Dual Cultivation

Beside me are eight pieces of lumber and tools enough for six people. What we’re about to make is the most basic of wands, having only a magic jewel affixed at its end with no special ornaments.

I distributed the lumbers and the knives to the girls, one for each, and then I started the explanations as I worked on mine.

“The creation of magic wands can be divided into four stages. Drafting, Refining, Coating, and Installing. The first is drafting, so please begin by shaving your branches using your knives to create the body of your wand.” [Ryouma]

The knife in my hand moved from one end of the branch to another, shaving it layer by layer, slowly molding the branch into the rough draft of a wand’s body. The girls followed suit, and began shaving theirs as well. This part’s fairly easy, so even if they’re not used to it, they should finish in 20 minutes or so.

“Next comes refining. This part also uses knives or files to shave the branch, but this time, we’ll be pouring magic power as we shave the branch. Please shave the branch according to the flow of magic power.” [Ryouma]

This part’s a bit more difficult. If the branch is poorly shaved, the fibrovascular tube could be damaged, so it’s imperative that the craftsman ascertain where the fibrovascular tube is by pouring magic power into the branch as he shaves it. But what’s more is that a craftsman must shave the branch as much as he can. This stage is a crucial factor in deciding the quality of the wand.

As I explained that to the girls, I focused my Magic Perception, and worked on mine while I kept a watchful eye on the girls.

“…” [Riera]

“…” [Michelle]

Riera-san and Michelle quietly shaved their branches. They’re not bad for beginners, but they seem to be having difficulties feeling the flow of magic power, causing them to stop from time to time to check the position of the fibrovascular tube.

“Is it here?” [Elia]

“Ah! I did it again…” [Miyabi]

Elia and Miyabi-san are having a hard time shaving, but they’re doing a decent job of feeling the flow of magic power. They’re shaving too much though… I’ll give them some advice to help them out.

And finally, there’s one person who’s having a better time than everyone else. It’s Kanan-san.

“…” [Kanan]

She works quietly just like Riera-san and Michelle-san, but her hands move fast. Moreover, she’s barely damaged the fibrovascular tube. That’s a rare sight amongst beginners.

“Kanan-san, you’re doing a really good job. Please keep it up.” [Ryouma]

“Really?” [Kanan]

“Yes. I thought you’d have a harder time since it’s your first time, but you’re actually doing pretty well. By any chance, is Magic Perception your specialty?” [Ryouma]

“It is. I can only repair magic tools and use Enchantment Magic, so I naturally became good at it… Wait, you’re making a second one?” [Kanan]

Kanan-san said that out when she saw what was in my hands. Just as she mentioned, I’ve began working on a second branch. This stage is actually easy so long as one is good at Magic Perception. Moreover, I’m sharpening the knife with my ki, so I’m able to shave the branch really fast.

I’m already used to it, so if it wasn’t for me having to teach them, I could refine a branch up to the Refining Stage in five minutes. Of course, the quality is also good. If I use Qi Gong I can go even faster, and get better results. I don’t have to put a lot of strength when the knife cuts well, so I don’t end up shaving more than I should either.

Kanan was a bit surprised by my skill in wand making, but after that, she continued to work quietly along with the rest of the girls. By the time it was almost noon, the girls finally completed the Refining Stage. At that moment, Sebasu-san dropped by.

“Excuse me.” [Sebasu]

“Thank you for your efforts, Sebasu-san. You came at a good time; we were just about to take a break.” [Ryouma]

“Thank you for your efforts as well, Ryouma-sama. I came to deliver the ladies their lunch.” [Sebasu]

Sebasu-san took out a parcel that looked like a bentou, and began preparing the girls’ meal.

Meanwhile, I opened the window, and blew away the shavings with wind magic. At that, air entered from the outside, replacing the dusty air, and gathering the fallen woodchips. I gathered those and hid them away. As for Elia and the others, they cleaned up the workshop, and wiped the place clean with a cloth.

Apparently, Sebasu-san had also prepared my portion as he lined up enough bentou for six people.

