Starting Off With Space-Time Magic!

By late afternoon, another boy from the orphanage arrived. His name was Locke. He shot me a sharp glare the moment he noticed the wooden sign I carried.

"..."

"..."

"Hey, Locke, stop glaring at Matthew like that," Claire said, stepping in to mediate.

"C'mon, Claire. Half a silver coin per cast? Sure, Cleanliness is impressive, but this makes us look like fools."

"There's nothing we can do about it. We can only use Clean, after all."

"Tch. Whatever. I guess we'll just have to keep grinding away."

Although I could feel Locke's resentment, he didn't seem like a bad person. With the three of us seated quietly in the waiting area, it wasn't long before adventurers began trickling back into the guild.

"Oh, a new face… Wait, Cleanliness!?"

"Half a silver coin? That's steep… but I'm curious."

The first customers were a man armed with a spear and a woman carrying a staff. After handing over a silver coin, I cast Cleanliness on both of them.

"Wow, this is amazing! Even the smell of monster blood is completely gone!"

"No need for a bath tonight. Let's go grab a drink instead."

Their reactions must have caught the attention of others because soon, a steady stream of adventurers started lining up to try my service. By the end of the day, I'd made a small fortune.

Still, I couldn't help but feel a little guilty toward Claire and Locke. Fortunately, not every adventurer could afford Cleanliness, so they still had customers for Clean.

As the sun began to set, Claire and Locke decided to head back to the orphanage, and I prepared to return to the inn as well.

"Damn, you made a killing today, huh?" Locke grumbled. "Hey, Matthew, teach us how to cast Cleanliness, will ya?"

"I don't think I can," I said with a shrug. "I'm only in this city for a week."

"...How long did it take you to learn it, anyway?" Claire asked.

"Over three months," I admitted. "It's actually pretty hard to learn."

"Three months, huh?" Locke scratched his head. "Still, got any tips for practicing?"

"Yeah, is there a way we could train on our own?" Claire chimed in.

Since they seemed genuinely interested, I gave them a brief explanation. Unlike Clean, which is a pure water-attribute spell, Cleanliness combines both light and water attributes. The key to learning it is visualizing how to blend the two elements. However, manipulating multiple attributes simultaneously is an advanced skill.

By the time I finished explaining, both of them looked defeated.

"Wait, you have to use two attributes at once? How's anyone supposed to do that?" Locke groaned.

"So, if you can't handle two attributes, you can't learn it, huh?" Claire sighed. "Matthew, you're amazing."

I could see why it would be challenging for them. With only the basic [Living Magic Lv. 1] trait, learning a composite spell like Cleanliness was nearly impossible. My father had trained me rigorously in magic from a young age, and even then, it hadn't been easy.

For Claire and Locke, who lacked such resources and guidance, the odds were stacked against them. Still, I encouraged them to keep practicing as best they could.

We parted ways with a promise to meet again tomorrow.

By the time I returned to the inn, the sun had set, and the dining hall was glowing with warm light. Before dinner, I cast Cleanliness on myself to freshen up, then sat down to eat. The meal tonight was a simple but delicious minced meat pasta paired with soup.

As I ate, Mia wandered by and stopped at my table.

"So, did Naana take you on, Matthew?"

"Yes. Thanks to you, I've been earning quite a bit."

"Well, of course, nya. Cleanliness is not something ordinary people can master, nya."

"Oh, by the way, I originally booked three nights here, but would it be possible to extend my stay?"

"Of course, nya. You're welcome to stay as long as you like."

"Only until my ID is ready. Then I'll be on my way."

"Got it, nya."

With that, Mia returned to her work.

After finishing dinner, I went back to my room. Counting the day's earnings, I found I'd made ten silver coins—a sum far beyond what I'd expected. It was more than enough to cover travel expenses for the next leg of my journey.

Carefully, I stored the silver coins and half-silver coins in my Storage Magic, then lay down on the bed. My body, tired from the day, welcomed the rest.

Tomorrow, another busy day awaited.