Chương 55: The Day the Business Stopped

Over the following week, Sieghart's life gradually returned to something resembling normalcy, although his definition of normal had changed considerably after visiting a battlefield. He woke before sunrise, ate breakfast with his grandparents, and helped maintain the farm until the most important work had been completed. Once the afternoon arrived, he disappeared toward the edges of the property to continue training.

Elara watched him more carefully than before, but she never asked what had truly happened during the battle. Edric had apparently provided her with a carefully edited version of events. According to that version, the Firians attacked, Edric's clothing was damaged, Sieghart provided some minor magical assistance, and both of them returned without suffering any serious injuries. Every statement was technically true, provided one ignored nearly every important detail connecting them.

Sieghart suspected his grandmother understood that, but she allowed the subject to rest. Edric also behaved normally, although he no longer complained when Sieghart disappeared to train. After seeing what happened when Sieghart lacked appropriate spells, he probably understood that restricting his practice would accomplish nothing useful. The farm work provided Sieghart with the perfect opportunity to recover mentally.

Watering crops, loosening soil, and maintaining irrigation channels were repetitive tasks that allowed him to relax without becoming completely idle. He still remembered the battle whenever he saw smoke or felt an unusual increase in temperature, but those reactions gradually weakened as peaceful days accumulated. There were no Firian warriors hiding among the crops, no enemy commanders absorbing heat behind the barn, and no military officials waiting to rent him for another battlefield.

That did not mean Sieghart allowed himself to become comfortable. Nearly dying several times had given him a very clear understanding of what his training lacked. His basic elemental techniques were versatile, but they were not recognized as independent spells. Without formal spells, Sieghart could not measure improvement or earn additional attributes through leveling. The system rewarded meaningful development rather than repetition.

Casting Flame ten thousand times would not necessarily improve anything if every flame remained identical to the previous one. Fireball had gained levels because Sieghart increased its range, speed, control, and destructive power. Each improvement removed a clear limitation from the original spell. Giant Fireball had been created after Sieghart expanded Fireball beyond its normal structure, transforming it into a separate technique with a distinct scale and purpose. The lesson appeared simple.

If Sieghart wanted to progress reliably, he needed to create spells with clear functions and equally clear weaknesses. That would give him something measurable to improve. More importantly, it would prevent the system from treating every achievement as an informal application of elemental control. Sieghart decided to begin with water. Water Creation had become his most versatile technique after Fireball.

He could produce drinking water, irrigate fields, drench enemies, and fire concentrated streams capable of marking stone. Unfortunately, Water Creation remained exactly what its name suggested. The spell created water, while everything Sieghart did afterward relied upon his control rather than the spell itself. To create a new technique, he needed to give the water direction, pressure, shape, and purpose at the moment it appeared.

Sieghart moved to an isolated area beyond the fields, where several damaged logs had been arranged as training targets. He had selected wood because destroying another boulder might become difficult to explain. He planted his feet firmly against the ground and extended both hands toward the thickest log. Instead of allowing water to emerge freely, he imagined it gathering behind an invisible barrier. Mana stirred through his arms and collected inside his palms.

Water appeared beneath the pressure of his control, but he prevented it from escaping immediately. The sensation was uncomfortable. His hands trembled while his mental focus tightened around the growing pressure, forcing more water into an increasingly restricted space. Sieghart released his control before the structure collapsed. A thick blast of water erupted from both hands with enough force to push his upper body backward. The torrent struck the log and sent it rolling several meters across the ground.

The attack continued for barely one second before disappearing. Sieghart lowered his arms as droplets of water fell around him. A translucent notification appeared before his eyes. New Spell Created: Water Cannon Water Magic — Water Cannon Level 1 Magic +1 Sieghart smiled as the familiar sensation of improvement passed through his body. The increase was small, but one point per level would become significant once the spell advanced. He inspected Water Cannon through the system.

The spell did not provide a complete description, but focusing on its name allowed him to recall the structure he had created. Water gathered under pressure before being released as a large, concentrated blast. The technique possessed enough force to knock down an ordinary person and possibly break bones at close range. The greatest weakness was obvious. Water Cannon lasted only one second, regardless of how much mana Sieghart attempted to force into its initial structure.

