Chapter 12 - The Traveling Merchant Lionel (1)
The very first thing Lawrence did after learning Shadow Spear was search for a place where he could practice magic.
The situation was different from when he practiced Shadow or Fire.
The first two spells were simple enough to practice in his room, but it wasn't feasible to keep firing off Shadow Spear through the window every time.
There were too many Seeing Eyes in the village.
Naturally, the boy had no choice but to head outside.
But being too close to the village was a problem too.
So, he ventured into the forest, looking for a place out of sight from the gatekeeper on duty and any passing travelers.
This was where he finally found the perfect spot.
A forest clearing a little distance from the village walls.
There were still a few signs of logging nearby.
Thanks to that, he could rest sitting on a stump, and the area was far more open than a typical forest, allowing him to keep track of his surroundings.
All in all, for a spot he found in a hurry, it suited him quite well.
From that day on, Lawrence began earnest magic training.
He started with his familiar Shadow and Fire spells.
At first, using them just a few times brought on chest pain right away, but as with anything, practice made perfect—now, even after nearly ten uses, his body suffered no ill effects.
Once he grew comfortable manipulating shadows and flames, he moved to the next stage: Shadow Spear.
Unlike the previous two spells, casting this one took a bit more time. He had to separate the shadow, mold it into a spear, and carefully shape it.
Visualizing the image wasn't difficult for him.
The memory of the Red Eyes' spell, which left such a vivid impression deep in his mind, remained as clear as ever.
Shadow Spear took shape.
Compared to the spear he remembered, its appearance was quite shabby. To make matters worse, just maintaining it made the pain in his chest intensify.
In a way, it resembled Fire, which always seemed eager to run wild. It felt like it was pleading with him to be unleashed. Lawrence held on as best he could, aiming it as carefully as possible—then finally loosened his grip.
Freed from its master's control, Shadow Spear shot toward the tree.
With a dull thud, the tree was gouged out. The impact was clearly powerful, as leaves scattered everywhere. The spot where Shadow Spear struck was even worse. Rather than a spear, it looked as if a great axe had chopped through, leaving a huge scar on the trunk.
In terms of destructive power, this was the strongest of all the magic Lawrence possessed. The only real problem was that after casting it once or twice, the pain in his chest and a throbbing headache would rush in, but this level of might was something his other spells couldn't even begin to imitate.
After casting Shadow Spear once more, Lawrence sat down on the stump to catch his breath.
It was hot. Even after taking off his robe, the muggy weather slowly sapped his motivation.
This wasn't easy. He would need some time to get used to this new magic. As he waited for his headache to subside, he took out the water pouch he'd brought. As the lukewarm water wet his throat, Lawrence felt as if he might finally survive.
There was still a long way to go. The Shadow Spear that Lawrence used was simply a spear formed from shadows. In contrast, the Shadow Spear wielded by the Red Eyes in his memory was a shadow spear imbued with raging flames.
It was obvious which one was stronger and more powerful.
And then there was the sheer number. The Shadow Spears that had filled the dark sky were truly a spectacle to behold.
Would he ever be able to reach that level one day? He felt a surge of energy well up inside him for no good reason.
Lawrence stood back up and continued practicing Shadow Spear.
Are all forms of magic connected in some way? As he practiced Shadow Spear, Lawrence came to an important realization. If he hadn't been able to shape the shadow into an arrow, casting Shadow Spear would have been impossible in the first place.
The first step in Shadow Spear was to form the shape of a spear. Without the earlier practice of shaping shadows into arrows, he never would have even taken his first baby step with this magic.
If that's the case, then maybe, as he became more skilled with Fire, it might also have some effect that would help him with other spells.
Wondering if it might work, he tried to mold Fire into a shape like he did with Shadow, but every reckless attempt ended in failure.
Unlike Shadow, Fire was fundamentally different. From the beginning, flames have a nature that makes them want to behave however they please. Even now, it feels like I'm just holding a leash and letting it go in the direction I want. Maybe the very idea of changing it into another shape is fundamentally wrong.
Ever since meeting the Red Eyes, I hadn't been able to dream. I'd just found out that the world in my dreams was called the Spirit Realm, but without being able to dream, I couldn't meet my fairy friends.
This time, though, I wasn't impatient. That was because I had a feeling why I couldn't dream.
The sound that echoed in my head for a moment. The refreshing sensation that replaced my headache. I remember something I couldn't endure, and my vision being dyed red.
There's no such thing as a miracle without a price. I figured this must be what Red Eyes meant by those words.
If that's the case, all I can do is wait. Doing my best at what I can while waiting.
After nearly a month spent focusing on magic and training, Lawrence's skills improved by leaps and bounds.
Now, he could cast Shadow or Fire without having to extend his hand. It was still faster to reach out when shaping them, but in a real combat situation, there might not be time for that.
Being able to cast magic while holding a weapon—or not—could be a huge difference.
In that sense, Shadow Spear was still out of the question. Even with both hands extended, forming the shape took too long. Let alone aiming it in the right direction but preventing it from flying off—it felt close to impossible.
