The Archmage's Test
"Jerry, you've gotten so much taller since the last time I saw you."
"It has been over ten years, after all."
At Adelian's words, I leaned back in my chair. We were currently sitting in the inn's main hall, so the first thing I did was check whether the soundproofing magic was working properly. It was functioning perfectly. Thanks to that, no commotion broke out.
And by commotion, I mean something along the lines of:
It's the Grandmaster Adelian Croft! Oh my god!
Yes, that kind of uproar. I glanced at Ferant. He had both hands clamped over his mouth, body trembling violently—the very picture of a person meeting their idol. I shook my head. If you've done enough sightseeing, it's about time to head home, Ferant.
Adelian spoke again.
"So, Jerry, are you still treating me as your master these days?"
"What a ridiculous question. As if I would ever abandon you, Master."
"Well, treating me as your master is fine, I suppose. But do you really have to worship me like some kind of god?"
"The god part is a slight exaggeration. However, it's true that my heart is full of gratitude toward you, Master."
"Tsk tsk."
Adelian clicked her tongue. The sheer pity in that gesture left Jerry looking utterly bewildered. He couldn't understand his master's reaction at all.
Adelian continued slowly.
"Do you honestly think it makes sense for an arrogant brat like you to submit to anyone? That's exactly why I told you to become independent, disavow me, and walk your own path."
"I am walking it."
"Walking it, my ass. You claim you'll treat me like a god, yet here you are ignoring my actual words. Then again, twisting a god's words is basically the first qualification for any believer. At this rate, Jerry, you really think you'll obtain your unique magic even after a hundred years?"
"......"
Jerry shut his mouth. Being scolded by his master after so long seemed to hit him in a strange way.
Adelian smiled at him and added, "Well, you do enjoy getting beaten by women, so I figured it wouldn't work out anyway."
"What kind of groundless slander is that?"
I stared straight at Jerry. He flinched violently and shouted, "It's not true!"
"I didn't say anything."
Tap tap. Someone poked me. It was Chris. She whispered urgently, "Lady Ruina. Lady Ruina."
"Go ahead."
"Lady Adelian is at least three hundred years old, yet she looks like she's in her early twenties."
"That's what happens when you become an archmage. You transcend lifespan entirely."
An 8th-circle mage's nickname is demigod. She had left behind the concept of mortal lifespan long, long ago.
"Anyway."
Adelian parted her lips. The moment I turned and met her eyes, she said, "So Kelton finally reached 5th circle, did he?"
"At the very end."
"At the very end meaning right before he died? That's why I kept telling him to take a disciple sooner. None of my disciples ever listen to a word I say."
Adelian let out a long sigh and rubbed her chin.
"That Kelton boy lacked raw magic talent, but he had a certain spark. I figured if he raised even one disciple properly, he'd break through to 5th circle. I gave him advice and everything, but it seems he only took one after reaching 4th circle himself. He was always so stubborn; I expected as much."
"You seem to know Sir Kelton quite well."
"Of course I do. He's my disciple. Do you think a master would simply forget her own student?"
I subtly glanced at Noa. Hmm... No, I wouldn't forget. Noa's magic looks far too delicious for that.
I studied Adelian carefully. For some reason, she knew my circumstances in eerie detail. She even understood Kelton's situation perfectly. Could it be that Adelian possessed foresight magic as well?
"It's not foresight magic. It's closer to the simple truth that once you reach 8th circle, there's nothing you can't do."
"So that's why they're called demigods. You can even read other people's thoughts."
"Balance, huh. That's exactly the sort of magic Kelton would leave behind. That boy was always obsessed with equivalent exchange."
"You know about Balance too, Lady Adelian?"
"Those who know, know. Hmm."
Adelian looked me up and down. The moment I blinked under that heavy gaze, she muttered bluntly, "You're 3rd circle, aren't you?"
"Yes."
Normally, even high-circle mages found it difficult to accurately gauge another's exact circle, but such common sense apparently meant nothing in front of an 8th-circle archmage.
"Disciple of my disciple."
"Please speak."
"If you want to live a long life, you'd be wise to stop using Balance altogether."
The inn hall fell into complete silence. The inn itself hadn't gone quiet—the soundproofing magic had already blocked out everyone else's noise. So the ones who had frozen were my companions. Leon, Chris, Jerry, Muran, and Noa all stiffened at once. Adelian's sudden warning had clearly caught them off guard.
As for me? I rolled my eyes, sinking into thought. If you want to live long, it's better to stop using Balance.
"Why?"
