It had been a few days since Thaddeus began teaching us the principles of magic. Surprisingly, Thaddeus proved to be meticulous and patient in his magical practice, although less so in his interactions with others. He would spot the slightest error and immediately point it out, explaining the process and prerequisites to avoid repetition.
Park Min-Jae and Yoon Jiyeon seemed to have adapted well to their new lives. They always listened attentively as Thaddeus taught them the various fundamentals of magic.
As for me, it turned out that Jiyeon hadn't broken the arcatron, and the cause of its malfunction was simply that my body lacked Ether. Even in this world, fate hadn't spared me. I was excited to be able to practice magic...
Despite my inability to cast spells, Thaddeus still decided to teach me the art of potions and powders. According to him, many erudite magicians devoted themselves solely to perfecting these practices. But these words, meant to comfort me, didn't touch me. I was used to being pitied.
When I opened my eyes, the sun's rays filtered through the wooden shutters, lightly illuminating the room. Thaddeus's modest house had three bedrooms. It was decided by mutual agreement that Park Min-Jae and I would share one room to leave the last one for Yoon Jiyeon's privacy.
The room was furnished with a large desk that occupied a significant portion of the space, its back to the door. To the right of the desk, Park Min-Jae and I slept in a bunk bed. I had taken the bottom bunk, thinking that Park Min-Jae would prefer the top one.
I had never slept in a bunk bed before. I remember having the opportunity once as a child when visiting my grandparents. But the possibility of my cousin and his bed falling on me frightened me, and I ended up getting up in the middle of the night to sleep on the floor wrapped in my blanket.
I shook my head vigorously, trying to erase the image of my parents finding me asleep on the floor.
Thaddeus's beds weren't particularly soft, but I had never slept so well in my life. Usually plagued by insomnia and an inability to fall asleep before a late hour, I had slept without waking up once.
Vlam.
The bedroom door burst open in one swift motion, making me jump.
Bum.
"Damn..."
I heard Park Min-Jae hit the ceiling; he must have jumped too.
"Get up, lazybones!"
Yoon Jiyeon's voice echoed in my still-sleepy head. Park Min-Jae grumbled.
"You—If I catch you, you're dead."
He climbed down from his bunk, rubbing his sore skull.
----------------------------------------
Waking up was difficult, but enduring Park Min-Jae and Yoon Jiyeon's incessant quarrels proved even harder. Thaddeus, despite his repeated reminders, couldn't do anything to stop them. He eventually assigned them their tasks for the day, stating that if they didn't finish learning their spells, he would find a way to sell them to the slave merchant who passed through town on festival days.
[An entity filled with regret pities you in your torment.]
This entity had no concept of privacy and sent me messages regardless of the time or situation I was in. I would have to talk to Thaddeus about it; I could very well have been cursed given my bad luck.
The mage suddenly turned to me.
"Grab a coat, you're coming with me."
Like me, Yoon Jiyeon and Park Min-Jae had transmigrated from a different time, and our clothes stood out easily. Thaddeus always asked us to wear a cape or coat when we went out. I grabbed an old cape that was draped over one of the chairs in the living room and followed him out the door.
The sunlight blinded me; I hadn't been outside since we arrived. The sun was barely up, and I took a deep breath, the air filled with the smell of the still-damp cobblestones.
"Are you coming?"
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
I turned to see Thaddeus looking at me with a shocked expression on his face.
"..."
I hurried to catch up with him. Thaddeus guided me through the paved streets of the city. Shopkeepers were beginning to open their stalls, and the smell of bread filled the air.
The mage entered a strange shop. Above the door frame, you could read 'Lazard Clothing and Magic.'
The interior of the shop was filled with clothes, each more beautiful than the last. Coats adorned with embroidery, canvas and silk trousers, and large capes with charming patterns.
A salesman greeted us. "Good morning, gentlemen."
"Good morning." Thaddeus headed towards the counter and pointed me to a corner of the shop where capes were stored. "It's time you three had some proper capes. Take one for yourself and two for Min-Jae and Jiyeon."
"Okay."
The corner of the shop was dimly lit. Nevertheless, I managed to find two capes that would do for Yoon Jiyeon and Park Min-Jae. One was black with purple highlights, and the other was red.
As I was about to choose a third one for myself, a glint caught my eye. Pushing aside a pile of dusty capes and coats, a trunk appeared. In the darkness, I could see
bright particles swirling around the trunk; it was like it was sparkling.