Once again, I realized just how incredible Red Eyes was.
At least, I could take comfort in the fact that the spear I chose instead of a sword was easy to use.
It didn't take much time to become proficient with the spear. Even someone like Lawrence—who knew nothing—could at least imitate fighting with it, so Gozle was right when he said that spears are easy to pick up.
I had no doubt it would be just as effective in real combat. That was the whole point of my practice and training.
After casting Shadow Spear one last time, Lawrence stood up.
The sun was still high in the sky. It was just past noon at best. Compared to other days, I was getting up almost half a day earlier. But it wasn't because I was tired or exhausted.
There was a more pressing, realistic problem.
…I was almost out of money. All I'd been doing was going back and forth between the inn and the forest, practicing magic. But just the cost of lodging and meals was enough to drain my pockets.
If it hadn't been for Beton's generosity, I would've had to give up practice long ago and go looking for work.
I managed to hold out until the very last moment. But continuing to practice magic at this point would just be a foolish way to make my problems worse.
"Great work, Mr. Nielsen."
"Oh, Lawrence, isn't it? You're back early today."
"It's lunchtime, after all. Mr. Nielsen, make sure you have lunch too."
"Didn't you usually bring a packed lunch? Well, go on in."
I'd become pretty familiar with Mr. Nielsen, the guard at the checkpoint.
Seeing each other at the same time every day for almost a month meant we were at least on "small talk" terms now.
I did worry that he might remember me saying I was a priest with Reynold.
Fortunately, there was no sign he recognized me.
After grabbing lunch near the city gates, Lawrence headed to the Mercenary Guild for the first time in a while.
It was about time to take on an assignment. It wasn't like I'd just been lazing around for the past month, so I felt confident enough to handle a simple subjugation request.
But when Lawrence looked over the bulletin board covered with requests, he couldn't help but grimace.
His mercenary badge was still only wooden—a Wooden Badge. Out of the mercenary ranks, which went from Wood, Bronze, Silver, Gold, to Platinum, wooden was the absolute lowest.
Most requests available to those with a Wooden Badge were menial chores.
Please find my dog who ran away from home. Reward for anyone who finds my lost key. Looking for someone who can skin an Underwolf. Searching for a person, etc.
These jobs barely pay anything and just eat up your time. Judging by how long they'd been posted, most of them looked like the kind of nasty requests no one wanted to touch.
After hesitating in front of the bulletin board for a moment, Lawrence headed to the reception desk.
"Welcome! How can I help you?"
"I was wondering, are there any requests available besides the ones on the board?"
"So you're looking for a job. May I ask what your current rank is?"
"I have a Wooden Badge."
The receptionist placed a wooden tablet taken from a drawer on the desk.
Clatter. There had to be over ten thousand numbers visible at a glance.
"Let's see. What kind of request are you looking for?"
"What kind of request?"
"Yes. For example, if you want a subjugation job, then subjugation. If you want an escort job, then escort. Don't you have any preference?"
"If you don't have any particular preference, I'll start by recommending requests that the guild suggests."
This is more thorough than I expected. Since I only have the lowest mercenary rank, a Wooden Badge, I thought they'd just brush me off or give me a random list of requests.
It seemed Lawrence had underestimated the process.
"In that case, could you tell me about the subjugation requests first?"
"Subjugation requests, is it? Well, although it's a bit of a distance, the Marquisate of Reynard is recruiting mercenaries to hunt orcs. It's not an entire tribe, but it seems there's a group of stragglers appearing from time to time. There are more of them than you'd expect, so they're recruiting on a regular basis right now."
Orcs. Even Lawrence, a country bumpkin, had heard of them. They were monsters that lived in groups the size of a tribe.
Their name would sometimes come up among the merchants who visited the inn. Usually, orcs encountered on the road were said to be stragglers who had been cast out of their tribe.
But that didn't mean they were weak. Lawrence had heard countless warnings about how dangerous orcs could be. The strength of an orc could vary quite a bit depending on its tribe. He'd been told that for well-known tribes, nobles themselves would have to lead their knights and soldiers on large-scale subjugations.
To put it another way, stray orcs were like mercenaries— While war orcs belonging to a tribe were nearly on par with knights.
Right now, that's a monster far too strong for Lawrence to handle. And considering he'd heard there were a lot of orcs, he didn't think it was suitable as a first request.
He didn't even know where the Marquisate of Reynard was in the first place.
"Are there any other subjugation requests?"
"You're not interested? Actually, even veteran mercenaries are gathering for that request, so it's a good job for a Wooden Badge Mercenary. It's also easier to form a party with other mercenaries rather than working alone."
Lawrence shook his head again.
"Let's see. Bugbears in the Ulbazar Swamp, wendigos in Winterglen... They're all pretty far away. Ah, here's a request nearby. In Horos Village, in the Barony of Ilios, they're recruiting mercenaries to subjugate Forest Spiders. Strictly speaking, unlike in the Marquisate of Reynard, there isn't an official bounty. Instead, they pay you for collecting the byproducts."
