Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: An Opportunity More Precious Than Life (1)
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Shirone remained silent about what had happened in the city. The more he thought about it, the more he realized it wasn’t a simple matter. If he were to bring it up, he would have to talk about what happened at the magic academy as well.
Shirone had an inkling of just how profound that day’s experience had been. Whether it was a blessing or a curse, he couldn't know, but one thing was certain: now that he had crossed the line, there was no going back.
One of the hallmarks of a genius was knowing you were one. Shirone, too, had realized from a young age that he was different from others. He didn't feel particularly superior, but his desire to test the limits of his abilities was stronger than anyone's.
He just didn't let it show.
To Shirone, his parents were the most precious people in the world. He didn't want to burden the people who, despite their poverty, had never once forced him down the wrong path.
And so, the great awakening experienced by the twelve-year-old boy entered a dormant period, awaiting its opportunity.
His daily routine continued as usual. He helped his mother with her work, and in the afternoons, he went into the mountains to chop wood.
But most of his time in the mountains was spent not in chopping, but in meditation. After about a month of this, his speed at entering the Spirit Zone had increased remarkably.
Of course, some things weren't as easy as he had thought. No matter how accustomed he became to the Spirit Zone, he couldn't reactivate the magic he had cast in the alley.
Before long, Shirone realized why.
It was magic he had succeeded in casting unconsciously, driven by an external will. The moment he became conscious of that success, imitation became impossible. It was the same principle as a musician’s hands stiffening when they become conscious of a piece they once played without thinking.
To restore that feeling, he would have to retrace the intermediate steps he had skipped over with insight, but as someone who had never learned magic, examining that process was impossible.
Shirone quickly gave up on what he couldn't obtain and instead delved persistently into the Spirit Zone.
Simply being able to cast magic would limit him to being a magic researcher. He concluded that what was most important was a mental fortitude that wouldn't waver under any circumstance.
After five hours of meditation, Shirone picked up his axe and attempted a Thunder Break. Unlike the first time, his success rate for Thunder Break also dropped once he became conscious of it. But chopping wood was different from magic; he could re-examine the process as much as he wanted.
Shirone swung his axe, correcting his errors one by one.
After hundreds of swings, he succeeded with a Thunder Break.
*CR-A-A-A-ACK!*
The tree toppled over satisfyingly.
But he felt no particular excitement. He had simply discovered an error and corrected it.
“Tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow.”
He would continue to repeat the basics. For the opportunity that would one day come.
As Shirone headed home, carrying the wood on his back, his eyes shone with an intensity greater than ever.
An Opportunity More Precious Than Life (1)
Fallen leaves scattered endlessly on the wind.
Standing by the window, Shirone, wrapped in a scarf made of marten fur, gazed out at the late autumn mountain scenery.
Four years had passed, and Shirone had grown into a sixteen-year-old boy. Though he still had a youthful air, his face was so strikingly beautiful that it would turn the heads of anyone, young or old.
“I'm heading out, Mom.”
“Don't overdo it. We have enough firewood now.”
“Winter's coming soon. We have to be prepared.”
As he gathered his equipment and left the cabin, the cold air took his breath away. The seasons came earlier in the mountains than in the city, and snow already capped the peaks.
“I'll have to walk fast if I want to be back before sunset.”
Having trained his mind in the Spirit Zone for four years, Shirone was no longer frightened by ordinary dangers as he once had been. Thanks to this, his shyness had vanished, and he often spent time with the other mountain children.
But he had no friends with whom he could truly open his heart.
Unlike Shirone, the mountain children were rough and straightforward. Even the girls.
In such a group, Shirone was the ugly duckling.
The children admired Shirone for his intellectual air, but at times, they would also show open hostility.
A year ago, a woman named Hauran from the slash-and-burn village had made a pass at Shirone. Six years his senior, she had called him over, saying she had something to tell him, and then tried to make a physical advance.
But when Shirone firmly refused, she suddenly turned on him, declaring that a scrawny guy like him wasn't her type anyway, and threatened to make trouble for his family if he ever so much as bothered her again.
Recalling the incident, Shirone let out a small laugh.
He remembered how his young heart had worried for days, afraid she might actually show up.
*'I wonder if they're all doing well?'*
Arriving at the logging area, Shirone found a suitable tree, made a light chop with his axe, and carefully examined the groove it left.
But his eyes weren't really seeing anything. Through years of experience, he had learned that a tree's weak spot couldn't be found with the eyes.
When you repeat the same action or thought, you sometimes come to understand its principle automatically; this is called a routine. A prime example was automatically grasping the complex concepts of the four basic arithmetic operations.
For four years, Shirone had tried various ways of chopping, and in the process, he had perfected his sense for the Thunder Break.
Sensing something, Shirone raised his axe again and struck the groove with just the right amount of force. A thunderous crack echoed as the tree fell. Success in just two swings. It was a lucky shot, but Shirone succeeded with a Thunder Break one out of ten times anyway.
Sitting on the fallen tree, Shirone entered the Spirit Zone. The current form of his Spirit Zone was a sphere with a diameter of roughly forty meters. This was a level that would place him in the upper echelons even at a magic academy filled with talented individuals.
Shirone felt the world beneath his feet. It was as if he had become one with the earth; he could feel the rustling of the undergrowth. He could hear the squirming of earthworms in the soil and the sound of tree roots absorbing moisture.
Nature is in constant flux. When savoring that dynamic world, five hours passed in what felt like an instant.
“Huh? It's already dark.”
Finishing his meditation, Shirone chopped the fallen tree into logs and loaded them onto his back.
When he arrived back at the cabin, Shirone found a luxurious carriage parked outside—something he had never seen before. Peeking into the stable, he saw two white horses munching on fodder.
“I'm home.”
