Magic is a harsh discipline where nine parts talent and one part effort determine one's fate. And, unlike other talents, this one can be quantified. One need only look into the mana circle.
By observing the flow of its stars, even a mage of no great standing can see one's limits. Countless mages have already reached their preordained limits and could go no further. A few have surpassed them, but only by borrowing from forbidden techniques.
Amidst all this, Dersia saw that Jern's mana circle would not exceed three stars. When a limit is set, the speed at which one reaches it is also set. One destined to have nine stars becomes accustomed to magic at a speed three times faster than one destined for three...
For this reason, Dersia did not hold high expectations.
"It's certainly useful. Still-" Crash!!
Jern was slammed into the library wall once again, mid-sentence. She had made it so.
"Guhk..."
The building shuddered. Blood trickled from the nose of the convulsing Jern. His eyes were unfocused for a few seconds before he shook his head, regained his senses, stood up, and walked over.
Jern wiped his nose with a dissatisfied expression.
"... It's not hard enough to withstand the water pressure, though."
"... One cannot expect to be full from the first bite."
Dersia replied, hiding her near-astonishment.
"Remove is a simply constructed spell, built with the meaning, 'one can respond to what is known'. It is only a slight step beyond elemental spells. With this alone, you cannot survive in the Deep Sea."
That was true. But she hid something else that needed to be said. This speed is unnatural.
"Hmm, I see... Then let's go again."
Dersia sent the standing Jern flying once more. There was no mercy. The impact was just enough to not kill him.
This time, Jern’s arm was bent at a bizarre angle where he was slammed.
"... Keuk, that really hurts like hell..."
Dersia snapped her fingers, mending Jern's broken bones, and checked again. His mastery of Remove is near perfect in just one week. It felt like watching a piece of marble, carelessly thrown on the ground, being sculpted into a perfect statue.
I thought this before, but he has no talent for magic.
However.
"I can make it less painful."
"... Pardon?"
When she made the offer to Jern, who was staggering to his feet, he gave her a look as if she'd said something strange.
"That's not something you'd say, Master."
"Weren't you the one who said it was painful?"
"Well, that's true."
Jern shrugged and replied.
"But then it wouldn't be training, would it?"
As I said before, He has the talent of a mage. Dersia slowly raised the corners of her lips.
"Jern."
"Yes."
"Do you not hate me?"
"I do hate you a little. I do wonder if you had to choose this training method."
The eyes of Jern who said this were empty. Truly, she could not find a single trace of emotions like animosity or hatred. He does it because it must be done.
That was the feeling she got. '...
Perhaps.'
The reason Dersia had not taken a disciple until now was because it was bothersome. To be precise, she felt there was nothing to be gained from teaching children who would clearly never surpass her on the path of magic.
Teaching an elf might be different, but teaching a human child was pointless as they would certainly die before her, unable to even serve as a record of her knowledge. That was why her reason for taking Jern was more than just interest. It was because he would die soon anyway.
She would do her best to save him, of course. There would be facts to gain in the process. But in the end, it couldn't be stopped.
A year at most, any longer would be difficult. That was Dersia's assessment, and after weighing the options, she had accepted him as her disciple. 'Was I mistaken?'
Watching Jern, who had crashed again, stagger to his feet, she wore a bitter expression. ... It seemed she would have to spend more than a year on him.
On the day of the exam. Riding in the carriage, I asked a question that puzzled me.
"Why do we have to take a carriage? Can't you just use that teleportation you're so good at?"
"No." "Why not?"
Dersia rested her chin on her hand with an annoyed expression. She wore a hat and a black veil to hide her ears, and I could feel her sincere desire to not be recognized.
"Because I have to observe that damned thing called etiquette."
What was that supposed to mean? Dersia looked uncomfortable, so I didn't press her further. Instead, I practiced my magic.
"Remove."
As I softly uttered the command, I felt like I was dreaming. All my senses grew faint. According to Dersia, it was complete, at least when it came to elemental spells.
I hadn't activated my heart-realm recently, so I didn't know how effective it would be in the Deep Sea, but I could at least fend off all the basic pressure. It was a huge leap forward. I looked at Dersia with a wide grin.
"... What is it?"
"I'm just suddenly happy. Should I give you a kiss?"
"Tsk, and what about that talk of breaking Imperial law?"
As we were having this silly conversation, the carriage stopped. And as soon as I got out, an unbelievable sight met my eyes.
"... What is all this?"
"Quite a crowd has gathered."
Behind the building where the carriages were parked, there were literally hundreds of them. As I stood there, bewildered by a scene reminiscent of a modern baseball stadium parking lot, Dersia got out and answered as if it were nothing.
"Didn't I say it was the End‑of‑Term Combat Exam?"
