SERAPHIS VERLICE
About a month had passed since the events at the library, which was just enough time to repair the library wall.
Magic was truly something else. It made light work of the reconstruction.
Apparently, the spectacle was quite noticeable from a distance, because I soon learned that news of my being a mage was spreading like wildfire throughout the kingdom. Hell, probably throughout the whole continent at this point. Whenever I casually went out to the city, I'd always get bombarded with questions, though eventually they would let up.
As for my awakening itself, the circumstances surrounding it were very unusual, to say the least.
Even Esil, with all of her advanced senses, hadn't known fully I awakened, from what I know, though she felt something was off.
Mother speculated a few reasons as to why, I think, but apparently she wasn't entirely sure about them, because she didn't bring it up again after that; only assumed that specific thinking pose of hers.
It was an enormous surprise to me when Mother first arrived, standing in front of the mass destruction I had accidentally caused, with the same deadpan expression that you could normally find her with.
It was with bated breath that I watched her observe what was happening before her eyes met mine.
A chill shivered down my spine at the mere thought of it…
Thankfully, I hadn't been punished for using magic indoors; just a very stern warning.
So much for my plans to lay low for a while before making a sudden huge boom, I thought to myself. Although, in a literal sense, the boom was the reason for this all…
Not that I was mad, though, I was really enjoying the attention. I figured that there'd be some way I could turn this situation good, so I thought real hard about it, and the decision I came to was to simply help around the city wherever I could. And so, that's what I did. Esil would accompany me as I'd go around the main area in the city trying to build more of my reputation as a kind, helpful prince, that way I could gain more support when I became a Hero.
I started small, simply doing tasks that involved stuff such as helping carry things (which only consisted of very small objects) or using magic for certain stuff, like, cleaning—which I was eager to help with, but eventually, I felt dissatisfied.
As if I had a greater purpose to serve with my abilities. Helping grannies clean their storage rooms was for sure not it.
It was then that Mother seemed to find out about my actions around the city when she came to me with a proposition. She said that in due time, I would be leaving to the elven kingdom so that I could officially be taught magic by an acquaintance there.
Truthfully, I would have rather learned swordsmanship, but another part of me—the other side of a coin that represented my knowledge of fantasy/isekai novels and manga—reminded me that magic usually played a key role in your life, especially in your younger years when you're building your reputation and image.
Your worth was practically determined on how skilled you were at using magic; pair that with the fact that I belonged to one of the most influential royal families on the continent and you can get an idea as to why it was so important for me to expand my understanding of it.
It wasn't all that bad, though, magic had its own charms.
She left out details such as who, where, or what, but assured me that the lessons I would be given were some of the highest quality in the world, and that they would be highly beneficial.
After hearing her say that, then, well who could doubt her?
There wasn't any reason to, either, so instead of trying to pester her about it, despite curiosity gnawing at every fiber of my being, I began to put that energy into my training in hopes of reaching a suitable enough level to where my teacher would be quite impressed.
A good student puts forth their maximum effort, after all! It was also because I wanted to have one of those cool main character moments where the mc is a higher level than expected when they meet their mentor, thus causing the veteran to say lines such as, "I've taken a liking to you", or "It seems training you will bear some fruit."
With some luck, I might also learn how to use swords, too, so, in preparation for that, I decided to switch it up. Instead of simply practicing more spells and expanding my set of spells, I decided to work on my own foundation.
I was going to begin doing a few basic body strengthening exercises.
…Like, you know, push ups and that sort of thing.
Mother didn't say a specific time exactly of when I would meet this teacher, but I figured it'd be sometime next year or after that.
Surprisingly, this world also went by the same 12 month calendar, each month bearing a striking resemblance to the ones of Earth. My birthday was on the twenty-third of Mayus.
In the meantime, however, she wanted me to essentially share my knowledge of magic with a girl around my age, someone who was very important to me.
Despite this, I'd decided that the start of today would be like any other.
The garden was quiet at this hour, a gentle breeze threading through the long grass and stirring the leaves of the tree. Dew still clung to the petals of the early-blooming irises, and the air was fresh and cool—a perfect backdrop for a morning routine.
