“Now then, I wonder what this year’s rookies have in store?”
I sat down on a seat provided at the side of the battle stage.
I mean, this is really an appealing job.
It’s like getting rewarded for defeating a few monsters without risking your life, and this proctor job is highly contested among the high-ranking adventurers every year.
And the reason I was able to win this impartial lottery must be due to my good conduct.
Moreover, I’ve observed over two hundred damn kids in my career, and I’ve never seen a single diamond in the rough.
It’s really just a cushy job of watching the kids play.
Good, good, it looks like the battle royale has begun as I instructed.
“……That’s”
I couldn’t help but reflexively clasps both of my hands together in prayer.
For a wimpy guy and a slender girl are being surrounded by the other examinees.
Well, it’s a battle royale after all, so it’s standard practice to defeat the weakest bunch first.
“With this, two people are eliminated now, huh?”
It looks like this is going to be a smackdown for those two.
Perhaps they’ll surrender or get knocked off the battle stage and lose by ‘Ring Out’.
Right then and there, one of the examinees started to make a move on the black-haired boy and—
—The attacker danced.
No, that person—was flying through the air.
Every time the boy swings his sword, people would fly, and when he kicks, people would still fly.
The boy seems to be protecting the girl behind him and didn’t move from his spot.
“Without moving a step…? Is that how overwhelming the difference in ability is?”
This time, several examinees tried to jump the boy, but—as a result, they could only be seen flying through the air.
“What have I just witnessed……?”
That boy…isn’t his swordsmanship and physical ability strengthening techniques even more terrifying than mine?
Such monstrous strength is something that even an A-rank adventurer probably couldn’t compare.
“……Is she…going to activate a Level 3 Magic…behind the boy?”
The girl finished chanting the magic and a Level 3: Wind Blast, Sylphy’s Kiss, was activated.
A fierce gust of wind raged on the battle stage, and the ten or so people who had surrounded them were blown right off the stage.
Hey! Hey! What the hell is going on here? This isn’t the magic of a mere examinee, now is it?
That girl…why is she here to take the Magic Academy entrance exam?
“Anastasia? You can use Level 3 Magic?”
“Um, uh…yes. I’m good at magic”
……I don’t think it’s as simple as being good at it or anything like that. It’s a Level 3 Magic after all, you know? |TL Note: This part is the Proctor’s perspective, so these are all the Proctor’s thoughts|
“I see…but what’s the point of chanting?”
“Eh?”
The girl was surprised as I was too.
The boy however wasn’t surprised at all, on the contrary, it’s like casting magic without chanting is the norm for him.
What…what is it with these people?
“Look, this is what I mean. Level 4: Violent Gale Blast, Sylphy’s Lovers’ Kiss”
Roughly half of the remaining examinees were also blown away.
“Amazing…. Chantless magic…”
The girl sighs in admiration, but I more or less sigh in disbelief.
Is this some kind of a sick joke? To cast a Level 4 Magic right before enrolling!?
“Now then, shall we clean up the rest as well? Parallel Activation. Once more…Level 4: Violent Gale Blast, Sylphy’s Lovers’ Kiss”
Just as the boy said, the rest of the examinees were blown away.
With that, I ended up with snot starting to drip down my nose.
Oi, oi, oi. Wait a minute here—
—Parallel Activation with a Level 4 Magic!?
Where is this famous University of Magic that has announced its findings! How is that even possible!
Parallel Activation is something that the elites of Ephthal School has just started making progress on, you know?
“Well…I’ll teach you some magic next time”
“Ah, yes. Master used a Level 6 Magic back then, right? It was amazing”
Errr……….
I heard something strange just now…but I must have misheard it, right?
Level 6 Magic, she says…. No, let’s just say that I misheard her. I’m rather susceptible to the ‘smell of danger’ due to my previous line of work.
—Don’t get involved with them. No matter what happens, let’s just turn a blind eye to it. And…fade into the distance.
My sixth sense, as a veteran adventurer, is sounding alarms in my head.
So, the boy and the girl who had sent all the other examinees flying around them waved at me.
“We’re done over here, so what’s your verdict?”
Trying not to provoke them, I nodded and said with my best smile.
“Examinee number 447, examinee number 448…passed the first stage of the exam!”
Side: Ephthal
Well, I finally got the chance to take a proper exam, but the second stage of the entrance exam…or rather, the final stage of the exam is a lecture-based exam.
The venue for the first stage of the exam is part of the sports ground’s facilities.
In fact, the examinees aren’t even allowed to enter the main school building during the first stage of the exam.
Right now, I’m in a lecture hall……but as this is a prestigious school where the children of nobles attend as well, so it’s a magnificent school building.
The lecture hall is brimming with examinees, and the atmosphere is akin to a bustling festival.
As someone who grew up in the countryside, it’s a bit of a ‘culture shock’ for me.
No, I’ve experienced crowds in my past lives as well, but this and that are different.
Incidentally, this is a totally different topic, but in my previous life I was relentless in my pursuit of knowledge, so much so that I was given the nickname, ‘Scholar Emperor’.
Or rather…it’s because I didn’t have any talent, so I had no choice but to develop a lot of innovative magic theories to catch up with the other three Emperors even for just a little bit.
But the new theories that I had discovered would later become obsolete in a few years, too, so in the end, talented people had all the advantages after all….
I sighed. This is not good. The flashback of these unpleasant memories from my previous life is making me feel dizzy.
“Right!”, I yelled as I slapped my cheeks with both hands.
What’s my past stays in the past——and what’s now is now!
“The Academic Entrance Examination will now begin”
And so the four-hour-long exam began.
—Four hours later—
*Ding-Dong Ding-Dong Ding-Dong*. The exam ends with the sound of a bell.
I noticed something quite peculiar as I was taking the exam, there were an awful lot of questions.
But as ‘Scholar Emperor’, those questions were nothing but mere child’s play to me.
Inevitably, I was able to solve them with ease.
But it took me until just before the 4-hour time limit was up to finish all of the questions.
Nearing the end, I was in a hurry, so I skimmed through reading the questions and abbreviated my answers.
Nevertheless, I used to be a scholar.
Well, even when I take into account any careless mistakes and the hastily written and abbreviated answers, in the end…I guess I got about 95 points?
☆★☆★☆★
“How was the Academic Entrance Exam, Master?”
The exam has already ended, but Anastasia still asked me that in the cafeteria.
I mean, her gaze is always looking towards the ground, because of that, her bangs will constantly hide her face. She’s a beautiful girl, but all that beauty is really wasted since it is hidden.
“Well, I guess it was fine? What about Anastasia?”
“Ah, yes. I had received a proper education before…so I was able to do it. Maybe I can score about 270 points”
“Hmm? 270 points? What do you mean? Is the exam not based on a 100-point scale grading system?”
“……There were 200 questions in total, weren’t there?”
“Yeah. That was a lot of questions”
“There were 150 questions for Western Magic and 50 questions for Eastern Magic. It was then further divided into different categories: Offensive Magic, Recovery Magic, Support Magic and even Alchemy for enthusiasts. Overall there were around 20 genres with 10 questions each”
“Yeah. There were so many different genres, from all eras, countries and cultures. I was in a hurry towards the end because I didn’t have enough time. The questions were so easy that it would be my loss if I didn’t answer all of them…so I did my best to solve them with great haste”
Hearing that, Anastasia’s expression turned pale.
“Eh…? You…answered all the questions?”
“Yeah. Pretty much all of them. Though, there will probably be a lot of careless mistakes made due to the lack of time”
“Err…you know…”
“Yeah?”
“This exam uses a selective system, you know? And if you can even answer around 30 percent of the questions…then I think that would be more than enough to pass”
“……Come again? Selective system?”
“Err……the objective for this exam is to solve questions which involve your field of expertise in magic and then answer them. There are examinees who have only been brought up in Eastern Magic oriented families. There are also some, where they were raised solely in using Western Magic…so basically, mages who don’t know any other magic theories outside of their own field of expertise…they could only answer the questions that they know and are good at. That will help them reach a passing grade”
“In other words?”
“To answer all of the questions…is not even within the expectations of the exam setter. The highest possible mark you can get is 1,000 points…but if I…uh…can score 270 points out of 1,000 points…I would think that I’m already far better than the usual standard”
After that little clarification, I started to think about my predicament here.
I didn’t intend to stand out unnecessarily.
For the time being, I just want to become a student at the Magic Academy. Even if the goal is just to gain access to the academy’s facilities. I don’t want it to become difficult.
I could discreetly sneak out of class or use the facilities like the library after school to research on the magic aptitude and make breakthroughs on it.
That would be my ideal life at the Magic Academy.
Of course, it can’t be helped if I stand out, but I don’t think you can stand out too much by performing well in the entrance exam.
However….
If scoring 270 points is considered above standards and I got about 950 points….
Wow, I thought to myself.
“I…just did something…absurd…, didn’t I…?”
In response to my enquiry, while still looking down, Anastasia said this with her bangs still obscuring most of her face.
“Ah, yes. Probably…I think”
☆★☆★☆★
Inside the Headmaster’s Office of the Magic Academy
Each of the academic staff was holding a report in their hands and was stunned by its content.
“Examinee 448: Anastasia……282 points. This is unprecedented”
The headmaster nodded with satisfaction at those words.
“Even the other brilliantly known examinees only scored about 150 points. She seems to be a genius”
“Yes, I’m a little concerned about her demon lineage—but it appears that she had received an elite education”
“Speaking of the Demons, they are just like the Elves, but with slightly longer ears. Other than that, they are physically not that different from us Humans. Basically, demons are way better at using magic than the rest of us, and we should be thankful that she came to us instead of going to the Demon Academy”
“Even though Anastasia is outstanding…”
“Hmm?”
“There’s one person who is the exception”
“What do you mean?”
Puzzled, the academic staff turned over to the next page of the report.
“Examinee 447: Ephthal. We’ve got ourselves such an absurd student”
“Ephthal? To have the same name as the Emperor of the Thunder God……his parents are rather bold. For those of us who aspire to be mages, this is exceedingly blasphemous……”
“Yes, I agree. However, this examinee might really be the second coming of the Emperor of the Thunder God”
“The second coming of one of the legendary Four Emperors? Haha! Don’t be ridiculous!”
“Don’t be surprised when you hear this, headmaster. This child scored 958 points on the Academic Entrance Exam. It’s the highest score achieved since the implementation of the entrance examinations”
“958 points, you say!?”
“He answered all 200 questions and got over 95 percent of them correct. Of those correct ones, about 40 percent of them have the academic staff trying to comprehend the solutions. It’s just that the only thing they do know is that the answers are correct”
“What…did you just say? He gets more than 95 percent correct? No, that’s not the problem here…but to have answered all the questions…how is that even possible?”
“Yes, I couldn’t believe what I saw either. The handwriting was messy and the answers were almost illegible at the end, so I guess he was pressed for time. Maybe if he had more time, he probably would get them all correct”
The headmaster’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“And as for the first stage of the exam…out of 100 points…”
“How many points did he get?”
“It’s unmeasurable”
“Unmeasurable!? What do you mean by that?”
“Looks like he handled a Level 4 Magic alone”
“That’s already at the level of what the University of Magic teaches, isn’t it!?”
“Furthermore, it was a ‘Parallel Activation’ magic. It seems like he used two Level 4 magic at the same time”
“You’ve got to be kidding me, right!?”
“If we believe what’s written in the report is the absolute truth, then there’s no mistaking it”
“No, no, no, no!! Parallel Activation of Level 4 Magic, you say!? Even if I were to search for all the academic staff here, I doubt I will even find someone who can do that!?”
“In any case, I’ve been informed that his movement was not of any ordinary person during the exam”
“Hmm…well…the examinee 448: Anastasia…can be said to be amazing as well”
“Yes, normally the entire academic staff would be overjoyed for the admission of a talented child such as her, but…”
“That child called Ephthal is giving off some bad vibes…I can’t be excited about it at all”
After a moment’s thought, the headmaster started speaking.
“But…isn’t that…strange? There’s nothing for us to teach this child, Ephthal, is there?”
“……I feel the same way”
And so they all sighed deeply.
Everyone feels the same way on the matter.
Wondering—
—Why did such a troublesome person come to take the exam….
☆★☆★☆★
The next day.
The announcement of the entrance examinations’ results is to be displayed on the main notice board of the magic academy.
I was on my way to the notice board with a slight feeling of uneasiness……or rather, I was really anxious.
—No matter how I look at it, I definitely overdid things.
At any rate, I seem to have gotten an absurd score in the Academic Entrance Exam.
There’s nothing good about sticking out like a sore thumb, I just wanted to be as inconspicuous as possible….
Well, what’s done is done, right?
“Master is truly amazing”
said Anastasia bashfully, with her head still lowered, and her bangs hiding her face.
“No, it was a mistake. I’ve overdone it. Well, let’s leave that aside, and just check our exam results first”
We arrived in front of the main notice board.
“Let’s see…number 447…number 447…”
Hm?
That’s weird. I’m pretty sure I did well in all of the exams….
Even if I made some mistakes in the Academic Entrance Exam, that shouldn’t result in me failing.
I take a deep breath and try to look for the number 447 again.
This is really weird. I can’t find it at all.
Suddenly, Anastasia spoke up.
“Um, there…there it is. I’ve been accepted as an Honour Student”
Well, it seems like she did well in the Academic Entrance Exam, so that’s to be expected.
And as for me….
“Um……Master?”
“My number……is not on the notice board”
Ah, yeah. That’s it. Looks like I got rejected.
—Despite being one of the Four Emperors, It appears that I have failed.
Is it because I overdid it in the battle exam?
Or did I forget to write down my name during the Academic Entrance Exam?
“Uh…protest…let’s protest it. This doesn’t quite add up”
“No, let’s not do that because it’s rather disgraceful to do that”
Well, maybe I forgot to write my name down or something like that.
If that’s the case, then that’s just the way it is.
Anyway, for the time being, I’ll have to register with an Adventurer’s guild or something to earn a living. While having such thoughts, I could hear Anastasia gasped.
“Hm? What’s the matter?”
“Um…Master…what’s your full name?”
“It’s Ephthal…Ephthal Alcott. Why?”
Then, with a trembling finger, Anastasia pointed to the far end of the notice board—not the part where the examinee’s number is shown…but the part where various details regarding the examinations’ results.
Under that section, a note has been placed—
—It should be noted that Ephthal Alcott, who came first overall in the entrance examination, will pass and due to special circumstances, will become the main representative for Honour Students.
“Ah……”
I couldn’t help but make that sound.
Uh-oh, this is bad.
This will definitely make me stand out.
Unexpectedly, I was mentioned by name that I passed the entrance examination.
☆★☆★☆★
“As expected of Master, but I didn’t expect them to mention you by name that you pass…that’s really amazing”
For some reason, Anastasia said it proudly.
With her modest chest held high, she nods repeatedly to her satisfaction.
As for me, I can’t help but get a headache thinking of the many difficulties that lie ahead.
With that said, right now, I’m heading to the office which handles the registration for Honour Students in the academy.
“Uh…Master? It looks like the office for Honour Students is this way”
The direction Anastasia is pointing to does indeed have a sign that says Honour Students Affairs Office.
“Um…Master?”
“Hm? What’s the matter?”
“The main representative of Honour Students…sounds like it’s a big deal. Please take a look at this”
I took a look at the Admissions Handbook that Anastasia gave me.
“I see. This is fantastic”
It seems that there are several benefits.
・Free Tuition Fees
・Free Dormitory Fees
・Free Meals
・Payment of Wages and Special Allowance
In any case, it seems that the main representative of Honour Students is treated as academic staff.
Apparently, the representative acts as the face of the academy and is compelled to attend other academies’ entrance ceremonies, meet and greet political figures, and other public events.
While they are students, they are also required to perform various other official duties for the academy and that’s why they get paid.
Incidentally, according to the Admissions Handbook, there seems to be no way to decline this position. No, I should be grateful for this, I’m truly grateful.
—But this is far from my original goal. Especially when it comes to being forced to do official duties are a bit…. That just sounds like it would make me very busy.
Oh, and it seems that all Honour Students share the same benefits as well except that they don’t get paid, but I no longer have to worry about Anastasia’s living expenses for now.
And so, when I was about to walk up to the reception desk for the Honour Students Affairs Office….