"Forest Spiders... Could you tell me what kind of monster that is?"
"As the name suggests, it's a spider—or rather, actually, you should think of it as a spider, but much, much bigger. Absolutely enormous."
"They're quite hideous to look at—that's the least of it. They usually dwell deep in the forest and are instinctively afraid of fire."
The receptionist continued, almost as if she'd been waiting for Lawrence to ask more questions.
"Normally, people lure them out of the forest to fight rather than facing them inside. Once the Forest Spiders come down from the trees, they're not as menacing as you might think."
"So they're more dangerous up in the trees?"
"When a Forest Spider is up in the trees, the danger level goes up considerably. The biggest issue is that they can spin webs, making their movements completely unpredictable. Still, the webs are flammable, so if you're thinking of taking on Forest Spiders, you'll want to bring some torches with you."
They're monsters that are practically insects. Honestly, Lawrence wasn't too bothered by bugs—maybe because of his years living in the back alleys. And spiders, in particular, had always been a familiar presence to him, whether he was waking up or falling asleep.
"The most dangerous thing is the paralyzing stinger on the Forest Spider's tail. They use it to stab their prey, paralyze them, then slowly cocoon them in webbing before sucking them dry—that's how they hunt."
"…That's a pretty gruesome story."
"Yes. Personally, I wouldn't recommend it… but for gaining experience and payment, it's not a bad job."
The receptionist's professional smile trembled slightly.
But Lawrence had already made up his mind.
If it was a monster people avoided, it was bound to be lucrative.
"How far is Horos Village from here?"
"If you intend to walk, it will take you over a month. Or should I look into a wagon escort job for you? If there's a wagon heading to Horos Village, you could save a great deal of time."
Beton suddenly came to mind.
Riding in a wagon was much more convenient than walking through the forest paths with Reynold.
Even light luggage starts to weigh on your shoulders the longer the journey goes on.
If he could ride along in a wagon, such drawbacks could be minimized.
And if he had time to spare, he might even be able to practice magic.
Besides, it was an escort job, so he could expect a decent sum as well.
"I'd appreciate that."
"Understood. I'll contact you if an escort request comes in for Horos Village. Where should I reach you?"
Lawrence gave her the name of the inn and his room number.
Just in case, with the help of the receptionist, he reviewed all available information about Forest Spiders stored at the guild.
It couldn't hurt to prepare as much as possible for the extermination job to come.
The receptionist responded to Lawrence with her professional business smile.
***
A week had passed since Lawrence spoke to the Mercenary Guild.
At last, news arrived about the wagon escort job.
Lawrence tucked the letter, which requested he come to the Mercenary Guild by noon, into his jacket and vacated the room he'd grown fond of.
"What's this?"
"It's a lunchbox. Consider it a complimentary gift for being a regular."
The innkeeper, who had been rather brusque at first, waved him off as if wishing him luck.
"Thank you. If I get the chance to return, I'll choose this place again."
"Just make sure you come back alive. Don't try to run ahead just because it's your first commission— I've seen too many confident youngsters die needlessly."
"I'll take that advice to heart."
"Take care on your way."
Leaving the inn behind, Lawrence made his way to the Mercenary Guild.
The receptionist, as if she'd been waiting for him, rose from her seat and led him outside.
The client whom the receptionist introduced was a traveling merchant with a thick, scruffy beard.
"It's Lionel. I'm counting on you."
"My name is Lawrence. I hope we have a peaceful journey."
The man looked to be in his mid-thirties.
Unlike most traveling merchants, he was quite large, and when they shook hands, Lawrence noticed the merchant's palm was covered in calluses.
Lawrence hadn't realized from a distance, but standing face to face, he saw just how much bigger the merchant was—there was nearly a two-head difference between them.
"The mercenary you introduced today looks awfully young."
"He just looks young for his age. He'll be twenty next year."
"Twenty... Is that so?"
"Yes. So I hope you won't treat him like a child."
It was a good thing Lawrence had inflated his age.
Otherwise, his very first assignment could have gotten tangled up with concerns about his youth.
"Well, it's not that much older, but age doesn't really matter. What matters is whether you're competent."
"You don't need to worry about that. I took special care with this recommendation," said the receptionist, flashing a professional, beaming smile.
What makes her so sure?
To be honest, Lawrence hadn't spoken much with the receptionist.
Could it be...
Does she know?
No, that can't be.
He shook off the creeping suspicion.
Whenever he practiced in the forest, he'd been especially careful about his surroundings.
At the very least, no one in Redanthus should know that Lawrence could use magic.
...Probably.
"Alright. The guild wouldn't lie about something like this. I'll trust you to keep this trip safe."
At those words, the suspicion faded from Lionel's face.
"You won't regret it."
Lawrence pushed aside all distractions.
Right now, he needed to focus on what lay ahead.
Having a carriage actually made it easier to use his crossbow to his advantage.
If anything happened, he had magic too. Now was the moment to prove he'd done more these past months than just play around with a spear.
Lawrence climbed up to the coachman's seat with Lionel