Talent (2)
Geren's center of gravity, which had been drawn back, shifted forward.
"You'll want to grip that sword tight so you don't drop it."
"...!?"
—Crack!
Geren's wooden sword shot out with sudden, terrifying speed. Feeling as though it would punch straight through his forehead, Roy reflexively brought his own wooden sword up and knocked the thrust skyward.
"Ready to get serious now?"
Roy stumbled backward in fluster.
"All right. Again."
"W-wait a second, Teach—aaaah!"
Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! A sudden flurry of continuous attacks.
It was the exact reverse of the earlier scene with Anna. Geren advanced one measured step at a time, driving Roy relentlessly back, while Roy retreated hard and caught every incoming blow on his blade.
To anyone who didn't know better, it might have looked like a full-grown man bullying a five-year-old. That was how fast and merciless Geren's assault was.
Sure enough, one of the watching maids let out a half-scream.
"I-isn't the young master going to get hurt like that?!"
"He must have his reasons. The lord and lady are right there and neither of them is saying a word. Stepping in would be overstepping."
"Even so…"
While the maids fretted over Roy's safety, the baron and baroness were astonished by something else entirely.
"I was wondering what Sir Geren was doing at first, but darling—what do you make of it?"
"Hmm… Remarkable. At that age the speed is already a lot to handle, yet he's coping well. Proof of sharp eyes. And more than anything…"
Geren swung his sword in a broad, deliberate arc—an obvious power strike meant to say don't block this one; dodge it.
"...!"
Roy read the intent perfectly and slipped clear of the blow. The baron's next words followed at once.
"…He has a sense for it."
That last attack. An ordinary beginner would have leapt far back to escape. Instead Roy used the advantage of his small frame, ducking his waist and stepping forward rather than back. In a real fight it would have been a perfect opening for a counter.
"…Not quite that far yet, I suppose."
"Dear. Roy picked up a sword for the first time today."
"True enough… Still, the talent is unmistakable. I was worried after the seizure the other day, but I don't think we need to concern ourselves further."
After that incident the baron had made inquiries and gathered information on dissociative mana seizures. The danger lay in the seizure itself; fortunately the condition left no serious aftereffects. If anything, it was said to be a kind of guarantee of mana talent—something that only struck children born with the rare quality to surpass the limits of the bloodline they inherited from their parents. A mutant, in a sense. A blank check written by mana itself.
If only Roy… were closer in age to his brothers…
Only days earlier the baron had intended to shut his youngest completely out of the succession race. Now that same boy was suddenly blazing with talent—an intellect far beyond his years, and now clear aptitude for both sword and mana. The baron was delighted… and, on another level, more troubled than ever.
"Haa… haa…"
A few minutes later Roy collapsed onto the floor, gasping. Roughly half the time Anna had lasted. What he lacked was glaringly obvious.
"Your stamina is abysmal. You ought to take a page from Lady Anna."
Roy gulped the water his nanny handed him and paid Geren's words no mind at all.
Damn… I'm screwed.
Just walking around had been enough to tell him this body was nothing like his previous life. From the servants' gossip he had also learned that both the baron and his mother, the baroness, possessed extraordinary sword talent. He carried both of their bloodlines, so his physical gifts ought to be excellent—just as they had been for the eldest and second sons. He had already known, roughly, that this wasn't the frail, sickly body of his past life.
But still…
He hadn't moved by calculation. When the attacks came he had simply thrashed on pure instinct, fighting to stay alive. Yet the spectators' reactions had been a little too intense.
Damn it. Even when openings appeared I deliberately held back the counters because I was afraid of exactly this…
"Stamina still has a long way to go, but the talent is genuine. Lord Roy simply has a different style from Lady Anna. With effort he has the makings to surpass even me and reach the very pinnacle of the sword."
Roy finally caught his breath and stood.
Hilarious… Pinnacle of the sword, my ass.
He was a mage. That had been true in his previous life, and it remained true now.
"Roy. Well done. You moved quite well, didn't you? The lord was full of praise too."
He glanced at his mother. Her face shone with love for her youngest and with the open delight of having just witnessed his sword aptitude.
"Blood really does tell, doesn't it?"
Roy squeezed his eyes shut and made a silent vow.
"Roy. You should follow your brothers and become a fine knight of our Steel Kingdom, all right? So no more holing up in your room reading books every day. Understood?"
