"The essence of air magic is the wind itself. You have to feel the wind and direct the wind."
She's smiling with a proud look on her face as she's talking about the air magic.
It's been about thirty minutes since we both woke up from sleep. I'm hungry, I can't believe I rushed out of the Flameworth's mansion without taking food or anything. But Jennette isn't complaining so I'll just endure for now until we reach somewhere we can eat.
We have just twenty minutes until we start riding again, and she's using this twenty minutes to try to introduce the concept of air magic to me.
But I don't have time to learn the philosophies and everything, I just want to control air and use wind blades to swiftly kill monsters as soon as possible.
"Yeah, you're gonna have to just teach me the spells, Jennette. I don't need to listen to your graceful philosophies and sweet words that mean nothing. I can control the air around me to a certain degree, what I just need is a good wind-breathing technique to master and to learn a couple of first-circle air-magic spells."
I say sternly, I'm sitting on the mat cross-legged and my arms are folded as I look at her, she's standing on the grass, her gaze downwards, pointing at me.
She droops her eyelids as she hears my words. She's disappointed, but I don't care. I've had enough of these philosophies, I just want to learn magic and grow stronger.
"Fine, I'll teach you a breathing technique of my family, it's a treasured breathing technique, one of the highest grades in my family, so learn it well."
She says with a low, resigned voice.
Ah, that's right, I never asked her what family she belongs to. Well, It doesn't matter though, I don't think she'd want to talk about it, and I'm not so open to listening to another backstory.
"Thank you."
I answer her calmly and softly.
She nods and brings out a book from her subspace pouch.
I turn my head in the direction of our wagon.
I see the horse eating grass, the wagon still tied to it. It's standing at the same spot we left it last night.
"Wow, so the horse didn't run after all."
I say in a light tone.
Jennette chuckles as she walks toward me.
"I told you the horse was properly trained."
"Yeah, that madman trained it, and his training worked, I feel so bad for the horse."
I look at the horse with pity as I shake my head, thinking about how evil Klaus is.
"Well, that madman has talent, he's Klaus after all. He comes from the Rodron family, a small Count family that are master horse trainers."
I whistle slowly.
"Wow, I thought he was crafted with madness and he appeared from thin air. Didn't know he has a family and everything."
She sits next to me on her mat and she slaps my knee.
"Stop being so disrespectful!"
She's scolding me with a stern voice.
How cute, a youngster about 17 years younger than me, or even higher, is scolding me.
I smile wryly.
"But it's the truth, you've not been with that madman for longer than thirty minutes, have you? Trust me when I say he's insane. He makes people carry boulders on their heads!"
I say playfully to Jennette.
"But it made you stronger didn't it?"
"... That's beside the point."
She sighs, her lips curl slightly upward.
"Here, take it. It's the breathing technique."
She hands the book over to me.
I take it and I read the title written in the book.
"The dancing wind breathing technique. What a great name."
I say sarcastically.
She rolls her eyes.
"Just follow the instructions, and in two weeks, you'll able to master it."
"Oh? Another high score to beat?"
I open the book.
"It's supposed to take at least two months, but I reduced the time to two weeks because of your genius."
"Exactly. That's another high score to beat. Because from what I'm seeing..."
I flip through the pages of the book.
"I'll master this before tomorrow."
I declare.
"Well, aren't you confi–"
All of a sudden...
"Get 'em, boys!"
I hear a loud, gruff voice that seems to relay a command.
Immediately Jennette stands up, glancing left and right.
I'm still sitting. Watching, waiting for whoever the voice belongs to, to appear.
"Hehehehehe, I told you they smell like money."
I can see five rough-looking men running toward us, they're dressed in leather pants and jackets made of animal skin. They're lean, they look unfed.
The one leading them at the front has a dirty, unshaven beard a long, mane-like brown hair and a cynical grin on his face.
I scrunch my nose and raise the top corners of my lips in disgust.
That smile reminds me of Alexander...
They're all holding swords too.
Are they swordsmen?
"Who are you? And what business do you have with us?"
Jennette asks, her voice tense, low and filled with hostility.
Her eyes are narrowed as she glares at them intensely.
They're still running toward us, ignoring Jennette.
"Take the maid, we do need something to entertain ourselves with tonight! And the boy... Don't rough him up too bad... and ransack their wagon! There's gotta be money there!"
Their leader yells.
Jennette crouches, I can see the mana in the air around her change from pure to wind element forming a green hue swirling around her body.
The men are close to us now, just a few meters away. And they're not running anymore, they're walking slowly. Deliberately.
I stand up from where I'm sitting and crack my neck and my fist.
I walk past Jennette and toward the incoming men.
"Wait– what are you.. They're dangerous."
She tries to stop me from going further but I push her slightly.
"There's no way they're as strong as Klaus. That means I won't lose."
I keep walking toward them.
I look at their sneering faces as they're laughing at me and sizing me up.
"This is a real battle, not a spar!"
I turn my neck to look at Jennette.
And I place my index finger on my lips.
"Shhhh"
As she sees my gesture, her eyelids relax and her mouth slightly parts like she wants to speak, but I turn to face the men.
"So. You said you were gonna do what to her again?"
I ask them, my eyes calm and non-aggressive, my voice eerily chill, and I fold my two hands into a fist.