I was tired, not physically, but mentally. Studying was turning out to be worse than I'd expected. It bothered me, it wasn't like I was lazy, I had just grown tired of having to do it.
The day of the exam was approaching, so I kept studying. At the same time, I was trying to develop a spell of my own, since it was common for mages to have a favorite spell, and some even created their own. In some cases, they were variations of existing spells, like shaping a fireball into an arrow. In theory, it was the same thing, the only difference was the form.
Basically, there were six elements: earth, air, fire, water, light, and darkness. Where I came from, there were only four, and we could use any of them. It was up to the user's choice. Here, it was different, you didn't get to choose your element, people were born with one, and that's what they kept for the rest of their lives.
Most commonly, a person had an affinity with just one. But in some cases, it was possible to have two or more. I had an affinity with four: fire, water, darkness, and earth. That made me a bit rare.
Darkness was a confusing element, it included everything that didn't fit neatly into the others, like gravity magic, teleportation, lightning, and so on. Although some considered lightning magic to be just a variation of fire magic. So there was still no consensus on whether it was a distinct element. Just like there were neutral magics, like healing, which didn't fall under any element, since anyone could learn it. Although some people couldn't progress with it, it wasn't the element that held them back.
There was another classification in the magic system. Some people couldn't cast spells like fireballs, even if they had the element's affinity, but they could cover their hands in flames and fight, or enchant their weapons. Like Bedelia, she didn't cast offensive spells, but she used magic to strengthen her body.
Actually, she did cast spells, just not for combat. She could only use healing magic, as well as enhancement and acceleration.
Even though this was all written in books, it was still confusing, there was no convention or anything like that. In my view, these people could be considered mages, but in the magic system, they fell into other categories, like magical swordsman or magical archer, just another way to divide people.
Silas had an affinity with air and fire. His favorite spell involved using both to shape fiery arrows. He could boost the fire's strength by controlling the air and adding more oxygen to the flames. It was impressive, since using two elements at once was considered difficult. I had managed to use water and earth magic together. That way, I could create mud, which was useful to trap enemies or slow them down. But it consumed a lot of mana and the control was a bit tricky, you had to enter a different state of mind. In a life-or-death battle, I'd die if I tried it.
Silas didn't think it was hard, to him, it came naturally. Maybe it was just my lack of practice.
While I was thinking about a spell to create, Bedelia came into my room and invited me to go hunting.
In the forest, I was observing some animals and monsters. I stood still, watching two giant orcs. They were normal-sized, but still very large. We needed to kill at least five, which would give us enough food for six months.
"Are you okay?" I asked, noticing that she seemed nervous.
"Yes, I'm just feeling tired, I spent the day hunting and haven't rested yet."
"But why? Are we stocking up on food for some reason?"
She paused, and then began to speak, "Kiya had a vision, she said the country would face famine, and we needed to stock up on food. She's never been wrong, and that's why everyone is on alert. The sale of wheat and corn has stopped, farmers are stockpiling everything they can, and hunters are doing their best. We don't know how long it'll last or when it will happen, so we're all worried."
Kiya had an affinity with the darkness element, clairvoyance was considered a branch of darkness magic.
"So we need way more than just five orcs, right?"
"Yes, today we'll hunt five, tomorrow another five or whatever we can manage. Besides orcs, I want to hunt some basilisks, and if I spot any birds, I'll go after those too. Silas is buying some vegetables and milk, Thalya is storing eggs and started fishing. Better to have too much food than not enough."
"When did they start doing all this, and why am I only finding out now?" I thought.
Storing that much food wouldn't be complicated, in this world, there were items that let you stock an infinite number of things without them spoiling.
I didn't know how they worked, but there were bags that could fit a house inside them.
"We also have to hunt for the butcher, he's working for free in exchange for provisions. It's a good deal, since I hate butchering monsters."
For a few days, I helped Bedelia. Our stockpile was enough to feed us for at least two years and a few weeks.
During the hunts, I learned a few things. In my past life, I used to hunt, but it was deer and the occasional wolf. Monsters like orcs didn't exist. So I gained a lot of experience fighting enemies that could kill me with a single blow.
Orcs were bipedal monsters that looked like pigs. Their meat was incredibly tasty. The problem was their appearance, which at first glance was just disgusting. But pigs themselves were already ugly and gross animals, so it was still a bit strange to eat a bipedal creature.
Basilisks were giant serpents, their meat was delicious too. After eating them once, it became normal.
"Are you ready?" Jasly asked me.
"No, I'm not. I just think I'm going to fail, and somehow, that's comforting."
She laughed. I wasn't joking, I was serious, but it came out like a joke.
"I'll do my best, even though I'm not very confident," I said, looking at her.
"Don't be like that, between the two of us, you're the one who's naturally gifted at magic. I can barely hold a sword, so you'll score higher than me, or at least, that's what's expected."
In a way, she was right, since there was a physical aptitude test, and using weapons gave you extra points. But she was still better with magic, so she could easily score higher than me.
There was still the written exam, and I had no idea what to expect, literally anything could be on it.
Silas wished me good luck, then Bedelia and Thalya did the same. They said goodbye, and Jasly and I got into a carriage. We were heading to the capital. It would be an eight-day journey, the village was close to the border with the Countries Free of Lys, a strange empire that I thought was too small to be considered an empire. Honestly, it was only a bit bigger than the Kingdom of Verdania, which was where I was.
For context, I was in a village called Albedo. It was just a few kilometers from the Countries Free of Lys and far from Dune, the capital of the kingdom. The nearest city was Zhara, a commercial hub. That's where the Adventurers' Guild was located.
Actually, every city had a guild, it usually served the nearby villages and was the place where young people went to look for work after leaving home. Not just them, there were countless jobs a guild could offer, so it was a good place to earn money, although there was risk involved.
I was carrying a bag of supplies, it had enough food for Jasly and me to survive for several months. Bedelia had gone all out hunting, and Silas had bought plenty of fruits and vegetables. Having people like them was something I deeply valued. I'd had three companions before that I missed dearly. They were just like that. I remember once when I lost weight, they got mad, tied me up, and then Vespera fed me. That went on for almost two weeks. I gained weight and promised to eat regularly, only then did they let me go.
"We're here," Jasly said, looking out the window.
I used to think the village was big, until I saw the city of Zhara. But looking at the capital, I realized I had been spoiled. It was so big I thought it would take more than a day to see it all.
Massive walls protected the city, they were almost as wide as I was tall. No, they were even thicker. I was sure the city would stand even after several attacks from the Hero's party.
Zhara had big walls too, but the capital's were much larger.
The city was divided into two parts, the first had shops, houses, and even a few noble mansions. The second held the castle, it was almost like another city within another wall.
Around the capital were more villages and noble estates, it was truly magnificent.
The castle was bigger than mine, which made me a little jealous, but in this world, I was just a commoner.
"Are you the children of Lord Whisper?"
Lord Whisper? Who's that?
"Yes, we're the children of Silas Whisper," Jasly said.