Chapter 2
──"Explain the difference between 'magic' and 'sorcery.'"
This is a basic question that anyone aspiring to become a mage will encounter at least once.
Simply put, magic is "the use of magical power to cause some phenomenon," while sorcery is the means by which one does so. One might even say that sorcery is one way of using magic.
Sorcery refers to using magical power by weaving a spell formula through an incantation.
Magic is not exclusively a human art to begin with. Spirits and dragons can manipulate magical power, as can the races known as magical beasts and demons, though the latter two now face extinction. Because they are naturally skilled at controlling magical power, they do not need the process of "weaving a spell formula." That is why they require no incantations.
For example, depending on the species, dragons can fly freely through the sky and breathe flames from their mouths.
Both of these are phenomena caused by magical power, but do dragons really bother with an incantation whenever they fly or breathe fire?
The answer is no. Dragons are naturally skilled at controlling magical power, so they do not need incantations.
Only humans are unable to use magical power without constructing a spell formula through an incantation.
Thus, humans generally "cannot use sorcery without an incantation."
However, there was one genius girl who made the impossible possible.
Her name was Monica Everett──a painfully shy girl who could barely speak to other humans and had shut herself away in the mountains. She was one of the Seven Sages, 〈the Silent Witch〉.
Sorcery is classified into three types: advanced, intermediate, and lower-level. Advanced spells generally take twenty to thirty seconds or more to cast, intermediate spells take ten to twenty seconds, and lower-level spells take roughly three to ten seconds.
Monica cannot cast every existing spell formula without an incantation, but she can use approximately eighty percent of them without one.
A mage's greatest weakness is being defenseless while casting. Naturally, there is no need to explain how much casting time can determine life or death on a battlefield.
Some advanced mages use Quick Spell to halve their casting time, but Monica is still the only person capable of Nonspell.
That was why Monica Everett had been chosen as one of the Seven Sages, the pinnacle of the nation's mages, at the tender age of fifteen, two years earlier.
The reason this genius girl came to master Nonspell was remarkably simple.
Monica was so extraordinarily shy and prone to stage fright that she could not speak properly in front of other people.
She managed somewhat better when dealing with Annie, but whenever she faced a stranger or someone who made her uncomfortable, she would seize up so badly that she could not even produce a voice. At worst, she would vomit or faint. Naturally, there was no way she could cast an incantation.
At the time, Monica was attending a magical academy, but she failed her practical examinations because she could not cast her spells and was on the verge of flunking out.
So Monica thought.
She became too nervous to cast an incantation in front of the examiners. In that case, she thought, she should simply use sorcery without an incantation.
Normally, one would make an effort to overcome one's shyness and stage fright, but Monica's thinking rocketed off at a completely unexpected angle. And, terrifyingly enough, she managed to awaken her talent.
And so, for a fairly pathetic reason that was not moving in the slightest, Monica mastered Nonspell and became one of the Seven Sages in a smooth succession of events.
It was the ultimate result of effort directed at a wildly unexpected angle.
＊ ＊ ＊
Monica soothed her violently trembling hands, brewed coffee using the same procedure as that morning, and carefully set it down in front of her guest.
H-here you g-go!
What an unusual brewing method. I shall try it.
The beautiful guest sat down in the chair Monica had prepared, with the maid standing behind him, and took a sip of the coffee.
His slender eyebrows twitched, and his purple-gray eyes glared at Monica from behind his monocle.
...Is this coffee, bitter as though malice itself had been boiled down, some sort of harassment directed at me?
Eeeeeek! I-I'm s-s-sorry...
Ah, this is how I am treated after traveling all the way to these remote mountains. How utterly heartless of you, my fellow appointee-dono.
This man, Monica's colleague among the Seven Sages, was himself one of the Seven Sages.
He was Louis Miller, 〈the Barrier Mage〉. Ten years older than Monica at twenty-seven, he had become one of the Seven Sages at around the same time she did, so he often addressed her as fellow appointee-dono.
When he was silent, Louis looked like a delicate, handsome young man. In reality, however, he was an extraordinarily combat-oriented mage who ranked second in the history of solo dragon subjugations. He had even served as commander of the Magic Corps, and apparently the corps members feared him for his ruthless efficiency.
Since he was terrifying whenever he got angry, Monica trembled nervously as she placed a glass of water in front of Louis.
U-um, w-what brings you here t-today...?
Louis rinsed his mouth with the water, then turned his gaze toward the maid standing behind him.
Lin, erect a soundproof barrier.
As you command.
The maid called Lin gave a small nod, and all sound around the cottage abruptly vanished.
The sound of the wind, the calls of birds, and every other noise were completely cut off between the inside and outside of the cottage.
Nero, who had been pretending to sleep on the shelf, twitched his whiskers uneasily and looked at the maid with golden eyes.
She was tall, slender, and beautiful. Her finely formed face, however, was expressionless and somehow doll-like.
The reason she could erect a barrier without an incantation was that she was not human but a high-ranking spirit. Only around ten mages in the entire country had contracted high-ranking spirits.
In other words, having a high-ranking spirit under one's command was a mark of status for a mage.