“…Master? I think you should head over there”
Hm? I wonder what she means by that?
While thinking so, I looked towards the direction Anastasia was pointing at, and….
—Ephthal Alcott Reception.
A special corner was set up.
“What!!! Ephthal Alcott Reception!?”
Furthermore, the counter for the ‘Ephthal Alcott Reception’ is strangely the only luxurious one.
To add to that, a small banner can be seen hanging down from the counter with, “Welcome to the Magic Academy!!”, on it.
Um, yeah, my reception desk is clearly the only one out of place.
It’s attracting a lot of attention in ‘Who’s Ephthal?’ kind of way.
This is already….
Feeling dejected, I dropped my shoulders.
—Haa…I’m completely screwed….
Well, guess it can’t be helped, so I headed straight for the ‘Ephthal Alcott Reception’ desk.
On the way there, I casually glanced into the office and saw a certain face…………and that made me speechless.
I stopped right then and there. After thinking for a while, I stared at Anastasia.
“Anastasia?”
“Yes. What is it?”
“You’re Merlin’s…no, I mean Merlin-sama’s…”
I guess it’s strange to attach ‘sama’ to my apprentice’s name. Hmmm……what should I call her?
As one of the best mages among the demon race right now, I heard that she is the headmaster of a prestigious Magic Academy for demons. So this would probably be the best way to put it.
“In a manner of speaking, yes I am”
“There’s a lot of relatives, but how far back does yours go?”
“Um…er…my…ten generations ago, the head of the family was the former Demon King-sama. And since Merlin-sama…is the daughter of the Demon King…so we’re related in a way”
Whoa, that’s so far back, rather it’s so distant that you two are practically strangers, isn’t it?
Then I turned my gaze to the office again and smiled wryly, “If you’re that far away, then you don’t really resemble Anastasia, do you?”
As expected of a half-vampire. She ages slowly, or rather, she maintained her youthfulness for a long time.
Based on the calendar, I’d say she’s about 430 years old, but she looks to be in her early 20s.
Somehow…my heart is beating fast.
Her chest has grown a lot, but she still has the same appearance as that time.
Either way, the person that’s walking around like she’s observing the inner surrounding of the office—that’s Merlin.
“Anastasia? Have you ever seen Headmaster Merlin?”
“Er…I’ve never seen her before”
“Hmm. Then let’s change the question…is it possible that Headmaster Merlin is walking in the office of our Magic Academy?”
“In the sense of friendship between humans and demons, I think it’s possible for them to overcome the racial barriers…and be invited in preparation for the academy entrance ceremony”
I see, so she was invited to the ceremony, and is now touring the academy, I guess.
That’s when Merlin glanced at us—
—She looked at me twice, or maybe thrice, and from there, her eyes went wide and she started to gasp.
Um, yeah.
Well, this is bound to happen.
After all, I do look a lot like I did in my previous life.
I’ve been reincarnated as a descendant of my own lineage, so that’s not strange. And that’s why I think I’m pretty much exactly alike in terms of presence.
People who knew me in the past would know what I used to look like when I was younger. So in that sense, they would get the impression that the current me looks exactly the same as I was in the past.
So it’s only natural that Merlin, who adored me so much in my previous life, would be surprised to see me now.
And that’s when I began to think—
—Now, what should I do…?
If I tell her that I’m the reincarnation of the Four Emperors here, it would be a disaster.
It’s true that I must tell Merlin about the situation at some point.
But this is definitely not the right time and place to say that, now is it?
Merlin came toward us with great haste, and the first thing she says is—
“Let’s get straight to the point. Are…are you…related to the Emperor of the Thunder God?”
In response, I smiled at her and said—
“Eh? What are you talking about? Ah, Anastasia! I’m starving…that’s right! Let’s go get lunch!”
Somewhat……or rather, forcefully, I took Anastasia by the hand and hurriedly ran away from my former apprentice.
A few minutes later, the steaks arrived on cast iron plates with wooden bases, along with the savory smell of garlic.
A sizzling and appetizing sound could be heard, and the overflowing juices seem to dance on the still hot cast iron plates.
The meat seems to be more than five centimeters thick as well.
Good good, this is it, this is just what I wanted. I’d like to eat it whole heartily, like gobbling up big chunks of meat.
Then, as I start to stab the meat with my fork, Anastasia let out a silly voice.
“……I-Is it really okay for me to eat such expensive-looking meat?”
I nodded at Anastasia’s words.
“Can I really……”
Anastasia’s face tensed up as she thinks about the thick-looking steak.
That’s when Anastasia grabs hold of the knife and fork in both hands, but inexplicably her hands are shaking.
“Why are you shaking?”
“It has been so long since I’ve had such a sumptuous and luxurious meal…so…I’m nervous…”
“We’re going to be together for a while, you know. Well, just think of it as a celebration, so don’t hold back and eat it. I’m looking forward to getting to know you, Anastasia”
Hearing my words, Anastasia—
“Um, uh…I will be—in your caaa……!”
Ah, she bit her tongue.
Immediately, Anastasia’s face flushed a bright red—
“Um, uh, er…for biting my tongue…I’m s-s-s-sorrie!”
She bit her tongue yet again.
Anastasia became teary-eyed and began to quiver.
I mean, she bit her tongue twice in a row, didn’t she? She must be really nervous, I guess.
“Well anyway, again, I’m looking forward to getting to know you”
“Ah, yes! Um, er…uh…I-I-I will be in your caarrrc!”
That’s when I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
There she goes, biting her tongue again.
So I smiled gently at Anastasia.
“Don’t be too nervous”
Hearing those words, Anastasia relaxed her stiff expression a little and smiled. But then she bit her tongue again, “Ah, yes…uh…I-I-I’m…sorit!”.
“Haha, it’s fine, it’s fine”
Anastasia laughed shyly and stuck out her tongue with a teehee in response.
“By the way, Anastasia?”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Oh, don’t worry, you can eat while you’re answering me. So, you know, it sounds like you’ve been through many terrible experiences as a slave”
“Yes. That’s right”
“There must have been some absurd treatment. I can’t say that I won’t ever accidentally treat you that way. So if that ever happens, and I am being unreasonable, then it’s okay for you to get angry at me”
“Eh? Get angry at you…?”
“Yes, it’s okay for you to get angry at me. It’s also okay for you to say no to things you don’t like”
“Hmm…?”
Aaghh, this is going nowhere.
She’s been oppressed for so long that she doesn’t even seem to know the word ‘rebellion’.
“Yeah, you seem like you don’t even know how to get angry………oh, that’s right. Now is a perfect time, let’s practice on that”
“Practice?”
“Yeah. Try getting angry at me”
“Uh, but to do that to master…”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Just try it”
Anastasia remained silent, deep in thought.
After a short while, taking a big, deep breath, she responded with, “Pun-Pun………”. |TL Note: SFX in romaji form, for when girls are pissed off|
“Eh?”
Then Anastasia remained silent again before taking another big, deep breath for, “Pun-Pun………”.
“Eh? What is that supposed to be?”
Anastasia and I look at each other.
“………”
“………”
Anastasia then said as if she had made up her mind.
“………………hey”
“………”
“………”
And after a few dozen seconds of mutual silence, the silence was finally broken by Anastasia.
“Um, uh…er…I’m sorriiee!”
Damn….
It was really unintentional that I thought of Anastasia being kind of cute after the past series of interactions we had.
☆★☆★☆★
On the next day.
And so we came to take the entrance examination for the Magic Academy—
“The exam is a battle royale”
After completing the initial examination procedures, we were ushered into the examination venue. The venue itself looks like a coliseum.
On the battle stage, there stands majestically a short-haired man in his forties in a tank top.
So, the entrance examination for the Magic Academy is known for its low acceptance rates.
That’s because generally there are about three paths a graduate of the Magic Academy can take.
The first path is being an elite in court services headed by royal court mages. The second is work as a researcher or an alchemist at a University of Magic.
And the third is to register with the Adventurer’s Guild to become an adventurer.
The Adventurer’s Guild is always fraught with danger, but magic professions are so scarce that the rewards are often great and always in great demand.
The elites in the court services are rich. A researcher and an alchemist are often associated with high skill jobs as well.
That’s why, basically, graduating from the Magic Academy will secure one’s future financial security to some extent.
And that’s also why the acceptance rates for the Magic Academy entrance examination are terrifyingly low.
Well, even though the acceptance rates are terrifyingly low, there’s no way I’m going to lose against the examinees who might as well are fledgling mages.
Anyway, according to the explanation given, the first stage of the exam is a battle royale with a total of 30 people.
A mock sword would be provided, and we have to defeat the people around us with magic or a sword or anything else that you can think of to place in the top 5.
Incidentally, there are a total of 600 examinees taking the exam this time, and that 600 is divided into 20 different groups with 30 people in each one.
“Er…it’s a battle royale style? That’s too unfair. What if there are five examinees who are at the level of passing in this group?”
With that, the proctor laughed at Anastasia’s legitimate concern.
“Those who can do that come to the Magic Academy with a letter of recommendation, and they’re exempted from the first stage of the exam. My job is to look for diamonds in the rough, like cleaning out mud from a ditch or drain. It won’t take much effort to do that at the beginning of the exam either”
Well, I see what you’re saying there, but…….
By the way, as for Anastasia, excluding me, she only has herself to rely on, so we decided to take the examination together to help her get a job in the future.
I mean, this girl does come from Demon Royalty. Even though she’s only self-proclaimed, it seems that she has a rather unusual magic background, too.
“Don’t worry, you damn kids. I may look like this, but I’m still a B-rank veteran adventurer sent by the Adventurer’s Guild. In the unlikely event that this group is the only one with an unusually high level of bad luck, I’ll make an exception and let you pass the first stage of the exam. So don’t worry. I have a good eye for that sort of thing”
And so the 30 of us dispersed as we were prompted to get up to the battle stage.
“……Master? Actually, I…can’t do any close-quarter combat at all”
Well, I thought so. She looks rather delicate with her slim figure after all.
“All right. Just stay close to me then”
“……In that case, I will be at the rear preparing for my ultimate magic”
Ultimate magic? I wonder what it is?
For the time being, I have no intention of using magic in the first stage of the exam. If I did use magic, I might stand out too much.
Though, swordsmanship is something that I learned purely as the 《Me》 in this life.
As for my swordsmanship, even if I were to use them seriously, well, it probably won’t matter much.
“Now then—let the exam begin!”
Everyone on the battle stage started off by looking at me and Anastasia.
Anyway, the silver-haired man has decided to turn himself in, but the problem is the slave girl he had with him.
For some reason, the slave girl got attached to me….
Well, I understand that she wouldn’t have a place to stay if she stayed in a place like that.
And so she is now on her knees begging me, with her beautiful silky pink blonde hair just barely touching the ground.
“No, even if you call me master…”
“Umm, uhh…”
I mean, this girl looks unsure of herself.
Her eyes are always looking down and her bangs make it difficult to grasp her expression. She also constantly has a nervous and timid look to her.
Well, she did spend time as a slave, so I guess it’s inevitable to some extent.
“A-A-As-Ash I…”
“Ash I?”
The girl’s face flushed a bright red and immediately averted her eyes from my gaze.
Ah, she bit her tongue, huh.
“U-U-Umm, uhh…err…a-as I was trying to say, slaves without owners don’t have human rights. If I continue to go to a place where people are present, I will be captured as a fugitive slave and be taken to a slave trader after they do terrible things to me”
As this child said, slaves and their masters have their souls linked by a magic incantation called the slave crest.
It’s a ‘simple-is-best’ type of system where if you disobey the master, there would be a penalty activated, with the worst penalty being death, so slaves can never oppose their master.
And, if the master dies or becomes a criminal, the engraved black slave crest on the slave becomes gray.
When a person becomes a criminal and is imprisoned, they will have every possible magic formula on their body erased, well, that’s part of it. Therefore, it will be odd if a criminal can own slaves.
Typically when the master dies, their family members would reapply the incantation of the slave crest as their inheritance.
But if there are circumstances where that is not possible, the slave would look for a new master on their own accord.
Those who are cast into slavery will never crawl back up again unless they go through all the necessary formalities in this world.
That’s why, in a sense, being engraved with a slave crest is considered a heavier punishment than the death penalty in this world.
In other words, in her current state, if she doesn’t choose someone from the human race, or even the demi-humans, as her new master…terrible things could happen to her.
“You look kind, rather…at least a million times better than that silver-haired man, that’s for sure. So please be my master…”
“Well, let’s put that aside for now, how did you end up as a slave?”
“I’m a descendant of Demon Royalty, we lost in a war against a human country a long time ago…”
Hmmm, I’ve heard that a lot.
At any rate, that silver-haired man seems to have made a lot of money. A slave of such a rare bloodline would be traded at a horrifying price.
“I may look like this, but I’m a distant relative of Merlin-sama, the headmaster of the Altena Magic Academy, a prestigious magic academy for demons. Although I am of such noble blood…I’m now in this shameful state…”
Hearing that, I froze.
“Err…what’s the matter?”
“………”
“Were you surprised that I’m of noble blood?”
“……no, that’s not the case…not at all”
“Then…what’s wrong?”
“When you say Merlin…you mean Merlin, the mage of the demon race, right? Long ago…she studied magic with one of the Four Emperors, Ephthal…”
“Yes”, nodded Anastasia.
“…Th…that’s right. She was raised by the legendary sage, Ephthal-sama of the Four Emperors—and is now a top class mage who is considered to be the best even among the demon race”
So that’s the case.
Merlin had achieved greatness as a mage and became the headmaster of a prestigious school.
That child has always been a hard worker and is talented as well.
Even after all these years, I am surprised at the long life span of a demon, or rather, a half-demon and half-vampire.
No, but if I think about it logically…then surely she would still be alive if it is just about four hundred years.
I let out one small sigh of relief.
As expected, I can’t just leave Merlin’s relatives here now, could I?
“I guess it can’t be helped”
“Does that mean you will be my master?”
“Ostensibly, we’ll stick with that for the time being. We’ll figure out what we’ll end up doing in the future…but for now, I can’t just leave you alone”
“U-Umm, uhh…thank you very much!”
And so we began to head for the magic academy—though it is a different academy than the one where Merlin is the headmaster.
☆★☆★☆★
Now, we’ve finally reached the city.
At long last, tomorrow is the long-awaited magic academy entrance exam, it’s something to get excited about, isn’t it?
After checking in at the inn, we left our baggage in our rooms and headed out to the main street of the city.
The place we’re heading to is a restaurant famous for their meat dishes that the employee at the inn had told us about.
I’ve always been a big fan of steak since my past life. Whenever I’m in an exciting mood like today, I’d definitely eat a lot of meat.
“Umm? Master?”
“What is it, Anastasia?”
“Umm, uhh…err…isn’t this an expensive restaurant? I…don’t have any money”
I smiled at the anxious Anastasia.
“Don’t worry about it”
Cecilia nee-san has given me a lot of money for my trip.
I’ve exchanged it for jewels to make it easier to carry around and sewed some onto my clothes as well. I guess I don’t have to worry about money, at least for the time being.
“Welcome”. I was greeted as soon as I entered the restaurant.
The waiter led us to our table and I sat down as prompted.
“What’s the matter, Anastasia?”
I asked with my head tilted slightly as she knelt down beside me.
“Eh? Is there something wrong…?”
“Why aren’t you sitting down?”
“But I am sitting down”
Both of us started to tilt our heads in confusion.
“No, Anastasia’s seat is over there, okay?”
Hearing that, Anastasia gasped and responded with, “Oh!”.
“By any chance…you mean it’s okay for me to sit at the table, too?”
“What are you talking about…of course you can”
“But, master? It is common knowledge that slaves should kneel down beside their masters and be ready to move immediately when there’s a need…?”
I sighed deeply.
“In that case, you don’t need that kind of knowledge”
“No, but, uhh…err…I’m afraid that’s too much to ask for…”
With another deep sigh, I snapped.
“Look, as your master, I hereby command you. Sit at the table”
She probably wouldn’t be sitting at the table if I didn’t command her to do so.
I don’t really want to bark out orders, but it can’t be helped in this case.
Anastasia finally took a seat at the table, so I browsed through the menu.
With a snap of my finger, I called the waiter over and pointed to the most expensive items on the menu.
