C125
Tess struggled to hold back a laugh when she saw the two suddenly become less talkative. After being around her tough and energetic peers at the swordsmanship school, meeting students from the magic school felt like meeting people the same age but with a younger sibling vibe.
"But Amy, you're amazing too. When did you learn Schema?"
"I trained for about two years before entering magic school."
"Hmm, it's rare for kids to learn Schema. It's often said it's not good for growth, isn't it?"
"I didn't really exercise or anything. It just... happened."
From those words alone, Tess understood. Many gifted children can come out with the Spirit Zone, but Schema is a way to overwork the body, so it was difficult to learn at an immature age.
However, with Red Eyes's self-memory, it would have been impossible to control the body precisely without going through a rigorous training process.
"Ah, so you can use the Red Eye like that. That's amazing."
"It's not really that special. There is no build, and it only strengthens the strength a little. Compared to you, I'm at the level of a child. I saw you earlier, and you were really fast. If acceleration had started, the gap would have grown so wide that I wouldn't have been able to cast Teleportation."
"Hey, I'm a specialist, but you're a mage, aren't you? And besides, Rian still can't do Schema, so what? Now that I see it, there was a reason why the Carmis Family was famous on the continent.”
Shirone looked back at Lian in surprise.
“Lian, didn’t you learn Schema? Then what about the firewood you chopped at our house? I thought it was Schema since you didn't say anything."
“Hohoho! Did Rian do that? To borrow Sir Kuan's words, it must be his stupidly strong muscle strength. You know what it was like at the swordsmanship academy? During the final exam...."
"Ah, really! Why are you so interested in other people's private lives?"
Rian abruptly cut off her words. He didn’t sure about anyone else, but he never wanted to let Shirone know about it.
But thanks to that, the atmosphere improved and the others also shared their school life stories. Even though their fields were different, they were all students, so the conversation went on without stopping.
And so, they were getting to know each other.
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Arriving at Creas Harbor, Shirone and his party found a ship to Galliant Island.
The large Galeas moored at Dock 6 was unfurling its sails as if it had finished preparing for departure.
Because all schools in the kingdom were on vacation at the same time, there were more tourists than usual. Swept up in the crowd, Shirone boarded the ship and found a place on the third deck.
There were passenger rooms on the lower deck, but since it was her first time on a ship, it was fun to enjoy the view as they traveled.
The waves crashed and a salty breeze blew in. It wasn't until the port sank below the horizon that they truly realized they were floating on the sea.
“How many hours will it take?”
"I heard it's about 5 hours by ship from Creas Port."
"I see. If we had been just a little later, we might have had to leave tomorrow. There are more people going to the island than I thought."
As Shirone said, there were many people on the deck. Half of them were merchants, but there were also tourists dressed as nobles. There also seemed to be quite a few people from places other than Creas.
“As Lian said, it must be a famous island. What kind of place is it?”
"I did some research."
As if Amy had been waiting, she took out her notebook. Tess, now friendly with everyone, started a casual conversation.
"Ohh? As expected, meticulous personality.”
"I should say so. I didn't even think to look it up."
As Shirone scratched his head shyly, Amy glared at him disapprovingly.
“You said you were exploring the ruins, but didn't even do preliminary research beforehand?”
"Haha! No, it's just that...."
There are two kinds of travelers in the world: those who set off impulsively, and those who research meticulously before setting off.
The former could be said to follow unknown romance and the latter to be efficient, but Amy belonged to the latter.
But Shirone didn't belong anywhere. It was his first trip since he was born, so everything was amazing and unfamiliar.
"First, I'll tell you about Galliant Island, where we're going. The site area is 1,500 square kilometers. It It's a crescent-shaped island, and because the north has a natural cliff, ships have to enter the harbor from the south. The west of the island is mixed with residents' homes and resorts, and the Kerugo Ruins are on the east side of the island. The Kerugo Ruins are said to be the temple of Kerugo civilization, who established civilization 2,000 years ago.”
“Kerugo?”
"Yes. They've now declined in numbers, but a few indigenous people are still residing in the autonomous district in the center of the island. They're generally dark and short, but they’re characterized by sunken eyes and small pupils. Oh, and they tattoo their faces in praise of Ankera."
"Who's Ankera?"
“It is the name of an ancient god that Kerugo Civilization believes in. And um... the natives chew a tough root called Lufru, which seems to have hallucinogenic effects. They refer to Lufru as the 'god's awakening agent'. They would go into a trance and have divine visions. It's known that their downfall was due to religious conflicts, but there's a theory that internal strife occurred due to overuse of Lufru."
"I see. That's fascinating. Hallucinogens causing the downfall of a civilization."
“Perhaps because they abused it in the name of God. By the way, my brother said that most of the ruin administrators are Kerugo, so you'll get to see them. However, we won't be able to enter the native autonomous district as it's off-limits to outsiders. Ah, but my brother said...."
"Hmm? What did your brother say?"
Shirone asked curiously. The older brother Amy was talking about was probably Ares, an explorer. As he traveled all over the world, there was a high probability that he knew the Kerugo ruins in detail.
"My brother said this, 'The downfall of a civilization is not defined by scholars, if you want to know about them, you'll have to offer something more important than an entrance fee.'"
Shirone nodded with a meaningful expression.
