Chapter 8
After a week, a somewhat fixed routine was established.
I woke up at 5:30 AM, while all the other Orphanage Students were fast asleep.
Breakfast time, 8 AM, was still far off. Yet, when I went to the dining hall, warm bread and soup were in a basket, still fresh.
I was always grateful to the Orphanage Director.
Even though I woke up early, I didn't have much time, so I quickly ate and went outside—
Hmm... Jereun, good morning.
...Linmel?
The kid I usually didn't see awake was up.
Linmel, still rubbing her sleepy eyes, had a dark wooden sword strapped to her waist.
Since it was a time when everyone else should be asleep, I asked with a bewildered expression.
I have somewhere to go for a bit. Why are you up so early?
With a proficiency unbelievable for a 10-year-old, she skillfully drew the wooden sword with one hand, then covered a yawn and swung it around.
I was told to do this, *yaaawn*...
A sword? Why?
I don't know...
Linmel, with a dazed expression, headed to the Training Hall.
I was curious what was going on, but I had a lot to prepare for today.
I decided to ask Linmel about it later and checked the schedule I'd 'borrowed' (or rather, copied after seeing it) from the notice board.
There are six Children's Class lessons today.
I'd attend all of them.
I put on the janitor's uniform I had hidden in the adjacent building. Aunt Annelin had tailored it, so it fit me perfectly now.
I went to the Plaza a bit early to review, and my Senior walked over from a distance with sleepy steps.
*Always so fast, though I'm faster.*
My Senior saw me sitting in front of the fountain and tilted his head and asked.
What, isn't it too early? Why are you coming out so early these days?
The sooner I start, the sooner I finish, right?
...Oh, right, that's true. You're clever.
Following my Senior, who was muttering something about me being well-behaved, I headed to the Academy.
looked at my Senior with bright, eager eyes.
My Senior scrutinized me with a suspicious expression, then gave a firm warning.
It's the Northern Sector this time. Don't disappear like last time.
Yes!
The restrooms are inside, so come in and use them.
"Yes!"
Your answers... Anyway, be careful. You seem to be underestimating the Academy if you get caught doing something wrong here—
Perhaps because I had caused him a lot of worry by disappearing without a word last time, my Senior rambled on, giving me warnings.
Yes, I'll keep that in mind!
All right. Do a good job.
When I answered clearly, he seemed satisfied and went back to clean his own area.
After cleaning normally for about five minutes while observing my surroundings, as soon as I confirmed no one was around, I swept the floor with Current.
It was a familiar task. It took less than 30 seconds to gather the trash.
And now, there was no need to dispose of it.
Let's see...
*Will it work?*
I gently brought my fingers together.
The gathered trash very slowly floated upwards.
To an unknowing person, it would look like Telekinesis. In reality, it was something I could now make things happen without even touching them.
I manipulated the Current to create a ripple, and I made any object I touched realize it was in the sea, causing it to float.
These were the two types of Magic I gained as a price for being born in the Deep Sea with an inescapable fate of death.
Nothing had changed even now. However, now I could make even things carried by the Current realize this.
There are two applications. I pushed the floating trash again, gathering it in front of the trash can.
And when I released my hand from the Current—
—*Thump-thump*, the trash fell accurately into the trash can.
Nice.
I brushed my hands together with a satisfied smile.
It wasn't that useful. Heavy things would sink, so I could only float light, miscellaneous trash like that.
Even 'floating' was more like 'rising,' and the speed was incredibly slow. But if there was one advantage that wasn't really an advantage...
It was endless.
Once I made something float, I wondered how high it would go, so I didn't release the Current, and it eventually reached the clouds before disappearing from sight.
So, perhaps...
Assuming this world is underwater, I must truly, truly be in the deep Deep Sea.
In a place so deep that it would take hours for a buoyant object to reach the surface.
Of course, once it escaped my Current, it would have fallen somewhere shortly after.
*My fate.*
I couldn't help but feel a little impatient.
Even though nothing much would change, I quickened my pace and headed to the Children's Class where lessons were about to begin.
Ahem, ahem...
I was now used to pretending to be a Janitor.