“I’ll have two of these courses, please”
Seeing that, Anastasia blinked in surprise—
“I’m going to eat the same menu as my master!? A-And such an expensive menu, too!? I can’t accept that! I just can’t!”
She is such a troublesome child, I shrugged.
“It’s fine”
“But, but…”
“If I say that it’s fine, then it’s fine”
With those words, Anastasia reluctantly closed her mouth.
Then, the waiter asked me quizzically, “Excuse me, Sir?”.
“Eh? What is it?”
“This is a high-class restaurant for the upper echelons of society. By the looks of it, you’re just a student from the countryside who came to take the academy entrance exam…with all due respect, I’d like to ask for the fee to be paid in advance?”
Even though in a way, I’m still a young master of a Duke’s family. Well, I’ll admit that I’m a bit underdressed for this establishment.
With a bitter smile, I took out the drawstring pouch that I use as my wallet—but thereafter, I gasped.
“Ah…”
“What’s the matter, master?”
The contents of my wallet are a bit disappointing.
I was rich in my previous life, so I now realize that I had forgotten the fact that travelling alone requires one to carry a large amount of money….
“Oh dear. It looks like I’ll have to exchange the jewels for money. At this rate, I can only order one course”
I checked the location of the jewelry shop in the city before checking into an inn, but I’m pretty sure the place is far away from here….
Now, just as I was thinking about what to do, Anastasia walked next to me and knelt down.
“Then I’ll sit here after all”
“Eh? Why?”
“Well, I mean, we can only afford to order one course, right?”
“Yeah. That’s right. Just go back to your seat for now”
Again, Anastasia reluctantly returned to her seat.
“I’ll have the two cheapest courses. That should be enough, right?”, I said to the waiter.
The price is around half of what the most expensive course cost, almost the same amount as what is in my wallet right now, too.
When Anastasia heard those words—
“M-M-Mas…”
“What’s the matter?”
“Is master a God? You’re so willing to go for a cheaper course just so you can afford me a full-course meal…”
From the expression on her face, it seems that she is being serious here.
Well, I was originally living in Japan, so….
I have my own thoughts on slavery.
And that’s when the waiter grinned at me.
“Excuse me, Sir?”
“Yes, what is it?”
“As I’ve said before, this is a high-class restaurant. If you’re taking a slave with you, you’ll have to follow the proper etiquette…”
“……What do you mean?”
“To have slaves sit at the table means that they are treated as customers, which means in short, our restaurant would equate slaves with those of the upper echelons of society”
“Yeah. So, your point being?”
“If you are going to have your slave be seated at the table, you will have to leave”
Well, that does make sense.
Normally, I would leave the restaurant following this reasoning too, however….
“Then what is that?”
I pointed to a group of nouveau riche millionaires who had a harem of slave concubines sitting at a table and were having a debaucherous feast of food and alcohol.
With their revealing clothes, the slave crests also became visible. The waiter wouldn’t be able to refute as well if that is being pointed out.
“We’re receiving a large amount of money as compensation from that side”
I sighed deeply as I heard that.
“So, I only have to pay for it then?”
My words caused a vein to pop out from the waiter’s temples, sensing the impending rage, I stood up.
“Didn’t you just say you only had that much money! It’s already annoying to see you filthy little bastards around! You better behave modestly and not push your luck! Enough of this, you little brat! Just having a slave entering this restaurant is enough to irritate me!”
Suddenly, with one arm, the waiter grabbed me by the collar.
“Mas-Master! I’m good! Let’s return to the inn!”
I smiled at Anastasia—
“I’ll be alright. So be at ease”
The waiter started to raise up his other arm while he had me by the collar—Hey hey, are you going to hit a customer in this restaurant?
“Guess it can’t be helped, huh?”
With both of my hands, I grabbed the waiter’s hand which he used to grab me by the collar.
And immediately, I put my weight into it and twisted it up. Thus, completing the standing joint lock.
The waiter had no idea what it meant to grab a judo practitioner by their collar.
No, well…even Headmaster Mauriat was surprised by it, so it would be frightening if a mere waiter understood it.
“Ugh! Ouch! Ouch!”
I twisted the arm of the teary-eyed screaming man further, then gave him a kick in the butt before finally releasing him.
After that, I rummaged through my clothes and tore off one of the jewels that I had sewn on my clothes.
“If I pay for it, you won’t have any complaints, right? I don’t need any change, so I would like you to bring me a lavishly thick cut of the finest meat that the restaurant can provide. Oh, needless to say, make it a serving for two please”
With that said, I smiled at Anastasia.
After Anastasia responded with a smile of her own, I snapped at the waiter who was on the verge of tears holding his wrist.
“Also, I don’t think it’s a good idea to be violent with your customers”
On my way to the city where the magic academy is located.
—I was thinking about what to do from here onwards in a teahouse on the side of the road.
Well, for now, let’s not stand out too much.
As long as I could use the facilities of the magic academy, that’s all that matters to me.
I don’t know why, but for some reason, the level of the current magic civilization seems to be absurdly low, and my power seems to be abnormally strong by todays’ standards.
Nee-san and Headmaster Mauriat skillfully covered up the incident in which I single handedly destroyed the Mage Division…it was rather shocking, after all.
I’m not interested in being a hero or anything like that, I just want to aim for the summit of all arts like an ordinary person.
Anyway, there are four other guests in the teahouse besides me.
The people at the table next to me are particularly very loud—
“Oh my, I am extremely grateful to the renowned mage, “Wildfire”, Edwards-sama for coming all the way here to such a rural town. By all means, please give a lecture on true magic to the children in my magic class. As I am just a C-rank in the Adventurer’s Guild, there are limits to my abilities”
said the old man who looks like a mage in his shabby robe.
The person being spoken to is a young man with long silver hair who looks like a mage as well, dressed in an expensive looking robe.
“……”
“Um…Edwards-sama?”
So the silver-haired man, who had been looking down at his grimoire, sighed in disgust.
“Could you not speak to me without my permission? Can’t you see I’m reading here? I’d like you to understand the difference between the value of each second of my life and yours. You must first understand exactly what it means to waste my time”
Ugh…isn’t he awfully full of himself?
Come to think of it, I remember that I used to teach my apprentice, Merlin, not to be conceited.
It’s directly linked to death on the battlefield, and there are only demerits in terms of self-improvements.
That aside, from what I’ve heard, the silver-haired man is probably a better mage than the old man.
Still, it’s not the kind of words you would say to older people who are as old as your grandparents, right?
“I’m terribly sorry, Edwards-sama”
“Very well. In consideration of that apology, I’ll allow you to speak. Oh, it goes without saying, but I am considered an A-rank in the Adventurer’s Guild at only 20 years old. Therefore, you, who retired as a C-rank at the age of 50, and hold magic classes for children in the countryside after retirement is the utmost—trash. So I really wish you can realize that”
Seriously, what’s wrong with this guy? I mean, this is just awful.
“Yes. I understand. By the way, about today’s welcoming banquet—”
“A banquet? What nonsense are you talking about?”
“……?”
“Today is a very special day for me and this girl, you know?”
The girl sitting next to the silver-haired man trembled.
She’s probably about the same age as me, with a beautiful silky pink blonde, a slender body and a cute face.
The girl seems to be a mage as well, wearing a fine silk robe, but—
—There’s a collar around her neck.
“Oh, I catch your drift. Was she bought as a slave a week ago?”
“Yes. I’ve gotten a high-class demon. The time period for the slave crest to completely get accustomed to her body will be over today. If I implant my seed into her during that period, the incantation for the crest will be disrupted”
“If that’s the case, I’ll have the banquet cancelled immediately”
The girl’s shoulders kept trembling throughout the conversation. As if terrified, she looked down at the ground the entire time.
So basically, the period for abstinence with the purchased slave has passed.
—To be honest…it’s nauseatingly disgusting.
My beloved apprentice in my previous life, Merlin, is also a demon.
If I hadn’t picked her up during the capture of the Demon King’s castle, she might have ended up the same as this girl.
“Anastasia? I’m not going to put you together with the trashy children in a magic class. If I do that, it will have an adverse effect on your education. Therefore, a slave like you will be educated in my own way. For you are my shield in battle and my partner in bed. So naturally, you’ll ought to have a higher standard than that…”
The girl began to tremble again at those words.
I don’t want to breathe the same air as this silver-haired man for even a second more….
At that moment, a traveler came running from across the road.
“The Orc King……the Orc King has appeared!!”
With those words, the inside of the teahouse suddenly went into a tizzy.
“Not an Orc, but an Orc King, you say? There must be a mistake, right?”
“Somebody call the Chivalric Order! It would be impossible with the guild! There isn’t a single adventurer in this countryside who can deal with an Orc King!”
“How can we get away from the Orc King before that!”
Everyone ran out of the teahouse at once, so I followed after them.
As the outside view came into sight, one could indeed see a huge Orc ahead of the road.
The Orc King is about four meters tall, and probably due to hunger, it is drooling all over.
“Silence!”, the silver-haired man exclaimed as he stood in front of the panicking masses.
“Lucky for all of you. Here I am—an A-rank adventurer! Be thankful for your own good fortune!”
Right there, the old mage nodded.
“Everyone, please do not worry. The Orc King has a subjugation difficulty level of B-rank and above…there’s nothing to worry about if the A-rank adventurer, Edwards-sama is with us!”
“Ohh! So there’s an A-rank adventurer here!”
“I really thought we were screwed”
The expression of trepidation disappears from everyone’s face. |Editor’s Note: Trepidation = fear or anxiety about something that may happen|
It seems that even in the world four hundred years later, being an A-rank adventurer is amazing.
In the meantime, the Orc King was running towards us while making all those rumbling sounds. It had closed in on us and is just a stone’s throw away now.
“Well then, I’ll show all of you—Truemagic! You don’t see it very often in a countryside like this, do you?”
The silver-haired man closed his eyelids.
“O Spirits who dwell in the atmosphere. Respond to the call of my magic—by the oath that was made, manifest your supreme explosive flame!”
The man then opened his eyes and pointed his silver wand at the Orc King.
“Level 4: High-ranking Fire Magic, Holy Flare!”
A fireball is heading straight for the Orc King, and an explosion with a radius of about a meter can be seen near its head.
The silver-haired man smiled and spoke to everyone.
“A direct hit from the super high-ranking magic handled by an A-rank adventurer. The highest-ranking magic I can handle—the supreme Level 4 Magic! It isn’t the kind of magic that one would normally see for free, you know? Even if it’s an Orc King, there’s no way it would have survived it…eh…?”
The silver-haired man was at a loss for words as his face grew pale.
“Ridiculous…it’s unscathed…?”
The Orc King’s head was charred, but it was mostly unharmed, as the silver-haired man said.
It seems that his offensive magic had only agitated the Orc King.
The Orc King let loose a loud roar that seemed to have resonated from the bottom of its lungs as it charged towards us at a tremendous speed.
“Whoa! I knew it was hopeless!”
“Run, run!! It’s going to kill us all!”
Everyone ran as fast as they could in the opposite direction of the road where the Orc King came.
But considering their speed, the Orc King would eventually catch up and wipe them out.
Then, as if having realized something, the silver-haired man gasped in surprise.
“That is not…an Orc King. Right—that’s the highest rank of the Orc breed, the Orc Berserker! Then, I don’t see how I can win against this”
As he said this, the silver-haired man immediately readied his wand.
It wasn’t pointed at the Orc Berserker, but at everyone who was running away.
“O Spirits who dwell in the atmosphere. Respond to the call of my magic—by the oath that was made, manifest a sturdy barrier! Level 3: Holy Barrier, Protection!”
A wall of faint shining light covered a radius of about seven meters around us.
This is a…protective barrier? Could he be trying to protect everyone in this desperate situation?
If that’s the case, he might have been a better person than I thought.
However, I immediately took back my words.
“A faintly shining, translucent wall…is this a barrier!?”
“Hey, hey! We can’t escape from the barrier!?”
Seeing that, the silver-haired man showed a repulsive smile.
“Orc Berserkers have a habit of attacking and devouring the weaker individuals in a pack”
“What’s the meaning of this!?”
“I’m not going to let you escape, you know? After all, I’m trying to ensure that I can safely escape while you people get devoured…fuhahahaha!”
Seriously, what on earth is wrong with this guy?
There should be a limit to how much of a scum one can be as well. This is really awful. I’m so disgusted to the point that I’m at a loss for words.
“Please have mercy!”
“Help…help!!”
In the meantime, the Orc Berserker had closed the distance to about ten meters.
“Geez”, I said as I shrugged my shoulders at the annoyance of the situation.
—Still, it would leave a bad taste in my mouth to just sit back and silently watch everyone get devoured.
Guess I have no choice but to pitch in and help them out.
I took a few steps towards the Orc Berserker and held my palm over the barrier which stretched before me.
“Level 6: Seraph’s Gospel, Seraph Dispel”
With a cracking sound, the barrier scattered and disappeared.
Paralyzed by the sight, the silver-haired man slumped down on the spot.
“—Eh? Dispel…? My Level 3 Magic without even chanting…? What’s more…Level 6 Magic…without chanting? That’s…that’s just ridiculous…right?”
Then I turn towards the Orc Berserker.
“It seems to be a little conspicuous, huh”
That did happen rather abruptly, after all.
Even though I had just decided to keep a low profile earlier….
Well, this time it’s an act of God…so it can’t be helped, can it?
“Uboāāāā!”
The Orc Berserker charged towards me with a roar.
“Eeeek!”
I can hear everyone screaming from behind.
Judging from everyone’s reaction, this monster seems to be quite a powerful monster.
But how could an Orc Berserker be a powerful monster?
Leaving that aside, I can easily subjugate it, but that’s where a big problem appears .
No matter how I look at it, to defeat such a vicious monster in one blow with magic…would be too conspicuous, wouldn’t it?
“Now, what should I do?”
Okay, I’ve got the perfect plan in mind.
First of all, I’m going to use a low-level magic of about level 3, to release a fireball at the Orc Berserker’s head.
Next, as soon as the fireball hits, I will cast a Level 9 Magic, Dimensional Slash, Dimension Edge,inside the Orc Berserker’s body.
Then the Orc Berserker’s internal organs will be ripped apart by the magic’s sword attack and die.
And as soon as it dies, I will announce—
Because of the A-rank adventurer Edwards-sama’s magic was very effective in the beginning, I was able to deliver the finishing blow when it was already weak. How lucky I am!
—in an exaggerated and overjoyed manner.
By doing so, I won’t stick out too much!
Fufu, it’s a perfect plan, I must say.
Also, the fact that I dispelled the barrier with a Level 6 Magic…well, let’s just make it up as I go along.
Based on the common sense of this world, it seems that Level 6 Magic is not something that can be handled alone.
If that’s the case, I should be able to somehow manage that part by talking my way out of it.
While I was thinking about that, the Orc Berserker charged towards me with its mouth wide open.
It’s a sudden close-quarters hand-to-hand combat, but I can handle it calmly for I’ve been training in swordsmanship with Cecilia nee-san.
If we’re talking about just close-quarters hand-to-hand combat alone, excluding magic, I’m definitely better than I was in my previous life now.
Okay, this is it!
I jumped up, and—
“Level 3: Fire Shot, Fire Attack!”
A fireball flew from my palm and hit the Orc Berserker’s head.
This is the Orc Berserker that was unfazed by Level 4 offensive magic.
So this level of magic probably wouldn’t faze it as well.
As I was preparing for the Level 9 Magic, Dimensional Slash, Dimension Edge—
“Huh?”
What the hell is going on here?
For some reason…the Orc Berserker’s head is burning so badly.
“Uboāāāāāāāāāā! Aāāāāā!”
With a death throes, the Orc Berserker falls to the ground.
Eh…?
Seriously, what’s going on here?
Seeing that, the old man who had talked with the silver-haired man earlier—was taken aback and said.
“Such a large quantity and good quality magic power!? A Level 3 Magic with the power of a Level 5 Magic…!? Just how much training and refining has that boy done?”
Ah, this is bad.
So to say, the silver-haired man didn’t do his magic training and refining properly?
That would mean that even if he used a Level 4 Magic, it would still be two ranks lower in power.
Oh shit.
Training and refining magic is considered very basic, so I never give any thought to it.
