[Sam, despierta. (Wake up Sam.)]

[Mmm…]

[Volviste a quedarte jugando hasta la madrugada, ¿verdad? (You stay up playing games angain?)]

[Mmm…]

[Y así quieres ir de intercambio a Japón. (And you want to study abroad in Japan like that.)]

[Ya voy ma. (I’m going mom.)]

[Ese ya voy es igual al de tu padre. (In that, you’re like your father.)]

[I am up see!]

With a slightly sad face I could only think.

{First time I have a dream about my old self.}

[Ryckna?]

She is not in the room, but she left a note in the table it is a map and the note says:

Meet me here as soon as you awake.

It is not that far from the Inn.

After eating breakfast, I hurried to the place she mark in the map.

In my way I noticed the boar girl from two days ago, she seems to be shopping some potions. I am interested in adventurers so decide to talk to her.

[Good morning.] I tried to sound as polite as possible to show her that I am not a threat.

[Ah. The plant girl from before.] She seems wary of me but I cannot feel threatening in her voice as before.

[Seems like we have a bad start, so I want to introduce myself, I am Orchid. Nice to meet you.]

[Mirna]

[Can I ask why Bors seem to have a grudge against me?]

[You already did.]

[True.]

She sighted before telling me.

[An alraune killer his brother. We spoke with him, so he will not target you for it.]

[I see, thanks for telling me.]

[Don’t mention it, seriously.]

Mirna continued her path, I could easily say that she bought many antidotes; they might be preparing to face that alraune.

{If I could I want to talk with that alraune, but I don’t want to get in their way.}

Soon I reach my destination; a two floors building that looks like a tavern, but has a backyard and is separated from other buildings, there is a sign near the door.

[Drachennest.]

I entered the building.

[Oh! At last, you arrive Orchid.]

Ryckna welcomes me in to the tavern.

[So allow me to introduce you, the man here is Dabisu Fiore the bartender.]

A squirrel hybrid, he is as tall as Ryckna has straight red hair and tail fur, his left eye is blue while the right is yellow.

[And the girl over there is the one who will teach you magic.]

At the edge of the counter, a girl wearing red clothes and a purple mantle stands up immediately, put her hand in her chest and proudly says.

[I am the “Burning Venom Witch” Katrine.]

Having a better look at her, she is beautiful, crimson eyes, long straight red hair that reaches pass her waist, a long skirt with the left side open, short boots, knee long tights, a long sleeved blouse, and the typical witch hat with a butterfly adornment.

{So witches aren’t a small floating cotton candy thing.}

[Wait, a witch is going to teach me magic?]

[Let me explain it.]

Dabisu explained that scholars are not allow to teach how to use magic to others, if someone wants to learn it, they must sign a “Contract” with a witch. In addition, the contract is temporary depending on the objective of the person, after the time or completion the knowledge disappears and the person is unable to do magic again until he makes another contract.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

[However, a contract is no cheap.]

[I don’t have too much money.]

I have a pouch of money but I do not think will be enough, this witch looks kind of a noble like girl.

Katrine makes a sign for me to take a seat with her; she puts a scroll in the table and takes out a pen.

{So a contract with a witch is made in paper, but I don’t remember doing that with Alice.}

My father was a lawyer so I know something about this stuff; he liked to talk a lot about his job.

Magic Learning Contract

The Witch (contractor) ______________will teach the Human (contracted)_____________ the art of magic, in exchange the contracted will _______________________________________________.

This contract will be valid for ___ days or until the contracted archives __________________________________________________________________.

If the contracted fulfil its objective and pay the requirement to the witch, it can hold the knowledge for magic usage. If it fails or the time expires without achieving to desire thing the knowledge will be erased from its memory and will become unable to use magic for the rest of its life.

The following conditions must be met and respected at all times.

* The contracted will not use magic to harm the contractor.

* The contractor will not kill the contracted or interfere directly with its objective.

* The contracted will not teach magic to others.

* The contracted will not learn magic that exceeds level __ in witch scale.

If either party breaks any condition, their live will belong to the other for it to do what it pleases.

      _____________________                 ______________________

Witch                            Human

If you break any condition you pay with your life, and we have more than the witch does, there is no small words and the contractor condition, how is written she can indirectly interfere with it.

[You want to learn to enter the scholars so two days and level two enough.]

Katrine just started to fill the blank spaces of the contract.

[Also, I would like you to help to me in something.]

[How will I help you?]

[Alraune research.]

[Wait!] Ryckna raised her voice. [If she passes, she would become my apprentice.]

[Don’t worry, I will be gentle with her.]

I felt goosebumps as she told that while winking.

That means that I will have two persons watching me and asking weird questions.

[All right, let’s do this.]

We both signed the contract, and then a ray of light appeared from the scroll in direction to my head and another towards Katrine, it was a familiar sensation, it’s the same as when I ate the bee and volve.

Some information appear in my mind, the method to use magic.

The magic is divided in three states, the pure “Rune” which is to be found in the ley lines, the drops “Mana” found all around the environment, and the inner “Ether” found inside all living things.

The ether flows in the body as blood, pumped by a “Magic Heart” located near to the respiratory system, when we breathe aside from oxygen we also take mana, which goes into the magic heart where is transmuted in ether and pumped to the body.

[Before you try any magic lets head to the backyard, I don’t want a mess in the bar.]

We move to the backyard and Ryckna gave me a scroll, it has the information to make a basic fireball spell.

There is no need to make a spelling, or a magic circle, you just need to know the right amount of mana and ether needed for it, and then mix it so it makes the desire thing.

{It’s like math and chemistry, but all has to be done mentally.}

First focus on making the ether to come out of the palm of your hand, the amount needed for a fireball is as big as a canica (marble), it will quickly gather mana into it, so I need to mold it as fast into the image of a fireball as the picture in the scroll.

It should be as big as a baseball ball, but ignited, it does not look like the regular of fantasy, which normally looks like if the mage is holding or throwing fire. It is more condense the fire is perfectly compressed into a ball with not a single flame bursting out the circumference.

In addition, the way to shape it has a relation with alchemy, using ether as a catalyst to transmute mana into the desire magic.

[Ok, here I go.]

My first try ends in an explosion in my hand, so I learned that magic does not actually harms the physical body, or I would be on fire right now, but it harms the ethereal body of living things it stills hurts. I will need to research that after I become an apprentice scholar.

By the second attempt I could make it, Ryckna and Katrine looks impressed for some reason, apparently the normal time that takes to make a fireball is around 2 full days, and half day to white beast rabbits, one of the races with the best magic affinity.

The fireball looks like a crystal sphere with a fire inside it feels as standing around a campfire.

[So now, try to hit the dummy.]

Katrine summoned a human sized earth dummy.

{I am curious with something.}

I used to play baseball as pitcher so I wanted to see if that experience is still with me, so I decided to throw a fastball.

Despite being psychically weaker, I manage to throw a proper fastball. As it hit the dummy, the fireball explodes creating a cone-shaped single big flame melting the dummy. The flames disappeared after briefly five seconds leaving not even heat in the area of effect.

[For you to use it this fast, maybe alraunes have a better affinity than white beast rabbits.]

Ryckna said while taking notes in a small book.

[Now learn these, you will need them for the test.]

She quickly takes out five more scrolls of her bag.

I still have question about magic but it seems I have to wait until I pass the test tomorrow.