I get back to my bunk after seeing Gilgamesh off. I'm very thankful for his counseling, and I've taken it to heart. I believe that he is the first person I can consider a friend in this world, and he's someone that I respect and look up to. I have to report to the commander in the morning, and I'm mentally prepared for any task he's planned for me.

I can now control the amount of fire I produce, as well as intentionally set some of its properties. Gilgamesh taught me how to heat up fire, which obviously uses up more mana than normal. Techniques using fire magic haven't been refined at all, so the only spells I can use right now are the more generic ones, such as [Fireball] and [Flamethrower].

I find it interesting that despite this being a different world, the term flamethrower was still used when the magic was made.

Both spells are self-explanatory as to what they do. [Fireball] is made by concentrating more mana than usual, before letting it shoot out in a short burst. The fire doesn't really form a ball, but apparently, some of the more skilled magicians (dubbed "street performers" by Gilgamesh) can actually form a sphere of fire in their palm before throwing it. I can't contain the fire in my hand yet; it just dissipates into the air.

My favorite spell, though, is [Flamethrower]. I learned to control the range of the flame stream to my will. The upper threshold is about 5 meters in length, when comparing it to a football field. I'm having a hard time making it wider than my hand, though. That has to do with the same factors as making a proper ball, so I'm not too bummed about it. Due to my unnatural ability, I can maintain the spell for as long as I need.

Gilgamesh tried to mimic my [Flamethrower]'s properties and have a contest of duration, but he pulled out after 96 seconds. He stated that his whole body was starting to hurt from the side effects of spellcasting. I kept going out of curiosity, but I eventually got bored after 5 minutes.

I feel guilty because I think I've convinced Gilgamesh that dual casting [Shell] and attack spells together results in an invincible combo. I hope no one gets hurt attempting it. After all, from what I can tell, it's just going to result in double the mana consumption, therefore, double the bodily strain.

Luckily, Gilgamesh can't cast [Shell], so the man himself shouldn't get hurt.

I asked him the process involved in founding a school, and he said it's a tricky process. First, the new school has to have a name and at least 2 different spells in it. The second step is after development, the 2 spells must be judged by the court wizards and deemed "usable, efficient, and unique." The unique part means that the spells can't be grouped under any other school.

I review the methods, techniques, and information I learned today in my head today until people start to wake up. Notably, Elric was one of the first to wake up.

It's time to put my plan into action.

I melt out of my bed and walk over to him after I decided he wasn't going to get changed.

Perhaps I was wrong in thinking he's a noble after all. No, I will confirm this myself.

Speaking of changing clothes, the sole plain set I was gifted when I awoke here is still in shambles. I'm surprised they're even still held together. The top, a boring light brown T-shirt, looks like it's been grated with sandpaper. On top of that, the various slashes strewed throughout certainly aren't helping to keep up its appearance. The shorts have certainly seen better days as well, as the bottom is mostly missing now. It must've been scraped off when I was thrown back onto my butt. Luckily, my underwear escaped the predicament unscathed.

"Oh, hey Rigel. Here, walk with me to breakfast. I'll have you explain everything that happened during your training yesterday!"

He seems to be a bit more talkative than yesterday. I wonder why.

"Alright, but in return, you've gotta tell me some things about yourself, how about that?"

This man is clad in mystery, and I'm intrigued by said mysteries. However, I wonder if being too transparent in my desires would make him wary of me. The world here seems to be extremely harsh and punishing, I'm worried that my persona would come off as a scam artist if I pry unnecessarily.

"Oh, well.. huh," he lethargically replied.

I messed up, eh? Perhaps he has a deep past that shouldn't be delved too deep into before we become friends, let alone in such an impromptu situation.

He looks back up at me, eyes full of uncertainty.

"Fine. Info for info, a fair trade. However, I'll certainly tell you if you're digging too deep."

Feisty.

"Hey hey, no harm done, eh? I'm just curious about your situation, and if you want I can tell you might as well."

Wait a sec. Is my saying 'eh?' messing with people? First off, I'm not even sure if I'm speaking English, or maybe I am and it's getting translated. Is the 'eh?' just being translated as some weird dialect if so? Fuck if I know, whatever. I'll just try to avoid it in the future. I need to leave deep topics to my lonely nights.

