episode_0006

“I’m sorry!”

After hearing the whole story of the incident, Evelyn immediately slammed her head against the carriage floor.

The carriage, which had been neatly smoothed down and post-processed with magic, had been remodeled so that even the floor felt soft. Evelyn inwardly admired 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, just grant me clemency once!”

“……It’s okay, you can lift your head.”

Hah. Ena let out a deep sigh and patted Evelyn’s shoulder. Although it was a touch as light as a feather, Evelyn flinched and quickly sat up. Then, she stood in a proper posture and watched Ena’s reaction. A faint, undisguisable fear lingered in her eyes.

Ena could understand. She was well aware of the public perception of mages.

Self-righteous, arrogant, and fools who only know how to cause trouble when things don’t go their way. While long training and cultivation in magic naturally lead to humility, only a minority of mages reach that stage. In the current magic society, where most mages do not reach that point, it was natural for the perception of mages to be at rock bottom.

Furthermore, for Evelyn, who grew up in the slums, her perception of mages was clearly even worse. Mages who ended up in the slums were mostly after illegal rituals or experiments, so even for Evelyn, who had only heard rumors, being wary of mages was common sense. In fact, most of those rumors were true.

‘Should I correct the misunderstanding?’

Ena thought so for a moment, then shook her head.

It was a problem that time would solve anyway. While Acel was her apprentice, Evelyn would also be with them, and magic wasn’t a subject you could master by studying for just one or two years. They would live in the same house for at least 10 years, so they could just grow closer during that period. There was no need to chatter on about it now in a messy way.

“Um, excuse me……”

While Ena was lost in thought, Evelyn, who had been watching her reaction, carefully opened her mouth. Only then did Ena realize she had been staring at Evelyn, and she said with a wry smile.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I was just thinking for a moment. Are you feeling okay?”

“Yes, yes! It hurt a lot until yesterday, but I’m perfectly fine now!”

“That’s good. It seems the medicine worked well.”

Ena nodded and subtly glanced sideways.

Acel, who had been restlessly watching the situation just now, had immediately started reading a book as soon as he saw the atmosphere relax.

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

Should she call this being resourceful? Ena chuckled softly and settled deeply into the back of the seat.

She didn’t specifically tell Acel what to do or not to do. That was something to do after arriving in the town, not now. They hadn’t even started serious training yet.

Moreover, disturbing a reading mage is considered one of the forbidden actions that should not be done. Although Acel wasn’t a formal mage yet, she respected Acel, who was engrossed in the book with sparkling eyes.

“……”

“……”

Thus, silence flowed within the carriage. Only the occasional sound of turning pages could be heard. Ena gently closed her eyes and hugged her large hat, while Evelyn watched Ena’s reaction and quietly observed Acel.

“……Mm.”

Unlike Acel, Evelyn could not read. So she didn’t know the title of the book Acel was currently reading, nor was there any way to know its contents. However, she had just heard that Acel had become a mage’s apprentice, so she could guess that the book’s content was related to magic.

‘A mage’s apprentice.’

Evelyn suddenly had that thought and looked out the window. The wind blew coolly past the rapidly moving scenery.

She knew Acel had been different since he was young. But she never dreamed that it would be proof of his outstanding talent as a mage.

Of course, it was something to celebrate. An orphan born in a no-name mountain village becoming a mage’s apprentice. The fact that the protagonist of a story that might only appear in novels was her younger sibling filled Evelyn with joy and satisfaction.

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

‘Am I going to be a hindrance?’

Acel had told her. He couldn’t leave her alone in the slums, so he became an apprentice on the condition that they would go together. Evelyn felt grateful for those words, but inwardly, she also felt apologetic. The negative thought, wondering if she was getting in the way of his life, flashed through her mind.

“Don’t worry.”

At that moment, Ena’s voice was heard. Evelyn was startled and turned her head towards Ena. Ena, with one eye half-open, looked at Evelyn and parted her lips slightly.

“I understand what you’re thinking, but you don’t need to worry like that. I have no intention of just letting you play and eat without doing anything. That way might be better for you too, as you see that as being a bother, right?”

“……How did you know?”

“It was all written on your face.”

Ena smiled slightly and closed her eyes again.

“Anyway, I won’t treat you as a means to tie down our apprentice. And I’ll help you until you can truly stand on your own two feet, so don’t think strange thoughts and get along well with Acel. You’re old enough for that.”

“……Mage-nim.”

Evelyn looked at Ena with teary, moved eyes.

Maybe that’s what a mother is. Evelyn was so deeply moved by Ena that she unconsciously had such a thought.

Just how much experience did she have to possess such broad insight?

She entrusted herself to the wave of emotions washing over her, and unconsciously opened her mouth.

“How old are you, Mage-nim?”

“Evelyn.”

Ena’s eyes snapped open.

Evelyn immediately lowered her gaze.

A mage was indeed a mage.

***

The homeland of Great Mages, Weheim.

The place where Ena’s mansion is located, and the city of mages ruled by the Magic Alliance. A secluded place where only those granted entry are allowed to pass through and outsiders are thoroughly filtered out.

Ena explained the destination they were currently heading towards in that way.

“Getting entry permission is quite difficult. It’s relatively simple if you belong to a Magic Tower or the Witch Society, but it’s still difficult nonetheless. However, a mage affiliated with the Alliance can enter Weheim at any time.”

Magic Tower (魔塔), Witch Society (魔女會), Alliance (聯盟).

