A magus?
Ryōgi Minato blinked, unsure why the girl before him had brought this up.
The word “magus” was something he’d only learned of yesterday; as for whether he himself wanted to become one, he hadn’t given it a moment’s thought.
But in contrast to his bewilderment, the danmaku in his vision had grown animated.
[Wait… is Alice about to take on an apprentice?]
[Apprentice?
No way — “tempted by the money” is way more likely (smug)]
[For real, only an honest kid like Minato would shove that much cash at someone as a thank-you.]
[Even if it IS “tempted by the money,” he’s not losing out!
Alice is a modern witch — her magecraft research leaves ordinary magi in the dust.
And who knows, maybe Minato learns to double jump someday (smug)]
[You people, disrespecting my boy Vergil again — careful he doesn’t leap out and hit you with a Judgement Cut.]
[Oh hey, isn’t Judgement Cut part of the knowledge Minato inherited?
Only a half-demon like Vergil has the strength and speed to pull it off — but if he studies magecraft, maybe Minato could actually do it one day?]
[Anon, you’ve cracked the code.]
[There’s some logic to it — IF Minato were just an ordinary kendo prodigy.
But a Sword Saint reincarnate?
That’s hardly “ordinary,” is it?]
[Still, an extra skill never hurts — and Araya Souren’s a magus too, so Minato’s got to understand what he’s up against to deal with him.]
Watching the danmaku’s discussion, Ryōgi Minato fell into serious thought.
Just as they said, the boy had indeed overlooked the fact that “Araya Souren is a magus too.”
In that case, even if he found the man later, should the other deploy some means entirely beyond his comprehension, he’d have no way to counter it.
Know yourself and know your enemy, and only then could the best response be devised.
So, frowning in thought over Alice’s proposal, Ryōgi Minato spoke up.
“Is becoming a magus very difficult?”
To ask such a thing meant he already leaned that way in his heart.
Although Alice had been only slightly swayed by her housemate’s absurd suggestion—on account of the boy being reasonably well-behaved—she now answered him honestly.
“A magus is inseparable from talent.
Some things are decided at birth.
That said, even without the aptitude to become a magus, you can still study magecraft theory.”
Yes—this latter part was Alice’s true intent.
Though the boy across from her hailed from one of those so-called Demon Hunter Houses, even within a magus lineage there were those born without Magic Circuits, or with their circuits blocked.
If he lacked even that, then he could only become a pure theorist.
And using a bit of magecraft knowledge to ease their funding shortfall was, for Alice, not such an unacceptable thing.
After all, she was already teaching one “fool”; she didn’t mind tutoring a novice on the side.
“Talent, is it…”
Ryōgi Minato murmured.
He cared little for talent in magecraft—but the theoretical knowledge she mentioned, that held a certain interest for him.
So long as he understood the knowledge surrounding magecraft, then later, even facing Araya Souren the magus, he’d have some means to work with.
As for how to deal with the man after that, to the boy it seemed exceedingly simple.
Once he grasped a thing’s true nature, all that remained was to draw his blade and cut it down.
His mind more or less made up, Ryōgi Minato looked up at the girl before him, unable to help thinking she was actually quite a warmhearted person, to go out of her way to suggest he “become a magus.”
What he didn’t know was that the young witch had merely, for the moment, given in to her own “desire,” and so wished to “entice” and “make it up to” him by such means.
“Can you tell whether I have the talent to become a magus, Kuonji-san?
You’d be willing to teach me about magecraft?”
“The matter of talent can wait.
But are you certain you want to step into ‘this side of the world’?”
Recalling her housemate’s lingering naivety, Alice asked it almost reflexively—then caught herself.
The boy before her was willing to seek out a magus for his fiancée’s sake.
In sheer resolve alone, the current Aoko likely couldn’t compare.
“Yes.
I think there’s no harm in understanding more—and it would also help me guard against the unexpected.”
Ryōgi Minato nodded.
The “unexpected” he had in mind were, of course, the “magecraft”-related events he might run into after encountering Araya Souren in the future.
“In that case, you’ll have to start from the most basic things.
Some of the materials can’t be conveniently taken out of this house, so find a time to move in.
Your room will be the one you stayed in before.”
Alice tossed off these words, then turned to head back to the living room—just in time to catch Aoko sneaking a “just as planned” look, flashing her a furtive little peace sign.
She gave her a cool glance and said nothing, only now feeling she’d been a touch impulsive.
But truthfully, setting aside the material reasons, the young witch still held a flicker of curiosity.
Toward this boy who’d set himself in motion for a reason straight out of a fairy tale, she wanted to see just how far he could go.
And the boy standing at the door, upon hearing this somewhat unexpected answer, blinked—then understood.
If I move in, my studies should progress faster, and any questions I have can be resolved easily too.
Still, I’ll have to discuss this with Chichiue-sama first…
After all, the arrangement when he left the Ryōgi family had been to stay at a hotel; to keep the household from worrying, Ryōgi Minato meant to get in touch with home first.
“I understand.
I’ll have my things packed and move over around tomorrow.
I’ll bring the tuition and lodging fees together then, Kuonji-sensei.”
At the boy’s almost too accommodating words and the fresh form of address, Alice’s steps visibly hitched.
She didn’t turn around—only gave a small nod before continuing toward the living room.
As for Aoko, the “instigator,” watching all this unfold, she suddenly felt a faint twinge of conscience.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that she and Alice were like a pair of wicked aunties swindling a child out of his pocket money, and her mood went a little strange.
Still, in the end, her housemate hadn’t proven as “greedy” as Aoko had imagined—she was even willing to spare some effort to teach a newcomer magecraft, which honestly came as something of a surprise.
Watching the boy bid her a polite farewell and leave the grounds of the mansion, Aoko stood at the entryway, brow knit in conflict—but it smoothed out before long.
“Oh well.
It’s not a bad thing, really.
At the very least, once that kid sees how bizarre magecraft can be, he probably won’t be so reckless anymore.”
After all, Aoko still couldn’t imagine how a child was supposed to face a magus alone.
So she figured that, on this front, she might yet be able to lend a hand down the line—to make up for the guilt of having “lured” him in.