Monica-dono, why don't you try contracting a high-ranking spirit yourself? It would add some prestige.
I-I... h-have a v-very capable familiar... a-already.
Nero, up on the shelf, nodded proudly as if to say, That's right, that's right, while swaying his tail back and forth.
Perhaps Louis had already noticed Nero's presence, because he glanced at the cat on the shelf and snorted.
What an awfully cute familiar.
At the faintly mocking murmur, Nero gave a prim little "meow."
Well, setting that aside, let us get to the main point. I have come today because there is something I would like to ask of you.
...A-an a-ask...?
As Monica made no attempt to hide her wariness, Louis smiled elegantly, folded his white-gloved hands, and rested his chin on them.
Yes. As a matter of fact, I have been secretly charged by His Majesty with guarding the Second Prince since last month.
...Huh?
Monica's eyes went wide at Louis's words.
This country had three princes by different mothers.
The three were Prince Lionel, twenty-seven; Prince Felix, eighteen; and Prince Albert, fourteen. The nation's nobles were divided over which of them would become the next king.
Monica had no interest in this sort of power struggle and knew only what she had heard from others, but apparently the factions supporting the First and Second Princes were nearly equal in size, while the faction supporting the Third Prince was somewhat weaker.
There were also supporters of the First and Second Princes among the Seven Sages, and Louis Miller, 〈the Barrier Mage〉, was one of the leading figures in the First Prince's faction.
Why, then, had Louis been ordered to guard the Second Prince? Monica's brow furrowed at the incongruity.
U-um, Louis-san is a supporter of the First Prince, r-right?
Yes. I do have my suspicions about why His Majesty ordered me to guard the Second Prince despite that, but it would be improper to speculate on His Majesty's intentions, so let us leave that aside for now. What matters is that His Majesty ordered me to 'guard the Second Prince without letting even him notice.'
It went without saying how difficult it was to guard someone without letting the person being guarded know.
Why had the king ordered Louis, a supporter of the First Prince, to guard the Second Prince?
Why was it necessary to keep the Second Prince from finding out?
As Monica struggled with her confusion, Louis continued speaking in a matter-of-fact tone.
As I mentioned earlier, His Highness Felix currently attends Serendia Academy, a prestigious boarding school. To guard him without letting him notice... well, infiltrating the academy would be the obvious choice, but the school is under Duke Clockford's influence, which makes infiltration difficult.
Duke Clockford was the maternal grandfather of the Second Prince, one of the most powerful men in the country, and the leading figure in the Second Prince's faction. To put it simply, he and Louis were like oil and water.
It was hard to imagine the duke cooperating with Louis, who wanted to keep the protection secret.
I-if you can't get inside the academy... h-how are you going to guard him...?
That is where this magic tool for personal protection comes in.
Louis took a small cloth-wrapped bundle from inside his coat and placed it on the desk.
Wrapped in the cloth was a broken brooch. A large ruby set in its center was cracked, and the delicate goldwork of the clasp had been badly bent out of shape.
When Louis picked up the ruby, a magic circle engraved on the now-exposed setting came into view. Monica understood what it was the instant she saw the circle.
...A danger detector, a small-area physical and magical barrier, and a composite communications barrier...?
To see through it at a glance is just what I would expect of you. Yes, this is a magic tool for personal protection that I made with great care.
A magic tool is an extremely convenient device: by infusing a specially processed gemstone with magical power and incorporating a spell formula, it allows even those unable to use sorcery to cast spells. However, such luxury goods have yet to circulate widely on the market.
And if it had been made by one of the Seven Sages, the country's foremost mages, it would be impossible to put a price on it. One might even be able to buy two or three houses in the royal capital with it.
Louis picked up the cracked ruby and held it up to the sunlight streaming through the window. A faint magic circle appeared inside the fractured gemstone.
This brooch is one of a pair, with a sapphire and a ruby. When the sapphire's owner is attacked, it can erect a defensive barrier. I asked His Majesty to have Prince Felix carry this brooch on his person at all times.
Thus, Louis kept the ruby brooch paired with the sapphire close at hand and constantly checked whether the prince was in danger.
Serendia Academy itself was also under the strict control of Duke Clockford. It was not a place where a villain targeting the prince's life could easily infiltrate.
Apparently, Louis had assumed that nothing out of the ordinary would happen.
However, this magic tool, which I made with all my heart and soul over a week without sleep or rest, broke three days after it was completed.
Th-three days...?
Yes. Apparently, it shattered the day after His Majesty gave it to Prince Felix. A whole week without sleep, and it broke in three days. Why, when the paired ruby cracked, it was so amusing that I couldn't help laughing. Ha ha ha.
Louis's laughter was spectacularly flat, and his eyes were not smiling in the slightest.
No, this was not something to laugh about in the first place. The fact that the ruby in Louis's possession had cracked meant that the Second Prince had been in some kind of danger.
W-was the S-Second Prince... all right...?
The instant this magic tool activated, I rushed to the academy and checked whether anything had happened to His Highness... but he merely said, with a perfectly carefree attitude, that nothing had happened. As for the magic tool breaking... he said it must have been a malfunction.
