Hiring adventurers turned out to be not as difficult as I had previously imagined. The teacher told me that not every person would agree to risk their life for money, but nevertheless such people were found and fortunately they were with me now.
While inside I was rejoicing at the luck that had turned up, I was also in the forest, where I could hear the creaking of tree branches, the rustling of leaves, the squeaks of small animals, the distant singing of birds tracking down their prey and a couple of loud male voices that were heard throughout the area.
"Idiot! Watch where you're going!”
Furgur shouted.
"Do not shout at me!"
Ashwani shouted back.
"CLOSE YOUR MOUTH!"
“O-okay...”
“IF YOU RAISED YOUR VOICE AT ME AGAIN, YOU ARE DEAD!”
“Calm down... I won’t do it again...”
"That's all. Hmm~!”
I guess I jumped to conclusions. These adventurers can be heard for entire leagues, and they have driven away the spirits with their screams. While these two, what's their names, Furgur and Ashwani were arguing, noting who had tripped on which root, the third one walking with us was calmer and in some ways even graceful.
«Camellia. And the beautiful name, and the beauty herself... I’m even envious.»
For some reason, I didn’t pay attention to the fact that her name is very similar to the name of the baron’s daughter who disappeared many years ago. However, I consider this just a lucky coincidence. Many commoners call each other by similar names, so this could very well be a coincidence.
At the moment, our detachment was heading towards the foreigners, who had taken refuge somewhere in the forest and would soon have to reach the lake tract and take the road to the city. The teacher told me to communicate with these strangers and hire adventurers to guard me, which I did.
In fact, this was my first time when I came out to people after many cycles of learning magic, and to be honest, I almost got lost while walking along the streets of the city. I was afraid that I had set the meeting place in the wrong place, but as it turned out, I was not mistaken and ended up in the right place.
While I, rustling the leaves under my feet, stepped over roots, mosses and cobblestones, and the spirits parted the branches of bushes and trees, my thoughts were busy thinking about Camellia. She was a little taller than me, confident, knew a lot about the world and wore a lot of expensive enchanted things that magicians usually use.
I can’t even imagine how much gold this scarlet robe, soaked in blood saturated with magic, cost her. It was simply obvious that Camellia was much more skilled at magic than I was, which made me feel quite humiliated in front of her and at the same time very enthusiastic about her.
The teacher told me a lot that the magic academy will teach any person with a talent for magic how to master it, but to know the essence of magic is already a separate talent and not everyone capable of magic has it, but looking at Camellia, seeing last night how she lit it neatly and silently at the fire, I realized that she was a strong sorceress, perhaps much stronger than me and my teacher.
This feeling in my chest is not envy, but rather curiosity. There were many questions lurking in my head that I wanted to voice to her, but she was so closed that I was afraid she would simply ignore me or even get angry with me.
«No, no, no.»
I shook my head.
«I hired her, she's here for the money. She uses them, which means I can get an answer from her with money. But what if she doesn't think so? So what I mean is that I suck anything and everything out of people with coins and I don't know how to build relationships? But I really don’t know how to build relationships? Argh~! Stupid! Stupid! I can not do it this way! Magicians do not value things that are important to people, because we are able to turn stone into gold, and this is what people expect from us. They don’t know that we can’t do everything and yet...magicians also need money. Maybe I’ll get answers from her somehow differently? Maybe I should just ask her? Mmm... I don't know. I'm very embarrassed.»
I walked behind her a little further. Unlike me, Camelia spreads branches along its path not with spirits, but with its own magic, also silently and habitually, like ordinary breathing. Even I can’t do that, but she does it so simply and perfectly. I just have to find out from her how she achieved such mastery, but where to start?
After thinking a little, I finally decided to call her over:
"Camellia."
She did not stop but briefly and answered me almost indifferently:
“Is there something you want to know, mistress?”
"Uh... yes."
I admitted, running closer to her, walking to her left.
"I'm just curious about something, that's all."
