# Chapter 11
Kaian screamed at the suspicious cracking sound coming from the tree.
"The book said a tree this thick could survive at least ten hits!"
Grills, a survival expert and author of <Come at Me, Wild Magical Beasts>, had definitely written that.
Of course, he had also written that the result could differ depending on how much mana the Obsidian Boar had absorbed.
Still!
Three hits is way too few!
At that moment, Kaian remembered something Eldarin had told him when he had excitedly talked about his rapid recovery.
That simply shows how rich Eldargrove is in mana. Always be grateful to mana.
Kaian hit his forehead against the tree trunk.
Idiot!
It was obvious!
There were plenty of fields throughout the Empire.
But Kaian had never heard of ordinary farmland having the same healing effect as the Golden Plains.
That meant the same rich mana that had helped Kaian recover had probably allowed the Obsidian Boar to absorb far more power than it would in an ordinary volcanic region.
Kaian pressed his forehead to the trunk and sighed.
Stay calm.
The tree was still making dangerous cracking sounds.
One more hit would probably bring it down.
The Obsidian Boar seemed to know that too.
It had backed away farther than before.
The next charge will be the last.
Kaian deliberately spoke aloud to steady his mind.
"Haah."
"Fine."
"Let's do this."
He pulled the walking stick from his shoulder.
It was the same one Eldarin had given him when he first began working in the fields.
There was one difference now.
One end no longer had a handle.
A sharpened stone blade had been attached there instead.
Kaian had created the weapon in case he encountered a magical beast.
I made this just in case.
I really hoped 'just in case' would never happen.
No choice now.
Kaian pointed his handmade spear at the Obsidian Boar.
"Sorry, Piggy! But I have to live a long life!"
His voice cracked.
Damn it.
Now it knows I'm scared.
Kaian cleared his throat.
Then shouted again, louder this time.
"My dream is to live a long and healthy life!"
"Snort!"
A long and healthy life.
Kaian had first learned that phrase while searching through books in Eldarin's library.
The moment he looked up its meaning in a dictionary, he understood something important.
That was the perfect goal for his life.
Simply living for a long time was not enough.
He wanted to live healthily.
Happily.
And for a very long time.
If he included the share of life his father, mother, and two brothers had lost...
Maybe six hundred years would be enough.
To do that, I need to repair my inner world.
Learn magic.
Take revenge.
And heroes were a profession filled with danger.
There would be even more things to prepare for and study.
Yes.
Kaian still had far too much to do.
And if I lose to Piggy here, it'd be so unfair.
I'd probably stay trapped in those flames even after death.
Having made his decision, Kaian jumped down from the tree at a reasonable height.
Thud!
A sharp pain ran through his swollen legs after walking and running all day.
But...
Ah.
I'm doing it again.
That strange smile kept appearing.
His heart pounded as though it were trying to escape his chest.
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
Calm down.
Cool your head.
Remember what Eldarin said.
Don't let the fire take control.
The Obsidian Boar scraped the ground.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
"Snort!"
Kaian controlled his breathing and prepared.
Uncle Grills, I'm trusting you one more time.
If I don't survive this, I'm going to be furious...!
The Obsidian Boar shook its snout violently.
Then charged.
RUMBLEEEEE!
Kaian lowered his stance as much as possible.
He pointed the spear directly toward the Obsidian Boar.
Then planted the bottom of the weapon firmly between the ground and the tree.
It absorbs fire mana.
But its original body is still a boar.
That meant it had evolved while keeping the basic traits of a wild boar.
According to Grills's book, boars were extremely direct when charging.
Once they committed to an attack, changing direction became difficult.
Their backs were tough.
But the skin around their bellies was much softer.
Come on, then!
Faster!
Harder!
RUMBLEEEEE!
Kaian waited until he truly thought he was about to be killed.
Then rolled sideways.
Whoosh!
By the smallest possible distance...
The stone blade pierced the Obsidian Boar's belly.
STAB!
The creature's own charging speed and body weight, combined with the support of the ground and tree, drove the spear deeply through its skin.
CRUNCH!
BOOM!
"SQUEEEEEAL!"
"SQUEAL!"
The Obsidian Boar collapsed onto its side and cried out in pain.
Kaian stared blankly at the blood mixing with its rough breathing.
"I..."
"I did it."
"I'm alive..."
Reality slowly returned.
Only then did Kaian place a hand over his pounding chest and sit down.
"Squeal..."
"Squeal..."
The Obsidian Boar's cries were weaker now.
If Kaian simply left it...
It would probably die soon.
Kaian forced himself to look away.
I... don't want to watch that.
He had already killed people.
But that had happened when he was not fully conscious.
He dusted the soil from his ruined clothes and stood.
Then began thinking of reasons to leave.
I don't know how to butcher it, so I can't even use it as food.
Even if I could, I don't have time.
Leaving is the best choice.
Still...
Kaian could not move.
His eyes kept returning to the wound.
Just leave.
He knew.
He really did.
"Snort..."
"Snort..."
"Ugh..."
Kaian grabbed his hair in frustration.
The creature's pitiful eyes kept appearing inside his mind.
If he left it like this, he knew it would appear in his dreams too.
"AAAAH!"
"Fine! Fine!"
In the end, he decided to follow his heart.
Kaian hurriedly opened his backpack and pulled out a sealed jar.
When he removed the lid, the dark blue color of indigo leaves and the cooling scent of mint spread through the air.
