After leaving the great hall, the young Flagbearer silently followed Elder Roy's footsteps.
The sun shone high in the sky, giving off its light, which provided no warmth; it seemed as if it were painted in the sky.
The few birds perched on the leafless trees, whistling unique melodies. The wind blew the flowers in the mansion's gardens.
On the stone paths outside the mansion, a small group of six people could be seen heading to the training ground.
When they arrived at the training camp, the first thing they saw was a medium-sized tent shaped like a dark green Bufo bufo toad, with its mouth open as a door.
It was a storage-type Zu, called Zu Carp Toad. It was widely used in wars because it was practical and very easy to feed; it only needed a large number of flies, and it was only rank 8.
Before entering the Carp Toad, Old Man Roy said without turning around, "You guys wait here. I'll call you when you can come in."
Soren, Jenna, Lyra, Jasper, and Kael remained where they were without exchanging a single word, waiting to be called.
There was palpable tension in the air as they glanced sideways at Kael, who remained indifferent to them. This only caused their anger and hatred to grow like a forest fire: slow, but dangerous.
The minutes passed as snow fell softly on the training ground, and the cold breeze hit their bodies, making them shiver slightly.
"Soren."
The voice of Elder Roy echoed in everyone's heads. Kael quickly recognized that the magic used was sound and transmission magic, which was widely used among the squads.
Soren, upon being called, was the first to respond, raising his head slightly with pride. As the eldest son, he was a very proud person and entered the Zu Carp Toad.
Jenna glanced at him uncertainly. She opened her mouth, but her words died in her throat.
Kael noticed this and spoke first: "What do you want?"
With a long sigh, Jenna finally spoke with some trepidation: "Can you tell me how you used that first circle spell?"
A spell? That was what was on his mind. She was more concerned with throwing sparks than with surviving. However, now that he remembered, she was someone who loved magic, but due to the manipulation of her fourth brother, she had turned against him.
Kael looked at her briefly. He knew that the anger and hatred she felt toward him had been implanted in her by his brother Jasper years ago, and he replied:
"It's a fairly simple spell that uses particles from the wind element. To create it, the magic formula is: Breeze = [N₂ + O₂] ↑ΔK + Agka(α) · ∇Ψ. With that, you can create the 1st circle spell."
Manipulating fundamental particles was the basis of elemental magic. Nitrogen, oxygen, fire... They were nothing more than toys in the hands of those who understood the formulas. She did not understand this yet.
Wind is a manifestation of the directed movement of gaseous particles, mainly nitrogen and oxygen, activated by a 'magical driving force'.
However, this does not apply to all branches of the Magical Path that exist; it only applies to spells that use particles associated with natural elements.
Jenna's eyes widened in surprise before she fell into deep thought, as many magic formulas ran through her head. She muttered, "I see that formula is quite advanced. And if I apply it to a fireball, it would be: Fire = [C₈H₁₈ + O₂] + ΔH + Agka(β) · Φ(t) + ∇Θ..."
Kael didn't say another word as he waited for his turn to be called.
The minutes passed, and they called each one: after Soren, it was Jenna, followed by Lyra, Jasper, and finally, it was Kael's turn.
"Kael."
Elder Roy called out using sound and transmission magic that resonated in the heads of the Flagbearer.
Kael entered the mouth of the Carp Toad. The interior was pale green, with walls fibrous like raw flesh, but dry as dead stone.
A metal table stood in the center, and on it was a map of Kiran Mountain.
"Come closer, I'll show you where you need to go and the location of the dungeon you need to clear," said Elder Roy.
Approaching the table, Kael looked at the map very carefully, observing the different markings on it.
At that moment, a notification window appeared in front of him.
Ding!
[Do you want to save an image of the Kiran Mountain map?]
[Yes/No]
Kael was not surprised by the timely appearance of the system. Without hesitation, he pressed "Yes."
Ding!
[An image of the Kiran Mountain map has been saved. You can access the saved image at any time.]
"Young Kael, pay attention, I won't explain twice." Elder Roy's expression hardened when he saw that Kael was distracted.
Kael nodded. Pretending to pay attention was more useful than asking questions.
Elder Roy began to speak:
"The dungeon you will have to clear with your group is located in the eastern part of the mountain. Specifically, at this red dot on the map. You have to be careful, because this is the territory of the Iron Miner Bears, Silver Wolves, and Lightning Boars."
Elder Roy continued explaining, pointing out routes, dangers, and key areas with military precision. He also told Kael that, due to the winter season, many Silver Wolves and Lightning Boars were in mating season, so they were very calm.
"However, don't be too confident, because wild animals also awaken magical powers, and some have several Zu inhabiting them. Therefore, it would be more reliable for your group to have someone skilled in investigative magic; it would be a great help."
But if only he knew that Kael's group consisted of only two people: himself and Eren. Neither of them specialized in investigative magic, nor did they have a Zu to help them with it.
"That's all. Do you have any questions?" Elder Roy looked at him briefly. During all this time, Kael had not said a single word.
Kael shook his head. Everything was clear to him. He was more concerned about the future attacks he would suffer once he left the city.
He had noticed the look his brother Jasper had given him while he was talking to Jenna: it was a look of pure death.
Hehehe... Bro, you're too cute.
He left Zu Carp Toad and went to meet Eren to give him some instructions before leaving for the dungeon.