In this case, wouldn’t a Level 1 Magic have been enough?
“Um…”
I’m definitely…screwed, right?
When I nervously turned around—
—They all stood there with their mouths gulping like fishes washed up on the beach.
Yeah.
I’m screwed. I’m definitely screwed.
For the time being, I decided not to go by my name here, but just a mysterious boy…as I try to walk away from the scene.
“Hey, you over there?”
“Ye-! Yes!! W-W-What is it…!?”
“Your name is Edwards-san, right?”
“Y-Y-Yes!!”
“You should show proper respect to your elders, don’t you think?”
Alternatingly looking at the old man and me repeatedly, the silver-haired man then nodded his head over and over again.
“Also…the mage over there?”
When I spoke to the old man, he trembled as he turned his gaze towards me.
Ahh….
They must have thought of me as a monster, huh….
“W-W-What is it?”
“It’s about Edward’s Holy Barrier, Protection, preventing everyone from escaping just now. Just for confirmation, but that just now would be considered as an indirect murder, right? To put it bluntly…it’s a felony, isn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s right. Even if it were just for self-defense…there’s a limit to what one can do”
I then turned to the silver-haired man.
Well, if they think I’m a monster, let’s take advantage of that here.
“And since that’s the case, please turn yourself in. If I see or hear about you somewhere and it turns out that you didn’t do so…well, you should understand what I’m trying to get at here, right?”
I showed a bottomless deep smile.
With an “Eeek!”, the silver-haired man then collapsed on the spot.
The celebration for the successful subjugation of the Demon King was a grand one.
There were all kinds of luxurious cuisines and alcohol from all over the world, and various furnishings that gleamingly adorn the place.
The people who attended the celebration are all important figures from various countries as well, and as I was born as the eighth son of a poor noble…this is the type of place that brings shivers down my spine.
“Well then, the four great heroes who assisted The Hero and brilliantly defeated the Demon King”
The people next to me who were also kneeling and bowing before His Majesty, the Holy Emperor are my good comrades and rivals. They are also known as the Three Great Sages.
“To the respective sages of Fire, Earth, Water and Wind, to be worthy of being the strongest mage—I hereby grant the title of The Four Emperors on you”
The three sages of Fire, Earth and Water are crowned by His Majesty, the Emperor.
It’s a title that can only be granted to those of noble blood.
However, the four of us are only allowed to rightfully call ourselves the Emperor within the magic society and other occasions that involve magic—such is the etiquette upon receiving a medal of honor or title.
“Sage Ephthal”
“Yes!!”
I straightened myself and then bowed again.
His Majesty then placed the crown on my head and smiled.
“From now on, you may call yourself the Emperor of the Thunder God. If it’s a place of magic, you would be allowed to claim the title of Emperor as well”
Upon hearing that, my vision was suddenly filled with tears.
For the forty-odd years of living in magic…my entire life has finally come to be recognized in the best possible way.
—And so the four of us received the thundering applause from those who attended the ceremony.
15 years later.
I, who had retired from active duty due to illness, spent the rest of my life in seclusion with a few of my disciples in a mansion deep in the mountains.
On my daily walk, I was looking at the blossoming courtyard.
And then, with a cough, I heard the Death God’s call coming from my lungs.
I already knew I was in the initial stage of an incurable disease. I’m prepared for it as well, but I can’t deny the fact that I get depressed every time I cough.
“Ephthal-sama?”
Merlin, my apprentice, called out to me.
As usual, I responded with a smile.
“What is it, Merlin?”
“You are over fifty years old now and have received the title—Emperor of the Thunder God……no, what I mean is, you are sick…yet, you still continue to train your magic. Why is that?”
She is an orphan…well, not exactly.
She was born due to the union of the Demon King that we subjugated and a vampire.
During the triumphant return from the Demon King’s castle, there was a crying baby, even if she is a demon, I couldn’t just ignore her.
Also, her mother, who was on the verge of death, begged me to save her baby.
Well aside from that, this girl has good talents.
I suppose she is fifteen years old now. Truly, she has got a bright future ahead of her.
If I had to face this girl when I was her age, I would probably be no match for her. I’m really looking forward to her future.
Moreover, this girl has a long life span due to her mixed blood of a vampire and a demon. If that’s the case, I wonder how far will this girl’s magic advances?
Well, it’s unfortunate that I won’t be able to witness it with my own eyes.
“Ephthal-sama?”
As I was in deep thought, Merlin curiously tilted her head and called on me.
“Aah, why do I keep training? I was aiming to be the strongest in the world”
“The strongest in the world…?”
“Be it magic or martial arts, anybody who aspires to be the strongest, will also aim for the summit—and so do I. Besides, there’s another reason why I did it”
“What do you mean by that?”
“It’s about nurturing the next generation. I was wondering what you guys would think of me when looking at my back. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll ever reach the summit of magic”
“What are you saying!? Ephthal-sama is already plenty strong, right?”
“I’m just strong among the weak. However, among the truly powerful, there’s no place for the likes of me…”
“More powerful than Ephthal-sama…?”
“Compared to the other three Emperors, even my magic is nothing special”
Then Merlin kept silent.
This girl is also well aware of the fact.
To begin with, I’m by far the oldest among the people who had subjugated the Demon King, that’s why I didn’t have any growth potential left.
Now that the gap between me and them has widened, rumor has it that I’m not even a match for their apprentices.
Well, as much as I hate to admit it, but that’s probably true as well.
And at that moment, a disciple of mine whom I have not seen in a long time alarmingly came running towards me.
“E-E-E…Ephthal-sama!”
“What’s wrong? Aren’t you supposed to be a ‘Visiting Professor’ at the Imperial Capital’s University of Magic?”
“T-there’s shocking news in the magic society!”
The fact that he is currently out of breath suggests that he has been running in quite a hurry.
This is unusual, so I frowned suspiciously.
“Hmm? What do you mean by that?”
“The theory on magic aptitude which has long been a mystery is finally announced…or rather, established!”
“Oh! The one that the Emperor of the Fire God was researching on?”
“That’s right!!”
My disciple then handed over a parchment recorded with a copy of the research thesis from his pocket.
“……hmm”
For a moment I looked down at the letters and groaned, “As expected of the Emperor of the Fire God”.
Apart from practice, I took pride in being the best of all in terms of magic theory, but this is quite a feat, isn’t it?
“……so this is the method to determine one’s magic aptitude”
The method is simple.
By soaking the hair, which is a part of the body that is imbued with a special kind of magic power, in the magical water corresponding to the aptitudes of fire・earth・water・wind, the magical water will then be dyed in red・brown・blue・green, and the rank from E ~ S is known by the intensity of the color.
I see, this is certainly a breakthrough.
In the foundation course of the magic academy, students are taught with all kinds of magic, and after a certain number of years, a final determination of their aptitude will be made.
For example, in my case, I have the aptitude for the attributes of fire and wind, but I’ve chosen to specialize in wind.
There’s nothing wrong with learning all the attributes, but there are also those who hope to be able to use certain magic attributes right away.
For those people, a few years of education combined with an aptitude test are no more than a hindrance.
“Well then, shall we test it out at once?”
“I knew you’d say that”
After saying that, my disciple took out test tubes from his pocket.
“Hmm…”
Then I pulled out four hairs and put them in each of the test tubes.
However, even after a while, the color of the magical water inside the test tubes shows no sign of changing.
“How long does it take for a change to happen?”
“In my case, it was instantly dyed in red and brown…”
The puzzled me called out to Merlin. As if sensing my intentions, my disciple took out another set of test tubes from his pocket.
“Merlin. Four strands of hair please”
“Yes”
Merlin then pulled out four strands of her hair and put one into each of the test tubes.
As soon as she did that, the magical water reacted, and they were instantly dyed in blue and green corresponding to water and wind, and even emitting an intense dazzling light.
The test tubes corresponding to fire and earth also changed accordingly and are dyed in red and brown respectively.
Seeing that, my disciple nodded.
“It matches Merlin’s aptitude. Both water and wind are S-rank. My guess is, the fire is a C-rank and the earth is a B-rank”
“It’s true that I’m not very good at fire and earth magic…I’d say my earth magic is better than my fire magic if I had to say so”
Then, I asked my disciple again.
“…so, how long does it take for the color to change?”
“As you can see, it should change in an instant…”
“Haha!!” I laughed.
According to the thesis, colorless and transparent…means that one is unable to have the spirits’ divine protection. |Editor’s Note: The spirit divine protection is what grants people their magic attribute|
If that’s the case, then it means I lack aptitude for magic in the first place….
I immediately felt cold sweat dripping down my back and again I put my hair into the same test tubes.
“…It still looks colorless and transparent to me. Just wanted to make sure, but what color does it look like to you guys?”
I turn to Merlin.
“It’s colorless and transparent”
Next, I turned to my disciple who handed over the thesis to me.
“What color is it?”
“I find this hard to believe…but it’s colorless and transparent. According to the thesis, colorless and transparent is…”
“Say no more. I saw the facts with my own eyes just now”
Still, I can’t accept the facts.
Then I turned to my disciple, as if he had guessed my intentions, he immediately pulled out four strands of hair and presented them to me.
The magical water was dyed with color as soon as the hair was put into the test tubes.
Both my disciple’s fire and earth are S-rank…. There’s no doubt about it. It matches his aptitude. There’s absolutely no doubt about it.
If that’s the case….
“Why…?”
But come to think of it, I was always slower to learn magic than most people.
It was only by continuing to work dozens of times harder than the others that I was able to rise above them.
Even during the aptitude test, I had to retake the test multiple times.
I remember each time the instructor of the magic academy would rack his brains and say, “Even though you’re exceptional…and yet what has gone wrong?”.
Now I understood it all.
Why couldn’t I compete with the other three Emperors? Why is the gap between me and them only widening?
—It was because I did not have the aptitude for magic.
The shock was so great that I fainted on the spot.
☆★☆★☆★
After that, I began to shut myself in my room.
When the mind grows weak, so will the body. My illness was progressing at an accelerated rate, and the doctor told me tonight might be my last night.
More than anything, I knew that my body won’t even hold out for a few more hours.
I know that my life is about to end.
I forbid all my disciples to enter my room, and while I was in a daze in the dimly lit room—I could only resent myself.
—I worked dozens or even hundreds of times harder than the others.
The other three Emperors probably worked hard as well, but still, I am certain that I had worked several times harder than them.
But in the end, I couldn’t overcome the barrier called talent.
On the contrary, they are heading for the summit of magic that I was aiming for…and are even far above me.
Tears started to fill up in my eyes and flowed down my cheeks.
—Miserable.
—Truly miserable.
I didn’t have the talent?
I haven’t walked down a path so half-heartedly that I would just give up like that.
—Was my life nothing but a joke? There’s probably no other person who has ever been so oppressed by God as well.
My heart is overflowing with negative emotions.
Or rather, it has exploded.
—Vexing.
—Vexing, vexing—SO VEXING!!
Fifty-odd years of devoting myself to magic. And this is what I get!!
While in resentment against everything in this world and above all else against myself.
Amidst the wailing and voiceless cries of my soul, the Grim Reaper came to reap my soul as my consciousness fades.
☆★☆★☆★
“…I see, so this is how it was. It has been over fifty years, so even I had forgotten that I was given such a skill in the first place”
The next thing I knew, I was standing in a mysterious white space.
In front of me stood a blonde-haired Goddess. Her figure is exactly the same as it was back then.
That’s right, this is the place where I first met her, when my life, not in that world, but in Japan, met its end.
—Skill: Reincarnation
A special skill that allows one to reincarnate again.
I was given this skill by the Goddess when I reincarnated…or rather, it is the skill I chose.
“It seems that you’ve been through a lot…”
The Goddess was all smiles.
“Yes. I’ve really…been through a lot”
I thought this place was nothing but a dream, but I guess it wasn’t a dream after all.
And it’s probably because of the Skill: Fortitude that I was able to devote myself to extraordinary efforts.
Never yielding to an end and striving to the fullest.
Come to think of it, that’s the kind of skill I chose in the first place.
“Well then, just like the first time, can you choose the two initial bonus skills for reincarnation?”
“I don’t need those”
“None at all? The skills that double the growth rate and all that?”
“Too much is as bad as too little…. Relying on the power of the skills you’ve been given and become conceited will only cause you to give up trying”
Upon hearing that, the Goddess giggled.
“As expected”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You have risen to the point of being called the Four Emperors despite having no talent. I believe that’s not only the power of your skills, but also the power of your will”
“Well, I wonder about that”
“But are you sure you don’t need the skills?”
I nodded my head as I smiled.
“I’m the Emperor of the Thunder God, remember? The knowledge of magic is in my head. It would be too much of a cheat to give me anything more than this”
Hearing that, the Goddess smiled sweetly and nodded.
“Well then, have a good journey…. You will be reincarnated in the world four hundred years from now”
The Goddess continued to smile.
“All right, I’m all ready for it”
I nodded and then clenched my fists.
My dream is where I’m headed. The pursuit of the most powerful magic in the world.
That’s right, I was given the privilege to try and reach for the summit of magic again.
—Thus, I was to live my life for the third time.
☆★☆★☆★
And so I was reincarnated as a baby.
By the way, the funny thing is that I was apparently born into one of my descendants’ family.
It seems that my father is a Duke, and the leader of Azure Kingdom’s Mage Division, and I am his youngest child.
But as a part of the Duke family, the residence was quite simple, and there’s not even one servant as well, so I was kind of puzzled—.
That aside, when I reached the age of discretion, four years old, my consciousness took over this body….
So the first thing I did was to check my magic aptitude.
From here on, even if I have to train magic from scratch, I’ll need to confirm my aptitude first before I can make any plans for training.
Since it is easy to make the magical water, I had no trouble confirming my aptitude at the age of four.
“Now…”
There are four cups lined up in the courtyard of my house.
There weren’t any test tubes in the house, so I substituted it with the cups. But as I put my hair in the magical water—
“EEEEHHH!?”
Just like in my previous life, all four of them were colorless and transparent.
—What’s going on?
How can this be?
Impossible! No, this isn’t a good thing to happen.
If it’s like this, why did I reincarnate again?
Feeling dejected, I left the courtyard and collapsed to the ground.
In this case, no matter how hard I try, won’t I still end up being the same as I was? At the lowest of the Four Emperors?
I feel like I’m losing all my strength.
It’s like my soul has been drained and I’m looking down on myself in an astral projection.
It’s like I’m not myself…and somehow, I feel sick.
“This body’s brain hasn’t been implanted with magic formulas, nor has it been optimized for magic”
So the current me probably won’t even be able to handle a Level 1 Magic.
As a matter of course, it is also obvious that it would take several decades of time, just like in my previous life, to master the Level 10 Original Ultimate Magic: Emperor of the Thunder God, Ephthal, that I had acquired in my previous life.
“Haha, I’ll have to start over from learning Level 1 Magic…huh”
Well, I have the knowledge of magic this time, so it’s probably somewhat better than my previous life.
But no matter how hard I try, there’s a limit to growth as well. And I’ll probably reach that limit around the time I learn Level 10 Magic.
In the end, it’ll still be the same as in my previous life.
But the Goddess of Fate really does prepare one unlaughable ordeal after another for me, doesn’t she?
So I lay on my back and thrust my right palm up to the sky.
“Level 10: Emperor of the Thunder God, Ephthal…”
I try to activate a magic formula that is not supposed to activate.
My own original magic that I created, which is synonymous with Ephthal…but my words only came across vainly, and just when I thought the magic will never be activated—
Hmm? Power began to overflow from the depths of my body…. And then—
—Gorogorozugashāāāāāntsu
A thunderous roar that seemed to split both the heavens and earth rang out at an altitude of a kilometre, and the heat emanating from the lightning that had once roasted a Kaiser Dragon with a single blow reached my cheeks.
Then, in the midst of the electrified air that filled my surroundings, I could only mutter to myself in a stupefied manner.
“Eh…?”
The next day, investigators from the Royal Capital visited the vicinity of the residence with the intention of investigating the traces of the mysterious extreme magic.
Naturally, there’s no way they would think that it was casted by the four years old me…so it was handed to the Holy Church thinking that it could be some sort of miracle from God.
Well, that’s the usual practice when one doesn’t understand natural science. The Holy Church knew that as well, so they don’t even bother to investigate deeper into the matter.
