episode_0007

From the next day onward, there were no more instances of being forced to cast magic haphazardly like on the first day.

The first day had apparently carried a strong sense of competency evaluation.

Starting from the second day, we solidly began learning the foundational theories of magic, covering various topics.

The history of magical power.

Basic understanding of magical energy.

Application and advanced uses of magic.

Magical tools powered by magic and real-life applications of magical energy.

And so on.

‘There’s too much to learn.’

It felt like too much for a seven-year-old to absorb, but perhaps because of the mental endurance I’d built from my past life as a student cramming for exams, I somehow managed to push through.

Unlike me, Her Highness the Princess seemed to be continuously struggling with the difficult material.

-Hngg, hngg.

She was always groaning beside me.

The tasks the Master assigned must have been quite challenging.

‘Is it really that hard?’

Occasionally, when I tried following along out of curiosity—

-Zing.

I’d succeed immediately.

‘Whoops.’

Feeling guilty, I’d glance at the Princess, only to be met with—

-Glare. Glare.

The Princess’s snake-like eyes piercing into me.

‘Sorry…!’

I was just curious!

At times like these, I desperately played the innocent seven-year-old card.

“Oooh… I-I just got lucky~.”

“…”

-Glareglareglare.

Haha.

The Princess’s glare only intensified, but I genuinely had no idea why.

‘Seven-year-olds don’t understand these things.’

Still, they say kids grow by bickering, so my relationship with the Princess must be improving, right?

Yeah. It must be.

It has to be.

‘Grow up strong and become part of my network, Princess.’

Surely she wouldn’t hold a grudge over childhood pettiness, right?

As I continued learning magic from the Master, a problem arose.

‘This stuff… seems unnecessary for me.’

The most frequent lessons were on magic circles.

Since each spell required a unique magic circle, memorizing them all was a massive undertaking.

But when I tried casting, I realized I didn’t actually need the circles to make magic work.

‘Does that mean magic circles are pointless?’

When I voiced this thought to the Master, she responded:

“Of course, Serena, as a genius, you can cast spells without knowing the circles.”

-But!

Placing her hands on her hips, the Master adopted a stern expression.

“You need to recognize magic circles to identify and counter an opponent’s spells.”

-Now do you understand why you must learn them?

Hmm.

Well, I get the reasoning, but…

‘I’m not planning to become a mage, though?’

I won’t need to counter spells, Master.

Sure, I might encounter a mage someday, but…

‘Do I really have to memorize all these circles just for that?’

No matter how I looked at it, pursuing my dream was my top priority.

So I came up with another excuse.

“Master, I think I’d rather focus on refining my control over my magical energy.”

I leveraged one of the Master’s own teachings: “The more precise your control, the greater the mage you become.”

Fortunately, it worked.

“How could you have such a brilliant idea…!”

Thankfully, the Master tearfully approved.

Phew.

More time passed.

As I continued studying in the Magical Tower, I realized something.

Magic’s applications were far more versatile than I’d imagined.

Especially here in the Violet Tower, where much of the research seemed relevant to my goals.

The Violet Tower specialized not only in memory-related studies but also in the field of human emotions.

After some contemplation, I thought I could make use of this.

‘What if I blend magic into music to amplify emotions?’

There were already spells that amplified emotions, but most had extreme effects.

They were mostly used to provoke opponents by intensifying their feelings.

And since influencing emotions wasn’t easy, their range was often limited.

The stronger the emotional manipulation, the harder the spell, and thus the narrower its scope.

But me?

I didn’t need to amplify emotions to that extent.

And most importantly, moving people’s hearts was already music’s specialty.

‘I’d just lightly infuse magic into the emotions music already stirs, enhancing the effect.’

Like seasoning in food.

Unfortunately, the tower had no instruments to test this, but it seemed entirely possible.

‘Right. So my goal here is clear.’

Reconstruct and materialize the various instruments from my memories,

and reach a level where I can play multiple instruments simultaneously.

I tried materializing a piano right away, but it wasn’t easy.

-Hngg, hngg.

‘Why is this so hard…!’