"Hmm, so there's something more magnificent in the autonomous district than the Kerugo ruins?"
"I'm not certain. My brother always talks like that. He thinks posing riddles makes him look more profound."
"Haha! But I find this more intriguing. Something more important than an entrance fee, I wonder what that could be?"
Shirone's heart pounded. Listening to Ares' words as well as Alpheas', it was clear that the Kerugo Ruins were not just a tourist attraction.
When Shirone couldn't control his excitement like a child, Lian felt good in a different way. If the master was full of enthusiasm, the duty of the knight becomes even more significant. Regardless of the secrets hidden in the ruins, he was determined to protect Shirone.
“Shirone, by the way, when are you planning to go? We're not going straight after we arrive, right?"
"Right. It's a vacation, so we should have fun first."
"Then I'll have to get a lodging first. Let's move to the resort as soon as we get off the port. There's a place where we can swim on the western beach. There are lots of sights and famous seafood restaurants as well."
Wanting to see the southern country as soon as possible, Tess clenched her fists and trembled with excitement.
"Ugh, that sounds fun!"
There are still more than 4 hours left to arrive. But the thrill of the journey devoured time quickly, and finally, the island they desired came into view.
"Wow! Look! That's Galliant Island!"
The passengers at the bow of the ship yelled pointing at the distant island. Responding to their calls, Shirone and her group ran to the front of the deck.
They were greeted by the northern cliffs of Galliant Island. It was as if the lush forest had been cleaved by a sword, leaving vertical cliffs jutting out abruptly.
The passengers shouted with enthusiasm.
"We've finally arrived! It looks so cool!"
"Wow! The color of the water is fantastic! I want to swim right now!"
However, the merchants were still lying down with their luggage spread around them. They knew that they still had to go around the island for another 30 minutes because the port was in the south.
Galliant Harbor.
The port was packed with people. The merchants getting off the ship and the merchants rushing to the ship caused chaos everywhere.
Compared to them, the tourists could only disembark later, and Shirone's group also waited for the crowd to disperse before setting foot on land.
As soon as they disembarked, they felt the warmth of the southern country. Creas had already entered early autumn, but it was still summer on Galliant Island.
Once the merchants had left, the port was filled with people in a different line of work. They were touts trying to attract tourists to their shops.
"Come, come! To the Dolphin Inn! You can have a delightful vacation at the cheapest accommodation rate on the island! My wife's cooking is also outstanding!"
"If you want to try authentic southern seafood, come to our restaurant! We also have carriages ready for comfortable transportation!"
"We can carry your luggage! We have strong porters on standby!"
Shirone and the group was overwhelmed by the clamor of the touts.
While no one had openly approached them yet, it was clear they were attracting attention. First, being not adults scored them high points. Besides, they were dressed in high-quality clothing and carried top-grade weapons, which was enough to catch the eyes of the touts.
Of course, not all of them were honest businessmen. On the opposite side of the dock, in an alleyway, a few gangs were scouting their prey, making money in illegal ways.
"Huhuhu. Well then, who shall we strip bare today?"
A boy named Jis looked at the crowd and his eyes lit up. Behind him, two of his friends were surveying the same area.
What set them apart from the touts outside was that they were not store owners. They were, after all, back-alley ruffians making money with their cunning tongues.
The temperament of mainland ruffians and island ruffians was different. Living in a space floating in the vast sea, they had to ignore the world's rules just to get a piece of bread.
Jis, in particular, had been rebellious since his childhood and had grown up amidst much criticism. His pride had gotten him beaten up by the nobles more than once or twice.
But even that experience was now just a useful tool for making money.
"Wow, there are so many people because of the holiday season. Jis, we can make a good profit today."
"Even so, half of them are just penniless. They may look rich but you have to choose carefully to succeed."
Jis was carefully choosing his targets. However, his friends, who needed to earn a day's tribute, were growing impatient.
"Jis, hurry up and choose. The others are going to snatch them all."
"I got it. Just wait."
Jis scanned the port with eagle eyes. But even before he finished looking at the whole scene, his gaze stopped at Dock 3.
Four people of similar age were having a conversation, and among them, a red-haired girl caught Jis eye.
Her delicate features were so clear that he could feel her beauty even from this distance.
"Hey, hey, that's it! Let's go for that group. See? Two boys and two girls."
"Really? But isn't there a huge kid there? And he's carrying a sword? Let's just pick someone else.
"These are the real deal. Who am I? The ruler of the harbor, Jis. The bigger they are, the more cowardly they are. Who else would carry a sword to a tourist destination unless they're crazy?"
"Uh, it seems a bit risky. No way, Jis you... Is you having that mental illness of falling in love with a woman you've never met? What if they are a mercenary?”
"Stop! Can't you see they're students? Students can't lay a finger on us anyway. We'll go for an aggressive strategy, so support me well. Don't grovel even if they're nobles. You have to suppress those kids from the start."
Jis led his two friends out of the alley. He was nervous that other touts might snatch them away on the way to the dock, but as the girl's face gradually became clearer, such thoughts was blown away.
'What's with this girl? She's really pretty......'
It was a natural romantic notion for an island boy to fall in love with a foreign girl. But this was the first time he felt something more profound beyond love.
Jis quickly collected himself and approached. If he left it like this, they would be snatched away by other touts.
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Tags:
Infinite Mage (Novel)
