A month later.
Morning, in the mage’s training ground. There wasn’t anyone there except for a few dummies and a short boy.
“Wind blades.”
Following the boy’s words, several transparent sharp blades sprung forth from his hand and hit the wooden dummy log.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each and every blade left a deep gash on the wooden dummy log that was about a meter thick. The previously fine dummy became ragged in just a few seconds.
*Clap Clap*
A really tall man suddenly appeared from boy’s back and gave a hearty applause; with Charle being his identity.
“Oh, my~ How amazing~! It hasn’t even been a month, and you’re already a peak rank 1 mage? Really, the talent of a violet soul is truly too godly~! It leaves us commoners in the dust~ I’m so envious, you know~ How are we even going to live from now on?”
The boy turned his small body, revealing an androgynous male face, and flatly said,
“Is that what a rank 4 mage should say to a newbie…?” He looked at the sun that hung on the horizon, and continued, “That aside, aren’t you supposed to be in the knight’s training ground right now, Charle? So, why are you still here?”
Charle replied coquettishly while twisting around his big body, “Of course it’s to see you, Ivan. My super duper cutie angel~ For you, I can even ditch training, you know~ It’s not really a big deal~”
“I see,” Ivan said. Then, without any noticeable signs, he suddenly cast what seems like magic on the soles of his feet. Immediately after that, he dashed and left to the corridor in the opposite direction without any further ado, leaving behind a cloud of dust on his trail.
The man that was left behind could only shake his head disappointedly, “Sigh, really, that child~! Always so cold towards me~ I’m so sad~ Naughty boys are cute, but honest and obedient boys are the best...”
Then, as if he had been struck by an inspiration, his mouth curved up into a grin, “Hmm? Then, should I try to ‘discipline’ him? Ohoho...ohoho...OHOHOHOHO~”
...The man’s creepy laughter continues to reverberate in the training ground.
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Ivan’s POV
“...What was that?” I shivered. My back suddenly felt chilly for no apparent reason. Shit, it must’ve been that gorilla’s fault! Always appearing without any notice and scaring people like that, he sure got a hella lot of time to waste, huh?
“...Haa,” I unconsciously leaked out a sigh. It’s been a month since I arrived in this world. Apart from my new training schedule for magic, nothing has really changed. The idiot is still an idiot, and that party of his too stays the same. My daily schedule was to eat, train, picking a fight with those guys, sleep, then repeat. Oh, if there’s something worth mentioning, it was about the meeting with the lord of this place, in other words, the king.
But, really. I didn’t even register half of what he said during our meeting, as his speech was twice as long as the school’s headmaster annual greetings! It was simply torture! With all those bullsh*ts like ‘For this kingdom’s peace’ or ‘You shall be awarded by riches’ or ‘Rise to prominence, Heroes!’, truth be told, I don’t care about that!
Old. Man. I. Don’t. Give. A. Damned. F**k!
Not to mention, with how dark ‘that’ in his surroundings, I feel nauseated looking at him! Compared to that robotic maid, it felt worse! Even though I myself don’t understand what I am seeing all this time, I knew that a person like him is always up to no good. So that’s why I hope that I don’t meet him ever again.
...Wait. I did remember something important, the promise of providing us with a luxurious life even if we didn’t choose to become a hero. As we all could guess, no one chose that. I was going to, but...
“...But, I just can’t give up on magic.”
The speculations I had before, all of them are true. The value of the heroes and that ten-year magic stone mining results, just can’t be compared to each other. Why? Because our value is supposedly indeterminable.
First of all, the people of this world are pretty weird. In that body of theirs that doesn’t even exceed 2 meters in average, some people hold the power to topple mountains and overturn the seas. They could even crush stars and explore the vast expanse of outer space...
Cough, cough.
It was just an exaggeration on my part, sorry. Anyway, what I meant is, they could have the power to rival an entire army on their own. That is to say, one super strong person could slaughter an entire army or even the nation itself! When I heard that, I thought that it was incredulous. Like, who doesn’t!?
A superhero comes from god-knows-where, punched out to produce a force comparable to a meteoric impact, and destroys a single continent in just a few seconds. Psh, come on! Even third-rate movies these days are better than that.
But, that was exactly what happened. At first, I thought that magic was a type of energy that was used to fuel weapons or daily appliances, just like electricity. I thought that the trick Selena or Charle used was due to them holding some kind of remote control. But, oh boy was I wrong. That notion changed when Charle demonstrated the might of magic to us.
It happened like two days after we were summoned. With the princess also tagging along, he took us to the training grounds. Then, without telling us anything, a light started to gather on his right arm, and he suddenly punched the ground.
