Chapter 2
Having experienced the world of Magic and devoured the books that offered little help, I was able to reach one conclusion.
The standard is reversed.
It's not that Mages are special—it's that humans who aren't Mages are special.
Before I became one of these Mage folk, I didn't know it, but the world was an ocean.
Everything in the world exists within the sea. It just hasn't been realized.
However, there is one existence that deviates from that rule.
Humans.
Humans walk on the surface of the sea.
That's why they can't feel the Current. They have no idea what's happening beneath the sea.
It's an enormous advantage. The mere fact that they aren't swept away by the Current makes humans superior to Mages.
Mages are merely deformed individuals who have lost the ability to walk on the surface of the sea and have fallen into it.
...It seems all Nobles are *idiots*.
To actually *want* to become something like this.
“It’s certainly convenient.”
I pushed the book floating in the air into the bookshelf.
It was a rather narrow opening, but the book slid in slowly and precisely.
It was an odd sensation. If I had seen this before the fever, I would have considered it a miracle...
But the current me knows. This is truly nothing.
Why, when you move your hands and feet in water, don't the ripples travel far through the water?
My Magic is similar. I decided to call this the Current for now.
Grabbing a book makes one realize it's in the sea.
It might sound strange, but it's simple. Since I'm in the sea, when I grab a book, I also perceive it as being in the sea.
Then, this fellow floats.
Now, if I create a Current and put it on, it moves forward slowly.
It will eventually fall, but more slowly than it would outside the water.
The difference between before and after knowing that the world is actually *inside* the sea.
Just knowing that fact makes such a huge difference.
The problem is this.
“How strong is this?”
I scanned the hundred or so books floating in the air, letting out a hum.
They were all calmly suspended around my waist.
It wasn't particularly difficult. As long as I didn't lose consciousness, I felt like I could maintain this for hours. Perhaps even if I did lose it, it would stay.
No, I'm not even sure if I'm exerting any effort.
“Hmm...”
After a moment of thought, I placed my foot on one of the books.
Thud—as I put a little weight on it, it plunged straight to the floor. It seemed it couldn't support my body weight.
What level is this? Am I a magical genius of the century?
Or is it just something any Mage can do, and I'm just overreacting because I don't know any other Mages?
I scoured the Orphanage's Attached Library like a madman, but all the books related to Magic were fairy tales or didn't go much beyond that level, so I couldn't find any proper information.
Unless I were to illegally enter the Imperial Library and read Magic-related books. That's a place only Nobles can enter, so I can't go.
The best thing would be to just ignore it and live my life.
However, it's not for nothing that I think of Mages as humans who have fallen into the sea.
[~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~!]
Ever since I suffered the fever, I've been seeing strange black figures.
Sometimes they even talk to me. If you can call the sound of laughter circling around me “talking.”
I call them Deep Sea Creatures because their movements clearly resembled fish swimming.
*...Though they don't seem like ordinary fish.*
Even just their silhouettes showed long, sharp teeth and grotesque bodies.
If these guys ever discover me...
I don't think anything good will come of it.
Sometimes, when the sea's current surges, I even stumble in empty air.
It's no joke; if this gets any worse, I might suddenly *whoosh*—fly into the sky while walking.
The result, by all accounts, would be instant death.
How do Mages deal with situations like this?
I don't know.
Is there no kind Noble who might miraculously appear and tell me what a Beginner Mage should do?
No.
So what do I do?
“*Sigh*...”
I need to find a way to seal Magic for good, or at least a way to escape this situation.
If there are no books with such methods in this small Orphanage's Attached Library—
I have to go to another library.
Formulating a plan was instantaneous.
I returned to the dormitory, pulled out the piggy bank I kept deep under my bed, and smashed it with tears in my eyes.
*CRASH!*
Seeing this, the other Orphanage Students gasped and jumped.
“J-Jereun! What are you doing?!”
“Jereun’s gone *mad*! He broke his piggy bank!”
The Orphanage Director had given a piggy bank to all Orphanage Students, telling them to save even a tenth of their allowance for when they became independent.
If you broke it, you'd have to study in the Solitary Room for at least three days, unable to play.
Honestly, it was nothing but beneficial for me, but the problem was that my savings were the highest in the Orphanage's history.
Since I never found a reason to spend it, I saved every single one. Even though it was a small amount, since I started receiving allowance, saving it for five years had resulted in a considerable sum.
It was a nest egg for a future that would eventually come, but I was adrift alone on the vast ocean.
This was no time to be picky about means.
“Tell them I’ll be out for a bit.”
I stuffed the money into a leather pouch and went straight to Annelin’s Clothing Store.
Annelin was a talented fashion designer who ran a small clothing store nearby, and who had once made a name for herself in the capital city.
I had rarely spent money on clothes in either my previous life or this one, but I owed her a lot because she volunteered to mend the orphanage students' clothes for free.
She was such a kind person that when I opened the door and entered her shop, she greeted me with a bright smile.
“Oh, aren’t you Jereun? Did your sleeve tear again?”
“No, I came to buy clothes.”
“Clothes? You’re at an age where you’re growing fast... didn’t you just get fitted for new clothes a month ago?”