"Come to think of it, it's not the end of the term."
"It is. For some people."
"...?"
I would soon find out what she meant. On the way to the waiting room, I saw countless nobles in flamboyant clothes comforting their children.
"Your Ice Spear can kill a bull, so please fight with consideration for your opponent."
"Yes!"
"I'll leave first place to you, my son!"
"Of course!"
So far, so good. Except the children all looked several years older than me. A sense of unease began to creep up on me.
"Um... excuse me..."
"Yes?"
"Isn't this the children’s class exam?"
"It's the youth division. This is where children between the ages of thirteen and fifteen participate."
"Ah, I thought so. Ice is one of the more advanced—wait, no, more importantly, am I really supposed to be able to get first place?"
Fifteen years old. A young age, to be sure. But for a mage, it meant at least five years of training.
I had only trained for a few months. I shouldn't be in the same league. When I asked with that sentiment, Dersia scoffed as if I was worrying over nothing.
"I can assure you that five hours of my lessons are more valuable than five years of a noble's education. Put your worries aside and just go win."
"Uhm... if you say so."
"And, Jern, you are-" "Yes?"
Dersia looked at me for a moment, then shook her head.
"It's nothing."
After taking me to the waiting room, Dersia saw the children around us interacting with their parents.
"My proud son, come here! Let me give you a big hug!"
"Yes!"
Watching the scene, she pressed her temples as if she had a headache.
"Well... um, should I hug you too?"
"No, thanks. I think you can just go."
"I shall do that."
Dersia left with a much-relieved expression. I sat in a corner of the waiting room so as not to draw attention and practiced Remove. Until an event staff member came in and called out the names.
"Torgin of the Tylers family, and, Mr. Jern?"
"Here! Wait, what?"
"Yes."
Hearing that, I slowly rose from my seat. In an instant, all eyes in the waiting room turned to me, as if something that shouldn't be there was. Why are they acting like this?
"What, what the. That's him. Dersia's disciple..."
"The kid who rescued the abducted children and received a reward...?"
"No way, I heard he was ten? Why is he here?"
I didn't know either. I looked at the red-haired boy called Torgin, who was frozen in place, and extended my hand.
"Let's have a good match."
"Uh, yeah..."
Torgin shook my hand with a terrified look on his face. I could feel him trembling from here. ...
Seriously, why?
Shouldn't it be, 'Awesome, a 10-year-old opponent.
Easy win.'?
As we walked down the corridor, I politely asked Torgin, who was walking stiffly and glancing at me nervously.
"Forgive a commoner for speaking to you. I have a question."
"N-no! It's fine, it's fine! You can ask!"
He was a whole head taller than me, but he was freaking out. I asked as carefully as possible so as not to startle him further.
"I've only been training recently, so I'm not up to date, but it feels like everyone knows me. How did you hear about me?"
"What do you mean...? You really don't know why?"
Torgin asked back with a bewildered expression. When I nodded, he answered hesitantly.
"You're Lady Dersia's disciple..."
"That's true, but it's only been a few months since I became her disciple, and the reaction seems a bit strong."
"Y-you know that Lady Dersia refused to become the princess's master, right?"
"Yes."
"Do you not know how she refused?"
Suddenly, I had a very bad feeling.
"... I do not."
"The princess took her before the Regeneration Stone, melted it all at once, and said that since her talent was this great, she should be taken as a disciple-" "And?"
"She refused, saying, 'What's so great about melting a lump of rock?'..."
For my Master, that was a mild way of refusing. Though maybe not for the one on the receiving end. No wonder the Imperial Knights were so hostile.
As I was marveling at Dersia's overwhelming social skills, a trembling Torgin continued.
"S-so... that means your talent surpasses that of the princess..."
"No, it doesn't. Absolutely not."
I cut him off quickly before I got caught in the crossfire.
"Huh, why?"
"Well, you see... I'm actually Dersia's biological son. I didn't get in with talent, but through family connections."
"... Huh??"
"It's not that I have any particular talent. I would appreciate it if you could spread that rumor. Oh, and also that I deeply respect the princess."
Torgin, though surprised, nodded his head fervently. I'll explain to Dersia later. This was better than having the princess see me as a rival.
With a sigh, I headed to the exam area. It was a wide, open field, shaped like a baseball stadium with seats for spectators, but there were fewer people than the number of carriages suggested. It seemed this was something like a preliminary round.
When Torgin went to his side, a middle-aged man saw me and quickly took Torgin to the opposite side. I could hear some quiet conversation. I wasn't supposed to use it, but a little bit of Tide Sense should be fine, right?
I used the currents to deduce the content of their conversation.
[Son, forfeit immediately! That boy is Dersia's disciple!]
[I-I heard that too. But I think it'll be okay...]
