A quiet camping ground with nobody around.
But I didn’t feel particularly lonely or desolate.
If it weren’t me sitting here but someone else, wouldn’t they think the same?
Anyone who goes out of their way to find a remote camping spot is surely someone who wants to escape the gaze of others and enjoy a leisurely time.
“Don’t you think so?”
“Eh…?”
Unfortunately, Da-eun seemed to be too out of it to respond.
Seeing her black eyes wander aimlessly, I clicked my tongue.
“Why are you acting like this when I’m not even making you do something difficult?”
“Hi, hee…!”
“…Hmm.”
…Is she turning into a beast?
With time passing, the sounds from Da-eun were drifting further away from human.
Is she going to devolve into a monkey soon?
‘Now that would be interesting to see.’
Of course, that wouldn’t really happen.
“Let’s stop here.”
“…Heeek.”
As I removed my hand from her neck, Da-eun slumped down like a puppet with its strings cut.
“Seriously, what a drama queen.”
“…I’d rather it was just a drama. Huuu…”
“It’s a drama, isn’t it? You’re not in pain. Am I wrong?”
“It’s not pain… Ugh, I don’t know! It was just a strange feeling that’s hard to describe!”
Da-eun, who was sprawled out on the mini table, shook in frustration.
Following her lead, I sat down on the chair next to her, and Da-eun turned her head toward me.
“It’s so different from what I imagined… I thought I’d be sitting cross-legged meditating, or doing some martial arts, or at least swinging a sword until I could feel the mana…”
“…Martial arts?”
I wasn’t sure what that meant, but anyway, it must be different from what I did, hence her saying that.
What I did with Da-eun was sending my mana to her.
To be precise, it wasn’t flowing inside her body; it was just touching her skin.
Like splashing water on yourself when you bathe.
“If I were myself, I wouldn’t have done this.”
I didn’t know how magicians typically learn.
If they lack talent in the first place, they wouldn’t even be able to start, so I could only guess that they instinctively feel the mana before going this far.
But the way of the swordsman is different.
“Training mana like this wouldn’t let you use it properly anyway.”
“Eh? What does that mean?”
“If you’re a swordsman, you should know how to swing a sword. What use is mana if you can’t even cast magic with it?”
“Ah… So it means that the body and mind need to be one to truly exert strength?”
“Where the hell did you learn that?”
“In a book. Do you want to see it, Kana?”
“…Later.”
Whether one needs to see mana with their heart is a topic to think about, but it didn’t seem like a completely different story, so I nodded.
“Just like how enhancing the body with mana is useless if you can’t reach it, basic body techniques must be supported, or it’s meaningless. Moreover, as your senses become sharper through training, you’ll become sensitive to the mana flowing around you so you won’t need to do something like this.”
“Got it… Huh? But why did you do this for me?”
“There are many reasons…”
There wasn’t enough time to explain each one.
The sun was getting ready to set behind the mountains, so dinner time didn’t seem far off.
I even heard the words “I’ve prepared high-grade meat for today, so look forward to it!” I couldn’t afford to invade dinner time by explaining.
“Da-eun’s reason for training mana isn’t to fight, right?”
Of course, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to learn how to fight.
Even if it’s a country that’s like a paradise compared to the bloody, scream-filled Silia, it’s not completely safe.
But there’s absolutely no time for that.
Moreover, if things go as the administrator and Edel conceived, the disharmony between the body and mana will be addressed to some extent.
“I figured it’d be better to quickly grasp the basics instead of wasting time on that.”
“Kana has it all planned out…”
“So you thought I was teaching Da-eun without a proper plan?”
“…A little?”
“What?”
“Ah, no, it’s not that I thought Kana was stupid! You know, there’s a saying that a genius doesn’t understand the mind of an average person! You’re a genius among geniuses… And besides, being good with a sword and being good at teaching are two different things…”
…Logically, that makes sense, but why does it sound so annoying?
“Have you already forgotten who taught Da-eun in Silia?”
“…Hearing that actually lowers my trust.”
“…No way. If you want it, I’ll really put you to work.”
“Ugh, ugh…! This is your fault, Kana!”
“My fault?”
“Yeah!”
Da-eun shouted back.
With my arms crossed, I waited to hear what she had to say, and Da-eun spoke with frustration.
“You said you’d teach me swordsmanship, but suddenly you told me to fight with others…! Just when I thought I got used to it, you asked me to spar with you…!”
“…”
“What I wanted was a gentle Kana-sensei, not a scary tiger instructor…”
Listening to her complaints made me slowly uncross my arms.
Hearing her heartfelt words made me feel her earnest feelings…
– Of course, not!
“The results were certainly effective.”
