“I was one step too late.”
Prochi’s enormous eyes stared into empty space.
The light that had been glowing from his staff as though it might unleash magic at any moment slowly faded.
Prochi raised a hand and touched his face.
Black energy crept from his face toward his fingertips.
The Illusion Magic was still functioning properly.
Yet a moment ago, Prochi had sensed an extremely foreign power that was nothing like mana.
‘It was faint, but it was definitely Demonic Energy.’
Someone who had never handled Demonic Energy before might not have recognized it.
But Prochi knew exactly what that power was.
After all, it was the same power he used.
‘Was it them...?’
Demonic Energy alone was not enough to reveal the identity of whoever had been watching him.
But he could think of several likely suspects.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
With his eyes closed, Prochi slowly tapped his index finger against his staff.
Only after the men had finished loading everything onto the carriage did the tapping abruptly stop.
“...It seems they still don’t trust me completely.”
They had known each other for far too short a time to build true trust.
That was the conclusion Prochi reached.
Even so, he had not expected them to display their hostility this openly.
“In that case....”
Prochi turned his gaze toward the carriage waiting in the forest.
“I suppose I’ll have to prepare the next stage sooner than planned.”
Tap. Tap.
Prochi’s finger began moving again.
Tap, tap-tap.
The cheerful sound of chalk striking the blackboard echoed through the classroom.
Prochi’s eyes continuously moved across the thick book in his hand.
‘A Black Mage teaching a magic class....’
How ridiculous.
I gave the thought a brief, bitter laugh.
Prochi was a Black Mage.
Considering that he had appeared at Silver Wolf’s rendezvous point, it was practically certain that the Black Mage Prochi had joined forces with Silver Wolf.
That also allowed me to make a reasonable guess as to why he had tried to implant those spells in me.
‘This is absurd.’
He had never intended to take me as his disciple.
He intended to offer me as a sacrifice.
There was no other reason he would have tried to implant both tracking magic and an unconsciousness spell in me.
‘In that case....’
There was only one thing to do.
“...And so, the three elements required to activate magic are mana, an incantation, and a Circle. Many people confuse mana with the Circle, but they are distinctly different elements, so remember that.”
Once the Group Mana Cultivation session ended, Prochi naturally began teaching magic.
He covered the basic Elemental Magic studied by 1st Circle Runners, along with an explanation of the fundamental components of magic.
Some children stared out the windows or nodded off, while others diligently dipped their pens into ink and filled their notes.
In the classroom, Prochi’s voice mingled with the tapping of pens against ink bottles and the scratching of nibs across paper.
When Prochi finished speaking, he took a silver pocket watch from inside his robes and checked the time.
“That will be all for today.”
He put the pocket watch away and closed his book.
The moment he finished speaking, chatter erupted throughout the room.
They might all come from noble families and aspire to learn magic, but children were still children.
They quickly formed groups and began talking among themselves.
“Ughhh....”
I stretched as well.
“Hmm?”
At that moment, a shadow fell across me.
I slowly raised my head and saw who was standing there.
It was Etro.
“How was it? Was the lesson manageable?”
His eyes slanted sharply upward as usual.
Etro stared down at me with his familiar expression.
“More or less. What do you want?”
“Let’s practice magic together. It’ll be difficult for you without access to proper magic books, so I’ll guide you.”
‘You’re going to teach me...?’
When I did not answer, Etro apparently misunderstood my silence.
He thumped himself on the chest and continued.
“You don’t need to worry. Water is my specialty, but I’m perfectly capable of teaching the other elemental spells as well.”
He had completely misunderstood the situation.
“I appreciate the offer, but I’m fine. I have a lot to do.”
“A lot to do...?”
Etro clearly had not expected me to refuse, judging by the deflated tone of his voice.
“Then I’ve got something to take care of, so I’ll be going.”
“W-wait....”
Leaving Etro calling after me, I approached Prochi.
Prochi was organizing his lesson materials.
He turned only his head toward me.
“What is it?”
“It’s about the offer you made me last time.”
“So it’s about that.”
Prochi turned fully toward me, bent at the waist, and lowered himself until our eyes were level.
“Go on.”
“I’ll visit you tomorrow evening.”
Prochi slowly stroked his beard.
“So you’ve made up your mind.”
“Yes. I got my parents’ permission too.”
“…….”
Prochi curled his hand into a fist and nodded.
“Good. Come to the same place as last time.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yes.”
That’s right.
You’ll be seeing plenty of me.
Although even I couldn’t promise what form those meetings would take.
Etro’s eyebrows rose.
‘What is that guy doing...?’
If someone lacked skill, they could simply be trained.
Magic was open to everyone.
That was why Etro had tried to help Kano, yet Kano had refused him.
Then he had approached Prochi and begun talking to him.
Etro gave a bitter chuckle.
Of course, going to Prochi for instruction was obviously the better choice than learning from Etro.
Even so, Etro thought Kano had made the wrong decision.
Prochi was a 5th Circle Master.
‘And his personality is terrible.’
Etro could not imagine Prochi personally going out of his way to teach Kano.
‘Then he’ll have no choice but to come back to me.’
Etro nodded to himself.
He could already picture Kano begging him to teach him magic.
“Hehehe.”
“Huh? Why are you suddenly laughing?”
Frenchel, who was standing beside him, looked over.
Etro glanced toward him.
Short-cropped red hair entered his vision.
Frenchel Ignote.
A brat born into a Great Mage’s family who cared about nothing but playing at power.
Etro’s face twisted sharply.
“Don’t talk to me, you piece of trash who only cares about power.”
“What? I only spoke to you because we’re both from mage families, and you—!”
Ignoring Frenchel’s shouting, Etro leisurely walked out of the lecture hall.
