"Philip… are you him?"
"…No?"
I was startled. I almost said yes.
There aren't many people who could match my face to Philip's.
Vivian had been inside the orphanage and hadn't seen that earlier incident.
"I see…"
Vivian nodded.
It was a disappointed reaction, like she'd half-expected it.
What? Did she ask knowing who I was?
"I must have mistaken you for someone else for a moment. I'm sorry."
"No need to apologize. More importantly, you're an aspiring hero, right?"
"Yes… Are you a manager?"
Her gaze lingered briefly on my hand.
The hand that had snapped a sword, but she didn't show any suspicion.
It's not uncommon for managers to be former heroes who switched paths.
"That's right. I came after seeing your name on the list. Perhaps you and I could…"
"I'm sorry."
She apologized before I could even finish.
This apology feels ominous somehow.
"What do you mean by sorry?"
"Well… I put my name on that list as a help request. I have no intention of actually becoming a hero…"
Vivian bowed deeply in apology.
"It's impossible for someone like me anyway… I'm truly sorry."
This was unexpected.
"If there's anything else even someone like me can do to help…"
"No, no. That's fine. But why did you change your mind about becoming a hero? You challenged it many times."
"That's…"
She hesitated, sighing a few times.
Then Vivian cautiously began to explain.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Vivian calmly recounted her past.
Perhaps feeling sorry toward me for coming all this way, she was very detailed.
A chance miracle that found her, two years of life that followed, ten failures, the scorn of others.
Content that could never be calm for the person involved, yet she spoke of it like someone else's story.
It was the detachment of someone who had given up much of life.
Vivian concluded wistfully.
"In the end, I just wasn't Sylvia."
I was taken aback but understood quickly.
I'd heard the story of how I picked up Sylvia and raised her had spread like a fairy tale.
Apparently more famous than I thought.
"So, there's no Philip for someone like me either…"
…No, that's not it.
Philip is better off remaining a ghost.
"You came all this way, and I'm really sorry… But as you heard, I'm less than human, just livestock trash… You'd get no use out of taking me…"
She bowed once more, politely refusing.
Her self-deprecation is a bit extreme.
Though she has the background for it.
"Is there another mage in this village?"
"No. It's just me. The only mage, the only superhuman."
So this Vivian is the one who caused the mana explosion…
But who engraved the seal of silence?
Let me sort my thoughts for a moment.
Ten failures, two years of fruitless effort—her self-esteem shattered.
Even living here as an orphanage teacher, her mental state hadn't improved.
If anything, realizing her aptitude only to be betrayed must have hurt even more.
A life she'd pinned on caring for the children.
Fortunately, she doesn't seem like a bad person.
The trust the children have in her is proof.
Her heart is fragile now, so I can't approach rashly.
Like handling a frightened wild animal—slowly.
"Well, if you refuse that firmly, there's nothing I can do."
"I'm really sorry…"
"It's okay. I'll just look for someone else. More importantly, are you planning to stay here?"
Vivian looked around the orphanage.
Spacious but rundown, a dreary place.
Children emaciated from not eating properly on time.
Not a good environment even for adults.
"It'd be nice if I could leave… But where would I take these kids? Someone like me doesn't have the strength or guts to run away…"
"Hmm."
I have one idea to propose, but pulling it out now feels too abrupt.
Maybe broach it indirectly.
"Do you dislike the Holy Flame Church by any chance?"
Holy Flame Church.
The empire's state religion, worshiping the sacred flame.
And one of their abbeys owes me a debt.
"The Holy Flame Church? No, not at all. What right do I have to like or dislike anything…"
"Then what do you think about the children growing up in a Holy Flame Church abbey?"
That abbey is run by people who volunteer to contribute to society and serve, and they care for orphans.
"Pardon? What do you…"
Vivian, realizing my intent, closed her mouth.
"…Yes. If I can go with you as a condition for that, I'll do it. I don't know how much help I can be, but…"
How far did her thoughts jump ahead?
I don't have entirely pure intentions, sure.
But I'm not that heartless.
"You're misunderstanding something. I was just trying to find you a decent place unrelated to that."
"Really?"
"You could go there with the kids if you want."
"Uh…"
It's sudden, I know.
"Take your time to think about it. I'm not leaving until tomorrow morning anyway."
"Okay…"
Challenging ten times over two years takes serious desperation.
She must have buried that lingering regret by caring for the children.
Now, because of me, that fire has reignited.
She knows following to the abbey would mean that chance is gone forever.
Maybe poke a little more.
"It'd be a shame to leave empty-handed. Could you show me some magic?"
"Magic?"
"Yes. I came all this way, and going back without seeing your skills feels off."
"Hmm…"
I didn't rush her as she pondered.
If she didn't want to, she'd refuse outright.
Let her decide.
"If it's just one spell…"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I left Kati and Mercy to watch the orphanage.
We headed to the wide field behind it.
"W-What kind of magic should I use?"
A person rejected ten times picking the spell?
Aspiring mages usually only know two spells.