He nods in the affirmative, and we set off to breakfast. Mimicking the ritual from yesterday, we get our food and set off to our picnic location. This time I openly offer for him to have my breakfast, to which he politely accepts.

"So, I suppose I'll start. After I got my ass handed to me by the commander and he introduce me to that magician, we went off into the woods and he taught me some things about magic. Like, the properties of mana and some of the history involved in magic."

His vibrant blue eyes are gleaming like diamonds. Magic must deeply stimulate his curiosity. It seems like I'll be using it as a bargaining chip to get my answers.

Is it cold of me to be treating someone who's helped me out like this? God, I don't know anymore. I'd like to take a heartless approach to everything, but I don't think I can. I'm just not a bad person at heart.

Well, enough of that. Let's continue our chat.

"After some strenuous training, I eventually learned to use basic fire magic. Nothing fancy, just a basic stream of fire. Want me to demonstrate?"

Hook, line, and sinker.

"Well, I don't know. Wouldn't it be dangerous to use magic in such a populated area?"

You may attempt to feign hesitation, but your eyes don't lie. You definitely want to see the magic of magic yourself. All's proceeding to plan.

"Alright, perhaps you're right. Want to go into the woods so it'll be safer?"

"Well, I don't know. I have to go to combat practice soon, and someone's bound to notice my absence."

"That's trivial. Just say you were taking supplementary lessons in magic in the woods if anyone pries."

I am a master of deceit. Haha, it's always fun convincing someone to skip class.

He fidgets about for a moment, before returning to a proper resting posture.

"Oh, alright. You win, and you're right. I want to see magic a lot. In fact, an opportunity to learn magic was the main reason I joined the military. Unfortunately, convincing a tutor to take you in despite being untalented is rather hard."

He laughs in spite of himself.

Augh, my heart. I feel so bad- like I'm being compelled to attempt to help this poor soul. There is something strange about this man that I need to know the answer to.

"Well, if I have time, I'd be able to help you learn magic. All it should take is an afternoon to get you started on the right path."

For Christ's sake, what'd I go and say that for? Now I feel obliged to.

"Really?! That's so awesome, thanks a ton! You're the best!"

So many emotions are going through my head. Too, many, in fact. I have no clue what to think. My sense of self-satisfaction is at an all-time high, and I think I've figured it out.

His face turns a hue of sunset, and he recedes back down to the ground.

My face, in contrast, has turned deplorable. I notice this and fix it. However, my motive remains untouched.

"In return, however.."

I purposely let my voice trail off menacingly. Elric's face turns a ghostly pale, and all excitement thoroughly leaves his body.

This feeling of utter disgust is really a guilty pleasure of mine, huh? Well, let's not tease him too much. I think he's about to pass out from suspense.

"All I ask for is that you honestly answer 3 of my questions about you. Fair?"

He looks back at me with eyes that I cannot judge the qualities of. "Emotion is deeply involved in his eyes" is the closest thing to a judgment I can make.

"In.. order to.."

He takes a deep breath.

"In order to achieve my goals, I'll allow you 3 questions about anything you want, without reserve."

Alas, my heart can't take such hostility. However, It's too late to try to appeal to him now.

"Well, may I have 1 now as down payment?"

"Fine, you can ask 1 now, 2 afterward."

Curious. The term "down payment" is known here. Is it because of the translation thing I spoke of earlier, or perhaps credit is a valid method of payment even now?

Well, never mind that. I have a good opportunity here, and I don't wanna squander it. I could simply say "what's your complete backstory" but that's cheap. I like playing games, so let's go with this.

"Are you a runaway noble?"

He immediately gets flustered, so I take it as an affirmative. After a moment, he starts explaining.

"Well, yes. I come from one of the upper houses in the kingdom. However, I hated the noble life and ran away from home 3 years ago, taking refuge at my retired grandfather's vacation home. After confirming the situation, he took my side since it couldn't hurt if I disappeared since I'm not the family's heir."

Eh? He cut his story abruptly short. A shame, too. It was just getting good. Now I regret holding back on my question.

"Well, I'll hold up to my end of the deal. I do like our chats, so I'll let you know when I have the day free, alright?"

Can't turn back now, that's for sure. I'd feel awful about it. Hopefully, I have at least a free day before the commander sets me to a death march.

I stand up, say my adieus, and go to the commander's office.