[What?! Why?]
[Well... he's just ten years old. He's still young, I think I can win.]
[No, that's-] I cut it off there.
Did my conversation give him confidence? Well, if I can't even pass the preliminaries, I don't deserve to be here. After a short wait, Torgin, having gained a bit of confidence, walked out with a slightly stiff expression.
The knight referee in a white-feathered hat looked at Torgin and asked.
"Are you ready?"
"... Yes!"
Torgin immediately began to draw upon his mana. The flow of the wind began to change.
"I understand your enthusiasm, but please calm down first and put this necklace on."
"Ah, yes."
Torgin put on a necklace with a red gem as if it were a matter of course, and I received an identical one and asked.
"What is this?"
"It has three jewels embedded in it that will break in your stead if you take a shock. If all are destroyed, you are considered defeated."
"Any further attacks will be considered a crime, so be careful."
Oho.
It made sense. Nobles couldn't afford to get critically injured over a mere exam. Once we had the necklaces on, the referee declared in a solemn tone.
"Both sides, to your positions!"
We stood about thirty meters apart. I used the currents to briefly scan Torgin's necklace.
"...?"
Torgin scratched the back of his neck with an itchy expression. I can't use it. I sealed it completely and took my stance.
"Ready... Begin!"
"Hahhh!! Blow!!!!"
As soon as the match started, a fierce wind raged. It wasn't just wind. It was sharp.
It was on a different level from me, who could only manage a single stream of wind. Dozens of streams of wind were organically intertwined, grinding away at my skin like a blender. So this is five years.
I was genuinely impressed.
"You're amazing."
"... Wh-what??"
Torgin looked at me in bewilderment. Seeing that I was completely fine, he seemed incredibly surprised and looked down at his own hands before gritting his teeth. It was getting to the point where my basic Remove was having trouble holding up.
I could feel the jewel on my necklace shaking. Taking one step forward, I recited the command.
"Remove."
Remove: Wind.
All my mana concentrated on resisting the elemental spell, the wind, and in an instant, the shaking of the jewel stopped. I walked slowly toward Torgin.
"... Eek! Don't come here!"
The form of the wind changed. It wasn't trying to tear and cut me, but to push me back. It was similar to the method with currents that I often used.
But it couldn't stop me from walking.
"What, how...?"
Torgin was genuinely flustered as he watched me endure the pressure and walk within arm's reach in an instant. I shrugged and answered.
"I've gotten used to walking while enduring things, since I've been walking 1,230,000 steps every day recently."
"...?"
"Hup."
I didn't give the dazed Torgin a punch in the face... Instead, I flicked the jewels on his necklace, shattering them. Even if it wouldn't hurt, I didn't want to be criticized for such an act.
Flick, flick, flick.
"... Huh."
Torgin couldn't even react.
"Twenty-three seconds, Jern... is the victor."
As the jewels turned to dust and vanished, the dazed referee declared my victory.
"It was a good duel. Thank you."
"... R-right."
I shook hands with Torgin and left the exam grounds. I might just be able to win this, I thought.
On the highest terrace, with a commanding view of the arena. The nobles who had just been watching the match frowned and made comments.
"Isn't that... body-reinforcement techniques? What a vulgar skill."
"I had high expectations since he was Dersia's disciple, but my. It seems he didn't even use magic."
The nobles who said so were truly disparaging Jern. In reality, he hadn't shown any magic at all. All he did was endure with his body and then break the necklace with his hand.
In their midst, however, a fifteen-year-old girl sitting on a chair woven with golden thread remained silent.
"If he's going to do that, he should just enter a knight's tournament."
"I heard he was forced to participate despite not being old enough."
"Since when did we have to be mindful of an elf? Tsk."
Amidst the escalating criticism- "Ha." The princess, Lumia, laughed.
"Do you really think so? You flock of fools."
At her words, the nobles fell silent. In the quiet, Lumia rested her chin on the armrest of her chair and twirled a lock of her blood-red hair as she muttered.
"I didn't think he would learn ordinary magic, but..."
A form close to rejection. It was on a different path from elemental spells. It meant that at ten years old, he had already moved on to the next stage...
"How interesting."
At first, she had been a little resentful. How dare she reject her, only to take in a mere commoner. So she had intended to teach him a little lesson.
But, upon closer inspection, he was a gem that shone brighter than she thought. She thought about what she had been doing when she was ten. 'I was barely learning elemental spells, wasn't I...'
Considering that, Dersia's judgment made some sense.
But.
"That is that, and this is this."
She acknowledged that he was impressive. But, he was far from enough. This much was not reason enough for him to be the one chosen after she was rejected.
Lumia, in a languid tone, snapped her fingers and commanded her classmates as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Go and bring the organizer of this competition."