I Became a Crazy Swordsmanship Instructor in the Game - Chapter 68:

The Elphenia Forest after sunset was truly spectacular. Despite not a single torch lit in the forest, fireflies and light spirits wandered around the Elf village, moving without hindrance.

Occasionally, events occur in the world that defy explanation.

Lightning striking a clear sky or fish falling from the heavens – inexplicable occurrences that defy conventional cause and effect.

Dragons behaving nervously under human scrutiny was a similar phenomenon to the people of this land.

The unfortunate aspect was that, aside from Phillip and two elves, the other humans were unaware of the existence of dragons.

Phillip met Privia’s gaze, who was hiding away and observing him from a distance.

“….”

Startled, she turned her head away when their eyes met.

“Did you two fight?”

Castler Morrela asked. Phillip smirked and shook his head.

“We didn’t fight; I was just on the receiving end.”

His response seemed to impress Castler Morrela.

“No, you’re saying you got hit by a supposedly delicate lady. You, a man strong enough to take down an ogre by himself? It seems Instructor is an even better person than I thought. No wonder Janice follows you like a puppy.”

Castler Morrela seemed to think that Phillip was someone who knew how to humble himself.

The fact that he didn’t know she was a dragon was the cause of the misunderstanding.

Since Phillip didn’t feel the need to correct his misapprehension, all he could do was give an awkward smile and say, “Not me.”

‘I could have just apologized, why did I have to make it sound like she’s not a dragon?’

After giving Privia another glance, Phillip shifted his gaze to Lua, who was playing in the courtyard.

He had no idea how it happened, but Lua seemed to have become quite friendly with an elven girl. She whispered something to the elven girl and then hurriedly ran over to Phillip.

“Instructor. Lurial is inviting me to bathe in the spring with her. Can I go and come back? Janice and Older Sister Cynthia are going too.”

It seemed like she was seeking permission for an outing. Since once they left the village, there was no way they would only come back after a bath, it was essentially a question of whether it was okay for her to have some fun.

“Sure, go ahead. Just don’t stay out too late since we need to leave early tomorrow.”

Once Phillip gave his approval, Lua grinned as if she was ecstatic and extended her hand to Phillip.

“Instructor, come with us!”

“… Why would I go there? Go and have fun.”

If Phillip made a wrong move, he might end up testing Castler Morrela’s magical prowess firsthand.

‘By the way, since when did you start calling Lady Cynthia ‘sister’?’

The speed at which women become close always exceeded imagination. After Lua left, Phillip asked Castler Morrela.

“I was considering savoring some solitude for once, but if you’re calling, I can’t refuse, can I?”

Phillip found Castler Morrela, a man, quite likable. He held the position of Quartermaster of the Crimson Tower, a role that allowed him to mentor four mages.

He was at a more prestigious and powerful position than an Instructor at the Academy. However, he patronized Phillip due to being the Instructor of his younger sister.

Phillip soon spotted an elven person passing nearby. It was Sentinel Urcil, who was standing by as if awaiting guests, having been assigned by the elders to receive them.

“Excuse me, where is Lisriel Joseph?”

“Huh? Oh, it looked like she was discussing something with the elders.”

She was clearly surprised when she heard herself being addressed by a human who seemed familiar with dragons.

“Thank you.”

Philip headed to the Elder Elf’s chamber with Castler Morrela where Lisriel was. She seemed to be discussing something serious with the elder.

“The quality of the mithril you paid for is far superior to the goods I’ve brought. I feel uncomfortable engaging in such one-sidedly advantageous dealings. I’ll arrange for a new deal soon and deliver goods equivalent to the shortfall.”

“Well… It’s really alright. Joseph Trading has been dealing with our kind for centuries, and they have never broken a promise or deceived us in any way. You can consider that as the price.”

Philip chuckled without reason as he listened to their conversation. He understood the Elder Elf’s perspective.

She knew that Privia was a dragon, and since she didn’t know the exact relationship between Lisriel and Privia, it was an attempt to show goodwill. However, Lisriel seemed uncomfortable with it.

“Just take it for now and give something in return later. It’s not really an unfair advantage.”

“Oh, you’ve come. But still, this isn’t it. With this level of quality, even the royal family would salivate over these items. Even without that, mithril is a precious metal that should be auctioned. If it’s this high in purity, the noble families and magic towers will compete properly.”

Joseph Trading would gain significant profit from this process. Lisriel began explaining tangentially with an awkward smile.

“Joseph Trading doesn’t need more growth. It’s not about gaining more by making big profits. It’s about gaining together with those who use our trading. Then the sons and daughters of those customers will use our trading, and…”

Truly the attitude of a real entrepreneur.

“How about doing it this way then? Receive high-quality mithril in exchange for granting a favor or something similar. Since there are two exceptional mages here, there might be a need for magic.”

“… Yes?”

Lisriel raised her head. While it was true that there were two mages among the group, they were people who couldn’t move on their own. They were all bound by their connection to Philip.

“That’s a kind offer, Prefect. I wanted to repay the favor of your consideration in allowing us to come here together.”

Castler Morrela nodded his head.

“Oh… well, it’s alright…”

The Elder Elf tried to decline with a frightened expression. However, Philip was quicker to call for Privia.

“How about you, Lady Privia? Are you okay with it?”

In response, Privia, who had been invisibly casting a concealment spell in a corner of the Elder Elf’s chamber, revealed herself with a startled expression.

“… How did you know?”

“I had a feeling you might be watching. Is that worse than what you expected?”

“You… It’s not that, if that’s what you want, then fine.”