It was Cobalt Poultice, a medicine made using the recipe from a book called <The Wisdom of Humanity Before the Magical Civilization>.
Seeing the beautiful medicine made Kaian squeeze his eyes shut.
"Damn it..."
"I don't even have enough for myself!"
Cobalt Poultice was made by mixing indigo, mint, aloe, and several other ingredients.
Its evaporative cooling effect was excellent.
Apparently, before the Magical Civilization, people had used the medicine when crossing volcanic regions.
Nowadays, people can just use heat-protection magic or wear equipment enchanted with cold magic.
But Kaian was basically no different from a person living before the Magical Civilization.
If you don't have teeth, use your gums.
All the ingredients needed for Cobalt Poultice had been secretly taken from Eldarin's glass greenhouse.
Eldarin was the one who told him to retrieve Flame Veil in the first place.
So surely it was fine.
Probably.
Still, let's make sure she doesn't find out.
And now Kaian was about to share the difficult medicine he had made with the Obsidian Boar.
"I'm insane."
He carefully moved toward the creature's head.
Then scooped up a handful of Cobalt Poultice.
According to the book, Cobalt Poultice did more than cool the body.
It also helped calm the aggressive nature of fire mana.
"It's okay, Piggy."
"This won't hurt."
"Stay still."
The Obsidian Boar flinched weakly.
But it soon realized it could not move anyway and relaxed.
Its breathing was fast and shallow.
Kaian gently placed the Cobalt Poultice on its snout.
The blue medicine immediately spread across the red skin.
White steam rose.
Hissssss.
"How is it?"
"Cool?"
"Feel calmer?"
"Snort..."
Only then did the Obsidian Boar seem to realize Kaian was not trying to harm it.
Hearing its calmer breathing, Kaian finally sighed in relief.
"You've had it rough too."
Obsidian Boars grew stronger by absorbing fire mana.
But the same fire mana also increased their aggression.
During the era before people learned to artificially control the balance of the five manas, magical beasts driven mad by mana starvation often attacked human settlements.
Obsidian Boars were especially dangerous.
Their hunger for mana and the violent nature of fire mana combined into something terrifying.
People who could not use magic had once used Cobalt Poultice to calm those creatures.
At least...
That was what <The Wisdom of Humanity Before the Magical Civilization> claimed.
Unfortunately, it did absolutely nothing for the flames inside my inner world.
Kaian confirmed that the Obsidian Boar was breathing more comfortably.
Then he gently stroked its rough fur.
"Controlling it isn't easy, is it?"
"Snort..."
"Fire is apparently like that."
"Eldarin says its nature is spreading and division."
"Things that hold fire change from what they originally were."
Kaian gave a weak smile.
"I have a lot of that inside me too."
"I got injured, so I can eventually fix mine."
"But yours is something you were born with."
"What are you supposed to do about that?"
The Obsidian Boar gradually calmed down.
Only then did Kaian pull out a small knife and cut away the long wooden shaft of the spear.
"Don't pull the blade out."
"You might really die if you do."
He also applied some recovery medicine around the wound.
This medicine had also been made from herbs stolen from Eldarin's greenhouse.
It was apparently powerful enough to help broken bones reconnect.
Of course, the recipe from <The Wisdom of Humanity Before the Magical Civilization> had been created for humans.
Kaian kept stroking the boar's fur.
"I don't know if it'll work on you."
"But endure a little longer."
"When I get home, I'll ask Eldarin to heal you."
Then he pointed at it seriously.
"So you better pray your big brother survives, okay?"
"That's better for you too!"
"Got it?"
"Squeal."
The annoyed sound made it seem as though the creature was asking why Kaian was suddenly its big brother.
Kaian laughed.
"That's easy."
"I already told you."
"I'm going to live a long and healthy life."
Kaian planned to struggle his way to six hundred years old somehow.
By then, most animals and humans would be younger than him.
"So eventually, I'll be your big brother anyway."
"What's wrong with starting now?"
It was ridiculous logic.
But apparently the Obsidian Boar decided not to argue.
It relaxed and began resting.
Seeing that made Kaian feel more comfortable too.
He added wood to the weakening campfire and sat against the tree.
Across the flames, the Obsidian Boar's eyes glittered like obsidian.
It's kind of... pretty.
Kaian slowly asked,
"Do you eat bread?"
"Snort."
"Right?"
"I think the book said you're omnivores."
Kaian smiled.
Then pulled the lunchbox from his bag.
For a moment, he wondered whether it was strange to feel sympathy for the animal he had personally stabbed.
But...
Whatever.
He broke off pieces of bread and fed them to the Obsidian Boar.
"I made this myself."
"You should be grateful."
"Got it?"
"Snort. Snort."
Worried it might be thirsty, Kaian also poured a little astragalus tea into its mouth.
"This is good for restoring energy."
Even while injured, the Obsidian Boar eagerly accepted everything.
In the end, Kaian fed half his bread to it.
Then screamed.
"AAAAH!"
"Now I don't even have time to rest!"
He had no choice but to put the backpack on again.
The Obsidian Boar lived in the volcanic region.
If Kaian followed its footprints, finding Ignis Mons should not be difficult.
"Piggy!"
"Big Brother is going to find the herb and bring Eldarin!"
"Wait here!"
"Snort."
Holding a torch, Kaian slowly walked away while studying the ground.
For some reason...
The darkness did not feel as deep as usual tonight.
