31 – Episode 31
# 31
Balance is always important.
The excess of anything can be equal to its deficiency. It’s a phrase often used by the elderly, but the golden wisdom of this proverb hasn’t faded and has been passed down to modern people as ‘Brain freeze prohibited.’
In short, everything should be done in moderation.
Three eggs in gentle flavored instant noodles do not make it noodles, but an egg soup. The same goes for spicy chicken, mala, and cheese. If you put in too much just because it’s delicious, it turns into a brain freeze food.
But the Koreans, who unexpectedly loved such ludicrous combinations, enjoyed creating these bizarre dishes.
He took great joy and pride in it.
Garlic was his sacrificial lamb.
Garlic in the dish? But what? The Italian snobs just crush a piece and call it a day?
Oh my. How could that possibly bring out the scent? Go and fetch some minced garlic. Let’s put in about three bulbs worth.
Foreigners were shocked by this Korean culinary eccentricity, but Koreans enjoyed it and ate it well. It was our nature, a people who have been chewing on raw mugwort and garlic since the days of our ancestors.
This is why the black-haired alien magician Ian from another world failed to identify what went wrong with Mani Camberbell’s ‘Garlic Ginseng Chicken Soup’.
It’s just a regular garlic chicken soup, right? Regular? Really?
As they say, in a village of cyclops, those with two eyes are considered abnormal.
Let alone when a cyclops appears in a two-eyed village, anyone would think he’s mad.
Mani, a fellow magician, was also taken aback by Ian’s mad behavior.
“S-stop eating! You don’t have to eat anymore!”
Mani found it not difficult to predict Ian’s mental state.
The thought that if she presented a crazy dish, and he responded with more madness, she would give up!
This was an utterly magical way of thinking.
Seeing Ian chewing on the boiled garlic, like a bear trapped in a cave for 100 days, even Mani couldn’t help but get startled.
Even for Mani, a herb-shaman, it was something she’d never seen before.
Who in the world eats a whole clove of garlic like that!
However, contrary to Mani’s thoughts, Ian’s behavior wasn’t just a show.
Ian…he genuinely enjoyed the mushy texture of boiled garlic…!
The truth is, Ian, a gruesome Korean, knew how to eat raw garlic. To him, faux Korean food, which he was tasting after more than a decade, was incredibly delicious.
As Ian tore into the chicken with well-crushed garlic, Mani, unable to stand it any longer, shouted.
“Excuse me? You want me to stop eating?”
“Yes. I know you’re persistent. You’re really a dreadful fellow!”
“…?”
As Ian tilted his head, seemingly not understanding anything, the Knights praised him and Mani clenched her teeth at Ian’s audacity.
‘He’s a very weird magician but…’
‘…For now, he’s a magician helping us.’
In particular, the Dehitri brothers who had studied the scriptures with Ian almost shed tears at Ian’s self-sacrificing act.
For the Santiago Knights, no different from strangers… to make such an effort!
“In my 40 years as an herb magician, you’re the most abominable person I’ve met.”
“What did I do…?”
Ian felt a bit aggrieved at being called a ‘dreadful fellow’.
No, is it a sin to eat a delicious meal in this neighborhood?
Mani looked at the Knights with a serious expression. She didn’t know where they had brought this guy from, but thanks to the madman enjoying her food, they had to treat them as guests.
“What’s your name?”
With the mood getting increasingly serious, Ian could no longer continue his meal.
Regrettably, the samgyetang ends here.
“It’s Ian. Ian Eredis Raven.”
No sooner had Ian introduced himself, Mani looked taken aback.
“Eredis? Are you saying you’re the disciple of the Flame Mage Eredis?”
“Yes.”
Ian nodded.
As expected, Mani knew Eredis’s name. It made sense for a magician of her age.
“My goodness!”
With an expression that screamed of guilt, Mani looked towards Ian.
“My goodness! I heard rumors of my Eredes having a disciple! Never in my wildest dreams did I think you would come to see me!”
Mani hurriedly got up from her seat and dashed into the kitchen.
“I will bring out some new dishes, let’s eat and chat!”
“No, I don’t need any new dishes…”
But without even listening to Ian’s words, Mani prepared new food.
The moment she left the room, the knights burst into a broad smile and gave a thumbs up.
“That was an impressive performance, brother!”
“It’s a relief to know that you are a wizard!”
“…”
The only thing Ian actually did was eat chicken soup.
Either way, the knights accepted Ian as Mani’s guest.
#
The meal that Mani served was ‘real food.’
Seasoned meat with a sprinkle of pepper, a tiny bit of vegetable, and frothing beer.
“I apologize for being cranky. Consider this as my apology, don’t refuse and have some!”
“Yes sir!”
It was not until then that the knights cheered loudly and clashed their beer mugs.
Everyone was busy tearing into the meat and drinking beer. Though the menu was entirely meat-based, no one complained.
Vegetable? That’s what words are for. What? Is their species herbivore?
Ian chewed on his meat with a sad expression.
Ah, it seems we are back to super salted food …
It was consoling to know that pepper was sprinkled over it, per the signature practice of the vegetable wizard. But the fact that the meat was salty did not change.
‘My chicken soup…’
While the knights were enjoying their meal to the fullest, Elder, Mani and Ian discussed future plans.
“So… You’re going after the Manticore?”
