Chapter 298: Meeting Balba
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
“Alright, since I’m here. A new cantrip it is!” Angor puffed up his chest. “Tell me what kind of cantrip you want to learn.”
“Really, any cantrip?” Sailum was quite happy.
“Any, as long as it’s an elemental one.”
Angor’s tablet could only work out very basic cantrips, most of which used natural elements.
Nausica only planned to watch the kids having fun. However, when she heard Angor being so confident, she could not help teasing by asking, “How about you show us something that causes mist in the area?”
Among level-0 cantrips, Nausica only heard of a cantrip with such an effect called Dark Mist, which was available for Dark Wizards. There were other level-0 cantrips with a similar effect which all required a specific attribute, and there was no Element one.
Nausica asked this one to pull Angor’s leg. She never expected a valid answer.
Instead of replying her, Angor turned to Sailum again. “So a mist cantrip? How about you? I’ll show you one if you agree with her.”
Nausica watched with a smile. They all knew that Sailum was talented at Dark Arts, so he could easily learn to cast Dark Mist.
Nausica believed Angor asked Sailum’s opinion because he wanted Sailum to give a different answer, so he did not need to actually try something impossible.
She did not say it. It was only a harmless joke between friends, and she did not intend to embarrass Angor. Now that Angor was trying to distract their attention, she would gladly play along.
But she overlooked something—even if she successfully saw through Angor’s plan, the other individual on the scene might not obey her assumption.
… Sailum had not learned Dark Mist yet.
“Let’s do this then,” Sailum nodded happily. “I need to learn this one too.”
Nausica almost choked on her water. She saw Angor considering something with a serious expression. In order not to “embarrass” Angor any further, she decided to change the subject quickly.
“Actually, I’m not really interested—”
Knock, knock!
Someone came to the door of their yard.
They looked around and saw a bulky figure standing outside. Angor heard Sailum muttering something before he could get a good look at the visitor.
“Weird. He said he’s going to meet his professor. Why is he here?”
When Sailum invited the man inside, Angor noticed that it was someone he had not met in a while. Balba.
Balba had changed his wild dressing style into an ordinary one by wearing a common wizard robe, which did not help him cover his ferocious aura.
Nausica spoked to Angor, “We were ambushed by a flock of Abyss Rodent half a month ago. I tripped and fell among them by accident. Thanks to Balba, I escaped alive. That was when I lost my right arm too. Balba joined our team since that day.”
Angor believed he saw Nausica revealing a bitter look when she mentioned the “accident”.
“We invited Balba to our meal tonight. However, he didn’t accept the invitation because he heard Lady Flora came back to Brute Cavern,” Nausica explained Balba’s reason to come here so that Angor would not mind Balba interrupting their meal.
However, she worried too much. Angor considered Balba a savior when the man protected him from Hookdick’s assassin.
Balba joined them at the table. He gave Angor a really brief bright look before he returned to being all unruffled. He said nothing apart from a “Hello” as a courtesy.
Considering Balba’s mild frown, Angor took a guess that Flora did something to annoy Balba again.
Sailum went to bring a serving for Balba.
The fourth man at the table successfully turned their once joyful ambiance into an awkward silence.
Nausica tried to strike a topic by asking something, “Didn’t you go see Lady Flora? Why are you back so fast?”
Balba’s spoon halted in the air. “Someone told me that the professor already left by the time I arrived.”
Sailum frowned. “Again? Is she going to teach you anything at all? How irresponsible-”
“Hey, Sailum, careful with your words,” Nausica interrupted him with a serious look.
Sailum sighed. “It’s just… not fair for Balba. You know, we don’t see that many people stronger than Balba when we fought in the outer area of the abyss. If we know more spells, we would have kept that bastard!”
Nausica looked down. “It’s alright. I’ll find time to kill him myself.”
“What are you talking about? Which bastard?” Angor was confused.
Nausica lit up her pipe and inhaled. “It’s nothing. A cunning fool who tried to trick us. I can handle him.”
Angor realized Nausica did not want to talk about it, so he did not push.
“You can always ask me if you need help.”
Nausica nodded. “Relax. I know what I’m doing.”
“My professor already taught me a channeling method,” Balba suddenly spoke up.
It took them several seconds to realize that Balba was answering Sailum’s comment earlier.
“But we all have one. She should at least teach you that,” Sailum said.
Angor rubbed his temples. Now he thought about it, Flora never gave Balba anything yet. HE was the one who gave Balba the channeling method book.
He glanced at Balba and recalled Sunders words—”Do as you like. His fate is sealed.”
And he felt sad about it.
It seemed Balba was born with something to silence people. The meal went on in complete quietness again. The only sound they could hear was the food being munched on.