79 To be visible

Alaric's cold surprisingly got better by the time they reached their destination. Even though he didn't rest much, he regained his health in a single day. Seeing this, Eleen's confidence soared high into the heavens and she kept boasting how her newly brewed was doing miracles. The medicine made out of the herbs she'd found in the jungle, she meant.

After checking in at the mercenary contact point, the group retrieved the horses and baggage they had left behind. They then sneaked out of the city and headed towards another nearby town to spend the night. They were afraid that if they stayed in the same city, Doris' relatives might find them.

"I don't think they'd still be searching for me though... but do however you like."

"Can't we stop by for just a minute to punch her father in the face before we leave-"

"Eleen!"

"I asked about the condition of that theater group, and they said the employer was released when no evidence was found to prove his involvement in the situation. Apparently, a few people from the church were sent to investigate. It's good, isn't it, Ian? I heard the man left with his child and the crow, saying he'd start another business somewhere."

"Good for him. The horses are fewer in number compared to us, so you guys need to share a horse with someone else for a while... Actually, maybe more than that, since we're too poor to purchase new horses."

"Human... You don't intend to mount these innocent creatures and force them to run with two humans on top... do you?"

"Exactly that."

"Evil bastard!"

"Yeah, I agree. Now get on."

"...E-even if I keep a blind eye on this... Don't think I-I'll company you."

"Oh? Then we'll ride, and you run behind us."

"Wha-"

"Good luck catching up to us."

"W-wait a minute Sir Ian-"

However it was, they managed to arrive at a nearby city before it got dark. 

-I wonder when we'll meet that white uncle~ I wonder~ I wonder~

Just like the whole day, Lior circled around himself, wiggled, and sang restlessly. He couldn't contain his nervousness after one point and began bringing up the topic on every occasion. 

-Are we heading out now? When then? But that Raven guy seems kind of suspicious of us... I feel like we'll get caught if we try to sneak out. 

Lior circled around himself time and time like a dog chasing its tail. 

-What should we do? What should we do? How do we meet the white uncle??

-Lior, calm down.

-I'm calm! I'm down! 

"Sigh."

Wrapping his arms around the child, Ian lay down on his bed and pulled up his blanket, pushing Lior inside the soft bed with himself. 

-Nooo, master, don't sleep yet. Don't sleep! We must go meet Uncle!

-Shhh.

On the other side of the room, he could see Alaric peeking at him with a similar expression to Lior as if questioning his actions. He too, was restless the whole day.

'Wow, these children really have no patience at all.'

-We can talk to him another day.

-Nooooo!!

Tatatatap

-Now! Now! We must meet him now!

-Stop punching me.

-Masterrrrr!

Emprisoning Lior in his embrace, Ian turned to the side, curled his body into a ball, and crawled deeper under the blanket. The settled-down chill on his body gradually melted under the warmth of the bed, and the exhaustion of a whole day of traveling dawned on him. At the same time, the wolf pup kept whining and struggling. 

-Let's go. Let's go. He might go to sleep if we're late. Get up, master, get upppp!

Ian pressed the boy against his chest.

-Let's meet him early in the morning, hm? Even if he tells us how to make you visible to others, there is no one awake now to test the results on them. Let's sleep for a little bit and be energetic and fresh in the morning. 

And he didn't get a proper sleep last night. 

Once Ian rubbed his nose against this child's head, Lior's body considerably relaxed. After whining for a few more minutes, tension left his tiny figure and his head slumped down, already in the dreamland. Even after he fell asleep, his master's fingers kept caressing his head and rubbing his belly, erasing any signs of tension from his mind. 

And the action continued for even longer, perhaps for hours after he fell asleep. 

-Lior, wake up.

He was called once with a soft voice and gentle tap. As if the door to a fuel bank in his being was kicked open, energy surged up his body, and Lior jolted up awake.

-Master, it's morning! Let's go let's go- eh? Why are you like that didn't you sleep last night? 