“I’ll be taking my leave now.” [Sebasu]

Sebasu-san said he had to go back immediately. It seems there’re still plenty of students who want to learn from Sebasu-san.

“The students here are all passionate, so there’s value in teaching them. I’ll have my lunch later, so please don’t mind me.” [Sebasu]

“Thank you very much. Please take care.” [Ryouma]

s

I sent off Sebasu-san, then I sat before my workbench where I’d left my bentou, and began eating.

“Let’s eat.” [Ryouma]

When I opened the bentou, what was inside was a meat and vegetable sandwich with some fruits on the side. As we ate our sandwiches, I talked about the concepts we touched when refining the branch. After 30 minutes, we finished eating, and we went back to working.

“We’re done with the Drafting and Refining stages, so up next is the Coating Stage. First, you need to prepare a soft paint brush and paint. Then you need to mix powdered magic jewel, and coat your brush with it. With this, you’ll be able to let magic power flow easier, and reduce leakage.” [Ryouma]

“The mixing of the powdered magic jewel with paint is the same as the ink used in magic formations, right?” [Kanan]

“Yes, after all, the purpose is the same as the ink, which is to let magic power flow better. So there’s not much of a difference.” [Ryouma]

There’s also the quick drying property in the ink for the lesson’s sake, but I’ll just put that aside.

“Try to make the magic jewels as thin as possible when crushing them. And please ensure that the mix is even all over when coating. Otherwise, the flow of magic power won’t be equal throughout your wand, and it’ll be harder to use it.” [Ryouma]

After that, I continued to observe the work of the girls. The one who excelled the most was Michelle-san. You could really feel her experience from her speed in pulverizing and mixing magic jewels.

After the Coating Stage ended, we left the wands leaning against a wall to dry them. Then I took out magic jewels with a diameter of 3cm along with some bowl-shaped pedestals split in half, and distributed them to the girls.

Supposedly, if one is aiming to be a wand craftsman, even the cut of the magic jewels and the creation of the pedestal should be studied, but today’s lesson’s focus is on the practical so side, so I’m omitting that for now. They can just these things that were made beforehand.

“The next stage is the last, and is the installation of the magic jewel. Once the coating dries, glue is melted in water at 60 degrees Celsius. Upon turning liquid, it is then mixed with the powdered magic jewel mix. The wand is completed when the magic jewel is successfully installed to the wand. The trick to installing the magic jewel lines in the pedestal, the wand itself, and in gluing the wand. Please make sure to cover every nook and cranny in glue. After that is…” [Ryouma]

I pull a drawer from one of the shelves in the storage room for tools, and pull out a cloth that looks no different from a white bandage. This cloth will be used to affix the wand to the pedestal while the glue is still drying.

After that, as we waited for the wands to finish drying, I talked to the girls about the different qualities of magic wands.

…I think it’s about time for the wands to finish drying.

After confirming that all of the wands were done drying, we proceeded to the next stage.

I took out a pan, and we heated the glue and the water together. The six magic jewels might not be big, but there’s still six of them being cooked, so it couldn’t be helped that the room grew hot.

We endured that heat, and successfully affixed the jewels to the body of the wand. Now all that’s left is to leave these here to dry overnight. In other words, today’s class is done for the day.

At this point, I suddenly felt like hearing what Elia and the others thought of my lesson. We just finished affixing the jewels after all, so I guess it wouldn’t hurt.

“Good work, everyone. With this, today’s lesson comes to a close. How was the class?” [Ryouma]

“It was really interesting.” [Elia]

“It was thorough, easy to understand, and really beneficial.” [Michelle]

I asked the other three, and they all seemed satisfied with the lesson.

“I’m happy to hear everyone enjoyed. Actually, this class is really unpopular. Only one student attends.” [Ryouma]

He has some errands to do for his family today, so he’s absent. But, normally, only Toll, who’s going to inherit his family’s business of woodcraft, attends. From time to time, a new student would come, but aside from that, he’s my only student.

