Chapter 6 - The City of Mages (1)

"I'm sorry!"

After hearing the full story, Evelyn immediately bowed her head to the floor of the carriage.

The carriage, with its wood neatly finished and magically treated, had been modified to feel soft even on the floor. Evelyn inwardly marveled at the comfortable feel of the wood against her forehead, then quickly came to her senses and shouted again in a loud voice.

"I'm sorry! Please forgive me just this once!"

"...It's okay, raise your head. Haa."

Ena sighed deeply and patted Evelyn's shoulder lightly. Despite the feather-light touch, Evelyn flinched and quickly sat up. Then she stood at attention, watching Ena's expression. Her eyes held a faint, undisguisable fear.

Ena could understand. She knew well how mages were perceived publicly.

Dogmatic, arrogant fools who only know how to cause trouble when things didn't go their way. Although practicing magic for a long time naturally led to humility, only a minority of mages reached that stage. It was natural for mages to have a rock-bottom reputation in the current magical society where most mages weren't like that.

Moreover, Evelyn, who grew up in the slums, would certainly have an even worse perception of mages. Mages who drift into the slums usually had illegal rituals or experiments as their purpose, so it was common sense for Evelyn to be wary of mages, even if she had only heard rumors. In fact, most of those rumors were true.

Should I clear up the misunderstanding?

Ena thought this, then shook her head.

Time will solve this problem, anyway. Evelyn would be staying with them while Acel was a disciple, and magic wasn't something one could master in just a year or two. They'd be living in the same house for at least 10 years, so they could get closer during that time. There was no need to fuss about it now.

"Um, excuse me..."

While Ena was lost in thought, Evelyn, who had been watching her cautiously, carefully opened her mouth. Only then did Ena realize she had been staring at Evelyn continuously. She smiled bitterly and said, "Ah, sorry. I was just thinking for a moment. Are you feeling okay?"

"Yes, yes! I was in terrible pain until yesterday, but now I'm completely fine!"

"That's good. Looks like the medicine worked well."

Ena nodded and glanced to the side.

She noticed that Acel, who had been anxiously watching the situation until just now, had started reading a book as soon as he confirmed the atmosphere had lightened.

It was a book with the title "Introduction to Magic" written in large letters. It was useless to Ena, but she had kept it in the carriage because it seemed a waste to throw away. It seemed he had somehow found it.

Should this be called talent? 

Ena smiled slightly and sank deep into the chair's backrest.

She didn't bother to give Acel any instructions like “do this” or “do that”. That was something to do after arriving in the city, not now. They hadn't even started formal training yet.

Moreover, disturbing a mage while reading was considered taboo. Although Acel wasn't an official mage yet, she respected him, as he was engrossed in the book with sparkling eyes.

"..."

"..."

Silence fell inside the carriage. Only the occasional sound of turning pages could be heard. Ena closed her eyes slightly and hugged her large hat, while Evelyn watched Acel quietly while keeping an eye on Ena.

"...Hmm."

Unlike Acel, Evelyn couldn't read. So she didn't know the title of the book Acel was reading, nor could she know its contents. However, having just heard that Acel had become a mage's disciple, she could guess that the book's content was related to magic.

A mage's disciple, huh?

Evelyn suddenly thought this as she looked out the window. A cool breeze blew through the rapidly passing scenery.

She knew Acel had been different from others since he was young. But she never dreamed it was evidence of exceptional talent as a mage.

Of course, it was something to celebrate. A child born in a nameless mountain village becoming a mage's disciple. Evelyn felt joy and fulfillment at the fact that her brother was the protagonist of a story that seemed to belong in a novel.

But there was one thing that bothered her. It was about Evelyn herself.

Am I becoming a hindrance?

Acel had said it. He became a disciple on the condition that they go together because he couldn't leave her alone in the slums. Evelyn felt grateful for those words, but also felt guilty inside. A negative thought crossed her mind that she might be interfering with his life.

"Don't worry."

At that moment, Ena's voice was heard. Evelyn turned her head towards Ena, startled. Ena, with one eye half-open, moved her lips as she looked at Evelyn.

"I can guess what you're thinking, but there's no need to worry like that. I don't intend to let you just sit around and eat. That would be better for you too, since you seem to consider it a burden, right?"

"...How did you know?"

"It was written all over your face."

Ena smiled slightly and closed her eyes again.

"Anyway, I won't treat you as a means to bind our disciple. And I'll help you until you can pull your own weight, so don't think strange thoughts and get along well with Acel. You're at that age, after all."

"...Mage."

Evelyn looked at Ena with eyes full of emotion, tears welling up.

Isn't that exactly what a mother should be like? 

Evelyn was so moved by Ena that she unconsciously had such a thought.

Just how much experience must she have to have such a broad perspective?

Surrendering to the wave of emotions, she unconsciously opened her mouth.

"How old are you, Mage?"

"Evelyn."

Ena's eyes snapped open.

Evelyn immediately lowered her gaze.

A mage was indeed a mage.

***

Wyheim, the homeland of archmages.

The location of Ena's mansion and the city of mages ruled by the Magic Alliance. A closed place where only those with permission could pass through, and outsiders were thoroughly filtered out.

