Part 7

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And finally, the moment had arrived. I'd read Roxy's textbook almost to bits. I was just too careful with books, which are quite rare and expensive in this world. Especially since they were my Roxy's books! Anyway, I was definitely ready by now.

For practice, we decided to leave the village for a while and took Paul's horse.

Yeah...

- You haven't ridden yet in your new life? - Roxy asked.

She had noticed how uncomfortable I was on horseback.

- I didn't ride horses in my last life either.

- You didn't?

- We haven't used animals for transport in a long time.

- What about then... did you have a different way?

- Yes. Mostly cars, motorised transport quickly pushed horses out of history. Although, some people still did horse racing, but only as a sport. Even in the countryside, farmers use mostly cars.

- That sounds very progressive. It's hard for me to imagine such machinery and its proliferation. What time are you from, Rudeus?

- Oh, that's right...I didn't specify somehow and you thought I was from this world, just reborn.

- Didn't you? - Roxy was surprised.

- Nope, I'm from another world. There's no magic there at all, so mankind evolved in technology.

- I see... a world without magic, that doesn't sound very good.

- Oh, magic is amazing, but believe me, my world has technology that is just as good as magic, and in some places even superior to it.

- Such as?

The sorceress was clearly interested in this conversation. And although I didn't really want to remember my past life, but here was Earth itself, some things I longed for.

- The Internet.

- What's that?

- Oh... it can't just be explained in a few words... with technology we can subjugate electricity, light, sound. We've learnt to create dynamic images, encrypt them and transmit them, or store them. Like illusions. We also learnt how to transmit sound, creating telephone lines and then mobile phones. People in different cities, even on different continents, could communicate with each other as if they were next to each other. Or even through video links, seeing each other. The Internet, on the other hand, is perhaps the quintessence of advances in communication technology. Computing machines that store videos, music, books, and all kinds of information, all connected to a common network. Imagine, any book from any library in the world you can read on a device that fits in your pocket.

Yeah, I'm getting a little carried away.

I can see Roxy herself listening impressed.

- Sounds incredible.

- Yeah," I sighed, "I guess I kind of miss it. I couldn't imagine an evening without a new book or film. And here we only had five books in the house. It was just a monstrous hunger for information.

- Oh... I think I understand. - The sorceress smiled. - After I left the magic academy, I was unaccustomed to not having a library around anymore.

- Huh... we really understand each other well.

- Yeah, but what you were describing sounded amazing. Would you want to go back to that world?

- No.

- What? Why not? - The sorceress was surprised.

- You weren't there.

- I see.

Roxy smiled softly. She liked my words, but now she was no longer as embarrassed as she'd been before, and she accepted the expression modestly enough, but clearly with pleasure. I, on the other hand, fell silent, involuntarily thinking about magic and technology. The longing for the internet made an interesting thought pop into my head all by itself. Is it possible to recreate this technology with magic? Or try with something simpler.

Although, my current level isn't enough for that. It's not even a matter of knowledge of spells, but a basic understanding of magic and the forces of nature on which the technologies I know are based. Still, I was not that erudite a person who could assemble a working electric generator in the Middle Ages.

And then I shook my head and went back to thinking about holy rank water magic.

Although, I was more favoured with fire, but Roxy wasn't good enough at it to train me at the proper level. My exam would be to create holy rank magic, specifically the spell - cumulonimbus. Although, I have learnt quite a few other spells before this, but that is still not enough to deconstruct them into fragments for further combining magic. I need to use them, to feel each spell with my body.

- We're here, Rudy.

- Yeah, right...

I looked around.

A grassy plain and a lone tree.

- Well, you can get started. - Roxy smiled, getting down from her horse.

She settled herself on a stump nearby. More precisely, it was a wooden bench, carved out of some kind of stump. Seems the locals come here sometimes to sit in silence and admire the view. This place seems a little too open for couples to meet.

- Wait...

Taking the wand from my belt, I waved it and conjured earth magic, the energy flowing downwards from me and branching out, the task of searching, transforming and gathering, and then changing shape. And in a matter of seconds, a stone peak grows in the middle of the plain, taller than the tree standing here next to it.

- Why did you do that? - Roxy asked.

- Cumulonimbus, those are rain clouds. What if there's a thunderstorm? And we're in a field...