Increasing its duration would probably make the spell level up. He would need to maintain the pressure and continue producing water without allowing the blast to lose power. That sounded straightforward until Sieghart tried again. Extending the spell beyond one second required him to stabilize the pressure while water escaped continuously. The structure collapsed almost immediately.

One moment, Water Cannon remained concentrated and powerful; the next, it expanded into an uncontrolled wave that drenched everything nearby. Sieghart wiped water from his face and stared at the soaked training ground. At least infinite mana meant he could keep failing without waiting for his reserves to recover. He practiced until his concentration began to weaken. The spell remained at Level One, but Sieghart occasionally maintained the blast for a fraction longer than before.

That was enough to confirm his theory. The limitation was not arbitrary, and overcoming it should trigger the next level once the improvement became stable. Over the following two days, Sieghart practiced Water Cannon whenever his work on the farm allowed it. He also tested its usefulness while cleaning irrigation channels. The spell proved extremely effective at removing mud, weeds, and debris, although Elara complained after one poorly aimed blast covered half the vegetable garden with dirty water.

Sieghart immediately repaired the damage and decided that some offensive spells should remain outside the farming routine, no matter how convenient combining work and training appeared. Once he understood Water Cannon's structure, Sieghart moved to wind. Breeze had been useful for years, but it lacked the concentration required to injure anything. Sieghart could push smoke, scatter dust, strengthen flames, or slow his descent.

Even his propulsion training relied upon releasing large amounts of poorly controlled wind. The technique generated movement, but much of its energy was wasted in every direction. Sieghart wanted a spell that transformed wind into a focused cutting attack. If successful, it would provide better range and speed than Fireball without producing explosions. He began by creating a breeze above his right palm. Instead of releasing it immediately, he compressed the moving air into a narrow crescent.

The shape proved difficult to maintain because air naturally attempted to expand. Sieghart needed to control both sides simultaneously while making the center thinner and sharper. His first attempt dissolved harmlessly. The second produced an unstable gust that struck a nearby bush and barely disturbed its leaves. On the third attempt, the compressed wind curved above his palm like a translucent crescent moon. The air around its edges trembled while loose grass moved away from his hand.

Sieghart swung his arm toward the closest training log and released the structure. The crescent crossed several meters almost too quickly for him to follow. It struck the wood and carved a shallow line across its surface before dispersing. New Spell Created: Wind Blade Wind Magic — Wind Blade Level 1 Magic +1 Sieghart approached the log and examined the mark. Wind Blade had not cut deeply, but it had done more damage than Breeze ever could.

The attack possessed excellent speed and acceptable range, making it suitable for striking enemies before they could react. Its low power was the main problem. Increasing sharpness would probably raise the spell's level. Range, width, speed, and the number of blades created simultaneously might provide additional milestones afterward. Sieghart spent the remainder of the afternoon testing the spell from different distances. Wind Blade remained stable for approximately ten meters before weakening rapidly.

Its trajectory also curved slightly whenever his concentration faltered. That might become useful if he learned to control it deliberately, but for now it simply reduced his accuracy. The mental strain was lower than Water Cannon because Wind Blade existed for only an instant after being released. However, shaping the crescent required more precision. Sieghart added the spell to his training schedule. Water Cannon would improve his ability to maintain continuous magic, while Wind Blade would refine his precision.

He appreciated that each spell trained a different weakness. Repeating Fireball alone might increase his destructive power, but it would not necessarily make his overall control equally versatile. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Earth Magic became the third target. Sieghart originally wanted to create Earth Spike, imagining sharp pillars erupting beneath distant enemies before they had time to dodge. The spell sounded effective in theory.

In practice, almost every part of the concept exceeded his current control. Sieghart could manipulate loose earth and sand within approximately one meter of his body. Anything farther away became increasingly difficult to sense and influence. Creating a spike also required him to compress the soil, remove weaknesses, harden its surface, sharpen the point, and propel it upward with enough speed to pierce a moving target. He managed to produce a crooked lump of earth that rose several centimeters before collapsing.

Calling it a spike would have been disrespectful to every sharp object in existence. His second attempt became longer but remained too soft. Sieghart touched the structure, and its pointed end immediately crumbled beneath his finger. The third attempt was hard enough to maintain its shape, but creating it required nearly thirty seconds. Any enemy considerate enough to stand still above the same patch of ground for that long deserved to be hit. Sieghart abandoned Earth Spike temporarily.

