One week later, Roy was sitting in the watermill’s warehouse at night, his attention on his character sheet.

‘Level 3 (0/1500)’

‘Skill point: 1, Attribute point: 1’

If this were before, he would’ve allocated the attribute point to the stat he was the most proficient in — Perception. That’d raise it to seven, but he changed his way of thinking lately. Roy realized that every improvement should’ve been done with the Trial of the Grasses in mind.

No matter how high his Perception was, it would’ve been for naught if he died in the trial. And before Letho left, he’d told Roy that the disciple’s will and resistance to poison would affect their chances of survival. The higher those two aspects were, the better. If Roy wanted to strengthen his will and fortify his body, he had to consider Will and Constitution. Roy’s Will was 4.8, which was lower than average, while his Constitution only became average because he took a lot of herbs.

In other words, every attribute point he gained from that day on must be invested in those stats. He looked at his skills.

‘Meditation Level 1: The training of the body and the soul. Meditation calms you down, speeds up healing and recovery of your mana, as well as your body. Improves coordination over time and increases affinity with chaos energy.

‘Tip: Leveling up this skill improves Constitution and Spirit permanently.’

Letho was old enough to be his grandfather, but even he hadn’t managed to level Meditation up to level ten. It won’t be easy. But more importantly, leveling up can permanently increase my Spirit and Constitution. Roy concentrated on the plus sign after Meditation, and then the level 1 slowly faded, changing into level 2 a moment later. Then Roy added his attribute point to Will.

One moment later, he felt a wave of warmth surging through his body, activating every inch of his skin, muscles, bones, and even blood vessels. It felt like they were absorbing something, becoming sturdier and stronger.

His brain, the most mysterious part of him, was rejuvenated, enveloped by a cool feeling. He felt countless little hands caressing it, and every cell vibrated with excitement. He opened his eyes, and they looked like a galaxy, though it lasted only for a moment.

‘Meditation Level 1 → Level 2

‘Spirit: 6 → 6.5

‘Constitution: 5 → 5.5

‘Will: 4.8 → 5.8.’

After experiencing the two-point increase in his stats, Roy thought he was already superhuman. The modification was still going on, and when he stood up to crack his joints, his whole body crackled. An electrifying sensation moved across him, upsetting Roy.

Roy’s face was scarlet, and his overexcitement filled him with courage and confidence. For a moment, he felt like he could run for a whole day and night without tiring, and he could face any challenge head on.

He took a deep breath, clenching his fists and loosening them, trying to calm himself down. Then he meditated on the haystack until he did. Normally, it would’ve taken years of training for someone to increase their stats by one point, but he increased by two points in a few minutes, so it was normal for him to feel uncomfortable.

His change made him think about the Trial of the Grasses. The trial would modify and increase his physical capabilities to a far greater degree, perhaps to an incomprehensible level. The change would bring extreme discomfort and pain, which was the reason not many survived the trial.

***

A soft moan could be heard from the haystack at the other end of the storehouse. 

“You’re awake, Toya. How do you feel?” Roy sat beside her and slid his hand under the blanket to check the girl’s temperature. “Your temperature’s normal. So the bryonia worked.” He heaved a sigh of relief.

“W-what happened to me, Roy?” Toya was still in her apron, though she looked listless, her eyes’ gleam lost, her lips pale. It seemed like she’d just healed from a terrible sickness.

“You blacked out when you were sweeping the floor, and then you contracted a fever,” Roy explained patiently. “Hank and Mana sent you here after they found out what happened. Don’t worry though. I gave you some herbs, and the fever’s gone.”

“I see.” Toya pushed herself up and had some water with Roy’s help. “I’m sorry to trouble you again,” she said in a thankful manner. “It must have been tiring, taking care of me. Why don’t you take a rest?”

Roy shook his head and stared into her eyes. “We’re friends, Toya, so tell me the truth. This isn’t the first time it’s happened, right?”

Toya squatted on the haystack, her hand gripping her knees, and she buried her chin in them. Fear and confusion showed on her face, and her voice trembled. “I have no idea what’s wrong with me. I seem to have a lot of illnesses. Aside from the hunchback which everyone’s been laughing at, I black out, have fevers, and mumble gibberish. Even my own father shies away from me in disgust.” She then mumbled, “Roy, am I just a burden?”

“Of course not, Toya,” Roy answered honestly. “It has been great getting along with you. You’re a good listener, and you’re a smart, hardworking lady. But you’re trapped in a little watermill, surrounded by shallow, narrow-minded people, so that’s why you didn’t manage to make many friends. And that’s why you were led to this wrong way of thinking.”

“Really?” The girl’s eyes shone for a bit after hearing that.

Roy nodded. “Of course. How do you feel right now? I want to know more about your sickness.”

“Sure.” She took a deep breath. “Ask away.”