…At least that was until she arrived.
"Hey, little—er, I mean, Prince—Sera! It's been so long, I hope you haven't forgotten me!"
I looked over, feeling my heart drop at the sound of a familiar voice as I finished my quick set of push ups.
"A-Altius? W-what are you doing here?"
The young girl's wheat-blonde hair bounced with each step as she fervently made her way towards me, quickly taking in an appreciative glance at the expansive garden surrounding us.
"Well, of course, I'm here to learn what I can from you, what else? And hey, I told you not to speak so formally to me!"
There was a brief pause as she cleared her throat.
"I have to say though, I didn't expect the shy, baby prince I met all those years ago to be so adept in magic so fast. You were so adorable back then. To think that now, I would be learning from you. The world sure works in mysterious ways, doesn't it? Anyway, I'm looking forward to our time together!"
Altius Caelum…
Or rather, my retainer. Prospective, at least, until the ceremony, though it's basically decided.
Here's a quick history recap.
Long ago, during the Era of Great Beginnings, when Ethos was blessed with the miracle of High-Lady Asteria, the Mother Star, due to the shaky nature of relationships at the time, the Verlice Kings of Yore decided on a tradition that's still ongoing even centuries later.
They appointed five of their most trusted confidants as official, recognized managers of certain affairs needed to run a kingdom, along with their lineage as a whole, which are known as the Governing Estates. The best way I could put it is that they're subsidiary households of Verlice, extensions of ourselves, or more plainly speaking: ministries.
There are technically ten in total, but there are five major ones:
Ministry of Defense; military and external threats.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs; diplomacy, treaties, external affairs.
Ministry of Justice; courts, law, and legal system.
Ministry of Finance and Economy; treasury, taxes, economic policy.
Ministry of Internal Affairs; domestic governance, administration, and order.
The Caelum household oversees the Defense aspect.
They're responsible not only for the military strength of our kingdom, but also, for producing retainers for each heir of Verlice.
And this torrent of bubbly enthusiasm is mine…
"R-right, sorry about that Alti. It's just been so long since we last met, I kind of forgot… It's a bit surprising to see you again, as well. Moving on, however, Mother did mention something about you struggling with your magic, I suppose. I'm not sure what kind of assistance I could offer you, but she and Lord Karyst seem to think I'm capable of it, so I'll do my best."
She flicked her emerald green eyes to the sky, drawing information from her memories.
"Oh, right! Dad did say that. Okay then, what do you have planned, o wise teacher!"
I flinched a little at her words.
Teacher…
Not sure I was the most appropriate person to be called that. I'm still in the process of learning myself, both with magic, and with trying to deal with Altius' energy.
Sometimes, I felt like a housecat trying to herd a pack of dogs. Not to say I didn't like her or anything, but having been an introverted NEET in my past life, people like her would naturally take more time to get used to.
"Well, can you tell me what you seem to be having issues with? Or, actually, I'd rather you just show me. That seems like the best place to start, as of now."
Grinning, she nodded.
"Alrighty!"
Her demeanor instantly shifted as she comfortably settled in the grass next to me, underneath the shade of a particularly large tree, eyes closed, and face scrunched in concentration. After a second, a flame sparked to life in her hands, though it struggled to find a balance, sputtering before flaring up and singing her sleeve. She yelped, letting go of it before it could do more than that, and
Conthere was a stunned silence left hanging between us as I mulled over what had just transpired.
"...In case it wasn't obvious, I'm having issues trying to stabilize my flames, alongside the flow of my mana," she sheepishly admitted. "Basically, the most common issue amongst enhancers."
"I see what you mean, and luckily for you, I have a few potential solutions that usually help me. The first one being: simply saying the incantations for a spell. It's the most basic thing, but it does help, you know? Don't slack off on them."
Altius seemed to deflate upon hearing this, pouting slightly. "I know, I know, but having to say a long incantation every time I want to use a spell gets really tiring! Not to mention, it's not as cool as voiceless casting. C'mon, there has to be another way!"