The idea remained useful, but he needed better range, compression, and control before turning it into a practical spell. Instead, he focused on something he had already used during the battle. Compressed sand bullets had pierced ordinary Firians, although their leader's reinforced body resisted them. Sieghart's greatest difficulties had been preparation time and accuracy.

A formal Earth Bullet spell could remove the slow preparation process by combining gathering, compression, shaping, and acceleration into one repeatable structure. Sieghart extended one hand toward the ground. Loose soil and small stones within one meter rose into the air before gathering above his palm. He compressed the material into a sphere no larger than the tip of his thumb. The shape lacked the hollow structure of his battlefield ammunition, but it was denser and easier to stabilize.

Once the sphere hardened, Sieghart aimed toward the training log and released the compressed earth with a burst of mana. The projectile struck the wood with a sharp crack, embedding itself deeply enough that only the back remained visible. New Spell Created: Earth Bullet Earth Magic — Earth Bullet Level 1 Magic +1 Sieghart grinned and immediately attempted to fire another projectile. Gathering the earth, compressing it, and launching it required approximately one second.

That firing rate was far better than his improvised battlefield projectiles, but it remained too slow to overwhelm powerful enemies. The range limitation also persisted. Earth Bullet could draw material only from the ground within one meter of Sieghart, meaning he needed loose soil, sand, or stone nearby. That restriction was inconvenient but manageable. Sieghart could carry ammunition in small pouches or collect material before entering an area without exposed earth.

Earth Bullet's most obvious weakness was its firing rate. If he reduced the creation time enough to launch several projectiles each second, the spell would probably level up. Increasing velocity, density, range, and accuracy could provide future improvements. Changing the shape from a sphere into something sharper might eventually create a more advanced variation. Sieghart tested the spell repeatedly until several dozen small holes covered the training log.

His accuracy remained inconsistent, but Earth Bullet required less concentration after every attempt. He could already imagine firing dozens of projectiles simultaneously while using infinite mana to replace them. Unlike Giant Fireball, the spell could be used near allies without obliterating the surrounding area. By the end of the week, Sieghart had added three new spells to his status.

Water Cannon — Level 1 Wind Blade — Level 1 Earth Bullet — Level 1 Each spell granted one point of Magic upon reaching its first level. If the pattern continued, every future level would provide another point. Sieghart finally understood how to develop his elemental abilities without waiting for the system to recognize random achievements. Every spell possessed limitations that could become clear training objectives. Water Cannon needed greater duration. Wind Blade needed more cutting power and stability.

Earth Bullet needed a faster firing rate. Once Sieghart overcame those limitations, the system should reward him. Afterward, new weaknesses would become visible, creating another path toward improvement. That progression felt far more reliable than casting Flame repeatedly and hoping an invisible condition eventually decided that he deserved a reward. Sieghart planned to level the three new spells equally. Improving only his strongest attack would leave dangerous gaps in his abilities.

Giant Fireball could provide more Magic if he trained it, but practicing the spell presented several obvious problems. There were only so many enormous explosions he could create before someone noticed. The spell also represented his strongest hidden weapon. Revealing it casually would give future enemies time to prepare methods of defending themselves. Sieghart decided to treat Giant Fireball as a secret technique.

He would use it only when necessary or after finding an isolated training area far from farms, roads, and suspicious witnesses. Water Cannon, Wind Blade, and Earth Bullet were easier to conceal. The damage they caused could be controlled, and their scale remained small enough for ordinary training. Creating the spells solved only part of Sieghart's progression problem. White Magic and Arcane Magic remained at Level One despite the growth of their individual techniques.

First Aid had reached Level Four, Protection had reached Level Two, and Mana Transfusion had advanced far beyond either of them. Their parent categories still refused to move. Sieghart wanted to develop Black Magic, White Magic, and Arcane Magic equally, or at least prevent one path from falling hopelessly behind the others. Black Magic provided direct power, elemental control, and offensive versatility. White Magic protected his body and allowed him to heal injuries. Arcane Magic remained the greatest mystery.

Mana Transfusion proved that he could transfer raw mana into objects, but the path probably contained abilities far beyond charging weapons. If Sieghart learned to transmit mana through open space, he might create Mana Bolt, strengthen allies, interfere with enchanted equipment, or charge his spells after releasing them. Unfortunately, he had no clear method for unlocking those techniques.

