Chapter 6.1

Translator: Lizz

 

“That must have been quite a difficult situation.”

 

“You say that as if it doesn’t concern you, but I’m afraid he’s your junior apprentice.”

 

“Junior apprentice! It has such a lovely ring to it.”

 

Rosalind, looking truly pleased, rolled the word around in her mouth several times. Leon, who had said it as a joke, was bewildered by her reaction.

 

“No, treating someone of such low status as a junior apprentice, if the Lord knows…”

 

He almost unconsciously muttered a complaint, but was overwhelmed by the girl’s radiant smile.

 

Leon, who had been summoned to Lord Andrews’ villa for the first time in a while, left Zechs at home. Zechs, who had just started studying, still wasn’t very good at controlling magic, but it seemed he would no longer go berserk for no reason anymore. Since then, he had also been awkwardly nurturing something like a friendship with Nia.

 

After listening to Leon recounting the series of troubles caused by his new apprentice, Rosalind sighed enviously.

 

“There must be feelings swirling inside him that cannot be expressed in words. If he possesses special powers, his worries must have been even deeper. It is a stroke of luck that he met you, Leon.”

 

“I think that’s a bit of an exaggeration.”

 

“…Will he continue to learn under you in the future? I’m envious.”

 

Rosalind’s studies had already come to an end. After completing some simple tests for a final confirmation, she would receive her medal, and that would be it.

 

For an ordinary mage, they would join a guild in some town to earn their livelihood, but as a noble’s daughter, she was not allowed to join a guild. Rosalind was a talented mage, but not enough to enter the Iron Fortress.

 

Leon was a bit concerned about how the fifteen-year-old girl would live from now on, but it was not his place to interfere.

 

Sensing her master’s feelings, Rosalind, with an uncharacteristically blank expression, said quietly.

 

“I’ve decided to enter the Holy Academy.”

 

“The Holy Academy…”

 

In Lavarta, the Balterion faith was nominally practiced, and it could be said that most of the citizens were believers. However, compared to neighboring countries like Ermine, the devotion was not very fervent. While each household did worship the deity, the path of becoming a Holy Priest or Holy Maiden was not common. Those who entered the Holy Academy were mostly those who struggled to make a living or those of noble blood born with a guiding vein like Rosalind. The Balterion faith was a religion that denied the existence of the magic vein and guiding veins, and it regarded mages as the most evil beings. It was ironic that such a religion became the last refuge for mages who had nowhere else to go.

 

“Actually, the reason I was away from home was to tour the Holy Academy with my mother. By touring, I mean a preparation period.”

 

Leon had thought that path was the most likely. Noble children with guiding veins were often imprisoned somewhere in their territory for life, or placed in a sanctuary. The latter was practically the same as imprisonment. In the worst case, they might be killed as soon as it was discovered they had guiding veins, and occasionally, they were disowned and lived as ordinary mages.

 

“That is… such a shame. It will also be lonely.”

 

Leon thought it was a pity for such a bright and talented girl to spend her whole life just offering prayers to god, and he felt sad that he would not be able to see her. Her brightness often brought light to Leon’s frequently gloomy heart.

 

“Even if I wasn’t placed in the sanctuary, we would never be able to meet again.”

 

Naturally, Lord Andrews, her father, would never allow such a thing, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he went as far as to assassinate Leon for knowing his daughter’s secret.

 

“The next time we meet will be the last, Leon.”

 

“……Yes.”

 

Rosalind’s smile, which was usually as carefree as a summer sky, showed a hint of sadness today.

 

“I wanted to meet Zechs just once…”

 

She murmured quietly.

 

The sun had completely set before he realized it. Shivering in the gusting wind, he walked down the dark path and reached his hut. Before Leon could open the door, Nia burst out from inside.

 

“Welcome back, Leon.”

 

“Nia, it’s already dark. What are you doing here?”

 

“What do you mean? I came to bring you bread.”

 

As rent, the Bender family provided Leon with food and other supplies. Leon also grew his own food in the garden behind his hut, but there were still things he lacked, and he was not good at baking bread. Until now, it was mostly Bender himself or his elderly mother who brought the supplies, but since that incident, Nia had been coming more often.

 

“Even so, come when it’s brighter. You always do that, don’t you?”

 

“But when I came during the day, Zechs wasn’t here.”

 

That was probably because he was secretly practicing swordsmanship, but since Leon had asked the Benders to leave the basket at the door when no one was around, there was no reason for Nia to come after sunset. She probably wanted to play with Zechs, but Bender likely felt unhappy about her coming to the hut.

