I Am Not Goblin Slayer

Chapter 262: The Meaning of Magic

Day three in Goat Village.Since there were no villagers with priestly talents, Serlandul simply helped instruct the "close combat class," allowing Gauss to focus on teaching his little apprentice.

Rhine was a talented child.

In the world of professionals, egalitarianism was never practiced.

Naturally, Gauss needed to put more effort into teaching her.

The two arrived by the clear stream.

While listening to the gurgling sound of the flowing creek, Gauss continued explaining Fire Bolt.

Gauss would occasionally raise his hand to cast Fire Bolt, using it to demonstrate for Rhine.

Each time a fiery red trajectory streaked across the sky like a meteor, Rhine's eyes would shimmer with admiration.

Magic was simply too beautiful and wonderful for a little girl from an ordinary village like her.

Even Gauss's image in her heart grew taller because of it.

This was the first time in her life she had met someone so powerful, beautiful, yet gentle.

Gauss wasn't aware of the girl Rhine's thoughts;he was just explaining in great detail, over and over again, practically breaking down the key points and difficulties of Fire Bolt and feeding them to Rhine.

Rhine learned quickly too.

Gauss could tell she wasn't pretending to understand;she genuinely grasped what he was teaching.

He felt he somewhat understood the feeling Adelle and Rachel had when they were teaching him recently.

"Teacher, I feel like I get it, but... I can't use it."

Rhine lowered her head, her mood somewhat downcast.

She felt her teacher explained so thoroughly, yet she was like a blockhead, unable to summon even a single spark no matter how hard she tried.

Without proof of progress, she even worried Gauss might think she was a lying child.

But she didn't want to say she had made no progress either, as that would disappoint Gauss.

She didn't want to disappoint her teacher.

However, contrary to her expectations.

Gauss simply smiled gently at her distress, not minding at all.

"I believe you've learned it."

"Really? Then why can't I use magic like you, Teacher?" Rhine looked up, her eyes sparkling with hope, but then quickly clouded with confusion again.

"Because you're too young;your mana isn't sufficient yet, so naturally you can't cast Fire Bolt."

Gauss explained the reason.

What bound her was her age and physical development.

Most professionals, especially those in close combat types, typically needed to be around sixteen or seventeen to truly begin, because before that age, physical development was incomplete, making it difficult to condense the power of [Skills].

For spellcasting professions like mages, the situation might be slightly better, but being just over ten years old was still a relatively tender age.

Although mana was primarily linked to mental attributes, it was still constrained by the body.

"I see." Rhine felt a bit happier.

Truthfully, she didn't understand the mysteries of magic at all right now;she just didn't want to disappoint her teacher.

Gauss had some free time anyway.

He suddenly turned to look at Rhine, who was sitting cross-legged on the grass.

"Rhine, do you want to fly like a bird?"

"Huh?" Rhine didn't understand what he meant, tilting her head. "I've thought about it."

She thought her teacher was just making casual conversation.

"Like this."

Gauss quickly cast Feather Fall and Fly on himself.

Then his body slowly levitated into the air.

Rhine watched him floating lightly in the air, her eyes wide with astonishment.

He was really flying?

So amazing.

"Give me your hand."

Rhine quickly rubbed her palms repeatedly on her clothes, and after confirming they were clean, she raised her hand towards Gauss.

Gauss held her cold little hand, and the mana from Feather Fall and Fly slowly transferred onto her.

Then he pulled Rhine and flew up into the sky.

Rhine was so scared she closed her eyes.

Her eyelids trembled uncontrollably.

Even with her eyes closed, she could feel her body floating upwards, faster and faster.

"Alright, you can open your eyes now."

After a while, Gauss spoke.

He was quite proficient with Fly now;accidents were unlikely during such leisurely flight.

Hearing Gauss's words, Rhine timidly opened her eyes.

What greeted her was, first, the boundless, clear blue sky. It was different from the view on the ground;the scenery here was purer.

A blue without a hint of impurity.

"So beautiful."

But when she looked down at what was beneath her, an uncontrollable wave of dizziness rushed to her head, making her feel faint.

She quickly tightened her grip on Gauss's hand.

"Don't worry, you won't fall." Gauss encouraged her.

Although little Rhine hadn't mastered mana yet, he wanted to use this method to let her experience the wondrous charm of magic in advance.

