Chapter 22
“Diarmid, where on earth have you been!”
When he was a child, he had once climbed up to the top of a tree without realizing it while practicing wind magic.
Of course, he came down shortly after…
Because the consumption of magical power drained his stamina quite a bit, Diarmid had once dozed off on top of a tree before using his next spell.
A cool breeze, warm air—
They were the perfect conditions for a tired boy to take a nap.
When everything later came to light, his parents scolded him:
“People say we’re lucky to have a genius son, but don’t make me laugh. Do you know how much you’ve worried us? We even sent out the entire knight order looking for you!”
“I’m sorry, Father.”
“One day, you’d better have a child just like you—so you can feel the same kind of worry.”
A child just like him…
The wind swirling around the girl’s body—
It wasn’t something imposed on her by someone else.
This child has the sky attribute too.
He had thought that because she was of the Dark Night clan, she would only have darkness magic…
A mage’s attributes are usually inherited from their parents, but considering the child’s mother, it was rather unusual.
I warned her last time to keep a low profile, but she’s come walking right up to me again.
Before Diarmid could even speak to Jaina, a familiar voice rang at his ear.
“You idiot! Where did you go while using wind magic!”
It was his disciple, Michael.
Diarmid wondered if Michael had ever raised his voice like this to look for someone.
Michael, despite being in his late teens, usually behaved quite quietly.
Of course, that quietness was only in front of him.
He seemed to play rather improper pranks on others—but that was something most mages did anyway.
Diarmid didn’t care what Michael did behind his back.
Mages were, by nature, creatures who kept their heads down before the strong and moved in the shadows.
“You half-pint who’s not even a tadpole yet, you stupid kid who flew away again!”
And now Michael was storming through the Magic Tower like this.
Normally he’d be too nervous to make such a commotion, worried Diarmid might overhear.
“So he’s that desperate?”
He had clearly warned him not to become weak…
Michael is a valuable talent for the Magic Tower.
If he let him taste despair again, he’d probably lose all interest in magic and just flounder in hopelessness.
Humans are weak—and fragile.
It can’t be helped. I can’t throw away talent.
Whoosh—
Diarmid lightly waved his hand.
At his gesture, the wind rose up and gently wrapped around the child.
“Mmm… Mom…”
“……”
The child stirred slightly, then soon exhaled softly and drifted back into sleep.
As he sent her floating on the wind, Diarmid lowered his eyes.
“But Diarmid, why did you climb that tree?”
“Mother said she was in heaven, so…”
Had this child been thinking the same thing as he had back then?
“Father, I saw Mother. Really, I did!”
And like him, had she mistaken a dream for reality?
Whoosh—
As the black strands of hair fluttered in the wind, he saw his own past self overlapping with hers.
A lonely, lonely little child who couldn’t stand being alone.
Maybe because she had overexerted herself with magic, her mind woke up but her body wouldn’t move.
All she could see was pitch darkness.
When did I fall asleep?
Her mouth felt dry and rough from having napped.
It felt like a lot of time had passed.
“When is this kid going to wake up? You don’t think something went wrong, do you?”
“Calm down. And be careful not to raise your voice.”
The voices were small but bickering.
With her eyes still closed, Jaina’s lips curled faintly.
A man and a woman.
Both voices were familiar to her.
I don’t want to wake up…
Was it the cool, refreshing wind wrapped around her?
She wanted to stay lost in this cozy feeling.
But if I don’t wake up, they’ll worry.
Her body felt heavy, but Jaina forced herself to open her eyes.
“Why did you even teach her wind magic…”
“I told you, she has talent. And dark magic for offense is just… huh?”
Michael, whose voice had been steadily rising, suddenly stopped and opened his eyes wide.
“Where have you been all this time!”
Following his gaze, Hilbencia let out a light sigh as well.
“Phew. Jaina, that was quite a game of hide-and-seek.”
“Sir Michael, Lady Hilbencia…?”
When she opened her eyes, both of their faces filled her vision.
Michael’s brow was deeply furrowed, while Hilbencia had a faint smile—but she felt the same emotion from both of them.
They were both worried about her.
Jaina felt a strange tickling sensation in her chest and asked in a hoarse voice:
“What happened to me?”
