Chapter 18
"Linmel...! I'll miss you!"
"Lian!"
The day the Knight came to take Linmel away.
The Orphanage became a sea of tears.
"Sniffle... Linmel! I'll miss you so much, sniffle!"
The Orphanage Director was sobbing, blowing her nose into a handkerchief as if someone had died, and since Linmel had been friendly with everyone, all the Orphanage Students, not just those her age, came out to the Open Ground to see her off.
*...Is it really that big of a deal?*
*She's not going to her death or anything. It's only a twenty-minute carriage ride. You could even walk there and back.*
*For Linmel, it'd probably be a ten-minute walk one way.*
I couldn't bring myself to ruin the mood with an insensitive remark, so I just stood there blankly as a carriage entered through the entrance.
It was a Knight-like carriage, luxurious, made of oak, but without a single ornament.
A middle-aged Knight with an impressive mustache opened the carriage door, then flinched at the sight of dozens of people crying in unison.
"Ahem, right on time... what, what is this?"
"Sniffle, Sir Knight, you've arrived?"
"Uh... yes. What in the world is going on here?"
"Everyone has gathered to see Linmel off. *Cough*."
"...My daughter has many blessings."
The Knight stepped down from the carriage.
"..."
"..."
Everyone fell silent.
*It was my first time seeing something like this, wow.*
Of course, I'd seen plenty of Knight Aspirants at the Academy, but a true Knight was definitely different.
A physique closer to a gorilla than a human, and muscles that asserted themselves even through thick clothing.
More like a weapon designed to kill humans, rather than a human.
He exuded that kind of aura.
He held a sword that seemed too small for him, still in its scabbard, and stood before Linmel with a solemn expression.
"Linmel. My name is Gwalan. I am the Vice-Commander of the Red Knights, a Knight who has defeated five Necromancers, seven Demon Summoners, and one Witch. May I understand your presence here now as your acceptance to become my daughter?"
"Uh, yes!"
Linmel answered confidently, despite her stuffy nose.
"Then, my daughter, this sword and armor are now yours. I swear before your family that one day you will surely become the greatest Knight. This is also my goal, so I will ensure you never forget these words for the rest of your life."
"Thank you!"
Linmel bowed deeply, accepted the sword that was too large for her, and then drew it.
-*Shing!*
The texture was different. It was a pure white blade, clearly not ordinary steel.
"That is a Rodlight Sword. No matter what you face, it will never break."
"Wow..."
Linmel blinked at its beauty, then swung it a few times.
"Ohh...!"
Gwalan's eyes widened at the sight, and his hands trembled.
"Is it destined..."
"What is?"
"Nothing."
Gwalan wiped his nose with a satisfied expression, then, as if remembering something, pulled a box from the carriage.
"Director, this is for you."
"What? What... *Gasp!*"
The Orphanage Director opened the chest, startled almost to fainting, and waved her hands in protest.
"I haven't done anything to deserve such money."
"Withdraw those words. It diminishes the grace of raising my daughter. From now on, I will sponsor this Orphanage monthly. And for the children, I have prepared this."
Gwalan brought out another box.
*Inside, there was something far more precious than silver coins.*
"R-Ruinel Candy!"
"That's super expensive...!"
"I tried my best to find snacks the children would like, but this was the limit. Still, there should be enough for everyone, so please distribute them."
My opinion of Gwalan shot up.
Even if he was a bit stiff, seeing him prepare gifts for the children meant Linmel wouldn't suffer.
While the Orphanage Students, eyes wide, rushed the box, I approached Linmel, who was still examining her sword.
"Linmel."
"Oh, Jereun!"
Linmel sheathed her sword and smiled at me.
Aside from a few tear streaks, she didn't look much different from usual.
"..."
And she looked at me with sparkling eyes, expecting something.
*I just came to say goodbye.*
"Uh, work hard."
"Yep!"
"..."
"..."
"...That's it?"
"What am I supposed to do? You'll be coming here every day anyway. If I cry now while seeing you off, it'll just be awkward when we meet again."
"Hmph..."
Linmel puffed out her cheeks, grumbled sullenly, then soon broke into a wide grin.
"It's okay, I knew Jereun was dumber than he looked, so I could bear it!"
"What? No, I can hear that from anyone else, but not from you—"
"See you tomorrow!"