And, aside from that, in other words—
—It seems that I have been reincarnated in this world with the power of magic from my previous life intact.
☆★☆★☆★
—One day, when I turned seven years old.
“Thank you as always”
In the parlor, my mother is bowing over and over again.
By the way, my mother is twenty-three years old, blonde hair and very beautiful. And the person she is bowing to is a woman about the same age as my mother.
She has long silver hair that reaches down to her waist and is an astonishing beauty as well.
The uniform of the White Rose Chivalric Order which is also the Royal Guard of the inner palace where she is part of, as always looks dignified.
“You don’t have to worry about your brother”
Saying that, Cecilia nee-san winked at me.
This is my sister and the eldest daughter of the duke.
She visits us every so often and keeps me company.
Though, the main reason she comes here is to provide us with a living allowance.
“…What about Father?”
When I asked her that, Cecilia nee-san grimaced.
“Father is very busy…he doesn’t have a lot of time to spare”
Cecilia nee-san is a kind person.
She doesn’t want to speak ill of our father, so my mother and I are very well aware of the fact that she’s talking like that.
—My mother was my father’s mistress.
Moreover, because she was so beautiful, she was ostracized and disgraced by the first wife.
She was driven out of the mansion and given a small house in the countryside, and that brings us to our situation now.
And I’ve never met my father for as long as I can remember.
Well, that just shows how mother and I are being treated.
Rumor has it that my child support is on the verge of being terminated halfway through, and that Cecilia nee-san, who is the legitimate child, is personally making a lot of fuss in the main house because of it.
“But as you grow older, Ephthal becomes more and more beautiful, don’t you?”
I sighed wearily at those words.
—Here it goes again.
Mother nodded greatly at Cecilia nee-san’s words.
“After all, he’s my Ephthal. Ever since he was a baby, people would often ask me whether Ephthal is a girl—”
Saying that, my mother with heart shaped eyes stood beside me and wrapped her arms around me as if to embrace me.
“Haha, there’s no doubt about it. I also thought I had a sister when I first saw him…”
Nee-san, who has heart shaped eyes as well, hugged my left arm as if to entangle me.
—A sandwich.
Mother on the right and nee-san on the left…I’m now sandwiched between them.
“Despite being my son, I really think Ephthal has a beautiful face, Cecilia-sama”
“Yeah, indeed. Despite being my little brother, I also think that Ephthal has a beautiful face”
“If he wasn’t my son, I’d definitely be asking him to marry me in ten years’ time”
“Yeah, truth be told, I’ve never been attracted to the opposite sex before either…I honestly think that my little brother is the only one who looks so adorable”
And that’s when Cecilia nee-san asked me with a radiant smile.
“Do you know, Ephthal? This is what’s known on the streets as a lover’s embrace”
Well, that’s because she’s wrapping me in her arms as if her hands are entwined with mine.
One would only do that with their lover.
“That’s right, Ephthal. This is what’s known as lover’s embrace”
Mother followed with a smile.
I mean, I wonder what do these people want from me by telling me that?
“Even so…”, said mother, glaring at Cecilia nee-san.
“Ephthal is basically a mommy lover, so I don’t think he’s interested in any other women”
“Haha, Ephthal is basically a big sister lover, you know?”
Even I could see the sparks between them.
In an angry tone, mother pouted her lips.
“No, no, Ephthal is a pathological mommy lover!”
“No, no, Ephthal is an extreme big sister lover!”
“No, Ephthal’s ideal type should be someone like his mother!”
“Oh no, it’s been decided that Ephthal’s ideal type is someone like his onee-chan, right?”
“Then, shall we settle this?”
“Yes, let’s do that!”
And then, they pulled away from me.
As they continued, they grasped my right hand and left hand with their respective palms in a vise-like grip.
“Did you know, Cecilia-sama? There is a legend that a long time ago, there was a boy and two women who claimed to be his real mother”
“Yes, I know. The boy was an orphan who was picked up by an eccentric grandfather who lived deep in the mountains and lived with him. And when the grandfather died, there was an uproar when people found out that he was actually a man of great wealth, right?”
“That’s right. One was indeed the boy’s mother, who had found her son during the uproar. And the other woman who lied, was only after the fortune.”
Both of them grasp my hands and put their strength into it.
“Then, the boy went to court to find out which one of them is his real mother”
“And the judge asked both of them to pull the boy’s arm from each side together, right? And that whoever showed strong feelings for the boy as a mother will be recognized as his real mother”
Oh, I know this story too.
It’s a popular story in Japan, and it’s about a judicious decision by a Magistrate-sama…a kind of judge in the Edo period.
As I recall, after this, they tried to pull the boy’s arms together towards themselves, but the real mother couldn’t bear to see her child in pain and decided to let go of his arm.
Then, when the fake mother is happy to pull the boy to her, the Magistrate-sama said a few words to her, “I said I would see the love of a mother. You have no love for your children”. I believe it was something like that.
—That was really a right judicious decision.
The first time I saw it, I was like…yeah, this is how it should be.
Then they started to pull my hands—
“Cecilia-sama!! Richard, a judge, once said,”
“Yes, I know. Power is justice! Whoever has the power wins! I’ll restore your torn arm with an elixir later! Now, as two women, let’s fight with all our might!”
—What a strong magistrate style!!
As expected of an Isekai…I didn’t think this would happen.
Or rather….
“No!! No, no!!! No, you can’t!!!!!”
Feeling that I was in danger, I frantically shook their hands off.
“Cecilia-sama. Ephthal seems to dislike it…”
“Well, in that case, it can’t be helped”
“So, how do we settle this…”
“How about we ask him directly?”
“That’s a good idea”
And immediately, both of them were lined up in front me—
““Who will you marry, Ephthal!?””
They asked me in earnest.
This question also implies that it has already been confirmed that I would marry one of them.
With a deep sigh, now I think I am in trouble.
—That’s right.
It goes without saying that mother and nee-san are obsessively in love with me.
So I let out the biggest sigh of the day and—
“Neither”, I said frankly.
Well, they’re my family, so that would be impossible.
And as for the two who received my answer—
—They have frozen in place.
After a while, the two of them who had melted from the shock opened and closed their mouths repeatedly, and their faces turned pale.
“Cecilia-sama! Ephthal just…! Ephthal just…! I’m losing my mind!!”
“No, you can’t! This must be the Demon King’s deadly confusion magic! I must go to the nearby mountain to pick up some medicinal herbs that can break this curse!!”
No, no! My honest opinion is being treated as a curse!!?
And so the two of them joined hands and seriously went to the nearby mountain to pick up some medicinal herbs.
“For some reason, they get along so well and are in perfect sync with each other, don’t they?”
Then I saw them off with a disgusted smile.
And that day, Cecilia nee-san stayed at my house for the night.
☆★☆★☆★
The next day, we had a serious talk after lunch. And it was about—
“So what has Ephthal planned for the future?”
“Nee-san, I’m from a lineage of the legendary Great Sage. I was even named after our founder, Ephthal, so naturally I would attend the Imperial Capital’s magic academy when I turned fifteen years old—”
And that’s where my mother hurriedly covered my mouth.
“He will be learning swordsmanship…at the military academy…, or if that’s not possible, then maybe at the knight academy. Because this child…doesn’t have magic aptitude”
When I turned six, my magic aptitude was officially tested.
The result was the same as I had done before, the test tubes showed no changes, and remained colorless and transparent.
—Still…I can use magic at the level of the Four Emperors.
However, it is impossible to maintain the same level of power as in my previous life.
Right now, I’m in the process of having my body and brain to get used to the knowledge of magic and its power that’s engraved in my soul.
This process alone will probably take me a few years’ time, till I’m twelve to thirteen years old.
Well, as far as I’m concerned, I don’t have any complaints at all, since I can acquire the power I had spent a lifetime gaining in my previous life during the childhood of this life.
I mean, come to think of it, this is the first time we’ve talked about career paths.
Up until now, I’ve been educated by private tutors on only general studies and things like military science for some reason….
But since it is a field of study that I’m experiencing for the first time, I was taking the lectures without any complaints.
Of course, I did train my magic in secret though.
“The military academy? That sounds good. Though I may look like this, I did graduate from the military academy at the top of my class”
Hearing that, mother giggled.
“It’s a famous story, isn’t it? People couldn’t believe that a descendant from a family lineage of the Great Sage would defy their father and join the military academy…”
“Haha…I guess I was in a rebellious age. Even so, I think it was a good decision in the end. After all, magic swordsmen are rare, so they’re appreciated in the military”
“But didn’t you and your brother graduate from the military academy at the top of the class, against your parents’ wishes? How is Fraser-sama?”
“Well, as the second son and eldest daughter, we are allowed to do what we want. As for Father, he’s probably fine with that as the eldest son is attached to him. Also…Fraser nii-san has been so busy that he’s been blabbering on about not being able to come here lately. After all, he cares a lot about Ephthal too”
“Isn’t Fraser-sama the Knight Commander of the Royal Guard? He must be busy with his duties”
“It’s mostly seating arrangements in the ceremony though. The Kamiza and Shimoza…it’s just a matter of getting the nobles to work together. Well, nii-san smiles wryly that it’s the only time his title as a duke comes in handy” |Editor’s Note: Kamiza means Top Seat or the person with the highest rank or most important, Shimoza means Bottom Seat or anybody with a lower rank than the highest rank|
“Isn’t it the same with Cecilia-sama?”
“I’m a member of the all-female White Rose Chivalric Order which are the Inner Palace’s guards, you see. Although I’m the leader of the order, it’s not that heavy of a responsibility when compared with the Royal Guard as a whole, and it’s easygoing”
Then Cecilia nee-san said, “Well, let’s leave the chit-chat at that…”, and prompted me to stand up.
“Now…shall we take a little look at Ephthal’s talent in swordsmanship? Because swords have their own aptitudes as well. After seeing your capabilities, perhaps I can introduce you to a sword instructor”
And then—
We set out for the courtyard of the house while carrying our wooden swords.
“I want to go to the magic academy though…”
To be frank, the lack of aptitude for magic hasn’t changed, so the fundamental problem has not been solved.
The magic society should be more advanced than it was back then too, so it’s also possible that a method to break through the limits of aptitude for magic has been established.
Or, even if such a method or theory has not yet been established, as long as there is a basis for it, I can continue to develop it.
Or rather, all I can do is bet on it. And of course, as a seven-year-old child, I’m looking into it as much as possible.
However, I couldn’t find the exact method.
As I thought, I have no choice but to go through the theses and so on, which are only available to those who have been given permission to read them in the magic academy’s library…that is the current conclusion.
And, that aside.
“Listen, Ephthal. There are things that people are good at and are bad at”
Cecilia nee-san showed a gentle expression on her face and stroked my head.
As it is, she turns her palm at a tree in the courtyard.
“O Spirit of the wind, Sylphy. Bless me—Level 2: Wind Blade, Wind Edge”
And, as the magic activated, the tree was cut down.
“Now that’s the high-ranking magic, Wind Blade. As you can see, it’s a feat that could only be described as a miracle, and it takes a lot of training to handle this level of magic, and—you should know by now that…the aptitude is…eh?”
Hmm? I didn’t quite catch what she was saying because of the wind.
Then, a Wind Blade was released from my palm without any chanting.
The tree next to Cecilia nee-san’s tree was also cut down.
“I’ve been studying magic, so I can do it as well, you know?”
It seems my parents don’t plan to send me to the magic academy.
Despite having no aptitude for it, I could still use magic. It’s already to the point that I can use it to handle a lot of things through sheer brute force.
That’s why I demonstrated an elementary wind magic that even a child who has studied a lot could handle.
Still, one could be treated as a monster if one were to cast a Level 3 or higher magic at the age of seven.
Bewildered with astonishment, Cecilia nee-san began to look at me and the tree that I had just cut down many times over and over again.
“Eh…Cecilia nee-san? Why do you look so pale…?”
And then—as it is, nee-san slumped down on the spot as if she just suddenly lost all her strengths in her legs.
☆★☆★☆★
I have concluded that in the past 400 years, the magic civilization in the world has significantly declined.
I mean, just what on earth happened……? Anyway, since it has turned into this, so it can’t be helped.
Here’s a summary on the magic levels.
・Current
Level 1 Magic
Level 2-3 High-ranking Magic
Level 4-5 Super High-ranking Magic
Level 6-8 Ritual Class Magic
Level 9-10 Lost Arts
・In the past
Level 1 Daily Life Magic
Level 2-3 Elementary Magic
Level 4-5 Magic
Level 6-7 High-ranking Magic
Level 8-9 Super High-ranking Magic
Level 10 Ritual Class Magic
Extra Level The Four Emperors Ritual Magic
By the way, we subjugated the Demon King a long time ago by using Extra Level magic. It’s a magic that combines the power of all the Four Great Spirits.
In extreme situations…. In the midst of such life-threatening situations, everyone has sharpened their minds to their limits and succeeded…an ultimate magic combination of our powers.
Well, even us Four Emperors were only able to do that once, and never after that.
I got off topic. Let’s get back to Cecilia nee-san.
Anyhow, it is said to be unusual for a child at the age of seven to handle a Level 2 Magic. Moreover, it’s chantless magic.
Because of that, I lied to nee-san, who was in a panic, “Maybe nee-san’s magic was the one that cut down those two trees?”.
That didn’t sound very convincing, but she seems to have believed me.
Well, guess I have to believe that a child casting Level 2 magic without chanting is not the norm in this era.
And from that moment on, I decided to train my magic in secret.
Why? That’s because if they found out that I could handle Level 10 Magic normally, it’s going to be a real pain to deal with, no matter how I think about it.
Right now, my body is still not able to handle the magic that I used to handle. It’s appropriate to call this a period of adjustment.
That’s why I put the matter of going to the magic academy on hold.
It was odd that magic civilization is in decline in the first place. Now, I’m planning to avoid all things troublesome if at all possible and focus on quickly bringing my powers back to my glory days.
So I spent my days taking lessons in swordsmanship, physical strength training and the lectures on military science, ostensibly with the aim of attending the military academy. |Editor’s Note: ostensibly means looks like or is stated to be true. Synonyms to ostensibly are apparently or similarly|
I don’t really want to attend the military academy.
However, while my goal is still to explore the depths of magic, I want to be proficient in martial arts as well.
It wasn’t a bad idea to obediently listen to them and train in swordsmanship for the time being.
Then one day, after a few years of learning swordsmanship—
That day, as I was swinging my sword in the courtyard just like the usual days, Cecilia nee-san suddenly called out to me.
“I brought a special guest for you, Ephthal. You will be learning swordsmanship from this person starting today”
Incidentally, nee-san also teaches me swordsmanship three times a week.
Apparently I have good talents, and I have nothing left to learn from the private swordsmanship tutor who came all the way out here to tutor me.
Well, I also did all sorts of stuff just to get stronger in my previous life.
For example, when the monsters closed in on me, I would then use my swordsmanship as a means to gain distance again.
“Special guest?”
“He is the former Knight Commander of the Azure Kingdom, Mauriat-sama”
Cecilia nee-san was accompanied by a muscular, white-haired man in his late fifties.
“Hey, Cecilia! Is this the boy you were talking about?”
“Yes. That’s right”
Then Mauriat-san threw a wooden practice sword at me.
“Get ready. We’re going to have a workout”
And there, with confidence, Cecilia nee-san said.
“Fufu, you’ll be very surprised by how good he is”
“I’ve already met with a lot of talented people. There’s not much that can surprise me anymore”
“Fufu, so—you’re saying that he isn’t a big deal?”
“Both you and your elder brother Fraser are experts too. I’ve been watching you guys since you were children, and I wasn’t surprised at that time either. I could tell right away that you guys were talented”
Cecilia nee-san smiles boldly at Mauriat-san.
“So—like—I—said! I’m asking you not to judge my Ephthal-chan by normal standards!”
Ephthal-chan!!?
While I was still taken aback, Mauriat-san just shrugged his shoulders in disgust.
“I know you like your little brother, but it’s almost sickening at this point”
Yes, Mauriat-san. I agree with you too.
“Anyway, get ready, little Ephthal!”
I hold the wooden sword as I am told, but Mauriat-san didn’t hold one.
Well, I guess that means he’s not worried about me.
But that confidence is understandable too.
