Warriors Can't Teach Magic

That was what he said, but this really was a "hard"-level commission...

After Glenn left, a few regular customers came to Galan's stall and bought the remaining five potions.

He checked the stone clock on the plaza's bell tower, and the time was not too late yet, so he paid a visit to Rock's place to try his luck before leaving the city.

Though the result was well within expectations; the harvesting difficulty of this herb was simply too great, and there was no ready stock circulating on the market at all, not even among the underground drug peddlers.

"Hey, let's get this straight, for a medicine like the Red Mirror Flower, even if you ask for it I can't guarantee I'll be able to get my hands on it, and didn't you say recently that you had no demand for this sort of thing?"

Rock lay sprawling in his chair, the wine bottle in his right hand suspended in mid-air and dangling precariously, his face as red as a tomato--though his face was quite red to begin with, and he sputtered and sprayed saliva all over Galan with bristling beard and staring eyes.

"The things you brat want are getting harder and harder to get now, do you really take me for the Goddess of Omniscience and Omnipotence?"

"Give it a rest, the goddess indeed. If the goddess were a bearded, unkempt, middle-aged old drunkard like you, that guy Glenn would grieve to the point of cutting off his own right arm."

As soon as Galan entered the door he smelled that soaring reek of alcohol, and he pinched his nose with a frown; the smell of booze on this guy was even heavier than last time, and he truly wasn't afraid of drinking himself into sickness.

"Alcohol is a wondrous medicine that heals a hundred illnesses, I heard that the Holy Capital's bishop Heiter said the same thing back then... hiccup--" He let out a loud alcoholic hiccup.

That wine-and-meat monk... just how many people had he poisoned...

"Well, anyway, although I don't have the Red Mirror Flower here, I can still friendly-provide you with clues concerning the Red Mirror Dragon--hiccup"

"It's about to the south of Rogli, deep within that large forest there's a deep valley, and it's rumored that adventurers have spotted the nest of the Red Mirror Dragon, though whether there's the Red Mirror Flower you want I wouldn't know, perhaps it was eaten as an appetizer by the dragon and I couldn't even say."

Galan slowly got up and picked up the box, already eager to leave this place; no wonder Lia had stayed here for a night previously and become so haggard to that extent, no matter who came they wouldn't be able to endure it.

"Many thanks, you've really been a huge help."

"You wouldn't be thinking of going yourself, would you? Such a dangerous matter doesn't match your style of conduct, and besides, you're an apothecary, are you rushing to go be a side dish for the Red Mirror Dragon."

"I don't want to get involved in these troublesome matters either, but who told me to take on a troublesome commission."

Galan glanced back at him and smiled faintly.

"And, don't look down on apothecaries."

He closed the old wooden door, his figure melting into the dim alleyway.

"Galan, didn't you say you'd be back before sunset?"

Lia sat at the dining table, her legs suspended in mid-air and swaying out of habit.

By the time Galan left Rock's place and returned home, it had been dark for a while.

Two bowls of cold mushroom stew were set on the table, and in order to be able to eat together as two people, it seemed she had waited for him for a little while.

"Sorry, I took a commission from an old friend, next time I come back too late you can eat by yourself, you don't need to wait for me."

Over the past two days of getting along, the two of them had gradually grown familiar with each other. Although Lia was occasionally mischievous like a small child, most of the time she was very well-behaved and sensible.

Ever since eating something made by Galan for the first time she had thought about learning to cook, and so after wasting nearly half a week of ingredients she finally learned how to make mushroom stew, and by now Galan could already let go and let her alone conquer the kitchen.

Galan placed the briefcase on the cabinet, took off his coat and hung it on the clothes rack, sat down before the table, and picked up the wooden bowl to take a small sip.

Neither salty nor bland, pretty average; for him it was just a so-so level, but for Lia, she certainly must have put a great deal of effort into it.

Yet this feeling of someone having food cooked and waiting for oneself as soon as one returned home felt quite wondrous.

Ever since transmigrating right up until now, having grown accustomed to the days of living alone, suddenly having someone by his side to accompany him, this feeling also seemed not bad at all.

"Huge progress."

Hearing Galan's praise, Lia sitting opposite him could not help smiling. Her small mouth curved up slightly, looking very pleased.

"Galan seems very troubled."

For a good while the dining table held only the sound of the two of them chewing food, and although it had gone cold, Galan, who had been hungry for a long time, still ate with great relish.

"Is it because of that commission?"

"Yeah." He answered unclearly, his mouth full of thick mushroom soup.

"Can you even tell from this, that talent of yours really is amazing."

"Even without that kind of talent I can tell, oh, Galan's expression is very grave."

Indeed, his brow had failed to smooth out ever since he left the city.

"After all, this time it really is somewhat tricky, I just hope my luck is pretty good."

Facing the Red Mirror Dragon head-on, it wasn't to say there wasn't a single shred of winning chance.

In his impression Stark was able to solve a Red Mirror Dragon, but according to what those adventurers said, there seemed to be no fewer than three in that nest.

Was this thing actually gregarious after all, it shouldn't be...

If there were only one, perhaps his luck would be good enough that when he went the other party happened to be out foraging. But if there were no fewer than three, how high was the possibility of them all going out to forage together?

Galan drank the soup spoonful by spoonful, biting the rim of the bowl right until the surface of the soup hit rock bottom.

Up until now he still hadn't figured out his own strength, and didn't know what kind of result a battle with a dragon would be.

After all, even in the original owner's memories there was no battle experience fighting a dragon, and the Shadow Warrior was actually still an organization primarily targeting people, so fighting monsters didn't seem to hold any particular advantage.

Never mind, he was a transmigrator after all. Whether it would work or not, he had to do it first before talking. Hesitating in place all along wouldn't yield any results.

He put down the bowl, took another fierce bite of bread, and decided to set out tomorrow morning to scout out the location and see if the Red Mirror Flower was actually over there.

"Can Galan teach me magic?"

While Galan was lost in thought pondering tomorrow's affairs, he hadn't noticed that Lia had been paying attention to him all along.

"Huh? Why suddenly want to learn magic, didn't you say yesterday you wanted to learn to make hamburgers."

"These two things don't conflict at all, fine?"

"But I'm a warrior, to have me teach you magic..."

He had originally thought this matter was truly somewhat forcing someone to do the impossible, but he suddenly thought of Fern.

Since the two of them possessed similar talent, with spellcasting speeds that were both ridiculously fast, presumably they also had desirable aspects in their methods of practicing magic.

Based on his memories, anywhere he could copy a template he could reproduce.

Yet in more detailed aspects, he had no way either, and only professional mages could provide guidance.

"Fine, I do have some unorthodox ways that can help you train your mana. But professional matters I still can't guide you in. As for magic, you should still train Ordinary Offensive Magic and Defensive Magic to perfection first."

Since Lia wanted to learn, it wasn't a bad thing either.

Galan could sense that massive mana on her body after her recovery; if she diligently underwent cultivation, in the future she would inevitably become a self-sufficient mage, and by that time he wouldn't need to worry about her anymore either.

Yet according to the elves' near-immortals' lifespans, perhaps he wouldn't even live to see that day at all.

"After all Galan isn't a mage either..."

"But I might be able to find you a teacher."

"Really?" Lia wore a look of hopeful anticipation.

"Probably, just don't hold your hopes up too high."