I could recreate the piano’s form,

but playing it was impossible.

‘Is it just a hollow replica?’

I’m no instrument maker—how would I know its inner workings?

‘Can’t I at least mimic the sounds?’

I tried that too, but even producing the notes with magic was difficult.

“Eek, eek…!”

“Serena…? What are you doing…?”

“M-Master….”

I often got caught mid-struggle, pretending nothing was wrong.

‘This is bad.’

The day I had to return home was approaching.

‘I promised Mom I’d show results…!’

At this rate, my original plan—”Materialize a piano and play a song”—was in danger of failing.

I kept grinding away every day.

Then, on the one-month anniversary of my arrival at the tower:

“Serena, oh? Did you not sleep well?”

“M-Masterrr. It just kinda happened….”

“Hehe, you must be excited about going home.”

“Haha….”

I’d failed.

To the Master, I probably looked like a kid giddy about returning home,

but in reality, I felt like a grad student who’d failed their thesis, facing their professor empty-handed.

‘Sorry, Mom…!’

I’ll show you next time…!

The journey home was long and arduous.

Luckily, the weather was good, so we arrived in a day and a half.

Familiar streets.

Familiar houses.

And… a familiar mansion.

As my home came into view, my heart began to race.

-Thump, thump.

Whether I’d achieved my goal or not,

one thing was certain.

“Home is nice….”

Lost in sentimentality, I felt the Master’s hand pat my head.

-Pat, pat.

“That’s a wonderful thing. Having a place to return to.”

Her eyes looked somewhat sad as she said this.

“You might not understand yet, since you’re still young.”

“Master, by any chance…”

“Huu, you’re right.”

She had a story.

When I glanced at her with sympathetic eyes, she continued with a bitter smile.

“I… can’t go home.”

“Ah….”

“…My father opposed me becoming a mage.”

Ah.

A parent-child conflict.

I listened more intently.

“He knew I’d shown talent since childhood but wanted me to live an ordinary life.”

“I see….”

“So, the year I came of age…”

Her expression turned solemn.

“…I took some money from home and ran away.”

“…No wonder you can’t go back.”

“Pretty much.”

Damn it, give me back my emotions!

I was fully immersed until now!

Seeing my dumbfounded face, the Master chuckled playfully.

“Hehe. You seemed too tense, so I thought I’d share.”

“So it was a lie?”

“Oh, look—your parents are here to greet you.”

Dodging the question, she gave me a light push.

-Tap.

“Go on. Show your loving parents their daughter is perfectly fine.”

“Kay.”

I hopped off the carriage and dashed toward my parents.

-Pitter-patter.

I expected Mom, but Dad was there too.

Usually so stoic, he must have been worried about me after all.

Running up, I spread my arms and hugged Mom tightly.

“Mom!”

“Serenaaaa!!!”

Huh?

Her reaction was a bit off.

“Do you know how worried I’ve been I couldn’t sleep at night or eat properly what if you got hurt how would I—”

“Eep.”

Now that I looked, Mom’s eyes seemed strange.

‘Are her pupils shaking…?’

Then I noticed Dad.

He looked haggard.

Dark circles like he hadn’t slept.

A sigh of relief.

With eyes on the verge of tears, he approached me.

“Serena… I’m so, so glad you’re safe….”

Dad….

‘Just how much did Mom put you through?’

I could picture the scene after I left.

Mom sighing weakly every day.

Dad restless, watching her.

Being the devoted husband he was, he must have tried everything to cheer her up.

To no avail, of course.

Understanding his plight, I patted his back.

“You’ve been through a lot, Dad….”

“Th-Thank you, my girl… Sniff.”

Dad finally shed a few tears and hugged me tightly.

“You really are an angel, sniff!”

But Dad.

‘You know I’m going back in a few days, right?’

Meanwhile, Mom kept muttering as she inspected every inch of me.

“My beautiful daughter better not have a single scratch no way she would I raised her right if there’s even a tiny wound I’ll storm that tower myself—”

‘Oh boy.’

I… will be able to return to the tower, right…?