Fear Not The Elf Who Knows 10,000 Spells - Chapter 12

The trip to Wolfsruh was uneventful since I went to it every other day.

Schroff and I left immediately after we sold our bounty, fish meat, game meat, pelts and other items made from animals.

The trip to Hochfeld made me feel fired up a bit. Something about running with Jilwer on an open field just felt... right. Like the world opened up to me. Something clicked, and it's like my strides were greater.

A few times I noticed Schroff was falling behind and I had to 'slow' down. The old man took a break a few times on the road, but soon enough we reached Hochfeld with time to spare. Even Schroff commented that today was a good day, as we reached the second town early.

After that we rented a storage room for our bounty, and booked an inn room for the night.

Schroff went to the tavern, and I walked around Hochfeld. A peaceful farming town on elevated plains. Nothing much going on with this place, same as when I came here last time.

Hmm?

There was something odd I noticed as I walked around town, and looked at the people. Those living here, and those traveling and passing by like me and Schroff were.

The people moving around in general, there was this... foreboding feel in the air. Nothing much was happening, but it's like people's easy going or cheerful expressions were forced. Like someone anticipating bad news, but thinking that if they ignore and don't hear it, it won't come.

"Still no news from your friend?" One merchant asked another.

"He told me he'd hire bodyguards to travel from Ackerheim to Schwanz. They say monster attacks along the road have gotten particularly fearsome." Said the other merchant.

"I heard it was bandits gathered from villages ruined by the Coalition." Said some village fool.

"Sheeesh, stop talking about that nonsense. You'll jinx us with your doom sayings." Said the first merchant.

These were the kind of talks circulating in the market.

It was a bit foreboding, but it's just the beginning of bad news, not necessarily that bad news did occur.

Maybe if things look tense when I visit Schwanz I can ask the matron that she takes everyone and head to a different town. I'm basically rich (for a kid) since all money I've made, I don't spend. Any food I need I hunt, and any items I need I make (even clothes). Man, making money in medieval fantasy Europe was easy. Heh.

I blinked at something came to my senses that I haven't felt in a while.

A mage.

Not someone using mana at an increased rate, like an archer like Flink or Schroff, but someone that specializes in using mana.

They had just entered the town. I noticed because of how fast their mana moves compared to the average person. But its size, it's... huh.

It felt like a dark tower of mana. The largest I've ever seen on another person thus far. I say 'dark' not because it feels 'evil' but just something to be wary of.

I know my mana when fully released it shoot out of me like water directly out of a fire hydrant.

That dark tower is easily, hmmm, twenty maybe? Thirty times my mana volume?

Hmm, I wonder how I can beat this person without Reelseiden?

It was clearly an elf. Beyond the size of the mana, due to all the mana reading I did while living with Schroff and Flink I could now tell the difference in how the mana of a human and the mana of an elf felt like.

But only in general terms. I can identify someone by their mana yet.

...Oh. They're heading towards me.

Okay, watching that tower of mana maneuvering through the town streets at a steady pace and heading toward me, was kinda terrifying.

I could imagine the Jaws theme music in my head.

Daaaa rum! Daaaa rum! Daaaa rum! Dud dud dud dud! Dud dud dud dud! Darara~!

"Oh? How unexpected?" Said the mage, their head covered by a cloak hood.

Neat thing about my height as a kid? That type of disguise doesn't work against me. I can just see through that by looking up.

"I was wondering how was staring at me so intently. To think what I thought was a Mage was just a child?" Said the lady mage.

"Mage?" I pouted and crossed my arms.

My mana is suppressed, it should be perfectly stable for now, and it's at the size of a warrior.

Heh. Let's bluff and see if it works!

"Lady, I don't know what you're talking about! I'm a Warrior!" I said pumping my fist in the air. "Well, future Warrior. One day I'll be as strong as the great Eisen!" I declared whole heartedly.

"Oh? Truly," Said the lady that under her hood I could see was slightly dark skinned and...

Okay I can see that she has elf ear and that's what I should focus on, and be amazed that I met the second elf in my life and so soon, but... the whites of her eyes are black!

Judge, I swear it's not a racism thing. It's just freaky to look at.

"What a surprise." Continued the hidden elf lady. "Normally a child of your age would have a third of your mana, even when training to be a Warrior."

"Ah, shit. Really?" I grumbled.

Dammit, Flink! Why didn't you say anything!?

Then again he wasn't a mage, so how could he know but still!

No wait. He's an elf and is centuries old at minimum, he should have known better.

The elf lady giggled as she lightly laughed in her palm.  

"Quite the jester, young one. I suppose I can excuse the rudeness from earlier as ignorance." Said the creepy elf lady.

"Rudeness?" I tilted my head in confusion at her.

"Why yes." Smiled the elf lady. "To use mana detection due to sensing something unusual is normal. But to keep up the detection afterwards? Why, it's like declaring that I am someone you are hostile towards."

"Eeeeum," I grimaced and let out a whine at discovering that. It made sense, in the anime no one had their mana detection always on twenty four seven. Except maybe Serie. "I guess I can see how that can be the case, but I don't wanna shut off mana detection. You never know when you might need it. Plus I might miss something cool."

The elf lady giggled some more.

Lady... you're pretty. And creepy. And pretty creepy.

"I suppose I can take the time to educate you on these manner, child. What is your name?" She said.

"Trenn. Nice to meet you." I said with a wide grin.

Something shifted in the elf lady's mana. Her face showed nothing, yet her mana felt, as if... not dangerous like it's about to be used, but alert?

Maybe I'm reading it wrong. I can't full tell people's emotions from mana yet, but her shrugged a tiny bit at the mention of my name. It's weird.

"Likewise," she said with a smile. "My name is Minus, Trenn."

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AN: Can't find fanart for Minus, so I found some AI art to use as an alternative.

I'm sorry that this chapter is ultra short, but I've been writing two chapters a day to finish this self imposed writing task on myself, and I'd like to rest.

Finally with this seven chapters done.

...Wait a fucking minute. I'm suppose to update the thread today, meaning chapter 6 is meant to fall to Wanderer tier today.

Fuuuuuuucck!

I'll write chapter 13 tomorrow morning. Good night