"Really? Is it okay?"

"Yes, trust me." Gauss nodded in assurance.

The maintenance of Fly depended on the caster. As long as he maintained stable control, even if little Rhine fainted from fear, there was no risk of falling.

Besides, he was right here, wasn't he?

His flying speed was definitely faster than hers.

Reassured by Gauss's promise, Rhine gained confidence.

In her heart, Gauss had now become the authority on magic, a truly remarkable person;he naturally wouldn't lie to her.

Trembling, she let go of Gauss's hand.

Sure enough, just as her teacher said.

She found that even after letting go of Gauss, her body still miraculously floated in the air.

"So light..."

She didn't know if this description was accurate.

But she felt as if she had become a ball of cotton or a cloud.

"You can try flying around freely, up, down, left, right, anywhere you want, just by thinking it."

Soon, as soon as she had the thought.

The mana enveloping her body seemed to sense her intention and began moving her body in the corresponding direction.

However, compared to Gauss's ease, her movements in the air were clumsy, like a fledgling bird learning to fly for the first time.

"Huh? Huh!!!"

"I did it! Teacher!"

"I'm really flying!"

Rhine cheered and waved her arms and legs in excitement at her successful flight.

At this moment, for this girl who had never ventured beyond the village entrance, some invisible shackle in her mind seemed to shatter completely.

She flew into the sky. The village, which had once been her entire world, became incredibly small beneath her.

Smaller than a fist.

She stared down in disbelief, her whole body trembling slightly.

It wasn't fear, but excitement she could barely contain.

The vast land unfolded before her like a magnificent scroll. She greedily took in everything below.

The stream became a ribbon, the endless forest, and in the distance, the rolling green mountains lay like a great dragon sleeping silently upon the earth.

The boisterous wind blew through her golden hair, constantly tousling it against her fair cheeks.

The world was so vast! People could fly so high.

"Magic is amazing, isn't it?" Gauss floated to her side, his voice gentle as they looked down at the land together. "This is the meaning of magic, Rhine."

To see sights ordinary people cannot see, to reach places ordinary people cannot reach.

This in itself was the greatest meaning.

"Yes!" Rhine nodded vigorously, her small face flushed with a healthy glow from excitement.

She turned to look at Gauss. The sunlight fell on his profile, casting a beautiful golden light.

She felt she had found her life's goal.

She also wanted to become a powerful mage like her teacher, and then travel across this beautiful land.

"Teacher, thank you!"

"Keep working hard."

Gauss patted her head.

When the mana was almost depleted.

Gauss brought her down to the ground.

Even after her feet touched the solid grass again, Rhine still felt a slight sense of disorientation.

As if the soaring flight just now was just an overly beautiful dream.

But the lingering feeling of lightness in her body and the memory in her mind told her that incredible experience had truly happened.

Her face flushed, radiating an unprecedented bright and vivid glow.

From this moment on, her life was completely different.

The small Goat Village was still her home, but her world had already leaped over the village's wooden fence, flying towards the vast, boundless new world her teacher had opened for her.

She would never forget this day.

The fourth day arriving at Goat Village.

Gauss and his companions gathered a dozen or so trainees at the village entrance. Their destination was the mixed forest northwest of the village.

Today's plan was to take them into actual combat to practice and solidify their skills against monsters.

"Lord Gauss, it's only been a few days;isn't it still too early?" the Village Chief asked worriedly.

Although the village had resisted monster invasions a few times in the past, that relied on the village's defenses and population. Now, actively venturing deep into the forest was a completely different situation.

"It's not too early. Practice alone is just theory on paper. It's better to let them see real blood and combat while we're all here." Gauss was quite firm on this point.

Seeing no room for negotiation in his words, the Village Chief simply nodded.

As the chief, he actually understood Gauss's thinking, but among that group was his grandson, and as a grandfather, he still felt somewhat uneasy.

"Rhine, stay with Lord Gauss, don't run off, don't cause trouble."

A simple, honest couple stood nervously to the side, holding Rhine's little hand and repeatedly instructing.

Gauss glanced at the woman, Rhine's mother.

Like Rhine, she had long, golden hair.

It seemed her looks and hair color were inherited from her mother.

To be honest, apart from her clothing, she didn't seem like someone from the countryside.

But after thinking for a moment, he felt he was overthinking it.

