The Knight from the Fairytales-Chapter 28: About Magic

After completing a trial, that castle vanished, as if there had never been any Green Knight or church to begin with.
Who can truly explain magic? If it could be clearly dissected and understood, it wouldn't be called magic anymore.
"Vanished, such a massive structure just disappeared."
Elsa sat on the horseback, stretching out her small hand toward the empty space as if reaching for an illusion. Then she seemed to remember something.
In such cold weather, shouldn't some animals be hibernating? Why were we still encountering wild beasts?
"Vanished, they're not even pretending around me anymore. Couldn't it have disappeared after I left? Or does my current strength mean I'm qualified to witness such things? Ah, what am I thinking? This world constantly experiences these strange occurrences."
Beihai shook his head with some self-mockery. He initially thought it was because his abilities had reached a certain level, but then realized such things seemed to happen daily - animals speaking human language, magical artifacts beyond ordinary comprehension.
Like the legend about someone possessing shoes that could traverse anywhere in the world, reaching any destination with just a thought.
Where did they come from? How were they obtained? What principles governed them? None of that mattered. You only needed to know what the legends said.
And legends must be true - there definitely existed such shoes that could transport the wearer anywhere.
In this world, though deities didn't exist, mystical phenomena were plentiful, and people had grown accustomed to them.
"Sir Knight, these things are truly dreamlike. Could I learn them?"
This was Elsa's first time witnessing such scenes firsthand. Most of the time, she only heard rumors, stories spread by traveling bards, and familiar legends.
Elsa believed in these things, but she had never actually seen them.
Now that she had witnessed them with her own eyes, curiosity inevitably sparked within her, making her want to explore further.
Entering these realms wasn't complicated - you simply needed to witness something, become curious, then follow that curiosity through continuous exploration until you became a grand sorcerer.
Many mystical traditions recruited apprentices exactly this way. "My palms can produce fire - aren't you curious? Don't you want to learn?"
It followed the same principle as cultivation arts. When you witnessed sword flight or distance-shrinking techniques, wouldn't you want to learn them?
Beihai patted little Elsa's head before him, unsure how to answer. Honestly, he was curious too, but currently had no access to such knowledge.
"Well, if you want to learn, this current era is actually the best time for study. The mystical arts haven't declined and are at their peak. There aren't any notorious witch hunts happening randomly either. Learning magic can elevate your status."
"You're young and at the perfect age. I'll find you a sprite as a teacher. Hmm, if they refuse to come, I'll just tie them up and bring them here."
Beihai answered seriously, not treating this as a joke - because he wanted to learn too. Why a sprite?
What joke was that? Humans who mastered magic usually became old hags, unless they possessed extraordinary talent. But geniuses often had peculiar temperaments that made them difficult to get along with.
Sprites could teach magic, lived long lives, and were the ideal candidates. Most importantly, sprites appeared as kind figures in many stories.
"A sprite..."
Elsa couldn't help but indulge in fantasies, imagining three-headed creatures holding tiny magic wands, with cicada-wing-thin wings on their backs.
Beihai imagined sprites with pointed ears and the inevitable gold accessories. Many sprites fit this description across various media. While normal sprites might be rare, they appeared frequently in certain genres, whether in comics or films.
He pictured flawless beauty, preferably in mother-daughter combinations, dressed in formal gown-like attire.
Both had their own imaginations, though both simply wanted to learn magic.
"Or if I married a sprite, would that count as something questionable? Though there should be many married sprites available."
As their wild thoughts continued, the horse carried both forward.
When Elsa's curiosity peaked, she would ask Beihai where they were heading.
Beihai would tell her to just follow the birds in the sky.
As they traveled, winter gradually passed and spring slowly arrived. The snow covering the land would soon melt, and many animals would awaken from hibernation. The season of renewal had come.
Elsa collected water from a riverside where the ice had recently melted, the river water flowing gently.
This water could be boiled and stored for warm drinking water during their journey.
According to the knight, this was called disinfection and sterilization, though drinking the water directly seemed fine too. It tasted quite sweet, though the cold weather made chilled water somewhat harsh on the throat.
Whenever they stopped to rest at a location, the horse would graze on grass while Elsa busied herself preparing meals using foraged fruits and purchased dried meats.
Now that the snow and ice had retreated, green grass had begun appearing, meaning they no longer needed to spend money on horse feed.
"No matter how many times I see it, it still feels novel. These plants grow so remarkably."
Beihai finally spoke after long contemplation. Not being native to this world, witnessing things that far exceeded his common knowledge always made him try to explore, though he ultimately gained nothing.
Wasn't magic called magic precisely because it was miraculous?
Yet this made Beihai feel disconnected. While others saw these phenomena as normal and natural, Beihai still hadn't fully adapted. He felt like an outsider trying to integrate, always falling slightly short.
As he pondered, a bowl appeared before him containing soup.
"Sir Knight, the meal is ready."
"Hmm."
Beihai responded and began tasting under Elsa's expectant gaze, then offered his evaluation.
"Quite good, you're improving. I can't offer much more commentary than that."
"That's fine, improvement is enough."
Elsa's mood immediately brightened, and she began humming little tunes while continuing with various chores.
Watching Elsa's busy figure, Beihai wondered: did this count as child labor?
Speaking of which, he wondered how Little Red Riding Hood was doing. Age-wise, she should be similar to Elsa.
They were about the same height too. Strange that the rewards hadn't arrived yet.
"Alright, pack up quickly and let's go. There's a royal city not far ahead. We'll do some proper shopping there and see what strange tales we might discover."
Never mind, with his current strength, he needn't fear anywhere he went. Moreover, having obtained that ring, he no longer needed to worry about money. Where in this vast world couldn't he go?