CHAPTER 5

Again, since when was this shabby mage sleeping in my house? And in my room? At least he’s on the chair, but it's still infuriating. It’s so early in the morning—the sun hasn't even risen yet. Wait, who’s in the kitchen-?

“This house is awfully fitting for the poor,” an arrogant child's voice echoed.

“Who are you?” I gasped, startled, already thinking about calling for help.

I saw a shadowed figure, and then it clicked.

“Shinzu?!”

“Shh, be quiet. I just wanted to talk,” he smirked, but I could feel the barely contained anger beneath that grin.

“I just felt lonely! Erm... who were you again?”

“Why are you here!?”

“You embarrassed me, a noble. My men wouldn’t appreciate it if things got noisy here.”

Five armored figures loomed behind him.

“I can smell magiphite... You’ve been practicing magic, boy? Ha! Planning to attend one of the academies, are we?”

“So what!?”

In an instant, he raised his wand, and a pebble of earth shot toward me.

“THAT is… NO WAY to speak to a noble... Hahaha!”

My head throbbed, blood trickling down. What... what is happening?

“And yes, Bostos. That pig isn’t here, is he?”

“You… won’t get away with this...”

“Oh, I already know your father is a corporal. But my men? They’re all of the same rank—SOLDIERS! And soldiers are supposed... TO!!! HELP... NOBLES!!!”

“Fuck you.”

Shinzu’s grin faded. His hand tightened around the wand. Am I... am I going to die-?

“NOOO!” I screamed, running back to my room, panic flooding my mind.

“JAMES… HELP!”

A rock hurtled toward me, crashing into the chair and blasting a hole through the wall with ease.

“Oh my... Hahaha. I said not to be noisy!”

“Damn it, this early... and without breakfast,” a groggy voice muttered.

I found myself hiding behind a half-awake James as he stood between me and Shinzu's men.

“Even if you know how to swing a sword, I’ve got four soldiers here. And I, Shinzu, a brilliant mage, am more than enough! What’s this? A beggar? Why does Lord Kairu allow peasants like you to live?”

With a furious wave of his hand, Shinzu hurled a barrage of rocks at us. James, unfazed and without a wand, swiftly pulled a piece of paper from his pocket.

The paper ignited, and the rocks froze mid-air, encased in ice.

“So, the beggar’s a mage too? Haha! A pathetic one, using scrolls. I bet it was you who used the magiphite. That brat has no talent! But let me show you real magic—from a genius!”

[------------------------------------------------------------------]

I couldn’t understand the incantation Shinzu was chanting. Damn it... why is it always us?

James quickly ripped a page from his notebook.

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“You really are pathetic,” Shinzu sneered. “Relying on scrolls? P A T H E T I C! YOU CAN’T EVEN CREATE YOUR OWN MAGIC!”

His taunt was cut short as his magic failed. How-?

“You… what was that?” Shinzu stammered, his confidence shaken.

“Yeah, so what if I use scrolls?” James shot back. “It’s no different from manifesting sigils—it’s still magic!”

“Nonsense!” Shinzu’s voice trembled as he struggled to cast another spell, but his magic refused to take form.

“What did you do? MEN!” he shouted, panic creeping into his voice.

“That was a diverge dispel, idiot noble.”

“How dare— No... that's a five-layer spell... When did you even cast— And that notebook, what kind of artifact... No...”

“This isn’t even a full diverge dispel, you moron. It’s my OWN version—two layers. In reality, you're the one who can't make your own spells. You just copy from textbooks, professors, and others.”

A soldier tackled James before he could touch his notebook.

“Diverge dispel my ass! HAHAHA! Why do you think I brought my men here? You talk big, but HAHAHA!”

“STOP! WHAT ARE YOU SOLDIERS DOING?!”

“Shut up, peasant!” one of the armored men growled.

“I’m Corporal Ludwig. This is an authorized search,” he stated, displaying his badge.

The soldiers around him wore their helmets, faces unrecognizable, but one whispered to Shinzu, “Sir, this isn’t what you told us…”

“Shut up! I’m a noble! Arrest his son, sergeant! He disrespected a noble!”

“He did no such thing, Sir Shinzu,” my father said firmly. “There’s no warrant for this. I’ve already disputed your complaint at city hall!”

“Tch, I have connections. Haven't you heard of my family? We run a barony not far from here and have ties with Lord Kairu. I could have you stripped of your rank.”

“I don’t care. You have no right to be here. Leave!”

More soldiers arrived, drawn by the commotion.

“We heard noise. What’s going on?”

Shinzu, visibly fuming, motioned for his men to retreat.

“Nothing. Just visiting a good friend,” he sneered. “Carry on with your patrol.”

And with that, Shinzu left, casting a final glare at me.

“Son, are you alright?”

“Yes, father...”

“Thank you, James.”

“I’ll accept food as thanks,” James yawned. “Now, back to sleep.”

As we cleaned up the mess, I turned to my father with a question that had been bugging me.

“Father, who is James?”

“He’s an old friend of mine, I saw him at the common school while I trained as a soldier.”

“So he’s a mage?”

“Exactly. He’s skilled at drawing sigils, but his mana reserves are weak, barely enough to compete. He can’t even manifest sigils properly, which is why he always carries that notebook.”

Father paused, lost in thought for a moment.

“That’s all in the past now. He didn’t make the cut for Scholaris or Academia. The common school is harsh; any sign of weakness gets you replaced quickly. He made it to the finals, but combat was never his strength. I remember watching him struggle during the trials in front of the Lord’s estate. The Lord himself selected the scholars to send to the capital, and it was… hard to watch. A heartbreaking defeat. Since then, he’s taken on small requests from the city hall, but I believe he’s managing… hopefully.”

“I see...”

I was speechless, I just kept watch of James as he slept.

Hours later, I waited for James to wake up. SINCE WHEN WAS HE IN THE KITCHEN?!

“I’m hungry. Oh, it’s you.”

“You... James, what now?”

“I’m cooking breakfast, obviously.”

I watched reluctantly, unable to call him the shabby mage anymore.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” He handed me the ingredients, “Now, you cook. I like my food hot.”

“SHABBY MAGE!”

I tried my best, cooking bacon and eggs, determined to make him a delicious breakfast.

“This tastes horrible.”

“Wh-what? It’s fine! I used spices!”

“Look, just because you like cooking doesn’t mean you’re good at it.”

“You… why don’t you cook, then?”

And before I knew it, he whipped up something far better.

“You’re just bad at cooking, and painting. Next time, learn how to cook.”

“Let’s just eat already!” I snapped.

“That concludes our lesson,” James interrupted.

“What? You didn’t teach anything!”

“You’re welcome.”

“JAMES!”

And, just like that, he walked out after eating. Door? Shut.

Chapter 5 end.