If they really had some kind of backing, why would they let their child suffer with them in the countryside, far from the city? Parents surely wanted to provide better conditions for their children.

He smiled gently and nodded to Rhine's parents.

Then Rhine quickly ran to Gauss's side and quietly took his hand.

The other villagers watching this scene showed rather envious looks.

Over the past few days, even the most oblivious person could sense the special care Gauss showed towards Rhine.

To be valued by such an important figure, in the eyes of many villagers, Rhine's family was already set for success, with a bright future ahead.

After bidding farewell to the villagers at the entrance.

The small team set off towards the forest.

"While moving, pay attention to your surroundings to prevent enemies from flanking you from behind."

"Jack, pay attention to the monster footprints on the ground and how fresh they are..."

.......

During the journey, Gauss and the others didn't forget their duties.

They took the opportunity to pass on some insights and experiences to the villagers.

Even though Gauss and his companions had more methods to detect monsters in advance, they didn't use them. Instead, they relied on the most basic visual observation, analysis, and judgment.

After a while.

They arrived in front of a cave. A few Goblin-like creatures sat dazedly in the clearing at the entrance.

"Pay attention to analyzing the claw marks and droppings;you can tell there are probably around ten to twenty Goblin-like creatures here, with more inside the cave." Gauss pointed to the scattered traces around the cave entrance, explaining in a hushed voice.

"Goblin-like creatures prefer to live in groups. Their hearing is sharp, but they aren't very brave. We're downwind here, which is why I dared to bring you to stay here."

"Remember one thing: when you encounter them, don't be timid. Creating loud noises and intimidation can often disrupt their formation."

The trainee villagers were venturing into enemy territory for the first time.

They gripped their weapons tightly, nodding repeatedly in agreement.

A few ordinary-quality pitchforks, iron swords, wooden shields, and bows and arrows were all they had to rely on.

Although they had trained for a few days, these young teenagers inevitably felt fear and unease when faced with the actual monster lair.

"Alright, discuss among yourselves;you can get ready to go."

"We won't intervene this time;it's all up to you to handle it yourselves."

Gauss announced.

Of course, that was a lie.

If the villagers' lives were truly threatened, he naturally wouldn't stand by idly.

He said this specifically to see how they would perform under such high-pressure conditions.

"Teacher, should I go?"

Rhine, sticking close to him, asked softly, holding a dagger.

"No, you stay by my side. Watch carefully, listen carefully."

She might embark on the path of a professional in the future. Observing the imminent battle in advance would benefit her, but it wasn't time for her to actually fight yet.

Hearing this, Rhine nodded vigorously, her heart pounding wildly, her small hand unconsciously clutching the hem of Gauss's clothes.

Before setting out, the villagers had been trained and had rehearsed.

Soon, a young villarian acting as a squad leader made hand signals and began directing the others.

The battle was about to begin.

"Whoosh!"

Several wooden arrows shot towards the Goblin-like creatures in the clearing.

"Missed." Gauss watched silently from the side. The moment the arrows left the bowstrings, he knew they were off target.

But considering it was their first clearance mission and their archery training hadn't been very long, those kids did reasonably well.

The Goblin-like creatures were startled by the arrows sticking into the ground not far from their feet. Yellow liquid trickled down their legs.

And at that moment.

The first group had already advanced with shields raised.

The second group, the main close combatants holding pitchforks and iron swords, followed closely behind.

Startled by the sudden, "well-trained" humans, the few Goblin-like creatures at the entrance scrambled and crawled back towards the cave, intending to call their companions.

But the villagers hadn't forgotten Gauss's earlier instructions. They let out unified shouts, bolstering their own courage while intimidating the Goblin-like creatures.

Then, taking advantage of the Goblin-like creatures having their backs turned.

They roared and used the not-yet-proficient [Diagonal Slash].

Although their movements were awkward and not particularly standard, the iron blades still cut into the backs of the Goblin-like creatures, blood instantly spurting out.

The others also launched their attacks.

For a moment, relying on their numerical advantage, they launched a slaughter against the unprepared Goblin-like creature scouts.

Seeing this scene, Rhine's breath hitched, her small face turning pale.

Gauss glanced down at her but didn't offer any words of comfort.

Besides witnessing beautiful scenery, bloody and fiery battles were an indispensable part of adventure.

The real world was like this;beauty and cruelty were often separated by only a thin line.