NOVEL NEXT Chapter 165: Unexpected Trip
Korv had actually ignored Van as if he didn't even know him in the first place.
Van and the others could only exchange glances and chuckle for a moment.
Then, they swiftly finished their meals to return to their quarters.
There weren't a lot of things to do after returning…
However, after some time, the quarters were filled with the sound of scraping knives against chopping boards as Sarah diced root vegetables for a stew.
They had purchased some ingredients to cook food for Julia, as it was also instructed by Butler Judge. They had to do this at least three times a week. Well, according to Butler Judge, Julia was still growing, and she needed proper nutrients at her current age.
Xiel, on the other hand, was polishing his dagger by the window… At this time, its edge was already catching the amber light of dusk…
'Julia should be coming back by now…' Van mused as he looked outside and knelt in the corner…
He was simply running a cloth along the length of his blade—a habit Julia had long given up questioning.
Then, just like what Van thought, the door soon creaked open.
Julia then slumped inside… Her apprentice robes seemed to be dirtied with grime… Her silver-blonde hair was also frizzing from what had clearly been a botched fire spell.
She kicked off her shoes with a groan before flopping onto the worn sofa.
"I hate mana calculus…" She grumbled into the cushions. "The instructor said that if I can't stabilize my spell by next month, he's going to assign tough chores to me... Ugh…"
Sarah then slid a cup of honeyed tea toward her.
"How many Zero-Circle Spell did you master so far? Four?"
"Six…" Xiel corrected without looking up. Xiel had been observing Julia's training and knew that Julia had made six of them already.
Julia groaned louder.
Van sheathed his sword. "You'll master it. You always do…"
Although he didn't know what Spell she was trying to master, he was sure that Julia was some sort of a genius and just needed some time and motivation.
Julia shook her head at this... "Easy for you to say. You don't have that scary instructor breathing down your neck about 'family legacy.' Since I'm from Farrel, he's expecting too much already…"
Van could only helplessly smile at this. Julia seemed to be really annoyed by now. However, he also knew that she could easily change her mood.
Indeed…
Suddenly, Julia sat up abruptly, shaking off her exhaustion.
"Anyway! I've got news. We're going on a field trip!"
Sarah paused at what she was doing and asked. "We?"
"Zero-Circle apprentices. And I get to bring one servant!" Julia's grin turned sly.
"Guess where we're going?"
Xiel sighed. "Hmm… Will it be in another town? Perhaps in the ruins of an ancient war?"
"No! It's the Whistler Forest!"
Van's fingers stilled on his sword hilt as he heard this…
Sarah gently nodded as she realized Julia's excitement. She immediately understood why they were going there.
"Is it about Magic beast hunting then? They're finally letting you all play with live targets?"
Julia rolled her eyes.
"It's controlled. The Tower purges anything above one-horned. Well… There could be some one-horned beasts but still, it's impossible for two-horned and above… It's pretty safe… Worst we'll face are One-Horned Badgers or maybe a Brambleback."
Xiel gently nodded as he heard this. They were the weakest Magic Beasts and were certainly perfect for young students despite being One-Horned Beasts...
"Bramblebacks spit paralytic thorns. You call that 'safe'? You must be confident with your Mana Barrier now." Van muttered.
"Which is why," Julia said as she turned Van, "I'm taking you."
Van blinked. "Me?"
"Yes, you. Sarah's good, but you're faster and have a better grasp of my weaknesses. I think you can support me better. As for Xiel's special physique that rejects magicians' Mana and knights' Aura, it's only good against humans, not really against Magic Beasts."
Sarah gently nodded as she understood Julia's reasoning. To be honest, she wasn't that confident that she could also assist Julia in her training there.
On the other hand, she also knew that Van was basically capable of doing almost anything.
"Mhmmm… That's true. Even with my Martial Arts training, fighting against a One-Horned Magic Beast might take a toll on my body… One or two of them should be fine but more than that, I might get exhausted immediately." Xiel said.
However, Van knew that it wasn't the truth. He knew how strong Xiel's martial arts were, and he should have no issue eliminating five or so One-Horned Bramblebacks.