It seemed class hadn't started yet, as kids chattered and ran around, and I heard the teacher struggling to control them. As I swept and scrubbed the floor, the class began.
Today, we're going to learn about basic Ignition Magic for lighting lamps!
...*Ugh*.
It's a bust.
I sighed and moved on.
There's some time until the next class, so I should study on my own.
I went to the back of an empty classroom, gathered some straw just in case, and made my 109th attempt.
I looked at the straw, and drew up Magic.
Burn.
—*Pffft*...
I sighed, looking down at the smoking straw.
I realized it in the last class, but it was still the same.
I—no matter what else—could absolutely not learn Fire Magic.
While other Elemental Magic was easy to manage, anything related to fire was impossible to succeed at.
The reason is... well, it's harder to not know.
It must be that fire doesn't ignite underwater.
In other words, attending this class was worthless. It was better to practice something else.
Split.
—*Thwack*.
This time, as I looked down at the straw and softly murmured, the bundles of straw split in two as if cut by a knife.
This was Wind Magic, which I had been practicing intensely recently. If compressed like this, it could be used for attack. However, that wasn't what I wanted.
Wind naturally includes air. I wondered if it could help in some way if the Deep Sea's pressure stole my breath.
It might not be helpful at all when the time comes, but then I'd have to find another solution.
For now, it is important to try everything.
For a while, without realizing how much time had passed, I was researching Wind Magic when...
...!
Suddenly, I felt a chilling sensation.
There was a presence. I immediately whipped my head around to look behind me.
Fortunately, there was no one there.
Phew...
I definitely felt a gaze, but it must have been a mistake.
I let out a sigh of relief and hastily gathered the straw.
Destroying evidence was a top priority.
I always have to remember this—eavesdropping on classes is a clear crime.
Of course, they wouldn't really punish a child like me. At most, they'd probably spank me and ban me from entry.
But right now, for me, being banned from the Academy meant...
*...the end of my last struggle.*
***
...Just now, that kid...
***
After attending all the classes, I headed to the library.
The existence of the only Mage I could ask questions to wasn't something I could give up just because she was a little unpleasant.
What on earth did you do?
...Though I ended up being questioned in return.
I struggled and pulled away from Dersia, who was prodding my body.
I just did it, and since I even manifested a Star Wheel, it is not that strange.
I held out my palm.
A gentle breeze blew, rustling my clothes.
It was truly a trivial Magic. While Magic itself was wondrous, the most wondrous thing was my very existence in the sea.
Emitting air from one's palm was something anyone could do. To be precise, the kids in the Children's Class I observed succeeded within 15 minutes.
...I took 20 minutes.
Dersia shook her head, as if that wasn't what she was talking about.
Other Mages live in this world, and you live in that world. No matter how much you've manifested a Star Wheel, being able to learn so freely like this makes no sense. You must be paying a price somewhere...
Dersia scrutinized me with a curious gaze, as if I were some utterly bizarre creature.
Rather than focusing on that look, as if I were a zoo animal, I focused on the unsettling word.
Huh? A price?
Yes. It seems you have something in mind.
Ah, yes, I can't gather Magic through normal methods.
What do you mean by that?
This... seawater? Or whatever you call it. I have to force it into my lungs and feel like I'm drowning until they fill up.
That's a terrible method. However, it's not a price. It's closer to a blessing, in fact. Even though your mind hasn't fully adapted to this world, you can still borrow the raw materials.
That was something I couldn't just let slide, so I protested vehemently.
Wait, just a moment. Dersia, you're speaking rather carelessly. Have you ever drowned? It's truly agonizing, you know? It's nothing like a blessing.
You'd do well to consider yourself fortunate. If your Deep Realm were a burning forest, then scorching your entire skin might have been the method of absorption.
It was a chilling statement, powerfully persuasive.
Dersia calmly observed me and continued.
I do not fully understand your Deep Realm, Jereun. However, no world can escape the laws of causality, so it would be wise to be aware of the price that will eventually come.
Couldn't I die from the pressure before that?
Hmm...
Dersia, who had been deep in thought for a moment, replied.
You've hit the nail on the head. That is also quite a high possibility.