“When did you start blacking out? Is it getting more frequent?”

“Hm.” A frown creased her forehead as she thought about the question. “If you’re talking about the first time, it was probably not long after my body started becoming deformed, and I blacked out once a year since then. But recently, I would faint about four or five times a year.” She paused for a moment to feel sorry for herself. “I have the feeling I might just faint and never wake up again one day, but if this is what Melitele has in mind for me, then I shall accept it. Having painless, eternal rest is fine too.”

“Toya, you’re still young, and your life is filled with possibilities,” Roy said, consoling her. “Think harder. Are the occurrences happening around specific times during the year? Like Saovine, Lammas, Birke, and the such?”

“The last time this happened was on the day of Lammas, and it happened around Belleteyn before that.” Toya gasped. “You’re right, Roy.”

“So my guess is on point. The closer we get to the magical dates, the more your magical energy resonates with the world, going out of control and harming your body.” Roy sighed, and he cast her a look of pity. After he cast Observe on her, he noticed that Toya’s Constitution had fallen from 3 to 2.8. Her life force is weakening.

“What’s a magical date?” Toya was curious, but also fearful. “And why do I have mana?”

“Patience, Toya. I will tell you everything,” Roy said. “Do you remember Aretuza on Thanedd Island, the one I told you about?”

“I remember everything you told me,” she said. “That’s a place where they train sorceresses, right?” She took out the Gwent card Roy had given her —  the one that had an illustration of a fiery-haired woman in a red dress, and her eyes gleamed. “Sorceresses like Sabrina Glevissig can cast powerful magic. They’re more fantastic than your tricks.”

“Yes.” Roy took a deep breath. “But you know, most sorceresses weren’t as gorgeous as the cards illustrated them to be when they were younger.”

Toya held her breath, her expression freezing. She had a strong feeling that Roy would say something that would scare her.

“Most of them started out looking like you.” Roy organized his words and slowed down. “They were different from everyone else because of the rampant mana in their bodies, but once they started training in those schools, they eventually returned to normal.”

Roy’s teachings over the last few weeks had unveiled a part of the world’s mysteries to the girl, and she would accept things easier then. “S-so you’re saying…” Toya’s teeth chattered, and a crazy idea formed in her mind, suffocating her. “I-I…”

“Yes, the eight magical dates are when mana runs rampant around the world. The mana in your body resonates with them, so you’d faint whenever the festivals drew nearer.” He said solemnly, “In other words, you have the talent to become a sorceress if you can get into Aretuza, and as far as I’m concerned, they take any girl from any corner of the world indiscriminately. But you’ll have to be bound under a hard contract.”

“I can be just like her?” Toya gripped the card tightly, her fingers turning pale. “Will I return to normal? And nobody will laugh at me anymore?”

“If you can become a sorceress and get modified by mana, of course you can go back to normal.”

Toya suddenly sobbed, and she leaned against the moldy wall, despondent. Tears streamed down her pale face, her expression complex. She looked sad, but also happy at the same time. “You’re lying, Roy.” Toya couldn’t believe it. “You’re my friend, so don’t lie.”

“I swear, it’s the truth,” Roy promised. “I’m not lying. Just giving you another choice.”

“No!” Toya was wavering, but she shook her head. “I’m just a country girl who’s never left the mill, and I can’t go anywhere. Hank and Mana wouldn’t let me go. Besides, you said Aretuza is thousands of miles away from Aldersberg. I can’t get there, not in forever.”

Roy was silent, for Toya was telling the truth. Most sorceresses’ parents would refuse to send them to a school for sorceresses, for joining institutions like that meant cutting ties with their family. It brought no benefit to the parents, and most of them were greedy. They’d rather force their daughters to be free labor until the day of their death.

“I’ll find a way, Toya.” Stopping halfway through a plan wasn’t Roy’s style. He had a rough plan for a solution that had just popped into his mind a short while ago. “I have to be honest, Toya. Every time you faint, your body’s getting more corrupted by the mana, and it hurts you even more. I think you can feel that, can’t you? Your body’s weakening, and if you can’t receive formal magical education in time…” Roy licked his dry lips. “I’m not sure you can live past twenty. Don’t you want to see the outside world?”

In the era of ignorance, a deformed country girl would spend her short life in agony, but Roy thought Toya should have a chance. Since he had an idea, he would form a plan and go through with it. That was his creed. Besides, giving Toya a choice might mean another option for him in the future.

Toya was trembling, perhaps from fear or excitement. “Roy, you aren’t just some normal human, are you? How do you know so many things, and why are you telling me?”

“My identity has no bearing on the matter. What would you do if you were in the same position as me? Would you help me?” Roy asked, and he found his answer in Toya’s eyes. She wanted freedom. He held her calloused hand firmly. “Friends should help each other. Just wait, Toya. You’ll see the sunrise at Aretuza one day, I promise.”