He opened the door and called out, but heard no welcoming voice in return. The atmosphere was strange. His mother's face was dark, and in the living room, an old man he had never seen before was sitting at the table, talking with his father.
“Oh? Dad, you're back?”
“Shirone, you're here?”
He was back early for someone who had gone into the city at dawn. Besides, on any other day, his father would have rushed over to shower him with kisses, but now he remained seated with a solemn expression.
“Pay your respects, Shirone. This is the deputy butler of the Ogent family.”
“A pleasure. I am Temuran.”
“It's an honor to meet you. My name is Shirone.”
Shirone bowed respectfully. Even Shirone, living deep in the mountains, had heard of the Ogent family. They were a Second-Class noble family with their main estate in Creas, a military house that had produced countless warriors.
“I came here to see you.”
Temuran carried the distinct air of the nobility. That wasn't to say he was a noble himself.
The kingdom's class structure was simple—nobles and commoners—but beyond this political distinction, various other strata existed.
Among them, it was no exaggeration to say that a commoner's status was determined by the nobility.
A blacksmith who forged swords for nobles was respected. Merchants who set up shop in the noble district also held considerable power.
So what about the mountain folk? They had no connection to the nobility and didn't even live in the city.
Thus, mountain folk were called lowborn and were treated with contempt.
Temuran, on the other hand, had a profession that involved serving a noble family up close, making him among the highest of commoners.
Shirone couldn't understand why such a person would come all the way to this mountain valley looking for him.
“Let me have a look at you.”
Temuran ran his hands over Shirone's body, examining his appearance, bone structure, and the look in his eyes. His attitude was like that of a man grading livestock.
“I hear you know how to read.”
“Yes. I've been reading books since I was young.”
Temuran offered no explanation and fell into thought. At that, Shirone's patience reached its limit.
“I'd like to know what this is about. Would you mind telling me?”
Temuran's gaze turned sharp.
“Your reputation is quite good, I hear. The son of a mountain man who knows how to read, and a deeply filial one at that, they say?”
Temuran had a knack for making compliments sound like mockery. His tone seemed to ask, *how filial could someone like you possibly be?*
Shirone despised people who belittled other families. He couldn't stand it and was about to retort when unbelievable words came from Temuran's mouth.
“You, how would you like to work for the Ogent family?”
A thunderbolt struck Shirone's mind. Working for a Second-Class noble family was tantamount to rising from the lowest rung of society to the highest.
“What kind of work would I be doing?”
“The main house is currently relocating its great library. It's not a job we can entrust to just anyone. Among the ten thousand volumes are books that must not be leaked. The manual labor will be done by porters, but the classification work will be done by you and me, just the two of us. It should take about two years.”
A library!
Shirone thought his heart would burst. He knew that the more alluring the offer, the more likely it was to hide poison, but right now, he felt he would drink from any poisoned chalice.
Temuran told him what poison he would have to drink. It was the pride of a butler who would not deceive a lowborn.
“The only people who know of this are you and your family. If, for any reason, a book is leaked, or even if a rumor of a leak spreads, you and your family are as good as dead.”
Shirone understood why his parents' expressions had been so dark. Even if they didn't speak of it, there was no telling what could happen in two years. It was the same as entrusting their lives to someone else.
And yet, the reason they hadn't refused the offer was probably...
“Since you'll be risking your life, the pay will be substantial. Far more than what your father earns from hunting. Thanks to having such a fine son, your family will be able to live comfortably.”
Vincent shot to his feet, his face flushed.
“I didn't listen to your story for the money! I just wanted my Shirone... my Shirone to...!”
Vincent was choked with sorrow, unable to speak. He had been a worthless father who had never been able to do anything for his son. And now, the opportunity he'd brought home was one that put his son's life on the line.
“...I just hoped he could achieve his dream.”
Temuran scoffed as if he found this absurd.
“What are you thinking? Trying to curry favor for a chance at success? If so, you can forget it. Let me be clear: this is an employment offer. You were the one who begged me to hire your son. There would be no reason for that, if not for the money.”
“You said he could read the books!”
“Of course, he can read them. But that's not an invitation. It simply means it's impossible to watch him perfectly. That's why I said I'd have his head if anything was leaked. Think of it as a minimum safety measure.”
Vincent gritted his teeth. When he had gone to the city to sell his goods, he heard that a noble family's butler was looking for a commoner who could read. Seeing it as a heaven-sent opportunity, he had rushed to Temuran without a second thought and begged him to hire Shirone.
But he never expected it to turn out like this.
What he feared most was the pain his son would feel. *Would he think I sold him, blinded by money?*
The mere thought was horrifying.
“Get out. We don't need a single coin of your money. If I had known it would be like this, I never would have begged you. So get out of this house, right now!”
“Dad, I'll do it.”
“Shirone!”
Temuran turned to look at Shirone with a surprised expression. It was a job that required risking one's life. It should have been an immense burden for a sixteen-year-old boy, a lowborn at that, yet Shirone showed not the slightest hint of fear.
“Are you sure? I'm not trying to scare you. I'm telling you plainly: if even the smallest rumor gets out, your head will be chopped off.”
“Yes, I'll do it. I will never leak anything, and even if a rumor spreads for some reason, I won't resent you. Please, let me do it.”
If he was willing to go that far, Temuran felt he was worth trusting. All the conditions were perfect. He was a lowborn who could be killed at any time, was deeply filial, and possessed intelligence.
Feeling his efforts had paid off, Temuran turned to leave.
“I'll be back in a week to pick you up. If you change your mind before then, you're free to refuse. But mark my words, once you enter the estate, you cannot leave until the job is done.”
As if wanting no one to see him off, Temuran opened the door and left by himself. But the family was in no mood to offer parting words or wish him a safe journey.