INFINITE - 19
He approached the counter and asked for some low-grade mana potions.
"One potion costs 10 silver," the shopkeeper said.
Bell nodded and bought three potions.
-------------------------
Bell stepped out of the shop and glanced down at the low-grade mana potions resting in his palm. The glass vials were tiny, barely larger than his fingers.
"These are some pretty small potions… small enough to fit in my pocket," he muttered under his breath.
He slipped them into his pockets with a quiet sigh and continued walking through the village streets.
As he wandered, his thoughts drifted back to Juro's words.
"Hm… he said we're going to train dodging. Is he planning to attack us physically, or use projectiles to force us to react…?"
Bell lowered his gaze toward his own hands. Small. Soft. Weak.
"I'm still stuck in a child's body," he thought bitterly. "My strength and overall power are heavily limited for now."
A cool breeze brushed past him as he looked up at the sky above the village rooftops.
"I should get us enrolled in a proper magic school eventually. Building a reputation early would help a lot." His eyes narrowed slightly in thought. "Maybe Juro has connections he can use."
The village remained lively around him. Merchants called out from their stalls while travelers wandered through the roads carrying supplies and goods. Yet among all the neatly arranged stands, Bell noticed one that stood apart from the rest.
An old woman sat quietly on the ground beside a small cloth mat covered in herbs.
Unlike the other vendors with wooden stalls and shade covers, she had nothing but a worn basket and a tired smile.
Bell walked past her at first.
The old lady looked up at him and asked gently, "Would you like to buy some herbs, dear?"
Bell gave a polite smile. "No thanks."
He continued walking.
But after taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped.
A faint smile tugged at his lips before he turned around and walked back toward her.
"Actually… I'll buy a few. My mom's been craving some good herbal tea lately."
He crouched down in front of her.
The old lady's tired eyes brightened instantly. Wrinkles deepened around her smile as she quickly gathered several bundles of herbs with shaky but eager hands.
"You're a great son," she said warmly. "I'm sure your mother is very proud of you."
Bell chuckled softly. "thanks. So, how much do I owe you for these?"
The old woman smiled kindly.
"You're the first person to buy from me today, so three copper coins will be enough."
Bell reached into his pouch.
Instead of copper, he pulled out five silver coins and placed them in front of her.
The old lady's eyes widened in shock.
"H-Huh?!"
She hurriedly pushed his hand back toward him.
"No, no, child! That's far too much! These are just herbs I picked outside the village!"
Bell's smile softened.
"So you handpicked these yourself?" he asked gently. "Then that makes them even more valuable. They're fresh."
Before she could protest again, Bell carefully took her frail hand and placed the coins into her palm. He folded her fingers over them slowly and gently.
The old lady froze.
Her lips trembled slightly as her watery eyes stared down at the silver resting in her hands. For a brief moment, she looked as though she might burst into tears right there on the roadside.
Then suddenly, she pulled Bell closer and wrapped her arms around him tightly.
"May this old lady know your name?" she asked softly, her voice trembling with emotion.
Bell looked slightly caught off guard by the sudden embrace, but after a brief pause, a gentle smile appeared on his face. He slowly patted the old lady's back.
"My name's Bell," he said softly.
"Bell…" the old woman repeated warmly. "You're going to grow into a truly great man one day."
She slowly let go of him, her aged hands lingering on his shoulders for a moment before falling back to her lap.
Bell stood up and gathered the herbs into his arms. He gave her a small wave before turning to leave.
"Bye."
The old lady smiled brightly and waved back at him. "Take care, dear."
As Bell walked through the village streets once more, his eyes drifted toward the herbs in his hands.
"Hah… Brent-herbs…" he muttered quietly. "These things are so common that people barely even consider them herbs anymore."
He stared at the leafy bundles for a few seconds before a faint smile formed on his lips.
"Still… having tea from time to time wouldn't be so bad."
..
…
Bell eventually returned to the library and began searching for Marc and Alex among the shelves.
After walking through a few aisles, Bell finally spotted them.
Both Marc and Alex were completely absorbed in their books, their expressions filled with focus.
Alex noticed Bell first.
"Oh, Bell!"
Marc immediately looked up as well, his face brightening.
"Bell!"
Bell walked over to them and handed the herbs to Alex.
"Here," he said casually. "Turn these into tea for your mom."
Alex blinked in surprise before smiling warmly.
"Really? Thanks, Bell."
Marc leaned forward curiously, staring at the herbs.
"Woaaah, are those herbs? Did you buy them?"
Bell smiled lightly.
"Yeah. I got lucky. There was a discount, so I ended up buying a lot."
Marc nodded in amazement before Bell asked,
"Anyways, are you two having fun with your books?"