In Louis's hand, the ruby gave several sharp, brittle pops. Shards of ruby trickled through the gaps between his slender fingers. It was frightening.
There is no way something I made could malfunction. It is obvious that someone attacked Prince Felix... and yet His Highness is hiding it.
The conversation was taking an ominous turn.
Monica had a bad feeling. Nothing but a bad feeling.
Louis scattered the remains of the shattered ruby across the desk and gave Monica an elegant smile utterly at odds with his brute strength.
Now then, surely you understand what I'm getting at?
Monica shook her head with all her might. Her straw-like braids whipped from side to side.
But Louis acted as though he did not even see Monica's response and announced with a sweet smile,
Please infiltrate the academy in my place and guard His Highness for me.
He said it with the air of someone asking, Please lend me a handkerchief, but what he was asking was an utterly unreasonable task.
N-no, no, no, no, no way! I c-can't! Why do I have to...?
Because I am famous. Just look at this beauty. No disguise could possibly conceal it completely, don't you agree? You, on the other hand, never attend high-society events, and you always wear your hood and look down during ceremonies, so no one knows your face. More importantly...
Louis lifted Monica's chin with a slender fingertip, then gave her a smile of breathtaking beauty and said,
No one would ever think that such a drab little girl was one of the Seven Sages.
That was an insult.
Nero, up on the shelf, silently urged her with his eyes: "Get angry! Talk back!" But timid Monica could do no more than sob and whimper, "I can't..."
I-I have never guarded anyone before...
That is precisely why you are suitable.
...Huh?
Monica's tears stopped for an instant at the unexpected words.
Louis removed his finger from Monica's chin and let out a melancholy sigh.
His Highness is extremely perceptive... When I secretly assigned someone from the Magic Corps to guard him, he saw through them immediately. His Highness has grown up surrounded by guards since he was a child, so he is very good at spotting them. That is why I need you.
Louis fixed Monica with a direct gaze and declared with a refreshing smile,
Even His Highness will not suspect that a little girl who looks like a complete amateur is his guard.
...
More importantly, your Nonspell can be activated without anyone nearby noticing, making it ideal for covert protection. There is no one better suited to this mission than you.
Louis was laying out a series of arguments that sounded perfectly reasonable, but to Monica it looked as though he was simply trying to get one over on the prince after having his magic tool broken in three days.
That was probably exactly what was happening. Louis's eyes had been glittering with a dangerous light for some time now. He was absolutely furious.
B-but... I-I can't... I can't guard anyone... I c-can't do it!
When Monica insisted desperately, Louis tilted his head in an exaggerated motion and looked toward the piles of papers covering the floor.
He picked up the nearest sheet and waved it lightly.
It has been two years since you and I were appointed to the Seven Sages... In all that time, the only work you have done is hole up here and stare at papers.
I-I did subjugate a dragon three months ago...!
I have subjugated about twenty dragons in those three months. Do you have a problem with that?
The Seven Sages did not have a clearly defined hierarchy, but Monica and Louis, both relatively recent appointees, inevitably tended to be given miscellaneous tasks.
During those two years, Louis had mainly been sent out to subjugate dragons, while Monica handled clerical busywork. Most of the documents in this cottage had been dumped on her by the other Seven Sages with requests like, "Could you do a few calculations for me?"
Louis read over the paper he had picked up and narrowed his eyes behind his monocle.
These materials on stellar orbits were requested by the Star-Reading Witch, weren't they? This plant-fertilizer formula is for the Thorn Witch, these coordinate calculations for a large-scale attack spell are for the Artillery Mage, and these documents on procuring and inventorying materials for magic tools are for the Gemstone Mage... Oh, and this concerns the finances of the Abyssal Curse Mage's household. Are you being saddled with even this sort of busywork?
I-it's... still work.
When Monica protested timidly, Louis gave an arrogant snort.
This is a mathematician's or bookkeeper's job. Listen, you are one of the Seven Sages, the mages at the very pinnacle of the Kingdom of Ridill. Can't you think of work that only you can do? You do think so, don't you? You think so, right? Think so? ...You'd better think so.
The last part had somehow become a direct order.
As Monica trembled violently, Louis gave her the final push with a smile.
His Majesty has left the selection of the person to guard the Second Prince entirely to me. In other words... you have no right to refuse, my fellow appointee-dono.
B-but if it's guard duty, surely you, Louis-san, with your expertise in barrier magic, are far more suited to it...
For someone as severely shy and prone to stage fright as Monica to infiltrate the school attended by a prince was absurdly reckless.
She could not even imagine managing a normal school life, let alone guarding a prince.
As Monica desperately continued to plead her case, Louis patted her shoulder and peered into her face from point-blank range.
Actually, I just got married.
...I-I see.
I do not want to take on unnecessary work when I have a beloved wife waiting for me at home. I would like to return to her as soon as possible. Do you understand?
The hand resting on Monica's shoulder tightened with a firm squeeze.
...I'm telling you to take a hint, little girl.
Under the gaze of those eyes glittering like razors, Monica realized that there was no escape.