Childhood (2)
I rewound time to the moment right after meeting Kelton. He took one look at my filthy state and ordered me to wash up. I did as I was told. When I came out, he muttered under his breath.
"One of your ancestors must have been a fairy."
"I suppose I do have the kind of face that would make nobles drool."
I stood quietly before the full-length mirror in the room. Platinum hair that seemed to hold the starlight of the night sky, vibrant emerald eyes brimming with life, and beneath them, skin as pale as fresh snow. The skin especially puzzled me. I had done all the housework, yet aside from the beatings from my father, my hands were unscathed and my skin showed no signs of tanning. It really did make Kelton's words about fairy blood seem plausible.
"If you've got fairy blood, you'll pick up magic easily enough."
"That sounds good to me."
Magic. The very desire that had driven a ten-year-old child to risk leaving the village. Magic was a secret art. It wasn't taught to just anyone. That was why, the moment I sensed my family was about to sell me off to some noble house, I had tried to run away. No noble would ever teach magic to a mere maidservant.
Ah, I should clarify—though I said "sold," there was no slavery in this world. A cool, sexy otherworld like this wouldn't adopt such outdated, barbaric customs. Nobles merely "long-term employed" people. So even those who were "sold" could regain their freedom by paying off their contract fee. Of course, sending off a pretty daughter for long-term employment meant earning money a commoner could never make in decades of hard work, but let's tuck that minor detail away in a corner for now.
If you're wondering why they couldn't just refuse the employment, well—in Happy Mid-land, children were considered their parents' property. And no one listens to the claims of property, do they? It was the same here. No one listened to a child's objections. So in a way, it was a win-win deal. For the nobles, it meant getting a hardworking maid who could also handle nighttime duties for pocket change. For the commoners, it meant getting the money that could change their lives. The child being sold? They were property, as I said. They didn't factor into the equation at all. That was why I had slipped out of the house without a fuss. If they abandoned me, then I would abandon them too. That seemed fair.
Before teaching me magic, Kelton rummaged through a storeroom crammed with odds and ends. I looked around the cluttered space and spoke up.
"The storeroom is a bit of a mess, isn't it?"
"This isn't a storeroom. It's my workshop."
"Ah, you're at that age where moving your body is becoming a bother."
I mentally added "workshop management" to my future duties and kept my eyes on Kelton. He pulled something out from the clutter—an object resembling a disk.
"What's that?"
"Hold it."
I took the disk as instructed while Kelton puffed on his pipe. What was this thing? I examined it closely. Inside the disk were dozens of tiny beads in all sorts of colors, engraved with intricate patterns that made it quite pretty to look at. I tilted the disk, letting the beads roll around. Then—
Clatter.
One bead rolled along a groove carved into the disk and dropped into a basket-like compartment at the bottom. Kelton took the disk from me and checked the basket.
"Red."
The bead that had fallen was red. He returned it to the disk and said,
"You're probably wondering what this is. It's—"
"It's for checking elemental affinity, isn't it? Since it's red, does that mean I have fire affinity?"
"...Yes, that's right. Where did you learn about magic?"
"I didn't."
It was just a lucky guess. I didn't actually possess any knowledge of this world's magic. Kelton replaced the tobacco in his pipe and continued calmly.
"As you said, this is a magical tool that determines elemental affinity. In your case, you're suited to fire."
"Is that good?"
"There's no good or bad when it comes to elemental affinity. Though fire isn't exactly rare. The four basic elements are common, after all."
"Fundamentals are important, though."
Fundamentals were the foundation of everything. They mattered most. In other words, I possessed the most important elemental affinity.
"You only hear what you want to hear."
"So, does that mean I can learn magic?"
"Once you've been born with an elemental affinity, of course it's possible."
"Wow."
Kelton put the disk back into the clutter and stepped out of the storeroom—ah, the workshop. I followed after him and asked,
"So you did want to take on a disciple after all? You even had a tool like that prepared just for a student."
"That was given to me by my master. Can't you tell from all the dust on it? I never had any intention of taking a disciple."
"I'll make sure to handle your master's belongings with care."
At my words, Kelton gazed off into the distance, as if recalling old memories. A sudden curiosity struck me.
"What kind of person was your master, Kelton?"
"An odd one."
"In what way?"
"It's not exactly common for an archmage to accept just anyone as a disciple and teach them magic."
