Gauss and Alya rested in Grayrock Town for a few days.
The nightmares didn't return.
Gauss's body and mind also gradually recovered to their best during the rest.
"All right, thanks for your efforts, you and Ulfhen." Gauss lowered his staff, ending another spell-coordination practice.
"No problem. We've got nothing else to do, so bringing this guy out to blow off some steam is perfect. If I keep him cooped up at home, he'll start tearing the place apart." Alya rubbed Ulfhen's head.
Ulfhen seemed to understand that she was badmouthing him. He let out a pitiful "awoo" and rubbed his damp nose against the back of Alya's hand.
Over the past few days, Alya had occasionally come outside town with Gauss to practice spells.
Sometimes Alya helped Gauss with his practice; other times, Gauss assisted Alya with her training. Ulfhen came along to help, too.
Time flew by, and all in all, they'd kept quite busy.
Both of them had made considerable progress.
"Come to think of it, you've learned a lot of abilities."
Alya counted them off on her fingers.
"Magic Missile, Fire Bolt, Mage Hand, Message, Mage Armor, Prestidigitation, Light, and now the ones you just learned. How many is that? I've lost count."
Alya felt like she could barely keep track of them all.
"Most of them are just basic cantrips."
"That's still impressive."
Gauss smiled.
Just yesterday, after practicing Fire Bolt and Prestidigitation until they reached lv3, he'd gone back to the skill shop on the second floor of the Adventurer's Guild headquarters and carefully chosen three new cantrips.
As before, he'd prioritized practical use and tactical combinations.
The first was Friends.
After casting this cantrip, a non-hostile creature the caster could see and hear would unconsciously trust them while conversing or engaging in other