I sighed.
"Well, you could simply try to focus on your imagery. When you think of a flame—that flame you did in particular—what do you see?"
"Oh, that one's easy! I just think of something mesmerizing and big, like Dad's Sunfire! I've really been trying to learn how he does it, but I have to actually get better at regular fire before moving on to a divergent art, which is just taking too long! There has to be something faster, right, right? Teacher Sera, help me out!"
I blinked, momentarily confused.
"Sunfire? …Oh, you mean Lord Karyst's signature magic. I've never personally seen it; only heard stories about it—but it seems to be quite amazing. I wonder if that's the issue—or at least, part of it. A big foundation of magic is your imagination. If you're thinking of something so… abstract, as of now, then it only makes sense that the link between what you're doing and what you want to do would be so feeble! Listen up, Altius, you need to focus on what you can do as of now, before you can make your way up. Before you think of a big magical explosion, try considering a small candle. And focus more on your breathing. That's what separates mages… I think."
I said all of this in a tone similar to if I was scolding her, making gestures along with my words to further emphasize my point.
Surprisingly enough, the young girl seemed a bit receptive to this idea.
"A candle… a candle," she muttered to herself, as if it was the key that she needed all along.
"A candle makes sense. Dad never mentioned that… I think I'll try that first. Candles are beautiful!"
And thus began her next show of magic.
Altius focused in a bit more, seemingly, settling herself in a meditative-like position.
And, in the coming few moments, her magic materialized in the form of a flame, once again, only this time, it was slower coming out. It seemed that the slow-to-spark aspect of it made it easier to control, however, as it sustained itself for a much longer time than the previous one.
Breathlessly, I watched as sweat rolled down her brows, her expression woven into pure focus.
I even felt a tinge of pride at the sight. But, there could still be improvements here and there.
Slowly, as to not abruptly intrude her thoughts, I said, "Now, try to shape the flame. You can make it longer or smaller—anything—just do it with the same care you used to spark it."
At first, I wasn't sure if she'd even heard me.
That was until right before I decided to repeat myself, the flame began to mold—becoming taller, more undulated, and oddly enough, graceful, even.
A sudden gust of wind picked up and the candle began to flicker nervously, sputtering once or twice, before steadying, as the current of wind began to work with it, rather than against it.
The warm, amber flame continued like this, steadily molding into a handful of shapes in a way I could only describe as a dance of some sort.
As Altius opened her eyes to observe, I retracted my hand, carefully releasing my grasp over the wind that served to steady and protect the flame.
The girl's emerald-green eyes lit up with pure shock, her expression losing its composure.
"H-hey, Sera, I'm doing it! Look, look, it's working, it really is!"
A satisfied, knowing smirk curled the edges of my lips. "Yeah. You did it."
After a while of experimentation and awed observations, she let go of the unnaturally shaped wick, dusting her hands off and puffing out her chest as she stood with a newfound air of confidence—or more accurately, haughtiness.
"Hehe, looks I'm getting the hang of this pretty quickly. At this rate, it'll be no time until I catch up to Dad, and then, I'll finally be the successor of the Sunfire magic art!" She shot me a smirk, folding her arms. "Did you see that, little Sera? I think you might be the one needing lessons soon. If you ask your big sis nicely, she might consider it…"
A ploy came to mind at her words.
"Is that so, Big Sis? Well, if that's the case, I guess you won't be interested in learning how to do this…!"
Channeling a large amount of mana, I summoned a torrent of flames.
Heat surged through my veins, a familiar but always slightly dangerous thrill that took me back to the month prior, when I'd destroyed the wall in the library.
Since then, I'd added a flashy few spells to my repertoire, since I was no longer burdened by the constrictions of the palace interior—though, it's not as if the spells themselves were any useful in an actual combat scenario. Extending my hand, I concentrated, focusing on the shape and stability of this parlor trick I'd practiced many times before, for situations such as this.
The air shimmered, and with a sharp flick of my wrist, a spiral of fire erupted from my palm.