"……"
At the first magic lesson he would make today's events vanish from everyone's memory. He would display overwhelming magical talent—so overwhelming that people would insist this child simply had to be raised as a mage. Otherwise, at this rate, he really would be rolling around in the dirt and sweating every single day.
Two days after the swordsmanship class, the first magic lesson took place.
Unlike the sword, however, magic was a discipline that put theory first. There was a great deal to prepare before any practical work could begin.
"How much do the two of you already know about magic?"
Roy offered no answer of his own. He simply waited in silence for Anna to speak first.
"You can fly in the sky!"
"Haha… Well, that is possible, but reaching the level where you can soar freely is extremely difficult. Only a handful in the entire kingdom can do it."
"Then Anna can't fly?"
Geren looked flustered. Temporary levitation was one thing; true high-level flight magic was something only a tiny elite among those of royal blood—those who possessed vast mana—could ever command.
"Th-that is… if you work very hard, perhaps…"
A poor liar, Geren hastily shifted his gaze to Roy, desperate to change the subject.
"Lord Roy, what do you believe magic is?"
Roy closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and spoke.
"Magic is the discipline of piercing the essence of all things, exploring the laws of nature, and awakening to the truths of the world."
"…What?"
"Shall I say it again?"
"Ah—no."
Geren stood frozen for a long while, thinking, unable to form another word. From the outset Roy had never considered himself someone who needed instruction from a man of Geren's caliber—especially not in magic. It wasn't arrogance. It was confidence.
Time to start showing them.
For the past two days every person he met had praised his sword talent. None of them had any real eye for it; Geren and the baroness's closing remarks must simply have spread, and now everyone was parroting the same line. The stress had been unbearable. He felt no joy at all. He had only been waiting quietly for this moment—the moment the situation would reverse.
But there is an order to these things. At first, just a little…
Inside the mansion it would make a fine talking point. He must not, however, become a monstrous prodigy whose magical talent would draw the attention of the wider world. The former would bring every kind of support to nurture that talent. The latter could bring trouble.
I will not become a slave of the imperial house… not again.
Even in his previous life, when he had possessed almost no mana of his own, it had been that bad. That many people had coveted the magical knowledge and intellect locked inside his head.
Here I need to show talent, not skill.
This child is worth raising as a mage. That impression alone would be enough. Once that was established, no one would bat an eye if he later purchased expensive grimoires, collected strange magical implements, or acquired pieces of monster carcasses.
"Pardon? You've already felt mana?"
Roy nodded quietly.
"I felt it a little while ago—when I went berserk."
"Ah…"
Geren went pale. The memory of nearly losing his position flashed through his mind and cold sweat beaded on his brow.
Anna, for her part, was glaring at Roy with complete incomprehension. Having proven two days earlier in sword class that she was a full year older, she had no intention of losing to her little brother in anything.
"Don't lie."
Roy ignored the remark as if it were beneath notice. By now she ought to have grown used to being ignored, yet her pouting lips made it clear she was thoroughly furious inside.
"Hmm… What to do about this."
Geren could not help fretting. The gap between the two children made a single joint lesson difficult.
Unlike swordsmanship, on this side the younger one's progress is already far too advanced…
This was also the first practical magic class. Naturally many eyes were watching. It was the perfect chance to gauge the children's talents, so of course they had gathered. The baron couple were blood, so their interest was inevitable; the household staff, hungry for any news of the lord's children, would never miss a scene like this.
"Hmm… Since Lord Roy has already sensed mana, it seems he could begin learning incantations at once…"
Geren stole a glance at the baron. It was the baron who had specifically warned him not to let Anna feel hurt by comparisons with her brother. Fortunately the baron gave a light nod.
He's quite curious himself.
In truth Geren felt the same. Mana seizures were said to appear only among the most exceptional of mana mutants. His hands itched to confirm as soon as possible whether the rumors held any truth.
And this child…
A maturity impossible to believe in a five-year-old. In all his years of tutoring noble children he had never met one who displayed this level of intellect at so young an age. He felt sorry for Anna, but the truth was that most children were roughly at her level.
What would serve… Something not dangerous, yet able to reveal whether real talent is present…
Lighting or Water Ball would not do. Teaching the first spell every child learned would give no useful distinction.
Better to start with something far more advanced and drop a tier with each failure…
He shook his head again.
Asking for two or three without first teaching one makes no sense.
A "what if" still tugged at him, but Geren finally settled his mind.
"Very well. First I shall teach you the incantation for this magic."
Hearing Geren's opening spell, Roy quietly smiled to himself.