Trigger (01) 004: Time to Part Ways
It had been about two years since Kalen met Blamia, his benefactor and master. Both master and disciple sensed it instinctively—the time to part ways was fast approaching.
-Boom!!
"..."
"Huh..."
There had been many changes, big and small, over those two years. One of them was the makeshift training ground that had sprung up haphazardly in the backyard. And right in the center of that yard, a massive magical scar had gouged out a deep crater.
"2nd Hierarchy." Blamia stared into the pit and stated flatly.
Kalen, panting heavily, listened intently.
"You're quick, kid."
"...Thanks to you, Master."
"What you just used was the 2nd Hierarchy Combat Attribute spell, Explosion."
"Yes."
The vivid compression marks etched into the ground. But as always, no flow of mana could be felt. That was another peculiarity of Kalen's. The 1st Hierarchy spells still carried some sense of magic, but starting from the 2nd Hierarchy, where attributes truly diverged, even that faint trace was barely detectable. Was it because he used no mana? At just thirteen, mastering 2nd Hierarchy magic drew nothing but a wry chuckle.
But precisely because of that, it was time to part. The boy reflected in Blamia's eyes thankfully understood the old man's heart.
"That tomboy of mine would be lucky to keep up with half your pace."
"Lady Sinat is doing well."
"Same age as you, and you're still calling her 'lady.' When will that end? Still, thanks to you, she's taken an interest in it. That's a relief."
Was he deliberately bringing up Sinat to dodge the main topic? It was Kalen who broached it first.
"Thank you for everything, Master."
"You knew, huh."
"You can't be responsible for me forever. I'm grateful you took in a homeless beggar and even taught me a way to survive."
"...If your talent had been worthless, I wouldn't have bothered. You could stand to be a bit prouder of yourself."
There were no tears of regret, no grand farewell ceremony. They simply accepted each other's circumstances with quiet understanding. If anything, perceptive Kalen left Blamia feeling the bittersweet one.
Truly, the brat was far too mature for his age.
*Groan—
It was common for Blamia to let out such pained noises. Usually when Sinat was giving him grief with her magic. But this time, the circumstances were a bit different.
-No! I said no!
-But you said you liked him!
-I've never liked anyone you've brought before, Grandpa! You said you were bringing a friend for me!
-Anyone but Kalen... Why send him away when you brought him here yourself...
Kalen was the quiet type, but that seemed to suit Sinat even better. After all, there was no stopping her fierce protectiveness toward him.
"Why send him away again..." Blamia muttered to himself.
It was just soliloquy with no audience, but nothing sorted his thoughts better.
He'd brought Kalen solely for Sinat's sake. In a fit of anger after her endless rejections, yes—but also from a desperate hope that surely someone in the world would catch her fancy. By sheer coincidence, the random street urchin he'd picked up had perfectly won over his granddaughter. And now that was Blamia's dilemma.
At first, Blamia had seen Kalen as a pitiable kid whose talents far outstripped his lowly status. But as time passed, he found himself reflecting on his own past mistakes through the boy. That was why he made excuses like not being a good man and tried to chase Kalen away. Truth be told, there was no issue with taking full responsibility from start to finish. He'd kept the boy close after bringing him home to check if he was some weirdo, and now he'd even fulfilled his goal of giving Sinat a friend—no need to force him out.
But the nightmare he'd tried so hard to forget was resurfacing, and that terrified him.
"It's tough... so tough..."
How nice it would have been if Sinat's parents and children were still alive. They surely would have done far better than him. Blamia swallowed his regrets and quietly shook off his reverie.
It was time to face the matters he'd been putting off. He'd rested plenty for Sinat and Kalen's sake. Since he couldn't convince her himself, he'd have to leave it to Kalen. He had overdue business to attend to now, but maybe when he returned, Kalen would have persuaded her.
Clinging to that hope, Blamia set off to find Kalen. Grand Archmage or not, he could never win against Sinat. She was more precious to him than anything in the world.
"Whoa...! Already 2nd Hierarchy? You'll end up like my grandpa someday!"
"Who knows."
"Nah, no way. I can tell—Kal's definitely gonna be a Grand Archmage. I'm Sinat Dranus, after all, and I'm his friend. Of course he will."
"...Anyway, why'd you call me here?"
"Oh? Right."
The small training ground in the backyard. Follow the path straight ahead, and you'd reach a gently sloping ridge. Especially at sunset, the landscape took on a soft, dusky glow that was breathtakingly beautiful.
As usual, Kalen and Sinat sat chatting there. A reasonably flat rock embedded in the earth served as their private bench.
After exchanging a few lighthearted jokes, a brief silence fell, prompting them to open up about their true feelings. Sinat, who had called Kalen to the hill, and Kalen, who vaguely guessed her intent, both felt it was time for the real talk.