The flames twisted upward, coiling around themselves in a helix of gold and amber, then burst outward in a cascade of fiery petals that hung in the air for a heartbeat before dissolving into harmless sparks.
For a moment, the garden was lit as if by a second sun—every blade of grass, every trembling leaf, painted in flickering orange. The air crackled, and the scent of scorched ozone lingered.
I kept my face calm, a satisfied smile tugging at my lips, but inside I felt the cost of the spell: a deep, gnawing fatigue settling into my bones, as if the fire had stolen a little of my strength with it.
My heart pounded, but I forced myself not to sway.
Ahh, the wonders of magic. I almost trembled out of satisfaction.
Altius' jaw dropped. She stared at the fading sparks, her earlier bravado utterly forgotten.
"...What—how did you—? That was…! Sera, that was beautiful!" My retainer rushed forward, eyes wide with awe and a touch of envy.
"You made it look so easy! I thought I was getting good, but… I can't even imagine doing something like that, even with your help this time."
Her words lingered with me. So, she knew all along? …Altius might have more talent for magic than I thought.
I shrugged, trying to play it off, though my arms felt heavy and my breath came a little short.
"It's just practice. And patience. You'll get there, if you keep at it."
She looked at me, the competitive glint in her eyes softened by something more earnest. "Yeah. I guess I've still got a lot to learn, huh? Sorry about that, I didn't mean to offend you, I was just joking. I'd never see myself as more than you…"
Her words left a pang of guilt within. In some ways, that was both touching, and depressing…
"...At least, not in terms of magic, anyways. Swordsmanship, however…" She added, her spirit refreshed.
"Hah," I sighed. "We can talk about that some other time. Let's just focus on the magic, as of now."
"Next time, I'll surprise you. Just wait! Before you know it, I'll be capable of spells just as beautiful!"
I watched as she turned back to the smoldering patch of grass, already plotting her next attempt.
I let myself relax just a bit, rolling my shoulders to ease the ache. The fatigue would pass, I knew. It always did. But for now, I was perfectly content to let her think I was as unshakable as the tree behind me.
After all, as a quote in my past life once said, 'Sometimes being a teacher meant showing enough to inspire—and concealing just enough to let the mystery endure.'
Life was going to get busy with her around.
***
The time since Altius' arrival went by in quite the flash.
We'd primarily spend our days sharing what knowledge of magical application the two of us had come across both in our own respective time, and our time spent together.
I'd learned that Alti was, actually, quite adept at this stuff. Though she claimed to not have awakened to water magic, which I found surprising, but didn't question further, there were a few things she'd managed to give me pointers on, or more accurately, give me a new perspective on with fire magic—which helped to iron out a few of the budding issues I had.
Instead of a typical student-mentor relationship, we both assumed whichever role we benefited the most from us at the time.
If I had to describe her, then let's see… She'd be the human manifestation of energy itself.
There wasn't a time where I'd seen her with anything less than a smile on her face. Hell, she even began waking up as early as I did, sometimes earlier than that, and volunteered to help out with some of the preparations around the palace.
At this rate, she was going to become the palace's favorite…
All of the maids and servants seemed to love her, at least. I decided I might have to intervene soon, in order to take my spot back.
Recently, I'd decided to incorporate a bit more studying time in our sessions.
While practice and experience were, of course, important, study and contemplation were the foundations of success.
A quote by yours truly!
And besides, it didn't hurt to review a few things about the world while we were at it. Our materials weren't always purely about magic.
One of our times spent reading went something along the lines of…
***
"Hey, Sera, have you decided yet about what you'd like to be when you get older?"
"Of course. I plan to be an adventurer, that way I can help and reach out to as many people as I can by clearing dungeons and gates. Ultimately, though, I wanna be a Hero, someone who others can depend on for a lot of things. Like Lucien of House Revalor, he's known across the continent. It'd also be nice to have a cool Exalted-tier weapon like his."
It'd also increase my reputation by a lot, but I won't say that aloud. Might be too greedy or selfish to say as a prince.
"Really?" She said absentmindedly, letting silence fill the library for only a beat.
