Does a Tail Speak?
The one who came back running alongside the girl was a young beastkin man with orange tabby fur.
I don’t remember ever interacting with this tabby before, yet for some reason, he stuck in my memory. Why was that?
“Kanal,” I muttered, and Kanal explained, “Ed’s a dual-attribute, you know.”
Ah, that’s right. Fire and Earth. He was the boy with those two attributes. Now I remembered.
“You’re the one with Fire and Earth, right?”
“Yes… but even with two attributes, I couldn’t protect anyone…” he said dejectedly.
The moment Ed spoke, his tail drooped limply.
… This is the same pattern as Kanal, isn’t it?
Denying the worth of his own attributes?
“Listen—you’re Fire and Earth, yeah? Why would you think you can’t protect anyone? On the contrary, you’re the very foundation of village defense. Fire might not be practical for hunting beasts inside the forest, but it can light up the night, or create firewood instantly to ward off the cold. And if monsters were to attack this village, you could use fire to fight them. Earth magic, meanwhile, isn’t just for fields or irrigation channels. You can raise earthen walls to defend the village. Especially someone like you with plenty of mana—you could build a big wall fast. That way, everyone could live here in safety. There are many ways to protect others.”
“R-really?” Ed’s tail shot straight up and started swishing side to side.
So, tails do tell the story.
To fire him up further, we headed out to the meadow where Guush would eventually be pastured. There, Hamilton raised an earth wall and Kamuela created earth needles as a demonstration.
“With a lot of mana, earth magic can be both defense and offense. And since dual-attribute people have more mana, you’ll be able to do this if you practice.”
“At first, I thought the same way—that with Water and Earth, I couldn’t protect anyone,” Kanal added. “But I realized that if I got creative, I could protect people and make them happy. That’s why I’m training hard now. So you train hard too, Ed.”
“Yes! I’ll study and practice more so I can protect everyone,” Ed said with a big smile.
“In that case, you should come see Lux Village,” said Logan, who had apparently come over without my noticing. “The earthen walls I built there are impressive.”
“That’s true. Logan’s walls are amazing. It’s a village, but the earthen ramparts are fortress-class, like in a city. Since Guush pastures will probably be tended by farmers, Ed—with his offensive power—might be a perfect fit there.”
I was surprised to see Logan had joined us, but a visit to Lux Village would surely inspire Ed.
“Yes, I want to see Lux Village’s walls. Please, let me go.”
“Uh—what about the fire magic test for heating water?” Ramon asked.
He’d been waiting patiently for a good pause in the conversation.
Right… Sorry about that.
We’d called Ed over in the first place to see if fire magic could heat water.
Back in the village, we filled a bucket with water and had Ed create a fireball about the size of a fist, then drop it in.
When I dipped my hand in, the surface water was warm, but deeper down it was still cold.
Everyone else tried as well, even the Golden Wings members, who had somehow gathered and were taking turns sticking their hands in the bucket.
“I can’t believe it was this easy… Why did no one ever think of this before?” Allie said.
“Allie, it can’t be helped,” said Rinka. “If you could use both Water and Fire, maybe you’d think of it. But with just one attribute, most of us only focus on making that magic stronger.”
“That’s true. I’ve always focused on strengthening my Ice magic.”
“Young Master Reinhardt, thank you,” Ed said, bowing deeply. “Even though I’m a dual-attribute, I thought I couldn’t contribute to the village. I see now I was wrong. Thank you for making me realize that.”
“Good for you, Ed. We’ll work hard together too, so that we can bathe without firewood. Let’s practice our magic.”
“Ramon, Linda—sorry for making you worry, and thank you. I’ll train harder from now on.”
Logan then placed a hand on Meyer’s shoulder and, where I couldn’t hear, said quietly,
“I get it now—the hardships you’re dealing with. Sorry for teasing you. Well… keep at it.”
What do you think about this chapter?
