When I thought about it carefully, the condition Dersia had set for me to persuade her was difficult to understand. Make yourself known. Let news of me reach your ears.
Wasn't that too vague? If I had to explain it, it meant I should be a crane among chickens. ...
But how?
The story would be simpler if I were a cadet. It would just be a matter of proving my abilities. But my job at the academy was a janitor.
A janitor trainee, at that. And an orphan, to top it all off. It meant that if I proved my abilities, by the time the news reached Dersia's ears, many things could happen.
For example, what if Hyuins, who was throwing a goddamn fit just because a noble like Elysia couldn't use magic, found out that a commoner, an orphan, a janitor, could? Hmm, no matter how positively I thought about it, it didn't seem like anything good would come of it.
And in this state, news of me had to reach the ears of the Empire's greatest mage. There was no greater absurdity. '... It must be part of the test.'
Of course, there was no way Dersia hadn't thought of such things. It must mean that if I wanted to become her disciple, I had to prove my worth in more than just magic. Then I had to do it.
There were no other options.
"... I've written it all down."
"Thank you."
I re-read the contract that Elysia had diligently drafted in a notebook on the bench. There were three points. I would make it seem like she had manifested the magic she wanted during the job experience event.
After that, she would arrange a private meeting with her father for me. And there, she would praise me.
"Is it all right if you don't add that I will teach you magic?"
It must be what she wanted most. When I asked, Elysia scoffed as if it was absurd.
"You just need to get me through the job experience event safely, you know? I'm not hoping for something like that."
"... Let me tell you one thing in advance. Lady Elysia, you have already manifested magic."
"What? I have?"
"Yes. However, compared to other people's magic..."
It was similar to mine. I didn't actually say those words. It would only make her anxious.
And it was just similar, she probably wasn't a fallen one. The girl blinking her large eyes looked perfectly fine. Seeing that there was no pressure on her, she was clearly different from me.
Even that Dersia had said she had never seen another case.
"It is a somewhat separate class of magic."
"... Thanks, even if you're just saying it."
Elysia replied, her face relaxing slightly. Seeing her lukewarm expression, she probably thought I was trying to comfort her. Let her think what she wanted.
In any case, after the job experience event was over and I persuaded her father, I would immediately take her to Dersia to find out what kind of mechanism this was. I had to do it for my own sake as well. Whether she was moved or not, I asked for the details.
"Could you tell me more about this job experience event."
"It's nothing special, just a trip for fun. But the entire children's class goes together, and there's an annual event where we show our progress on the Regeneration Stone."
"Regeneration Stone?"
What was that?
"It's a stone that regenerates infinitely. We use magic on it to show everyone how much we can chip away."
"Anyway, everyone's about the same since it hasn't been long since they had the divine fever, and they said it's just to find a very small number of talented ones."
"Why would they do something so brutish?"
"In the founding myth, there's a legend that the first Emperor melted the entire stone when he was ten, and it took ten years for it to regenerate again. Don't you know?"
"This is the first I'm hearing of it."
I only just found out there was something called a founding myth. If I were to compare it to Korea, was it something like a trial of eating mugwort and garlic? Anyway, I understood that it had some deep meaning and why Elysia had been so crestfallen.
If she missed even an event like this, she would definitely be branded an underachiever. But now she had me. I asked confidently.
"You can count on me. Where is the location."
"Roxpell Canyon. Do you know it?"
"... That's far."
"Really? It takes less than two hours by carriage."
Was it a carriage pulled by a dragon or something?
"It's pulled by an earth dragon."
"I... see. I understand. We'll have to leave at least a day in advance, so I would appreciate it if you could come and give me a heads-up before then."
"Huh? It's tomorrow."
"... Pardon?"
Thinking I had misheard, I looked at Elysia.
"Tomorrow?"
"Y-yeah. That's why I was complaining to you."
Elysia nodded with a slightly intimidated expression. This was a problem. With a normal carriage, I would only arrive at dawn.
"... Could I perhaps borrow that carriage pulled by an earth dragon."
"I don't think so, I'm supposed to ride with my friend in my carriage."
"You have a friend?"
"I have a... a few."
Then there was no time to be sitting around. I hurriedly stood up from the bench and bowed my head deeply.
"I understand. Then I will see you at the canyon tomorrow. I'll be in your care."
"Uh... can you make it?"
"You don't have to worry."
I grinned.
"I have a secret weapon."
For all my confidence, I got completely fleeced.
"Thank you, customer!"
"..."
The smiling carriage driver left me behind and departed. I could hear his humming even from here. Well... he must have felt like he hit the jackpot, getting paid this much just for carrying a single child.
With a sour expression, I shoved my half-empty pouch into my backpack and sighed. There was nothing that couldn't be done with money. For example, there were things like bullet carriages that could deliver important cargo in an instant.
Of course, the price was ridiculous, but it was something I had to endure.
"Let's see..."
I entered the entrance of the canyon, which was bustling with people even though the sun was already setting. Then, a large man managing the entrance stopped me.
