Chapter 32: Mage Bert
Chapter 32: Mage Bert
However, after briefly looking through the prices demanded by certain evil beings, Ras felt his blood run cold even amid his excitement. And as he read further, he discovered that in this world, there had been people who borrowed power through human sacrifice as recently as two hundred years ago.
For around five days, he shut himself inside his apartment, reading nothing but magic books except when eating or going outside for exercise and fresh air. Then he realized something.
This really isn’t it.
He had memorized quite a lot of Rune Language, but once he got into grammar, studying stopped going well. Or rather, to be honest, it was simply boring.
Learning magic was great, but like everything in reality, the entire process couldn’t be enjoyable. Moreover, this damned Rune Language was a fixed covenant created in ancient times, so unlike ordinary languages, it couldn’t evolve naturally. It still followed grammar from thousands of years ago, and the disconnect felt overwhelming.
It was difficult and uninteresting, making him feel like he was losing motivation. But he didn’t want to give up.
In the current world, the people who could use magic most freely were the rich. Most prices demanded by beings could ultimately be acquired with wealth, and the wealthy possessed the means to purchase such things. And Ras had become someone who could certainly be called rich.
It might have been childish, but he wanted to walk on water, fly through the sky, or go to some desert and throw fireballs around. It didn’t matter that modern technology could replicate all of those things. That wasn’t the important part.
Flying in an airplane and flying through magic were obviously completely different experiences.
And among the ancient magics banned by law, there were supposedly some capable of accomplishing things impossible even with modern technology. He didn’t know whether he would ever actually use them, but he still wanted to possess such power.
It’s probably better to learn properly after all.
He had thought he could self-study since it was only the basics, but it seemed he had underestimated it. Then again, this was magic. And now that he had money, perhaps he no longer possessed the same desperate drive he once had.
Ras briefly recalled the days when he worked as a clerk in James’s store while studying coding.
Still, he had no intention of blaming himself. Finding a place to learn magic was far more constructive. The first thing that came to mind was the university he had seen before. Official admission would be difficult, but Ras didn’t need a diploma. He needed knowledge itself, so merely auditing classes would be enough.
But since admission season had already passed and summer was approaching, the foundational lessons he wanted had likely ended long ago. And after thinking more about it, something else bothered him.
Besides, university classes usually aren’t taught in such a beginner-friendly way, are they?
And universities probably focused more on advanced education for students who already possessed the fundamentals. Ras removed university from his list of options and decided to look for another method.
First, Ras headed outside. Following the main road, he walked to the bus stop and found a nearby newsstand.
“I’ll take these.”
He bought a local newspaper, a magazine, and a caramel candy. Perhaps because he had been using his brain so much, he craved sweets far more than he had back on Earth.
“That’ll be 4 Del 70 Piece.”
The girl tending the stall was not merely slim but almost gaunt, and she spoke in a blunt tone without a trace of friendliness. Ras wondered if the store was busy enough that she didn’t feel the need to be polite. Or perhaps working in a place like this exhausted her emotionally.
Avoiding the crowds, Ras moved a short distance away and sat on a bench beneath a nearby building. He unwrapped a caramel, popped it into his mouth, and unfolded the newspaper.
As he scanned the advertisement section, he quickly found academy ads.
<Magic Entrance Exam Specialists! Guaranteed Acceptance!>
Apparently there were no regulations against exaggerated advertising, because every ad shamelessly bragged. Ras didn’t believe them, but since he was searching for a place to learn magic, his attention was briefly drawn to them. However, just like with universities, the timing was awkward. What he sought was something slightly different.
Continuing to scan the ads, he finally found what he wanted.
<Private Magic Tutoring Available>
There was no need to squeeze into crowded places. His idea was to receive customized one-on-one instruction. Of course, it would probably be expensive, but it wasn’t like Ras lacked money.
After looking further, he discovered there were quite a few people advertising private tutoring. Among them, he chose the one who seemed the most promising. They all had graduated from magic universities, and two even possessed doctoral degrees.
Wait, people with these qualifications still have to do private tutoring?
He knew mages weren’t nobles in this world, but the supply seemed even greater than he had imagined. Or perhaps this was simply side work. Everyone had their own circumstances, after all.
After returning home, Ras contacted one of the two doctorate holders, someone named Bert, whose location was relatively close and whose tutoring hours were in the evening, and arranged to meet.
“Then I’ll see you tomorrow evening.”
“Yes. I’ll be waiting.”
Since she was supposedly a doctor, Ras had imagined someone older. But the voice coming through the receiver belonged to a young woman. Ras found it a little strange, but inwardly, he became slightly excited.
After all, if he was going to learn, being taught by a pretty older woman was naturally preferable.
The next day, Ras left home much earlier than the appointed time. It was only around a forty-minute walk, and just ten minutes by taxi. But he wanted to stroll around the city for a while, get some fresh air, and perhaps buy a gift since this was his first meeting with the person who would become his magic teacher.
As he wandered through the city, Ras enjoyed the bizarre fantasy of humans and various demi-human races busily moving through the streets dressed in early-to-mid-20th-century clothing such as work uniforms, suits, and dresses.
In reality, sightseeing in the city was closer to people-watching. Surprisingly, the buildings and shops themselves weren’t very different from those on Earth. Of course, they still attracted attention in their own way.