Julia nodded at their understanding and turned to Van…
"You're the only one who has enough knowledge about magic theory. I'm sure you'll be able to respond easily in case there are some problems there."
Van's Ocularis Lens then showed some information about the said forest.
[ Whistler Forest Threat Assessment ]
Dominant Species: Non-horned Magic Beast (87%), One-horned (12%)
Lethality Index: Low ( Tower-approved training grounds )
Notable Hazards: Brambleback Thorns ( paralytic ), Badger embers ( flammable ) ]
He exhaled. "When do we leave?"
"Three days from now… You still have time to prepare your weapons..." Julia replied.
***
The three days before the expedition passed swiftly…
While Julia attended her classes, Van prepared meticulously…
The most important thing was, of course, his weapon maintenance.
His sword received an edge so sharp it could split hairs. It was tested on Xiel's reluctantly offered dagger.
Aside from that, Van also obtained a set of throwing needles, dipped in Sarah's homemade poison. If used against Magic Beasts, it could paralyze them for a bit, useful for distractions.
As for the purpose of the needles, it was obviously to help him in case he had to attack pressure points… Though he wasn't sure if it would be useful against the Magic Beasts, it should be worth a try.
Then, Van also proceeded with his gear adjustments. With the money he had earned from the previous betting, he used the service of another magician in the tower to enchant his boots for better traction after recalling the forest's damp terrain.
Well, it was an advantage that servants or slaves could have within the Magic Tower, filled with magicians who were training various Spells and Magic Techniques.
Of course, Van also prepared some emergency herbs. Buying potions was still a bit too difficult for him, but herbs shouldn't be a huge problem. Though not as effective, it does something.
Lastly, Van also did his best with his intel gathering.
His Ocularis Lens compiled every scrap of data on Whistler Forest…
Thanks to that, he also learned more about the two types of One-Horned Beasts that could be within the Forest.
Apparently, these two types of Magic Beasts had a large part in the growth of the forest. Because of that, the Tower couldn't eliminate all of them and decided to limit their numbers to only five or so.
To be honest, these Magic Beasts seemed to have realized this as well, as they would actually eliminate their kind if they knew that they exceeded that number.
It was to ensure that they had eliminated the weakest or the useless one of their kind… After all, if it were done by another Magician, they would most likely just kill the Magic Beast at their sight instead of finding the ones deserving of death.
[ One-Horned Brambleback Behavior Patterns: "Ambush predators. Thorn's effective range: 3 meters." ]
[ One-Horned Badger Tactics ] "Fire-affinity. Targets extremities first." ]
The information was so simple since there weren't a lot of records.
Furthermore, these One-Horned Magic Beasts weren't really that strong to deserve a lot of research on them.
At this time, Sarah watched Van arrange his bag.
"You're packing like we're invading a warlord's fortress, not babysitting a field trip."
Van slid a needle into his sleeve.
"Julia can be reckless when excited. Remember the 'harmless' mushroom incident?"
Xiel, sprawled on the floor doing push-ups, grunted. "Three hours of hallucinations."
As he said this, he couldn't help but glance at the mushrooms in their small garden.
The three servants could only chuckle as they recalled this.
***
Then, at dawn on the third day, Van and Julia arrived outside the Tower grounds.
Julia's classmates were also there.
They were Gian, Marcus, Lena, and Harvey.
Julia smiled after seeing them... "Did I make you wait?"
Marcus sneered. "Miss Farrell's late as usual. Even your slave looks half-asleep."
Van kept his face blank, but his Lens tagged Marcus's servant:
[ Combat Style Analysis ]
[ Knuckle-duster grip: Street-fighting background.
Stance: Prefers left-leaning strikes.
Threat Level: Moderate ( if unarmed ). ]
It was a simple or surface-level analysis. It couldn't be fully trusted, but it helped him get some impression of the other slaves.
Van then continued analyzing the other servants and confirmed that they were all Aura Users below the age of twenty.
He wasn't exactly sure at their level since he was suppressing his Aura, but it wouldn't be surprising if some of them were already at the first level.
Anyway, after a few minutes of chatting, Instructor Chavez had finally arrived…