The Mage Called Jerry
The mage known as Jerry spat out a voice dripping with mockery. “Even someone like you must have heard of Lady Adelian Croft.”
Mages who didn’t know Adelian were extremely rare. She was, after all, an 8-star Archmage. One could already consider her half a god. Not knowing her? That would be impossible even if you’d spent your entire life locked away in the mountains training. Her name would still be written on the very first page of any magic tome left abandoned in the woods. So even the mercenary who had picked this fight would have found the weight of Adelian’s sky-piercing reputation burdensome, yet he kept running his mouth without a care.
“Your master is the great one. Not you, right?”
“You insolent bastard.”
Jerry’s eyes changed. Adelian Croft was famous for her own skill, but in truth she was even more famous for her eccentric behavior. Adelian took on disciples endlessly. Without discrimination. The method was amusing too—she would simply pick up anyone who caught her eye while walking down the street and make them her student. The length of time she taught each disciple varied from person to person. Some received only a month of instruction, while others stayed by her side for over ten years. The interesting part was that even though the teaching was supposedly one-on-one, multiple people would claim to have received her instruction on the exact same day in completely different locations. Because of that, people speculated that Adelian used clone magic. In any case, the name for her disciples was simple.
‘Adelian’s children.’ Or ‘the Croft School.’ The disciples themselves preferred to be called the Croft School.
Among Adelian’s children, the most famous were the current Imperial Court Mage and the Tower Master of the Blue Tower. In reality, those two were the ones elevating the status of all her disciples. The rest weren’t bad, but they naturally fell short when compared to 7-star mages. As far as I knew, the only one of Adelian’s disciples who could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with those two was Kelton.
The mercenary continued with an expression of disbelief. “This is exactly why I hate the Croft School. All you people do is ride on the coattails of your master’s fame. Do you even realize that your behavior is tarnishing Lady Adelian’s reputation?”
“Her reputation isn’t something that gets tarnished by the likes of me.”
“I can’t tell if you’re respecting your master or insulting her. It’s ambiguous.”
The mercenary shook his head as if fed up and picked at his ear. “Are you even actually from the Croft School in the first place? I could wear a robe that color too.”
“…….”
It was true that the deep blue robes modeled after Adelian’s eye and hair color were striking, but they weren’t unique. Anyone could buy one if they wanted. To the mercenary’s question, Jerry answered bluntly.
“You must be jealous.”
“What?”
“I used to be a bottom-feeder just like you. Rolling around in the gutters. But what about now? I’m a 4-star mage and a disciple of an Archmage, while you’re just a mercenary mage. Looking at your sorry state, I’d say you’re probably 1-star or 2-star at best.”
“How would you know that?”
“Listen well, mercenary. A mage, you see, sheds cumbersome equipment the higher their star rank climbs. We don’t pile on armor like you do.”
Fwoosh.
A flame bloomed in Jerry’s hand. He continued, “There’s only one reason for this difference. Whether or not you were chosen by Lady Adelian. I was chosen. You were not. That must make you so envious and jealous you could die, right?”
“Bullshit.”
“You doubted whether I was truly from the Croft School? Then I’ll show you the proof. Open your eyes wide.”
The flame in Jerry’s hand transformed. It was shaped into the form of a staff, floating gently above his palm, and immediately a ring of fire began spinning around the staff. The flaming wheel rotated, filling the entire inn hall with noise. It sounded almost like a motor.
“If you have eyes, you should recognize it. The Croft School’s inherited magic—Roaring Wheel.”
Inherited magic. That was the very reason schools could exist in this world. It was impossible to teach unique magic. Even if someone happened to learn the exact same unique magic as their master, it wasn’t thanks to the master. It simply meant a person naturally suited to that unique magic had coincidentally met a similar master. Therefore, schools should not have been able to exist in this world. If there was nothing to share between master and disciple, founding a school would be ridiculous, wouldn’t it?
Yet schools existed quite openly in this world. It meant there was something shared between master and disciple, and people called that inherited magic. Just like a chef’s signature dish, the magic that represented the school’s founder and other notable figures was passed down, carrying on their will.
“…….”
“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?”
When Jerry lifted the corner of his mouth, the murmurs around them grew louder.
Roaring Wheel was famous as Adelian Croft’s signature magic. And when people said “famous,” they didn’t just mean among mages. In fact, Roaring Wheel was even more famous among ordinary people. And when a mage’s representative magic was so well-known that even civilians could recognize it at a glance, there was usually only one explanation. She must have caused an incident of that scale.
Enjoying the spectators’ reactions, Jerry struck a haughty pose. “It’s a magic that bottom-feeders like you could never obtain.”
