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Magic is not Mystical
Chapter 2: Information is essential

Chapter 2: Information is essential

A youth could be seen working in one of the fields. Although he was sweating heavily he kept a calm expression. Unlike yesterday there was almost no wind making it incredibly hot. Even so, Vrill still had to do his share of work. If he was to be seen doing no work he would be in serious trouble.

This is especially so for Vrill, he didn't have a good reputation. He could be exiled as a result, this would spell his death! The area around the town is plains as far as the eye can see, but even so, they are not safe. Many wild animals roam around and he would have no chance of survival if he went against one in his current state. After the plains, there's a wide forest which was even more troubling. Therefore he had no other option, but to do his absolute best when working.

After he finished he went back into town and visited a local bar. He went up to the weathered wooden door and entered. It was somewhat rundown and pretty small but had a cozy atmosphere. There were six people, a group of three sat at one table and laughed heartily. One other sat passed out on the bar counter with two other people sitting next to him having a casual conversation. This bar was where Vrill usually ate his meals.

He went up to the counter, sat down, and handed a small magic crystal to the bartender "Give me the usual, Bonn".

Bonn nodded his head before heading into the kitchen at the back of the local. After a few minutes, he came back with a plate in his hand as well as a glass of water. "Here you go, mushroom soup with rye bread. Just how you like it Vrill".

"Thanks, Bonn." he said while expressing a smile before turning to his dish.

Vrill liked to eat in bars and although more expensive, he liked to eavesdrop on other people's conversations which gave him a lot of information. It was a worthwhile investment for him. Over time he became better at it and could be considered an expert. In fact, due to this, he was a regular at most bars in town.

One might think that you don't gain anything from this, but you couldn't be further from the truth. Even the most mundane topics are beneficial to Vrill. By eavesdropping, he learned about many topics and it gave him a broader worldview.

"Hey did you hear, Tom recently encountered a boar when gathering mushrooms and barely got away."

"What! You never told me about that. Is he okay?"

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"Yeah, he's fine, just slightly injured."

Most conversations are pretty similar and mundane, yet Vrill still listened to them attentively. As time passed he had finished his meal when he suddenly heard something that caught his attention. Two people next to him by the counter were having a conversation.

"It's confirmed, that there will be a magician visiting our town again to collect their share of this year's harvest festival."

The other guy looked annoyed before saying "Ugh, again? Last time the magician nearly killed someone simply because he was in a bad mood".

The first guy sighed and said, "Well there's not much we can do as commoners. Let's just hope the mage they sent this time is kind".

Lert had the tradition of hosting a grand fest when harvest season came. During this time a magician would be sent to collect a share of the goods. The reason why they didn't send a normal person is in the case of villagers fighting back, a mage could easily suppress them without any trouble.

Magicians were at the top of society. Vrill's life in front of such a figure amounted to nothing. He could just be killed if the other party so wished.

Some time later Vrill left the local and went back home. The sky was painted deep blue and it wasn't too hot nor cold. The streets were relatively quiet with a few drunkards that could be seen. At this point, most were asleep, after all, farm work was incredibly tiring. Vrill himself was also exhausted but often had to fight against the urge to go to bed. The reason being, that he didn't have a fully developed body at his age, and although Vrill trained often, he was still quite weak.

Once he reached his house he opened the wooden door and entered the small shack. For once his uncle was still awake. Usually, because of his old age, he was asleep at this time of day. He spent most of his time inside since he was extremely weak. It wasn't uncommon for both Vrill and him to go to sleep without eating anything. This would help get rid of the feeling of hunger and the body would use its fat reserves to compensate for the lack of food.

Well, so it seemed. Since Vrill had sold the dirt worm he was quite well off and didn't need to worry about food at all. Of course, his uncle had no clue about this, Vrill had hidden that fact. It might seem cruel at first, but Vrill couldn't even properly sustain himself. So for him to help his uncle even whilst considering his situation he would be stupid.

Even if Vrill had to commit evil deeds, if it benefited him he wouldn't hesitate even a second. He had never planned to stay a commoner and was always very ambitious. Vrill had decided early on to become a magician and didn't plan on stopping there. He wanted to reach the peak and surpass everyone.

Therefore to fulfill his vision he didn't mind sacrificing his humanity along the way.

"How was your day?" Asked his uncle.

Vrill looked up from eating a piece of bread before turning back to his food "Nothing special. It was just the usual"

Both of them continued saying nothing. His uncle sitting cross-legged on the floor stared at Vrill before looking at a wall. He had given his slice of bread to Vrill and as a result, had nothing to eat.

"I'm going to sleep," said his uncle.

"Sure." Vrill said whilst munching on the bread.