“Not those kinds, but *real* clothes.”
I stood on my tiptoes and placed the thick leather pouch full of money on the counter.
Annelin opened the pouch slightly, then gasped and waved her hand.
“Jereun, I think you’ve misunderstood a little. You don’t need this much money to buy clothes. If you have broken your piggy bank, don’t worry, I’ll speak to the Orphanage Director for you...”
“That’s all right. Can you make me an outfit that Nobles wear? If it’s not enough, I’ll give you more when I get my allowance later.”
“Hmm...?”
Annelin wore a puzzled expression for a moment, then her face softened into the kind look she usually gave children my age.
Well, it seemed she saw it as the childish whim of someone who wanted to be a Noble.
“In that case, I have just the thing. Wait a moment.”
Annelin went into the Warehouse for a moment, then returned with a slightly antique-looking outfit.
Woven in white and blue, it was a well-made set, even to my untrained eye. It had accumulated some dust, though.
“It’s an outfit I poured my heart into making a long time ago. It was returned for the absurd reason that the color was not the fashion of the day, so no one ever wore it...”
When that absurd reason was seen, it truly seemed made for a Noble.
“How much is it?”
“It’s just been rotting in the Warehouse anyway, so I don’t need money, but let’s make a promise, Auntie and you.”
“A promise...?”
“Yes. From now on, before you break your piggy bank, you *must* consult with Auntie and try to find other ways. Can you promise me that?”
“Uh... yes.”
Money saved. Sweet.
“Just a moment then, if I just touch up the faded parts a little...”
She tapped the clothes with some strange machine to remove the dust, and then applied a transparent reagent, making the clothes look completely new.
Donning the clothes and a beret, I spun around in front of the mirror, looking quite like a noble.
Annelin praised me endlessly, saying I was cute.
“Oh, you’re so adorable! You look like a little angel.”
“Thank you...”
After that, I endured Auntie’s chatter for over 30 minutes, but it was worth it since it saved the money I’d accumulated over five years.
Leaving the Clothing Store, I washed my face and tidied my hair at a nearby well, then used the saved money to take a carriage. I had originally planned to walk for over two hours.
My destination—the Capital City Center.
Although the Orphanage was also in the Capital City, it was on the outskirts, so it took over 30 minutes to finally reach the center, even by carriage.
As I got out of the carriage, the towering Cathedral that had been a blur from the Orphanage, the multitude of people, and the bustling streets all came into view.
My head reeled from the sheer amount of information, but I knew the way from a previous Experiential Learning trip.
I immediately headed for the Library. It wasn't far, and I soon arrived at a massive, curved building that blocked the sun, enormous even by my standards, as I had seen the giant structures of Earth.
Guards were chatting idly in front, but when they saw me approaching, they exchanged glances and crossed their spears.
“Oh, wait a moment. May I ask who you are?”
My mouth went dry. If I opened it, I felt an unseemly, nervous voice would come out.
So I didn't speak.
Instead, I feigned an annoyed expression and gestured with my finger for them to move their spears.
At the same time, I touched the Current. I was worried whether it would work, as it was my first time using Magic on someone else—
*Swoosh*—the spears naturally parted, and the guards, though puzzled, cleared the way.
“Uh... we weren’t expecting anyone today...”
“I didn’t say I was coming. Can I enter?”
“Yes, please, go ahead.”
The guards, despite their bewildered expressions, seemed to have concluded that since I used Magic, I must be a Noble, and opened the way.
Once inside the Library, I had time to steady my trembling heart.
*Phew*, it worked.
I had even been scouting escape routes, ready to flee if it didn't work out.
Of course, just getting in wasn't the end. Inside, books were piled everywhere, true to the Library, and there seemed to be hardly anyone around, as I heard no footsteps.
Seeing bookshelves ten times taller than me, I could only sigh. It would probably take me a year to find the book I wanted here myself.
I needed a librarian. As I diligently scurried on my small legs towards the center, I saw a woman sitting at what looked like an information desk, lazily reading a book.
Casual attire, long white hair reaching her waist, black eyes, a somewhat weary face, and... long ears.
It was an Elf, the first of the Other Races I had ever seen.
Even the simple act of turning a page with her finger was different from that of an ordinary person, and her aura was so imposing that it made me swallow hard, not daring to speak.
But what needed to be done? It *had* to be done.
I stepped forward and opened my mouth.
“Excuse me—”
“...?”
As I spoke, the Elf’s eyes, which had been fixed on her book, turned to me.
“Are you... a Librarian?”
It was a situation where I should have spoken informally, but the Elf's aura wouldn't allow it.
The Elf stared at me intently for a moment.
Is she not a librarian? Did I guess wrong? Am I screwed? Just as these thoughts raced through my mind, the Elf closed her book and bowed her head.
“My apologies.”
“Excuse me?”
“I was told no one was expected today, so I was rude. I am Dersia Aspandil.”
The Elf, with a placid expression, lifted the hem of her skirt and bowed.
“How may I help you?”
“W-well...”
Things had gone smoothly.
That's what I thought, and it should have ended there—
But for some reason, a sense of unease made my heart sink at the Librarian's unmoving expression, and I slowly began to speak...