 

He thought about escorting her back, but even if she was a child, it wouldn’t look good for a village girl to be seen with a mage at night. After telling her to be careful, Leon watched the girl leave.

 

“You avoided Nia, didn’t you? You should play with her sometimes.”

 

When he entered the hut, Zechs greeted him, looking uneasy. Even during the day, he would try to escape from Nia by saying he had to study magic or something.

 

“What’s there to play?”

 

Rather than being annoyed, Zechs was probably bewildered by Nia’s unreserved attitude. He looked sullen.

 

Zechs, who had always been despised and kept at a distance, was not used to friendly people like Nia. Leon thought that he must have had the same expression as Zechs when he first met Gateau.

 

“Well, never mind. Let’s have dinner.”

 

When he said that, Zechs nodded obediently and began to help.

 

Their relationship was good for now. Whether it was his natural temperament or not, Zechs had a bit of a short temper and would quickly get into arguments, but he no longer rejected Leon as he used to, and he had started to willingly help with household chores and farming.

 

However, his progress in magic was not going well. Zechs had said that he couldn’t read and couldn’t see words like other people, and that was true. It wasn’t that he had never been taught to read; it seemed that he had some kind of problem with recognizing letters. He could remember directions and distinguish people’s faces, so it didn’t seem to be a problem with his eyesight.

 

So, as Leon had said at the beginning, he had no choice but to learn by ear. Leon decided to teach him in the same way he had taught Gray, by connecting his own guiding vein and making him learn the feel of magic while listening to the spells. This method could cause confusion if multiple spells were taught at once, so he had to teach them one by one in order.

 

But Leon thought that was fine. It would take time, but it wasn’t a big problem compared to when he had rejected everything.

 

“The young miss said she wanted to see you.”

 

“That’s impossible.”

 

“Well, yes, but…”

 

No matter how much Rosalind wished for it, the two of them meeting was unlikely. He couldn’t bring someone with him without the master’s permission, and the Lord would never allow a girl he wanted to keep hidden to be exposed to the public.

 

“Why would a noble lady want to see someone like me in the first place?”

 

Zechs’ words, spat out in frustration, seemed to carry an underlying anger at being a spectacle. He had a strong dislike for the ruling class, including knights, nobles, and royalty.

 

“Because she’s like you.”

 

“Like me? She’s a noble.”

 

“She’s a mage.”

 

Leon spoke in a strong tone. It didn’t matter whether one was a noble or a commoner; even royalty would be despised just for having a guiding vein. In fact, the higher one’s status, the more likely they were to be shunned by their own family.

 

“Possessing a power that is feared and hated, being shunned by family, having no one who understands, and having to live hidden from society. She has hardly ever left the mansion since she was born and has never played with children her age. No matter how much she wishes for it, it will never come true. So, it’s only natural that she wants to talk to and befriend someone who knows the same loneliness.”

 

“…But I’ve never met her, and I have nothing to do with her.”

 

“Well, I shouldn’t be the one to say this, but both she and you are technically my apprentices. You two are like siblings in apprenticeship. Even such a slight connection is probably important to her.”

 

Hearing this, Zechs frowned and tilted his head as if he couldn’t understand.

 

The following week, Leon left the hut with a brand-new medal in his luggage. He veered off the road leading to the neighboring village and headed towards the lake. The thought that today would be the last time he took this path made him feel melancholic.

 

“Leon!”

 

Suddenly called, he turned around to see Zechs running towards him from the path he had just come from. For a moment, he panicked, thinking the boy might want to come with him, but Zechs, who had run up to him, held out something in his hand.

 

When he took it, he saw that it was a small wooden carving of a bird, about the size of a thumb, attached to a leather string. Although the craftsmanship was a bit rough, the bird was full of life, as if it were about to take flight, and the carefully polished wood shone gently in the sunlight.

 

“Where did you get this?”

 

“I made it.”

 

“You did?”

 

“Is that a problem?!”

 

For some reason, Zechs raised his voice in embarrassment, and Leon shook his head.

 

“No, I’m surprised by your unexpected talent. You’re quite skilled.”

 

“Shut up! Just take it! …For the senior apprentice.”

 

His voice trailed off at the end. Even so, his feelings were clearly conveyed through the wooden bird.

 

“Got it. She’ll be happy.”

 

Watching his apprentice turn on his heel and walk away with a huff, Leon resumed his journey towards the lake.

 

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