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed how she smiled and answered me with tenderness in her voice:
“The desire for knowledge is a good signal, mistress. You, like me, are a sorceress and I will help you in any way I can. Ask questions and I will give you answers."
"Well then…"
“If I can give answers, of course.”
She interrupted me mid-sentence, which is why I even forgot what I just wanted to ask her about.
«If she can answer...»
She’s right, there may be some things she doesn’t know, and some things she may even keep silent for the sake of her secrets. She proudly and gracefully walked forward, peering into the depths of the forest, and meanwhile I thought about something and asked her the first question:
“Camellia, where are you from?”
"Do you really want to know?"
I nodded, confirming my question. She looked thoughtful and soon gave her answer:
“Well, I’ll just secretly hint that the starry sky there is completely different.”
"Huh?"
I didn't understand her words.
“So you... what? Are you from across the sea?”
"Much further."
She smiled, which is why I didn’t believe her.
“Dragon tongue!”
Ashwani, who was walking behind us, blurted out.
“In what sense from across the sea? What is this anyway?
“The sea is an endless lake, idiot.”
Furgur snapped, not forgetting to push the swordsman, almost throwing him into a bush with poisonous berries.
“Better watch your step and don’t fall into deer shit.”
“I won't fall.”
"SHUT UP!"
“Got it, got it.”
Ashwani raised his hands and lowered his head down, no longer daring to utter a word because of Furgur, and meanwhile I was thinking about Kamelia’s words:
«The starry sky there is completely different...»
It is not necessary that she could be from overseas, it is quite possible that she is from the distant south. Teacher told me that you can see different constellations in the north and south. Maybe this is exactly what she meant? However, she said that she would only give a hint, which means that she would not give me a clear answer, no matter what her reason was.
"I understood you,"
I said it and asked the second question.
“But what are you doing here then?”
Camellia took a breath and said sadly:
"It's a long story, but in short, I'm here in search of power."
"Power? Why do you need power?”
The sorceress's face instantly turned a stern color.
“To give back to my people what they have lost.”
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Camellia answered, clenching her fists.
“I need to be the key to salvation and that’s why I’m here. I travel in search of magical knowledge to become perfect in all its elements."
Her answer surprised me greatly. This explains a lot. Apparently she longs to gain power to become the savior of her people. I don’t know what’s going on in the south, but most likely her people were enslaved, and she wants to free them.
I literally see in her eyes that determination to accomplish this, she is trying her best to save her people, and for this she has perfectly mastered the initial level of magic, almost perfect in silent magic, but it seems to her that this is not enough and therefore she moves further and further .
She continues to seek the power to save her people and now I understand that even though she seems to be the same age as me, the power that she carries within her is completely deserved. These are the gifts of her diligence on the path to perfection in the world of magic, and having understood this, I respected her much more than just a strong sorceress.
«True nobility.»
I admired her and at the same time supported her aspirations.
“You have a noble purpose in life. I pray to the spirits and wish you success."
I said sincerely.
“This pleases, mistress.”
Camellia smiled radiantly, looking at me with her scarlet eyes.
Her red eyes are so beautiful, tender and amazing. The spirits are cherishing next to her, her snow-white hair, as if she were a holy virgin descended from heaven. For me, she is like an older sister, this is the feeling that comes from her, as if she is the one who is ready and can protect me.
«Sister.»
A word flashed in my mind and planted an anchor of sadness inside my soul, killing the joyful mood in me. I didn’t want to remember the past, but alas, sad memories poured into my soul like a stormy stream and apparently distorted my face.
"Are you okay?"
Camellia asked with a worried look in my direction.
“Y-yes. I just remembered something. Doesn't matter."
“Since peace suits you, I won’t disturb you.”
Camellia answered. There was silence for a while and I, having calmed down a little, regained my confidence and asked Camellia a new question.
“Camellia, if it’s not a secret, who was your teacher?”
"Druid."
"Druid?"
I was surprised.
"Are you joking? They are found only in ancient legends.”
“True, but Sarg is a druid as long as people call him that.”
“Hmm~...”
I thought.
“Why did people call him that?”
