Chapter 5.1

Translator: Lizz

 

About two months after taking on Zechs, during which Leon had spent his days teaching swordsmanship with hardly any conversation, a letter arrived at the hut. The letter was from Lord Andrews’ butler, stated that Rosalind would return in about fourteen days and that he should resume her lessons. However, there was nothing left to teach her. All that remained was a final confirmation, after which she would be granted the medal that signified a mage. This medal guaranteed that despite possessing a guiding vein, she was a human who posed no danger of going out of control. It also served as a shackle, solidifying her status as a mage.

 

(…That’s right, the medal.)

 

Any mage with an instructor’s qualification could confer the medal, but it was customary to inform the nearest guild and order it from a blacksmith. In Rosalind’s case, there was no chance of her joining a guild, but it would still be appropriate to inform them that a new mage was graduating from Leon’s tutelage. The guild was aware that noble children could possess guiding veins, so there would be no unnecessary probing if he did not mention any details.

 

The problem was that the town with the guild and blacksmith was almost a day’s walk from Lille at least. While it was possible to request the medal to be prepared by letter, it could not be received in the same way – It was an item that certified the status of a mage, and should be checked for accuracy. Therefore, Leon had no choice but to go to the town, receive the medal, make a brief appearance at the guild, and then return the same way, which would take two days. During that time, Zechs would be left alone.

 

He considered taking him to the town, but if he went out of control in the middle of a town, there would be no excuse. It was too dangerous.

 

After much deliberation, Leon decided to hire a horse. The hire fee was high, and the villagers who owned horses would likely be displeased with the request, but using a horse would cut the travel time by more than half. He should be able to go and return in a day.

 

All that remained was to hope that Zechs would spend the day without causing any problems. However, since he never approached the village on his own and always practiced his swordsmanship in seclusion, it should be fine. Leon also reminded Zechs again and again and, with a tinge of unease, headed to the town of Daza for the first time in a while.

 

Daza was a rather small rural town, and while there was a mage guild, it was not very large. Since it was the closest town with a guild to Lille, many of Ceres’ apprentices joined the Daza guild. Due to the small number of members, it could be said that most of them were Leon’s senior or junior apprentices. Of course, those who showed talent among them may move to a guild in a larger town. Three of Leon’s own apprentices joined the Daza guild, but one died in the line of duty, and another disappeared due to an injury. The last one was Dariesh.

 

Even though it was a rural town, the street was still much busier than Lille, and Leon walked quickly with his head down. There were many shops and restaurants on his way, some of which had drunk customers even during the day, and he didn’t want to get involved. He arrived at the familiar blacksmith who had been making medals for his apprentices and received a medal engraved with Rosalind’s name, origin, and apprenticeship completion date. After confirming that there were no problems with the medal, he headed to the mansion where the mages of Daza resided. The mansion was located at the farthest end of the town, as if separated from the lives of the people here.

 

Since it wasn’t necessary to go into detail about Rosalind, he decided not to request a meeting with the guild master. Instead, he told the young mage who came to greet him to fetch someone older, and out came his former senior apprentice.

 

When he informed him that one of his apprentices was graduating, his senior apprentice’s eyes widened in surprise.

 

“It has only been about a month, hasn’t it?”

 

Leon was also surprised by those words. So Zechs’s story had reached even Daza. Considering the rampage incident he had caused and the involvement of the Iron Fortress in his past, it was no wonder the rumors had spread.

 

“No, that’s different. It’s another one.”

 

“Another? You had another apprentice?”

 

“Well, there were various circumstances.”

 

When he hesitated with his words, the senior apprentice seemed to understand immediately and nodded with an ‘Ah’, not asking for further explanation. Instead,

 

“I heard you were burdened with something quite dangerous.”

 

He frowned as he said this.

 

“Well, it’s true that I’m having trouble. But has the news spread that quickly?”

 

“Dariesh came by a little while ago and hinted at it. I think it was meant to ask us to help if needed…”

 

“No, I don’t intend to cause any trouble.”