—This man is strong.
I can feel the intimidation just by facing him.
It’s probably largely due to my current low fighting strength…but still, this is rather unusual.
“Bring it on, boy”
Before Mauriat-san could finish talking, I kicked the ground and leaped.
Although it’s somewhat of a surprise attack, it can’t be helped since the difference in our strengths is undeniable.
As it is, I swung down my wooden sword.
Without even touching his sword, Mauriat-san dodged my attack with minimal movement.
“You’re too slow. Is that all you got?”
The moment Mauriat-san sneered—
—Physical Ability Strengthening!!
I sped up at once and did an upward slash attack with my wooden sword.
Seeing that, Mauriat-san dodged again to avoid it…and with a click of his tongue, he swung his sword to intercept mine before performing a back step to maintain distance from me.
“Haha, are you telling me you’ve mastered physical ability manipulation at your age? Certainly…that’s some balls he got there, Cecilia!”
Nee-san nodded proudly at those words.
“That child’s manipulation of physical ability is monstrous. In particular, the manipulation of his inner magic power is so smooth…even a professional mage would be amazed by it too!”
Well, of course it is.
I mean, I’m a professional mage…or rather, I’m a professional sage after all.
“If not for the magic retardation, you might have been a genius in magic as well”
Magic retardation…. Ahh, he must be talking about the lack of magic aptitude.
“However…”, said Mauriat-san while glaring at me.
This time, Mauriat-san jumped on me and made a downward overhead slash.
—Fast!!
I barely just received his attack.
—And it’s heavy!!
The overwhelming pressure made my hands tremble.
“You lack skill, no, more than anything, you lack the height and the physical strength—!!”
Well, that’s because I’m just ten years old.
While somehow managing to avoid his furious assault, I tried looking for an opening, but there’s none at all.
Then came Cecilia nee-san’s shrieking.
“What’s going on here!? Aren’t you being too serious against a child as your opponent!?”
“Shut up, Cecilia! Because you’re the one who brought me to this monster! If I go easy on him, I’ll be the one who is going to be done in!”
“That’s really childish of you, you know!? Didn’t you promise me that you absolutely won’t hurt him at all!? If that’s what you’re going to do, then I’m going to backup Ephthal too—!!!”
I gripped my sword tightly and shouted angrily at Cecilia nee-san.
“Just be quiet, nee-san!”
“Eh…!?”
Upon hearing my words, nee-san said, “Rebellion? Ephthal is rebelling against me…? It can’t be…that just can’t be true…”, while she’s on her knees, holding her head down towards the ground and muttering something.
Finally, no more distractions, Mauriat-san and I held our swords up again at each other.
It’s just as strong as I first felt…or rather, incredibly strong. He’s truly impressive.
I could do something about it If I use magic, but there’s no point in doing that here.
Now then, what should I do….
“—You’re still three years too early to take on me, boy!”
Then Mauriat-san goes into a sword stance.
I can avoid this attack, but I can’t counterattack when I avoid it.
At this rate, I’ll be at a disadvantage here.
As soon as I avoided the double slash attack, I—threw away my sword.
“Wha-!?”
For a moment.
It’s really only for a moment, but Mauriat-san was shaken up by my action.
And that one moment is enough. I grabbed Mauriat-san by his collar and sleeve then—
—Seoi Nage. |TL Note: A move in Judo. It’s an over the shoulder throw|
When I was still alive in Japan, I did practice Judo.
Though, if you’re an amateur with second rate skills, you could find yourself flying through the air the moment you were grabbed.
So, in this world, Kumite fighting is disregarded, and it is assumed that you will definitely be done in once there’s an opening. |Editor’s Note: Kumite Fighting is one of the three main sections of karate training. Basically it’s where you learn how to block and counter your opponent|
Let alone being disregarded, I doubt the concept of Judo’s pinning and locking techniques even exists here.
In fact, I’ve managed to get out of a predicament many times in my previous life with this method. So its effectiveness is guaranteed.
I slammed down Mauriat-san to the ground with me on his back doing an arm lock.
It’s an impeccable, clean ippon victory. |Editor’s Note: Ippon is the highest score a fighter can achieve in Japanese martial arts|
With his right hand perfectly locked, I could even break it whenever I want to.
Then Mauriat-san merrily laughed.
“Fuhaha!! Fuhaha!! This guy is truly a monster! Just the level of his swordsmanship alone is already unbelievable for someone his age…yet he can even do this type of monstrous close quarter hand-to-hand combat! I’ve heard that the art of Kumite fighting has advanced in the East, but I never expected this much!”
“Shall we call it a day? Or do you still want to continue?”
With the other arm, Mauriat-san tapped my hand gently.
“I lost. I lost. It’s my loss! Get off me!”
After undoing the joint-locking technique, Mauriat-san stood up and grinned.
“I may have lost the fight, but in terms of swordsmanship, I won! So—it’s a draw today!”
He’s a competitive guy, huh.
Well, he seems like a nice person and I don’t dislike him.
Then nee-san came over running to me. As it is, she aggressively dived into my chest and hugged me.
“As expected of Ephthal!! Although it was a surprise attack, I can’t believe you won against the school headmaster…!! So, what will you do, Headmaster Mauriat?”
“Do you even need to ask? Cecilia?”
Hmm? Headmaster? What does she mean?
Then nee-san caressed my head gently.
“You really never cease to amaze me. I thought that the Special Enrollment Swordsmanship Tuition Waiver was a sure thing…but I didn’t expect you to win against the headmaster as well…”
“Errr…so you mean this former Knight Commander, Mauriat-san is…?”
“Yup”, nodded nee-san with a big smile.
“He is the headmaster of the prestigious Azure Kingdom’s military academy”
“And…what does that have to do with me?”
Mauriat smiled smugly and said.
“Your swordsmanship is unusual. And I’ve heard that you did great in your classroom lectures too…. With your ability, you can even aim to break the records of your Fraser nii-chan and Cecilia nee-chan who had graduated from the military academy at the top of the class, you know?”
“Ephthal? I’ve also spoken to your mother about it. She was very concerned about today’s exam. With this, your mother will be really happy when she gets to know the exam’s outcome”
Ah…I see.
But I want to go to the magic academy.
I don’t particularly dislike swordsmanship, and I don’t dislike military science, either.
…But then again, am I not…a sage?
I mean…eeehhh!?
—Seriously, why did it turn out like this!?
☆★☆★☆★
Four years have passed since then.
Apparently, me going to the military academy has become the default route.
In this world, children are treated as an adult at the age of fifteen, and the sons of a noble are thrown out of the house at once.
Normally it’s either the military academy or the magic academy, but….
That means I’ll get probation for a year as well.
All in all, I can train magic on my own too, and finally I can use up to Level 8 Magic with no issue, just like in my previous life.
I can use Level 9 and 10 Magic as well, but there is still some time lag in terms of reaction speed and activation speed.
It’s on the level of several tenths of a second or so, but in the middle of a battle, that could be the difference between life and death.
So, besides regaining my former power, it is necessary to eliminate the fact that I have no magic aptitude in the search for more powerful magic.
That’s why I have to go to the magic academy to gain access to all sorts of documents and theses.
Running away from home is an option too, but in doing so when I’m already enrolled in the military academy will cause trouble for my mother.
According to Cecilia nee-san, father seems to be in a good mood, saying, “You’re also quite good at raising a child who has magic retardation”, so if I run away from home, mother’s position will definitely be even worse.
And what I’m doing right now is…meeting father in the parlor of my house, which is a rather heavy situation.
“Nice to meet you…Father”
Father is a man in his late fifties with a beard.
The cold look in his eyes was impressive, and father glanced at what I said—thinking about something for a while in silence and then sighed.
“Call me Your Excellency, Duke Alcott. You are not officially my child. Moreover, you are a disgrace to our family”
“……Your Excellency, Duke Alcott”
“That will do. However, I’m sure the founder of our family, the Emperor of the Thunder God is crying as well. To think that someone with no aptitude for magic is born into our family…”
Yup. I really feel like crying.
I wonder why this kind of person was born as my descendant.
I’ve disciplined my children strictly…but I guess this is inevitable after 400 years.
By the way, as for mother, she’s not even allowed to be present here. Seriously, how should I put it? This is just absurd.
“So, you’re going to enroll in the military academy with a special recommendation for swordsmanship, right?”
“Yes, that seems to be the case…”
It has turned into this……ummm well, I’m in a real bind.
Then, for the first time, this person smiled gleefully.
I was relieved to see that expression on his face.
He seems honestly happy to know that his son’s future is secure. He may seem like an unreasonable good-for-nothing, but I guess he’s still a parent after all.
“With this, I will no longer need to provide you your child support. All the basic necessities are free if you have the scholarship. From the third year on, you’ll be put under the custody of the military and even get paid. Well, at least, try not to soil the family name”
I take back my words. He’s a real jerk.
“So……what else I can do for you?”
Father got up and called out to a man in his twenties who was standing by the door.
“Hey, Joachim”
“What is it, Father?”
This person is our eldest brother, the older brother of Fraser nii-san and Cecilia nee-san.
He seems quite muscular and said to be an expert in swordsmanship.
And as the Duke’s bodyguard and successor, he’s always following our father around.
“Joachim. Even though that child was born from a mistress, he’s still a member of this family. Let’s see whether he’s really good enough to not embarrass us at the military academy”
Then, with a grin, Joachim nii-san laughed.
“—Do you mean disciplining a dog?”
“Yes, that’s fine with me. He seems to have some skills, but show him the difference in power so that he won’t grow impudent in the future”
Then I was led into the courtyard and given a wooden sword.
It may be a wooden sword used for training, but it’s not one that’s usually used.
It’s made of sturdy oak wood and has no shock-absorbing materials whatsoever too.
If I use it to hit someone with all my strength, it will naturally break their bones, and if it’s on the head, the skull will cave in.
Then, holding his wooden sword at the ready, nii-san said.
“I got excellent grades in the magic department at the magic academy. Especially in sword skills, it was quicker to count from the top”
Hmmm….
Conversely, it was quicker to count from the bottom for the other subjects?
“So, why are we having a mock battle…?”
“Father is concerned about your mother”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Father has more than ten mistresses. He’s already had several children with the legal wife as well…and when you were born, Father ordered your mother to abort you. After all, you were purely a nuisance”
This is the first time I’ve heard of such a terrible story.
“At that time, I heard that the mistress protested to Father in tears as if she were his legal wife. Since Father is a human as well…she was treated generously”
“That’s…”
“And because of that, Father still gets nagged about you from the legal wife, who is also my mother, you know?”
“…So?”
“It’s just for future reference. The idea is to make sure that you don’t speak out against Father the way that woman did, and to understand the difference in position. My foolish younger brother Fraser and my foolish younger sister Cecilia have also grown up impudent since they went to the academy. And now they are openly expressing their opinions to Father, didn’t they? Even the legitimate bloodline is troublesome, and we can’t afford to have you grow impudent like them too”
“……”
I was too dumbfounded to say anything.
Someone like this…someone like this is—
《MY》 DESCENDANT?!
“Even if it is said that you have some skills, you’re still just a kid after all, aren’t you?”
Joachim readied his sword.
“All right…I’ll give you a handicap. You take the first swing”
Well then, be my guest.
“Wha-!?”
I didn’t even use physical ability strengthening, but it seems he’s barely able to react in time.
All this talk of being an expert in swordsmanship to show off and it was all just a lie. This person’s sword skills can’t even be compared to that of Cecilia nee-san’s.
However, it is also true that he was able to receive an overhead sword slash.
And while we were warding off each other’s sword, I activated my technique.
—Physical Ability Strengthening.
As it is, with our swords pressing against each other—I press my sword against his with all my strength.
With the sudden force, an unpleasant sound can be heard as Joachim’s nasal bone was crushed.
“Wha-…wha-…!!”
Joachim collapsed on the spot, and then stared in disbelief as his nose bleed uncontrollably.
“I will not repeat myself. Would you not insult my mother any more than you already have?”
I then proceeded to walk back into the house.
“O-…Oi…after what you did to me—eek!!”
Then, 《I》 turned around and said with murderous intent filling up the air.
“If you say another word, I WILL KILL YOU”
“Eee-k!!”
Then father and Joachim nii-san saw me off, dumbfounded at what had happened.
—At that time, I had no idea that I would really end up killing both of them after this.
Well, even if I didn’t, the《Me》might have predicted it.
☆★☆★☆★
—About two weeks passed since then.
They were basically a bunch of idiots, and I was expecting that they might have planned for revenge.
Well, I suppose that was actually the plan, but they were busy with some sort of matter or work, so they are actually just postponing it.
And that’s because—
“Cecilia nee-san?”
At dusk, both Cecilia nee-san and Mauriat-san came to my house with blood on their armor.
And Cecilia nee-san was carrying a one or two year old baby on her back.
I tried to invite them into the house, but they wouldn’t step through the door.
While I was doing that, mother came over, but she, who had a laid-back expression on her face, and Cecilia nee-san, who had an unusually tense expression on her face, faced each other.
When practicing swordsmanship, nee-san sometimes shows an expression similar to this one, but today’s expression is…clearly different.
First, there’s definitely something going on related to the Royal Guard’s work.
—And it must be something that’s extraordinarily unpleasant too.
Then, Cecilia nee-san looks at my mother who had the laid back expression on her face.
“…From here on out, I’ll leave it up to you to decide if you want to listen to what I’m about to say. If you don’t wish to listen, we will be out of here soon enough”
“What do you mean by leaving it up to us to decide whether to listen or not?”
“It means there is a possibility that you and Ephthal will be in danger. If anything happens later, please say that you have turned us away”
Seeing nee-san’s serious expression, mother gave a small nod.
“It must be about the country’s situation, right?”
“Yes”
“And you guys are seeking some sort of help from us…right?”
“That’s right. We don’t know how things will turn out from now on. Depending on the situation, this house will be in a worse position than it is now”
Mother then smiled gently and placed her hands on Cecilia nee-san’s shoulders.
“This is not only my house, but Ephthal’s house as well. A descendant of the Emperor of the Thunder God, who, in the past, made a great contribution to this country by subjugating the Demon King”
Mother just hugs me tightly.
“As the mother of Ephthal, I can’t just send you guys away without even knowing anything about the situation now, can I? In the first place, I am concerned about my country as well. Aren’t you looking down on me a little too much, just because it’s dangerous?”
Cecilia nee-san smiled wryly at my mother’s words.
“No, that’s not my intention. It’s just that, there’s also a possibility you might overreact because of the part of putting Ephthal in danger”
“Overreact?”
“As you know, technically, I’m still a soldier, and I can at least distinguish between public and personal life. Both you and Ephthal are my top priority, but if it’s a battlefield, then as a soldier, I will have to deal with it in a logical way. That’s what I’ve been trained for”
“……?”
“So to say, you, who are such a doting parent, might overreact because of that…”
“Doting parent?”
Then, the three of us remained silent for a while.
“……”
“……”
“……”
As if to break the silence, my mother tilted her head and asked.
“What do you mean by a doting parent?”
Cecilia nee-san and I looked at each other with an astonished look on our faces.
We smiled wryly—
—She really doesn’t have any self-awareness…huh?
After that, Cecilia nee-san cleared her throat and said.
“Anyway, this is not a usual silly visit over Ephthal…because this is not such a light-hearted visit”
Before I knew it, the usual laid-back expression disappeared from mother’s face.
Mother listened to nee-san and gave a small nod.
“We don’t even know whose friend or foe”
After they disarmed themselves and took a bath in hot water, they said that to my mother while sipping their tea in the parlor.
—According to them.
It seems that our country, which is currently at war with the neighboring country, recently dispatched 60 percent of its military strength to the battlefield for a decisive battle to determine the outcome of the war.
This in itself is not a problem, but the trouble is that this country’s political situation has also become unstable.
Because the second son of the late king has become the current king.
It seems like the reason the late king has disregarded the eldest son was because the second son is much more capable than the eldest son.
With the eldest brother also being the Cabinet Minister…it’s a complicated situation that is inevitably muddy.
Nevertheless, it is true that the past few decades have been rather peaceful, albeit for some reason a bit unstable too.
Because the current king was blessed with only daughters.
It ended up that the throne is to be handed over to the eldest brother’s heir in the future, so it was a delicate balance that was just being kept in check.
