In the end, Calex didn't object to the extra organs, but still warned him about adverse effects. It was unexpected coming from him, but that was just a measure of the trust he had developed for his disciple. Or, his unwillingness to dedicate more concern to someone who didn't need or want it. Jane was fine with either.
'Hmm, should I go get my stuff back from my corpse? No, I didn't have much anyways.'
The three of them had made their preparations, so there was no need to delay further. They would be leaving. If there was one thing he would miss...
"Are you ready to go?"
Him and his brother had been living in this house for as long as they remembered. Leaving it behind felt a little ungrateful, but it was only an inanimate object. It wouldn't have hurt feelings over the matter. His brother nodded slightly, and picked up his luggage. The two brothers stepped out of the front door for what seemed like the last time.
---
After meeting up with his teacher, Jane activated his 'Concealment' and overlaid himself on top of his illusory self. Then, they did their final checks before setting off.
"What happened to the rabbits?"
"I sent them ahead of us."
"Is that fine?"
"Of course not. That's why we should hurry."
'Huh. Is there any non-caring reason to do that?'
"By the way, where are we going?"
"There's a large city a couple thousand merds away from here. We're going straight there, though. Since we don't need to refill on anything."
Indeed, aside from a couple adjustments, the three of them had been walking in a more or less straight line. The forest around them was beginning to yellow in anticipation of fall, and their footsteps occasionally crunched through leaves.
"Should we teach my brother magic? Just to make the journey a little quicker."
"...I don't mind if you attempt it while we're resting. But, normal people need to sleep at night, you know?"
"I'll keep that in mind."
With not much else to do, they continued to walk onwards.
---
As it turned out, Jane's brother had almost zero talent for magic. His ability to control the mana around him was nonexistent, and the runes he formed were incredibly sloppy.
"He's not as bad as you think. Being able to learn magic so easily is something that only you can do."
"Whatever. It's still enough to get something done, at least."
Since they were traveling, Jane taught his brother 'Reinforce Material' and 'Reinforce Flesh' first, then followed up with the more basic runes. His hope was that his brother would find the magic convenient, but it would probably take years before he reached that level of proficiency.
The three of them were gathered around a campfire, and eating in silence. His brother started manifesting runes from time to time. It was uncanny, seeing his two social spheres merge together.
'Oh, I'm back in control now— Wait, what's that?'
A faint light shone from above them. It looked like someone had used 'Light' all the way up in the sky.
"Run! Defend yourself!"
Calex grabbed Jane's brother and ran in one direction. Jane followed, not knowing the why. Behind them, there was... heat?
"Aghh—!"
Jane's clothes and hair instantly caught on fire, and his skin began to sizzle from the heat. He could feel steam trapped underneath. He cast negated 'Heat' runes behind him and began to heal the damage.
"Who's attacking us!?"
Ahead of him, his teacher began using internal magic to run faster. Jane followed with spells of his own.
"I don't know! They have a spotter in the air, so we need to keep quiet and conceal ourselves!"
As he said this, his body vanished from sight. Jane reduced the number of 'Illusion' runes, and so he too became invisble. Jane spoke in a hushed tone.
"What do we do?"
"...They're likely going to use up all of their mana, and attempt to erase this place from existence. We need to get as far away as possible."
Jane realized it instinctively. Him and his teacher were at a complete disadvantage. Just then, a salvo of high-speed water bombarded the forest all around them.
'It's electrified.'
As his body was being shocked, Jane reinforced it in order to soak up the blows. Using proper defense was too risky, since it might expose their location. His teacher had likely done something similar while shielding his brother.
"Is he okay?"
"...Sure, but I don't know if I'll be able to protect him from much more."
The same attack came again, but was much more concentrated this time. While defending, his teacher began casting more magic. It was 'Cross Distance', the teleportation magic he often used.
"We need to teleport away! I'll take your brother since I have more magic, so go 500 merds, in the direction of the brightest star!"
Jane realized his teacher's plan. He also realized why they were being ambushed.
'It's because of me.'
Judging by the coordination of the attack, there had to have been a serious reason. The most likely culprits were the zealots his teacher had mentioned. And the strategy his opponents used was...
'How can we escape? We need to lose the spotter, first.'
As his skin went numb from the shocks, he pored over all the possible options.
'It's impossible. We still need to rest and eat, and all of those things will attract attention. A single one of those mages is likely stronger than both me and my teacher, so if one is focused solely on detection...'
Jane smiled. His current actions weren't like him. With that, he cast dozens of 'Concealment' runes in the air, in preparation for his counterattack.
'No matter how I look at it, I'm going to die. If that's the case, I may as well make something of it. Come on, this guy killed me for a reason like that?'
He already knew what he had to do. In the space covered by the 'Concealment' runes, he gathered almost every remaining bit of his mana. Then, he cast it. Hundreds upon hundreds of negated 'Force' runes.
Almost immediately, a figure materialized in midair and began falling down. Jane did not miss that moment of vulnerability, running towards where that figure was going to land. Realizing his speed wasn't enough, he used the last of his mana to enhance his legs.
Soon, he found his target. Lying in a small impact crater, there was a hooded woman slowly coming to her senses. She was surveying her surroundings, looking for the one who attacked her.
'She's had engravings done, or else she wouldn't have survived.'
Jane rushed towards her, and immediately kicked the woman in the head. He wasn't done yet, though. Before she could regain her bearings, Jane stomped on her head.
'Not enough.'
Again and again, Jane stomped on her. At some point, she began struggling, but it was no use. By that time, he had already recovered enough mana to cast new magic. He once again used all of his mana to form a blade of air, and sliced straight through the woman's neck.
'She's not dead yet!'
The woman's caved-in skull rolled a bit, and her blood flowed incessantly. Left without other options, Jane continued to pummel her with his feet. He needed to make sure she was absolutely dead. However, something felt off. On the woman's face, there was...
'Wait, face? Shit—'
A smile.