I still remember that scene since it occurred not too long ago. His punch made out a huge dust cloud and created a deep crater under him. Yes, not a hole, but more like a small crater. It spanned around three meters in width, and a meter deep. Can you imagine if he punched a human with that fist? Poof and they’ll be blown to bits. Since he wasn’t holding anything in his hand and I saw it up close, I instinctively knew that it was ‘his’ own power. People fight wars using weapons and technologies, but in this world, their own body is their greatest asset. Of course, that also includes equipment and the likes.
In short, even if I chose to become a servant in the castle, my life still wouldn’t be guaranteed. Who knows when the war will start? If I were to be put in a dangerous situation then, will they come to my aid? Surely not. What importance does a lowly servant hold? If I were them, I would send any extra help to the frontlines or keep them beside me as guards. So, in this dog-eat-dog world, only by relying on your own power will you be able to survive.
I clenched my fists tightly, thinking about my uncertain future. Making a decision to become a hero and all that is pretty great, but… the burden that comes along with every decision I make is just too much. Not having any power is plain suicide, while having some ability would just make you as yet another useful chess piece. I can’t help but feel powerless. I couldn’t decide my own fate; not in my former world, and not here either.
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“Haa,” I leaked out a sigh again.
Unconsciously, it seems that I have walked to the dining room. Just perfect since I’m hungry. I entered the room and saw that quartet, wait, it should be quintet now, eating their breakfast with sleepy eyes.
“Felix~ Say ahh,” that Sophie fed Felix some food.
With a look that screams out ‘I just woke up 5 minutes ago’, he opened his mouth, “Ahh…,” and chomped it down with one bite. That useless girl got her cheeks reddened in a bout of happiness.
“Haa,” it seems that sighing has become a habit for me now. Sometimes, I feel really jealous of an idiot like him. Passing his days relaxedly without any stress, and to keep fooling around just like this. Truly, the happiness brought by ignorance.
Lyra is reading a book, while that hoodlum is busy tinkering with something. Meanwhile, the princess is eating her meal elegantly. I wordlessly took a seat and ate my meal in silence. I didn’t talk to them since I don’t find any merits in doing so. Furthermore, apart from the neutral Lyra and Selena, I’m on bad terms with the others. I quickly finished my breakfast, and the others did so too. The princess opened up the daily morning conversation by asking me a question.
“Did you train magic by yourself again?”
“Yes.”
“Is that so. Working hard is a commendable trait, but please don’t overwork yourself, okay?”
“I shall keep that in mind.”
Useless perfunctory greetings. Just get straight to the point.
“Alright, I’ll get this short. Today, all daily training schedule will be cancelled. Instead--”
“Why?” The hoodlum interjected.
“Brian, let the princess finish first,” Lyra admonished him.
“...Sorry, my bad.”
“No, no, it’s fine. Anyway, today’s training schedule is all cancelled and you’re free to use this day to rest. Instead, we’ll be going to the dungeon--”
“WHAT!?” The idiot suddenly woke up from his stupor and shouted.
I rolled my eyes. Like seriously, we’ve been interrupted twice already.
“When!?” He asked.
Lyra sighs quietly, and said, “...Felix, just sit down and listen to the princess. Seriously, you guys should go and learn from Ivan in times like this.”
“Oops, sorry. My bad, hehe. And, Hi Ivan!”
...Is there something wrong with his brain? Obviously, I ignored him just like usual, and he sat down without minding it.
“Selena, then, then,” he urged the princess to continue. He was shaking all over, but rather than out of fear, it should be from excitement.
“Yes, I will continue. Tomorrow, we’ll be going into a dungeon nearby to let you all experience real combat. But, please be rest assured. Since the only capable fighters right now are only Felix and Ivan, the five of you won’t be playing an active part in the subjugation. Instead, you’ll be watching the process of real-life combat.”
Hmm, so it’s nothing serious after all. I thought we’ll be fighting against the monsters tomorrow, like without any prior experience whatsoever. Not to mention, with the exception of me and that idiot, the other three are useless.
I’ve already reached peak rank 1 mage, and that idiot should already be able to use that aura thing from his knight training. Meanwhile, the other three are… to put it nicely, they’re just cheerleaders. I’m not blaming them or anything, they’re not trashy at all. Actually, just looking at their talents alone, they wouldn’t lose to the elites in this country. It’s just, that idiot’s talent and mine are close to being called cheat existences.
I mean, normal people have to receive intense training for years if they wanted to be able to use offensive magic or that aura thing. People aren’t supposed to be able to use those in like, a month. So, the trio who are only a breath away from being able to use these superpowers could actually be considered as geniuses.
