Semi-retired Adventurer Lives Leisurely - Chapter 139

Ch. 139: The First Day

I snapped awake.

Spring was still far off, and the mornings were especially cold, but the region of Sunwest was warmer than Flowtier. The warmth underneath my blanket was tempting, but it was not as magnetic as the mornings in Flowtier.

I sat up from an unfamiliar bed and stretched.

Henry: “[Water] {Eedle}.”

I created water with Magecraft, filled a cup that was on top of my bedside stand, and drained the cup. After that, I was fully awake.

Henry: “……….okay, let’s get going.”

We were in Mr. Riol’s house which we rented out. I step out of one of the 2 guest bedrooms and knock on the room next door.

Henry: “Cyril, wake upー”

Cyril: “……….oka～y”

I heard a sleepy voice reply back. I guess it’s still very early in the morning where most people would still be asleep.

Cyril: “I…….I’m…….I’m awa～keー”

Her voice is not giving me any confidence.

Henry: “Heyーー are you really going to get up?”

Cyril: “Leave everything…….to…..Miss Cyril…..”

Oh, I think she fell back asleep.

<KNOCK, KNOCK!>

I strike the door a little stronger with my knuckles. I sense someone getting up out of bed.

Cyril: “Ughーー…….this time…..I’m awake….”

Henry: “C’mon. It’s the first day for our courses, you know? Did you stay up late last night?” Cyril: “Yeah～ I got too excited and couldn’t fall asleep till the sun started to rise.”

Oh yeah. That sounds familiar. I think she told me she gets too excited to fall asleep before some kind of event.

……….is she a kid?!

Henry: “………..hey, I’ll head out just like I told you yesterday. I’ll be back.”

Cyril: “Okay, okay. I’ll be ready when you get back.”

I heard the faint sounds of cloth rubbing. I figured that she was getting out of her pajamas………but I’m not like Jend. Things like this won’t shake me up so easily.

I turn on my heels and head to the front door on the first floor.

I open the door andーー

Henry: “Okay! I’m heading out!”

I hear a quiet “see you later～” from Cryil upstairs.

A faint smile crosses my face as I leave. In the brisk, refreshing morning air, I dash away.

<<<<>>>>

Henry: “I’m backーー oh”

It was about an hour since I left.

I looked around town as I jogged and came back. On the way back, I was carrying a few things so I dropped my pace, but overall, it was a good morning warm-up. My body was now fully awake.

Cyril: “Welcome back, Henry. Oh, you bought some bread.”

Henry: “Yeah. I had to get in line for it though.”

I pass the paper bag full of bread to Cyril. As she opens the bag, a delicious smell of baked goods fills the air.

I went to one of the popular bakeries in Sunwest that opened its doors early in the morning. Though the store just opened, there were many people in line wanting to buy breakfast.

Cyril: “Oh～ what a great smell. Oh, breakfast is ready too. All we needed was bread. Let’s eat, let’s eat.”

Henry: “Yeah.” In these last 3 days, Cyril familiarized herself with the kitchen here. Breakfast was prepared by the time I got back.

She made some eggs on ham, stirred fried vegetables, and a soup full of different ingredients.

With the bread I rought, it made a fantastic breakfast menu.

Henry: “Thank you for breakfast.”

Cyril: “Enjoy～!”

And we began to eat.

Cyril: “(munch munch) oh, Henry. What time did the courses begin?”

Henry: “The Kroseid Style is meeting in the First Practice Field out in front at 10 AM. What about you?” Cyril: “I start at the same time, but the All Magic Courses will meet on the fourth floor in room 402. I asked the reception clerk just in case, but apparently, there are two others aside from me taking the course by the time I registered.”

So there’s a total of three including Cyril, huh.

From the number of people in line, there’s probably a few hundred course registrants for the Kroseid Style, so the gap was enormous.

Well, if we leave around 9:30 AM, we should make in plenty of time.” I look at the clock that was furnished with this house. It was still a little past seven.

