist defeated Boil. He didn’t just win. Considering their armed states, the difference was so great that it would have been ridiculous to lose, but he won. So, there was a high probability that he was seen differently.

Bairo was the most powerful person in the entire large village. Seeing such a person respect the much younger protagonist made him wonder if the protagonist’s value was this high.

Everyone was watching. He saw the eyes of some people change. They seemed to be those who hadn’t seen the duel.

Bairo left and the meeting proceeded. No one questioned Rael’s presence here, unlike the middle-aged man earlier. It seemed to be because they saw how Bairo treated Rael.

The villagers discussed various agenda items with each other.

There wasn’t much on the agenda. It was about whether to continue accepting refugees, the need to strengthen village patrols, and the need to recruit more vigilantes.

Occasionally, Rael’s name was also mentioned. Each time, they would ask the protagonist for his opinion.

He felt a strange sensation.

Everyone he had met so far was eager to look down on the protagonist and exploit him.

Rael felt respected by someone for the first time.

During the conversation among the villagers, this topic also came up: whether he had any intention of taking on a disciple.

“Magic?”

“Yes. If it’s difficult, you don’t have to do it. I’m willing to pay a certain amount for the price.”

The village chief of the eastern village said. He saw others nodding their heads.

Rael replied that he would think about it for now.

He didn’t feel bad. Rather, he felt good. They didn’t really know much about magic to begin with.

They were showing interest, having changed their perception after seeing the Protagonist’s magic. Seeing that they immediately mentioned paying, it seemed everyone had been thinking of bringing it up after the duel.

The fact that they were interested felt good, as if his skills were being recognized. However, magic was an incredibly difficult skill to learn.

Even Amelin couldn’t properly learn under his master and ended up running away after only doing bothersome tasks. The thought of teaching such a skill made him feel a bit reluctant.

Rael also learned it through immense effort. He didn’t know how much effort he had put in to get to this point. But he also worried that the villagers would be upset if he didn’t teach them.

He went to the house next door and asked Hansen.

He was an adult and knew like a ghost what was advantageous.

Hansen answered very simply. So simply that the Protagonist’s 고민 seemed absurd.

“Teach them.”

“Without any compensation?”

“They said they’d pay.”

“That’s true, but…”

As the Protagonist hesitated, Hansen chuckled, as if he knew exactly what was on his mind.

“Can just anyone learn your magic?”

He thought back to when he learned magic.

He recalled how even the simplest steps were incredibly difficult, making him sweat.

“No.”

“Then it doesn’t matter. Only those with the aptitude can learn it, right?”

“Probably.”

He recalled his conversation with Amelin. While in the carriage, he had gained a lot of knowledge about mages through various conversations. Among them was how difficult it was to become a mage.

He didn’t remember clearly, but he thought he had said that if one didn’t have the aptitude, they couldn’t even begin.

“This is advantageous for you too.”

“In what way?”

“How do people usually increase their standing in a village? They marry off their children to unite families, right?”

“That’s right.”

The easiest and strongest bond to tie people together was kinship. A relationship formed by blood could bind others just as strongly.

“Make them your allies. It takes time to form blood relations, so make disciples, like a Beggar. Just like a Blacksmith takes on an Apprentice.”

It wasn’t a bad idea.

However, that was only if he planned to live in this Village his entire life. Rael wasn’t sure if he would stay in This Place forever.

He also discussed it with Amelin.

She was like a wife to him. Before that, she was also a Mage.

Since she had been under a master, she seemed to know how to impart teachings.

Amelin said that Magic could only be trained by the chosen ones.

She said that mana itself could be felt. However, depending on one’s aptitude, the difference was as vast as heaven and earth.

Most people, after several years of training, could ignite a small Flame, but that was their limit. So, she said it didn’t matter if they were taught.

That was fortunate.

Amelin offered to help with the teaching.

People tended to prefer fire.

Before it became a proper offensive Magic, fire was at least threatening, whereas water had no effect at all.

Rael began teaching the children the next day.

There wasn’t much to it. It was all about teaching them the Breathing Technique and How to Feel Mana, then observing them.

He looked at the children sent by the Villagers.

They were much younger than the Protagonist.

They were too young to be put to work, so it seemed they were sent to learn Magic.

This made it easier for Rael to teach. If they had been around the same age as the Protagonist, it might have felt a bit awkward.

It felt surprisingly good to be called ‘Master’ by a child younger than the Protagonist. It was enough to feel the reward of diligently learning Magic.

“Wow.”

“Water appeared.”

When the Protagonist created a Water Mass, the children’s eyes widened.

Next to them, Amelin ignited a Flame in her hand. Unlike water, fire alone gave a strong impression just by appearing.

The children’s reactions were even more intense. Some even gasped.

Rael felt defeated.

It seemed like I could make up for it by shooting a Water Mass and destroying the tree.

But I held back. If I did that, I felt like Amelin would devour me at home later. I’ve been thinking lately, she might be a succubus disguised as a human.

Anyway, she sometimes showed magic. Every time she did, the children’s eyes changed.

I somewhat understood why Amelin’s master boasted to her disciples. Since the reaction was good, it was subtly enjoyable.

The children were amazed just by creating a Water Mass. I couldn’t show them now, but I decided I had to show them breaking a tree next time.

No, I had to prepare the next thing too. If I showed them shooting out a Water Pillar, they might be so amazed they’d collapse. Thinking about that made me want to practice magic right away.

The village was peaceful.

At least for now, it was.

Rael often went out to gather herbs, teach the children, and spend his days training.

Perhaps because he learned quite a bit while teaching the children, or perhaps stimulated by their reactions, he could feel his skills gradually improving.

From intermediate magic onwards, it was the domain of controlling ice.

Rael was approaching the skill level to learn intermediate magic.

Now that he could use the Water Spell blast and got used to it, it would be quick.

It was around the time a month had passed like that.

Orcs slowly began to increase around the village.

Talk of subjugating the Orcs came up.