..That gorilla can’t be judged with common sense though.
“Then, it’s more like a field trip?” Lyra asked.
“Yes, exactly.”
Lyra heaved a sigh of relief, while that idiot got depressed.
“U-umm, do we need to take anything with us?” That useless girl asked.
The princess replied, “No, the daily necessities will be taken care of us. So, you can just observe tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
“Alright, then. Tomorrow, right after breakfast, we’ll immediately depart to Fienas. If there are more questions you want to ask, you can find me in the garden. Excuse me. By the way, Charle will also accompany us.”
Right after the princess said that, she left the room. That despairing look on that idiot’s face was really funny.
Of course, I soon followed after. Don’t wanna get pestered by that idiot all day after all. You should just nicely spend your time with that useless girl.
----------
“Magic, the power to bend reality to your liking. An existence that is real, and yet illusory at the same time; an abstruse power that can bring miracles, or even calamities depending on the user.”
In this quiet library, a boy with short black hair was seen holding a book in his hands. He quietly recited the text from the book that was titled, “An Introduction to Magic”. Several similar books are also found in his vicinity.
“...Magic can be used to affect reality itself by changing the properties of Mana. The source of Magic itself, that is Mana, can also be used directly to amplify an already existing phenomenon.”
The sound of flipping pages echoed quite clearly in the deserted library. He continued to read pages upon pages, and even compared other books by placing them open. Soon, he limped down in his chair again.
“Haa,” he leaked out a sigh. “I’ve read these over and over, but I still don’t understand they mean.”
He opened up his hand, and blue light started to gather on it. It soon formed a little floating ball on top of his palm.
“Mana, the origin of Magic. The fuel of magic that exists almost everywhere in nature. It could be found in both organic and inorganic things.”
Then, the small blob of blue light slowly turned red and at the same time, began to emit heat.
“This should be what it meant to change the properties of Mana, right? Just by willing it, Mana will change its attributes according to the user’s desire. How convenient.”
But, what he didn’t know is that, changing the properties of Mana is not that simple. Most people would find it really hard just to control Mana, let alone changing its properties. In a sense, this was the demarcation line between normal people and those with talents to become magicians. He was only having an easy time because of his cheat-like talent.
“Now, let there be fire!”
The red blob suddenly turned fierce and started to burn vigorously. It wasn’t really dangerous as its size was only as big as a flickering candle.
“Pfft, that chant is so embarrassing,” The boy blushed from the words he uttered himself. He shook his head and the expression on his face turned normal again.
“Now, according to theory, Magic uses up Mana in order to bring changes to reality; just like how I use electricity to charge up my phone. Hmm, not a bad comparison,” he muttered to himself.
“That being the case, it should be possible for fire to exist freely just by solely relying on Mana. A preposterous logic, I know,” He put his other hand on his chin, seemingly to stroke a nonexistent beard.
“And yet…”
A shapeless spherical wall of wind suddenly enveloped the ball, forcing the air to scatter away. The next moment, the flame inside was extinguished.
“...It couldn’t exist in a vacuum, without oxygen. I wonder what went wrong?” He scratched his hair confusedly. And yet, it didn’t conceal the tinge of excitement in his eyes.
“In the first place, Magic itself is an act of defying normal logic. Like how it was possible for the princess to freeze flames, which is an impossible feat, the same should be able to be done to this! Theoretically, It should be doable to use just Mana as a fuel to produce flame! WHY CAN’T IT WORK? AHHHH!” He shouted in frustration.
“QUIET!” The white-haired librarian rebuked him. His voice shook every nook and cranny of the library. Despite already having one foot in the grave, his voice was still as thunderous as ever.
The boy could only meekly reply, “Yessir! I’m sorry!”
“Hmph!” The old man harrumphed. “Ivan, I don’t care whether you’re a hero or savior or warrior or whatever, but if you’re going to make a trouble in MY library, you WILL have to cross over my dead body!”
Having said so, he turned away and left.
“Librarians are always so scary…” Ivan said in a hushed voice. He patted himself and continued, “Well, it seems that my experiments should be postponed right now. I should probably ask the princess or that gorilla tomorrow.”
He glanced at a nearby map, and murmured, “The trip to Fienas would take at least half a day. Not to mention the time we’ll spend there. I think it should be around 3 to 4 days? No worries, there’s ample for me to ask. Also, I should be able to get my hands on some materials. Hehehe, not a bad deal…”
Suppressing his excitement, he left the library in a composed manner.
The old librarian who saw this snorted, “What a weird kid,” and continued to finish whatever business he needed to do.