………wow, this clock. Now that I looked at it closely, it looked really expensive. I’m sure it was to Mr. Riol’s taste. I think I remember that he had a collection of pocket watches.

Cyril: “Even after we clean up after breakfast……..we have more than enough time. Would you like to explore around here together?”

Henry: “We’ve seen most of the area yesterday and the day before, right? ……..then there’s only one thing we can do ー training. You can do some weight training.”

Cyril puts on a bitter face of disappointment.

……..and no, we came here to learn about Magecraft and Magic, but that doesn’t mean that we can slack off with the rest of our training.

And I’m a spear user first and foremost. As I learn different things, I have to intensify my training to be able to incorporate it into my fighting style. And I especially don’t want to fall behind Jend who is training in the Dojos in Eastflair.

Cyril: “Urghー okay, I get it. I understand. I came here to work really hard, so I won’t complain.”

I guess the groaning doesn’t count as complaining?

…….so like thatーー

We chatted, ate breakfast, and cleaned up the plates.

And in the backyard of our rental house, we began training.

Henry: “I’m glad the yard was pretty big. I can swing my spear here with no problem.”

Cyril: “Yes, you’re rightー”

Of course, I wouldn’t be able to practice my spear throws, but I can thrust and swing my spear around just fine.

As I used the Nyoiten Spear’s ability, I confirmed each form and move carefully.

I have casted {Physical Enhancement}, but my movements feel awkward. I guess one of my goals will have to be training to use my upgraded weapon to its fullest potential.

Cyril: “Henry, is it pretty hard to swing that around?” Henry: “……Cyril, you want to give it a shot?”

Cyril: “If I try to hold it, I’ll probably be crushed.” Yeah, I can easily see that happening.

Right now, the Nyoiten Spear is several dozen times heavier than normal. It’s so heavy now that an average warrior would have trouble just holding it up in front.

The Nyoiten Spear. It is one of the Epic Godly Equipment that I have, and with Mr. Gordon’s help, I was able to upgrade and add a few new features.

And one of them is this ーー the ability to manipulate its weight.

And to be clear, I guess Mr. Gordon did not add new features ーー but he helped draw out the full potential of the [Shape Shifting] power. Since the weight differs when I switch the shape from a knife to a spear, it probably has something to do with that.

This will be extremely useful for training, and I can increase the power and impact exponentially of when I strike and throw.

Although it’s a simple ability, it’s a very good upgrade in my opinion.

…………and now, it not only lengthens and shortens, but the weight can change too which makes the handling of the weapon that much harder and complicated.

I won’t be able to practice using it in actual combat while I’m here, but if I do, I better be very cautious on when to use this ability, or it may lead to a fatal mistake.

Henry: “Okay, we don’t have much time before we leave, so let’s increase our intensity.”

Cyril: “Okayー”

And the two of us focused intently on our training.

<<<<>>>>

We ended the training as planned, took a shower to wash off the sweat…….and arrived at the Mages Tower after a 10 minute walk.

Cyril: “Okay, my class is inside, so Henry, good luck with your class!”

Henry: “You too.” I wave as she enters the tower and heads inside.

I headed to a small crowd that was gathering at the Practice Field #1.

At the entrance, there was a long table with the words “Registration” posted against it.

There were 3 people there. The registration was alphabetically arranged, so I went to the line where my name would be.

Henry: “Good morning. I’ll be taking the Kroseid Style 3 month course. My name is Henry.” “Yes, Mr. Henry, is it? Please wait a moment.”

They were looking through the registration file for my name. The lady at the registration desk took a quick glance through the columns of names andーー

“Oh, umm, there are 3 Henry’s registered.” Henry: “Oh, it’s that one right there. The one that says, ‘Kroseid Style 3rd Class.’ That’s me.”

“Yes, thank you very much.”

And she placed a circle over my name.

“Then Mr. Henry. You are assigned to Class 10. Please go towards the sign over there and wait for the rest of your class to arrive.”