"Hey kid, you have to pay an entrance fee to get in."
"..."
I got ripped off again. Since I had to come back tomorrow, I would be paying twice. Still, I had to do it.
I needed to check in advance where I could hide and use magic. It had been unusually crowded from the outside, but once I entered, there were far, far too many people. It felt like I had come to an amusement park on Children's Day.
As I struggled to look at the map, I saw that the Regeneration Stone was high up.
"Hah..."
Seeing the people packed onto the bridge leading up to the Regeneration Stone made me feel sick.
"Hey, why are there so many people here?"
"It's closed for two days starting tomorrow, isn't it? For the noble kids' field trip."
Listening to the complaints of people who thought like me, I understood why it was so packed. It was an already popular ruin, and since it would be inaccessible for a while, everyone must have flocked here today. What could I do?
I took a deep breath and pushed my way into the human tide.
"Excuse me... just a moment... I need to get through..."
I barely escaped the crowd. The path to the Regeneration Stone was surprisingly quiet. Well, there was a fire show going on below.
If commoners who couldn't even learn magic were in their right minds, they would go see something like that rather than a lump of rock with just one legend about it. Indeed, when I reached the Regeneration Stone, there was only me and a few couples. I looked up at it, slightly surprised.
"Hmm. It's big."
The Regeneration Stone was a truly massive jade stone. Was it about three meters tall? Its bluish glow certainly seemed to be caused by something magical.
It was fascinating, but I wasn't particularly impressed. I couldn't break it now anyway. First, I scanned the surroundings.
There were more places to hide than I expected. All of them were within magic range. 'This should be enough...'
Just then, I found a small burrow nearby that looked like it had been dug by a fox. I pushed my foot in first, and it went in easily. I could fit my entire upper body inside.
As a test, I stayed in the burrow and lightly touched the Regeneration Stone with wind magic. -Kakak. A small fragment was chipped off. It worked very well.
It was visible, but not easily found even if someone was looking for it. I was unlikely to be discovered by someone not paying attention. This was why scouting in advance was important.
As I stood up with a satisfied expression- A voice I'd never heard before called out to me.
"Ah~ hey there. I'd like to ask for directions."
"...?"
Without turning around, I strengthened my Tide Sense. ... It was faint. So faint that I hadn't noticed him approaching until he was right behind me.
What was with this guy?
"Excuse me? Hey, you there. Kid."
"... Ah, are you talking to me?"
Still, it wasn't something to overreact about. I didn't know his methods, but he didn't seem to have any hostile intent toward me. When I turned my head, I saw a tall, handsome man with red hair.
Flawless, fair, and clear skin with a handsome face. He looked like a first-rate knight, and his rough voice and frivolous tone didn't suit him. He scratched his head and asked with a troubled expression.
"Yeah. It's nothing big, but do you know where the Regeneration Stone is? The Regeneration Stone. I heard it's around here."
"I think it's that over there."
I pointed to the jade stone a short distance away. The man looked dumbfounded, as if he hadn't expected it to be so close.
"... What, that's it? It's damn smaller than I thought. Thanks."
"Don't mention it."
Even while we were talking, I continued to scan the man with my Tide Sense. It was truly faint. If I wasn't seeing him with my own eyes, it would be hard to believe he was even there.
At this level, it would be difficult to even grasp him with the currents. 'It's probably nothing, but...' Something felt unpleasant.
Just as I was about to leave the spot, the man, who seemed to have thought of something, called out to me again.
"Ah. But can I ask you one more thing?"
"What is it?"
The man asked as casually as if he were asking what time it was.
"Are you a mage by any chance?"
"..."
I didn't panic. Instead, I laughed heartily and expressed my thanks.
"Do I look that wealthy? It feels good to hear, though. Unfortunately, I'm a commoner."
"Ah, really...? Tsk... Weird."
The man smacked his lips and looked me over.
"I just got that kind of feeling."
The moment the man turned his head, I grabbed whatever pills I had on hand in my upper pocket and chewed them all down. It was to prepare for what I was about to do and the price that would follow.
"... Keuk."
The taste of the pills was hellish, and I covered my mouth to keep from vomiting, raising my Tide Sense to its absolute maximum to observe the man. The pressure was immediate. My vision grew darker, and my body began to constrict.
But my perception changed. Tide Sense, which had been like discerning shapes by touch with my eyes closed, transcended to a higher dimension. All the seawater became my eyes.
In my current state, I could feel even a single strand of the man's hair. Of course, I didn't let my guard down. The moment he showed even the slightest hint of hostility toward me, I would crush him with water pressure.
And then run. It took about thirty seconds for the man to walk to the Regeneration Stone. It was a thirty seconds that felt like thirty years, but in the end, nothing happened.
He never once looked back. Was I just overreacting on my own? Still, it was a relief that it ended there.
Drenched in sweat, just as I was about to relax completely.
[Tsk, I thought I could get some work done early, but I was barking up the wrong tree.]
The movement of his lips conveyed that message.