Chapter 14: You Say I Cast a Spell?

The dizziness felt as though he hadn't slept for days and nights, his body moving forward while his soul lingered behind, swaying in place.

Romon struggled to complete the diagram he had started.

In his dazed state, he saw a flash of light on the ground, and then something pulled him back, quickly dragging him twenty meters away.

Boom—!

A loud explosion shook Romon, instantly snapping him awake.

He focused, looking around. The circle he had drawn on the ground, the signpost Nini had made, and even the stone he had been sitting on—everything had vanished, replaced by a field of black ash.

"Master? Are you alright?" Nini asked.

"I'm a bit dizzy."

"You cast a spell. By the looks of it, your mana is exhausted. You should lie down."

Nini said, brushing her shoe over the ground before sitting down herself, gently helping Romon to lie on her soft, elastic thigh.

Whew—

Hiss—

"You say I cast a spell?" Romon adjusted himself slightly and asked.

"My Lord, didn't you realize the spell you just cast?" Nini asked, her voice filled with surprise as she recalled the scene. Romon had drawn a circle on the ground, written some symbols, and with just his finger, created a magic circle that actually lit up. Reflexively, she had backed away, and indeed, the explosion had followed.

"I see."

As Nini reflected on what had happened, Romon also cleared his mind. He finally understood the secret behind the magic book.

The pages of the book appeared blank at first glance, but in reality, it required copying the starry sky-like magic formulas from memory into the book. When needed, he could simply turn to the page and cast the spell directly!

This process didn't require incantations. Not even mana.

Otherwise, he would have surely fainted again from mana exhaustion by now.

Of course, the idea of copying the formulas into the book was still just a hypothesis—he hadn't tested it yet.

Romon no longer had the mana to try again.

He looked toward the site of the explosion. It had blasted a hole through the main road, creating a path that led into the forest.

"When Talia returns, tell her to clear the path all the way through the forest," Romon instructed.

"Yes, Master."

"Alright, I'll sleep for a bit."

Romon turned to the side, inhaling the scent of seafood, and gave Nini's soft, elastic rear a quick rub before falling into a deep sleep.

...

Boom—Whooosh, whooosh—

Romon woke with a start from the continuous sounds of explosions. He opened his eyes to see that Talia had returned and had used magic to clear a path.

"Master."

Nini helped Romon sit up and then rubbed her sore legs.

"Lord Romon, you're awake! I've already spread the word to the Adventurer's Guild in Stone Town. It's likely that adventurers will start coming soon," Talia said excitedly, hoping for praise from Romon.

"Well done, Talia," Romon praised her generously. "When you came back, did you notice the blacksmith's shop? Was the old blacksmith busy today?"

"Of course, I noticed. He wasn't at the blacksmith shop. He was at the Adventurer's Guild, drinking. He's probably waiting for adventurers to come in with business."

"Perfect." Romon turned to Nini. "This time, you'll be the one to run the errand. Have 20 sets of knight armor made. Price doesn't matter, just make sure it's reasonable, but the speed must be fast. I'd rather pay more for speed."

"Understood, Master."

"Go ahead."

Nini stomped her foot and quickly vanished from in front of them.

"My Lord, have you recruited knights?" Talia couldn't help but ask.

"A group of Centaurs. I've recruited them."

"If trained properly, Centaurs can be very powerful. I don't know if you've heard of Pito, the Perfect Shot Centaur? His archery skills are truly remarkable, with the best penetration and accuracy in all of Stone Town."

"I've seen his profile."

"Why not recruit him as well? He could help train them."

"I don't think that would work. Pito and Pir have some conflicts, and it would likely cause more harm than good."

Talia nodded. Although she didn't know who Pir was, if the Lord said not to, she wouldn't ask any further questions.

"I've made some new discoveries with the magic book. Let's go back and study it some more," Romon said.

...

While Romon and Talia were studying the magic book. 

