15

Gael looked at the book with the spells, there were only three spells for each of the main energies. But for the boy it was the first time he saw the magic formulas, the concepts and the proportions of energy.

It was not a compendium, nor a book of spells in the usual sense, they were actually handwritten notes that Rilcar himself or even his mother had prepared. The book would not have more than eighty pages, but for Gael it became a gift. However, after looking through it all, he looked at Rilcar with a desperate face.

"Master... I... I don't... Furthermore, I don't know any of these spells..."

"That's something I didn't expect, didn't you throw a fireball at the Kobolds, make a wind blade and raise a stone wall?"

"Well, I just imagined how they should be or work and well the wall didn't come out right, to be honest, that's why I fell into the pit... but I didn't use even the slightest bit of the proportions that come in the book..."

The boy surprised him more and more, he already knew from Leena that he hadn't received any formal education in magic yet, he was only a five-year-old boy, it was normal not to receive it until a few months before the entrance exam to school, but that didn't make his performance in the Kobolds' lair any less impressive. A boy had invented his own magic on the fly to survive.

"In that case, start with the first spell of each of the energies, it's called the power marker... Focus on one and then continue with the next, start with the ice blade..."

The road was becoming more blurred as the lights of the evening faded, the boy read and made gestures with his hand, while Rilcar just enjoyed the road. However, this passivity was only a secondary attention, in reality the wizard did not miss any of the boy's gestures.

After a bend in the road there were three large willows with a small clearing in the center.

"That place will be perfect to stop..."

Rilcar left the cart between two of the trees and proceeded to unhook the nag that pulled the wagon. However, when the boy saw that the wizard was preparing to lift the horse into the wagon by a ramp, he was stupefied. He had not yet taken a look inside, the master had not allowed him to yet, and he had been very busy with the book.

"Why did he put the horse in the wagon?"

"Do you know how much a good horse costs? Do you want us to find its remains chewed up by wolves tomorrow?"

"But if the horse is inside, where are we going to sleep?"

"Inside, of course..."

"What if that beast decides to shit, piss or fart?"

"Don't ask anymore, you'll understand later, get wood for a small fire, let's make some dinner..."

The boy gathered firewood from the surroundings, and piled it up badly in a kind of pyramid. Rilcar laughed, in those details it was clear that the boy had grown up in cotton wool.

"If you don't leave room for air, the fire won't burn well, look, do it like this..."

It wasn't magic, but Gael was willing to learn everything he could, so he was attentive. With a snap of Rilcar's fingers, the fire was lit, and the wizard took out of a small bag some long skewers with sardines and others with some quails.

"That's a dimensional bag!!!, can I see it?"

"Not a chance, there are our provisions for the trip, I don't want you to start handling the food and have it spoil..."

"Why do you carry the food in something so expensive... that's being eccentric..."

The boy dodged the slap this time before it arrived, but he already had his best sad face ready.

"I'm sorry, master, but I just don't understand why you would waste something so useful on food..."

"It's simple, dimensional bags are useful for carrying many things, but they have an exceptional quality, the objects you put inside will be kept intact, you can store your half-eaten dinner and when you take it out in three months it will still be warm... and to carry fish and food it's a great option... what do you prefer, quail or sardines?"

"I hate fish..."

"Quails for the boy then..."

"I think I understand the ice blade now..."

"Already?"

"I think so, can I try?"

"Sure, let's see if you're just showing off."

Gael concentrated as much as he could, the frozen energy began to run through his right arm, but instead of releasing it as a thin layer like when he made the ice layer for skating, he concentrated it trying to shape the knife. In the north there was always plenty of moisture in the environment, he didn't need to concentrate even a bit of water mana, when he was sure he had added enough of his will he shaped the blade and gave it the momentum to come out.

This whole process had taken the boy twenty seconds, but finally he threw a blade of almost twenty centimeters that ended up sticking into one of the nearby trees. Rilcar looked at the boy surprised, he had only read the formula a few hours ago, it was true that it contained all the advice of the magician and his mother, but even so it was something fabulous for a boy of his age. The process had some flaws, a little too much ice mana and a little too little willpower magic, but it was without a doubt an achievement.

"I did it!!!"

"Bravo, now repeat with your left arm, you have to get used to conjuring with the hand where you are not going to carry the weapon, put a little less ice mana, and give it more momentum with your will..."

The effort of freezing the ground with a thin patina and that of making an ice knife were not comparable, but the boy did not complain. He tried to adjust the mana as the master had said. This time the knife was fifteen centimeters, and it was about to go through the tree from one side to the other. Gael only took fifteen seconds this time.

"Okay, kid, now try to put a little less thrust into it, not as little as your first attempt, but less than your last one."

Gael was sweating from the effort, but he tried again, the blade stuck into the tree to its full extent but did not penetrate as much as before. This time it took him barely a second less than before.

"Could you do another one?"

"I think I can handle one more..."

This time the boy, already familiar with the sensations, took 13 seconds, with the same result as before.

"How is your ice mana?"

"Almost empty, Master Rilcar. I couldn't make even half a knife..."

"You've done very well, Gael. These spells are called gauges because they're used to calculating a wizard's reserves. A basic first-level core can make three ice knives using the proportions of the regulated spell, but according to you, you could still make another one and a half more. That's four and a half, so your ice core is growing. It's still a long way from level two, but it's not bad at all... it's obvious that you've used your skating rink a lot..."

"How many knives would I have to make to know that I've reached level two?"

"Twelve..."

The boy's soul fell to his feet. He still had a lot to improve.

"Don't worry about the rest of the spells for now, tomorrow continue with the knife until you can cast it in a few seconds, if you take that long it won't be of any help in combat and when you don't have any ice spells left, learn the wind blade, and you'll advance."

It was a good night to sleep in the open, despite Gael's complaints, who was eager to explore the mysteries of the wagon, they slept that night around the bonfire. The boy soon fell asleep, Rilcar cast a couple of alarm charms just in case and relaxed with a cup of coffee.

Being a teacher was perhaps not as bad as he thought before.