After walking for quite some time, Ras arrived at the central district, where numerous buildings over ten stories tall stood clustered together, unusually high-rise by this world’s standards.
That’s the place.
He checked the sign hanging from a large beige building occupying an entire block at a massive intersection.
<Toblo Department Store>
There were no supermarkets familiar to Ras, but in this world, department stores filled that role instead. In truth, however, he hadn’t visited department stores much back on Earth because of financial reasons. That was why supermarkets came to mind more naturally.
Passing through an unnecessarily huge and luxurious entrance, he entered an interior packed with people and merchandise. After casually glancing around, Ras immediately headed underground toward his destination.
So this is wood.
The unusual thing was that the escalator steps were made of wood. Other than that, its functionality was no different. It felt a little unstable somehow, but only slightly.
The department store basement sold food. It was packed with expensive snacks, imported fruits, and alcohol. Originally, Ras had considered buying liquor. But since Bert seemed to be a young woman, he thought it over and decided on chocolates instead. For a first meeting, it felt appropriately modest and not too burdensome.
“It’s ready, sir.”
The pretty female clerk handed him the wrapped chocolate box with a bright capitalist smile rarely seen in this world.
Feeling tempted himself, Ras also bought a smaller box and ate some in the department store lounge area. It was definitely delicious, probably because it was expensive. Though not enough to make him want to buy it regularly at that price.
Huh? I’m going to be late.
After wandering through the electronics section and clothing stores for a while, time had somehow flown by. Checking his pocket watch, Ras was startled and hurriedly left the department store to catch a taxi.
“We’ve arrived.”
Fortunately, he wasn’t late. Since there were no other red buildings nearby, Ras quickly found the apartment where the mage he was meeting today supposedly lived. Judging by the shabby appearance of the surrounding neighborhood and the apartment itself, it definitely didn’t seem wealthy.
Ras suddenly felt uneasy. He had never visited a slum before, but he remembered magazine articles discussing urban decay and the terrible crimes occurring there. He wondered if this place might actually be one of those slums.
And when he thought about it, this mage tutor was still just someone he had spoken with once over the phone. He even considered turning back when someone suddenly walked out from inside the apartment building.
Should I run?
Naturally, Ras tensed up. But the figure emerging from the shadows turned out to be a young woman with long purple hair. She wore a long skirt mixed with brown and yellow tones and a light sky-blue blouse, giving off the impression of simple casual clothing rather than a robber like he had feared.
“Mr. Ras?”
She had purple eyes matching her hair, and upon spotting him, she asked in a relaxed expression with her eyes widened into circles. She had a plain atmosphere, but she was beautiful. The sense of danger instantly vanished from Ras’s mind.
“Ah, yes.”
As he answered, he calmed down enough to look around more carefully. It was merely a somewhat poor neighborhood. The area was still clean, and although the passersby wore shabby clothing, it didn’t particularly feel dangerous.
“You came all the way here. This way, please.”
Following her gentle voice, Ras slowly entered the apartment building. Though the interior had appeared dark from outside in broad daylight, it didn’t resemble the haunted ruins seen in crime dramas. There were no luxurious materials, but the walls were at least finished with cement, and there were no cobwebs or dust in sight.
However, perhaps because it wasn’t a luxury apartment, there was no elevator, so they had to climb rough brick stairs. The smooth wear on the iron handrails gave the building a sense of everyday life.
“The apartment’s old, so some parts of the floor have buckled. Please be careful.”
Just as she said, the cement hallway floors weren’t flat, with uneven patches everywhere. Ras had thought his own apartment was old and shabby, but now he wondered if it was actually quite luxurious.
Another thing that drew his attention was how every apartment door looked different. Most were wooden doors, and it seemed the originals had all broken long ago and been replaced individually.
“We’re here. One moment, please.”
The door where she stopped actually had two large door panels attached to it. And when she opened it and invited him inside, the interior turned out to be surprisingly spacious.
He had already noticed that the spacing between hallway doors varied greatly. But this apartment even had hallways inside, and several large rooms the size of Ras’s office. It felt large enough to combine two or three ordinary apartments together.
Maybe she’s not poor after all.
“Let’s study here.”
The room she guided him to even contained desks, a podium, and a blackboard, making it feel more like an academy or school classroom. The difference was that large bookshelves lined the walls, completely filled with books.
“Then let me properly introduce myself. I’m Bert.”
“Ah, yes. I’m Ras. And this isn’t much, but it’s a gift.”
Just as he suspected, this beautiful woman truly was the Bert with a doctorate in magic. Ras greeted her and handed over the chocolates he had prepared.
“Oh, you didn’t have to. Thank you.”
He was glad he had prepared them. She hadn’t seemed particularly cold before, but after receiving the gift, her expression softened even more warmly.
“This is an impressive classroom.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“To be honest, when I heard private tutoring, I was worried it’d just be in some bedroom or something.”
After saying that, Ras discreetly checked Bert’s reaction, but she simply smiled brightly as if unconcerned.
“A lot of people probably think that way. And some also worry about professionalism. But I’ve already been doing private tutoring for over four years. Some of the students who studied here even earned mage certifications.”