The Special Recruitment Plan
“Suddenly appearing like that, what on earth are you talking about.”
“Exactly what I said. I’m meeting someone called the knight commander or whatever tomorrow, and it’s a trap.”
My master’s expression was utterly calm as he said the word “trap.”
“How do you know that?”
“I know things I shouldn’t.”
“So you’re saying you know about the trap, too?”
“Of course.”
‘Interesting. Normally my master doesn’t get involved at all, yet here he is warning me about a trap.’
“Still, if I leave it alone, I’ll end up in trouble. I know you’re pretty good at thinking, but you’re not always that sharp. You just get ahead of everyone else because you remember things first.”
“That hurts a little, even if it’s true.”
“I’m telling you about the trap because I want to teach you a lot more from now on.”
The words somehow felt far too dangerous.
“If I can’t handle this trap properly, does that mean I won’t be able to learn magic from my master in the future?”
“That’s right. You got it exactly. So you have magic lessons from now on, my apprentice. Master the magic I’m teaching you and you’ll be able to use it for a long, long time.”
It appeared out of nowhere in a dream, but my master’s visit was welcome news.
Among the magic my master had taught me, there wasn’t a single useless one, and this time it would even save my life.
More than anything, I had grown stronger every single time I finished his magic lessons.
“What kind of magic will you be teaching me this time?”
“Defense magic. Or rather, I should call it Grasp Magic.”
“Grasp Magic?”
‘Grasp Magic.’
It was the word that meant I could grasp and control whatever I wanted. It was an incredibly fitting name.
“You already use mana far beyond the limits of circles. In fact, if you just decide to, any magic using mana below your level is useless to you.”
“That’s outrageous. Knights were the enemies of those who used mana, but if that’s the case, you’ll be able to face even mages.”
“The method is simple. Watch. I’ll use mana right now.”
I immediately tried to move the mana inside me.
But the mana I was moving suddenly stopped.
As if being tightly gripped.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s simple. I’ve spread my mana throughout this space. I gave the order not to let anything weaker than me move.”
“This is truly impossible magic.”
“The method is simple. Just like you put mana into a sword, you spread mana into the surrounding space. You talk to the mana.”
“You mean you tell it to bind mana below your level?”
Mana began to move again. I pulled it in and scattered it around.
“That’s exactly what it is. Watch what you’re doing now.”
The moment my master snapped his fingers, my mana sparkled and spread out.
“Is that the end?”
“Surprisingly, yes. This is something only people with my help can do. It’s possible because you and mana have become one, not because you’ve stored mana separately as a circle. By the way, you can even do this.”
As my master spoke, his expression turned wicked.
“What are you planning?”
“I’m not planning anything. I’m just showing you something you can apply. Watch!”
My master snapped his fingers again. My mana exploded in unison, and the world flooded with light.
“Aaaaah!”
“Oh my!”
A crash.
I shot upright because of my master’s magic and looked around for the source of the noise.
Luea was sitting on the floor holding a wet towel.
Startled, Luea stared blankly at me for a moment before snapping back to her senses and checking my condition.
“Oppa. Are you okay? Ah, ouch….”
She sat down and winced from her sore bottom, but still checked on me first.
“Did you have a nightmare?”
“Probably.”
My eyes drifted to the sunlight streaming through the window.
“It’s already morning? How much did I sleep?”
“You’ve been sleeping since yesterday. I didn’t wake you because you were sleeping so deeply.”
“So I slept through the night. But why are you here, Luea?”
“I, I was…”
Luea hesitated for a moment, then spoke honestly.
“I was quietly admiring your sleeping face. I thought you’d wake up by now. But you were moaning and sweating.”
“Thank you. The nightmare was bad, but not too serious. Maybe it helped?”
“Helped? A helpful nightmare?”
“I had my first one too. There was something like that.”
My master’s wicked expression when he playfully showed the example of the big explosion was still vivid in my mind.
“Anyway, do you want breakfast?”
“Sure. You haven’t eaten either, Luea. Let’s eat together.”
While I waited for the cook to bring breakfast, Luea brought something.
“Oppa, look at this. I was supposed to tell you yesterday, but I received this.”
What Luea brought was an invitation to a birthday party.
The invite was from Alice von Margerite.
‘Margerite’ was a surname used by a royal from one of the vassal states clinging to the western edge of the Empire.
Just like Solea, it was the kind of case where an imperial noble founded a country in their fief after proving their merit.
“How did you receive an invitation from a royal of another country?”
“I met her while taking the royal academy class together. She’s an older sister same age as you, and we got along well because we can talk easily.”
Even though she was still young, children had their own social circles.
Luea was already building her own network.
“And I heard Lady Belarine von Reichland is also coming.”
“A royal?”
She didn’t seem like a very important person since I didn’t recognize the name.
But a royal was a presence that couldn’t be ignored no matter where they appeared.
“The date is tomorrow, huh? Have a good time. The attendants will dress you up nicely.”
“Of course. Tomorrow I’ll go out and make sure the party is lively.”
“Huh? Lively?”
“I don’t mean that in the sense of causing trouble. I want to remind the other ladies of my existence.”
“Oh…”
A surprised exclamation escaped me.
In a way, I thought the birthday parties of young children were just pure places to play and have fun.
But the eleven-year-old Luea standing before me was already planning to take it seriously.
“That’s great. Just don’t overdo it. It’s a place that’s only inviting you because a good person invited you, so go and enjoy yourself.”
“Of course. I’ll enjoy both. Oppa, do you have any other plans on the weekend?”
“There’s one. I’m leaving right after breakfast.”
“Where are you going?”
“To the Imperial Knights.”
Even though she didn’t know what the errand was, Luea nodded as if she understood.
“I heard you accepted the vice-captain position, but I never heard you had returned to the knight headquarters afterward. Even on a weekend?”
“The weekend doesn’t matter. They said to come.”
“That’s strange.”
Luea’s expression grew serious.
“I’m worried. There must be something.”
“I know that too. But I have no choice but to go.”
At that moment the cook brought a simple breakfast of eggs, bread, and sausages.
But Luea, worried about me, didn’t even think about picking up her own utensils.
“I promise you. Nothing will happen.”
“But this is the front yard of the people who once tried to wipe us out.”
“When have I ever broken a promise?”
With her head bowed, Luea slowly shook it.
“You made a promise. Nothing will happen.”
“I know nothing won’t happen. So make another promise.”
“What promise?”
Luea looked up and filled my water glass.
“Please come back safely to me. That’s all I need.”
“As you command, my princess.”
Even after making me promise, Luea still didn’t look like she had any appetite.
“If you don’t eat properly, I might make a mistake while worrying about you.”
“Ah, that’s not allowed!”
I subtly threatened her and Luea quickly picked up her utensils and started eating.
“Slow down. You’ll get a stomachache.”
“If you promise not to worry about me.”
“How many promises are there? Fine, I’ll make one.”
Only then did Luea smile brightly and naturally continued eating at a normal speed.
‘But coming back safely might not be easy.’
Until now, my master had never come to warn me directly about anything.
Yet this time he not only warned but also taught me how to deal with it.
The words that my life was in danger didn’t sound hollow at all.
‘I should eat a solid breakfast.’
But no matter what happened, it didn’t matter.
I would defeat everything and come back to see my cute little sister.