The Encounter
Ruen was brilliant. He possessed a mind that could easily grasp the study of magic, which others found difficult, and apply its formulas. But that did not mean he was wise. Or rather, to be precise, Ruen had never experienced real combat, so he had overlooked something crucial.
Why were people told never to enter the forest at night? Why were they warned to avoid magical beasts? Because he had never faced them, he had thought too lightly of the danger.
Magical beasts possessed far keener hearing and smell than humans. Ruen knew this, so he planned to muffle his footsteps as much as possible and slip out of the forest carefully. Yet anyone truly familiar with magical beasts would have known his thinking was flawed from the start.
Their senses were vastly superior. Even the sound of a small twig snapping, the scent of sweat from his body, or the very sound of his breathing would reach them. The moment he stepped into the forest, the beasts had already heard him and caught his scent.
The night forest was such a place. The instant a human entered without any defenses, they were certain to be discovered. Therefore—
GROOOAAAAAR!!
Ruen coming face-to-face with a magical beast was inevitable.
With a face drained of all color, Ruen stared at the beast before him.
Grizzly Bear……!
It was a magical beast Ruen knew all too well. With a form resembling a bear, it possessed the terrifying strength to tear a human apart with its bare hands.
Though startled by the sudden appearance of the Grizzly Bear, Ruen forced his mind to work calmly.
How to deal with a Grizzly Bear.
Grizzly Bears hunted in the forests near the territory and, when winter came, raided nearby villages in search of food. Since they were not particularly rare, their weaknesses were well documented.
Their thick, tough hides rendered most physical attacks useless. Only an aura-wielding knight could hope to break through with raw force. Otherwise, one had to target vulnerable spots like the eyes or nose, areas not protected by hide.
Thus, wind- and earth-attribute magic were largely ineffective against them. Of course, if the magic carried enough physical force to damage what lay beneath the hide, that would be different—but that required at least a 4th-circle spell or higher.
Yet there was a simpler method.
Fire.
Magical beasts shared a common weakness to flames. Fire-attribute magic would work, but—
"Hah."
Ruen let out a self-deprecating laugh and could only close his eyes for a moment before opening them again. Every method he could think of involved using magic against the Grizzly Bear. And why wouldn't it? Who could have imagined that the sole heir of the renowned Calbrandt family possessed almost zero mana sensitivity?
Even Ruen himself had not known.
Forgetting that the Grizzly Bear was baring its fangs right in front of him, Ruen absentmindedly ran a hand through his hair.
There was nothing he could do. A Ruen who could wield neither sword nor magic—someone closer to an ordinary person than anything else—had only one option against a Grizzly Bear: run.
But—
"Damn it."
Ruen did not run. After spitting out the curse, he drew a long breath.
"How long am I supposed to keep running?"
When his parents died, Ruen had been powerless. When his fiancée tried to leave him, he had been powerless. When he discovered who had destroyed his family, he had been powerless. When Calsento seized the household and slaughtered every vassal, Ruen had been powerless. He had only run.
All of it was because he had been weak. Not because he could not use magic, but because his heart had been weak.
Ruen clenched his fists and glared at the Grizzly Bear with bloodshot eyes. Though his body trembled with fear, his heart no longer crumbled.
"Flames, burn the enemy before me. Fireball!!"
Ruen thrust his hand forward, traced a magic circle in the air, and chanted the incantation.
Ruen was not completely incapable of using magic. Though his mana sensitivity was minuscule, he was not a complete null. Compared to others it was tiny, yet he could still cast spells. He knew the necessary knowledge—incantations, how to draw magic circles, how to move mana.
Fwoosh……
Yes, he could "use" magic. Ruen stared at the tiny spark of flame formed from the meager mana that had burst from his hand and bit down hard on his lower lip.
Could that even be called magic? It looked more like a child's parlor trick.
"……"
Grrr……
When the small flame flew toward it, the Grizzly Bear simply swatted it away with its paw and fixed Ruen with a savage glare. But Ruen did not fall back into terror. He merely stared blankly at his own hand.
"Why…… Why…… Why!!!"
Why was he born without any talent? Why could he not be like his father? The boy screamed. Even if his talent had been merely average rather than exceptional, Ruen could have grown into a respectable mage. If he had inherited even a fraction of his mother's groundbreaking knowledge and his father's ability, and if the Calbrandt family's vast resources had supported him, he could have risen higher than anyone.
Of course, he would eventually have hit the wall called talent and despaired, but at least the situation would never have twisted this far.
Thus, Ruen resented the heavens. Even though every tragedy stemmed from human malice, the only target he could curse was the sky.
……I should just die.
After screaming for a long while, Ruen exhaled deeply and lowered his head.
Survive and take revenge? Did he even have the strength for revenge? He did not ask for talent equal to Hamel Fil Calbrandt—his father. If he had less talent than even Calsento, who had always been overshadowed by his father, how could he possibly gather enough power elsewhere to drive Calsento out?
Realistically, it was impossible.
Letting his arms hang limply, Ruen sank to the ground and stared blankly at the floor.
Thud, thud, thud!
Even as the sound of the Grizzly Bear's approaching footsteps grew louder, Ruen remained seated, unmoving. He had given up. At the same time, he had decided that nothing held any meaning anymore.
What point was there in living any longer? What point was there in desperately surviving?
"Damn it……"
The only thing he could do was curse.
Finally, the Grizzly Bear reached striking distance, blotting out the faint moonlight as it slowly raised its paw. Its grip strength was powerful enough to tear an adult man apart. A single swipe would surely rip Ruen to shreds.
Yet Ruen did not move.
If I had power……
I would not have been so helpless.
It was then that a voice like birdsong reached the ears of the resigned boy.
[Shall I help?]
[Shall I help? Shall I help?]
The voices sounded like those of young children.
"What……?"
When Ruen blankly asked in response to the sudden voices, they burst into giggles and continued.
[He can hear us! Amazing!]
[It's been so, so long! A human who can hear us! Let's help him!]
[Help him! Help him! Help him!]
There was not just one. Multiple voices chattered around Ruen's ears. Normally he would have found it noisy, but the voices did not bother him. Instead, they felt strangely comforting.
GROOOAAAAAR!!
The Grizzly Bear, sensing something wrong, let out a long roar and swung its paw, but the blow never reached Ruen.
[Human! Our friend! Anyone who attacks our friend is a bad child!]
[Bad! Bad! Bad!]
The chattering voices suddenly moved away. At the same time, something seized the paw the Grizzly Bear had swung.
Even in the dark forest, Ruen could clearly see what it was.
"Tree roots……?"
They were tree roots. Thick roots had wrapped tightly around the Grizzly Bear's arm. Not just the arm—roots coiled around its arms, legs, torso, and even its neck. Despite the beast's thrashing, the roots showed no sign of breaking.
[Bad child, disappear!]
[Disappear! Disappear!]
Rumble, rumble, rumble!!
At the same time, the ground beneath the Grizzly Bear began to move. As if alive, the earth groaned and split open, as though it had opened its maw to swallow the beast whole. Ruen watched in a daze.
Crunch!!
The Grizzly Bear fell into the abyss below, and the ground closed once more, as if nothing had happened.
"What in the world……"
Ruen could only stare blankly at the scene.