Chapter – 08
A Bad Feeling Comes True!?
“W-What… do you mean?”
Still half-slid off my chair, I couldn’t help asking.
The white-bearded old man nodded thoughtfully, though he looked strangely amused.
“There are almost no records of a person’s innate magical power increasing after birth.”
“…What?”
My heart skipped a beat.
Then what exactly was happening to me?
Why had my magical power been growing every single day?
“I’m not saying it’s impossible.”
“There may have been mages in the past who unconsciously increased their own magic.”
“But at the very least…”
“I’ve never met one.”
Master Caleb chuckled merrily.
I could only twitch awkwardly.
“On top of that…”
“You possess the Gift of Mystic Sight.”
“The Gift of… Mystic Sight?”
“It’s your eyes.”
He pointed gently toward them.
“They are eyes capable of visually perceiving everything related to magic.”
“A mage born with that gift appears perhaps once every several hundred years.”
“So… ordinary people can’t see what I see?”
“Exactly.”
“Anyone can see phenomena created by magicāflames, flowing water, lightning.”
“But before magic takes physical form…”
“No one can perceive it with ordinary sight.”
“Mages instead train another sense altogether.”
“Wooow…”
The sound escaped my lips without thinking.
“So… even you can’t see these jewels?”
I pointed to my chest.
Master Caleb slowly shook his head.
“I know that’s where a person’s magical source resides.”
“But I cannot see its form.”
“Then… you can’t tell how much magic is stored there either?”
“I cannot.”
So my ability to see the jewel inside someone’s chest…
And estimate exactly how much magical power it contained…
Was an extraordinarily rare talent.
“Teaching magic to someone blessed with gifts such as yours…”
He smiled wryly.
“I’m afraid it’s a burden even I may not be able to shoulder.”
“Please don’t say that.”
“At least teach me the basics.”
“Hmm…”
“I want to learn how to use magic!”
Master Caleb pondered for a while before finally nodding.
“Very well.”
“I should at least teach you the foundations.”
“…Then, when the time comes…”
“I shall invite teachers worthy of instructing you.”
As he spoke, he lowered his eyes toward the floor.
Then…
Warm lights slowly drifted upward.
Tiny glowing motes floated gently through the room before quietly fading away.
“Hmm.”
“It seems everyone agrees.”
“Everyone?”
There were only two people in the room.
Master Caleb simply smiled.
“When the time comes…”
“You’ll meet them.”
And so…
With yet another mystery left unanswered…
My lessons with Master Caleb officially began.
Several weeks after my lessons had started…
That scheming little…
Al…
came to visit again.
This time, however, he wasn’t alone.
He and his mother would be staying at our mansion for several days.
(Father and Duke Forsten are both leaving on business, so they’re staying here until they return…)
(But why here?!)
(And because Al’s here, Master Caleb canceled my lessons!)
Complaining inwardly wouldn’t change anything.
Father had already decided.
Meanwhile, our mothers seemed to be close friends.
They happily embroidered together while chatting.
Which meant…
The children were expected to entertain one another.
So Al and I had been left together in the nursery.
He peered over my shoulder at the introductory magic theory book I’d borrowed from the library.
Immediately, he frowned.
Apparently…
He hated studying.
“You’re already learning magic?”
“My teacher said I should start early.”
“As expected of House Rosenford.”
“I only just started practicing with a wooden sword.”
Both Al and I had only recently turned three years old.
Honestly…
It did seem rather early to begin learning either magic or swordsmanship.
“I can’t wait to use a real sword.”
“And I want to learn magic too!”
His cheeks flushed slightly as he mimed swinging a sword.
The childish gesture made me smile despite myself.
(Even if he’s two-faced… he’s still just a kid.)
The moment he noticed my expression…
He suddenly looked embarrassed and glanced away.
“I don’t mean that like some little kid!”
“I mean I want to start hunting monsters already!”
Either way…
It was exactly the sort of thing a little boy would say.
I couldn’t help smiling.
Monsters…
Were magical creatures that inhabited this world.
Human magic and magical swordsmanship had both developed for the purpose of defeating them.
That was also why our fathers had gone away.
A powerful monster had reportedly appeared in the Great Western Forest on the outskirts of the capital.
They’d gone to subjugate it.
(Still…)
(If it required the heads of two of the Four Great Ducal Houses…)
(It must be an incredibly powerful monster.)