However, the current king just recently had a son.
—With that, the royal court was thrown into chaos.
The eldest brother’s faction suddenly burst with murderous intent, and rumors of an assassination attempt on the king’s heir began to spread.
And the head of the eldest brother’s faction is our father, Duke Alcott.
Incidentally, as for Fraser nii-san and Cecilia nee-san, they have distanced themselves from their parents’ house ever since they attended the military academy and are now complete loyal members of the military.
Both of them are registered in the Royal Guard and are highly regarded by the current Majesty the King and are said to be promising young individuals of the current regime.
“And the one we’re currently protecting is…His Royal Highness the Crown Prince”
Mauriat-san nodded at nee-san’s words.
“I’ve received information that the Cabinet Minister’s faction is going to use this great expedition as an opportunity to make a move”
“Older brother…Fraser nii-san, Knight Commander of the Royal Guard, rounded up the top brass and called in veterans for an emergency summons”
“Yeah, that’s Fraser for you. He even made an emergency summons to an old person like me and increased the security around the royal court”
“Well, in this political situation, it’s only the natural course of action for the Knight Commander of the Royal Guard”
“Yeah, that’s right. After all, the country is completely defenseless. Everything was fine until the rookies from the military academy were brought in to guard the royal court, but…”
“Yes, they were supposed to guard the royal court from assassins and not let a single rat pass, but—”
“I didn’t think they would……sell out the Royal Capital. It’s a different story when it comes to strategic defense, not security detail”
According to the story, in the middle of the great expedition, the armies of a different ethnic group from the south attacked the Royal Capital.
Naturally before the expedition, talks were made with neighboring countries, including the cause and effect of their interests, and the expedition was made with foresight.
But something that was not supposed to happen has happened.
And there’s also evidence that someone had led the people of the south to the Royal Capital—
“Perhaps it’s Father. He’s the head of the Cabinet Minister’s faction and the only person with the greatest authority left in the country”
“There were all these shadowy rumors to begin with, so…oh, sorry. I shouldn’t have said that here”
“No, it’s fine. None of us here are fond of that man”
Then, there was laughter to be heard about, but the situation seemed to be bad.
“The people of the south dropped by the Royal Capital. Well, they understand that they will be immediately annihilated if the main forces return, so they will probably leave after they’re done pillaging. And just before they took over the palace, we attempted to escape with His Highness the Crown Prince along with the elites of the Royal Guard and Headmaster Mauriat, but…”
“Everyone else except us three were wiped out. What’s more, the people who attacked us were skilled assassins”
Then mother asked with a pale and fearful expression, as if she were afraid.
“So…what about Fraser-sama?”
Both of them looked gloomy at the question.
“When escaping from the royal court…nii-san took the brunt of the fire and opened a path for us”
“He took care of the stalling and bought us some time. Even though Fraser is a master swordsman too, that probably won’t help him in that kind of situation. Rather, I’m amazed that we could even escape from there”
“That’s right, right now, we must somehow get His Highness to safety so as not to ruin my brother’s last wish….”
That’s….
Fraser nii-san is……dead?
Just like Cecilia nee-san, that kind brother of mine, who had always helped me when I was all alone in the Duke family?
Then mother asked them again with tears running down her cheeks.
“So what are you guys going to do now?”
“The safest choice now would be to cross the border…we will deliver His Highness to the main forces of our country. The expedition will probably be called off and they will likely return to settle this mess”
“But until then, it won’t be easy. I think they also know what we’re up to. The routes to the border are limited, and they’ll probably have their blockades set up”
Then Cecilia nee-san bowed to my mother.
“The royal court is a nest of snakes. This is the only place we can trust. Would you be willing to give us a night’s lodging and…possibly some rations along the way?”
Naturally, mother and I nodded and offered to help them as much as we could.
The next day.
As Cecilia nee-san and headmaster Mauriat were about to leave the gate of the house, I, equipped with light armor and a silvery white sword, chased after them.
—This is the country of the royal family that has existed since the time《I》was alive.
I remember that His Majesty the King at that time treated《Me》well. So naturally, I have a duty to protect my country.
—To the extent that’s worthy enough of a cause for me to use my magic in its full power.
☆★☆★☆★
In the forest nearing the border.
We managed to fend off attacks twice, and at last, the neighboring country is just a stone’s throw away, but….
“Still, it’s a blessing that Ephthal joined us”
“Yes, compared to me and Headmaster Mauriat, his sword skills are already in no way inferior with mine, and above all, he is a force to be reckoned with. He is certainly the best reinforcements we have…but…”
Cecilia nee-san seems to have noticed something feeling out of place as well.
In the two engagements, the attackers retreated before they even got injured.
Even though it’s supposed to be their main priority to kill His Highness the Crown Prince right then and there, with any means necessary.
“Nee-san, as expected, this forest is already…”
And at that moment—the sound of explosions began to rang throughout the forest.
We could hear the faint crackling sounds of thunder floating through the atmosphere.
“At any rate, let’s make haste. It’s not wise to stay here any longer”
The magic that is being deployed feels rather familiar….
Just as I was wondering about that, our field of vision suddenly opened up as we exited the forest.
We’ve finally made it through the forest, and we’re really close to the border, which should be just around the corner.
But the Moralis Plains, our last hurdle, was spread out in front of us.
It’s a plain with a clear view. I thought for sure they’ve set up their nets here, but the situation unfolded in front of us is kind of unexpected.
“Hey, hey……isn’t that the Mage Division belonging to the Duke Household?!!!”
About two hundred mages can be seen on the plain.
They are in a ritual formation, and it’s obvious that they are poised to dish out a barrage of ritual magic.
“As I feared, the assassins from earlier were just scouts. All they have to do is to confirm that we are in this forest and report it to the Mage Division”
Then Headmaster Mauriat gasped, “Ah”.
“They…are they planning to scorch the entire forest with an area of effect attack?”
“Yes”, said Cecilia nee-san, nodding.
“That ritual formation is the strongest treasure that our Duke Household can handle…Level 6: Emperor of the Thunder God, Ephthal. The sound of the explosions that have been reverberating in the forest since a while ago…must have been the grand magic named after the legendary Four Emperors”
Then Mauriat-san started sniffling.
“Smoke…? The forest has been ignited by the lightning?!”
“That may be it but regardless of that, they must have set fire at the other entrance of the forest as well. To make sure we can’t escape”
“Well…we’re screwed. Is there at least a way to save His Highness the Crown Prince? Be it a way of trading lives…I’d be willing to take chances too”
“Our retreat is cut off. Moreover, we’re being kept at a distance on a plain with a clear view against two hundred mages that have finished forming a ritual formation. Even if the three of us were to cut our way into the formation, we’d be under heavy fire before we could even get to them, and we’d be helpless as well”
“We’re stuck in a dead-end situation, huh. But my belief is to not give up until the very end. Most things in this world can be done through sheer will”
“I don’t dislike Mauriat-sama’s unyielding spirit…but it’s not realistic”
When nee-san shook her head as though she had given up—I, who had been frozen there for a long time, came back to my senses.
—That magic is named after “Ephthal”?
Since when has the original magic of 《Me》 been reduced to something as low as Level 6?
These heretical descendants of mine who dealt with degraded techniques…. They really are the ones who will mock me to the bitter end.
“Haha, this is unforgivable”
“…Ephthal?”
Then I raised my palm above my head.
“Level 7: Absolute Freeze, Cocytus”
With me as the starting point, the whole place was immediately covered with snow and dyed in pure white.
In other words, the whole forest—about a kilometer in distance was enveloped by ice.
Naturally, all the fire surrounding the forest disappeared as well.
“Eh?” “What?”
After seeing that, both of them simultaneously with their mouths wide open gasping like a fish out of water.
Well, in this world…they probably haven’t even heard of this level of magic being handled alone.
Hence, their reactions are not that surprising.
“Well then, I’ll be right back”
And so I began to walk calmly towards the Mage Division.
“What in the world is this ice…? The use of magic on such a large scale…? No, more importantly…are you planning to charge in alone, Ephthal??”
I nodded.
“I thought I’d show them a pleasant memory to take to the afterlife. The real Level 10: Emperor of the Thunder God, Ephthal”
Then without turning around I raised my right hand and said to Cecilia nee-san.
“They’re going to feel the wrath of the Emperor of the Thunder God”
Side: Duke Alcott
The Mage Division consists of over two hundred men.
They are the treasures of our Alcott household.
Four hundred years have passed since our founder, the Emperor of the Thunder God. We, the Alcott family, have been the magic advisors of the Azure Kingdom.
This military power is also the last bastion left to defend the country during this expedition.
“But your grace?”
While bowing his head, Sage Richard, Vice Commander of the Mage Division inquired.
“What’s the matter, XO Richard?” |TL Note: XO is lingo for Executive Officer|
“Is it really all right to kill the Crown Prince?”
I burst out laughing right then and there, and my son, Joachim, answered Richard for me.
“Don’t worry about it, XO Richard. A considerable amount of groundwork has been laid out for the Cabinet Minister’s faction, as well as His Majesty the King’s faction. If it’s an unfortunate incident in which the Crown Prince was killed by a different ethnic group……they won’t be able to do anything about it”
“Yes I know…but are we really doing this? To kill His Royal Highness the Crown Prince…?”
“Originally, it was said that the crown would be handed over to the son of the King’s elder brother. At least that was how it should have been until the Crown Prince who was born…and it was a bombshell of a news to the country”
Hearing that, Joachim nodded.
“This is also out of concern for the country. If the Crown Prince is to be left alive, the country will inevitably be divided. Then someone will have to do the dirty work. So, XO Richard? You’re a patriot who cares for your country as well, aren’t you?”
“…That’s…well…”
I pat Richard on the shoulder.
“It has been unofficially decided that if the Cabinet Minister’s son becomes the King, I will be promoted to Archduke. If that happens, I will not be a magic advisor, but a Minister of State Affairs as well. I’m already holding several titles too. And that means…I’ll be too busy to be the leader of this Mage Division at the same time. Now Richard, Commander of the Mage Division? Again, I ask of you, you’re a patriot who cares for your country as well, aren’t you?”
From the beginning, I had simply wanted to promise Richard, “You will be the next commander of the Mage Division”.
He is a man of ability and yet profit-driven.
If there are no benefits in it, even I would easily discard it, conversely—that’s why I can trust him.
So Richard nodded his head.
“Yes. I, too, am a man of concern for my country. If someone has to get dirty, I’ll offer this body for the sake of the country—Grand Duke Alcott His Excellency!!”
“Yeah, I’m counting on you. Richard, Commander of the Mage Division”
After grinning, I glanced toward the forest where the target is.
The second son, Fraser, is already dead…and the eldest daughter, Cecilia, is also a target for extermination in this bombardment, and that’s inevitable too.
Or rather, it’s convenient.
In the first place, they are incompetent children who oppose everything I do.
The fact that they are becoming more prominent within the military as if to challenge me is also detestable.
“……Hmm?”
Then I noticed something strange.
A small boy came out of the forest.
With a sword in hand, he leisurely and slowly walked forward.
“Who is that boy?”
—Then, on the Moralis Plains, the Emperor of the Thunder God makes his debut.
Side: Ephthal
The bombardment is getting more and more intense.
At first, it started with Level 2: Magic Arrows, then Level 3 and Level 4, Single-Shot Magic, and finally Level 5: Magical Explosive Arrows.
Well, all of them have exploded before they can even reach me by the passive defensive magic circle that I had set up.
“But why can’t these guys handle a Level 5 Magic by themselves?”
It seems that while I was in my thoughts, they also realized that none of their attacks have worked on me.
Not a moment later, hundreds of magic arrows came flying in.
“As I said, that level of magic won’t reach me”
Just by raising my right hand, all of the arrows exploded in the air.
And at that moment—there was a clear sense of agitation and fear in their magic power flowing through the ritual magic circle.
“Hey, hey, how can anybody show their mental state through the flow of magic power on the battlefield…?”
I’m almost in tears at how unskilled they are.
I was sure I’ve taught my children how to use magic and fight properly though….
Four hundred years sure is a terrible amount of time. And as I was grieving—
“Well, this is bound to happen. After all, they have no other option left”
And so they began to prepare for their treasure, Level 6: Emperor of the Thunder God, Ephthal.
It looks like they’re calling it “Emperor of the Thunder God, Ephthal“, but to use my name on such a thing as it is, is a disgrace to me.
Also that’s basically magic meant for total annihilation.
It’s not suited to attack a single person, but since they have no other option, so this has become inevitable.
And then, just before the lightning strikes me, I snap my fingers.
“Level 7: Four Spirits Extreme Defense Formation, Extra Magic Guard!”
A hemisphere of rainbow-colored magic circle is formed in a radius of about ten meters around me.
With just the passive defensive magic circle, there’s still a chance that I’ll get a grazing wound or so if I receive a direct hit.
So just to be on the safe side, let’s completely seal off this area with this Level 7 Magic.
Then, as the lightning reaches the magic circle…it turns into steam and vanishes.
“Haha, they’re really pitiful”
Judging from the magic power flowing through the ritual magic circle, all of them seem to be totally freaked out by this Level 7 Magic.
Right now, I’m just fifty meters away from them.
People like them don’t require magic to be dealt with, so I drew my sword.
It just so happens that I’d like to test out my swordsmanship in a real battle.
—Physical Ability Strengthening
The Mage Division is nothing but a bunch of amateurs in close-quarter combat.
The very thought made me chuckle.
“I have to kill not a hundred people, but two-hundred people, huh, well, that’ll be fun as well!”
“Fire! Fire!! Fire!!! At this rate, he is going to cut into the forefront of the ritual formation!!!”
“Even if you say so, against a monster that even nullified the “Emperor of the Thunder God, Ephthal” magic—wha-!”
Yes, one down.
At the forefront of the formation—a mage’s skull was cracked open.
“Gyaahh! Gyaaaahhhh!”
“Gaaaaghhhh”
Whenever I swung my sword, people screamed, and heads came flying off.
I see. I suppose a sword isn’t so bad either. Perhaps I should practice imbuing magic on my sword as well.
And behind me…I heard the voice of a fool chanting Magic Arrow even though it’s futile.
“You should just keep your mouth shut”
—I improvised and swung my sword with a Level 2 Explosive Magic on it.
“Gyaahh!”
The fool collapsed on the spot, scattering pieces of flesh and bone from his shattered lower jaw.
However, it’s not surprising that the fool’s magic conductivity is poor when compared to Cecilia’s, who is a professional magic swordsman.
Maybe I should ask her to teach me the basics next time.
After cutting into the formation, I’ve further cut my way through about ten meters forward.
I accelerated and cut down the six people who were standing around me in the blink of an eye.
From there, the attitudes of those around me clearly changed, and their expressions were completely filled with fear and despair.
They must have changed their perception from that of a mysterious mage who had nullified magic to that of a Grim Reaper who came to reap their souls.
“Eeek! Eeek!! Eeeek!!!”
“Move! Move!! I must get away!!!”
“D-D-Don’t touch—! Don’t touch him!! H-H-He’s not human!!!”
In the blink of an eye, the formation collapses and the people around me try to flee for their lives—and seeing that sight made me cackled.
“I’m afraid we’re in a congestion”
In addition to the disastrous close-knit formation, the people at the back didn’t realize that their comrades are being brutally slaughtered without being able to do anything about it.
They would have to push their way through the crowd to flee, but….
I raise my sword with a grin.
“Didn’t your mother teach you that you shouldn’t show your back in battle?”
As I swing my sword, bodies start to hit the ground.
I just cut down the backs of those who run about trying to escape. This is what it means to kill indiscriminately, isn’t it?
Well, they are the traitors who would sell out their country to a different ethnic group and use despicable methods to kill His Highness the Crown Prince. So I have no intention of holding back from the beginning either.
“But…it’s not even much of a sword practice if all I have to do is cut down fleeing people from behind. This is like rabbit hunting”
It can’t be helped.
Then, I raise my palm over my head.
“I’ll show it to you as a pleasant memory to take to the afterlife”
Magic power was released from my palm into the sky, and in the twinkling of an eye, an enormous cumulonimbus cloud is formed.
The man who was dismayed at my magic power said in a hoarse voice.
“Clouds…the weather…manipulation? Level 9…Lost Arts…An act of God…?”
