Chapter 4
His mother was a skilled pie maker, a master who could turn any fruit, meat, or fish into a delicious pie.
The pies were elaborately decorated, too: their tops might feature latticework or braids, while pastry shaped like flowers or leaves encircled the pie dish.
His mother often let him help decorate the pastry.
What he remembered was his mother's large, rounded belly. Thinking of the younger sibling who would soon be born, he decorated the pie.
──Someday, Big Brother will make you a delicious pie!
He said this to his mother's belly.
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One afternoon, as the summer sunlight softened and cool autumn winds began to blow,
Glenn Dudley came to visit Monica's house in Southern Doll, holding up the sausages he'd brought as a gift, and said,
"Monica! I need help studying for the mage exam!"
At the mention of studying for an exam, Monica tilted her head.
Glenn had only just graduated from Serendia Academy that summer.
After thinking for a few seconds, Monica quickly realized which "exam" Glenn meant.
"Oh... do you mean the mage exam?"
"That's it! The beginner's level!"
At Glenn's shout, Nero, who had been napping by the window, meowed irritably, "Nyaoo."
Isaac placed a plate of minced meat in front of Nero, then looked at Glenn.
"I thought you would have passed the beginner's level ages ago, Dudley-kun. With your abilities, it shouldn't be difficult, should it?"
"Heh heh, I-I guess not..."
At Isaac's frank compliment, Glenn made a complicated expression—happy, yet somehow unable to simply rejoice.
"Well... I've actually taken it about twice already, but... I failed the written portion both times."
Monica, who had helped Glenn study back in their days at Serendia Academy, let out a small, understanding "Ah."
Even at the easiest, beginner level, the mage exam covered everything from questions about spell construction to the laws governing magic, history, and knowledge of magical creatures.
And none of that knowledge could be learned at a regular school.
Even in the Kingdom of Ridill, a country advanced in magical technology, there were not many educational institutions where one could study magic.
"My master is busy looking for new Seven Sages, and Al is at Serendia Academy, so now that I've graduated, I can't just go see either of them."
The Al Glenn referred to was none other than Albert, the kingdom's Third Prince.
Albert and Glenn were good friends who taught each other: Albert taught Glenn academics, while Glenn taught Albert practical skills. Monica had also tutored Glenn when she was a student at Serendia Academy.
That's why Glenn had come to ask Monica for help as well.
Even so, his choices of tutor were a member of the royal family or a Seven Sage—options that might make some listeners stare in shock.
"Apparently, if you fail the mage exam three times in a row, you can't take it again for two years."
"Y-yes, that's right..."
"And then, the other day, my master came back for a little while and started practicing swings with his staff, saying, 'You know what will happen if you fail next time, right?'"
"...Eek!"
To Louis Miller, a staff was not a tool for displaying a mage's dignity but a weapon for beating people senseless.
Monica didn't want to see her friend beaten up, either, and if possible, she wanted to help Glenn.
She wanted to help him, but...
"...I'm sorry, Glenn-san... I can't help you study for the exam!"
"Huh?!"
Apparently, Glenn had never expected her to refuse. He opened his mouth wide and stared at Monica.
Fidgeting with her fingers, Monica explained the situation in a mumble.
"...I'm one of the people supervising the written questions for the mage exam... I know what the exam questions are..."
Isaac set a cup of coffee in front of the apologetically shrinking Monica.
Then, with a gentle manner and an elegant smile, he spoke without pausing for breath.
"The Silent Witch is famous for her wordless magic, but that's not her only achievement. Even before Monica became one of the Seven Sages—back when she was still studying at Minerva—she had deciphered nearly every existing spell formula and developed twenty-two new ones. If you include improvements to existing formulas, the number is even higher. In other words, she has influenced roughly thirty percent of the spell formulas found in basic magic textbooks. People say that alone would be an achievement worthy of becoming one of the Seven Sages, and on top of that, my master, who can also use wordless magic, is just so amazi..."
"Um, Ike, Ike... that's enough..."
Unable to bear the awkwardness any longer, Monica stopped Isaac, and Glenn stared intently at her.
"...Monica is insanely impressive... But I see. Then I can't have Monica teach me..."
Glenn slumped forward and buried his face in the table.
His normally lively cowlick looked strangely limp and wilted today.