"That is unusual."
Going around teaching magic that wasn't meant to be passed on to just anyone—that was a rare disposition. Still, I could sympathize with Kelton's master. Magic was meant to be spread so everyone could use it.
"Am I your master's only disciple?"
"My master had countless disciples. I'm just one among many."
"That many? Then it's practically a cartel."
"It's not entirely unlike one, but being part of that cartel only applies after you've become a high-ranking mage. Those who haven't even obtained a unique magic are just called the master's disciples for the sake of mockery."
"I see."
Come to think of it, one word from our conversation had caught my attention.
"So unique magic is what separates high-ranking mages from low-ranking ones?"
"Your head works reasonably well."
"Will I be able to obtain a unique magic too?"
"We'll have to find out from here on."
Kelton sat me down on a chair and began his explanation.
"This world is composed of four elements. Fire, water, wind, and earth. There are many special elements that don't fall into these four, but most mages are born with one of these."
"I'm fire affinity."
"Magic is based on understanding. Only those who deeply understand the elements and ultimately come to understand the world can reach the realm of high-ranking mages. Now, focus."
Kelton conjured a flame on his fingertip. My eyes went hazy at the sight of that radiant light.
Magic. Real magic.
In a daze, I reached out my hand. I wanted to grasp that magic right away.
"What are you doing?"
Kelton extinguished the flame magic. I snapped back to my senses as if waking from a trance.
"What was that just now? Some kind of mind-control magic from the mental element?"
"It was just ordinary ignition magic. I'll show you again. This time, don't touch it with your hand—focus and observe."
Kelton conjured the flame on his fingertip once more. I widened my eyes as instructed and concentrated on the fire.
"......"
"Do you feel anything?"
"...It looks warm."
"Anything else? Nothing else comes to mind when you look at it?"
"The fundamental property of flame is expansion. It burns things and grows larger. Burning is connected to annihilation, so considering that, wouldn't it also have purifying properties?"
Kelton looked slightly surprised at my answer.
"You felt that?"
"No, I just thought about it."
"So you didn't feel it. Stop thinking and focus. What do you sense?"
I emptied my mind and concentrated entirely on the flame.
Flame, flame. Once I stopped thinking, I could feel something. That flame—was hotter than I'd expected?
Fwoosh.
Startled, I looked at my finger. A flame had risen from my index finger.
"It's a flame!"
"You've succeeded in sensing the element. That's the foundation. Remember it well—"
"It's magic!"
I shoved my index finger straight into my mouth, flame and all.
"Ow, hot!"
"What in the world are you doing?!"
Kelton yelped and yanked my hand out, checking inside my mouth. Once he confirmed I hadn't been burned, he slowly shook his head.
"In all my life, I've never seen anyone swallow flame magic."
"Am I the first in human history?"
"There must have been someone like you before. But this is a first for me. Why did you swallow it?"
"I wanted to feel the magic with my whole body. Why wasn't it hot when it was on my finger, but the moment I put it in my mouth, it burned?"
"Because your control is weak. Mages who fall victim to their own magic are usually treated as third-rate or lower, so be careful."
Apparently, my action had been correct, but my skill level had not. So to eat magic, you needed the corresponding ability. That gave me one more reason to devote myself to magic.
"You really went and swallowed it."
"What do I do now?"
"Right now, you're called a zero-rank, rankless mage. It means you've only succeeded in sensing the element and can't do anything else. Escaping that state comes first."
"How do I escape it?"
"Didn't I already tell you? Magic in this world is based on understanding. Understand the element. Understand fire. Then your rank will naturally rise."
I diligently followed the magic curriculum Kelton had created. Every day, I poured all my effort into understanding the element. And so, a week later.
After all that training, I...!
Nothing had changed. Absolutely nothing.
"You don't have any talent, do you?"
"What?"
"You have no talent for magic. You've met the qualifications, but no matter how hard I look, I can't find anything worthy of being called talent."
That was why Kelton had said such a thing. I scratched my cheek.
"Am I going to be abandoned now?"
"Well, it can't be helped. Some people overflow with talent. It just means the perfect disciple for the master has appeared. Go do some cleaning."
"As expected of you, Kelton."
Fortunately, I wasn't abandoned. Still... hmm. I pulled out a broom and muttered to myself.
No matter the reason, the existence of magic I couldn't learn was something I simply couldn't tolerate.