Chapter 4: Joining A Magic Guild
When Wendy gets inside the room, Ben feels a sense of familiarity from her. He also smells a strange but familiar smell.
""Smell of a Dragon."" - Ben & Wendy
Ben never smelled a Dragon, but strangely, he knows about it.
"A dragon slayer?" - Ben
"Yes, she is a dragon slayer. Coincidentally or not, she also found herself in the forest at the same time as you. But then, a boy found her and brought her here 2 days before you arrived here." - Roubaul
"Then, the reason for your guess is her?" - Ben
"Yes. When you tell me about the day you found yourself in the forest, I was reminded of her. But I was still not sure, so I asked you, but you're being difficult yesterday. If I don't scare you like that, I feel like you'll really attack me, and this morning, you really attacked me." - Roubaul
"It's your own fault for showing up behind me so suddenly. Besides, my attack didn't work at all on you." - Ben
"Well, forget it! Boy, Wendy is a dragon slayer like you, and she is our member now. How about you join us and help each other with Wendy? I don't know what happened to you guys, but I can guess it. You were sent from 400 years ago to this age." - Roubaul
"What?" - Ben frowned
Although Ben knows that he was sent from a different world, he never thought that the other dragon slayers were sent from the past, so he's curious.
"400 years ago, the dragons suddenly disappeared. No one knows the reason, but it's a fact. That means natural dragon slayer magic should be gone by now. However, you guys suddenly appear out of nowhere at the same time. Natural Dragon Slayers were taught by real Dragons, so you must be sent from the era of Dragons, 400 years ago." - Roubaul
Ben is surprised, and he looks at Wendy, who seems sad, so it must be true.
"Fine, let's accept that as truth. Then why did you want me to join this guild?" - Ben
"The world has changed drastically from 400 years ago. You will need to adapt slowly, and a guild is the best place. A guild is like a family; we help each other in here. I also want you to help Wendy, as she is a dragon slayer like you." - Roubaul smiles
"..... Family, huh?" - Ben has sadness in his eyes
[A.I Chip suggests you join this guild. There is no problem with the guild, and you can use guild resources to train. You can also learn about this new world slowly through the guild.]
"I'll think about it first; this is a new place for me, and I can't trust anyone that I just met. I'll give you my answer in 2 days." - Ben
"Alright, you can stay in that house for these 2 days." - Roubaul
Ben gets out from the room and goes to the lake. Ben believes in A.I Chip's judgment, but he has his own judgment. He is trained to always be wary & careful in a new place and with new people. He will see if he can really trust these people or not.
"Uum, e-excuse me." - Wendy
Wendy suddenly approaches Ben and calls him shyly.
"You're... Wendy? Do you need something?" - Ben
"Uuh, c-can we have a little talk? Ah, it's okay if you don't want to." - Wendy seems nervous
".....Okay, let's talk." - Ben
Wendy gets happy and then introduces herself as Wendy Marvell, 5 y.o. Ben also introduces his real name to her and his current age.
"Umm, Ben-san, what Dragon Slayer Magic did you learn? My magic is Sky Dragon Slayer Magic, and the one who taught me was Grandenee, a sky dragon." - Wendy
"Don't call me Ben-san, just Ben is fine. My magic is Sun Dragon Slayer Magic. I was taught by Escanor, a Sun Dragon. However, he gave me his magic at his last breath. We've just met, but he wanted to pass his legacy to me. He couldn't teach me anything, so he just transferred his knowledge about magic." - Ben
Of course, that is a lie; there's no way Ben will tell her that he was from another world. She'll just think that he is crazy and avoid him. What Ben told her just now is a story made by A.I Chip, and most people will believe it. They can't prove it even if they don't believe it anyway.
"I-i also didn't train long under Grandenee, but she has taught me everything. That's why, umm..." - Wendy hesitates
"You want to train together?" - Ben
"Y-yesh. Ouch!" - Wendy bites her mouth
"Hahahaha, you don't need to be so nervous around me; I won't bite you. But fine, let's train together and correct each other." - Ben
Wendy got elated, and then they start training together, right away. Ben takes Wendy for physical training first, as it's really important. Wendy is confused about why they need to train their physique, but she still follows Ben.
They did a lot of physical training set that morning. Of course, Wendy's sets are a lot lower than Ben's. She is still 5 y.o, so her physical training is just for warming up her body & relaxing her muscle.
Then finally, they start their magic training. They start with a simple spell, following A.I Chip's training menu. What they need to familiarize first isn't the spell, but the element. Ben needs to understand the Sun, while Wendy needs to understand the Sky, and it's not easy.
Ben & Wendy give their opinions to each other about the Sun & Sky. Of course, Ben gives more opinions because he has lived for 25 years before, and he was an elite soldier that learned a lot of things about science. But Wendy also sometimes gives surprising opinions from the magic world POV that opens a new view for Ben.
They didn't do anything excessive in their magic training that day. They just train their magic control, elemental manipulation, and other basic stuff. These training sessions are made by A.I Chip, and Ben just follows it.
"Ben-san, these training sessions are more effective than just training my spells." - Wendy
"Well, that's good to hear, but we still have another training." - Ben
"Eh? There's more?" - Wendy
"Yeah, and it's important. We will train combat training." - Ben
Combat training is very important for a mage. There's no use in having great power when they can't use it well.
"Listen, Wendy! I will teach you some close combat skills, alright? Do you want empty-handed techniques, or do you want to use a weapon? For a weapon, I can teach you how to use a knife and a short staff." - Ben
"I want an empty-handed one." - Wendy
"Alright." - Ben
Ben then teaches Wendy a mixed martial art that he learned at the military academy
. Of course, he teaches her the techniques that didn't utilize a lot of physical power because Wendy's physical power isn't as high as his, and she said she wants graceful techniques that didn't use brute strength.
They train until night and return to the village. They have dinner together with everyone in the village. At first, Ben is still uncomfortable, but as time goes on, he gets more comfortable and starts to talk with the others.
The next day, Ben trains again with Wendy using the same menu. He also gets more comfortable around the villagers and starts to greet them. He hasn't talked a lot with them, but he certainly gets more comfortable here.
Ben trains with Wendy until dark again like yesterday. He washes himself in the lake before joining the dinner. They have a normal dinner, and Ben also has some talk with the villagers. Then when the dinner is finished, Roubaul calls Ben.
"So little Ben, it's been 2 days of your stay here; what's your decision?" - Roubaul
"Well, I've lived here for 2 days and observed you guys. Although I mostly trained, I still saw what you did. I must say that I really judged you too early, but that's me; I am a very cautious person." - Ben
"Well, that's normal. Everyone needs to be cautious in a new place with new people. However, you're overly cautious and tend to act excessively, and that's not good." - Roubaul
"Maybe I won't act like that if you don't appear so suddenly behind me like a creep." - Ben
Roubaul looks away and whistles, making everyone give him stink eyes.
"But well, now that I've known a little about you guys, I can say that you're good people, and this is certainly not a dark guild." - Ben
"I've told you, but you don't believe me." - Roubaul
"That's why I've decided to join the guild." - Ben
"Hahaha, that's more like it; we have a new member now; let's have a party!" - Roubaul
""YEAAAHHH!"" - Guild members
They start a party in the guild building, and Ben finally joins a guild.