The Water Magician

"Well then, shall we depart?"

After conducting a final check to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything, Ryo said this to Abel.

"Yeah, let's go."

Both of them were lightly dressed.

Abel had no belongings due to the shipwreck.

Just some clothes, a wallet, light armor, and a sword.

Ryo, too, carried only the robe given to him by the dullahan, a loincloth, sandals, a knife, and Murakumo, along with some seasonings.

Since they would be passing through the forest, the less they had to carry, the better.

"Basically, all the food will be sourced locally. I'll provide salt and pepper, and water, so that's not a problem, but we'll be hunting animals and monsters or eating wild fruits. Well, this forest has plenty of creatures, so it should be fine."

"I understand."

"If we head north for a while, there’s a fairly large wetland. I've been there often, so I know the situation. Up to that point, there shouldn't be any significant monsters."

As he said this, Ryo recalled the scene when he first encountered the one-eyed assassin hawk.

That was when he met it in the Northern Forest.

"Got it. For now, let's head to that wetland."

Once they left the barrier, the two were silent for a while.

Ryo was lost in thoughts about the home he had lived in for a long time, while Abel was concerned about Ryo.

Unable to hold back any longer, it was Abel who broke the silence.

"Hey Ryo. I have something I want to ask."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Well... it might be an impolite question, so you don't have to answer if you don't want to... but where did you go last night?"

Despite hesitating, Abel felt he had to ask what was bothering him.

"Oh, it’s not a problem. I went to visit my master to say goodbye since I’ll be away for a while."

"Your master? Is that robe from your master?"

"Yeah, that's right. I received it as a parting gift."

At first glance, it seemed to be a well-made but ordinary robe.

However, Abel felt something was off about it.

Having grown up surrounded by fine and high-quality items, he had a certain aesthetic sense. That sense was telling him:

(Something is not normal.)

But he couldn't pinpoint what exactly was unusual.

"Um... is there any special effect with that robe?"

Usually, asking about such matters is taboo, but within a party of companions, it’s not considered so.

Knowing the weapons, armor, or special techniques of party members is essential for coordinating effectively in times of need.

However, the reason Abel asked Ryo was simply because he wanted to know the source of the discomfort he felt.

"Well, I don't think there’s anything special. My master didn't mention anything."

The dullahan had never spoken before.

Well, given that it didn’t have a head, it was understandable.

"I see..."

If the owner doesn’t know, then there’s nothing more to be done.

Though Abel couldn’t accept it, there was nothing more he could do.

Before long, they arrived at the northern wetland.

"We'll go around to the north from the west side of this wetland. Since I don’t know what lies beyond, I think we should proceed with some caution."

"Got it."

Abel nodded.

"You know, mages tend to speak very logically. My companions were like that, and even the mages I knew back in my hometown spoke like you do now."

"Is that so...? I haven't met other mages, so I can't really say..."

(Rather, Abel is the first person I've met, let alone other mages.)

Ryo thought to himself with a wry smile.

They circumvented the vast northern wetland and did not encounter any monsters even after moving further north.

By the time they made decent progress and it was past midday, they finally encountered a monster as evening approached.

"It's a lesser boa."

"As I said yesterday, I’ll handle it. Ryo, just watch from the back."

With that, Abel drew his sword and got into position.

Ryo complied and stepped back.

The scene of his first battle upon arriving in Fai resurfaced in Ryo's mind.

(Yes, my first opponent was a lesser boa. It was the first time I felt killing intent, and my body froze. In the end, I defeated it with ice path + icicle lance and a flurry of thrusts with a bamboo spear... those were the days.)