The expression on Mani’s face darkened a bit as he mentioned the Manticore. He knew what a monstrous creature the knights were planning to hunt down.
“It’s not going to be easy. Several hunters have already fallen to it.”
Ever since the Manticore had appeared, Count Katrina had been offering rewards for hunters to capture it. It would have been ideal if professional monster hunters like the Santiago Knights had volunteered, but unfortunately, only those of poorer quality were available.
And all of the hunters had been defeated.
It was around then that the infamous Manticore began to enter the ears of the Santiago Knights.
“I know. It’s a crafty, treacherous creature.”
“Ever caught a Manticore before?”
“A couple of times when I was younger.”
Elder said indifferently.
“If you’ve caught one, things will go smoothly. I’ll join in too.”
“Are you sure?”
Surprisingly, Mani declared that he would personally take down the Manticore. Both Elder and Ian were shocked by the weak magician’s decision to hunt the creature.
Yet, Mani didn’t flinch.
“Of course. The Manticore is a monster that should never be left alone. For the sake of the forest, I should contribute as well.”
Elder had a feeling that their chances of capturing the Manticore had significantly increased.
To Mani, a resident of the forest, the Manticore was an unwelcome creature. She too wished to get rid of it, but she wasn’t very cooperative when the Count sent the hunters.
Her reason was simple: she didn’t believe the hunters could defeat it.
She had given them some of her magic potions, suspecting they would perish along with it. As she predicted, the hunters had failed.
But with the Santiago Knights, she had faith that they could take down the Manticore.
Not only did she trust in the knights’ array of weapons, the skill of Elder, the robust elderly man in front of her, was also not to be underestimated.
“What are you going to do?”
“Me?”
Ian gave a helpless smile.
Having connected the knights and Mani, Ian had already done his part…
The problem was Mani’s connection with Eredis.
“If Eledis taught you well, you should be able to do your part as a wizard. Won’t you lend your wisdom to the knights?”
“…”
Marnie was older than Eledis, but she regarded her as a friend. Their time wandering the world together had cemented their bond.
Eledis gave Ian a warning that he would one day be required to take on a ‘wizard’s duty’.
Wielders of mystical power, wizards inevitably encounter moments when they become entwined with others, regardless of their personal will.
Marnie’s suggestion was just such a case.
From Ian’s point of view, there was no need to go out of his way to catch the Mantikor.
He could disregard her suggestion, but if he did so, it would be considerably awkward to face Eledis later.
Bad rumors would spread in the wizard circle, and it might even become difficult to receive assistance from other wizards.
Despite wizards often seeming to work independently, they regularly held gatherings led by the ‘Wizard University’. This was created to protect wandering wizards and to use their mystic power for righteous acts.
For Ian to operate as a wizard, he needed to foster solid relationships with other wizards.
‘It can’t be helped.’
From the moment Marnie personally asked for this, the water was already spilled.
It was too late to back out. So, it was crucial for him to hide his displeasure. If he got angry here, it would lead to nothing beneficial.
“In truth, I wanted to personally witness the wickedness of the Mantikor with my own eyes.”
“Oh? You want to investigate the mystery of the beast?”
At Marnie’s question, Elder joined the conversation.
“This guy, the rumors say that he controls a Drake.”
“A Drake?”
A spark flickered in Marnie’s eyes.
There were those in the world who researched the mysteries of the beasts, referred to as ‘summoners’.
However, it was rare to find a summoner as young as Ian who was capable of commanding a Drake. Marnie considered Ian a wizard beloved by the beasts.
Maybe it was in recognition of this talent that Eledis nurtured him…
“He also has the ability to control rivers.”
“River magic? Are you saying he used hydrokinesis?”
Elder briefly explained the incidents that occurred at River Ville.
Manni could not hide his astonishment. If the story was not exaggerated, the magic that Ian had successfully performed was indeed difficult to master. Trying to perform it without the river’s favor…
“Ah, and he can also summon darkness.”
“…Darkness?”
Manni gawked at Ian with a bewildered expression.
Even accepting the summoning, could he really also handle hydrokinesis and shadow mastery?
When and how did he explore all these arcane mysteries? Ian deliberately ignored the curiosity-filled glint in Manni’s eyes.
He could not admit that he was a fraud, curiously navigating with the aid of the status window.
Even if that status window was somehow connected to a deity called the writer.
#
“Diverse experiences are important for a magician.”
The reason Manni drew Ian into the Manticore hunt was precisely because he wanted to verify Ian’s magic skills firsthand.
Magic is a communication with mysteries.
Just as closeness in body brings closeness in heart, a magician always needs to be close to the mystical forces they hone and polish.
However, even in communication, an appropriate excuse was always required.
Suppose you made a new friend, and that friend kept inviting you over under trivial, nonsensical pretexts. How would you feel?
At first, you might tolerate it, but eventually, you’d get tired.
Enhancing magical abilities is the same.
For a magician to grow, they need ‘appropriate’ situations to use magic. It’s not about meeting a friend simply to loaf around, but to explore diverse activities like watching movies, riding bicycles, playing games. It’s this variety that deepens the bond – a principle quite similar to friendships.
In the context of ‘having to hunt the Manticore’, how and through what mysteries would Ian communicate? Choosing the mystery to communicate with and defining the scope of the request depended entirely on the wizard’s skills. Ian, who communicated with mysteries, watched and advised a few words. That was all Mani wanted.