Though she was about to say she wouldn’t accept even if he were about to die, Philip realized that she had accepted his offered gesture of reconciliation.

“I, I really am okay with it, but…”

The Elder Elf was now breaking out in a cold sweat. Then Privia scowled and retorted.

“If you think about it, you might have it…?”

It was an indistinct pressure, implying that he should even create something if it didn’t exist. The Elder Elf desperately racked his brain and soon came up with a problem that had been troubling the elves lately.

“Oh… yes! The outskirts of the forest have been noisy lately, giving us a headache. The spirits say that a long-standing and powerful soul is lurking nearby. It seemed to be a formidable presence that even higher-level spirits wouldn’t dare to approach. It doesn’t seem like it would cause harm to the village, but some spirits have gone missing near that area. Could you perhaps investigate?”

Castler, who had been listening to her words, nodded.

“Not a bad idea. Exorcizing malevolent spirits is usually the duty of priests, but there have been related requests occasionally at the Magic Tower, so I’ve done it a few times.”

The issue of the malevolent spirit was something Philip could have solved on his own, but he didn’t want to miss the chance to use a cheat code.

“Then it’s settled. Let’s move right away.”

Lisriel shouted in surprise as things progressed without her consent.

“I want to go too!”

Philip was slightly taken aback, as she expressed her intention to join.

“You, Lisriel? Why?”

“I’m the reason you’re taking action, can I be comfortable just staying put? Let me come along. I can carry any burdens.”

“Well, if that’s the case.”

Philip nodded his head.

“Let’s finish up quickly while the kids are playing.”

* * *

“The air does feel a bit cooler indeed. It seems like anything could appear.”

Castler Morrela muttered under his breath.

The outskirts of the Elphenia Forest were not visited by fireflies or light spirits. The northern outskirts were even more secluded.

This place had once been the site of a battle with the demons, and it was also where many elves had lost their lives in the merciless demon attacks.

“There certainly might be something here, but I wonder if it’s worth provoking. The fact that a spirit capable of creating this atmosphere has been quiet until now implies that it has no particular intentions. If we stir things up, the elves might become even more fatigued.”

As Castler presented his logical opinion, Privia let out a sigh.

“I don’t know what you think you understand. A strong spirit’s mere presence can bring negative influences to the land and sky.”

“… Um, does the mage have any grounds for saying that?”

Castler certainly had a personality. Even as a mage of that stature, being open to listening to different opinions was indicative of an extremely open-minded individual.

Philip felt a sense of respect for Castler, who calmly responded without changing his expression.

“Originally, life and death are one, and with life, death also exists. Only mortals burdened with attachments give meaning to it. If that’s the case, those who have already died and become spirits must also be mortals. As long as that fellow endures here, many deaths occurring in the vicinity will function with a negative significance.”

Philip had to take some time to understand the high-level discussion. He asked Privia if his understanding was correct.

“Are you saying that insignificant deaths that would normally pass by gain power through the spirit?”

Privia let out a small exclamation and nodded her head.

“That’s right. Exactly. Due to the presence of a powerful consciousness that perceives death negatively, even the small deaths happening around are perceived in that way.”

“I see.”

‘A psychological discussion.’

Philip nodded as if he completely understood, and Castler Morrela raised his head. He hadn’t comprehended half of the recent conversation.

But Privia, the adept mage, seemed to know something, so Castler decided to acknowledge her words.

“Since you seem to know what I don’t, I’ll follow your lead.”

Privia regarded Castler with an approving look.

“You have a pretty composed attitude. I will explain a bit more simply so that you can understand, although that guy will probably explain it too.”

Suddenly singled out, Philip blinked and pursed his lips.

“Are you referring to me?”

“I’m not skilled at making my words understandable to those with limited perspective. Isn’t that your profession?”

Though Philip scratched his head in embarrassment, he couldn’t really refuse. Besides, he also wanted to assist Castler.

“So, in simple terms, it’s like a strong spirit having a loud voice.”

Castler Morrela raised his head again, grinning.

“A loud voice?”

“Yes. Let’s consider the subject of the phenomenon to be not individuals, but rather this world as a backdrop. Imagine this world not as a simple space made up of earth, water, and air, but as a massive consciousness that harbors countless lives within it. The voices emitted by lives living their given existence would merely be mundane background noises from the perspective of this world.”

“….”

“But what about the voices of spirits who haven’t peacefully moved on to where they should originally go? From the world’s standpoint, it would be no different from the creaking sound of a wagon wheel. Initially, one might dismiss it as insignificant, but as time goes on and the sound grows louder, it’s undoubtedly unsettling and becomes a source of concern, doesn’t it?”

“Ah… I see.”

As Phillip explained simply, he also felt like he had grasped something. This was partly due to him being a prodigy, a mage who had already risen to a high position through his talent.

“Just as humans are sensitive to such things, the world also reacts more sensitively to those ominous sounds. It’s also one of the reasons why the presence of a strong spirit can be harmful.”

Privia, who had been silently listening from the side, nodded in satisfaction and added another remark.

“Remember, human magic functions in a similar way.”

In that moment, a bolt of realization struck Castler’s mind. He stood frozen in place, as if struck by lightning, with a vacant look in his eyes.

It was the realization of the Great Enlightenment, something only those chosen among mages experience.

Once the state that felt like his soul had left him came to an end, Castler’s magical prowess would undoubtedly elevate to a level that could hardly be compared to his current state.

“Um?”

Philip looked perplexed and showed an awkward expression.

‘What am I supposed to do if this happens here?’

Instead of figuring out what to do with the spirit, he needed to ensure Castler’s safety.