 

Leon spoke calmly but firmly. His words seemed to bring a sense of relief to his senior apprentice.

 

The guilds were like subcontractors for the Iron Fortress. The Iron Fortress was the entity officially employed by the country, but to handle troublesome matters in the regions that they alone could not manage, they gathered unaffiliated mages and enlisted their help,  forming the various guilds in the country. Given these circumstances, the guild mages could not oppose the Iron Fortress, and the truth was that they did not want to get involved with anyone who might cause even the slightest conflict with the Iron Fortress.

 

“Leon, you… always seem to draw the short straw, don’t you?”

 

Leon laughed at his senior apprentice’s heartfelt and somewhat apologetic murmur.

 

“It suits me, doesn’t it?”

 

With a wry smile, his senior apprentice raised his hand in greeting, and Leon once again mounted his horse.

 

The horse was an exceptionally swift steed, rare for the countryside, so fortunately, Leon arrived in Daza much earlier than expected. There were no problems in town, and the young horse showed no signs of fatigue on the return journey. When Lille came into view, the sun had not yet set. Leon, who was not very accustomed to riding, sighed in relief that he did not have to ride in the dark, but he was soon reminded of his own naivety.

 

 

When Leon spotted a small figure on the rock along the path leading to the village, his heart stirred. It was the same rock where Old Orga had sat to welcome him back from Rosalind’s place more than two months ago. Whether it was that memory or a premonition, he instinctively felt that the figure was waiting for him.

 

As expected, the person noticed Leon on horseback and waved vigorously. Leon gripped the reins to avoid being thrown off and lightly kicked the horse’s side.

 

As he got closer, he saw that the small figure on the rock was Old Orga’s youngest granddaughter.

 

“What’s wrong, Ellen?”

 

“Go to Mr. Bender’s house!”

 

Even without many words, the girl’s desperate expression was enough for Leon to understand. He nodded, dismounted, and handed the reins to the girl.

 

“Sorry, but could you take this horse to Basso?”

 

Riding into the village on horseback would draw too much attention. Whatever had happened, it was best not to alarm the villagers any more than necessary.

 

He urged his stiff legs, sore from the jolting of the ride, to run. The Bender family lived in what was once Ceres’ mansion, meaning they were Leon’s tenants. Fortunately, since the house was a bit away from the village, there wasn’t a crowd of villagers like there had been with Dio’s son. It might also have something to do with the fact that the Bender family were immigrants from elsewhere.

 

The door to the house was wide open, and as Leon entered, out of breath, he saw Old Orga inside. That was all he could confirm. The moment he recognized the old man, something hard struck Leon’s shoulder.

 

“Stop it, Bender!”

 

The impact was so strong that it took Leon’s breath away, and he instinctively crouched down. Above him, a voice that didn’t sound like it belonged to an old man echoed.

 

The head of the family stood in front of Leon, his face flushed with intense anger, brandishing a wooden beam in the air. If it weren’t for Old Orga’s restraining voice, the beam would have come down and split Leon’s head. Leon forgot the pain in his shoulder and turned pale.

 

“Why do you let such a monster run free!”

 

From Bender’s furious words, it was clear that the expected situation had occurred. Behind him, his petite wife was holding their daughter’s shoulders protectively. The girl stood there, pale and stunned, with countless cuts on her cheeks, blood oozing from them. Her lips were trembling, and as Leon looked at her, he felt hope left him all of a sudden. He was disappointed in Zechs.

 

It was true that Zechs had lost control of his power several times before and hurt people, but there were reasons for it. Neither being looked down on nor the fear and anger festering within him justified hurting others, but Leon still believed that Zechs was not the kind of person who would recklessly harm powerless children or girls.

 

(I shouldn’t have hesitated back then.)

 

“To my daughter, how dare you… you filthy mages! I’ll kill you!”