The thought lingered in my mind.
(…I hope nothing happens.)
The uneasy feeling I experienced then…
Came true three nights later.
It happened in the middle of the night.
I suddenly woke up.
Something…
Felt wrong.
(What…?)
My heart pounded violently.
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
Every instinct screamed…
Something was happening.
I sat up and looked around.
At the far corner of my room…
The small night lamp flickered.
Thenā
Snap!
The flame vanished.
The bedroom was swallowed by complete darkness.
At that exact instant…
Every hair on my body stood on end.
“Who’s there?!”
I shouted instinctively.
There was no answer.
Objectively speaking…
Nothing had happened except the lamp going out.
But…
I knew.
(Something has entered the mansion!)
I jumped out of bed and hurried toward the bedside cabinet.
Feeling around in the darkness…
My fingers found the lamp.
Then I searched the drawer until I found a box of matches.
I struck one.
Nothing.
“It won’t light…!”
I could clearly feel the match scraping.
Yet no flame appeared.
“…Magic.”
There was no doubt.
Even now…
Something prickling and oppressive filled the room.
It was magical energy.
Someone had used magic…
To steal all light from the mansion.
Until that spell was broken…
No light could exist inside these walls.
I swallowed.
“It’s a monster.”
A monster had come.
That should have been impossible.
The capital wasn’t protected merely by its massive walls.
Powerful protective magic also surrounded it.
Monsters weren’t supposed to be able to enter.
Our mansion itself possessed equally powerful protective enchantments.
Which meant…
Whatever had attacked…
Had broken through all of those defenses.
(Impossible…)
(But there are monsters capable of doing exactly that.)
Master Caleb had taught me about them.
Throughout history…
Several monsters had breached the capital’s defenses and slaughtered mages.
But only the strongest among them could accomplish such a feat.
And…
This magic…
I recognized it.
(I read about it in an ancient text…)
(Hundreds of years ago…)
(A monster capable of stealing light destroyed an entire kingdom.)
(Don’t tell me…)
(A legendary monster like that is here?)
The magical presence grew stronger with every passing second.
Surely others had noticed by now.
Mother was a mage.
So was Al’s mother.
They had to be acting already.
If we simply stayed here…
Help would surely come.
Just as I was thinking thatā
Creeeeak…
The bedroom door slowly opened.
I jumped.
“W-Who’s there?!”
“…Lili?”
“Al?!”
Al had been sleeping in the room next door.
He must have made his way here through the darkness by feel alone.
“Don’t move!”
“I’m coming to you!”
Using only the sound of his voice and my memory of the room’s layout…
I finally reached him.
The moment I grabbed his hand…
He squeezed mine with surprising strength.
“Are you hurt?!”
He’d come because he was worried about me.
Scheming personality or not…
He truly was the son of House Forsten.
The spirit of knighthood clearly ran in his blood.
“Thank you.”
“I’m fine.”
“Good…”
“…What’s happening?”
“It’s magic.”
“A monster has attacked.”
“A monster?!”
“Yes.”
“I’m sure of it.”
“But it’ll be okay.”
“If we stay here…”
“Our mothers will deal with it.”
Would they?
What if…
The monster really was the legendary creature capable of stealing light?
A shiver ran through me.
Al wrapped an arm tightly around my shoulders.
“It’s okay.”
“Whatever happens…”
“Don’t leave my side.”
His voice was trembling too.
He was frightened.
(Of course he is.)
(He’s only three years old.)
No matter how cheeky or cunning he might be…
He was still just a tiny little boy.
(I have to protect him.)
I hugged him back.
The next instantā
Whoosh!
Something icy sliced past my face.
A dull thunk echoed as it struck the wall behind us.
A heartbeat later…
Pain blossomed across my left cheek.
“Get down!”
I pulled Al to the floor, shielding his head beneath me.
“What was that?!”
“We’re under attack!”
“What?!”
The room suddenly overflowed with malevolent magical power.
Never before had I felt magic so evil.
“Oh?”
A sinister voice slithered through the darkness.
“You actually dodged my blade…”
Its words scraped across the floor like crawling insects.
The moment I heard it…
A wave of icy terror spread through my entire body.
“What perceptive little brats…”
“It seems…”
“As that person predicted…”
“I’d better kill you while you’re still young.”