Ena explained their current destination like this, "It's quite difficult to get permission to enter. It's relatively simple if you belong to a Magic Tower or the Witch Association, but it's still hard. However, mages belonging to the Alliance can enter Wyheim anytime."

Magic Tower, Witch Association, Alliance.

Acel tilted his head at the names of organizations he had never heard before. Ena kindly explained about them. These were all things he needed to know if he was going to immerse himself in magic.

"The Magic Tower is an organization where mages studying the same branch of magic gather."

There are many branches and attributes of magic. Even elemental magic is divided into fire, water, wind, and earth, and besides that, there are numerous types of magic, such as pure magic, lightning, gravity, bestowal, etc., all deeply integrated into magical society.

However, unlike the branches of magic, the number of Magic Towers was surprisingly small. This meant that there wasn't one Magic Tower for each type of magic.

Just as there were mainstream and non-mainstream types in magic, those who mainly dealt with non-mainstream magic didn't bother to build Magic Towers but created other organizations to share information among themselves. Even if that wasn’t the case, there were magics that were only handled by specific organizations other than Magic Towers, so Magic Towers couldn't correspond one-to-one with magic types.

One such magic treated this way was lightning magic. Lightning magic, which was only passed down in the Witch Association due to its uniqueness, had a structure that made it impossible for a Magic Tower to exist. The reason Ena could use lightning magic was because she belonged to the Witch Association.

Acel asked a question that came to mind when he heard the term Witch Association, "Are there only women in the Witch Association?"

"It used to be that way, but not anymore. There are a few men too. Though still less than ten," Ena said as she infused mana into the carriage's power source. 

The mana-powered carriage, which operated silently with magic, was moving continuously day and night without needing to worry about resting horses.

Ena glanced at the sky that had darkened and continued speaking, "Unlike Magic Towers, the Witch Association doesn't deal with just specific types of magic, but comprehensively handles most magics. Right now, there's the lightning magic I use, flower magic that deals with living flowers, emotion control magic, and so on. There are also mages who handle rare, unique magics. There are even a few who deal with bloodline inheritance magic."

One could learn such things in the Witch Association, too.

Ena said this as she conjured lightning in her hand. The crackling white lightning brightly illuminated the interior of the carriage.

"Right now, I'm the only lightning mage, though."

Unique magics were as difficult to learn as they were rare. Magic that regulated emotions often drove learners mad, and flower magic required knowledge of biology, botany, and the effects of mana on plants to use. Lightning magic also had prerequisites befitting its destructive power and potency.

This was why only Ena could handle lightning magic currently. Many mages had boldly challenged lightning magic, but they all died, reduced to ashes by their own lightning. The fate of those who underestimated the notoriety of unique magic was that miserable.

"There are two conditions for joining the Witch Association. Either you have a recommendation from an elder of the Witch Association, or you become a disciple of a mage belonging to the Witch Association. I was the former, and you, Acel, will be the latter."

"...Am I part of the Witch Association?"

"Yes. Congratulations. When we arrive in Wyheim, let's make your registration card first."

Ena continued speaking while stroking Acel's disgruntled face, "Lastly, the Alliance is... a bit unique. It's a place where all kinds of mages gather. There are mages from Magic Towers, mages from the Witch Association. There are also quite a few mages from organizations that aren't publicly known."

"..."

"This happens because of the Alliance's special nature. As long as you pass the entrance exam, you can become a member of the Alliance regardless of your affiliation. You don't even need to leave your original organization."

So dual affiliation was possible. Acel nodded.

"You're also part of the Alliance, Master?"

"Yes. But I didn't take a separate test, they just begged me to join because they had an archmage position open."

"..."

"At first it was troublesome, but the benefits that Alliance mages receive in Wyheim were more than I expected, so now I'm living quite satisfied."

Ena added that even the carriage they were riding in was provided by the Alliance.

A horseless carriage. A privilege that only high-ranking mages of the Alliance could enjoy, and a symbol that thieves should never touch. Acel realized that this was why they hadn't been attacked even while passing through night forests since leaving for Wyheim a day ago.

"Any more questions?"

At Ena's question, Acel thought for a moment and then shook his head. His remaining curiosities were only about magic-related content. Since she said they would start in earnest after arriving in Wyheim, there was nothing more to ask.

And so, the three continued towards Wyheim, occasionally chatting. Acel spent time reading books, asking Ena about things he didn't understand, or having casual conversations with Evelyn. After another day passed, Acel woke up to the feeling of the carriage suddenly stopping.

"Are you awake?" Ena asked, putting on a large conical hat. 

Acel greeted her with a "Good morning," then looked at Evelyn, who was still sleeping leaning against the wall. Then he pulled back the curtain that had been drawn.

Swish.

As the curtain was removed, bright sunlight illuminated the interior of the carriage. Acel squinted at the light, then his mouth fell open at the sight that unfolded beyond the window.

"...Wow."

Black city walls erected as if reaching for the sky. The countless spell formulas engraved on the surface and the waves of magical power were clearly transmitted to Acel, who had vaguely awakened to mana.

A huge floating island in the sky and a long spire piercing right through that island. Colorful starlight hanging from its tip. Even geometric patterns covering the sky.

Acel couldn't close his mouth at the spectacle of mysteries he was seeing for the first time.