Chương 43: Chapter 42: Magical Bonkinations of Dangerous Kind

Tessa carried Ren for most of the walk to Little Yara's house. He could have walked more of it himself, especially now that Balance and Flexibility had joined his growing collection of unnecessarily complicated ways to make ordinary movement possible, but the journey had a purpose. And arriving exhausted would only reduce the number of questions he could ask before Yara decided he needed rest.

Besides, Tessa had already claimed responsibility for carrying the treasury pouch, the patterned ball, the three-part wand, and her brother. Ren had pointed out that this was too much. Tessa had informed him that she was strong. The argument ended there. And, stubbornly, she managed most of the journey. Though Ren still walked a later part of it. Little Yara's house appeared through the copse with its garden crowding around the narrow walls.

Bundles still hung beneath the eaves, small charms shifted among the branches, and several new trays of cut herbs rested near the open back window. His Master kept busy. Tessa knocked. Something clattered inside.

"Hm? Back so early? Come in," Yara called. Tessa pushed the door open and carried Ren into the workroom. The place smelled sharper than before. Bitter roots had joined the mint and wax, while several pots simmered along the far wall. Cloth packets covered one table in neat rows. Stoppered bottles occupied another, each grouped by color and size. Little Yara stood over a shallow bowl, grinding something dark green with a stone pestle. She looked up when they entered, and her expression softened.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, little ones?" Tessa nodded.

"Ren has made progress. And you promised candy!"

"I promised no such thing."

"Ren promised you would." Yara looked at Ren. He smiled apologetically.

"That sounds more likely. Before that, show me the progress." She set the pestle aside, wiped her hands, and came around the table. Tessa placed the wand and patterned ball in front of her. Yara picked up the ball first. The opened outer layer shifted beneath her fingers, revealing the tighter pattern beneath it.

"You opened the first layer already." Ren straightened.

"Well done." She traced part of the newly revealed path with one finger.

"You followed the pattern properly." She set it down and reached for the wand.

"And the wand?"

"First charm," Ren offered.

"Show me." Tessa lowered him onto the stool beside the worktable. Ren wrapped both hands around the wand and pushed mana into it. The first section resisted. He spread his mana against it and increased the pressure, steadily forcing more of his pool forward until the charm finally caught the leading edge and drew it through. The corridor opened into the second section. Yara watched closely, then nodded with clear approval.

"You reached it sooner than I expected. Very good." Ren looked up, pleased. Her attention remained on the wand. The longer she watched the way his mana pressed through the first section into the second one, the more her expression shifted toward disbelief.

"You have been doing it like this every time?" Ren nodded. Yara looked from the wand to him. Then back to the wand.

"You found a condensed mass of mana and decided to shove your entire pool against it until something moved." …Well, it had worked. But apparently, that was not enough to save him. Yara placed one hand against her forehead.

"You turned magical training into brute-force training."

"Worked," Ren said.

"Yes. It worked." She lowered her hand and pointed at the open corridor.

"It is a perfectly valid way to use the wand, and you have clearly gained from it." That didn't sound so bad–"It is also the least clever method you could possibly have chosen." Tessa made a small choking sound behind him. Ren frowned. Tessa covered her mouth. He looked at her. She was smiling behind her fingers. Yara folded her arms.

"Do you know what I should do with you?"

"Teach?"

"Bonk you." Tessa failed to hide the laugh. Ren looked back at Yara.

"Did reach."

"That is not the point."

"Stronger."

"Which is good, but that is even less the point." Ren considered the wand again. He had improved Mana Manipulation, increased his mana recovery, and even pushed through the first section repeatedly and pushed farther every day. Those sounded like points. His Master apparently disagreed with his entire system of scoring. Yara picked up the wand and tapped its first section against her palm, already gathering momentum for what promised to be a much longer explanation.

"You have been treating mana like a shoulder you can drive into a door," she continued.

"That works. The wand is meant to let you test how much pressure you can sustain, and you have clearly improved by doing it." Ren sat a little straighter. Yara's gaze sharpened before he could enjoy the praise too much.

"But you found one answer and decided it was the only one worth using. Mana can be narrowed, shaped, and applied with more precision than simply spreading everything you have against the resistance." Ren looked down at the wand. Precision was useful, as was being more precise. But neither solved the problem that mattered most.

"Need attack." Yara blinked.

"Attack?"

"Goblins." For a moment, she simply stared at him. Then her eyes moved to Tessa, as though expecting his sister to explain why the baby in front of her had just announced their intention to fight an invading force. Tessa shrugged.

"He worries." Yara looked back at Ren.

"You want to attack the goblins yourself?"

"Help fight."

"You are a baby," the exasperation in her voice was palpable. Ren frowned.

"A very determined baby," Yara added, "but still a baby."

"Magic." Understanding slowly replaced her disbelief.