- I don't understand... - The girl frowned.

- It's a lightning rod. I made a frame of stone and assembled metal on top. If lightning strikes, it'll hit here, not us.

- Oh, that's how it works.

- You didn't know?

The girl shook her head negatively.

- Now I see...

I guess she had seen lightning rods before, but didn't know what they were or why.

In any case, having made this insurance, I proceeded to read the spell. To be exact, I didn't say it out loud, just mentally. Although I was somewhat accustomed to investing generously in advanced rank magic and even complicating spells with additional fragments from other spells, but the magic of a saint was on a completely different level, both in terms of complexity of formation and mana requirements. And that's just fine! Yes, it's a little hard to get used to, but soon I'll be able to empty my magic reserve to the brim again. I've been too preoccupied with Roxy lately to get my mana reserve up to snuff. And these new spells should make it easier.

- Well done, Rudy, you're doing great! - The sorceress cheered me on.

Yes, collect mana, channel it... the target of the action is very high and it also affects the energy expenditure. Action, gathering atmospheric moisture and forming thunderclouds. Cumulonimbus.

Under the effect of magic, the vast sky darkened, lightning flashed in the gloomy black clouds. And soon, it rained. Water magic is really powerful in controlling the weather. And, now I had another hour to maintain this spell. It was no longer something difficult, rather tedious. Once I loosen my grip and the clouds begin to gradually dissipate, they constantly need to be fuelled with mana. Less than it takes to create a cumulonimbus, but still not insignificant. Not only does it take skill, but it also takes a lot of mana.

Perhaps if I knew how clouds formed in nature, I could have added a spell to make the storm front sustain itself for a while. But, alas, all I had to do was rape nature.

And, it was even kind of boring.....

And I already had a pretty good grasp of several types of magic and knew I was capable of more than just maintaining a cumulonimbus. So I decided to do the trick that had sprung up in my head. Now that the thunderclouds have already been created, all I need to do is maintain them, I can perform other manipulations with magic as well.

It's worth explaining that even with the "algorithms" in mind, when activated, magic allows you to experience the world around you on a completely different level. When I influence an element, I can practically feel it, and if I sharpen these sensations to the limit, I can seem to touch the smallest particles of matter with my magic. It allowed you to better understand the essence of what you were doing with your magic.

And right now, I created an air current...

Or rather, I pulled a thread of mana towards the heavens, right towards that cluster of clouds that was rattling with lightning, and then used fire magic to change the charge of the atmospheric air...

И...

BANG!

The white flash blinded for a moment, and a bright lightning bolt drew a line of plasma from the heavens towards the ground. Not to the lightning rod, but to where I pointed with my mana thread. At the same time, I was hit by a powerful gust of wind, more like a shockwave that made me shudder inside. Yes, the monstrous temperature of lightning instantly heats the air and it expands dramatically, breaking the sound barrier and actually creating thunder. I may not know that much about the formation of clouds themselves, but lightning has been a big interest of mine for some time.

- Ha-ha-ha-ha! - Hilarity flooded me.

After all, I didn't create the lightning, I sort of provoked the cumulonimbus and created the paths, pointed the direction for natural lightning to strike.

- I'm the god of thunder! Nya-ha-ha-ha-ha!

BABAH!

BOOM!

Cumulonimbus continued to furiously spew lightning where I pointed. Roxy, on the other hand, could see me pointing my finger in a certain direction, and a moment later a bolt of lightning would strike somewhere in that direction.

And now for the colourful trick. I twisted the ionisation line and the next lightning bolt was to take a very exotic spiral shape. True, it turned out to be some broad nonsense... like hundreds of intertwined branches of atmospheric electricity.

- Rudeus... are you summoning lightning? - Roxy asked in surprise.

- Well, yes... I charge the air where I want to strike lightning. Can't you do that?

The girl shook her head negatively.

- Hey, try it! Can you create a thread of mana to those clouds and... um... charge it with fire magic?

Interested, she tried it herself.

- Just don't charge the whole thread towards you, but make, um, a stream to the side if you don't want the lightning to hit you.

The girl nodded concentratingly.

- Nggh... oh great spirit of the sky!

And she began to recite the spell.

The girl used air and fire magic in succession, but she couldn't summon lightning, she got some kind of fire tornado, which was extinguished and dispelled in seconds. And suddenly it hit me. The wind!