 

Bender’s anger was justified. No parent could remain calm when their child was hurt, and if the one who caused the injury was a mage, no one would blame him for carrying out his declaration. Zechs had hurt members of this community not once, but twice. There was no longer any mercy for him. The same went for his master, Leon.

 

Leon was not naive enough to think that Old Orga would protect him. Old Orga was just another member of the community. If he excessively defended Leon and Zechs, his own position would become precarious.

 

What lifted Leon’s sinking thoughts, as he had already resigned himself to death, was a high-pitched cry and a tearful plea.

 

“It’s not true! It’s my fault!”

 

With a thud, his daughter leapt at him, and Bendor, who was about to swing down the wooden beam, lowered his hand unsteadily.

 

“N-Nia…?”

 

“It’s not Zechs’ fault, it’s not! I’m sorry!”

 

That cry seemed to be her limit; the girl let go of her father, clenched her hands, and began to cry loudly. At this point, there was nothing the man could do. Bender, bewildered, leaned into his daughter, then paced around. Instead, his wife, who had been anxiously standing by, stepped forward, hugged the girl, and began to soothe her. She gently rocked and patted her on the back, and the girl’s cries gradually turned into sobs.

 

“Now, tell us what happened.”

 

“I-It’s not Zechs’ fault… Don’t kill him.”

 

“I won’t let that happen. If your father insists on doing so, I’ll stop him even if I have to hit him with a pan.”

 

Despite her petite build and gentle appearance, Bender’s wife seemed to have quite the nerve. Pleaded by his daughter and implicitly criticized by his wife, Bender uneasily threw the wooden beam he was holding onto the floor.

 

To summarize the girl’s tearful confession, Nia had found Zechs going into the depths of the forest where no one frequented, and had called out to him herself. When she tried to forcefully lend him her favorite book, despite his reluctance, Zechs got angry.

 

…The Benders moved to Lille during the current Lord’s reign. Unlike in towns, in a rural place like Lille, most people inherited and continued to live on their ancestral land. Immigrants were often suspected of having some unspeakable reason for coming. Therefore, the Benders were an outlier in Lille, and their daughter, Nia, had no playmates other than her younger brother. Perhaps she thought she could become friends with a boy who also came from elsewhere, even if their circumstances were different. However, she could only express her feelings by imposing her preferences on him.

 

“Zechs… r-really didn’t want to. But I love this story, and I wanted to read it together, so…”

 

The book Nia offered was a common fairy tale collection for kids. While it might contain many moral stories, Leon had never heard of a child who truly hated it. Leon himself had read it in his childhood, and it did not contain any content that disparaged the Seldians.

 

“When I showed him the book, he suddenly made a scary face. When I said let’s read it together, he said no and tried to run away, so I grabbed his arm and pulled him…”

 

Nia apologized to Leon. It was unclear how much of the situation she understood with her young mind, but she seemed to realize that her actions had caused a significant problem. Or perhaps she was simply sad because she thought Zechs disliked her.

 

“Nia, it’s okay. I’ll talk to Zechs properly.”

 

“I-I wanted to be friends with him. Really. Because Zechs is a mage, right? It’s like something out of a story, and it’s amazing.”

 

“Nia!”

 

Bender called out his daughter’s name in a voice close to a scream. However, Nia seemed unaware of why her father was making a scary face. Leon secretly let out a wry smile at this interaction between the parent and child.

 

“…Zechs seemed very surprised when I got hurt. He ran away because he was so surprised and scared, I’m sure.”

 

Leon gently cupped the face of the desperately pleading girl with both hands. He softly murmured some words, and as he began to feel a gentle warmth in his palms, the wounds that had marred the girl’s delicate skin slowly started to close.

 

“It’s not Zechs’ fault.”

 

Leon nodded as if to say he understood. However, he was also confused inside. If Nia’s story was to be believed, Zechs did not go berserk out of anger or hatred. Moreover, it meant he felt guilty for hurting her.

 

Something had shocked Zechs so much that it caused him to lose control. Something in Nia’s actions.

 

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