...
I've felt it since last time; she's the type who would rather die than say empty words.
I tried to hide my sigh and asked what I was curious about.
Understood. More importantly, I can't use Fire Magic at all. That's normal, right?
What? What are you talking about?
Dersia asked with a bewildered expression, as if wondering what on earth I was saying.
No, it just doesn't work.
That also makes no sense. You can use all other Magic, so why can't you use Pyromancy?
How can fire burn underwater?
How can wind blow underwater?
Well...
I was speechless.
Of course, there was Current, but that was more a flow of water than wind.
Even if a strong wind blew underwater, it would only turn into bubbles and rise... Huh?
You're right. Why doesn't it work?
Hmm, I need to understand the problem, so could you try to manifest it once?
Ah, yes.
I tried to activate Fire Magic on my palm for the 110th time.
—*Flicker*!
...It works.
...It works?
As simply as if one were lighting a candle, a small flame ignited, making 109 failures meaningless.
I stupidly looked back and forth between Dersia and the flame.
Why does this work?
I apologize, but I can only tell you that it works because it works.
...
*Huh.*
I looked down at my palm, and realized something.
*Perhaps this 'underwater' state is.*
Of course, it's very similar, but rather than truly being the Deep Sea—
Ah.
Just as that thought reached me.
My breath caught.
"Ugh... *Cough, cough*."
What's wrong?
Suddenly, there was the sensation of heavy stones crushing my entire body.
The terrible pain of being bound by ropes, limb by limb, and slowly twisted and squeezed, arrived instantly, without any warning.
...
*Is this what they mean by being in too much pain to even scream?*
Slowly, I knelt, slowly being crushed alive...
As my vision faded to white—
Oh no!
Pop, the flame before my eyes was extinguished with the sound of something bursting.
Only then did I return to reality.
Ugh, ugh, aaaaaargh...!!!!!
From a pain so intense I couldn't even scream, it transformed into a pain I *could* scream from.
Dersia hastily snapped her fingers. Then, a pressure similar to before pressed down on my entire body.
Still, it was different from just now. I felt no malice.
Calm down. I'm not trying to kill you. If you escape that pressure too quickly, your body will be in danger. You need to withdraw more slowly, so bear with it.
...
I nodded silently.
Dersia slowly eased the pressure on my body over five minutes.
As the pressure lessened, my breathing became comfortable, and at some point, I felt so normal I couldn't believe I had almost died just moments ago.
Haa, haa, *cough*! What the fuck was that?
Having barely returned to my original state, I retched and asked.
Rather than bodily pain, it felt like my mind had been utterly drained.
First, calm down. You just went through a life-or-death situation, so you're probably not in your right mind.
...Understood.
I wiped my mouth, stood up, and brought a cloth to clean up what I had thrown up.
Dersia looked at me with slightly surprised eyes.
Hmm, for someone who just came back from the brink of death, your reaction is rather subdued.
If I don't understand what just happened to me, I feel like I'll truly die. I have to calm down.
The fear that even in the safest place, I could instantly burst and die.
It was more terrifying than a murderer running at me with a knife.
As that fear surpassed all limits, I became calm, as if doused with ice water.
Seeing my cold, settled expression, Dersia nodded slightly and continued.
You were just about to realize something, weren't you?
...Yes.
It's forbidden. Do not pursue that thought. And never manifest Pyromancy again. Do not ask about the reason either. You are intelligent, so I believe you understand what I mean.
Yes.
Then you will likely be safe until the time comes. And this is just my personal opinion, but...
Dersia chuckled and replied.
My statement that you had no talent was a mistake. I retract it.
Oh, really? Do I have talent for Magic?
It felt a bit strange to be excited after almost dying, but Dersia's declaration of 'you have talent,' coming from one of the Empire's greatest Mages, was quite impactful.
No, you have no talent for Magic.
...
However, as a Mage, your talent is unparalleled.
*Isn't that the same thing?*
I don't understand what you mean at all.
You will understand someday.
Dersia, who had snapped her fingers to burn away the vomit on my clothes, muttered as if amused.
Though not yet.
...It was the first smile I had seen from her since we met.