Volume 12 Chapter 2 Channing Village Part I
After a few days, Al decided that he could manage living in the research tower, so he left Patricia and Joanna behind and came to his hometown, Channing Village.
It had been six months since he graduated from middle school last spring. Back then, it took him three days to walk from the capital, Rain, through Outis and then Marlow, the only town in the Sipree mountains. His hometown was far and surrounded by mountains. But this time, he used the 'Fly' spell from Lester, a border city, passing a ferry town and soaring over the forest where he defeated the Six-Legged Tiger. He arrived in just two hours. The mountains looked familiar, but seeing them from the sky was a whole new experience.
The first place Al visited was the cemetery on the edge of the village.
"Grandpa... I can use the 'Fly' spell now. I've learned many other spells too. I even explored ancient ruins."
As he spoke, Al placed wildflowers on his grandfather's grave. Beside it was the grave of Morris, his father's servant and a skilled hunter. Both had taught Al life lessons through magic and hunting after goblins kidnapped his twin sister, Ingrid. They died from an illness when Al was in elementary school but remained his greatest mentors.
"AAAAAAL!"
As he was lost in thought, he heard a high-pitched voice calling Al's name. It was a familiar voice. The owner of that voice soon appeared on the path leading to a small graveyard.
It was Al's younger sister, Mary. She was born after the incident when Al was kidnapped by goblins. Her hair was a bright red, inherited from their mother, and cut short like a boy's.
"Al! It's really you! I heard someone was at the graveyard, so I ran over. I thought you were the only one who would come here this time of year!"
'Who is this girl?'
Al smiled at his younger sister's face. She was four years younger and had always followed him around. Her presence had been a big comfort to Al and his family after losing Ingrid. Glee whispered in Al's ear, confused; since they'd talked about family before, it made sense this was her first time meeting his sister.
"Mary! How have you been?"
Mary jumped into Al's arms.
"Yeah! I've been good! Wow, Al, you've grown so much! I thought I had passed you in spring!"
'So this is Mary. Nice to meet you!'
Mary leaned in close to Al, comparing their heights. She realized that Al was about 5cm (2in) taller now, and she looked shocked.
"I grew a lot this summer. Is everyone doing well? Did Orson arrive safely?"
"Orson? Oh, he's the uncle who brought your letters and packages. He's living in a vacant house by the river with the boy who came with him. They're getting along well with the villagers, doing hunter-like things."
"Uncle... Well, that's good to hear."
Mary didn�t seem to notice anything unusual. Al worried Viscount Eugene might check on him, but it looked like everything was fine. Orson and the others were still around, likely for that reason. They had planned to stay just a week, but they were still here.
"Are Dad and Mom at home?"
"Well... they should be there, I guess."
Mary tilted her head as she spoke, a handmade bow on her back and a small basket of mushrooms in hand. She�d probably been wandering the forest again. Goblins still showed up around here, and Al had warned her it was dangerous. But since he did the same, he couldn�t argue much.
"Alright, let's go home."
Al�s father was a knight and the village lord, so their two-story house, a bit nicer than usual, stood near the center of the village. Though simpler than the lord�s mansion in Rain, villagers still called it the lord�s mansion. It was a bit far from the graveyard they were at now.
As Al started walking, Mary looked in surprise at the one-meter-wide (3ft) wooden box floating behind him.
"Hey, Al. What's that?"
Mary tried to grab it, but the 'Carrier' spell moved it just out of reach. When Al turned, the box shifted with him, and Mary kept chasing it. Al couldn�t help but laugh at the sight.
"Ah, I'm using the 'Carrier' spell to move this wooden box. I'm making sure not to bump into anyone."
Saying this, Al stopped and placed his hand on the wooden box, bringing it right in front of Mary.
"Really? There's such magic? That's so useful! Can I open it?"
"Well, sure, but there's nothing special inside, okay? Just water, food, pots, and some clothes..."
Mary eagerly opened the lid of the wooden box. Just as Al said, it was filled with everyday items.
"Hey, what about souvenirs?"
Mary puffed her cheeks a bit.
"Ahaha, that's for later. For now, here."
With that, Al pulled out some dried apricots from a cloth bag tucked in the corner of the box. Mary happily took them and started munching. She exclaimed how sweet they were, beaming with a big smile.
As the two started walking again, they saw a man hurriedly walking with a limp up ahead. Next to him was a boy. It was Orson and Lippi. Al waved and called out, "Hey!"
Noticing him, Orson waved back frantically. Was there an emergency? Al and Mary exchanged glances and quickly ran over.
"What happened?"
"Hey, Al, good timing! We found a Hidden Badger across the river. Your dad and the others went that way. I was on my way to see if I could help."
Hidden Badger is a magic beast that is even bigger than a regular Hole Budger. It can change its fur color a bit to blend in with its surroundings. It can be about 3m (10ft) long and weigh over a ton. This time of year, it should be hibernating in its cave, but if it's wandering around, it probably hasn't found enough food.
"Wow, this is bad! I got it. I'll make some chairs, so everyone can sit."
Al said this and canceled the 'Carrier' spell before casting it again. This time, 3 transparent chairs with backs and armrests, but no legs, appeared, along with a disk. He pushed the chairs in front of the 3 and placed a wooden box on the disk.
Orson grabbed the armrest of a chair and jumped on it easily. Lippi and Mary copied him, sitting cautiously on the chairs pushed in front of them.
"Okay, here we go. I won't go too fast, but hold on tight."
'Fly!'
Al rearranged the chairs for Mary, Lippi, and Orson, and they floated gently into the air. The tripod chairs also lifted about 50 centimeters (20in).
"Wait? We can fly? Really?"
Lippi and Mary's eyes widened. Orson looked a bit tense. He had ridden the 'Carrier' chairs many times, but this was his first time flying.
"Yeah, let's go. Orson, point the way."
Al said this and started to rise higher.
"That way."
Al carefully began to fly toward the southwest direction of the village that Orson pointed to.
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