“Teacher, is this right?”
Ben stared at him with a baffled expression.
Even a child could see that Patrick’s bedroom was the very definition of unbalanced.
His house was practically a literal ruin.
When word spread that an exile was coming, the village chief had rushed repairs, but on this supply-scarce island and under a tight deadline, it was only just barely habitable. Comfort and coziness were miles away.
The window creaked, the front gate looked like it might fall off any second, the walls let drafts whistle through, and the ceiling would surely leak in the rainy season if it weren’t fixed.
Despite its shabbiness, Patrick’s sparse belongings gave the place a humble charm.
And now, furniture bought with much of his mushroom-selling earnings had been delivered.
“Hey. Sleep is like medicine. You know that?”
It wasn’t a noble’s priceless work of art, but on this island, it was an unheard-of, expensive large bed!
Each of its four corners sported a post draped in fluttering white cloth.
Commonly called a “princess bed.”
Something a noble’s daughter might use.
“You should’ve just bought a goat.”
“Try being my age. Sleeping on wooden planks every night until your back snaps.”
“This is still a bit...”
“I’m telling you, I sleep ten hours a day. Can’t you at least invest this much?”
“Well, it’s your money, sir, so I won’t complain. But I don’t want to grow up to be like you.”
“Ssshh!”
Patrick shot Ben a glare, then dove onto the bed with eyes shining.
Plush—
“Ahh! This is it, this is what I needed!”
In that moment, even a five-star resort hotel didn’t tempt him.
The bedding he'd bought with the bed was in a whole different league from the straw-stuffed blanket he’d been using.
‘No more itch, and no weird smell.’
Even if everyone else pointed fingers at his spending, Patrick felt justified.
Sleep is said to be humanity’s strongest desire.
After all, during wartime, depriving prisoners of sleep was considered the worst torture.
So this isn’t waste—it’s an investment.
“Anyway, you’ll need to redo the roof repairs too, right?”
“Huh? Why me?”
“Don’t you see the hole over there at the end?”
“I see it. You can even see stars through it at night. Quite a sight.”
“Stop joking. The monsoon isn’t until early summer, but it’ll pour in here like crazy.”
“Eh, I dunno.”
“You can’t just pretend not to know.”
“Did you pick a fight with your oh-so-wise teacher today?”
“What do you think will happen to that bed if it leaks?”
“...Huh?”
“On the way here earlier, I ran into Grandma. She said her back hurts.”
“Where’s Grandma hurting?”
“It means it will rain sometime in the next day or two.”
“Damn.”
Only then did panic cross Patrick’s face.
It had rained a few times since arriving on the island.
Light showers three or four times. Two proper downpours lasting several hours.
Each time, water had dripped everywhere in his house, and Patrick had fallen asleep with bowls catching the drips like a lullaby.
‘I’m doomed! Back then I didn’t care if it got wet and ruined—’
Now that he thought about it, the sky looked cloudy too.
“Um, Ben?”
“Yes?”
“Do you happen to know how to fix a roof?”
“You don’t know something like that, sir? All the grown men here can smack it together in no time.”
“I’m a wizard with all my points in INT. I’m no strongman.”
“Uncle Luca’s the best at that kind of stuff, though.”
“You sure?”
“I’m telling you.”
“What does that uncle like?”
“Oy, Teacher!”
When Patrick found his house, Luca greeted him with joy.
“If you’d sent the kids to call me, I would’ve come sooner!”
“Ha ha, not at all. How was your mother’s memorial, by the way?”
“Gasp! It went just fine! I placed her memorial tablet where the sun hits just right, thanks to you, Teacher!”
“Oh, it’s nothing much—please accept it.”
“What’s this?”
Patrick handed over flashcards—number cards with numerals written on them.
While teaching the kids letters, he’d also taught numbers and simple arithmetic. Although only Ben had mastered multiplication and division, more children were getting the hang of addition, subtraction, and even two-digit multiplication.
Now that they no longer needed basic number cards, he’d found a way to repurpose them.
“The chief said just knowing numbers opens up many opportunities.”
“Oh, Teacher! I’m uneducated—I can’t handle things like this.”
“But kids can. It’s not hard. I’ll come by occasionally to help with any sticking points. Age doesn’t matter in learning.”
“Is that so? I’m grateful...and sorry...”
Tears welled in Luca’s eyes at Patrick’s thoughtfulness.
You can’t judge a person by their face alone. Who’d have thought a man who looks like a bandit chief could be so sensitive?
“I didn’t do it for anything. But I heard it’s going to rain soon.”