"Hey... Do you hate me, Kalen?"
Two years together revealed certain things inevitably. Like how this sunset-dyed hill was Sinat's favorite spot in the world, or how she used his full name—not her nickname—when she wanted a serious heart-to-heart.
"Why would you think that?"
"Even though I told you not to use formal speech, you keep doing it... You won't call me by nickname... You're always waiting for me to talk first..."
The usually bubbly girl speaking in a subdued tone didn't sit well. Kalen chose his words carefully.
"Hate you? Why would I hate the lady who approached a nobody like me so kindly first?"
"...Then why are you trying to leave?"
Only then did Kalen realize why Sinat seemed down. Assuming she'd learned he was leaving soon, he recalled Blamia's words.
-Try persuading Sinat a bit. She won't listen to me at all, but you might have better luck.
Blamia wasn't much for words. Fitting for a Grand Archmage who hated showing his face outside. Sinat must have misunderstood his words.
"Hmm..."
But Kalen wasn't silver-tongued either. After scratching his head for a long while to gather his thoughts, he spoke.
"I don't really know either."
"Huh?"
"I don't know why I have to leave. Heck, I still don't even know why you took me in to begin with."
Unpolished words lacked structure and sometimes failed to convey intent clearly. But they were sincere. Raw and unrefined, and all the more genuine for it.
"Maybe that's just it. Master took me in for no particular reason. And now it's just time to go."
His sincerity carried weight, drawing the listener in and lending power even to his somewhat lacking persuasion.
"I'm grateful he raised a nobody like me this far. And..."
An awkwardness bubbled up from deep within. To clear Sinat's misunderstanding, the inarticulate Kalen dropped formal speech for the first time.
"I don't hate you, Sinat. Someone as pre...tty as you being nice to me? I'd like it, not hate it."
But the wave of regret was unavoidable. Kalen remembered a drunkard from the gambling den.
-Persuading folks ain't just flattery, kid! Kahaha!! Nah, lay on the~ sweet talk, and you can squeeze a silver coin outta 'em easy!
The situations differed, but he figured buttering up Sinat to soothe her would work. As he stewed in remorse over his words, a soft laugh reached his ears.
"Pft... Pfft!"
Kalen looked at her awkwardly, and Sinat was doubled over, wiping tears of laughter.
"What kinda awkward way is that to say it...!"
"Uh..."
"Haha... ha... That was hilarious..."
How long did she laugh? As she caught her breath, an awkward silence settled between them.
"Still..."
Sinat propped her elbows on her knees, rested her chin in her hands, and smiled sideways at Kalen.
"It wasn't a total flop, Kal."
"..."
"I'll try to understand. But don't get your hopes up. I don't wanna let go of a friend who suits me so perfectly."
Gazing at her smile tinged with sunset hues, Kalen finally understood why Sinat loved this place best.
After their heartfelt talk on the hill, Kalen couldn't go back to formal speech. Not because he feared Sinat's glare if he did, but because he'd started casual and figured he might as well stick with it.
"Shouldn't we wait till Master gets back?"
"No~ dummy. How can you not know my feelings by now?"
How did she read his mind without him saying it? Kalen felt wronged, but Sinat was still his benefactor's granddaughter.
"This is... like... a sort of apology."
"Apology?"
Sinat had asked for his help just moments ago. Curious what it was about, Kalen had followed her—and now he got it.
In short, she'd quarreled with Blamia before he left, and it bothered her. So this was her way of apologizing and reconciling—by showing off her magic progress. Very Sinat-like, and the perfect apology for Blamia. Blood granddaughter and magic were his two favorite things, after all. She'd recently gotten hooked and practiced hard, but results were another matter. Nothing beat a demonstration of achievement.
"But 2nd Hierarchy seems too risky. I only did mine in front of Master."
"Contract Attribute has the least risk of failure. Worst case, the spirit contract just flops."
As Blamia had confirmed, Sinat's magic attribute was Contract Attribute. But she could only handle a few 1st Hierarchy spells so far. Success would be a huge win, but 2nd Hierarchy wasn't something to tackle lightly.
Still, Contract Attribute was exactly what it sounded like—forming pacts with spirits from the Spirit Realm. Higher hierarchies meant higher-grade spirits, and failure didn't carry the dangers of other attributes. That's what Sinat was pointing out.
"...Okay."
Kalen, who knew Blamia and Sinat's bond well, couldn't ignore her feelings. As she said, Contract Attribute magic had minimal risk. He wasn't blind to a granddaughter's wish to apologize to her grandpa. If it was just one try, helping her was the right call.
With only slight unease holding him back, Kalen decided to assist.
"Really? Then I'll go ahead and get ready!"
Kalen set aside his worries for the moment and followed the beaming Sinat.