“So normally, it’s just Ryouma-dono and another student?” [Riera]

“Yes. Even though it’s an important subject for magicians. But since most magicians would rather use their time to practice their magic, barely anyone attend the class a second time… Continuing the class would be beneficial for them too. But still… I won’t force them.” [Ryouma]

“Benefits? What sort?” [Elia]

“You had to use Magic Perception, right? That’s why if you keep making wands, your Magic Perception will be trained. That in itself has plenty of benefits.” [Ryouma]

I told the girls about how I was able to use Magic Perception right before our match a few days ago. They were suspicious at the start, but after I told them their respective magic power, they had no choice but to believe me. After all, I hadn’t heard about anyone else’s magic power aside from Elia.

“Being able to measure other people’s magic power aside, I’m sure we can all agree that the ability to sense magic power nearby is beneficial even to people who don’t use magic. And excelling at Magic Perception will also prove beneficial to someone wishing to excel at Magic Manipulation and Magic.” [Ryouma]

It’s difficult to manipulate what you can’t see.

Putting aside the training regime for magic in this world, it’s commonly accepted that magicians become better at magic the more they use it. Of course, magicians receive instructions on manipulating magic when training, but they’re also often told that Magic Perception can be naturally trained by using magic a lot.

That’s not wrong. However, because it takes a long time to train one’s Magic Perception, people often think it’s better to just train their magic, and train their Magic Perception in that way. And to be honest, I actually agree with them to an extent. But once the future and the casting of advanced magic is taken into consideration, I think it’s better to train Magic Perception by focusing on it.

“And so… I’ll be adding Magic Perception training on your menu starting tomorrow. Results are hard to come by in a short time, so I’ll have to ask you girls to continue training even after getting back to your academy.” [Ryouma]

There’s a way to train Magic Perception even without magic power, so they can train it so long as they have time. They should be able to train it without it getting in the way of their studies, right? Of course, it’d be great if they could get some results while they’re here, but I doubt they’d able to get any during their long vacation.

If everything goes well, they might get some results, but the whole vacation is five months. If you take away the time they used to get here, and the time going back, and the time to prepare for the next semester, they’ll have three months of vacation at most… I doubt that’s enough time to get results. I’ve been worrying about this since last night, but unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do about their time.

Which is why I told them about what sort of things they can do after training their Magic Perception. Now, all that’s left is to leave it up to their determination. As long as they keep it up, I’m sure they’ll get results.

As we were cleaning up after that, out of the blue, Kanan-san suddenly asked me a question.

“Speaking of which, Ryouma-kun, do you have a girlfriend?” [Kanan]

“Why all the sudden?” [Ryouma]

Being suddenly asked that, I couldn’t help but pause in my tracks for a moment.

“We were asked so when we got to the training facility yesterday.” [Kanan]

“Ryouma-kun, you rarely get seen around with women, so seeing you together with us was apparently a strange sight. Well, students and teachers aside, you being with female friends is apparently rare.” [Michelle]

“Kanan and Miyabi sure drew a lot of attention.” [Riera]

Michelle-san and Riera-san said as they continued to sweep the floor.

“I’m not seeing any girls as of now.” [Ryouma]

“While I was studying swordsmanship, some hopeful guys came, and asked if Ryouma-dono preferred men…” [Riera]

“That’s a definite no. Also, if you could tell me the names of those who’re asking, I’d be much obliged. I have to make sure to keep some distance after all.” [Ryouma]

I don’t have that sort of hobby!

“How about you guys? Since you’re all going to school, I’m sure you all must’ve more opportunities to mingle with the opposite sex near your own age.” {Ryouma}

The girls shrunk when I asked that.

“Well I’m usually either in my room or at the workshop except for during class hours or when I’m with Elia and the others, so no one’s asked me out.” [Kanan]

“Well if it’s someone we know, and the relationship becomes like that, then it’s another story.” [Miyabi]

“Most people just look at the family name, so I don’t think something like that could happen.” [Elia]

“For most noble children, the academy’s just a place to meet or rendezvous with others, so it can’t be helped… In other words, the world of love is also far away from us.” [Michelle]

Suddenly, Michelle-san remembered something, and she looked at Riera.

