Chapter 11

“Fireball!”

Fwump!

The fireball shot out toward the river and only made a small ripple on its surface. Tired after doing this since morning, I practically collapsed onto the ground, landing on my butt and leaning back on one arm to support my upper body as I looked up at the sky.

“Haah… How the hell did Master do it?”

This was the first day after Master Elara went out to search for Edmund Blackwell, the Dark Mage. Before she left, she said that if I wanted to have a winning chance against Seolhwa, then I needed to at least be able to make my Fireball explode.

“I put more mana into the spell, but it only makes the fireball bigger.”

I’m definitely missing something here.

As my mind was busy trying to figure out what I was missing, I noticed a tinge of red had appeared in the sky.

It’s about time I go back.

…

“How’s your training, Hwi?”

Dinner time. As usual, both Seolhwa’s family and mine had dinner together. It would be easier for the servants to prepare dinner all at once and bring the dishes to one place, after all. It was also a way to strengthen our familial bonds. At least, that’s what Father said.

“Honestly, I’m still figuring out some things, Father.”

“Master Elara just told me to figure it out myself, saying that creativity is a very important aspect for a mage before she left.”

“I see.”

As always, my father was a man of few words. He stopped talking for a bit, seeming like he was thinking about something as he continued picking up food with his chopsticks and putting it into his mouth.

“Right. Before Lady Elara left, she asked me for something.”

My father put down his chopsticks, then asked a servant to bring him his tea.

“She said that she wanted Hwi and Seolhwa to duel again in a week. What is this about?”

Seolhwa, who had been minding her own business and eating her dinner until then, stopped eating and looked at me. Uncle Seong-Ho and Aunt Hwa-Yeon did the same.

“A duel?”

My mother, who had kept quiet until then, looked at my father with a glare. She still looked angry at my father. To be more exact, she was angry at the whole Cheon Clan and still hadn’t gotten over me losing my position. It seemed that ever since my duel, there had been a crack in their relationship. My father didn’t even sleep in the same room as my mother anymore and instead slept in his office.

I really need to have a talk with my mother after this.

I felt sorry for my father, so I decided to answer her question.

“Mother, it’s just a test.”

“A test?”

“Yes. Master Elara told me to have another duel with Seolhwa in a week to test my magic proficiency.”

Well, she didn’t tell me that, but that’s probably what Master’s goal is.

“You can’t. The last time, you almost died, Hwi.”

“That was because I was using mana with no preparation. With Master Elara’s guidance, I now know how to use mana properly, so it wouldn’t happen again. Besides, Master will be there too, so if anything goes wrong, she can heal me just like she did back then.”

My mother looked like she wanted to say something, but she herself had seen how easily Master Elara healed me back then, so she couldn’t keep preventing me from having the duel.

“Hmm… That’s true. As long as Lady Elara is there, it will be safe.”

My father said as he sipped his tea, then looked at Seolhwa.

“But Seolhwa still needs to agree to the duel first before we can proceed.”

“I accept.”

Before my father could even ask her if she wanted to have another duel with me, she had already given her answer.

“Whoa, that was quick. Do you really want to beat me up that much?”

Seeing her lightning-fast reaction to accepting the duel, that thought slipped into my mind.

Seolhwa shook her head.

“No. I’m just curious.”

“About what?”

“About how to fight against a mage.”

Damn girl. She looks quiet, but she’s a battle maniac.

“Haha! That’s my girl!”

Uncle Seong-Ho looked so happy that he started patting Seolhwa’s head roughly, while Aunt Hwa-Yeon sighed in exasperation.

“Stop encouraging her, dear. Can’t you see our Seolhwa is growing more and more into a musclehead?”

“What’s wrong with that? I was like her too when I was her age.”

“You’re a man, so it’s fine, but Seolhwa is a young girl. If she keeps going like this, there will be no man who wants to marry her in the future.”

“If no man wants our daughter, then it’s their loss.”

“Haaah… Just where did I go wrong for my daughter to end up like this?”

“Well then,”

My father continued.

“Since Seolhwa accepted, we will proceed with it. The duel will be in a week at the training ground. Is that fine?”

“Yes.”

“Hm.”

Seolhwa, who had just answered my father with a “Hm” and a nod, got her ears pulled by Aunt Hwa-Yeon.

“Aw.”

“You’re talking to the Patriarch. Be polite and answer properly.”