“He is a forester, helps villages with crop growth, calls for rain during drought, drives away uninvited guests and... just helps people like any honest person.”
"And he taught you magic?"
“Ha~! He really makes a bad teacher."
Camellia grinned.
“He only sheltered me, and the books in his house became teachers for me.”
I can't believe it. Camellia claims to have learned magic on her own? It is simply impossible to study magic on your own! Every magician passes on his knowledge from mouth to mouth, this ancient undying tradition lives to this day, but she neglected it and independently mastered this ancient art?
“Did you really learn magic on your own?”
I asked the white-haired woman with doubt in my tone.
“Sarg helped me with some things, but mostly I did it myself.”
"Wow!"
I admired out loud.
"Yes, you are blessed by the angels of Sod."
As soon as I said this, Camelia stopped, frozen in place, and her face was covered with a veil of darkness.
"What's the matter?"
Ashwani asked standing behind her.
"Don't you dare…"
Camellia said quietly and gloomily.
"Don't you dare mention His with me."
Frankly, at that very moment I was perplexed. What upset her so much? Mention of Sod? But what's the big deal? Is she really a heretic? I can’t believe this... there’s no need to rush to a conclusion, you just have to ask her.
"Why?"
I asked her, starting to tremble a little with my body, fearing her further reaction, as if anticipating an impending storm of emotions, but in reality...
"Just don't do it."
She said, closing her eyes for a brief moment, taking a deep breath and continuing on her way, calming her soul from a strange outburst of anger.
“Those who destroyed my people believed in Him and did evil in the name His. I hate being connected to Him.”
Is she upset with Sod's followers? This explains a lot. Of course that doesn't mean she's a heretic, but she made a mistake. She placed the blame for the death not only on people, but also on Sod himself. I'm afraid to imagine what her face looks like when she walks past the priest.
«Now I feel sorry for her.»
"Sorry... I didn't know."
I lowered my head guiltily.
“And you will forgive me.”
Camellia said, but I didn’t understand why.
"For what?"
“Because I can’t be completely sincere with you, I can’t tell you what’s going on. Sorry, I can't."
I nodded, agreeing with her words. Not every magician is ready to reveal his personal secrets even for the sake of magic, and I understand her perfectly in this regard. I really don’t care what she’s hiding from me, whether it’s a grudge against Sod for the grief of her people or something else. This is her life and only she can decide how to manage her life.
"Don't apologize, I understand you."
I answered her. Camellia wanted to say something, opening her mouth, but after thinking about something, she decided to change her mind and fell silent. Although she will not be able to tell me something from her life, she will be able to tell me something from her training in magic, which is what I finally asked her about:
“Camellia, how deep is your knowledge of magic? I see you are doing just fine without spells."
It was important for me to know this. Since she can do without spells, it means that she perfectly understands magic as such, and even my teacher is not capable of this.
"Good question."
Camellia smiled.
“The truth is that the world around us and magic are much more connected than you can imagine.”
I didn't understand what she was talking about, so I tilted my head to the side while she continued to explain.
“Have you ever had to think about what drives life?”
"Umm... no."
"It's a pity. Thinking about it will give you all the answers you need."
I would like to respond to her words about the movement of life, but I’m sure that mentioning Sod will upset her again and that’s why I didn’t want to see her like that again. I would answer that Sod created life and created magic with it, dividing the world into elements, repeating the words of the teacher, but I am afraid of her warning. Instead, I just remained silent and listened to Camellia as we walked through the forest.
“There are living and nonliving things in the world, but they are not much different from each other. Life is simply more heterogeneous compared to water, stone or air. Life is complex, it has laws, the nature of which it follows, and therefore it is imperfect in many respects.”
Camellia closed her eyes as she continued her story, and in the meantime I thought about her strange words. I honestly never thought about it. Life for me is a familiar thing, something that always surrounds me, but Camellia approached this issue much more seriously.
Apparently due to the fact that many people of her people died, she thought about the idea of life and death, studied the essence of life and found answers in this essence, which gave her food for thought about the nature of magic.