Henry: “Thank you very much.”

I see. There’s 10 signs ranging from 1 through 10. Class 1 has the most people and with each additional class, the class size got smaller and smaller.

…….and next to the Class 10 sign, I saw a familiar face.

Henry: “Hey, good morning, Fred.”

Fred: “Ohh, good morning, Mr. Henry.” It was Alfred who I met when I was registering for the course.

He is the younger brother of one of my friends in the Black Dragon Knights, Owen. As expected of him, he put on a graceful smile from the start of the morning.

Fred: “Mr. Henry, are you Class 10 as well?” Henry: “Yeah. ……..hey, come to think of it. How do they divide up the classes anyways?” I spoke out the first thought that came to mind, and the man holding the Class 10 sign responded.

“It’s mainly determined by expertise and goals. Between those who are trying to start learning Magecraft and those who are here to refine their skills, there’s a difference in level and experience, right? As for goals, there are those who want to be able to use Magecraft in their day-to-day lives for convenience, and there are those here to use it for combat or even for work. Depending on that, of course, the contents of the classes would be very different.”

And someone was kind enough to be very elaborate in their response.

……..I just noticed, but he also has an Adventurers’ Tag. And it has a blue line drawn on it…….he’s a Heroic Warrior.

He had three Spellcall Stone Bracelets with inscriptions, and a single-handed sword at his side. From the way he stood, he should be quite strong.

Henry: “So that means this isーー”

“For those learning Magecraft for combat…….and also for those who have a certain degree of skill and expertise already with the Kroseid Style. I am the teacher of the course, Derrick.”

So the one holding the sign was the Course Teacher.

Henry: “I see. I am Henry, one of your pupils then. It is a pleasure meeting you.”

Derrick: “Yeah, I know, I know. We have the fewest number, so I’m able to examine your registration paperwork pretty thoroughly.”

………yes, so besides Fred and I, there’s only a handful of others here right now.

Henry: “Why are there so few in this class?” Derrick: “The standards they have is extremely high. You’ll need to be able to combine at least 4 Types of Spells to be able to enter this class.” In the Kroseid Style, if you can combine at least 3 Spells, you are considered 1st Rate. 4 would mean you’re incredibly good.

Henry: “I see. Thank you for informing me of these things.” Derrick: “Don’t worry about it. We’ll be together for 3 months. There’s no need to be so formal.” Well, I thought between a teacher and student, it would be a pretty formalized relationship….

He’s definitely 100% a combat Magecraft Spellcaster. Well, it is easier that way for me too.

Henry: “So Fred. That means you can combine 4 Spells?” Fred: “I’m actually better with Magecraft than with my spear and can combine up to 6. I can use about 12 different kinds of Spells.”

Wow, so in regards to Magecraft, he’s way above me.

To be able to combine 6 at his age is remarkable.

Fred: “But my issue is not being able to quickly determine which Spells to use in which situation. ………that’s what I’m focused on learning here.”

Henry: “Yeahー with 12, you’ll definitely have a lot of options to choose from.”

I only have 6, but part of the reason I narrowed my Spell selection is to reduce any hesitation. With fewer options to choose from, there’s less thinking required………at least for me.

And as I chat with Fred, Mr. Derrick looks at the clock placed on the practice field.

Derrick: “……okay, it’s about time. We’re missing one person though.” It’s the first day, and I guess they’re running late.

I guess there are people like that…….hm? “WhーWhat’s that?!”

There was a girl screaming, “RAAAHHH!!” as she came furiously running towards here. Well, she wasn’t running that fast, but you could sense her intensity.

As she ran to the meeting spot for the 10 classes, she kicked the ground hard to stop as her long hair floated gracefully into the air.

And the girl crossed her arms, and with a confident smirk on her pretty face, she made an announcement.

“So this is my class! The Beautiful Genius Magecraft Spellcast, Miss Emily, has arrived! Now, now, you can all applaud my arrival!”

……………………what? Um…….what?