“But Riera’s different though, right?” [Michelle]

“If you’re going to ask whether there’s love, well it’d be troubling, but… I do have a fiancé.” [Riera]

“Really?” [Ryouma]

Well that’s news to me.

“I’m aspiring to be a knight, so my parents worried that I might end up marrying too late. Because of that, they went ahead, and got the son of a long distant relative, and, well… you know. As for what kind of person he is, he’s a quiet, serious guy.” [Riera]

Riera-san’s expression was calm and quiet. It would appear she’s not against her engagement. When I heard that she’s engaged, I thought her parents pressured her into it… I even imagined a situation where she would run away because she doesn’t want to be engaged, but apparently that doesn’t seem to be the case for her.

As I was thinking those things, the conversation stopped, and silence visited the room for a few seconds. The next few words that Michelle-san said next quickly changed the topic.

“…Hey, Ryouma-kun, could it be you’re bad with women?” [Michelle]

Mn? I don’t think so, but… why all of the sudden?

“I don’t so, no, why? Have I done anything strange?” [Ryouma]

“Mn~… Rather than strange, it’s more like you’re keeping distance.” [Michelle]

“Distance?” [Ryouma]

I couldn’t quite pick up what she was saying, so I ended up asking that, but everyone else aside from me seemed to understand. Michelle-san explained.

“It’s not to the extent that you’re cold or anything, but… It’s more like it always feels like you’re just focused on work.” [Michelle]

“Right, right, that’s exactly it. Our ages aren’t that apart to begin with, so it’s fine to speak your mind.” [Kanan]

“Oh, I see. I understand.” [Ryouma]

I wonder if it’s because I’ve never had any relations with women in my past life? I wasn’t doing it on purpose, but it seems I’ve unconsciously put up a wall… That’s definitely not a good thing…

“While you don’t have to force yourself to change immediately, it’d be great if you could get used to it slowly.” [Michelle]

“I’ll do my best.” [Ryouma]

“Then you should start by removing the “-san” from my name. I’m not used to being called with “-san” you see.” [Kanan]

“I understand, Kanan]

“Although it doesn’t feel as distant anymore, the way you say it sounds a bit strange.” [Kanan]

I can see that myself actually. It’s probably because it’s already become a habit.

“There’s no need to hurry. I also know very well that Ryouma-dono isn’t the type to hurt women. Moreover, Ryouma-dono is also our teacher, so please don’t hold back. Feel free to call me Riera.” [Riera]

“I understand, Riera.” [Ryouma]

“Don’t forget me.” [Michelle]

“Of course, Michelle.” [Ryouma]

…It definitely feels off. Get used to it!

Next is Miyabi-san, no. I will also refer to Miyabi as just Miyabi.

Like this the distance between us lessened, and as we chatted while sweeping the place, the last thing we talked about was the Magic Beast Tournament.

“Ryouma-han, are you entering the tournament?” [Miyabi]

“Didn’t you say before that you’re not interested?” [Kanan]

“Yeah, but I need to attend.” [Ryouma]

“Then wouldn’t you need to prepare? When’s the tournament?” [Elia]

“In nine days.” [Ryouma]

“Hey, there’s no time left at all.” [Michelle]

“Will you be using that kid that pulls the monster carriage?” [Kanan]

“No, only my slimes will be fighting.” [Ryouma]

After this, the girls told me that preparing for the tournament’s more important, so it’s fine even if we put the training for later.

I can feel the girls’ concern from their words, so I decided to use the days until the tournament for the slimes’ training and strategizing.

TL Note: Sorry for the lack of chapters, and thanks for being patient with me. I’ll start posting chapters as usual now as the construction near me is mostly finished. Same sched as before. Extra chapters will be released normally now too, except that the queue won’t be reduced until I’ve released the makeup chapters.