“Is that really true?!”
Prel stared at me with her eyes wide.
“Yes. The Mage said he wants to take me as his Personal Disciple.”
I puffed out my chest as I spoke.
“Oh my goodness! What wonderful news!”
Prel immediately pulled me into a tight embrace.
“M-Mom...!”
Prel had hugged me more times than I could count by now, but I still could not seem to get used to it.
“Mommy may not know much about magic, but I know that becoming his disciple is an amazing opportunity!”
“…….”
‘She apparently doesn’t understand what becoming a mage’s Personal Disciple actually means.’
If she did, she would not be celebrating so innocently.
A mage’s Personal Disciple.
Since magic was something one studied for a lifetime, a Personal Disciple usually left home to live with their master.
Sometimes for only a few years.
Sometimes for several decades.
“…….”
Roat silently watched me.
“Dear, aren’t you happy too?”
“...Prel.”
Roat gently pulled Prel away from me.
“…….”
I also remained silent and watched her.
“What is it? This is good news.”
Sensing the sudden weight in the atmosphere, Prel looked back and forth between Roat and me.
“Becoming a mage’s Personal Disciple means leaving home.”
“...What?”
Prel’s shoulders slowly drooped.
“What do you mean?”
“A mage’s Personal Disciple leaves home and lives with the mage. Prochi won’t remain in Zeleta forever. Which means Kano will eventually....”
Roat’s expression remained unchanged, but he could not finish his sentence.
“…….”
Prel abruptly turned toward me.
Her lips were pressed tightly together, and moisture gathered around her eyes.
“Kano, do you really have to become his disciple? If necessary, we can hire a Magic Tutor....”
“We won’t find a mage of Prochi’s caliber.”
“But he’s still so young....”
Prel bit down hard on her lower lip and swallowed the rest of her words.
‘I don’t feel good about this.’
Prochi had learned Black Magic.
On top of that, he had implanted magic into my body.
I was only intending to temporarily become his Personal Disciple so I could discover what he was truly planning.
I had no intention of leaving this house.
But I could not tell them that.
Prel gently stroked my cheek.
“If this is what you truly want, Mommy can’t stop you. But you have to stay healthy and make sure you don’t get hurt, all right?”
“Nothing’s been decided yet. I’ll talk to Lord Prochi tomorrow and tell you again afterward.”
At that moment, a Maid entered the kitchen and spoke politely.
“Young Master Kano, you have a visitor. He says he is your friend.”
A friend?
Etro?
“I’ll finish talking with you when I get back, Mom.”
I hurried out of the kitchen.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Etro Reiser.”
That wasn’t what I asked.
I sighed inwardly.
Etro stood with his arms crossed, staring intently at me.
“You act quite differently when your parents aren’t around.”
“Everyone does. Don’t you?”
Etro shook his head.
“I am the same in front of everyone.”
Good for you.
“So why are you here again today?”
“I brought you a gift.”
Etro stepped aside.
The Butler standing beside him handed me a bundle wrapped in silk.
“What’s this?”
A considerable weight settled into my hands.
“Open it.”
I pulled the cord tied around the end of the bundle.
The silk slipped away, revealing what was inside.
“This is...?”
It was a book.
A leather case, worn by the passage of time, covered its exterior.
Despite its age, it had clearly been well maintained, and the leather still held a soft sheen.
“I’ve been writing down everything I’ve learned and realized since I was young.”
I opened it.
The pages were densely filled with the problems Etro had struggled with, the methods he had used to solve them, and various pieces of practical advice.
“Just having this should help you understand magic more easily.”
“Haah....”
I sighed.
He wanted to help me?
I was grateful for the sentiment, of course.
But I could not understand it at all.
I did not need his help in the first place, and I had no idea why he was so determined to offer it.
“Let me ask you one thing.”
“Is it about magic?”
“No. Why are you trying to help me?”
“…….”
Etro remained silent for a moment before answering.
“I saw that you possess a passion for magic.”
A passion for magic?
Come to think of it, Etro had entered my room before.
‘After seeing that many magic books, I suppose he would think that.’
“And?”
“But your passion is leading you in the wrong direction. I’m merely helping you so that you don’t stray any farther.”
“…….”
“Besides, right now, I desperately need someone who can walk alongside me. If I’m going to reach a higher realm myself.”
Etro’s voice became noticeably subdued as he spoke.
‘Now that I think about it....’
I had heard about House Reiser before.
It was a mage family, just like House Atona.
They had received the title of Count, but the family was currently in decline.
After the previous head of the family, who had been hailed as a genius, died, they had failed to produce another exceptional mage.
That was probably why I had only half-listened when I heard the name before and failed to remember it at the Blue Mage Tower.
If those rumors were true, Etro must have been carrying an enormous burden.
*Such a wonderful boy! Become a great mage and restore our family to glory.*
*Dear, our son is using magic...!*
“Damn it.”
An unnecessary memory surfaced.
I shook my head.
I felt as though I understood the kind of pressure Etro must have lived under.
In my previous life, I too had carried all of my family’s expectations.
When I remained silent, Etro apparently misunderstood again.
His lips parted slightly, and a quiet laugh escaped him.
“You’re more than capable of becoming strong. Let’s climb to greater heights together.”
‘He really goes through a lot of trouble just to say he wants a friend.’
I sighed.
“Then I’ll be going. I’ll see you tomorrow. Please tell Sir Roat and Madam that I apologize for the discourtesy of leaving without greeting them.”
What an old man trapped in a child’s body.
Noble etiquette really was impossible to understand sometimes.
“Fine. I’ll tell them.”
Anyway, he was leaving, right?
That was all that mattered.
‘I have plenty of things to do myself.’