Once again, fragments of fire magic are woven into the rhythm of the cumulonimbus spell in effect. 

I'm changing the temperature of the air over a large area, which requires a lot of mana. This can already be called holy rank magic. And, my reserve is starting to run low. If this doesn't work, I won't be able to maintain the cumulonimbus for an hour. The warm air is rising higher. But that's only making it harder to maintain the clouds. But, the big picture has already emerged. I'm already spending almost all of my remaining mana to cool the upper atmosphere above the thunderstorm. The atmospheric pressure begins to change naturally and, gradually, I begin to loosen my grip on the storm.

And then I drop my hands, ceasing to feed the spell.

- Rudeus? - The sorceress looked at me in confusion.

- I just thought it would be too tiring to maintain the spell for an hour. So I changed the atmospheric pressure to create a normal thunderstorm instead of a magical one. I think it'll last an hour, maybe more.

Roxy sighed impressively, raising her head to the sky.

- Unbelievable...

A bright flash lit up the sky, and lightning struck the lightning rod.

- I didn't put that thing there for nothing.

BANG!

Another bolt of lightning.

Because of my games with the air charge, many invisible trails appeared between the cumulonimbus and the ground and dissipated, but some charge remained. It was just that it was no longer concentrated in the form of clear lines and the lightning bolts were hitting just anywhere.

And I still had some mana left, so....

With a wave of my hand, I create a form of a simpler water spell, creating a thin film of a protective sphere. It also absorbs the raindrops, sheltering Roxy and I from it. I could have used this earlier. And then I just activate fragments of fire magic, lowering the "charge" of the water shield.

Now the lightning didn't even strike near us, just away from us.

- Oh, thank you. - Roxy smiled. - But, we're already soaked.

- Yeah, but I changed the water charge so that the protective sphere couldn't be the target of lightning.

- Um... I mean...

- Yeah, we can't be struck by lightning now.

- Rudeus.

- Yes, Roxy?

- Let's go home.

- Is the exam over? - I grinned.

I realised that this was not just a level of holy rank, but a deep understanding of it. Not every mage of holy rank is capable of such a thing. Roxy, on the other hand, couldn't do that. And, it's not a fact that even royal and imperial mages are able to manipulate the fundamental laws of nature in such a way, rather than just raping physics with spells.

The achievement "God of Thunder" has been obtained!

Reward: Random Talent

Electrification

You have gained a special aptitude for manipulating electricity with magic

I directly felt a slight stirring in my body, as if... magic itself was being rearranged in some way and a tickle went through my nerves. Only, I was running low on mana. If I spent any more now at least on some medium-level magic, I could collapse without strength. Therefore, I'd better leave the experiments with electricity for later.

And in general, this achievement felt even somehow....

As if this dance with lightning impressed the system itself.

Even the talent I gave out wasn't a joke or a perverted talent. And that's already considered more of a rarity.

- Rudeus... let's hurry up.

Roxy led the horse, who was clearly not weakly so frightened by the thunderstorm. And, climbing into the saddle, we headed back to the village. And I leaned back relaxed against Roxy's soft body.

- Rudy...

- Yes, Roxy?

- I think... I should go to the academy.

- А?

- It's just... what you've done... it's inspiring. I... reached saint rank in water magic and stopped there. I thought it was enough, and it was too hard to learn any more. But... what you're doing... it's a thrill....

- And you're driven to go further down the path of magic, even if it's not necessary, you just want to achieve more, because magic is awesome! Right?

The girl turned slightly pink and nodded at me with a smile.

- But I'll be sad without you. - I smiled softly in response.

- We'll still be connected. I mean, I promised to wait for you... and we have this system, a shared inventory. And I'll be sad too...

The elation of her success in magic was replaced by a kind of light sadness about her future separation from Roxy. But I understood her. And felt that if I asked now, she might stay. But I didn't want to limit her growth as a wizard. Maybe I should ask my parents to let me go to the magic academy too. Though, given my age, I doubt they'd go for it, even with my talent in magic. I wouldn't reveal my reincarnation to them. And they'd be upset if I left anyway. I'm the only child in the family, even though they're trying to have another. I don't really care about Paul, though. But I didn't want to upset Zenith like this.

