I Think I Just Caused Trouble

Rhode was thrilled by the major breakthrough he had made in his research into spells.

He repeatedly tested this method of casting Fireball to verify his ideas.

People apparently did not get sleepy when they were excited enough.

By the time Rhode finally felt weak all over, it was already late at night.

Lilia had long since gone to bed, too.

Rhode had bought Lilia some children's clothes in town, but sometimes, when she went to sleep, she would just grab one of his shirts, throw it on, and tumble into bed.

Now she was asleep in an oversized shirt, her eyes closed and her lips slightly pursed as she breathed softly.

She tossed and turned in her sleep, and the wide neckline had slipped down to expose half of one fair shoulder.

An adult might have looked alluring like that, but the little girl was simply adorable.

Rhode shook his head, straightened her neckline, tucked the covers around her, and went to sleep himself.

These days, he spread a quilt on the floor every night and slept on that.

When the sun rose over distant Darrow Hill, sunlight streamed through the window and fell across Lilia's face.

She rolled over and buried her face in her pillow, unwilling to get up.

She rolled once, then again, and finally opened her eyes a few minutes later.

She slowly climbed up into a sitting position, crossed her legs on the bed, rubbed her eyes, and scratched at her tousled hair. Then she noticed that Rhode was already up and fully dressed, inching along with one hand against the wall.

Lilia watched him curiously and asked, "Rhode, what... happened to you? Why are you walking like that?"

Rhode had woken up aching all over, especially in his wrists and lower back.

His mana did recover quickly, but constant spellcasting also required physical strength.

Fireball in particular seemed to take considerable effort each time he cast it, and continuous practice meant repeating the same motions over and over.

Twist, raise his hand, reach out.

Twist, raise his hand, reach out.

It was like doing calisthenics. Keep at it long enough, and anyone would get tired.

Although Rhode was a farmer who regularly did physical labor, some parts of his body never got much exercise.

Even someone who ran regularly would ache all over the next day if they suddenly played a game of soccer or basketball.

That was exactly what had happened to Rhode.

Still, he waved a hand at Lilia. "I'm fine."

"Fine? If you're fine, take a couple of steps." Lilia sounded rather pleased by his misfortune.

"I won't."

"Come on, walk."

"A real man keeps his word. I said I won't, so I won't!" Bracing himself against the wall, Rhode glared at the little elf, then said, "Hurry up and get out of bed. It's time for breakfast."

Lilia sprang up and gathered the oversized hem of her shirt, exposing her small, fair, flat belly as she prepared to change.

Rhode caught a glimpse and turned his head away.

The little girl often did this, regardless of whether anyone else was around.

It looked like he would have to say something today.

Listening to the rustle of her changing clothes, Rhode called, "Lilia."

"Mm?"

Rhode said, "Hasn't anyone taught you? You're a girl, and girls shouldn't just take their clothes off in front of boys."

"Why?"

"There's no why. That's just how it is between men and women."

"But I'm a child, not a man or a woman... There, I'm dressed now."

"...How old are you, Lilia?" Rhode turned around and asked.

Elves were supposedly immortal, and it really was impossible to tell how old one was.

Lilia answered, "I don't know..."

"You don't know?"

She raised a hand and spread all five fingers. "Then let's say eight."

"If you're eight, why are you holding up five fingers?" Rhode asked, holding back a laugh.

"Then how about this? Maybe seven, or nine." Lilia raised her other hand and held up three fingers.

"All right. Anyway, you need to understand that boys and girls are different."

"But you're Rhode. You're already my best friend. Is it still not okay?"

"That's right. Not even with your best friend. You're old enough to know you should be careful about these things."

Although being called her "best friend" by Lilia made Rhode feel rather pleased, he still needed to make this clear.

"All right, Rhode, I understand. I'll be careful next time."

Rhode shook his head as he slowly turned toward the window, supporting himself against the wall.

With just a grown man and a little girl living together, little complications were bound to crop up from time to time, though they were nothing serious.

Only after getting enough rest did Rhode free himself from his dependence on the wall and return to his research into Fireball.

As he broke the spell down into more and more models, drawing them on the ground was no longer practical.

Besides, sometimes he would spend ages drawing, only for a gust of wind to wipe out all his work.

So Rhode went into town and bought plenty of parchment from Stalvan, the teacher, then brought it back to the farmhouse to draw on.

Stalvan had always been very courteous to his literate farmer friend, but he did find it a little odd. Why did this bachelor suddenly need so much parchment?

Rhode's explanation was simple. "I get bored on the farm, so I'm practicing my writing."

As time passed, Rhode drew more and more spell models on the parchment and made more and more notes on their key nodes.

Rhode began trying to link the different spell models through their key nodes, two or three at a time.

Some combinations could produce small fireballs, but their power and speed were far too low to be useful in combat.

Others had unstable structures and vanished after traveling only a few yards.

Still others produced no response at all, or even caused mana backlash that left Rhode with a headache for a while.

Rhode went on to test more combinations of data, and his failures grew fewer while his successes increased.

After successfully hitting trees with small fireballs several times, Rhode felt ready to try combining more spell models.

It was night now, with a bright moon and only a few stars visible. Lilia sat on a bench beside the clearing, resting her chin in her hands as she watched Rhode work his palms with interest.

Rhode was connecting one "Fireball fragment" after another-the spell models he had separated out.

Since the successful fireballs so far had generally been weak and had not traveled very far, Rhode thought he could try combining a few more this time.

But the instant he linked all the key nodes together, he felt things slipping beyond his control.

Rhode felt a huge amount of mana being drawn out of his body, gathering, spinning, and taking shape in front of him at tremendous speed.

"Ah, what a huge fireball!" Lilia cried out.

The largest of his earlier test fireballs had been only the size of a fist, but the one before him now looked as big as a washbasin.

This was no longer a small fireball. It deserved to be called a Great Fireball.

Almost all the mana in Rhode's body went into that Great Fireball, and once it had formed, he felt he had no strength left to control its direction.

The Great Fireball sprang from Rhode's hands, then shot straight toward the Jade Mine on its own, moving fast.

"Oh no!" Rhode immediately knew something was wrong.

The Great Fireball flew farther and farther, faster and faster, giving off scorching waves of air along its path. Trees, grass, corn... all looked as though they had been roasted, the plants drooping limply.

Then Rhode saw the Great Fireball seemingly strike the spot above the Jade Mine where a flag stood. A startling flash followed, and countless flames and fragments of rock erupted with the terrifying blast wave.

Only then did he hear the massive explosion.

The terrifying boom soon reached nearby Southshore, jolting everyone awake like a thunderclap.

In an instant, the air filled with the frightened cries of babies, the curses of adults, and the crowing of roosters and barking of dogs.