"Aargh!!"
Linmel hugged me so tightly my bones felt like they'd be crushed, then got into Gwalan's carriage.
"..."
I lay sprawled on the ground, glaring at the carriage as it drove away, and then waved until it was out of sight.
"Sniffle... I'm so proud... Jereun? What are you doing lying there?"
"...Watching ants."
She was a boisterous one, right to the very end.
***
After seeing Linmel off, I returned to my routine of eavesdropping on classes at the Academy.
Now, the Open Ground behind the Children's Class Classroom felt like my cozy sanctuary, a place where sounds carried well, or where shade fell nicely. I even had my own prime spot.
Today, the sun was blazing, and as I cleaned while eavesdropping on class from a shaded spot, I kept chuckling.
"Hehehe..."
In my arms, I held the reason for my amusement.
The textbook is a monstrous thing worth 599 silver coins.
This one book alone could buy a house. I still couldn't quite grasp the Nobles' sense of money, but at least it was worth it.
*Swish, swish*, I swept with the broom, reading the book floating in the air.
Doing something like this so naturally really made me feel like a Mage.
"So, what I'm saying is, you're not Mages yet."
"?"
*Guess not.*
After today's class ended, during the leftover review time, I heard something strange.
They were clamoring for the teacher to tell them about their first love, which I ignored, but it seemed they'd started on something important.
I briefly closed my textbook and perked up my ears.
"But we use Magic, so why aren't we Mages?"
"Hmm, what you're using isn't exactly Magic, you see."
"...Huh?"
"How should I explain this... Ah, do you see this?"
The teacher paused for a moment, then clapped his hands and held something up.
*Of course, I don't know what that is.*
*Maybe this will work.*
I activated Magical Perception, covering the Classroom.
Instantly, the scene in the classroom came into my mind's eye.
*...Why didn't I think of this before?* Anyway, what the teacher held up was a fan.
"If you wave it like this, wind comes out, right? Don't you think of this as Wind Magic too?"
"That's a stretch! What kind of Magic is that?"
"It creates the same wind, doesn't it? If you want to argue, striking a flint to make fire, sprinkling water, or farming is all Magic too. If they produce the same result, why are they different? Simply because they use mana? Then, if waving a fan uses physical strength, should it be classified as 'muscle-magic'? Should we give everything a different name based on the power source used?"
"...Well, not exactly, but they're completely different. Magic is much stronger..."
"Don't be too hard on yourselves. I'm not saying Magic is nothing special. Mana is the most efficient fuel. However, I wanted to tell you that using mana to create something and actual Magic are distinctly different."
-*Tap, tap-tap.* The teacher wrote something on the Blackboard with chalk.
*Of course, Magical Perception is the strongest.* I could even infer this.
"Magic is—creating something that doesn't exist in reality, within one's own world, and then projecting that back into reality. That's what it refers to."
"??"
The children seemed not to understand at all.
The teacher gave a wry smile and explained at his or her level.
"In reality, there's fire, and wind blows, right? There are light, water, land, grass, and trees, too, right?"
"Yep."
"Then, ultimately, you're just taking things that exist in the current world—ah, in reality—bringing them into the world within your minds, and then spitting them back out. You're not creating them; you're just using mana to project what you've taken. That's less Magic and more just an act of outputting what was input."
"Is that bad?"
"No. The Level of Output is one of the biggest factors distinguishing a Mage's Realm. However, input is just as important."
"But everything exists in reality, doesn't it? What's missing?"
"Usually, you combine Elemental Magic to create something. If you condense fire well so it doesn't go out midway, then solidify it into an arrow shape, and shoot it with Wind Magic, that's Magic. A Flame Arrow doesn't exist in reality, does it?"
"No."
"Going one step further, if you organically combine dozens of Elemental Magic spells... Hmm, this is the next stage, but I'll show you to make it easier to understand. Have any of you ever seen something suddenly float up in reality, without any other force?"
"No."
"Right? So, *this* is Magic."
*Float*—A student dozing in the front row was gently lifted into the air.
"Huh, huh?"
"Telekinesis. If you reach the *Dancheon* (Pale Sky) Realm, the minimum requirement to be called a Mage, you'll be able to do something similar."
"Wow...! How do you do that?"
"That's a story for another time. If you study hard and achieve greatness, then the elders of your respective Houses will teach you."