At that moment, we entered the dark thicket of the forest, where not a blade of grass grew on the ground, and at that moment I felt the spirits of fire intertwining over Camelia’s palm and flaring up, lighting up in the air. Surprisingly, she seemed to be holding fire with her bare hands, the fireball was a perfect spherical shape and hovered above her palm, illuminating the dark thicket with a dim orange glow and, interestingly, much brighter than ordinary fire, almost like a small sun.
“Fire loves «carbon» very much, that is, everything that life consists of.”
"Wait... «Carbon»?"
I was perplexed.
"What it is?"
And indeed, this was the first time I heard this word.
"It is hard to explain. It took me years to understand what it was and why it was everywhere. «Carbon» is not mana, but in fact it is the basis of life in this world without which it cannot exist. So, if you understand the essence of “carbon”, then you can learn to manage life as my teacher Sarg did. He could mentally give life a second wind, or he could strangle it, and all thanks to the fact that he knew it.”
Marvelous. So it turns out that life consists of «carbon»? But if it's just the basis, then how can I differentiate it from other... uh... things? This is all strange. I used to think that life consists of four elements, and magic is the embodiment of these elements, but it turns out there is also a fifth element of life... carbon. Why... why didn't I know about this? Why doesn't the teacher know about this? And why does some forester unknown to me know about this?
Questions, questions, they drowned my mind, made my little head ache from their abundance. It was as if I sat down with books again and spent time analyzing manuscripts and the meaning of written words, only in addition I did it outside the shelter.
“I don’t quite understand.”
I confessed, after which Camellia froze again and looked straight into my eyes.
“As I say, it takes years to understand this. Understanding the basis of all life will help not only in unraveling the mysteries of life itself, but also of magic, and I must admit that you need to understand not only the essence of life, but also death, as well as peace, movement and...”
*Kick*
"Ay~!"
I screamed in surprise.
Suddenly Camellia fell to the ground, hitting her head on something and losing consciousness. Ashwani and Furgur quickly prepared for battle by preparing their weapons. The swordsman with a ringing sound took out his short blade from his belt, and the gloomy arrow took out a bow and arrow, simultaneously running his eyes in search of the attacker.
At that moment my heart began to beat quickly in surprise, and my body tensed. I fell on my butt to the ground and hid in the bushes in the hope that I would not be discovered. The spirits didn’t warn me... they... THEY WASN’T HERE!
«W-what's going on?»
I trembled, peering through the thickets of bushes at Camellia’s fallen body, seeing the flow of life in her. She was alive, but someone knocked her unconscious.
«Huh? What is this?»
I asked myself a question when I saw a large round bruise on her forehead.
At that moment, the thickets around us suddenly rustled loudly. This scared me even more than before. I wanted to run away at that moment, but I didn’t know where or how. I felt the singing of souls, there were many attackers, a couple of dozen at least, and they surrounded us from all sides.
"We're under attack!"
Ashwani shouted.
“I know this without you!”
Furgur snapped.
"We are surrounded."
“I know this without you!”
Even at such a moment, they continued to talk to each other, but at the same time, they stood with their backs to each other, ready to fight together against unknown souls. At that moment I was horrified by the surprise and fell into even greater horror when someone suddenly grabbed me by the shoulder and stabbed something into my neck, something very thin and cold, which I didn’t even feel at first. and soon I felt a strong prick that spread throughout my body.
"Mistress!"
Ashwani shouted and ran towards me, but a moment later he froze when he saw something above me. I tried to move, but for some reason my hand wouldn’t obey me.
«W-what? What's happening?! Who attacked us?! These aren't goblins, are they? Oh Sod... I... I can't... move...»
The grip that held my shoulder was strong and hardly belonged to goblins. It was as if I was being held down by a man, a very strong man, like a subhuman. While I was trying to get out of the thicket, trying to shake my arms and legs, the world around me was plunging into darkness, or maybe... I was plunging into darkness... to sleep... I want... to sleep...
«N-no... wait...»