“Yes.”

Seolhwa still looked as disinterested as ever, but I could see that her mouth was slightly pouted.

…

“Mother, can I talk to you for a moment?”

After dinner, I asked my mother if I could talk to her. It had been a while since I lost to Seolhwa and had my position as the heir taken from me, but she still hadn’t moved on from it.

It’s not like I don’t understand her, but at this rate, my family will break apart, and I don’t want that.

My mother nodded, and I followed her to my parents' room. My father was back in his office, and because he had been sleeping there these days, right now there were only my mother and me here.

I sat beside my mother on the edge of the bed, and for a moment, neither of us said anything.

“I know you’re still angry.”

My mother kept silent.

“I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for, Hwi.”

I shook my head.

“I lost the duel, so I share some of the blame.”

“I’m your mother, Hwi. I would not blame you for it.”

“No, Mother. The fact is, I lost my position because I was weak.”

My mother looked sad, but I pushed on.

“I was sad too when I lost. Losing my birthright and the goal I’ve been chasing all this time was hard, but I’m fine now.”

“Thanks to Master Elara, I was saved, and I found out about magic. Master Elara even acknowledged my talent in magic and took me in as her disciple.”

“So it’s fine now.”

Tears fell from her eyes as she let out a quiet sob.

“I’m sorry, Hwi.”

“I should have been the one comforting you after you lost everything. Instead, you’re the one comforting me.”

I turned toward her and wrapped my arms around her as I patted her back.

“I couldn’t accept it. I watched how happy you were when you started your training. The happy face you made when you got your first wooden sword.”

“I kept watching you give it your all even after you found out there was a problem with your energy flow, and you still didn’t give up.”

“I couldn’t accept that even after all you had done, everything was taken from you after just one duel.”

“I know, Mother.”

“But not everything was taken from me.”

“I still have you and Father. I still have a home, and thanks to Master Elara, I gained even more.”

“So it’s fine now.”

…

“Fireball!”

Fwump!

A small ripple spread out on the surface of the river. I still failed in making it explode.

“Haah… Really, how did master make it explode?”

The next day, I was back at the waterfall near Cheon Clan’s main estate to train away from Seolhwa. This place was perfect  to train my Fireball magic because there was little risk of causing a fire.

My mana was empty and I was hungry, the sun was already high up in the sky, so I decided to take a break and have lunch.

I brought a pot full of Ginseng Chicken Soup that the Cook Jang made this morning with me. At first I wanted to just bring some simple packed lunch with me but then when I arrived at the kitchen, I found out that cook Jang had made my favorite food, Ginseng Chicken Soup, so I decided to just bring a pot full of it along with a bowl, utensils, and a ladle.

The soup was already cold, so I searched around gathering firewood and some rocks to make a makeshift furnace.

Once everything was set up, I used Fireball spell to light the firewood. Just a small fireball was enough to get the fire going.

While waiting for the soup to boil, I sat on the ground, and started to absorb mana to refill my heart. Doing this was as easy as breathing for me, probably thanks to my high mana sensitivity. I could do it while racking my brain, trying to figure out how to make my fireball explode.

Clank clank clank

The sound of the pot lid rattling from the pressure of the steam inside pulled me out of my thoughts. I was so deep in my thoughts that I didn’t realize the soup was already boiling.

Oh shoot, it’s boiling over.

I immediately took the pot away from the fire and brought out my bowl, spoon, and chopsticks. Then I used the ladle to scoop the chicken and soup into my bowl.

Phew. That was close. I almost lost my lunch.

The chicken meat was so tender, and the broth was so rich. Cook Jang’s Ginseng Chicken Soup was the best.

It didn’t take me long to finish the whole pot, and because I felt so full, I leaned back for a bit while watching the waterfall.

Good thing the sound of the lid pulled me back, or I would have lost my chicken soup. Cook Jang told me that a boiling pot can explode after all.

Wait, explode?

How?

I looked at the empty pot.

The lid was rattling, pushed by the steam inside the pot.

Pushed.

The pressure inside the pot is high, so the steam can push the lid and make it rattle.

If the lid was strong and secure and couldn’t be pushed open by the pressure inside the pot, then eventually the pressure would build up and cause an explosion.

That must be what Cook Jang meant.

So pressure can cause an explosion.

“Ah.”

I figured out how to make my Fireball explode.