Ch.22. Beginning (2)

In this world, countless mysteries coexist with humanity.

These mysteries are the source of all phenomena that deviate from ordinary physical laws. Thanks to these mysteries, this world has developed an environment similar to what some might call a medieval fantasy world, and in this world, there exist those who can directly manipulate these mysteries.

People call those who use their own bodies and minds as mediums to manipulate these mysteries “magic users.”

Clergy who handle sacred miracles by reciting prayers based on faith. Mages who manipulate magical power—the raw material of mysterious phenomena—within their bodies and cast various spells based on accumulated knowledge.

Though their outward appearances may be completely different, if one were to dig deep into the fundamental nature of all these mysterious phenomena, they would inevitably lead to the same essential point.

Druids, those who commune with the mysteries of nature and wield its power, are no exception.

The druids of this world are closer to priests who serve nature as their deity. Of course, there are clear differences that prevent them from being truly classified as priests, so strictly speaking, druids do not fall under the category of priesthood.

For this reason, the vast majority of druids live in communion with nature and in seclusion, which is why people commonly refer to them as “sages of the forest.”

Dalia Aleinos, with her impressive deer antlers sprouting from her head, was also a female druid who fit this typical mold.

Having communed with the mysteries of nature and grown to resemble the forest itself, she had been living a peaceful, secluded life in the woods since ending her adventures in her youth.

She spent her days communicating with friendly magical beasts and exploring the mysteries of the vast forest.

Today, like any other day, Dalia had gone on patrol to check for any evil creatures that might have invaded the forest… when she discovered a child left alone in this dense woodland.

‘…A boy?’

The child, who appeared to be no more than five years old, was looking around in confusion. When his eyes met Dalia’s… he suddenly began to whimper and said to her with teary eyes:

“P-please save me… My father abandoned me here…”

These were difficult words for a child who seemed barely five years old to utter, but Dalia was surprised for a completely different reason and couldn’t comment on the child’s vocabulary.

“…Can you see me?”

“Y-yes…”

This little boy—who didn’t appear to be of noble birth at all—had spotted Dalia, who had concealed herself by harmonizing with the forest’s mysteries.

The forest was a good place for evil races like goblins and orcs to hide when they invaded. That’s why Dalia concealed her presence by harmonizing with the forest’s mysteries when she went on patrol.

The fact that this child could see Dalia, who had clearly hidden herself using mysterious powers, meant that he was born with some talent for mysteries—specifically, for communing with nature’s mysteries.

To be more specific, the boy before her seemed to have been born with the ability to perceive mysteries as mysteries.

For a druid to use power by communing with nature’s mysteries, they must first be able to perceive what they’re communing with. And considering that… this boy was like a ray of hope for Dalia.

‘Unbelievable… To actually meet someone like this here…!’

For a druid who needed to train a successor to whom she could pass on the forest she managed, a boy born with the rare talent to perceive mysteries independently was more valuable than gold.

“…May I ask what happened to you?”

“Y-yes…”

After Dalia asked the boy this question, trying hard to calm her trembling heart, she heard an answer that made joy explode within her heart, even though she knew she shouldn’t feel that way.

“You say your father abandoned you…”

“Yes. It’s not okay… but it couldn’t be helped. If he didn’t abandon me, my two older brothers would starve to death too. I… I just don’t want to associate with my family anymore.”

Abandoned by his father due to food shortages caused by severe drought, the boy didn’t want to return to his family. Rather than having any particular character flaws, he simply seemed to be a child who had matured early.

After conversing with him a bit, Dalia found that the boy possessed mental fortitude beyond imagination. His mature thinking, unbelievable for someone only about five years old, was clearly a positive attribute.

Therefore… she couldn’t possibly let this perfect talent slip away. While Dalia wasn’t the type of person who would abandon a child left in the middle of her forest domain, this was an inevitable proposal as a druid.

“Hey, if you’re okay with it… I have something to propose.”

“A proposal…?”

“Yes. Actually, I think you have quite a precious talent.”