"Yep!" Marc exclaimed immediately. "I'm already on my second book about the Greatest Mage. This one's called The Greatness of a Mage. He's seriously so inspiring."
Bell let out an awkward laugh and scratched his cheek lightly.
"Ahaha… I see…"
Then he glanced toward Alex.
"What about you?"
Alex looked down at the book resting in his lap.
"Ahaha… well, I'm learning a lot, but there are still parts that confuse me."
Bell nodded calmly.
"Don't rush yourself. The stuff you're reading is already impressive for someone your age. Just keep going at your own pace."
Alex's eyes softened slightly at those words.
"Thanks…"
Marc suddenly looked up at Bell again.
"Hey, sit with us and read too!"
Bell chuckled softly.
"Ahaha… I'd like to, but I think we should head back and check on Juro first."
Marc immediately slumped dramatically.
"Awwweeee… but I haven't finished the book yettt…"
Bell smiled faintly.
"We can always come back after training."
Marc's disappointment vanished almost instantly.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
Marc quickly stood up and carefully returned the book to its place among the shelves.
Afterward, he looked down at Alex.
"What about you Alex? Are you coming with us?"
Alex shook his head shyly.
"I think I'll stay in the library a bit longer. I really want to understand the fundamentals properly, hehe."
Marc grinned brightly.
"Alright then. Good luck, Alex!"
As Marc said those words, both he and Bell began walking toward the library exit.
Alex watched them leave quietly.
Once the two disappeared beyond the doorway, he lowered his gaze toward the book in his hands again.
A small smile appeared on his face, but behind it burned a quiet determination.
One day, he wanted to become good enough to help the people who had helped him.
..
As Bell and Marc walked back toward the inn, they casually talked along the way.
Marc's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"So what do you think our training's gonna be this time? ✨️✨️"
Bell placed a hand on his chin thoughtfully.
"Hmm… I mean, he did mention something about dodging earlier. So I'm guessing it'll probably involve reaction time and reflexes."
"Oooo, I'm excited for whatever it is!" Marc smiled.
As the two entered the inn, they spotted Juro casually sitting by the bar, chatting with a few people. The moment he noticed them, he stood up and walked over with a wide grin on his face.
"Alright kids," Juro said cheerfully, "ready to hit some training?"
Marc immediately nodded excitedly.
Without wasting much time, Juro guided the two of them outside the village.
After walking a fair distance away, they eventually arrived at a wide open field. The breeze rolled gently through the tall grass while the village sat quietly in the distance behind them.
Marc practically looked like he was about to explode from excitement, while Bell stood calmly with his hands in his pockets. Both waited for Juro to explain the training.
Juro crossed his arms.
"Okay, so like I said earlier at the inn, I'll be training you two on improving your dodging abilities."
"MHM! MHM!" Marc nodded aggressively.
Juro chuckled.
"Calm down first."
Marc immediately straightened his posture.
Juro continued, "Before we start, I need to evaluate your reflexes."
He then raised both of his hands and stretched out several fingers.
"Tell me how many fingers you see. Say the answer at the same time."
Bell and Marc exchanged slightly confused looks, but both nodded anyway before turning back toward Juro.
As they opened their mouths to answer
Both Bell's and Marc's eyes flickered for a split second.
A sudden surge of mana burst from Juro's fingertips.
In an instant, two compressed balls of water shot straight toward their faces.
Bell's body reacted instinctively.
He tilted his head to the side smoothly, the water ball rushing past his cheek.
Marc, on the other hand
SPLASH.
"WAH?!"
Water exploded across Marc's face.
Juro burst out laughing.
"Hoho, I see. Bell's got pretty good reflexes if he managed to dodge that."
Marc wiped water from his eyes in disbelief.
"Aweeee mannnn! That was way too suddennnn! I was literally about to answer when a ball of water suddenly flew at my faceee!"
Juro laughed harder before pulling out a folded white cloth from the pouch on his belt and tossing it toward Marc.
"Hahaha! Well, that's exactly why you need to practice dodging. You never know when something sudden's gonna happen."
Marc grabbed the cloth and started drying his face, but after a few seconds, his expression shifted into surprise.
"Huh?"
The cloth felt strangely warm.
Not only was it absorbing the water incredibly fast, but even his damp shirt was slowly drying along with it.
"Woaaah, Teacher Juro, what kind of cloth is this?!"
Juro smiled proudly as he took the cloth back.
"It's something I got from one of my elf friends."
Marc froze.
His eyes immediately began sparkling like stars.
"AN ELF??????? You have elf friends, Teacher Juro????? WOAAAAAA THAT'S AMAZING!!"