Chapter 7 : The Path of the Blade

A mage floated down, hovering in midair.
Where a head should have been was a potted maple bonsai, its leaves fallen as winter approached.

The bonsai spoke.

[Vain, will you continue?]

“Hmph.”

Vain withdrew the magic from his staff, and the crystals above Bjorn’s head fell to the ground.

Vain said.

“Aincher, you don’t believe everything this fool says, do you?”

Aincher Durmus, headmaster of Yurmuth Magic Academy, replied.

[Whether I believe him isn’t the issue. The other professors witnessed it.]

“Will you stop me if I say I’m leaving for the Empire?”

[I’m the headmaster, Vain. I follow the rules.]

“You’ll regret this.”

[We’ll see. …Go home. Bjorn, to your dorm.]

The two complied with Aincher’s orders.

Ethan turned to Riverton.

“Is it okay to let them go like that?”

“Should we call the guards to drag them off? Maybe. But Vain’s a count with a seat in the Mages’ Council. He won’t defy the headmaster.”

Aincher descended to the ground.

[Good work, Riverton.]

“Protecting a student’s no trouble. Haha.”

[And Ethan Dora Charasen.]

“Yes, Headmaster.”

[You survived.]

“Thank you.”

[You deserve praise for uncovering an inquisitor within the academy.]

“No need for that.”

[But trouble will soon follow.]

“What?”

Aincher bowed slightly to Ethan.

[You stumbled upon evidence of an inquisitor, learned your life was in danger, and luckily exposed them on the spot. But what follows isn’t chance—it’s the inevitable consequence. It’s not your fault, so don’t regret it.]

“What?”

Aincher floated back into the air and left.

Riverton asked.

“What did the headmaster say?”

Ethan realized Aincher’s words were meant for him alone.

“Just said good job.”

He watched Aincher depart.

Days later, Riverton summoned Ethan to the Combat Magic Society’s shared workshop.

“You deserve to know what happened next.”

Riverton explained that Bjorn had been imprisoned in Yurmuth before being deported to the Empire, while Vain was confined to his Yurmuth residence.

“The professors are still discussing Vain’s fate.”

“What’s the likeliest outcome?”

“Probably deportation.”

Ethan nodded.

“Yurmuth’s city council won’t easily punish a Dekarun count.”

“But he won’t threaten you again. He can’t return to the academy. Can you live with that for now?”

Ethan nodded.

“Sure.”

He had just completed a quest and received rewards.

[‘Quest: Defeat Vain Wiz Dekarun (C)’ completed!]
[Reward: 36 Experience Points]
[Reward: C-Rank Lottery Coupon]

Ethan planned to use the C-Rank coupon with the Merchant, but the Merchant informed him it wasn’t possible.

[I don’t have C-Rank items.]

“Why not?”

[That’s the deal.]

The Merchant added.

[If you want, I can trade one C-Rank coupon for three D-Rank items.]

Ethan didn’t think that was a good deal.
His Glock 45 was C-Rank, far more useful than all his D-Rank archives, items, and skills combined.
The expected value of C-Rank was high.

“Fine. I’ll draw the lot.”

Keeping coupons for on-demand purchases was ideal, but preparing items in advance for more scenarios was smarter.

Ethan handed the C-Rank coupon to Demi and drew.

The result disappointed him.

[Skill acquired!]
[Skill: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (C)]

The skill taught Ethan what CPR was, when to use it, and why it was necessary.

“I get that it’s meaningful.”

[Yes.]

“It might be useful someday.”

[Yes.]

“But what’s its immediate value to me?”

[Items from the lottery may be worthless to you.]

Having heard this before, Ethan decided not to complain further.

That CPR skill was acquired days ago, so Riverton’s news was late.

‘Probably procedural delays.’

But there seemed no reason to summon him to the shared workshop for such news.
Riverton could’ve called him to his own office.

“Anything else, Professor Riverton?”

Riverton smiled.

“Of course.”

“What…?”

“I heard you asked Bjorn to teach you magic.”

“Uh, yes.”

Ethan tensed, wondering if Riverton would take issue with his blackmail.
It shouldn’t be a big deal now, but Riverton was a moral man.
He might not let it slide.

“Yourumored.

“I could’ve used other leverage. The academy requires tuition, but more importantly, the ability to use magic. Even if I fail and get expelled next semester, learning more magic during the break will stick with me.”

Though his approach to Bjorn was a means to an end, Ethan was serious about the potential benefits.

Riverton nodded.

“Then you’d still want to learn if I offered to teach you magic.”

“What?”

Riverton nodded.

“Good answer.”

“No, Professor, my answer had a question mark.”

“But the magic I can teach is limited. Or rather, the magic you can learn is limited.”

“Are you listening, Professor?”

Riverton continued.

“I’m offering to teach you physical magic.”

Ethan knew of physical magic—spells to run faster, jump higher, or lift heavier objects.
Temporary boosts fell under enhancement magic, but physical magic involved sustained physical improvement through mastery.

“Physical magic is still magic, but can someone talentless like me learn it?”

“From watching you these past six months, yes, it’s possible. Of your three issues—mana sensitivity, mana manipulation, and spell construction—only mana sensitivity affects physical magic. It channels mana to the lower abdomen, not the head, so manipulation is easier, and since it’s not externalized, construction isn’t an issue.”

Ethan was surprised Riverton had studied him so closely but wasn’t unfamiliar with physical magic, so he pinpointed a concern.

“I tried learning physical magic before. How do you solve the mana sensitivity issue?”

“It’s a matter of breathing technique. Physical magic uses a different breathing method than standard magic. In Damarath, insisting on traditional breathing for physical magic caused problems. I can teach you the technique I developed.”

Ethan felt it could work.
Riverton was a physical magic expert, after all.

Demi, hearing Ethan’s explanation, said.

[Congratulations, User.]

[Thanks. But it’s not all good news.]

[Why not?]

[Physical magic alone doesn’t make you a mage.]

[Then?]

[It makes you a knight.]

Physical magic wasn’t for mages.
It was typically for knights or adventurers.
Mages weren’t supposed to rely on physical means; a true mage achieved their goals with a flick of a finger.

Riverton asked.

“Disappointed?”

“No.”

“Really? You’re from a noble family. I figured you wouldn’t want to learn physical magic.”

Ethan had no prejudice against it.
Whether by hand or spell, the means were equal.

“My worry is different.”

“What’s that?”

“That you’re teaching me physical magic ‘only’ because you’re disappointed in me.”

Riverton perked up.

“Oh? You want to learn more from me?”

Ethan knew a rumor from the distant northwest Great Wall.
During a massive invasion that nearly toppled it, a combat mage skilled in swordsmanship and combat magic turned the tide with relentless victories.
His swordplay was so fierce that even seasoned guards feared standing near him, and enemies fled at his shadow.

A famous story told of his unit’s retreat through a narrow cliff path, pursued by 300 boar-headed beasts.
He held the rear, urging his men to escape, expecting to die.
But the next day, he returned with the snouts of all 300 beasts.
He had refined a swordsmanship used by hunters in the beastfolk’s land of Luure, originally for slaying giant magical beasts, into a martial art incorporating magic to kill beastfolk.
Later, dubbed the Hero of the Great Wall, Beastfolk Hunter, and Pig Butcher, this fallen noble earned a barony and a professorship at Yurmuth, recognized by kings and the Mages’ Council alike.
That was Riverton Fabier.

“What if I want to learn your ‘Hunting Sword’?”

Riverton laughed heartily.

“Of course I’ll teach you.”