The Birth of the Spirit Magic Department
“That is precisely what a spirit master is. As you know, they are extremely rare even across the continent, and their efficiency is impossible to measure. They are rare talents indeed.”
“That is correct, Your Majesty.”
“So you understand better than anyone how difficult this will be.”
“Which is exactly why I believe it is worth doing.”
“Worth doing, you say. The child? Or the endeavor itself?”
Marquis Lyle was a cautious man. The king was even more so—an opponent who was not easily swayed.
“Both, Your Majesty. Jeanie Crowell is, first and foremost, an incredibly… unusual child.”
“She is far too cunning to be called a mere child, and her extraordinary mind can outmatch even adults. Every one of her teachers has given up on trying to persuade her. She is not the sort of child who can be forced into anything.”
“Yet this time, she said exactly one thing to me. Either teach her spirit magic, or expel her.”
“…Expulsion. So she has no interest in anything but spirit magic. Is she simply ignorant, or does she possess that much resolve?”
“It appears to be resolve. Graduating from Drike is a great honor for any family, yet she is willing to throw that away. That alone shows how strongly she desires this. And even without that request, I believe it is something we should grant. For the future of this kingdom, if nothing else.”
At the words future of the kingdom, Dikel III’s eyebrows twitched sharply.
“Consider why Drike Academy was founded in the first place. Was it not to fill the woefully thin layer of educated citizens compared to other nations?”
“We have gathered talent from many fields, but the greatest objective was to nurture mages. After all, the number of mages can decide the outcome of a war.”
“True. We wanted mages. We never asked for spirit masters.”
“Your Majesty, spirit masters wield magic on par with any mage. Many ancient texts record that they can produce even more powerful effects. Are you aware that in ancient times, spirit masters and mages held comparable influence?”
“Yet now they are difficult to find. There must be some disadvantage.”
“The reason their numbers have dwindled is that the required qualities are far stricter than those needed to become a mage.”
“Qualities, you say. And the child? Does she possess talent?”
At Dikel III’s question, Marquis Lyle bowed his head deeply.
“Have I not already requested the assistance of a royal spirit master?”
“Indeed. One of the mere five in our entire country. I have never even seen their faces. They leave no impression, and I cannot tell what they actually do, so I have no idea what makes them so remarkable.”
The king did not seem particularly fond of spirit masters. Above all, it was because he knew little about them. Mages had undeniable presence, but spirit masters were an unknown profession. From the beginning, spirit magic was an unfamiliar and alien field to most people.
“I confirmed it through one of them. Jeanie Crowell’s qualities as a spirit master.”
“So she does have the talent.”
“If one thousand people on the continent possess the qualities of a knight, only fifty possess the qualities of a mage. And those with the qualities of a spirit master… can be counted on one hand.”
“I see.”
“And this child is one of those few.”
“That is good news.”
“She possesses enough affinity to summon a spirit immediately. Is this not truly a blessing for our kingdom? Your Majesty, what I ask for is not the child’s future. It is yours.”
Marquis Lyle’s voice grew firm with visible excitement. Dikel III stroked his chin and muttered.
“A spirit master, hmm…”
In Dmitry, spirit masters were so precious that their very existence barely registered. The situation was largely the same in most other countries.
“What do you require?”
“First, we need an intermediate or higher spirit master to serve as her teacher. With your approval, I will invite one of the royal spirit masters to become a professor at the academy.”
Dikel III pressed his temple firmly with his fingers. After thinking deeply for a moment, he gave a decisive nod. More than anything, he trusted Marquis Lyle.
“Very well. I will spare no support for the child. I will allocate a new budget under the name of the Spirit Department.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty!”
“I am placing my faith in you alone. Raise that child into an outstanding spirit master and let her bring honor to the kingdom’s name.”
At the king’s voice, heavy with trust, Lyle—the dean of Drike Academy and a marquis of the realm—felt both joy and an inexplicable sense of unease.
Everything was being prepared perfectly. The king’s full support, an intermediate spirit master to serve as teacher, the academic diversity he had longed for as dean, and a student with heavenly talent.
The only problem was that the person at the center of it all, Jeanie Crowell, was a notorious slacker.