"You think magic will let you ignore the part where you are smaller than most chairs."

"Could."

"No."

"Invocation?" The wand tapped him on the head with a tiny bonk. Ren stared at her. Tessa gasped in delight.

"You really did it!"

"He earned it." Ren rubbed the top of his head. The strike had barely hurt, but the principle remained outrageous.

"The first thing you will accomplish by attempting Invocation without sufficient preparation is hurting yourself," Yara said.

"You will lose control long before you produce anything dangerous enough to trouble a goblin."

"Could learn."

"You are learning."

"Need offence."

"And trying to skip directly to the dangerous part will not make you learn faster." Ren glared at her. Yara leaned closer.

"You have several weeks of practice, an impressive amount of determination, and almost no patience whenever the answer is not immediately useful to you." His glare remained in place.

"That expression does not create missing foundations." Unfortunately, much as he wanted it to not be the case, his Master was right. Yara turned the wand between her fingers before offering it back.

"If you really want to have a chance at doing any 'helping', you must first learn what else mana can do. You might have learned that pushing hard works, but you can do far more with less if you are precise enough! Stop treating every obstacle as something that must be overpowered, and pay attention to what the resistance is teaching you." Ren accepted the wand.

"And if you keep training properly," she continued, "you will not need me to hand you every possible use for mana. Start by trying to find ways to push through the wand in different ways on your own. Making things happen will come after."

"Damage?"

"Useful things."

"Damage useful."

"To you, apparently."

"Goblins."

"Yes, so you have said. The answer is still no." Tessa leaned against the table.

"He worries a lot." Ren looked at her. She shrugged.

"You do." Little Yara's irritation eased slightly, but her lecture did not end.

"One more thing. The wood the wand is made of is completely ordinary," she said.

"There is nothing special about its grain, shape, or age. What do you think is responsible, then?" The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Ren did not have to think hard.

"Charms."

"Correct." Yara tapped the first embedded point.

"They have two functions. The first is to hold mana tightly." Her finger moved toward the second section.

"The second is to create a corridor through once new mana enters and disturbs the equilibrium."

"That happened."

"Yes. Because that is what I made it do." Ren looked at the wand again. That explained why reaching the first charm had changed everything so abruptly. The charm had simply done exactly what it was supposed to do once he reached it. Yara let him sit with that for a moment before picking up one of the small carved charms from the table.

"There is another lesson here." Ren focused on the mana held tightly inside it. Yara turned the charm between her fingers.

"Why does mana stay inside charms and objects like this, while mana released into open air disperses? What does the resistance tell you?" Ren opened his mouth… But nothing came out. He had no idea. Little Yara placed the charm beside him.

"Think."

"What makes stay?"

"That is the question."

"How?"

"That is also the question."

"Tell?"

"No." Ren stared at her. She turned away with unmistakable satisfaction and returned to the bowl she had abandoned to deliver her lecture. His master was cruel. Possibly evil! And definitely enjoying herself. Yara resumed grinding the herbs while Tessa wandered toward the nearest row of bottles and read the labels aloud under her breath. Ren remained on the stool with the charm beside one hand and the wand beyond his reach. Why did mana stay inside objects? Or rather, only inside some objects?

The first answer remained as obvious as it was useless: because the charm held it. But what did hold mean? What did the resistance tell him? … That there was Mana there? Yes! That sounded like– The other question stopped him from just blurting out the answer. … Why wasn't it dispersing? The object did not grab mana physically. The wood itself was ordinary. His Master said so.

The charm's function created the difference, which meant something about its shape, materials, pattern, or construction encouraged mana to remain instead of spreading. Ren looked at the carved piece. The question was not merely why mana stayed. It was how the charm made it stay. And how Ren could make mana behave the same way without relying on something Yara had already prepared for him. His eyes moved toward her. She kept working without looking up. A charm. That was what she wanted him to consider.

More than merely pushing mana into one, she wanted him to figure out how mana could be held, directed, and given a function. … Probably. His Master was the only person who knew for sure. … But if Ren could mimic even part of that process, he would no longer need to treat every use of mana as a strand that dispersed the moment his attention slipped. He might create something that retained it. An item prepared in advance, for later use. Something another person could use?

The idea was interesting, and reminded Ren of something he couldn't quite place yet… It was also far less immediately satisfying than magical violence. Ren decided to trust the process. Temporarily. He would test narrower pressure against the wand later and study what happened when mana entered different materials. If the charm itself remained beyond him, perhaps the pattern behind it would not. Yara finished grinding the herbs and tipped the powder into a folded cloth packet. Ren looked around the room again.

The rows of packets had multiplied since his first visit. Bottles stood ready beside wrapped bandages, bundles of dried leaves, and small jars of salve.

"Village?" he asked. Yara tied the packet shut.

"What about it?"

