The Fruit of Wisdom (3)
Unique magic cannot be taught to anyone. After all, it is the very crystallization of a mage’s life, values, and imagery. That said, unique magic is not necessarily one-of-a-kind. If it were, it would have been called “unique magic” in name as well. Take a simple example: suppose a high-ranking mage completes the unique magic Growth. If that mage takes on a disciple and eventually raises them to the same rank, could the disciple obtain Growth exactly as their master did? The answer is yes, it is possible. However, the master would have no influence whatsoever on whether the disciple acquires Growth. Ah, except for the part where they helped the disciple become a high-ranking mage in the first place. The disciple obtaining Growth would be nothing more than coincidence. They would have happened to live a life, hold values, and possess imagery similar to their master’s, and thus gained Growth—not because they met a master who already possessed it.
Magic’s history already spans thousands of years. Plenty of people have completed the same unique magic throughout that time. “Do you know of Balance?” Yet unique magics as peculiar—and, in a way, grotesque—as Balance are rare, as one might expect at a glance. It might even be the only one of its kind. When I asked out of curiosity how she knew of such magic, Elera answered calmly.
“Those who know, know.”
“I see.”
Most of the knowledge I possessed had come from Kelton. Anything Kelton didn’t know, I didn’t know either, so I was completely in the dark about secretive fields that only high-ranking mages would be privy to. So Balance was a famous unique magic. My shoulders lifted a little. As expected of Master Kelton.
“Famous? That’s an exaggeration. It’s simply magic that those in the know are aware of.”
“Same difference.”
“You’re quite attached to fame, aren’t you?”
“In what way is Balance famous?”
“If I had to say… not famous at all. Never mind. Balance?” Elera tilted her head, the corner of her mouth curling upward as she continued. “Its wielders are famous for going around doing strange things. Do you understand?”
“I understand.”
In other words, every wielder of Balance accomplished astonishing feats to an almost bizarre degree.
“Your expression says otherwise.”
“Does it?”
“Your answer just now confirmed it. You interpreted it however you liked.”
“Did I?”
Treating people like strange creatures. That won’t do. Elera clicked her tongue softly.
“Anyway, records remain about those connected to Balance. There aren’t many, so they never spread widely, but thanks to them I came to know Balance in detail as well.”
“So you recognized me after looking at past cases.”
When I nodded in complete understanding, Elera gave a small laugh.
“No. That’s not it.”
“It’s not?”
“It’s true that I came to know Balance in ‘detail’ after investigating the records, but I didn’t learn of Balance’s existence from them.”
“Then how did you know?”
“How, you ask. Well…” Elera lifted her head. Faded white hair cascaded down her face as her aged lips moved. “It was thanks to these eyes.”
Meeting Elera’s gaze, I let out an admiring gasp. Her right eye was glowing. Softly, in the shape of a crescent moon. Seeing that, I had a guess.
“Is it foresight?”
The moon—especially the crescent moon—symbolizes intuition, feminine wisdom, and insight toward the future. As if confirming I was right, Elera returned her eye to normal and answered.
“I confirmed the existence of Balance from the future. Therefore, the question of whether I recognized you from past cases is based on a false premise to begin with.”
“How fascinating. Could you perhaps give me that magic? I’ll pay the price.”
“See? I told you every wielder of Balance goes around doing strange things. I refuse.”
“That’s a shame.”
While smacking my lips, a sudden question occurred to me.
“But does it really matter that I’m a wielder of Balance?”
“It does.”
“Why?”
“I’m sorry, but I have no intention of telling you everything I foresaw. It would shake the future.”
“Really? That’s quite different from the foresight magic I know.”
I recalled the foresight Flora had experienced. Flora’s master had told her every future she had foreseen. And though Flora had tried every means to avoid the predetermined future, the foresight she had heard included even the parts where she struggled. She couldn’t escape it. When I explained this, Elera shook her head.
“Deterministic foresight. My foresight differs from that both in its fundamentals and its usage. It’s an entirely separate magic.”
“There are many kinds of foresight as well.”
“Even simple flame magic has over a dozen varieties. Why would foresight be any different?”
“True.”
Accepting it readily, I asked the most important question now.
“So what do I have to do for you to tell me the Holy Grail’s location?”
“That’s simple. Do you see that child over there?” Elera jerked her chin. Following her gaze, I saw someone peeking out from in front of the brick house’s door. It was Noa. I whispered quietly.
