After a week, a somewhat fixed routine had formed. I would wake at 5:30 in the morning, when all the other children from the orphanage were sound asleep. Breakfast was at eight, still a long way off.
But if I went to the dining hall, there was always bread and soup, still warm, waiting in a basket. I could only be grateful to the director. Even though I woke up early, I didn't have much time, so I hastily finished my meal and went outside.
"Uhm... Jern, hello."
"... Linmel?" - A girl I didn't usually see at this hour was awake.
Linmel, still rubbing her sleepy eyes, had a dark wooden sword hanging at her waist. It was a time when everyone should be sleeping, so I asked with a bewildered expression.
"I have somewhere to be for a bit. Why are you up so early?"
She drew the wooden sword with one hand, with a skill hard to believe for a ten-year-old, and swung it around while covering a yawn.
"They told me to do this, haaam..."
"The sword? Why?"
"I don't really know..."
With a groggy expression, Linmel headed towards the training hall. I was curious about what was going on, but I had a lot to prepare today. I decided to ask about Linmel later and checked the schedule I had swiped from the notice board (to be precise, I saw it and copied it down).
'There are six children’s classes today.' I'm going to listen to all of them. I put on the janitor's clothes I had hidden in the next building.
After Ms. Annelin tailored them, they now fit me perfectly. I went to the plaza a little early to prepare, and soon I saw my senior approaching in the distance with a sleepy walk. Always so early.
Though I'm earlier. My senior saw me sitting in front of the fountain, tilted his head, and asked.
"What's this, isn't it still early? Why have you been coming out so early these days?"
"If you start early, you finish early."
"... Uh, yeah, that's true. Smart kid."
I followed the senior, who was mumbling something about me being a promising kid, towards the academy. As soon as we arrived at the area that needed cleaning, I looked at my senior with bright, clear eyes. My senior studied me with a suspicious look, then warned me sternly.
"This time it's the north sector. You can't disappear like last time."
"Yes!"
"The restroom is inside, so use it if you need to."
"Yes!"
"Your answers... Anyway, be careful. You seem to be underestimating the academy. If you get caught doing something wrong here-" It seemed I had caused him a lot of worry after disappearing without a word last time, as my senior rambled on, cautioning me.
"Yes, I'll keep it in mind!"
"Good. Let's do a good job."
When I answered crisply, he seemed satisfied and turned back to clean his own area. For five minutes, I cleaned normally while scanning my surroundings. The moment I confirmed no one was around, I swept the floor with a current.
It was a familiar task. It didn't even take thirty seconds to gather the trash. And now, I didn't even need to throw it away.
"Let's see..."
Will it work. I gently brought my fingers together. The gathered trash very slowly began to float upwards.
To someone who didn't know, this magic would look like telekinesis. The truth was, I could now make things realize without having to touch them. I touch the currents to create a wave, and for the objects I touch, I make them realize they are in the sea, causing them to float.
These are the two kinds of magic I obtained in exchange for being born in the Deep Sea with the unavoidable fate of death. Nothing has changed even now. It's just that I can now make things carried by the currents realize as well.
An application of the two. I pushed the floating trash again and gathered it in front of the trash can. And when I took my hand off the currents— —Thud, thud, thud, the trash fell precisely into the trash can.
"Nice."
I dusted off my hands with a satisfied smile. It's not that useful. Heavy things sink, so I can only float miscellaneous trash with low density like that.
Even the floating is closer to just rising, so the speed is incredibly slow. If there's one advantage that isn't quite an advantage... It's that there's no end to it.
Once, I made something float and didn't let go of the current to see how high it would go. The last I saw of it was when it reached the clouds, then it disappeared from view.
So, perhaps...
On the assumption that this world is underwater, it seems I'm in a really, really deep part of the sea. A place so deep that it takes hours for a buoyant object to reach the surface. Of course, since it left my current, it must have fallen somewhere soon after.
"... Just my luck."
I couldn't help but feel a little anxious. Even though not much would change, I quickened my pace and headed to the children’s class where the lesson was about to start.
"Ahem, ahem..."