"Preparing?"

"Yes."

"Goblins?"

"I know Hadrik believes an organized raid may be coming and that the village has begun preparing for one."

"Master. Safe?"

"I… huh. Yes, I should be. Don't worry your little head about me, my baby protege." Little Yara stuck a pose of confidence that really didn't look all too reassuring on somebody that small. Especially with Tessa copying her in the background, with an even more exaggerated expression. His little Master sure was cute! And his sister one heck of a joker. Where did that even come from? He couldn't imagine Bren or Elna acting the same! Ren barely held the snort in, but the display did calm his nerves.

At least she had been warned, and was confident enough about her well-being. He just hoped that would be enough. Yara then gestured toward the room.

"I have been making medicine."

"All this?"

"Most of it." Tessa leaned over one row.

"Woah! So you had all these plants already?"

"Ingredients," Yara corrected.

"And yes."

"Why?" Little Yara straightened.

"Because preparation is a virtue." Tessa grinned.

"Just in case?" Yara's mouth tightened. Ren smiled. His master remained cute.

"I maintain supplies for illness, injury, accidents, bad harvests, foolish children, and any other event likely to make people arrive at my door bleeding or complaining," Yara said.

"It serves one well to prepare for eventualities before they become immediate problems." That sounded like a well-rehearsed answer his Master probably gave a few too many times to a few too many pesky 'customers'. Heh. Some things apparently never changed, no matter the world. Ren looked at the medicine again.

"Can do more?" Yara stopped tying the next packet.

"More?"

"For raid." Her expression turned thoughtful. Then she shrugged.

"I am not a combatant."

"Magic."

"That does not make me a combatant."

"Could help."

"I am already helping, little Ren. Medicine, herbs, salves, bandages, and whatever charms I can make in time." Ren caught on the final word.

"Charms." Yara looked at him.

"What can do?"

"Many things, depending on the charm."

"For village."

"That narrows the answer very little."

"Defense." Little Yara rubbed one green-stained finger against her thumb as she considered it.

"I could maybe make several temporary warning charms. Not something worth doing, usually. Such charms need recharging. And too often they only serve to scare a stray animal. But–""Warning?"

"... Yes. Just place one along the likely paths. And if anything steps across the marked area, the charm reacts."

"How?"

"Noise, light, heat, or another signal, depending on the materials and the amount of work involved." Ren leaned forward.

"How many?"

"Not enough to surround the entire village."

"For guards?"

"That would be more practical. Hadrik could decide where they should go. But they are still just warning charms. They don't defeat goblins. I'm not sure it's worth the time." Ren nodded quickly, half-agreeing. If nothing else, warning charms could buy them time. Time could wake people, move children, bring defenders into position, and prevent the first goblins from reaching houses unnoticed. It was a good thing. But– The thought did not stop there. And the weird feeling of similarity he had previously resurfaced.

His old memories were calling, telling him of things, things like– [Skill Level Increased: Memory Lv. 7 -> Lv. 8]"Traps?" Yara looked at him for several seconds.

"Possibly."

"Charm traps."

"I understood you already."

"Can make?"

"Maybe… Perhaps small ones."

"Give guards. Hadrik." She glanced toward the packets waiting on the table.

"I could make some, yes. Whether they prove useful would depend on where they are placed and what they are intended to do." Ren barely heard the caution, his mind churning at the implications. A charm could wait. A charm could react when mana entered, when a condition was met, or when something crossed a boundary. A charm could hold mana tightly until activation. The idea connected too neatly with memories from his old world. His eyes shot open with terrifying clarity. Pressure plates. Mines. Grenades.

Ren stared at the wand. Everybody possessed some mana. Most people in the village did not train it, but Ren had learned that pushing mana into something was not particularly complicated once a person understood that mana existed and could be moved. And everybody here understood at least the concept of that! He had found his answer. One more thing his baby self could move into place, to tip the scales!

If his Master could create a charm that held mana and reacted once activated, then the user did not need to understand the construction, or place the charms somewhere with hopes of them activating. In fact… They could be perfectly inert until the need to use them arose! The villagers only needed to trigger them at the right time. The charm could do the rest. Ren's pulse quickened.

"Can explode?" Yara stopped moving. Tessa looked between them.

"What explodes?" Ren raised both hands and mimed something expanding violently.

"Boom." Tessa's eyes widened with immediate interest, while Little Yara looked far less delighted.

"What precisely are you suggesting?"

"Charm. Hold mana. Person push. Then throw." Yara's expression went blank. Ren continued before she could interrupt.

"Inert charm. Activate. Delay. Then boom." Yara stared at him. The room grew quiet except for one simmering pot and the faint scraping of a branch against the window. Ren knew that look well by now. It was the look adults used when deciding whether he was brilliant, dangerous, or in need of immediate supervision. Apparently no longer limited to adults as Little Yara seemed to be considering all three.