In the Great Forest. 

Near the entrance to the Thune Grand Labyrinth...

The burly Hato had already led the Centaurs in setting up a fence, designating the area as a fee zone.

At that moment. 

A steady set of footsteps approached.

"Is this the new labyrinth they've been talking about?"

The newcomer was a Centaur, dressed in greenish-blue cloth armor, with quivers hanging from both sides of his waist.

His gaze was different from the other Centaurs. It was easy to tell he was educated, while others appeared more like wild men of the forest.

"With this heavy magic leak, it's probably an A-rank labyrinth... I shouldn't act rashly. I wonder if those guys will show up. It might be good to form a team."

"Hey! Are you... Pito?!"

Suddenly. 

A familiar voice called out from not far off.

Pito looked over and saw a Centaur with the appearance of a wild man, a bloodstain across his chest. They were of the same tribe, yet their appearances were worlds apart.

He recognized the Centaur and replied, "Pir?"

"It's really you! I can't believe it's really you!" Pir's tone wasn't one of surprise, but of bitterness. He tossed aside the fallen leaves he had been sweeping and charged straight at Pito, his hooves pounding the ground. "You traitor to the tribe, how dare you come back!"

Pito furrowed his brows. His build was similar to Pir's, but unlike him, Pito had been cultured and well-groomed, his face clean-shaven and tidy, even handsome in appearance.

If it came down to a physical confrontation, Pito wasn't afraid. In fact, he had the arm strength to easily overpower Pir.

However, Pito was a cultured man, and he had no intention of battling a wild man in a bare-knuckle fight—quite simply, he didn't want to dirty his clothes.

So. 

He grabbed his heavy bow, broke off the tip of an arrow with his front hoof, and shot it.

Whoosh—

Pir had almost no time to dodge. The arrow was fast and struck his raised front hoof.

As Pir was running, his body lost control. He tripped and fell headfirst to the ground in a most ungraceful manner, rolling into a position where he landed right at Pito's feet.

Sigh, how many times have I told you? Our homeland is no longer fit for living. The stubborn fools refuse to listen to the wise counsel, clinging to the old ways. How many young girls have we lost? It's all because of them. You... you're just a victim too," Pito said sorrowfully.

Pir had fallen hard and couldn't get up for a long time.

"If you had been here, we wouldn't have lost anyone! But you left, you ran away!"

"My wife is dead, my daughter is dead. What else is there left for me to protect? Whether you want to hear it or not, why should I protect a bunch of garbage?"

Pito said, anger rising as he thought of the painful memories. He kicked Pir in the forehead with a hoof, sending him flying several meters away.

The noise from the scuffle had already attracted the attention of the other Centaurs, who began to gather around, including the burly Hato.

"What's going on here?" Hato, as the leader, demanded.

"That man was once part of our tribe. He left the homeland, and Pir has always resented him," explained a young Centaur woman.

Hato scratched his head. He looked at the wild-looking Centaurs and then at the refined Pito.

Are you all sure you're not exaggerating?

Moreover... are you really the same species?

The difference is staggering!

"Human?"

When Pito saw Hato, a new wave of confusion washed over him.

In his mind, the stubborn Centaurs could never have such close relations with humans. Moreover, from the looks of it, was this human the new leader?

What on earth has been happening lately? There's so much strangeness going on.

"Pito, right?" Hato clarified the situation and then called out.

"Yes, I'm Pito. Who are you?"

"I'm Hato, a citizen of the Thune territory. I need to warn you. Just now, you attacked one of Thune's knights on Thune family land. According to the ancient laws of the Thune territory, you must face severe punishment."

"Thune's territory?"

Pito, who had read many books, was confused. As far as he knew, this vast forest no longer belonged to the Thune family; it was now under the Matthews family.

He held a certificate as a citizen of the Matthews lord, which is why he had felt safe roaming the forest.

When did this forest become Thune family land again?