I shook my head.
“You’re right about the weather, but it isn’t clouds. What I’m controlling is lightning. I’m not some pathetic piece of shit who fucks with static electricity like you guys—I’m talking about real lightning!!”
I then turned my raised palm to my front.
“Level 10: Emperor of the Thunder God, Ephthal”
With an insanely loud thunderous roar, an oversized lightning bolt was dropped in the center of the formation.
—Zudododododōntsu!
Shiden (purple lightning) circulated on the surface of the earth, and the lightning bolt roasted all the traitors.
Without even giving them the time to scream, the lightning, which is akin to the God Of Death wielding its scythe with fierce vigor and reaps their souls.
And within a few seconds, a total of two hundred burnt corpses can be seen lying on the ground.
I walked leisurely through the charred corpses, heading towards the epicenter where the lightning had struck.
However, I’ve remotely placed a Resist Magic on that spot beforehand, and the might of the lightning has been pinpointed and suppressed through magic power manipulation.
Well, there’s another reason why I put a Resist Magic—
“S-S-Stay away from me, you monster!!”
It is my father who is weeping and drooling with great fear.
He’s so distraught that he doesn’t seem to realize that I’m his son.
“E-E-Ephthal? How did my little brother…!?”
Onii-sama is so frightened that he wet his pants.
Then I sighed from the bottom of my heart.
—My descendants…are really pathetic….
Anyway, both of them seem to have understood that the assailant was me.
“W-W-What is the meaning of this?”
“Y-Y-You!! Do you seriously think that you can defy a Duke’s Mage Division and get away without any consequences—?”
Consequences or not, all the trash has been wiped out.
Yet they think something like that could be a threat? They’re a bunch of fools to the very end.
“I-In any case! This is treason against the military!”
“T-That’s right! You can’t get away with this!”
I swung my fist and drove it into my wicked eldest brother’s nose.
“Gyaahh!”
My fist shattered his nasal bone, and my eldest brother was knocked back for about five meters before landing on the ground. He continued to roll around for a few more meters before lying still and fainted.
“This is an attempted assassination on His Highness the Crown Prince. It wouldn’t be good to just end this with the complete annihilation of the group, including the ringleader, right?”
“Eh…?”
“For all the things that you have done, you need to be the one to take full responsibility for it, don’t you agree? After all, you’re the one in charge of this place, aren’t you?”
“Heh…?”
“Oh, one more thing. I heard that Fraser nii-san, who took good care of me is—dead!”
Looking at my father’s face who is currently on his knees, as if he’s a soccer ball, I swung my leg as hard as I could to volley a kick at him.
“A fiend like you who would even kill his own son deserves no mercy. You bastards are going to be hanged!”
And so, with a shriek, he fell to the ground and a few of his teeth flew in the air.
☆★☆★☆★
And so our father was to be hanged.
Since he planned to assassinate His Highness the Crown Prince, it is just a natural retribution.
And as for our Duke family…naturally, our position became very suspicious, and there were talks of demolishing the household as well.
However, the fact that Cecilia nee-san risked her life to protect His Highness the Crown Prince was enough to let it be overlooked…well, just barely out of it.
Though, there were various penalties, but that was far better than the severing of the household.
And since the head of the family died, so the next heir succeeded the Duke. Mother was also given a room in the Duke’s mansion.
———
In a certain mountain, me, Cecilia nee-san, and Headmaster Mauriat met again after a long time.
Under my magic, everything within a radius of two hundred meters is carbonizing.
The soil is also heated so fiercely that some of it has been vitrified. |Editor’s Note: Vitrified = turning something into glass or glasslike|
By the way, Cecilia nee-san and Headmaster Mauriat are safe in the defense barrier I set up.
“Level 7: Supreme Wind God’s Blade, Chaos Wind!”
This time, the trees in a radius of about two hundred meters were instantly cut down.
And the reason why I’m doing this is because these two have witnessed my true power in the last incident.
That’s right. It’s already too late to make excuses after having displayed my absurd power.
If that’s the case, it will probably be difficult to just dismiss it without telling the truth.
“This is…good Lord……”
“Is this a Level 7 bargain sale……”
When they saw my magic, they just repeatedly opened and closed their mouths as if they were looking at something unbelievable.
“Hey, Cecilia? Does your Duke household know about this?”
“If they knew about it…the whole world would be in chaos right now, Mauriat-sama. Or rather, with Father’s character, the Duke family alone can make a coup through sheer power with Ephthal as the decisive weapon…”
Then Cecilia nee-san stroked gently my head with her usual soft smile and a mix of astonishment.
“I see. So this is the real Ephthal”
“I’m sorry for hiding it from you…nee-san”
“Ephthal? How did you obtain such power…?”
“……”
Then nee-san nodded and patted me on the shoulders.
“If you don’t want to tell us, you don’t have to”
“…yeah”
Then Headmaster Mauriat nodded in agreement.
“This is a secret between the three of us. You don’t have a problem with that, right?”
“Yes. I have no objection to it, Headmaster Mauriat”
“By the way—what is Ephthal planning to do from here on out?”
“My goal is to pursue magic. From here onwards, I’m going to enroll in a magic academy and further hone my magic in a well-equipped place”
Hearing that, they made a startled face.
“Ephthal? Are you going to attend a magic academy…after all?”
“Eh? That is what I intend to do though…”
I don’t think there’s anything for me to learn at the magic academy, but still, I need to get my hands on the documents on magic aptitude.
“But are you…for real?”
I don’t understand why they are surprised by my decision, but I have to go anyway.
If I train for a year from now, I’ll probably be able to fully regain the power of my previous life as well, and I’ll also have a newfound power in swordsmanship.
Even if I stay here any longer, there’s also not much I can do by myself.
Since then—
I spent a year in the Duke Household.
Cecilia nee-san and Headmaster Mauriat would occasionally give me sword practice, but the two of them say they have nothing more to teach me.
And I was glad to be able to practice my magic in the courtyard now that I don’t need to hide it as much as I used to.
Well, I was basically practicing the ways of the magic sword after having Cecilia nee-san to teach me the basics of it.
In my previous life, I was a complete amateur in it.
My entrance exam for the magic academy has been decided as well, and finally it was the time to say goodbye.
“Ephthal. Don’t overdo it, okay?”
In the Duke’s office, Cecilia nee-san said that to me with a chuckle.
I wonder what does she mean by…don’t overdo it?
“Yes, I’m sure nee-san is going through a lot as well, but…”
As a matter of fact, she has been very busy as the temporary Head of the Dukedom.
That’s why she is officially saying goodbye at this very moment, even though the real departure is supposed to be tomorrow.
That said, her job is not just the duties as a Duke.
Although the former Duke was hanged, that doesn’t end our responsibilities as a Duke household, she still goes around apologizing to people.
Truly, our father did a lot of terrible things.
“Nee-san? I can stay back and help Cecilia nee-san…”
As soon as I said those words, nee-san shook her head.
“You will have your own life, Ephthal. For a long time, you have been oppressed by the Duke household. So I can’t cause you any more trouble than what Father had done to you”
“But…”
“It’s fine, Ephthal. Why don’t you let me play the role of an older sister every once in a while?”
Seeing nee-san smiling like that…and thinking that this moment is our farewell to each other, I burst into tears.
“—Nee-san always…didn’t nee-san always act like a sister to me?”
“A man shouldn’t cry in the presence of other people”
That’s true…I thought.
What am I supposed to do, to be chided by my descendants?
Of all my descendants, they had grown up to be decent people.
In addition to that, as Ephthal, Cecilia nee-san’s younger brother, I can’t help but cry from the honest feeling of adoring this person.
“Haha, really…I don’t know if you’re a strong…or just a helpless child”
“………”
“You can come back whenever you want. I’ll always be the one to stand by you, no matter what”
“…yes”
After saying that, nee-san hugged me until I stopped crying.
———
Before heading for the magic academy’s entrance exam, I, in my traveling clothes, stopped by my birthplace.
Maybe it’s because I’m used to the main residence of the Duke Household, but it looks awfully shabby.
“As I thought, we were treated like crap”
With that in mind, I enter the now empty house.
It’s locked, but it’s the house I’ve lived in since I was a child.
I know one or two secret entrances.
“It’s been a year since we moved out…huh?”
I began to walk slowly through the room, which was slightly dusty.
“Haha. There’s the height markings”
My growth record was engraved on a pillar…I remember mother was always very excited to record my height.
—Fifteen years after I was reincarnated with the memories of my previous life intact.
I was raised here with love and care.
Not only as the Emperor of the Thunder God, but also as mother’s son and Cecilia nee-san’s younger brother which have now been properly nurtured in my heart as well.
I walked through the house one step at a time, all the while biting down the overwhelming emotions in my chest.
And as I came out of the house—
“Mother? How did you know I’m here?”
“Fufu. You’re my child, remember? Is there a mother who doesn’t understand what her son is thinking?”
“………”
Mother has always had an unusually sharp intuition.
Well, I guess that’s what mothers are for.
“What kind of idiot would leave without saying goodbye to their mother?”
“That’s just, uh…embarrassing”
But truthfully, that wasn’t it.
I thought I’d definitely cry when I saw my mother, that’s why I didn’t stop by her room after saying goodbye to Cecilia nee-san.
“Didn’t Cecilia-sama tell you? A man shouldn’t cry in the presence of other people…”
Really, I’ve been crying a lot since yesterday.
I mean, even in my previous life, I was always quite…easily moved to tears as well.
“Mother?”
“What is it, Ephthal?”
“I’ll definitely……definitely return once I achieve my goal”
“Even if you don’t achieve your goal, come back home whenever you want. Because this is where your family lives”
Then mother took a parcel out of her pocket.
“These are your favorite pancakes. Have some on the way”
“……yes”
At that moment, me and mother spotted a familiar face.
“I heard from Cecilia that you bid her farewell? Haha, would you stop excluding me from the group?”
“……Fraser nii-san?”
A good-looking blonde haired man with a cane—Fraser nii-san, was brushing gently my head.
“No, didn’t I send a letter to nii-san? After all, the hot-spring treatment is far away from here…”
“I came back as soon as I got the letter. If I don’t return to the mansion every once in a while, as the head of the household, everyone might just forget about me when I’m fully recovered”
Nii-san said that jokingly, but after he smiled for a short while, he stiffened his expression.
“Cecilia, my representative is unexpectedly excellent, and the new maids seem to think so as well”
After the coup, Fraser nii-san was found critically injured and was on the verge of death.
At first, they were unsure of whether he was alive or dead, and the doctors gave up as well, but in the end he made a miraculous come-back.
Fortunately, he only had to have his right leg amputated, and now he is in the middle of a hot-spring treatment due to the cuts all over his body and stays at an inn in the volcanic region of Yokosia.
But…one could also say that the wounds he received from protecting His Highness the Crown Prince were not only to protect the Crown Prince, but also the good of the Alcott family name.
In addition to that, it is also said that the military was particularly sympathetic to both Fraser nii-san and Cecilia nee-san, and that they protected them in every way possible.
“Then go ahead, Ephthal. We will always treasure you and love you as our own flesh and blood little brother. If anything happens, I promise to help you with the prestige of the Duke Alcott Household”
“Yes. Thank you. Nii-san”
“Besides—“
“Besides?”
“Cecilia will kill me if I don’t help you. After all…that person is a pathological little brother lover…”
“Haha, that habit of hers is the only thing that will never change”
“If it weren’t for that habit of hers, I honestly think that she would be a good woman”
“Fufu, nii-san think so too?”
Then me and Fraser nii-san burst into laughter, but when I saw mother also laughing alongside us and said, “Really, Cecilia-sama hasn’t changed, has she? This is troubling”, I quickly returned to a straight face.
And that’s because—
—Didn’t you still come to my room every night with a pillow in your hand as well, and say, “Let’s sleep together ♪”?
To be precise, she even asks for a good morning kiss. Though, I’m not subject to comply with it.
That aside…after bidding them farewell—
I started walking slowly with my mother and nii-san gazing at my back, all the while waving to me.
I walked for a while and then turned around when the house and the two of them are now looking smaller in sight.
Then I bow deeply.
“………Thank you for everything”
And continued in the direction I’m heading for.
I won’t look back anymore. I’m going to keep on pushing forward from here onwards.
“This is where my quest for magic begins”
I’m heading to the summit of it.
This time, I’m going to overcome the barrier called talent.
The celebration for the successful subjugation of the Demon King was a grand one.
There are all kinds of luxurious cuisines and alcohol from all over the world, and various furnishings that gleamingly adorn the place.
The people who attended the celebration are all important figures from various countries, and as I was originally born as the eighth son of a poor noble…this is the type of place that brings shivers down my spine.
“Well then, the four great heroes who assisted The Hero and brilliantly defeated the Demon King”
The people next to me who were also kneeling and bowing before His Majesty, the Holy Emperor are my good comrades and rivals. They are also known as the Three Great Sages.
“To the respective sages of Fire, Earth, Water and Wind, to be worthy of being the strongest mage — I hereby grant the title of The Four Emperors on you”
The three sages of Fire, Earth and Water are crowned by His Majesty, the Emperor.
Of course, it’s the title of Emperor…but it’s a title that can only be granted to those of noble blood.
However, the four of us are only allowed to rightfully call ourselves the Emperor within the magic society and other occasions that involved magic—such is the etiquette upon receiving a medal of honor or tittle.
“Sage Ephthal”
“Yes!”
I straightened myself and then bowed again.
His Majesty then placed the crown on my head and smiled.
“From now on, you may call yourself the Emperor of the Thunder God. If it’s a place of magic, you too would be allowed to claim the title of Emperor”
My vision was filled with tears.
For the forty-odd years of living…my entire life has finally come to be recognized.
—And so the four of us received the thundering applause from those who attended the ceremony.
15 years later.
After retiring from active duty due to illness, I spent the rest of my life in seclusion with a few of my disciples in a mansion deep in the mountains.
I was on my daily walk, looking at the courtyard where the flowers were in full bloom.
And then, with a cough, I can hear the Death God’s call.
I already knew I was in the initial stage of an incurable disease. I’m prepared for it, but I can’t say the same every time I cough. I feel depressed.
“Ephthal-sama?”
Merlin, my apprentice, called out to me.
As usual, I responded with a smile.
“What is it, Merlin?”
“You are over 50 years old now and have received the title — Emperor of the Thunder God…no, you are sick…yet, you still continue to train your magic. Why is that?”
She is an orphan…no, not quite right.
She was born due to the union of the Demon King that we subjugated and a vampire.
During the triumphant return from the Demon King’s castle, there was a crying baby, even if she is a demon, I couldn’t just ignore it.
Besides, her mother also begged me to save her baby.
Well aside from that, this girl is talented.
I suppose she is 15 years old now. Truly, she’s got a bright future ahead of her.
If I had faced this girl when I was her age, I think I wouldn’t been a match for her. I’m really looking forward to her future.
Moreover, this girl has a long life span due to her mixed blood of a vampire and a demon. If that’s the case, I wonder how far will this girl’s magic advances?
Well, it’s unfortunate that I won’t be able to witness it with my own eyes.
“Ephthal-sama?”
As I was in deep thought, Merlin curiously tilted her head and called on me.
“Aah, why do I keep training? I was aiming to be the strongest in the world”
“The strongest in the world…?”
“Be it magic or martial arts, anybody who aspires to be the strongest, will also aim for the peak—and so do I. Besides, there’s another reason why I did it”
“What do you mean by that?”
“It’s about nurturing the next generation. I was wondering what you guys would think of me when looking at my back. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll ever reach the peak of magic”
“What are you saying!? Ephthal-sama is already plenty strong, right?”
“I’m just strong among the weak. However, among the truly powerful, there’s no place for the likes of me…”
“More powerful than Ephthal-sama…?”
“Compared to the other three Emperors, even my magic is nothing special”
Then Merlin kept silent.
This girl is also well aware of the fact.
To begin with, I’m by far the oldest among the people who had subjugated the Demon King, that’s why I didn’t have any growth potential left.
Now that the gap between me and them has widened, rumor has it that I’m not even a match for their apprentices.
Well, as much as I hate to admit it, but I guess that’s also probably true.
And at that moment, a disciple of mine who I hadn’t seen in a long time alarmingly came running towards me.