Monica gazed at Glenn and drooped her shoulders dejectedly.
If only she could help her friend. Magic was Monica's specialty, after all. How could she fail to help him now...? But Monica had already looked over the questions for the next exam.
Just as Monica and Glenn sat there dejected, Isaac patted Glenn on the shoulder.
"If you don't mind me teaching you, I could."
"...Huh?"
Isaac smiled gently at Monica and Glenn, who were staring at him with round, vacant eyes, and said,
"I've seen past mage exam questions before. I think I could teach you the beginner's level, at least."
Because Isaac was concealing both his identity and his affinity, he was in no position to take the mage exam.
Even so, he had been studying for the mage exam on his own.
Once again, Monica was impressed by her disciple's diligence.
＊ ＊ ＊
"The basic magic section is worth the most points, but the magical-law section is easy to score points on, so make sure you memorize it. At the advanced level, you have to write out interpretations of the law, but the beginner's level uses multiple-choice questions, so it's comparatively easy."
"Ugh... I'm no good with laws."
"Don't overthink it. Just think of them as the rules you follow when using magic."
Saying that, Isaac broke down the legal wording and explained it to Glenn.
Glenn had complained that difficult writing made him lose the will to read in the first place, but he nodded along to Isaac's explanation with an expression of understanding.
"The difference between semi-forbidden magic and forbidden magic is sure to appear on the exam, so make sure you remember it. It's fine to research semi-forbidden magic, but you may only use it under specific conditions. The Seven Sages also have a special exception."
"So my master and Monica are special!"
"That's right."
Even when he was merely stating something utterly obvious, Isaac smiled gently as though praising Glenn and continued explaining.
As she listened to him, Monica was secretly impressed.
Isaac wasn't just good at explaining things; he was also good at making Glenn interested in them.
He compared things to familiar objects and rephrased technical terms in slightly more casual language.
That was why even Glenn, whose attention tended to wander almost immediately, could listen to him all the way to the end.
After finishing his explanation, Isaac fluidly wrote on the back of some used paper. Apparently, he was making a few simple practice questions.
"All right, let's review what we've covered so far. You only have to answer whether each statement is true or false, so don't psych yourself out. Once you're done, we'll take a break and eat some meat pie."
"Meat pie!"
Glenn began working on the practice questions with renewed enthusiasm.
Isaac rose quietly and headed for the kitchen.
Monica stopped working and followed after him.
"I-Ike... Is there anything I can help with?"
"It's all right. I just need to reheat the meat pie."
In fact, Isaac reheated the meat pie with no wasted motion. There was likely nothing Monica, who was inexperienced at this sort of work, could help with.
The meat pie in the oven had an elaborate lattice of pastry across the top, while leaf-shaped pieces of pastry encircled the pie dish. It was a finished product Monica couldn't have made even if she stood on her head.
To begin with, Monica had never even considered making pie crust herself.
(Ike is so dexterous...)
As Monica watched Isaac's profile while he checked the browning of the pastry, she idly wondered what kind of life he had led up to now.
She knew that the man who had spent years playing the Second Prince had originally been that prince's attendant. But she knew nothing about what had come before that.
What kind of life had he lived before becoming an attendant? How had he come to serve as one? Did he have a family...? It wasn't something she could ask out of mere curiosity, but Monica also hoped that someday Isaac might tell her himself.
As Monica was quietly surprised by her own change—by the fact that she had begun taking an interest in other people—Nero came into the kitchen. Clenched in his mouth was the package of sausages Glenn had brought.
Dragging the package of meat along behind him, Nero looked up at Isaac.
"Let's eat this right away. I want it browned nice and crisp on the outside."
"Dudley-kun's reward meat pie comes first."
With that, Isaac took the package of sausages from Nero's mouth and put it away in a cupboard too high for a cat's paws to open.
Nero thumped his tail irritably against the floor and looked up at Isaac with a sullen stare.
"...I've been meaning to ask this for a while. You go easy on Loudmouth, don't you?"
Isaac blinked lightly at Nero's observation.
It was the reaction of someone being told about something they had never realized about themselves.
"Do I? ...Maybe I do."
Isaac took out the perfectly warmed meat pie and smiled with a look of nostalgia in his eyes.
"Because he's cute, like a little brother who's always a handful, right?"