I was now used to pretending to be a janitor. The class hadn't started yet, so kids were running around, chattering and laughing, and I could hear the teacher struggling to control them. As I naturally swept and scrubbed the floor, the class began.
"Today, we're going to learn about the basic Illumination spell to light a lantern!"
"... Agh."
A dud.
I sighed and walked away. There's some time before the next class, so I should study on my own. I went to the back of an empty classroom, gathered some straw just in case, and made my 109th attempt.
I look at the straw and draw up my mana.
"Ignite." -Fshhh...
I sighed and looked down at the smoldering straw. I realized it in the last class, but as expected, it was no use. I might be able to learn other things, but I could absolutely never learn fire-type magic.
I could handle other elemental spells easily, but when it came to anything related to fire, I couldn't succeed at all. As for the reason... it's harder not to know. Fire doesn't ignite underwater.
In other words, there's no value in listening to this class. It's better to practice something else.
"Split." -Crack.
This time, as I looked down at the straw and muttered softly, the bundle of straw split in two as if cut by a knife. It's a wind-type magic I've been practicing intensively recently. If I compress it like this, I can even use it for an attack.
But that's not what I'm hoping for. Wind, of course, includes air. I thought it might be helpful in some way if the pressure of the Deep Sea took my breath away.
It might not be helpful at all when the time comes, but then I'll have to figure out another solution. For now, the important thing is to try everything. As I was studying wind magic, losing track of time for a while...
"...!"
Suddenly, I felt a chilling sensation.
A presence.
I immediately whipped my head around to look behind me. Fortunately, there was no one there.
"Phew..."
I definitely felt a gaze, but I guess it was my imagination. I let out a sigh of relief and gathered the straw. Destroying the evidence was the top priority.
I always have to remember this, but eavesdropping on classes is a clear crime. Of course, they wouldn't punish a real child like me. At worst, they'd spank me and ban me from entering.
But for me, being banned from the academy right now... meant that even my last struggle was over.
"... Just now, that kid..."
After listening to all the classes, I headed to the library. The existence of a mage whom I could actually ask questions was not something I could give up on just because it was a little unpleasant.
"What in the world did you do?"
Though I ended up being the one questioned instead. I struggled and broke free from Dersia, who was probing my body all over.
"I just did it. Now that I have a mana circle, isn't it not that strange?"
I held up my palm. A gentle wind blew, rustling the collar of my clothes. It's really not much of a magic.
Magic itself is amazing, but the most amazing thing is my own existence in the sea. Anyone can emit air from their palm. To be precise, the kids in the children's class I watched succeeded within fifteen minutes. ...
It took me twenty minutes. Dersia shook her head, as if that wasn't what she was talking about.
"Other mages live in this world, and you live in that world. No matter if you've manifested a mana circle, it makes no sense that you can learn so freely. You must be paying a price for it somewhere..."
Dersia looked me over with a curious gaze, like she was looking at a monkey whose nose was bigger than its hand. I focused on the unsettling word rather than her gaze, which was like she was looking at a zoo animal.
"Yes? A price?"
"Yes. It seems you have something in mind."
"Ah, yes. I found I can't gather mana in the normal way."
"What do you mean by that?"
"This... seawater? Should I call it that? I have to put it into my lungs and feel like I'm drowning for my mana to fill up."
"A dreadful method. But it is not the price. Rather, it is close to a blessing. Even though your mind is not yet accustomed to the world, you are still able to borrow the materials."
I couldn't just let that slide, so I protested vehemently.
"Wait, hold on. Ms. Dersia, you speak so carelessly. Have you ever tried drowning? It's really painful, you know? It's not a blessing."
"You'd be better off considering it fortunate. If your heart-realm had been a burning forest, the method for gathering mana might have been to scorch the skin of your entire body."
"..."
Her words were chilling because they were so persuasive. Dersia calmly observed me and continued.
"Jern, I do not know your heart-realm well. However, no world can escape the law of causality, so it would be wise for you to be aware of the price that will one day come."
"Couldn't I die from the pressure before that?"
"Hmm..."
After thinking deeply for a moment, Dersia replied.
"You've hit the nail on the head. That is also a rather high possibility."
"..."