-Let's go.

Picking the wolf with both hands, Ian walked to Alaric and without any hesitation, kicked him in the flank. 

"Get up."

"GASP!"

. . . . 

He was forced to listen to the nobleman's nagging the whole way towards the city gates and even after that. What did he mean by discrimination? He treated everyone the way they deserved, and Aalric was no exception. Lior deserved the best while Alaric didn't. What was so hard about it to understand?

The weather was warmer in the morning, and now that they were out of the jungle, the rain had also stopped. Once his nagging about the way he was woken up ended, Alaric changed the topic to how the weather was warmer than he'd expected, not quite suitable for the end of autumn. 

"Show yourself."

Upon arriving somewhere a bit farther away from the city gates, Ian called out to the air in a loud voice like a lunatic. A few seconds later, however, the leaves and grass around them began to shake, and the next instant, a figure emerged from the air.

His long, partially braided white hair fluttering in the wind, the man landed on the ground as light as a feather.

"Have you reached a conclusion?"

Instead of answering Zal, Ian pointed at Alaric.

"He wants you to be his master."

"Yes?"

"And this child wants you to make him visible to the others."

Ian reached out his hands. Resting on his palms was a tiny wolf. Lior wiggled uneasily, tightly sticking to his master's fingers. 

The white-haired old, yet young gentleman, glanced between the three of them for a second before closing his eyes. 

"First of all, regarding me teaching magic, I've got nothing against it as long as he follows my rules and agrees not to cross the lines."

A brief silence shrouded the land, caused by the shock of the two travelers.

"R-Really?...That easily? Wait, you don't want anything in exchange?"

Seeing Alaric's baffled face, Zal shrugged his shoulders and flicked his fingers. With a whoosh, the leaves around them all floated up in the air. As if a magic show was being displayed, the leaves and branches mingled together, soon taking shapes and landing on the ground. Laying in front of the three was a set of three chairs and a table. Zal plopped down the leaf chair with a relaxed expression, pouring hot, steaming black tea into three cups. Rubbing his eyes, Ian too positioned himself in a chair. 

"What can a child like you offer to me? Money doesn't mean much to me, and I've long passed the age of being interested in human pleasantries. Magic isn't something that one must keep to themselves. The formulas and spells learned and created throughout the years of experience must be shared with the new generations, for magic to further grow and spread. Nurturing prominent youths to grow is what suits such an old man like me, and I rarely ask for much in exchange. Plus, I also feel like I'll witness a lot of interesting things if I stick to such unique individuals, so it's worth it, in my opinion."

As if his explanations weren't enough, he took out a stack of paper and handed it to the jaw-dropped mind-blown Alaric, telling him to read the conditions of becoming his disciple before deciding on what to do. The whole while, he talked in a way different than his previous cold and brisk tone, appearing more like an instructor than the person whom they'd talked to yesterday. 

"....."

Alaric opened and closed his lips several times like a lost fish as he received the papers. 

"Seriously... That was so easy..."

Persuading Ian was way harder than this man... Was this even logical?

"But it's different for you."

Zal cocked his head to Ian's side. The bluehead nodded his head with no changes in expression. 

"So? Do you know of a way to solve this child's problem?"

-Urh, don't let go of me!

Lior clung even more to Ian's hand the closer he got to the 'Uncle'. 

Narrowing his eyes, Zal peered at the mass of Aether in front of him, scanning it closely with interest. After a few seconds, he reached out a hand towards the child. The man's pale, slender fingers drew closer before they effortlessly passed through the mass of Aether. He could feel the bundle of energy quiver. 

"It's in complete contrast to me."

One has zero Aether, the other has zero mana. 

"I'm not the one who can solve his problem. I do know of a way... But I can't display it. It's rather that guy... He shall use his unique mana for that."

He shifted his gaze to Alaric who was busy skimming through the papers.

"I'll teach you the method."