“Ha.”
“Now kneel, mercenary. This is why you and I cannot breathe the same air—”
“But Lady Adelian wouldn’t pass on her magic to her disciples, would she?”
In an instant, the inn hall fell into silence. At the sudden change, I whipped my head around. Chris looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“Lady Ruina? What’s wrong?”
“I was looking for the culprit who made the inn hall go quiet.”
“That culprit is you, Lady Ruina.”
“So I was the culprit.”
“Who the hell is this guy?”
Jerry growled. It seemed he was displeased by the sudden intruder. I kindly explained to him.
“Lady Adelian teaches her disciples many things, but inherited magic isn’t one of them. Isn’t that right?”
Considering the values Kelton had told me about Adelian, something like inherited magic could never exist in the Croft School.
“Every mage carries a different magic within them. All I teach is how to bring that magic into bloom.”
Those were the words Adelian had spoken on the first day she took Kelton as her disciple. In fact, because of that, Kelton had never inherited any magic from Adelian. When Kelton eventually asked out of curiosity, Adelian had answered shortly.
“The magic that will represent you is something you must create yourself.”
That was Adelian Croft. Yet the school that followed such a person was using Roaring Wheel and calling it inherited magic. Something felt off. At my question, Jerry spoke calmly.
“That’s because our master is a very busy person. The inherited magic is something we learn separately after joining the school.”
“Is that so?”
A school that didn’t follow its founder’s values felt slightly strange, but since Adelian basically had a hands-off personality, she would probably just say it was her disciples’ choice even if they arbitrarily made Roaring Wheel their inherited magic.
“Now answer my question. Who the hell are you?”
“My master was a disciple of Lady Adelian.”
“Second generation, then.”
Second generation? It was a distinction I was hearing for the first time, so I tilted my head. Jerry clicked his tongue softly.
“It refers to the disciple of someone who received instruction from one of Lady Adelian’s own disciples, rather than receiving it directly from her.”
“I see.”
“What star are you?”
“I’m 4-star.”
To keep the conversation flowing smoothly, I stated the rank I had reached someday in advance. Jerry’s expression turned strange.
“...4-star?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t lie. There’s no way you’re 4-star at that age.”
“Actually, it is a lie.”
“Are you messing with me right n—”
“Hey. Jerry.”
The other Croft School mage sitting beside him stopped Jerry. Still angry, Jerry looked at his companion.
“What?”
“Look at the face hidden under the robe.”
“The face? Why would I… Hup.”
Jerry gasped in shock. I was surprised too.
“Why are you reacting like that? Is there honey wine on my face?”
“Lady Ruina. I think he’s startled by the burn scars.”
“He’s not some delicate girl. Why would he be shocked by something like that? Take it off.”
“...You said your name was Ruina. I am Jerry, a 4-star mage. Reveal your exact rank.”
“I’m 3-star Ruina.”
4-star, huh. Come to think of it, Kelton had never told anyone he was Adelian’s disciple until he reached 4-star. Had Jerry done the same? Staying quiet until he reached 4-star and only then showing off? It didn’t seem like it. Although I had only just met Jerry, I could tell he wasn’t the type to act that way. Besides, whether one revealed their master’s identity at 3-star or 4-star wasn’t some rule set by Adelian. It had been Kelton’s own vow, so others had no need to follow it. Rather, Kelton was the strange one. Normally, people would proudly boast like the Jerry before me that they were the disciple of an Archmage, and they would create a school using their master’s name to take full advantage of it. Just like these people.
“A mere 3-star acting so arrogantly.”
Jerry twitched his eyebrows and accelerated his Roaring Wheel. I twitched my eyebrows too. This guy really had no sense of restraint in a crowded tavern. I summoned wooden soldiers and subdued Jerry.
“Wait, why us too?”
“I told you not to touch Jerry, you bastard!”
Listening to the applause pouring in from all directions, I approached Jerry.
“Sir Jerry. How can you go around picking fights with others so carelessly? Please don’t do that again.”
When I gave him advice that would become a golden rule for his sake, Jerry muttered with tears in his eyes.
“That mercenary from earlier spilled alcohol on my clothes first and didn’t even apologize…”
Wait. There was a backstory like that? I quickly looked for the mercenary, but he had already disappeared long ago. This is exactly why you can’t trust mercenaries. I knew from the start that guy looked suspicious.
“…….”
“…….”
In the rather awkward atmosphere, I racked my brain. So, um.
“Who told you to use magic recklessly inside a tavern?”
Fortunately, Jerry had more than one flaw. I quickly changed course. Phew. Another incident resolved.