There was nothing more troublesome than a lazy genius.
***
My honest reaction was simple.
The old man must have gone senile.
I knew the dean had been keeping an eye on me, but I never imagined he would actually create an entire Spirit Magic department just for me. It wasn’t the sort of thing that could be done easily.
To think he would use that incredible connection of his—being the king’s former teacher—at a time like this.
In truth, my demand had been closer to a tantrum thrown because I simply didn’t want to study.
I had been secretly hoping he would just expel me!
How dare he twist my pure intentions like this!
The expulsion I wanted was real expulsion!
Whether he knew of my disappointment at losing the chance to drop out or not, the dean proudly listed every effort he had made on my behalf.
It seemed I was fated to become the first spirit master graduate in Drike Academy’s history.
Well, if I had to resent anything, I could only resent my own monstrous talent.
Out of respect for the sincerity the dean had shown, I decided I would at least learn spirit magic with a modicum of effort.
It definitely looked like an easier path than regular magic.
“This is the man who will be your teacher starting today—Sir El Roenin, the chief royal spirit master. You met him once before, didn’t you? Greet him properly, Jeanie.”
At the vice-dean’s words, I lifted the hem of the robe over my uniform just enough to reveal the tips of my shoes.
I gave a small tilt of my head to the left and stated my name. I was quite a polite child.
Of course, only when I felt like it.
“I’m Jeanie Crowell, a student in Drike Academy’s general class. Please take care of me.”
The gentle-looking man in his late twenties with light green hair smiled and extended one hand toward me.
His hand was white and soft, not at all like a man’s. It was a delicate hand that had clearly never known hardship.
Was this how most spirit masters were? When you considered that the greatest spirit masters were elves, it made sense that a gentle, nature-friendly temperament might simply be part of their natural disposition.
I liked my new teacher right away.
He seemed mild-mannered, the type who would make a good instructor.
Which meant he would be easy to cause trouble for…
“Yes, Miss Jeanie. I look forward to working with you as well.”
It was Jeanie, not “Jini,” but in this world—even among my own family—I had yet to meet a single person who could pronounce it correctly.
I placed my hand on top of the one he offered.
It was quite different from a handshake. It was the formal greeting often used by nobles meeting for the first time—hands placed one atop the other, held suspended in the air while only the knees dipped in a slight bow.
“Miss Jeanie?”
“Yes?”
“Why are you… holding my hand like that…”
Teacher El looked visibly flustered as I refused to let go and continued to knead his hand.
“Your hands are really soft.”
Just like mine will be in the future.
I swallowed my drool and beamed at him. Neither El nor the vice-dean had any idea what I was thinking; they both seemed to conclude that I was quite a sociable child.
Looking embarrassed, El gently withdrew his hand from my small ones and awkwardly changed the subject.
“Maintaining a clean body is one of the basic requirements of a spirit master. We always strive to keep our physical forms as close as possible to how they were at birth.”
“Ohh.”
“A clear body leads to a clear soul, and a transparent soul allows for smoother communication with spirits. That is the fundamental principle of spirit magic.”
I didn’t particularly care about any of that. What I did care about was how pleasantly frail spirit masters seemed to be.
Because being frail meant they didn’t have to suffer physically.
Since spirit masters were usually stationed in the rear during wartime—farther back than mages—it was obvious how weak they were.
The profession of spirit master looked as comfortable as Teacher El’s soft hands.
At least, it did at that moment.
“I’m curious. Drike Academy already has many excellent departments. What made you take an interest in spirits, Miss Jeanie?”
“Eh, do you really want to know?”
“Well, since we will be teacher and student from now on…”
“You’ll regret it if you hear the answer.”
“…Perhaps I’ll ask another time.”
I had been fully prepared to give the cheeky reply, Because it looks easy, and I figured I could lie down while eating soup, but Teacher El wisely chose not to ignore the warning bells of instinct.
Even though he had been the one to ask, he now gazed off into the distance and skillfully avoided hearing my response.
Teacher El was, how should I put it, like a herbivore.
Gentle and delicate, yet possessing surprisingly sharp instincts.
