"Who knows what these hand signs are? My hands are cramping!" Klaus also shouted. "Are you sure we need to do this? I didn't see you making these gestures before."
"The magic you learned initially required chanting, right? Then later, you didn't need it anymore," Linton said. "In this area, my level is much higher than yours. You're starting from scratch, and you want to compare yourself to me?"
"Is there a simpler way?" Klaus asked.
"That clone technique from last time only has three signs: Boar, Snake, and Tiger. Try it quickly," Linton replied.
Linton was genuinely teaching Klaus, mainly because he wanted to see if people in this world could learn ninjutsu. Of course, he skipped the chakra-gathering step because he didn't know if people here could gather chakra. He himself didn't use chakra for ninjutsu; he used mana instead. He wasn't sure if others had the same type of mana, but if it was similar, this energy should be universal. In other words, mana should be able to substitute for chakra, and ninjutsu should still work.
With that in mind, Linton tried having Klaus use mana to drive the technique. Of course, ninjutsu still required hand signs. Linton could activate the technique with just a skill point, but others probably couldn't, so he started teaching Klaus the hand signs. Although Klaus had decent memory, his hands were too stiff. For an old man like him, making those signs seemed difficult.
Sure enough, Klaus was now slowly forming hand signs again. He remembered the shapes, but his hands weren't nimble enough to form them properly.
"Teacher?" Lifa, who had been standing behind them, finally snapped back to reality. To be honest, she was a bit confused by the situation. Who was this young man, and why was he scolding her teacher? It seemed like he was teaching her teacher something. What was going on?
"Huh? Lifa?" Klaus turned his head and saw his disciple, Lifa. After thinking for a moment, he roughly understood why she had come.
Linton also glanced at the woman named Lifa. She appeared to be in her thirties, with beautiful, long brown hair that reached down to her waist. She seemed to take good care of herself, with a slender figure and a pair of black glasses, exuding a sense of intelligence.
"Ahem… When did you get here?" Klaus asked, slightly embarrassed.
"Just now. Teacher, what are you doing? And who is this?" Lifa asked.
"Uh… Well, this young man here is named Linton. His master developed a rather unique kind of magic, which is quite interesting. I'm learning it," Klaus explained.
"Unique magic?" Lifa, being a mage herself, was immediately intrigued.
"A type of magic triggered by strange hand signs, different from the usual chanting method we use as a medium. I'm planning to study it," Klaus said.
"Oh… I see," Lifa nodded, then turned to Linton and said, "I'm interested as well. Can I learn with you?"
"Get lost," Linton replied with just one word.
Lifa stood there in shock for a while before finally coming back to her senses. "What… what did you just say?"
"I'm already tired of teaching this old man. You're his disciple, right? You're probably just as dumb. I don't have time to waste on both of you," Linton said.
"..." Lifa was sure she hadn't misheard. Not only did this guy refuse to teach her, but he also called her dumb? She had never met someone this bold before and didn't even know how to react.
"Hahaha…" Just when Lifa didn't know what to do, Klaus suddenly burst out laughing. "Hey, kid, do you know who she is?"
"Your disciple, I just heard," Linton said.
"I mean her position," Klaus clarified.
"And why should I care? Is her position going to benefit me somehow?" Linton shrugged.
"Your name is Linton, right? I'll remember that," Lifa said through gritted teeth. As she repeated his name, something clicked in her mind. "Wait… this name sounds familiar. I think I've heard it somewhere."
"You've heard of him?" Klaus asked.
"Let me think… recently… Oh, that's right!" Lifa suddenly slapped her palm. "Linton… Meloway?"
"You really know me?" Linton was a bit surprised. Since he hadn't inherited the memories of this body, he wasn't sure if he knew her or not.
"Princess Yalan is my disciple," Lifa suddenly revealed.
"Oh? You're the teacher of the third princess?" Linton recalled that Princess Yalan had mentioned having a teacher in the capital. So it was this woman. "Well then, nice to meet you. For the sake of the princess, I guess I can teach you."
"I have to rely on my disciple's favor?" Lifa sighed, remembering many things Yalan had said about Linton. She and Princess Yalan were very close, and the princess had confided in her about Linton on several occasions. Yalan had mentioned that Linton had an extraordinary talent for getting on people's nerves. Her friend, Reina, was constantly at a loss for words around him, and now Lifa was beginning to understand how that felt.
"I do recall her saying your magic is quite strange," Lifa said, taking a deep breath.
"It's not all that strange. The essence of the energy is the same. It's just that your perspective is too limited, and your understanding of magic isn't deep enough," Linton replied. "Have you ever heard the Meloway family's motto? 'Magic is omnipotent.' Once you understand that, you'll truly understand magic."
"Wait a minute, last time you said the Meloway family motto was something else," Klaus interrupted.
"Forget it. I heard from the princess that the Meloway family has a lot of mottos. Who knows how they remember them all," Lifa sighed.
"Did you say Yalan knows this guy?" Klaus asked.
"I'll explain that later," Lifa said, seeming hesitant to talk more. Linton figured it had to do with the princess's mission to retrieve the antlers of the beast to save someone, likely a royal, so she couldn't discuss it openly.
Klaus seemed to understand as well and changed the subject, "So, Lifa, did you need something?"
"Oh, right, I almost forgot. It's about your strange behavior this morning. The emperor sent me to ask why you suddenly got involved in this matter," Lifa said.
"It's all because of this guy," Klaus pointed at Linton. "The person who was captured is his nephew, and we made a deal that I'd learn this new magic."
"So, the trial by combat is just a farce, and you plan to stage a fight and let the other person go?" Lifa quickly grasped the situation.
"Exactly," Klaus nodded.
"That's… not good," Lifa said. "This matter involves the crown prince's injury. The emperor will definitely investigate it thoroughly, and this charade will be exposed."
"It doesn't matter. The emperor likely knows that person isn't the culprit," Klaus said. "Besides, it's not a royal trial. Losing the trial by combat will just embarrass my family a bit. The emperor won't trouble me over that."
"Teacher… are you sure?" Lifa suddenly asked.
"Why? Is the emperor really angry?" Klaus asked.
"What I mean is, are you sure that person isn't the culprit?" Lifa asked.
"Isn't it obvious? That guy is just a small baron from the countryside. How could he have tamed a magical beast?" Klaus said.
"But… there are certain things that match up with this situation… Teacher, you might not know…" Lifa trailed off.
"What is it?" Klaus asked.
"Let's just say the emperor wants to see you. Please come with me to the palace," Lifa said.
"Alright then," Klaus agreed. He had been expecting this. He also sensed that Lifa wanted to discuss something privately with him, so he understood.
The two quickly left, and Linton watched them go, roughly guessing what Lifa meant. Princess Yalan had previously sought the horn of the Flame Beast, and then the beast appeared in the capital. It was hard to believe the two events weren't connected. Judging by how secretive Lifa was, only the royal family likely knew about the beast's horn. Linton wasn't sure how much the princess had revealed, and whether it would tie the beast back to him.
If it was discovered that the Flame Beast was his pet, it would cause trouble for Linton. But for now, the priority was to get Gasson released. The trial by combat had already been announced, and it couldn't be canceled. If it were, the country's legal system would become a joke. That's why Klaus had pushed for the fight to be confirmed quickly, making it difficult for the emperor to intervene. So Gasson was probably safe for now, but Linton himself…
Linton pondered for a while, passing the time. When it was almost evening, Klaus returned. He rushed to Linton, looking a bit upset.
"There might be a problem," Klaus said, irritated. "Has your Meloway family offended someone? Why is Duke Royan after you?"
(End of chapter)