W1.A2-10: Mom’s Gonna Be a Mage!

Along with the moderate flow of the underground river, our boat continued to move closer to our destination. It had been a few hours since we started the journey, and according to my estimate, it should be around sunset by now. Anyway, it didn't matter in the underground, where the only light source we had was the magic lamp.

"Dan, look! I can see the light!" At that moment, Lena suddenly exclaimed, "Is that the exit? It was faster than I expected." Mom also seemed surprised at the quick pace we were making.

"That's not the exit," I replied. "We still have to travel throughout the night, and only around noon will we be out."

I pointed at the light in the distance, which became closer as we advanced, and added, "It should be a cave-in or something similar."

As we neared the location, it became clear that the opening was something entirely different. Tree roots could be seen piercing the ceiling of the tunnel, climbing down the walls. The roots formed a dense net spread only on the walls on both sides, with the thickest part being three times the size of my waist. The sunlight was able to grace this tunnel of perpetual darkness through the opening that the tree roots had made.

"Wait! That's..." Suddenly, something grabbed my attention as I turned to Lena. "Stop the boat near that hole, but be ready to leave as soon as I come back!"

Lena was a bit curious after hearing my instructions, but she was not worried as she saw my excited expression and knew it was not a bad encounter. As soon as the boat neared the light-shrouded area, I jumped out before even waiting for it to halt.

Due to the sunlight, the walls on the sides were covered with a layer of moss, making them a bit slippery. But the roots attached to the cave walls provided a stable enough grip for me to climb up. That's right! I was climbing out of the hole.

There were some leaves stuck in the roots just now, and if I was not wrong, they belonged to a rare tree. I could have checked the roots for confirmation, as, if my guess was right, they too would carry a flow of mana within them. But time was tight as I could feel the light showering down from the sky being tinged with an orange hue, indicating the setting of the sun.

As such, not a moment could be wasted; hence, I moved with such haste.

"It really is this."

As I climbed out of the gap within the roots, a towering tree greeted my sight. It would have seemed to touch the sun had it been around noon. Its leaves looked as if burning, round like the sun; their collective movement created a mirage as if the whole tree were burning. But I knew that even if the whole forest caught fire, this tree would never get burned down. It was because it carried the nature of fire within. It was popularly known as the Flarewing Firefruit Tree.

Moving my gaze around its foliage, I spent only a few seconds before my gaze locked onto a yellow glow that appeared conspicuous enough amidst the fiery red leaves.

Not wasting a moment, I moved my limbs and hurriedly climbed up the towering trunk. The forest's heat wave struck me as I was out of the cold tunnel. Coupled with the fiery mana exuding from the tree, the atmosphere created was enough to suffocate even a master-level expert without the protection of mana.

As I climbed to the top, the temperature turned even higher as the leaves moved in a fiery motion, but I paid no attention to anything else as my sight was fixed on my target. "Got it!" As soon as I got my hands on the firefruit, I paid no attention to the scalding heat it was emitting in my palm and hurriedly used my mana-covered finger as scissors to cut off the stem.

As soon as it came off the tree, the mana within the fruit turned tame, with all of it concentrated inside. After securing the fruit, I didn't dare to search for another fruit and hurriedly climbed down.

Screeee—!

Just as I was about to enter the gap between the roots, a distant call of a bird was heard that echoed around the whole center of the fiery forest. The sound carried an inviolable majesty and power. My senses could also detect an entity with high mana concentration moving closer to my location. So, wasting no time, I dove down, leaving no trace of the theft I had just committed.

"Go!" As soon as my feet touched the surface of the boat, I signaled for Lena to move.

Screeeeeee——!

We had only advanced about a hundred feet when another cry rang out, this time filled with rage. A wave of heat also entered the tunnel but felt only like a warm breeze until it reached us.

"Is that..." Lena pointed at the opening before looking at the fruit in my hand as a guess appeared in her head.

"That's right." I nodded, knowing she had recognized its origins. "It's the firefruit capable of awakening innate fire-type mana."

"You really have this thing!" Lena was amazed. "You know, one of the highest bounties in the Adventurers Union is to collect this tiny thing. But while the demand is high, barely a few are found in decades, and they all end up in the hands of the royal family or aristocracy."

"Is it that amazing?"

My mother, still a bit stunned after hearing the monstrous screech of the angry creature we had just brushed past, looked at the tiny yellow fruit in my grasp in surprise.

"It is," I nodded before throwing the fruit toward her. "For you."

"Ah!" My mother screamed as she saw the fruit Lena had just proclaimed as precious falling towards her hands. She hurried to catch it, afraid it would fall down and get ruined.