- I'll put magic books in my inventory from time to time. You can read them, but bring them back, okay?

- Oh, of course! Roxy, that's genius!

This way, I can further develop myself in terms of magic, too, while still being with my family. Although, going to the academy with Roxy would be really nice, too.

By the way, right now, with wet hair, she looked just fine.

And just when we got back...

- Mr Rudeus, Miss Roxy, I've prepared hot water for you. - Lily announced.

Taking a warm bath after being caught in the rain and changing into clean and dry clothes is something of a tradition around here. And, in general, quite a logical action.

- Oh, thank you, Lily!

Though, of course, she had warm water ready in different rooms. But, I was thinking, nothing bad could happen if I took a bath with Roxy. Well, it's not a bath, it's a bath in a wooden basin. And the fact that we're both naked, I'm only five years old! At that age you can bathe with your mum in the bath.

And you can use magic while bathing!

Even with the remnants of my reserve, I was still able to use the simplest spells freely. If in the beginning I barely had enough for a couple of spells, now I can use them almost endlessly, without even thinking about the waste of mana.

- You're good at combining spells. - Roxy remarked as I created some hot water.

- Thank you...

It's not that she can't do it herself, but it's harder for her. On top of that, she can't fully rearrange spells the way I do, since she still needs a verbal form for magic.

In the end, though the day left some sadness, it also brought a sense of success.

Roxy, on the other hand, stayed with us for a few more days, but in the end, she decided to move on. Over the red mountains to the kingdom of Ranoa to attend the magic academy again. Not quite as a student anymore, more like a free student, or just to visit the academy's library. And then continue on my way.

- But I'll be back in five years. - She told me before we parted. - Or maybe you'll find me. We can still communicate through the system.

Although, it didn't have a chat function, but we could just write letters and pass them through the shared inventory.

- I'm going to miss you.

- I will, too.

- And, I know a lot of knights will offer you their hand and heart.....

- They won't. - The girl smiled.

- No, they won't. You're a cutie.

- Huh... anyway, I've already chosen you.

- Ohhh...

This goodbye was dragging on.

- Oh, Rudy, take this...

She took the amulet she usually wore around her neck and kissed it fondly before handing it to me. It was clearly not a magical item, just a trinket, but it was obviously precious to Roxy.

- Is it a marriage locket or something?

- Haha... well, maybe. - She showed her usual soft smile.

And the last night was probably memorable for a long time. I had somewhat overdone the dark rod spell and even in the morning I felt physically exhausted.

The next day...

- Thank you for your hospitality these past two years.

And here she is, all packed up.

- Roxy. You can stay a little longer.

- Yeah, and we owe you for fixing the drought last year.

Oh, my parents were upset about the breakup, too. Everyone was used to the sorceress and sad at this point.

- It's my pleasure, but please forgive me. I want to continue travelling the world and improve my magic to keep up with my student... so much.

- See you later, master. - I sighed.

And, still, my heart clenches in my chest.

- See you later, Rudy.

She couldn't help herself and leaned down and kissed me.

Only on the cheek, though, because my parents are here, and I have to keep up appearances.

- Oh-oh-oh-oh..." Paul said meaningfully.

- I'll see you later. - Roxy bowed her head.

And, fixing her hat, strode away.

- I'll see you out. - Still, I decided to stretch the moment a little longer.

So we parted only just outside the village, where I was honoured with a sensual kiss on the lips.

When I returned, I realised that I did not like saying goodbye. And again I wondered whether I should have done it at all. But maybe leaving it now was the best thing to do.

- Oh, you're Roxy's student! - A Starkey waved at me as I passed.

- Ah, hello... - I answered in the same way.

I don't go to the village itself very often, but they recognise me.

Back home... it's really sad. I'd grown so used to Roxy, I'd forgotten what it was like to live here without her. After all, she's been with us for half my new life!

- Mr Rudeus, your mother calls you to the table. - Lily interrupted my solitude in the room.

- Yes, all right, I'll be right there!

Well, I must get ready.

I'll read the grimoires after dinner. No, first I need to develop new structures of costly spells, so that I can empty the reserve of magic. Then I'll study new things. After all, I should continue my development too, even without a teacher. The very next night, I found a note from Roxy in my inventory.

"don't be sad."

She's so nice!