I've felt this since last time, but she's the type who would rather die than offer empty words. I tried to hide my sigh and asked what I was curious about.
"I understand. More importantly, I can't seem to use fire magic at all. Is this normal?"
"Pardon? What do you mean by that."
Dersia asked with a bewildered face, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"No, it just doesn't work."
"That also makes no sense. You can use all other kinds of magic, so why not fire magic?"
"How can fire burn underwater?"
"How can wind blow underwater?"
"Well..."
I was at a loss for words. Of course, there are currents, but that's more the flow of water than wind. Even if a strong wind were to blow underwater, it would just turn into bubbles and rise...
Huh?
"You're right. Why can't I do it, really?"
"Hmm, we need to understand the problem. Would you try to manifest it once?"
"Ah, yes."
For the 110th time, I tried to conjure fire magic in my palm. -Fwoosh!
"... It works."
"... It works?"
As simply as lighting a gas stove, a small flame ignited, making the 109 failures seem meaningless. I stared stupidly, alternating my gaze between Dersia and the flame.
"Why does this work?"
"I apologize that I can only answer that it works because it works."
"..."
Heh.
I looked down at my palm and 'realized' something. Perhaps this being 'underwater'... Of course, it's very similar, but rather than actually being the deep sea— "Ah."
The moment the thought reached that point, I couldn't breathe.
"Ugh... kh, keoheok."
"What is wrong?"
Suddenly, the sensation of a heavy boulder crushing my entire body. An excruciating pain, like my whole body was bound tightly with ropes and being slowly wrung out, came instantly without any warning.
"...!"
Is this what they mean when they say you can't even scream when the pain is too great? Slowly, I knelt, slowly being crushed alive... My vision whitened, and then— "Oh no!"
Pop.
With the sound of something bursting, the flame in front of my eyes went out. Only then did I return to reality.
"Ugh, ugh-aaaaaaargh...!!!!!"
The pain that was beyond screaming transformed into a pain I could scream from. Dersia hurriedly snapped her fingers. Then, a pressure similar to before pressed down on my entire body.
Still, it was different from just now. I didn't feel any malice from it.
"Calm yourself. I am not trying to kill you. If you escape that pressure immediately, your body will be in danger. You must exit it more slowly, so endure it."
"..."
I nodded without a word. For five minutes, Dersia slowly applied pressure to my body. As the pressure lessened, my breathing became easier, and at some point, I felt so normal it was hard to believe I had almost died just moments ago.
"Haa, haa, cough! What the fuck was that?"
Having barely returned to my original state, I dry heaved and asked. Rather than my body hurting, I felt like my mind had been completely drained.
"First, calm yourself. You have just been between life and death, so you must not be in your right mind."
"... I understand."
I wiped my mouth, stood up, and brought a cloth to clean up what I had thrown up. Dersia looked at me with slightly surprised eyes.
"Hmm, your reaction is quite mild for someone who just came back from the dead."
"Because if I don't find out what just happened to me, I feel like I'll really die. I have to stay calm."
The fear of being able to burst and die in an instant, even in the safest place. It's incomparably more terrifying than a murderer chasing you with a knife. The fear went so far beyond that I became calm, as if doused with ice water.
Seeing my cold, composed expression, Dersia nodded slightly and continued.
"You were about to realize something just now."
"... Yes."
"It is forbidden. Do not continue that line of thought. And, never manifest fire-type magic again. Also, do not ever ask for the reason why. You are sharp, so I believe you understand my meaning."
"Yes."
"If you do that, you will likely be safe until the time comes. And, this is my personal opinion, but..."
Dersia answered with a faint smile.
"Saying you had no talent was my mistake. I retract it."
"Oh, really? Do I have a talent for magic?"
Getting excited after nearly dying was a bit much, but a 'you have talent' declaration from Dersia, one of the Empire's greatest mages, was quite impactful.
"No, you have no talent for magic."
"..."
"However, your talent as a mage is second to none."
Isn't that the same thing?
"I don't understand what you mean at all."
"You will understand one day."
Snapping her fingers to burn away the vomit on my clothes, Dersia murmured, amused.
"Though you must not know for now." ...
It was the first smile I had seen from her since we met.