Dalia briefly explained the situation to the boy. She desperately needed an apprentice, and the boy happened to possess that talent.

In other words, she was asking if he would become her disciple.

“…You’re saying I have such talent?”

“You definitely do. Someone as smart as you should be able to understand.”

Perhaps feeling anxious, the boy kept asking questions without pause. Dalia patiently answered each one to the best of her ability.

And after hearing all of Dalia’s explanations, the boy… looked straight at her with his blue eyes and said with some certainty:

“Magic… lady? If you’re willing to take me as your disciple, even though I’m just a serf’s son, I have no reason to refuse in my desperate situation. May I… if it’s not too presumptuous… accept your kindness?”

“…Of course you may.”

While inwardly shouting with joy, Dalia maintained a dignified attitude so as not to break the boy’s childlike wonder, and proudly introduced herself.

“I am Dalia Aleinos, a druid and sage of nature who claims this forest as my domain. Child who will become my disciple, could you tell me your name?”

Drawing a bit of the forest’s mystery to create an even more mystical atmosphere, the boy slowly closed his momentarily gaping mouth at the sight of Dalia and carefully said:

“…Gregory. Just Gregory. Should I call you… Master?”

“If you’d like to, call me that, Gregory.”

Hearing herself called “Master” for the first time in her life, Dalia’s lips involuntarily started to curl upward, but she quickly tried to maintain her composure as she began leading Gregory toward their destination.

※ ※ ※

‘I, I did it!!’

Following the antlered druid walking ahead of me, I inwardly cheered and basked in the greatest and most joyful happiness of this life.

Being abandoned in the middle of the forest was momentary. The experience of suddenly meeting someone who directly told me I had powerful talent gave me a thrill that sent shivers down my spine.

Honestly, I didn’t think the antlered druid before me had no ill intentions. I just figured that if I was going to die anyway, I might as well take a chance on something that showed a glimmer of hope.

And… this gamble seems to have paid off, at the very least.

I had heard of druids before. They were mages who managed the dangerous wilderness of fantasy worlds, and I was quite familiar with them from folklore and stories where they often appeared.

And the fact that most druids were portrayed as good characters meant they weren’t a group that openly committed evil deeds. In other words, following her probably meant little chance of being used as a human sacrifice.

…Though truthfully, I wasn’t in a position to be picky right now anyway.

Meanwhile, after following Druid Dalia for quite some time, my prospective master smiled warmly and asked me in a gentle voice:

“Gregory. What do you think magic is?”

“Magic… I suppose it’s the technique of handling mysterious powers?”

“That was close. It’s not entirely wrong, but it’s not the correct answer.”

“…Is that so?”

My prospective master seemed pleased with my answer, even if it wasn’t perfect. She smiled at me happily and spoke again.

“Magic is the technique of handling all the mysteries of this world with our bodies and minds. It’s quite difficult to understand… but you’ll learn about it gradually, so I’ll just leave it at that for now.”

“…!”

No sooner had Druid Dalia finished speaking than a mysterious green energy extended from her and enveloped my body, causing the scars and wound marks etched across my entire body to disappear as if time were rewinding.

“Is this… is this magic?”

“That’s right.”

When I expressed genuine amazement at seeing magic for the first time in either of my lives, Dalia answered in a voice that sounded proud to anyone who might be listening…

“Here we are.”

“Wooooow…”

At that moment, Dalia stopped and said those words, and I moved forward to stand beside her. And before my eyes… stretched a beautiful scene that could only be described as something out of a fairy tale.

In the middle of the forest, amid a natural garden blooming with flowers of various colors, stood a two-story cabin made of living trees—not extremely spacious, but by no means small either.

It was as if a part of nature had been seamlessly transformed into a house, creating a natural yet quaint charm that felt like something from a storybook.

“This will be your new home. …Do you like it?”

“Of course I like it!”

The home of the person I should call Master was filled with mysterious energy, creating a paradise-like scenery that made me feel as if my worn-out childlike wonder was coming back to life.