“Yes. The air feels damp. It might really pour by the day after tomorrow.”
“I’m looking forward to falling asleep to the sound of raindrops. If only I had enough bowls to catch the water, ha ha.”
“What? The sound of dripping rain...?”
At Luca’s question, Patrick feigned nonchalance.
“I’ve been lazy, so I haven’t fixed the ceiling yet. Honestly, I’m a little scared—I’ve never done it before. Ha ha, kind of funny, right?”
“Oh dear! What if you went up there and fell? Let’s go!”
“Eh?”
“Why wait when I can patch it up quickly? Nothing to it.”
Luca said and began gathering tools.
“I’ll happily be your assistant.”
“Oh, anyone can be an assistant. Not that you’re no help, but, you know...if you don’t mind, I could use your help with...not just numbers, but letters too...”
“Ah! Letters! Of course! I’ll make sure you master all the letters before summer ends!”
“Thank you, thank you, Teacher!”
With that promise, Luca beamed and led the way toward Patrick’s house.
A mutually satisfying deal.
Patrick could protect his expensive bed, and Luca would earn a few hours of work and get to learn letters and numbers.
‘I lucked out with a ready-made teaching tool!’
‘I wonder if I deserve such favor for doing something this small...’
Their thoughts were entirely different, though.
“All done. Took longer than I thought; had to tweak a lot.”
“Here, have this.”
As Luca climbed down the ladder, Patrick handed him a wooden cup.
Gulp.
“...!”
Without thinking, Luca emptied the contents in one swallow and felt a chill up his spine.
Patrick’s special drink: spring water mixed with honey, lemon, and a few mints.
The sweet, tart flavor crowned by fresh herbal notes was perfect.
‘I wish it had carbonation, but the kids have never seen that, so beggars can’t be choosers.’
Patrick, who made it, felt a little disappointed, but it was a magically iced drink!
“Is it...magic?”
“Yes. First-circle spells may be weak, but they’re perfect for this. Ha ha.”
Luca held the cup reverently, eyes filled with admiration for Patrick.
“Want another?”
“Yes, yes!”
“Ice!”
Shchkt—
Pouring the drink into the cup again and casting the spell, a thin layer of ice formed instantly on the surface.
“Feels like magic works even better here. Especially ice spells.”
Patrick tilted his head. Despite its name, the ice spell didn’t produce chunks of ice. With his mere second-circle skill, it only lowered the temperature by a few degrees.
‘Did magic strengthen?’
Pleased at the thought of his own power growing,
“Maybe it’s connected to this land?”
Luca made a strange comment.
“You know the bamboo grove behind your house? The chief told me there’s an old legend about it.”
“A legend?”
“Yes. Something about a young woman from afar with no ties here getting lost in the bamboo grove in the rainy season.”
“And then?”
“It drizzled, dark as night, couldn’t see an inch ahead. That poor woman must have been terrified, shivering all night, and ended up freezing to death! Even though it wasn’t mid-summer downpour temperature, you couldn’t die of freezing.”
“...”
“Since then, people say that bamboo grove and the hill behind your house have been filled with a damp, cool chill even in the daytime. They say it’s because her spirit couldn’t leave the grove.”
“Ha ha...ha. That’s just a legend, right?”
“Yes. A legend.”
“Legends aren’t real, though?”
“But those stories are never entirely baseless. Anything passed down generation to generation in the village has a reason. Otherwise, why would it survive word of mouth? Oh, look at the time—it’s late. Sorry, Teacher, I kept you too long. No more leaks now. Oh! Watch the windows—they’re about to fall.”
“Ah, and after dinner, you’ll stay—”
“No, no! I’d meddle too much if I stayed, Teacher!”
Luca bowed and quickly returned to the village.
Whoosh—
A chilling breeze blew over Patrick’s back as he was left alone.
Ssssh—
Even the bamboo leaves rustled eerily.
“I’m not hearing anything. Hearing nothing!”
What had felt fine moments ago suddenly gave Patrick the creeps.
He hurried inside, nervously peeking around before diving under the covers.
“There’s no such thing as ghosts! It’s all just...”
Then it struck him: if magic and gods exist, why couldn’t ghosts?
Tap, tap-tap—
Swallowing hard, he made a crossing sign—though he’d never truly practiced religion, so it was all wrong—and felt his heart sink at the sounds outside.
‘It’s raining now...! You said it’d rain tomorrow or the day after...!’
Splaaaat—
Amid an untimely torrential downpour, the cowardly wizard’s scream echoed.