"That would require a controlled release," she said slowly.

"And a careful design, capable of holding the charm safely until activation. A shell, perhaps, but… it could be done?"

"Yes!"

"And the delay is very important, yes. Can't be too short, unless you intend the person using it to lose a hand. Nor too long, lest the invader just passes it by before it reacts. A fine balance." Ren wasn't even sure his Master was listening to him anymore, Little Yara seemed completely caught up in the idea.

"And the charm would need to resist accidental activation while still responding reliably when mana was supplied." Ren nodded. Yara's gaze moved to the wand, then to the rows of materials along her shelves. She was considering it. Ren could see the exact moment irritation gave way to technical interest. Little Yara picked up the nearest carved blank and turned it over between her fingers.

"A violent release is possible," she admitted.

"Crude, wasteful, and difficult to prepare safely, but possible." Ren grinned. Yara pointed the blank at him.

"That is not permission for you to experiment." He lowered the grin, but that was honestly beside the point. Ren knew too little about mana, and magic to even try to learn anything about charm making! But his Master was already there, and able to create them! She continued thinking aloud.

"The effect need not be purely explosive. A charm could release heat, force, light, sound, or some combination. I would need to pick the casings carefully. And the amount of stored mana and the trigger…" Ren raised one finger.

"Damage." Yara opened her mouth. He raised a second before she could speak.

"Stun." Then a third.

"Light." Tessa frowned.

"Light?"

"Bright," Ren explained.

"Blind. Confuse." Yara stared at his three raised fingers.

"Damage to hurt or kill?" she repeated after him.

"Stun with force or sound, to distract during the fight. And light to blind…." Little Yara lowered herself until they were eye to eye.

"Where did you learn to think like this?" Ren considered his old world, its wars, weapons, games, films, books, and endless talent for finding new ways to make small objects ruin someone's day very very badly. Then went with the simplest and most truthful answer he could manage… without needing to explain the whole other world in two word baby replies.

"Stories."

"That answer explains nothing, and just confuses me more. First you brute-force your training, and now you invent nuanced warfare options. How can one baby be both that smart and silly at once." Ren felt a little awkward at the weird mix of praise and disbelief. Yara shook her head, stood up, and began pacing between the worktable and the shelves.

"A light release would be the simplest to make," she murmured.

"Sound could be combined with it. Force is less predictable. Heat risks fire. Fragments would make the shell dangerous to everyone nearby." Ren followed her with his eyes. She had already moved beyond whether the idea worked. Now his little Master was trying to improve it. Excellent! Tessa tugged at Ren's sleeve.

"Can I throw one?"

"No," Yara and Ren said together. Tessa crossed her arms. Little Yara stopped beside a shelf and selected three pieces of carved wood, two lengths of colored thread, and a small metal disk.

"I will consider the warning charms first," she said.

"Then perhaps a light-and-sound device. Something intended to confuse rather than kill."

"Damage too."

"Later."

"Need."

"Later."

"Goblins strong."

"And hurried charm work is as dangerous as Invocation can be." Ren frowned. Yara lifted the piece of carved wood. He remembered the bonk and chose silence. A victorious curve touched her mouth.

"I will speak with Hadrik before giving anyone anything that explodes," she said.

"The guards will need instructions, and I will decide whether the design can be made safe enough for ordinary use." Ren nodded. That was fair. Painfully responsible, but fair. Yara pointed toward the door.

"Now leave." Ren blinked.

"Questions."

"You have given me several hours of additional work. Days, even."

"Training?"

"Go home and stop trying to batter my wand into submission."

"Candy?" Tessa stepped forward immediately. Little Yara sighed. She crossed to the narrow jar, counted several wrapped sweets into the treasury pouch, then added two directly to Tessa's hand. Tessa beamed.

"These are mine?"

"Payment for enduring the nonsense your little brother puts you through." Hey! That was so unfair! Ren objected with a look. Yara ignored it. She handed the candy to Tessa, then fixed Ren with one final stare.

"You know what to do. Study why mana remains inside prepared objects. Do not attempt Invocation. Do not attempt to build an explosive charm. Actually, do not attempt to build any charms, at all. Do not attempt to activate anything without me present." Ren nodded. Yara narrowed her eyes.

"Repeat the important part."

"No Invocation."

"All of it." Ren sighed.

"Learn good. No Invocation. No charms. No exploding. No activate alone."

"Good." His Master patted him on the head. Tessa lifted him, secured the training tools, and turned toward the door. Ren looked back over her shoulder. Little Yara had already returned to the worktable. The medicine remained waiting, but the carved blanks and colored thread now occupied the space beside it. She was still thinking about the charm grenades. Ren smiled. His little Master could complain all she wanted. But she would make the magical bonkinations happen regardless!