"What are you doing, Danny? How can you handle such an expensive thing so carelessly—huh?" As she got her hands on the fruit, my mother began admonishing me when, all of a sudden, she felt something in her hand and got stunned.

The fruit within her grasp had begun to emit a soft and warm glow. It started out as a thin layer before expanding and covering Mom's whole fist.

"W-what is happening?" Mom suddenly got a bit scared, which was normal considering she was not used to things like a fruit glowing out of nowhere. Still, her composure was commendable for not flinging the fruit from her hand. However, I was more inclined to believe it was because she thought it was an expensive thing that should not be ruined.

"Everything's fine, Mom." I walked over and comforted her as she gazed nervously at her hands. "This is a good thing."

Even I was surprised that there would be such an intense reaction. But this was a good sign!

"Congratulations, Mother." Lena also smiled, having understood my intentions. "Now you can also begin to sense mana and train."

"Train mana?" Mom appeared a bit bewildered. "Who? Me?"

"No, how's that possible?" Mom shook her head as she refused to believe it. Walking over to Lena, she tried to hand the firefruit over. "It's better if you keep this safe, Lena. Don't joke around with it like that."

I could only scratch my head when I saw this. But maybe it was to be expected since it was quite unfathomable for an ordinary person like her to suddenly gain the ability to have supernatural powers.

"Mother, let me explain." In a rare calm voice, Lena took Mom's hand in her grasp and took her to the side to persuade her.

"Actually, it's not your fault to be this stunned. Normally, only in the Royal Capital are people tested for their mana talent when they come of age. In other places outside the capital city, only when someone stands out too much due to their strength or any other factor are they scouted by various forces. You should have heard about it, right?"

"I have." Mom thought for a bit before nodding. "There was a case of someone from the nearby town having amazing strength since childhood. After that, he was scouted by a merchant group and taken away for training. Many years later, when he returned, he had already become a swordsman."

Hearing their conversation, a smile crept onto my face. Usually, Lena appeared a bit impulsive, but that was only when she was in my presence. Otherwise, she was quite meticulous and sharp. Like how she had now involved Mom in her conversation and was easing her worries a step at a time.

"But... how can I learn to wield a sword at this age?"

Mom suddenly threw a question, which left Lena and me speechless for a while.

"Hahaha~! The silence was broken after I and Lena began laughing hard.

"You two! What are you laughing about?" Mom appeared a bit annoyed but also a bit embarrassed, as she didn't know what she had said incorrectly.

"Oh, Mother. It's our fault for not being detailed enough." Lena controlled her laugh and explained patiently. "Actually, mana can be wielded in various ways, of which two are the most popular."

"The first category is the one in which the practitioner uses mana to enhance the physique. It can be delivered in various forms. Some fight barehanded, some use spears, but what our kingdom is most famous for are the swordsmen."

Lena paused a bit before adding, "In reality, they are all the same; only their methods of exerting power are different. The style of their pursuit and the intents they study also differ a bit but are fundamentally of a similar origin."

"The next popular route is magic-wielding." Lena looked at Mom's curious face and continued explaining. "People who choose this route are generally known as mages, and instead of using it to fight at close range, the magi learn spells and runes to control mana to create wondrous changes and generate terrifying powers!"

Mom was astonished because she had heard of mages before but never associated them with the swordsmen, as the former appeared more mysterious. But it was not her fault, as the kingdom she lived in paid more attention to physical wielders of mana. Therefore, knowledge about mages was scarce, at least outside the capital city.

"So you mean to say... I..." Mom still had some difficulty understanding the sequence of events, but she slowly came to realize our intentions.

"That's right, Mom." I walked over at the right moment. Grabbing her shoulder gently, I explained, "I want you to use this fruit to awaken your mana talent."

"But is it alright?" She hesitated still, having some misgivings.

Crouching in front of her, I grabbed her soft hands.

"It's going to be fine, Mom. Just do it."

"I know you were hesitating about agreeing to this trip when we were at home, afraid that you wouldn't blend in, right?" Gazing into her dark eyes, I spoke with firmness. "Now is your chance to integrate into our world. Then you won't have to worry about feeling estranged from your son. In fact, you could always join me on my adventures, and we will roam the world together."

"That way, we will be together forever."

A loving look appeared in her gaze as she looked at my excited face.

"Children your age can't wait to get rid of their parents, and you want to be with me this much?" Mom teased me while gently touching my face. "Alright, I'll try it."

I smiled after hearing her answer. For some reason, I had a feeling that the coming days were going to be more fun.