“Noa seems to really enjoy peeking, whether it’s during bath time or now.”
“If you grant the request I have regarding that child, I’ll let you know the Holy Grail’s location.”
“That sounds promising. What’s the request?”
“As I said, it’s a simple request. That child—”
“Noa?”
When I tilted my head, Elera slowly parted her lips.
“Raise that child into a proper mage. That is my condition.”
“Are you perhaps unfamiliar with the meaning of ‘simple’?”
“If you don’t like it, suit yourself.”
Raising someone into a proper mage was an incredibly difficult task. Just look at Kelton. How many years had it taken him to raise me into a usable mage? Though Adelian, a teaching professional, could lay the foundation for becoming a proper mage in a year or even a few months, I was a complete novice who had never raised a disciple before. I had no idea how many years it would take. I studied Elera carefully, then raised my hand.
“Please wait a moment.”
“Do as you will.”
I decided to call a strategy meeting. Gathering everyone, I asked bluntly.
“Everyone. How much time can we afford to waste?”
“……The standard for what counts as a ‘proper mage’ varies from person to person, but reaching the second circle usually takes over a year.”
“Can you all spare a year?”
“Hmm.” At my words, Chris tapped her cheek. “A year might be fine?”
“Really?”
It was unexpected. I’d thought she would insist on earning money without wasting even a second, yet here she was saying that. Chris wiggled her fingers.
“If we spend a year laying the groundwork to sell wooden soldier and wooden giant statues, it’ll be fine. It’s nothing much.”
“What about five years?”
“Five years is a bit much.” Chris backed out. Five years really was pushing it. Jerry cautiously joined our conversation.
“The urgent matter is calculating how much time difference there would be between receiving help from the Witch of Wisdom and not receiving it.”
“If we just leave like this, how many years would it take to find the Holy Grail?”
“We might not find it at all. I was happy earning a lot of money, but honestly, we haven’t even found a trace of the Holy Grail.”
“Leon?”
“……”
Leon was lost in thought. As the one with the greatest stake in the Holy Grail search, his choice mattered most here. After thinking and thinking again, Leon finally spoke.
“Searching for the Holy Grail blindly like this probably won’t yield much result.”
“Countless paladins are already scouring the world in that manner. If it had been effective, someone would have found it already, wouldn’t they?”
“Therefore, even if it takes time, obtaining a definite clue would be better.”
“It’s decided, then.”
We didn’t know how long teaching Noa would take, but the final conclusion was that it was better than blindly searching for the Holy Grail no matter how much time it required. I turned and approached Elera.
“You’re certain you have reliable information about the Holy Grail?”
“Are you worried I’ll go back on the deal after you’ve gone to the trouble of teaching the child? The information regarding the Holy Grail is already in my head, so don’t worry.”
“Understood.”
“Wait a moment!” Someone suddenly shouted. It was Noa. Noa thrust his hand forward with a dumbfounded expression.
“What about my opinion?”
“The child’s opinion doesn’t matter, does it?”
“Are you saying you don’t want to become the disciple of someone who’s going to be the youngest archmage in history?”
“No. I have no interest in magic.”
“There you have it?”
What was going on here. I looked at Elera as if protesting. Even I couldn’t force someone who had no intention of learning to study. If that was the condition, I had no choice but to change my mind and search for the Holy Grail on my own without Elera’s help. At my glance, Elera quietly opened her mouth.
“Noa. I’m asking you.”
“……If you’re going to teach magic in the first place, couldn’t Elera just teach it?”
She had a point. Come to think of it, Elera was a mage too. If it was about teaching magic, Elera could do it, so why me specifically? Elera answered.
“I cannot.”
“Why?”
“Didn’t I tell you the three things you must never do to a foresight mage?”
“Haa……” Noa let out a long sigh. Then he muttered, “Fine.”
“I’m glad you changed your mind.”
“What do I do now?”
“Just learn well from that mad mage.”
Noa and Elera both looked at me. I carefully raised my hand.
“So what are the three things you must never do to a foresight mage?”
“You’re really telling me to learn from that person?”
“I am.”
These brats were looking down on me?
“Leaving someone curious and not answering. How spiteful.”
“This feels ominous……”
*
I have a personal theory on learning. And that is: if there’s no interest, people don’t learn.
“From now on, I’ll be assessing Noa’s love for magic.”
“This feels ominous……”