Acel tilted his head at the names of organizations he had never heard of before. Ena kindly explained them. Anyway, they were things he would have to know if he were to delve into magic.

“A Magic Tower is an organization where mages who research the same branch of magic gather.”

There exist many branches of attributes and schools in magic. Elemental magic alone is divided into fire, water, wind, and earth, and besides that, there were countless magics like pure school magic, lightning, gravity, and enchantment densely woven into magic society.

However, unlike the numerous branches of magic, the number of Magic Towers was surprisingly small. This meant that one Magic Tower did not exist for every single type of magic.

Just as there are mainstream and non-mainstream magic, those who primarily deal with non-mainstream magic reportedly form other organizations instead of necessarily establishing Magic Towers and share information among themselves. Even without that, because certain magics are handled only by specific organizations rather than Magic Towers, Magic Towers could not correspond one-to-one with every magic.

One type of magic treated in such a way was Lightning Magic. Passed down only within the Witch Society, Lightning Magic’s unique nature meant that a Magic Tower could not exist for it. The fact that Ena could use Lightning Magic was thanks to her affiliation with the Witch Society.

Hearing the word “Witch Society”, Acel asked a question that came to mind.

“Are there only women in the Witch Society?”

“It used to be that way, but not anymore. There are a few men too. Though there aren’t even ten of them.”

Ena said as she injected magic power into the carriage’s power source. The magic carriage, which operated silently using magic power, was continuously moving day and night because there was no need to worry about resting horses.

Ena glanced at the sky, which had somehow darkened, and continued speaking.

“Unlike Magic Towers, the Witch Society doesn’t handle only specific types of magic, but covers most types comprehensively. For example, the Lightning Magic I use, Bio-Flower Magic that handles flowers, Attunement Magic that controls emotions, and so on. Mages who handle unusual magics that aren’t easily seen are also distributed among us. There are also a few who handle Blood Contract Transmission Magic.”

You can learn things like that in the Witch Society, you see.

Ena continued speaking in that way and conjured lightning in her hand. The pure white lightning crackled and illuminated the inside of the carriage.

“Though I’m the only Lightning User right now.”

Rare magics were as difficult to learn as they were rare. Mages attempting Attunement Magic often went mad during the learning process, and Flower Magic could only be used by knowing biology, botany, and the influence of magic power on plants. Lightning Magic also had prerequisite conditions befitting its destructive power and might.

That was the reason why only Ena could currently handle Lightning Magic. Quite a few mages boldly challenged Lightning Magic, but every single one of them was consumed by their own lightning and died, turned to ash. The end of those who took the infamy of rare magic lightly was so tragic.

“There are two conditions for joining the Witch Society. Having a recommendation from a Witch Society Elder, or becoming an apprentice of a Witch Society affiliated mage. I was the former, and you, Acel, will be the latter.”

“……Am I affiliated with the Witch Society?”

“Yes. Congratulations. When we arrive at Weheim, let’s make your registration card first.”

Ena stroked Acel, who had a somewhat bewildered expression, and continued speaking.

“Lastly, the Alliance is… a bit unique. It’s a place where all sorts of mages gather. There are mages affiliated with Magic Towers, and mages affiliated with the Witch Society. There are also quite a few mages affiliated with organizations that aren’t widely known to the public.”

“……”

“This happens because of the Alliance’s unique nature. As long as you pass the entry examination, you become a member of the Alliance immediately, no matter where you are affiliated. You don’t even need to leave the organization you originally belonged to.”

So, dual affiliation is possible. Acel nodded his head.

“Master is also affiliated with the Alliance, right?”

“Yeah. But I didn’t take a separate exam. I just got in because they had a vacancy for a Great Mage position and begged me to join.”

“……”

“At first, it was annoying, but I found out that mages affiliated with the Alliance get surprisingly many benefits in Weheim. So, I’m living contentedly now.”

Ena added that the carriage she was currently riding in was also provided by the Alliance.

A carriage without horses. A privilege that only high-ranking mages of the Alliance could enjoy, and an item that had become a symbol among bandits that should absolutely not be touched. Acel realized that was why they hadn’t been attacked while passing through the night forest for a day after departing for Weheim.

“Anything else you’re curious about?”

In response to Ena’s question, Acel thought for a moment, then shook his head. The only other things he was curious about were related to magic. Since she said that would begin in earnest after arriving in Weheim, there was nothing more to ask about now.

Thus, the three of them continued heading towards Weheim, occasionally talking. Acel spent his time reading, asking Ena questions when something he didn’t understand came up, or chatting privately with Evelyn. And after another day passed, Acel woke up feeling the carriage suddenly come to a halt.

“Are you awake?”

Ena asked, putting on her large conical hat. Acel greeted her with a “Good morning,” then looked at Evelyn, who was asleep leaning against the wall. And then he pulled back the curtain he had drawn.

Swish.

When the curtain was removed, bright sunlight illuminated the inside of the carriage. Acel squinted his eyes at the light, then his mouth dropped open at the sight unfolding beyond the window.

“……Wow.”

Black castle walls erected as if to reach the sky. The immense amount of formulas and magic power fluctuations carved onto the surface were transmitted directly to Acel, who had faintly awakened to magic power.

A giant floating island in the sky and a long spire piercing it exactly. The colorful starlight hanging at its tip. Even the geometric patterns covering the sky.

Acel could not close his mouth at the spectacle of wonders he had never seen before.