Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 31 - 30 The Stupid Humans

William was not aware of the familial relationship between Lyle and Ralph.

Yet he was also surprised by Lyle’s bold actions. Having known him for just a few hours, the Lyle he knew was an ordinary man who abided by the rules and was obedient to Ralph. Could it be that as soon as the demon left, his true nature was revealed? Of course, this was exactly what William wanted.

Just waiting around for someone else’s instructions wasn’t his preference. Could fifty yules erase the humiliation he had suffered? Being respectful to Ralph was just bowing to the realities of life, but he was a wizard, after all. How could he be bound by reality? While he was pondering how to get rid of Lyle, as sleep came, there was a pillow delivered to him, a golden opportunity.

Of course, he had to act a bit.

"Is that okay, Lyle? Mr. Ralph’s orders weren’t to act on our own initiative," he said.

"Do you just want to do nothing and head back in such a rush?" Lyle replied, surveying the terrain around them as he spoke to William.

"Of course not, exploring the unknown is to never stop progressing."

"Yes, that’s right, so we’ve just discovered some additional clues. One must know how to adapt. I plan to take a turn around Lafillin, maybe form a team. Future Great Wizard?"

"Alright."

The two scheming youngsters silently planned their route.

"But how do we avoid the demon... I mean, Mr. Ralph?"

"We’ll go this way." Lyle pushed aside the reeds, pointing towards the swamp with bubbling black mud.

"Have you lost your mind? That’s a swamp; it’s impassable. Within ten seconds of stepping in, you’d sink deep and become fertilizer for nature."

A smile appeared on Lyle’s lips.

Ha, foolish native, it’s time to show real skill.

"William, paths are made by walking; you just need to use some tools."

Lyle collected the reeds around him, choosing the hollow and thick ones, binding them together. Fortunately, he had once read a guide on knot tying and had years of experience mending his clothes, plus his nimble hands. The reed platform he crafted was barely passable.

With sturdy sandals securing the platform to his boots, it was as if he had fitted himself with huge flippers. With William’s help, Lyle, wearing these strange shoes, stood atop the black swamp mud.

Sinking only about two or three centimeters, Lyle successfully stood on the surface of the swamp, making use of its tension, thankfully not exceeding his expectations.

Enjoying William’s astonishment, Lyle moved slowly across the swamp and eventually returned to solid ground.

"Alright, next I’ll weave a pair for you, and then we can set off." Making treadboards was a meticulous task, and William might not be able to do it.

"Lyle, you’re a genius, but I’ve also thought of a good solution," William said.

"What is it?"

A smile appeared on William Dolgette’s lips.

Ha, foolish muggle, now it’s time to show real technique.

William pulled something out of his pocket, a somewhat larger triangular talisman; the center had a magic circle drawn with a kind of resinous white paste which didn’t stand out.

"Featherfall Technique, Level One Modified."

William ignited the talisman, stepping directly onto the swamp without any restraint. The black mud wet only a thin layer on the bottom of his shoes before stopping, as if an invisible wall was preventing it from going further up.

Without the confines of the reed treadboards, William walked on the swamp as if on solid ground, looking much more agile and quick than Lyle.

In Lyle’s surprise, William showed a smile, as if he had expected words of praise.

"What kind of talisman is this?"

"A talisman that can eliminate the body’s weight, making it as light as a feather, allowing one to move freely, isn’t it surprising?"

"Yes, what’s more surprising is that you, you knucklehead, only brought out such a useful talisman after I spent over twenty painstaking minutes weaving reeds."

Furious, Lyle charged into the swamp, his face twisted with rage, intent on seizing the foolish apprentice and strangling him to death in the swamp for his treachery.

The two wrestled for less than five minutes before William was the first to surrender, returning to solid ground even though Lyle hadn’t laid a finger on him.

"Lyle, I was wrong, I only thought of it just now, and besides, the talisman has a significant drawback. Your reed raft was necessary. Stop chasing me, we’re almost out of time."

"Drawback?" Lyle stopped chasing and also returned to solid ground.

"Yes, the talisman lasts only five minutes, and the original Featherfall Spell wasn’t this powerful. To improve it, I paid a price."

As he spoke, William tossed the rapidly disintegrating talisman toward the swamp.

Just as the lightweight little package was about to touch the surface of the swamp...

Boom!

The small and seemingly innocuous talisman hit the pond like a solid-shot cannonball, the splash of filthy mud nearly reaching Lyle, and a one-meter-deep pit appeared instantaneously, the surrounding black mud writhing as it swallowed the fragments of the talisman.

"The weight reduction doesn’t disappear but gets transferred to the end of the duration. Five minutes of lightness result in an instant of unbearable heaviness. In this swamp, for us, that’s like a second in the grave."

"So, after five minutes you need to discard the talisman, and you must quickly use a new Featherfall talisman right away. It’s quite troublesome, and we don’t have many of them to begin with."

"We’re still unsure how large the swamp is, and using them recklessly could mean running out. Then you’ll have only two choices: sink within a second or struggle for a minute before sinking. So, this should only be used in emergencies."

"I see," Lyle said, suddenly wary of the talisman, "it’s like quenching thirst with poison."

"So, Lyle, please make a pair of reed rafts for me."

"Alright."

...

Eyes peered out from amidst the reeds, verifying their surroundings. Lyle and William emerged, primarily to pinpoint Ralph’s location.

The two moved stealthily towards the north of Lavren, hoping to find Lafillin. With the sun overhead, their direction was, for the time being, fairly straightforward to determine. Lyle marked the reeds along the way, ensuring they could return the same way if necessary.

Walking on a stretch of swamp, the viscosity beneath the rafts requires extra effort from both, but by now, they’d grown used to it.

"William, does that feedback of gravity only affect the talisman?"

"Actually, it should affect the Spellcaster, but considering the risks, I modified it. If there’s nothing around the talisman, it affects the talisman itself."

"So you’re saying, if I used the talisman and gave it to you when the time was up, you’d sink as well?"

"What are you trying to do? Murder? No, that won’t do, you can’t use the talisman, so the hypothesis is invalid. Hmm... but you’re right, this might be a new way to tackle an opponent, but what’s the use of making an enemy feel heavy? Besides, they’ll dodge, and something like the Fireball Technique would be much more effective than weight binding. This application has no practical value."

Is that so?