"Hmm…" Billy rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Around two months had passed since the elementalists joined their side, and some rumors were spreading that Edward was already planning the operation to build the bridge. It will take a while, and since the river was far away, those who will there will have to stay for quite a while. Thanks to that, Billy was wondering if he should teach his siblings Earth Manipulation. Although they were barely four years old, they actually could meditate, and over the course of the last month, their mana increased considerably. Despite being kids, they were diligent and wanted to do the same as the rest of the family. After all, even Drew learned Earth Manipulation. Still, it might be dangerous to teach that to kids so small.
"Are you fine with that, mom?" Billy asked. "I am not sure about this, to be honest.
"It is okay, they are good kids, nothing bad will happen," Camilla said and then smiled. "You are such a worrywart."
Most likely, Billy and Drew will have to leave during the mission to build the bridge, and they will return only once in a while, so he won't be able to overview his siblings' practice. Still, Camilla could do that. Just to make sure, Billy told them that they shouldn't use the magic in several situations or against each other or other kids. If they do, Billy won't play with them or teach them anything. It seemed a bit harsh, but it was the only thing he could do to prevent accidents. Since Samuel and Samara pretty much idealized Billy, they nodded at everything with a serious face. They understand that magic wasn't a toy.
Thanks to all that, Samuel and Samara learned Earth Manipulation after just two weeks… They were probably the youngest ones that could use magic. Billy had heard that the elementalists only learn it when they are eight or nine.
"As expected, the environment truly is important…" Billy nodded to himself. "Maybe it is more of a psychological question than anything..."
"Yay! We did it! We did it!" Samuel said while jumping.
"It is a bit different from my brother's…" Samara said, looking a bit disappointed.
Billy only taught them how to control the earth for the time being. He didn't teach them how to change the shape and add rotation. Kids didn't need to worry about that, after all. They only need to get used to controlling it.
"You are a good teacher, Billy," Drew said. "In any case, here is your spear back. I am completely fine, thanks to you."
Billy looked at his father's feet, both of them had some small scars on them, but the wound was completely healed… it was quite shocking that the scar was so small. In any case, that was good.
"Are you going to talk with the lord, already?" Billy asked.
"Yes, the other tribe leaders had also been called," Drew replied. "It will happen soon."
"I wonder who is the new leader of the elementalists," Billy said while frowning.
Drew just shrugged since he didn't know that himself. In any case, the training grounds were closed that day, so Billy decided to take a day off and spend time with his family. For a change, his friends didn't come to visit him because they were bored out of their minds… maybe they were also enjoying their days off.
"I will have a lot of time to experiment while I am on this mission, so I don't have to worry about training today," Billy nodded to himself.
Recently, Billy had the idea of seeing what would happen if he manipulated the ground and tried to make it as hard as possible. Would it become iron? It seemed too good to be true, but the possibility exists… even if the elementalists never had any tools made of iron. Even if that was possible, it was fine… Billy soon would learn Fire Manipulation, and he would be able to melt things like iron easily and then turn them into weapons. Although, he will probably have to learn how to purify ores as well…
Although he only went for a fast reunion in the morning. Drew returned pretty late at night and informed his family that he and Billy would leave tomorrow at noon and would return only after two weeks. Apparently, Edward had already prepared the entire mission. Still, they wouldn't take any healers with them for some odd reason.
"We will leave half of the people that can fight here, in case something happens regarding the magic beasts," Drew said. "We have been hunting them down periodically, but it is impossible to control or find their nests."
"Returning after two weeks, how many days off will you have?" Camilla asked.
"For a while, only one week and we will return to the bridge," Drew explained. "The entire group can't return at the same time, so one third of us will come home at a time."
That wasn't so bad; Billy thought that they would be out for months, given how much Edward was looking forward to that bridge. Still, Camilla was a bit worried since Drew and Billy never stayed away from home for that long. Anna was the same as over, but she also was obviously worried since she bought some extra medicine with her own money and gave it to Billy and Drew.
"Don't get hurt like that again, otherwise, you will have to retire this time," Anna said.
Drew forced a smile, even though he knew that his mother-in-law wasn't joking. To make sure that his siblings would look forward to their return, Billy went all out and made them float in the air with a thin platform made of earth. They looked pretty happy and ecstatic thanks to that, but it wasn't something Billy could use too many times.. He had just learned that while he could transport things like that, it would require more mana due to the extra weight.
