Nathan

Year 2851 | Month 1 | Day 23

I open my mouth to respond, almost instinctively rejecting his offer. But then a thought comes to mind.

The guy is a complete supremist asshole, sure. And he has done some rather atrocious things in his life as well.

None of that means that I can’t accept his offer though. Then turn around and betray him afterwards if need be.

First thing’s first though.

“Would you tell me why you request this?” I ask with a slight frown as the nobles all around us look between me and the two Class S magicians with pure shock and some terror on their faces. Probably because if I accept then I’ll have a second Class S backer. And this backer won’t give a shit about interfering with their politics like the skeleton does.

Meaning Juan could easily incinerate them without a care if he wanted to.

Actually, he could probably nuke half of the continent the Kingdom of the Fallen is on if he wanted to.

As for why the leader of Natra wants to take me on as a student, a few possibilities come to mind…

“Fire magic is supreme, and my people and I wish to take it as far as possible,” Juan says without breaking eye contact with me. Then he simply asks, “What better way to advance fire magic than to teach an immortal everything I know about it?”

…and that is not one of the possibilities I had thought of.

Huh.

Well then.

I glance at the skeleton, only for the skeleton to begin speaking to me through telepathy, saying, “Accept his offer if you wish to advance your fire magic. He truly has no ill intentions for you, because his greatest desire is to see fire magic advanced beyond any other magic in existence. And training an immortal fire magician will reach that goal for him.”

My eyes narrow ever so slightly.

“And what are your conditions?” I ask while holding myself back from frowning.

Juan doesn’t break eye contact as he answers, “I am the one requesting you to become my student. There are no conditions.” He pauses for a second before adding, “I will assist you when you need my protection and free you should you ever get captured by other magicians for your undying body. All I wish is to pass on my knowledge to an immortal so that you may one day advance fire magic as a whole.”

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I stare at him for several seconds before eventually letting out a sigh.

This guy really isn’t anything like what I was expecting. Or at least, not towards me.

He’s almost exactly what I was expecting when it comes to those nobles around us and the skeleton.

“Very well, I accept,” I tell the man with a nod of my head.

And his reaction is absolutely not what I was expecting.

Juan Sequani breaks out into a wide smile and places his hand on my head and the other on my shoulder as he practically barks out, “Thank you, child! You will not regret this decision as I’m sure you will be able to advance fire magic far beyond any other magic in existence!”

I feel myself blanking out at the physical contact, not to mention his patting my head like some grandkid.

But to be honest, that really does look like how he seems to view me now. As if I were his grandson or something.

The man is the oldest living – emphasis on living, seeing as the skeleton is dead – Class S magician in the two continents. What with him being 72 years old, if I remember correctly from the news. So I’m absolutely sure his help would be extremely beneficial. Especially considering my lack of any sort of fire magic teacher.

Other than the fire magicians on the battlefield that I’m stealing knowledge from.

Actually, he may be older than 72 years old now. Considering how long I’ve been in the Kingdom of the Fallen.

It’s possible he could be 73 now.

Either way, he’s old for a magician.

And since the magicians of the various nations have managed to extend the human lifespan a little bit for magicians, he could theoretically live for another twenty-something years. Maybe thirty-something. And I’m sure he’s had the treatment to extend his life. Even if he doesn’t look it outwardly.

It’s mostly just that magicians almost never die of old age.

Then again, from what I’ve heard, the treatment isn’t exactly a pleasant one.

It’ll pretty much kill off any bad cells in their body through poison magic, enhance the good cells, and do everything it can to perfect the human body. But this is only able to extend their life a little bit, and only once.

After that they’re stuck dying when they die. And they don’t visibly revert in age or anything.

They even end up even more shriveled and in pain and discomfort than before as they continue aging past their previous limit.

To my surprise, when I look up at Juan’s eyes again, I find him looking at the nobles with a fiery glare on his face. A glare that fades when he sees me looking at him, following which he warmly smiles at me.

Wow. This guy really does see me as some sort of golden goose to improve fire magic, doesn’t he?

That’s… not what I’m used to.

“Please don’t kill the other nobles,” I ask Juan, feeling a bit more confident about the fact that I probably won’t piss him off with my words. “They’re needed for the war.”

He meets my eyes, then glances at the nobles, then nods his head. And without letting either me or Juan say anything else, the skeleton asks, “The agreement?”

Juan glances at him while finally taking his hand off my head before answering, “I will aid you in the fight against the other Class S magicians. I will also send Natran forces to assist the Kingdom of the Fallen. You have my word.”

Officially marking the birth of our own alliance.