“What do you think happened? You flew off again! I don’t know what happened after that!”
Jaina scratched her head sheepishly.
Michael let out a heavy sigh.
“The first time you flew off, I thought it was because your magic control was sloppy. But now I can see that’s not the only reason. Your mana affinity is… wait.”
Michael looked at her with a suddenly thoughtful expression, as if realizing he’d missed something.
“If your mana affinity is high, then you should have problems using other magic too…”
“But when I use dark-attribute magic, nothing goes wrong?”
The air between them shifted strangely.
Jaina looked at the two exchanging glances with confusion.
“It must be because I’m not talented in wind magic…”
“No, it’s the opposite.”
This time Hilbencia spoke.
“You’re extremely talented in wind magic. So much so that it’s almost a problem.”
“Wind… magic?”
She had thought she lacked talent, so she’d never even wanted to learn it.
After all, she was of the Dark Night clan, and most of the Dark Night clan could only use dark magic.
“You’re more gifted in sky-attribute magic than you are in dark magic.”
Hilbencia looked at Jaina quietly.
With a new, different look than before.
“Except for your appearance, you’re the spitting image of your father.”
“……”
Jaina kept her lips tightly sealed.
She wanted to answer as usual, ‘I don’t have a father,’ but the words wouldn’t come out.
To think she’d inherited something from a father she’d thought was unnecessary, a burden…
She bit her lip, then brought up another topic instead.
“By the way, was it you, Sir Michael, who found me sleeping in the tree and moved me? Thank you for saving me.”
“What? Not me.”
Michael looked genuinely puzzled.
“Then you were up there the whole time? No wonder you were missing!”
She vaguely remembered locking eyes with blue eyes while half-asleep.
If it wasn’t Michael, then who had moved her…?
Was it just a dream?
Jaina tilted her head.
Maybe it was just her imagination.
But the wind that had moved her had carried a familiar scent…
“Until you get used to controlling your mana, you’re forbidden from using wind magic.”
Michael spoke firmly right in her face.
His expression was far more serious than usual, so Jaina couldn’t dodge it.
“I promise.”
“Say it more clearly.”
Jaina nodded firmly.
“I swear.”
“Good. The oath spell is in place, so if you break it, I’ll know immediately.”
“But… I’ve only used the spell twice. Isn’t it natural that I’m not good at it yet?”
Jaina pouted, but Michael only lifted his chin sternly.
“Sure, it was probably the easiest spell you’ve used so far. You’ll want to try it again.”
He tilted his head upward.
“But from what I’ve observed, you need to prioritize theory over practice. Your practical skill is terrible—completely unstructured. Let’s start with the theory.”
Magic theory… does that mean I can finally learn magic systematically?
At the mention of learning theory, Jaina’s eyes sparkled and she clenched her small hands.
“I won’t give up. I’ll work hard.”
And so, Sir Michael’s occasional magic theory lessons began.
“So, the Third Law of Mana Control. This is… it’s like, shhh, swish, shhh.”
“What are you even talking about…?”
“I’m telling you, it’s shhh, swish, shhh! Ugh, why don’t you get it?”
But there was a problem.
Genius Michael was terribly clumsy at teaching others.
“It’s all because the author of this book is an idiot. Honestly, everyone keeps quiet, but tons of people’s mana flows got messed up learning from this. Let’s use another book. Where’s a good one… ah, this one’s explanations are pretty simple. For your magic primer, read ‘To Become an Outstanding Mage, Start by Sitting in a Chair.’”
Michael pulled out a thick book and handed it to Jaina.
“If you get good at wind magic, you might not reach the Tower Master, but you could become the second-best mage after him. You can already use dark-attribute magic freely. Ah, though with me here, maybe third-best?”
“How long would it take to become that great a mage?”
“At least thirty years. It only took me ten.”
Jaina gave a small laugh, and Michael snorted, pride wounded.
“Hey, thirty years is me being generous. Without me, fifty years wouldn’t be enough. And thirty years is nothing for a mage. Look at Hilbencia over there—she looks young, but she’s over seventy. Mages who reach a certain level age slowly.”
Thirty years.
For Michael, thirty years might not seem long.
But…
I’ll be dead within ten years.
Jaina could only smile.