I opened the heavy trunk. Inside, an old black coat with wide sleeves lay. I took it out of the trunk to get a better look. Along the seams, curious white particles seemed to slowly move. Despite its unique matte color, I felt an energy emanating from it.
[An entity familiar with your legend is troubled by your choice.]
This time, the name had changed; if it was a new person speaking to me, I should start to worry.
[An entity filled with regret says you shouldn't worry.]
The entities were in my head, and no one else heard them; of course, I should worry.
[An entity filled with regret says you're not crazy.]
Now you can hear my thoughts. There are boundaries not to be crossed.
[An entity filled with regret apologizes for its clumsiness.]
[An entity familiar with your legend thought you would be more understanding.]
What bitter character could complain that I wanted to keep my privacy? The entities had no notion of respect.
I grabbed the two capes and brought them back to Thaddeus, who placed them on the counter. The salesman took the capes and the coat and examined them from all angles to make sure they were in good condition. He went behind the counter, descended a small ladder, and then returned from the basement with several black outfits. Thaddeus paid the asking price and left with the clothes under his arm.
The extra clothes he had taken intrigued me.
"Why did you take those black outfits?"
He smiled. "You're apprentice sorcerers; although I'm teaching you for now, if you want to join the mage council, you'll have to go to 'Seraphy's Magic Academy.'"
"But how am I going to do that if I can't cast spells?"
"If you think mages are the only ones studying at 'Seraphy's Magic Academy,' you'll be surprised."
A magic academy? This world was starting to resemble the world of a fantasy manhwa. You could probably see a faint smile forming on my face.
----------------------------------------
Yoon Jiyeon wasn't the type of person who enjoyed school, and the way Thaddeus gave them magic exercises had the knack of exasperating her.
A few hours earlier, when Thaddeus had told her that he would let her learn fire spells if she managed to decipher this parchment, she had thought it would be an easy task.
However, she had been pacing around the living room for hours, trying to recall the text without finding any meaning. She tried once again to reread the text.
From the heavenly ether flows pure water,
The earth, the work of demons, rises in darkness,
Angels breathe air, carrying the whispers of eons.
From the depths of the cosmic abyss emerges sacred fire,
It animates my blade, awakening flames in clarity,
And in their glow, the secrets of the soul are revealed.
No matter how many times she read it, nothing came to her. The only clue Thaddeus had given her was that this text wasn't meant to be read with the eyes. She wondered what it meant, but she felt that if she tried again, she would go crazy.
"We're back."
Fortunately, Thaddeus's embellished voice pulled her out of her stupor. When she saw the pile of clothes in his arms, she rushed to Thaddeus.
"You bought clothes for me too, didn't you?"
Thaddeus pushed her away, placing the clothes on the living room table and calling Park Min-Jae downstairs.
"I bought you new capes and mage uniforms. I can't hide you any longer without the magical authorities finding out. I'm going to have to send you to 'Seraphy's Magic Academy.'"
Yoon Jiyeon replied immediately.
"Does that mean I won't have to memorize these stupid parchments anymore?"
Thaddeus laughed.
"Oh no, it'll be much worse."
"WHAT!"
----------------------------------------
We set about putting on our outfits after Thaddeus had cleaned them. Surprisingly, the black coat I had chosen had turned white. Inside the coat, the black fabric on which the white particles moved looked like a starry sky. The sleeves were adorned with a slight golden band at the end. Strange patterns were embroidered on the front.
Thaddeus handed us our tunics to put on. They consisted of black canvas trousers, a shirt of the same color, and a belt. A red tie brightened up the ensemble. I put on the coat over it without putting on the sleeves. It was surprisingly more comfortable than I had imagined. At that moment, a screen appeared in front of my face.
[You have equipped a demonic object.]
[Many stars are watching you with interest.]
Stars? My actions seemed to be observed wherever I went, and this world was becoming more and more like a fantasy manhwa universe. It would be funny if there were a system in this world.
Without any conviction, I uttered the words I had read thousands of times.
"Display my characteristics."
A screen appeared before my eyes.
+
Name: Kim Honja
Age: 17
True name: ■■■■■■■■
Characteristics: Child ■■■ of ■■■■ ■■■.
Skills: Dark Ether Lv.1.
Titles: none
+