Da-eun’s face showed she was hit right in the feels.
“Ugh… That’s true, but…”
“And if I remember right, I didn’t throw you into a sparring match from the very beginning.”
I was pretty sure I corrected her glaring posture because I couldn’t stand it anymore; that was the start.
Where’s the fabrication in this?
“I was wrong…”
Da-eun raised a white flag.
“As an apology, I offer you this chocolate, so please forgive me!”
“…Just this once.”
Normally, a rebel who fails should be executed, but since she seems genuinely remorseful, I’ll let it slide this time.
After our small commotion was settled, we hurriedly moved to prepare dinner.
We brought a chunk of wood from a pile stacked in one part of the campsite, lit the fire, and Da-eun took out all sorts of unknown utensils and lined them up.
As I helped carry things, I casually threw a question at her.
“Do you do this every time?”
“What do you mean? Oh, the preparations? I don’t do this every time.”
Da-eun, squatting and poking at the firewood, stood up straight.
“When I want to relax, I go to a glamping site or a hotel. I came here on purpose to reminisce about the times I traveled with Kana. Back then, we had to prepare everything ourselves, right?”
Though it wasn’t long ago, Da-eun had a distant look as if she was recalling a very old tale.
Memories… I guess.
“…Well, it wasn’t bad.”
“See? By the way, I wonder how Selin is doing?”
“She’s probably living well.”
“How cold!”
“I’m not being cold; I’m being realistic. It would be harder for someone as capable as Selin to not be living well.”
“Ugh! I’m just curious about how she’s doing, do I have to answer so bleakly?”
Da-eun grumbled as she placed meat on the grill.
Not long after, the meat began to cook, filling the air with a savory smell.
It was such a strong aroma that made me think it might attract wild beasts.
I wondered why it felt so appetizing even though it wasn’t my first time grilling meat outdoors.
‘No, maybe it’s just because I know how delicious it is?’
I secretly swallowed the saliva pooling in my mouth.
“In Silia, it’s more important to just ‘be alive’ than to know ‘how’ you’re living.”
“Ah…”
In Silia, there aren’t many means to contact distant places.
Of course, those with lots of money are different, but not everyone is rich.
Plus, you never know when and where something might happen, so you wish for people to just be alive.
Asking how someone is doing can wait until the day you reunite.
Hearing my words, Da-eun let her arms slump down from grilling the meat.
With a downcast look, she spoke.
“I’m sorry…”
“? Why are you suddenly apologizing?”
“…I called you cold without understanding that.”
“Seriously. I have plenty to apologize for.”
Feeling sorry for something trivial.
“I didn’t say that to get an apology. It’s true that I have a blunt side.”
My dad has said that a few times too.
Why is this girl so blunt?
I’ve heard that countless times, so it wouldn’t feel surprising to hear it again.
“So don’t worry about it.”
“Kana…”
“Worrying about strange things will just burn the meat.”
“…”
“If you burn it, I won’t forgive you.”
The small droplets that had formed in Da-eun’s eyes dried up like a desert as if they were never there.
“Seriously…”
She sighed and flipped the meat with tongs.
Fortunately, the underside of the meat that was facing the fire looked appetizing.
“Yeah, like you said, she’s probably living well. If necessary, I can just go to Raxia to meet her.”
“Raxia?”
“Oh, I didn’t tell you, did I? Selin said she’d stay in Raxia for the time being since she still has things to do.”
“Ah. I see.”
“You don’t seem very surprised?”
“It’s not really surprising.”
What’s the big deal about Selin staying in Raxia?
I also heard that Edel had something to assign to Selin, so there was no reason to be surprised.
Da-eun, focused on grilling the meat, suddenly smiled bitterly.
“I wish Kana could go to Silia too.”
“Hmm?”
“…Huh?”
“You can go.”
“Really?”
For a moment, her eyes widened in surprise.
Then Da-eun pretended to understand, saying “Ah.”
“Right. I can just use a capsule.”
“No, that’s not possible.”
The body made arbitrarily wouldn’t be able to hold me properly.
“Then how do you go?”
“Like this.”
Seeing is believing.
I picked up a random stick and waved it, causing the view beyond the campfire to crack open.
Da-eun’s mouth dropped open at the sight of the exotic scenery revealed beyond the split view.
“It’s not something I do often, but it’s not completely impossible.”
After all, over there, I’m technically a dead body.
It looks simple, but there are many details to consider.
“…Um, it doesn’t look simple at all?”
Da-eun said with a serious expression, and I shrugged my shoulders lightly as I took a bite of the meat.
“Does it go down?”
“Yep.”
That had to be common sense.
This so-called high-grade meat was no joke; it melted in my mouth.
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