"...Then, I guess we'd really have to get stronger, huh? Gate Breaks or Double Gate's don't seem to be as common these days, but it'd sure be good to be prepared for them. Hehe, thinking about it is actually kinda exciting. Imagine the glory we'd get and all of the cool monsters to fight! Prince Seraphis, the Hero, and Altius, the… Queen of Sunfire? I'll have to think about that a bit more…"
As it turns out, Altius, too, was a fame-seeker. Two peas in a pod, huh?
But wait, more than that…
"What do you mean by 'we'?" My brows furrowed in confusion.
"I was just talking about what I wanted to do, I'm not forcing you to tag along. Being an adventurer is dangerous stuff for kids like you."
"Ehhh? But why? I'm your retainer, meaning wherever you go, I should be going, too. Don't be a meanie and try to leave me, otherwise my role as both your protector serves no purpose! And you're a kid, too…!"
I waved a hand as if brushing her word out of the air.
"Retainer or not, I think it's best we go our own paths, that way we can build our experiences apart. I'm not worried about you quitting on me or anything, so it's okay if you chase your own dreams."
"I refuse!" She dramatically announced, proudly standing from her seat and folding her arm.
"It's my duty to stay with you at all times. Once the ceremony happens, and I'm officially proclaimed, you won't be able to leave me. We'll be together forever, Your Highness. I've long since come to terms with this fate for myself, so really, you don't have to worry about me."
Her proud smile slipped, and her gaze fell to the floor.
I felt a tinge of guilt at seeing this.
Ah… I suppose that's true. Maybe I was a bit too hasty to push her away…
"Alti—"
A corner of her lips curled wryly as her attention snapped back to me.
"Except for when we go to the bathroom, that'd be weird, haha…"
…
…
"Hah, seriously, you had me worried there," I muttered with a sigh.
"I should've known you were just joking." Distantly, I noticed that she struggled to meet my eyes.
"Haha, well… Yeah."
There was a lingering silence as she settled back into her seat next to me, suddenly burying her face in her book. "Just… Out of curiosity, though," she began suddenly, "If I were ever in trouble—in any capacity, or form, or whatever—would you… What would you do?"
Without missing a beat, I replied.
"I'd save you, of course. Without a second thought."
She seemed to jump at my sudden reply, though I wasn't able to tell how she truly felt since her face was obscured by the cover of the open book.
There was an unexpected tenderness to her voice, however.
"I see… Okay then. I'll be holding you to that."
***
So anyways, that's proof our conversation didn't always delve into magic, though they were primarily centered around it.
Throughout the passing weeks since her arrival, I felt like I began to understand her a lot better.
The first time we'd met, I was still being carried around the palace—and ironically, enough, so was she.
Altius is only one year older than I am, meaning unless she was a reincarnated one like me, or her memory was simply quite exceptional, there was no possible way she'd remember us meeting.
It's likely her father or someone told her about it beforehand.
Which makes her teasing all the more insufferable…
Speaking of, Karyst—Lord of House Caelum and Supreme Governor of our military—was quite the guy himself.
I'd asked Altius why he hadn't showed up alongside her, and she told me that he was simply too busy, though she reassured me that he would be making an appearance sometime later.
I wasn't really too worried about it, personally, as Lord Karyst was quite the imposing figure. In a way sorta similar to Father, but for different reasons.
According to my memories, Lord Karyst possessed a long mane of dirty-blonde hair, and dark beige eyes—the exact opposite of everything his daughter had. He was quite tall as well, and very obviously still in shape.
As for whether or not he and Alti shared the same character, well… I'd have to assume she inherited more from her mother, if anything, and I've never met her, so that's saying something.
That's about all I remember though, it was from what felt like ages ago.
Most of our time was spent practicing all kinds of magic and studying, and on occasion, we'd help out a bit around the palace. At Altius' spur-of-the-moment suggestions, mostly, but it wasn't like I was being forced to or anything. I enjoyed helping out.
It's thanks to that that I've learned a bit about the process of cooking some sweets and meals—some from absolute scratch—so I guess it paid off in its own way.