Simply pushing mana into his palms accomplished nothing because some invisible boundary prevented it from leaving his body without an elemental form. His weekly work for the old runesmith remained his best opportunity to study Arcane Magic. Every enchanted weapon behaved differently while receiving mana. Magic bows stored temporary arrows. Burning swords transformed mana into heat. Wind spears converted it into compressed air, while heavy axes released force through the ground.

Charging those items allowed Sieghart to feel the transition between raw mana and a completed magical effect. Even if he could not imitate the runesmith's Aura, the experience improved his understanding. The regular payment also funded his growing collection of books. Losing that work would slow both his Arcane Magic training and his access to information. For that reason, Sieghart waited eagerly for the end of the week.

The old runesmith had promised to bring another batch of depleted weapons and tools to the farm. He usually arrived before noon in a small wagon filled with merchandise that had been rented to hunters, guards, farmers, and travelers. Sieghart completed his work early and waited near the house while practicing Wind Blade against a wooden target. The sun climbed gradually overhead, but no wagon appeared on the road. Edric checked the road several times while repairing a fence.

Elara prepared lunch and suggested that the old man might simply be late. Noon arrived without any sign of him. Sieghart began wondering if business had increased after the recent battle, forcing the runesmith to delay his visit. A young courier finally appeared in the distance, riding a tired horse toward the farm. He carried no weapons, tools, or merchandise. The teenager stopped near the gate and removed a folded letter from inside his coat. Edric accepted it while Sieghart approached from the training area.

"This came from the runesmith's shop."

"Did something happen?"

"He only paid me to deliver it. I don't know anything else." The courier left immediately after receiving a cup of water from Elara. Sieghart watched him disappear along the road before turning toward the letter. Edric inspected the seal and handed the message to Sieghart. The old runesmith knew that Sieghart could read, so the letter had probably been written for him. Sieghart unfolded the paper. The handwriting was rough and impatient, matching the personality of the person who had written it.

Kid, I won't be sending any more weapons or tools for a while. Something came up, and I need to stop our arrangement until it is settled. Don't come to the shop looking for answers. I'll contact you when I can. The letter ended without an explanation, signature, or expected date for the next delivery. Sieghart read it twice before studying the final sentence. The old runesmith was grumpy, impatient, and terrible at explaining his craft, but he had never been unnecessarily mysterious.

If ordinary business problems prevented him from sending weapons, he would have complained about customers, prices, thieves, or mana stones for at least half the letter. Telling Sieghart not to visit the shop made the situation even more suspicious. It sounded less like a scheduling problem and more like a warning. Edric read the message over his shoulder. His expression became thoughtful as he focused on the same unusual instruction.

"Perhaps the military requisitioned his weapons after the battle."

"Then why tell me not to visit?"

"He may not want you attracting attention in town."

"That didn't bother him before." Elara stepped closer and examined the letter without taking it from Sieghart. Concern appeared in her eyes, although she attempted to hide it.

"Could he be sick?"

"He would have said that." Sieghart folded the letter carefully while considering the possibilities. The recent war might have increased demand for enchanted weapons, but that should have made his infinite mana more valuable. The runesmith might have been ordered to use mana stones instead, although replacing Sieghart with an expensive and limited resource seemed economically foolish. Someone could also have learned about Sieghart's work and pressured the old man into ending their arrangement.

His father immediately came to mind. Alaric now had several reasons to control Sieghart's activities. Preventing him from earning independent money would make that control easier. Still, there was no evidence connecting Lord Emberhart to the letter. Sieghart disliked his father, but blaming him for every inconvenience would eventually become lazy. The military, local merchants, another runesmith, or officials from the town could also be involved.

Enchanted weapons were valuable, and the old man's business might have attracted unwanted attention after the border conflict. Sieghart looked toward the empty road where the wagon should have appeared. The peaceful routine of the previous week suddenly felt much less stable. His source of income had stopped. His most reliable Arcane Magic training had disappeared. The only person nearby who understood rechargeable magical equipment had warned him to remain away.

The old runesmith had not asked for help, and Sieghart was five years old. Involving himself in an unknown adult problem would be reckless. Unfortunately, the letter had accomplished the exact opposite of discouraging his curiosity. Sieghart frowned as he read the final lines one more time. Something had happened in town, and whatever it was, the old runesmith believed keeping Sieghart away would protect him. That meant the problem was almost certainly connected to him.