"Excessive talent has become a shackle around your ankle. In your case it's not exactly talent, but the situation is similar. Ever heard the phrase 'unable to handle one's own talent'? That's exactly what you look like right now. All those countless magics will drag you down and prevent you from rising any higher."
"So no matter how much time passes, my stage won't advance?"
"You understood perfectly."
"But as long as I can use magic, I don't particularly care. It's fine if my stage doesn't rise."
"A low-circle mage endlessly collecting high-circle magic—you really think nothing will go wrong? The end of that road is destruction."
This was advice coming from an 8th-circle archmage. It naturally had solid grounds, and the probability that ignoring it would lead to ruin was extremely high.
"I'm fine."
I quietly refused. Adelian regarded me with a perfectly calm expression.
"Why? Because magic is wonderful? Because it's beautiful, cool, and fantastic?"
"No."
I love magic, but I know full well that it isn't always like that. Magic could destroy me. I understood that clearly. However—
"Balance was created for my own happiness. It won't harm me."
"......"
Adelian stared at me. I stared right back. After a moment, she burst into a small laugh.
"That's true."
"Right?"
"I overlooked that. Your senses are sharper than I expected."
"Does that mean I have talent?"
"It means I was surprised you figured it out despite having no talent."
"I see."
To receive official confirmation of my talentlessness from an 8th-circle archmage. I nearly shed a tear.
Adelian stretched lazily.
"I figured Kelton would end up with a truly bizarre disciple given his personality, but it seems he took in someone even stranger than I imagined."
"I've been making excellent use of the mana training method my master's master recommended."
"Isn't it amazing? I recommended that exact method because I thought I'd end up taking someone like you as a disciple."
Thanks to it, using magic had become far more comfortable, and I was always grateful.
"Still, even if it doesn't lead to outright destruction, raising your stage will gradually become more difficult. Is that acceptable?"
"It's fine."
It was a shame, but if this was the price of using Balance, it wasn't a bad deal. Besides—
"If I keep pushing forward, I'll manage somehow."
"I like that positive attitude."
"Lady Adelian."
"What, going to ask about the Holy Grail?"
"You really do know everything."
Just what kind of unique magic did she possess to know all this? She'd said it wasn't foresight, so was it some form of mind-reading? But that kind of magic wouldn't let her scatter clones across the entire world. What could it possibly be?
"The Holy Grail, hmm."
Adelian tapped the table with her finger. After a brief pause, she asked me, "Do I simply need to tell you its location?"
"Would you give it to me if I asked for it?"
"That personality of yours—knowing it won't work but testing anyway—is rather charming."
"Thank you."
"Unfortunately, giving it away is difficult. I have far too many projects going on right now to spare the effort."
"You're 8th circle, though?"
"It's the opposite. Precisely because I'm 8th circle, I can't spare it."
The nickname for 8th circle is demigod. Half mortal, half transcendent. In other words, it meant they had half escaped the laws of the mortal realm. Perhaps influencing the mortal world as an 8th-circle mage required resolving certain restrictions first.
"Restriction sounds overly dramatic. Whatever you're imagining, it's far more lax than that."
"Then why can't you do it?"
"I told you. I have too many things in motion; I'm practically at capacity."
"Just what sort of work have you been doing?"
"You already know."
Raising disciples apparently consumed that much operational capacity. Well, since Adelian was simultaneously training hundreds of students across the world using clone magic, it both made sense and didn't.
"Then at least tell me the Holy Grail's location."
"Just the location? Isn't your goal treating those burns? I could heal them for you right now, you know?"
"That won't do."
"Why not?"
"It would be too disloyal."
After all the time I'd spent with Leon and Chris, abandoning them now felt wrong. If there were no way to locate the Holy Grail, that would be one thing, but since she was offering its location, I had no desire to take burn treatment in its place.
"I see."
"If you've finished asking questions, please tell me. Where is the Holy Grail?"
"About that."
"Yes?"
"Giving away information for free after dragging things out this long would be rather difficult, don't you think?"
"After building it up this much, this is how you respond?"
This master's master. She'd been pretending to be kind because I was her disciple's disciple, only to demand compensation?
"There is no free lunch in this world."
"What kind of compensation do you want? Surely not money."
"Of course not. There's something else I desire."
"What is it?"
When I asked out of genuine curiosity, Adelian answered as though she'd been waiting for exactly that.
"Nothing complicated. Just test a magic I created."
"What kind of magic?"
"What kind? Let's see..."
Adelian tapped her cheek with a finger, then said, "How about automatic mage development magic?"