"..."
*Ah.*
*Right.*
*Advanced Magic is all taught within one's own House.*
"Should I really get adopted or something...?"
I sighed in annoyance.
There was also marriage, but any Noble who accepted a proposal from an Orphan would surely be insane; so I'd have to decline.
Ultimately, becoming Dersia's Disciple was the top priority. I sighed and started working on what I could.
Using Wind Magic, I tried to gather the surrounding trash.
This was originally something I did with Current, but I was doing it to increase my Magic Proficiency in Wind Magic.
It was inconvenient.
No, more than inconvenient...
*The Deep Sea had already become familiar.*
*It felt like eating with my left hand, or writing with it.*
*It was like having a right hand, the Deep Sea, but tying it behind my back.*
Still, it had to be done.
"Telekinesis, huh..."
Faintly, a path to fulfilling Dersia's conditions seemed to appear.
I diligently gathered trash in the wind.
"...Hmm?"
Midway, something registered in my Magical Perception.
An Orphanage Student was coming this way.
*Judging by their height, they're young. No one ever comes to the Open Ground anyway. They're probably just passing through.*
I shielded the textbook, which was floating with the current, with my body so it wouldn't be discovered, and continued gathering trash.
-*Whirrr...*
"?"
But suddenly, my Magic became strange.
*'What is this...?'*
The broom shook erratically, as if something was blocking it.
My control over Magic had been slightly twisted.
Something was wrong. As I pondered the problem, I grabbed the broom. The student was approaching.
*Thoughts later. First, act natural.*
As I calmly swept the trash, the student who had sat on a nearby bench let out a deep sigh.
"Haaah..."
I ignored them, naturally.
"Haaaaaaah..."
The sigh deepened. I felt like I'd be discovered if I stayed any longer, so I just swept a bit more, grabbed the broom, and tried to leave quickly.
That was my mistake.
"...Huh? You're that Janitor."
It was someone I knew.
No, someone I only knew by face.
I subtly frowned and replied.
"I think you have the wrong person."
"What are you talking about—it's you! But seriously, why did you leave without saying anything back then? You should've at least stayed for a thank you!"
Elisia said that, patting the spot next to her on the bench.
*She means for me to sit. No matter how much I dislike it, I can't refuse a Noble.*
I gritted my teeth and sat next to her, and Elisia immediately began chattering as if she'd been waiting.
"First of all, thank you. If you hadn't helped me back then, it would've been a disaster. But why did you leave so quickly?"
"I get scolded if I rest too long."
*In reality, I left because I didn't want to listen to her chatter.*
*She's probably here now to escape Huins and his gang.*
"Really? Oh, right. I'm not complaining or anything, but couldn't you have said something before you tied me up with bandages and threw me out the window? I thought I was going to die of fright..."
"..."
*Blah, blah, blah.*
I sighed, thinking this time was too precious to waste, and secretly deployed Wind Magic above.
*She's probably going to talk for a long time, so I might as well practice. She's got her head bowed, so she won't see my eyes anyway—that was my thought.*
But the Magic didn't manifest.
No, it did manifest... but it was only a very slight, faint breeze.
*What is this?* I was flustered because I still felt the mana leaving me.
*Is something wrong with me?*
*...Or.*
"Excuse me, just a moment."
I interrupted Elisia, stood up, and put a little distance between us.
"W-what is it?"
Leaving a bewildered Elisia, I tried to conjure wind, and though it was slightly distorted—it worked.
In that state, I approached Elisia.
With each step I took closer, the wind shook and twisted precariously.
There was no doubt.
*This girl possesses a world with some purpose that destabilizes Magic.*
"..."
"W-what? Why are you looking at me so scarily?"
"It's nothing."
I quickly bowed my head to avoid having my condition discovered.
*A fall... it doesn't seem like it's gone that far.*
*I don't know. Should I take her to Dersia? But how?*
*...No, that's not it.*
*That's not important right now.*
I completely changed my stance and sat right next to Elisia.
"Please, tell me more."
"Eh...?"
"I want to hear more."
I calmed my pounding heart, looking at her face, which held a mix of slight bewilderment and joy.
*I have no idea what mechanism this is. I don't know at all—*
*But there is one thing.*
*The fact that I could use it was clear.*