And one of those is the lighting spell 'Light,' so there's only one attack spell to show.
"Whatever you're comfortable with. Something you're confident in."
"I'm not… confident, but I'll try."
Soon, Vivian closed her eyes and focused.
Already one bad habit.
Typical of beginner mages.
Closing their eyes to concentrate when casting.
Magic casting goes through two stages.
First, opening the body's mana circuits.
That's not hard.
Once open, the second stage.
'Casting'—calculating the spell.
Element properties, shape, size, density, direction, speed—then ending with the activation incantation.
Most struggle here.
Having to do all those complex calculations at once.
I don't expect anything impressive from Vivian, rejected ten times even in temporary trials.
I just want to know what kind of person could cause a mana explosion at the aspirant stage.
That's all.
But her casting is taking a while?
When Vivian finally opened her eyes, a shadow loomed over my head.
"Huh?"
I looked up. There was a long, thick block of ice.
Did she just cast that?
No incantation at the end?
"Uh…"
Vivian was just as surprised.
The long ice mass floating in the air plummeted toward the field ahead.
Almost as thick as a sturdy tree trunk.
This feels uneasy.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡Ice Spear
Massive ice projectile launched without incantation
The instant the sharply falling ice block slammed into the ground.
Ice shards shattered and sprayed everywhere.
"Ack!"
I tackled Vivian to the ground immediately.
A large, sharp shard passed right where she'd been standing.
Smaller fragments rained down on my back as I shielded her.
"What was that?"
"I-Ice Spear… Why is it so big…?"
Ice Spear?
If that's Ice Spear, then everything I've seen so far was Ice Needle.
Turning all my spear experiences into needles.
First time seeing something that ridiculously huge.
One realization hit me.
The reason Vivian could cause a mana explosion.
Mages specialize differently, and Vivian's was the destructive type.
Not just strong—uncontrollably so.
This is a rough gem…
How do I win her over?
"…Master?"
"Hm?"
Kati's voice snapped me back.
Only then did I realize Vivian was pinned under me.
Kati's expression was icy.
I even imagined killing intent flickering in her eyepatch-covered gaze.
"Wait, Kati. Misunderstanding, okay?"
"..."
"W-Why no response… Hey, Vivian. Explain something."
"Well… I had my eyes closed preparing the spell, and suddenly he…"
No, that's not what happened!
I definitely opened my eyes!
"Kati, no. Really not. Kati? Whoa, ease up on the fist. It's me, me!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Only after hearing it was to protect her from the spell's aftermath did Kati leave.
Vivian helped explain too.
Come to think of it, I shouldn't even need to explain this to Kati.
Still, my spine tingled for some reason…
After sending Kati away, I sorted through what happened.
The absurd size of the spell, fine.
But she definitely didn't chant.
Ways to skip casting: two.
Casting Save or Casting Pass.
Save stores a spell in advance.
Pass skips the process through repeated mastery of a specific spell.
The latter?
Two years as an aspirant—she must've spammed the same spell endlessly.
Even so, not a technique usable at her level.
"Um, sorry…"
"Oh? Ah."
She must think I'm mad at her for staring silently.
"Just thinking for a bit. Is Ice Spear a spell you use often?"
"No… I have another one I use more."
…Pardon?
What does that mean?
"Then why Ice Spear?"
"Well, the other one's fire-element. I didn't want to risk setting the field ablaze… Even trash like me shouldn't harm plants…"
A fire that size starting a blaze wouldn't be surprising.
"Did you have Ice Spear saved?"
"Saved…?"
"?"
She looked completely lost.
Even explaining Casting Save and Pass, she claims she's never heard of them.
"You didn't chant for Ice Spear."
"Yeah. I've always been like that…"
"Always?"
"Y-Yes…"
My puzzled tone sounded like scolding; she shrank back.
No time to mind her reaction.
Neither Save nor Pass.
Just casting spells without casting.
I'd heard it existed only in theory.
No Casting.
"D-Do you know the steps to cast magic?"
"Yes. Open circuits, then casting… But I've skipped the second step since before. Instead, opening circuits takes longer… Ugh, that's why my teammates always scolded me…"
Most mages obsess over shortening cast time.
Mastering quick circuit opening isn't that hard.
In short, if Vivian shortens her first stage, she could fire spells every blink.
"D-Did I do something wrong?"
She doesn't even realize it.
No one told her.
Of course—even I only heard it by chance from the tower lord I befriended in the previous run.
No one around her would know.
"No, I was just surprised at how good you are."
"Ugh… I-I couldn't have done well… You don't have to say that…"
"It's true."
"My casts are slow, and I can't even aim properly…"
Like earlier.
She'd said her magic was useless because it missed monsters.
But that's easily fixed.
Just open circuits faster in combat.
Tension delays it, leading to rushed poor aim.
And I know training methods to overcome that.
She's too tempting…
"Vivian."
"Yes."
She tenses at my serious tone.
"This isn't flattery or force. Listen carefully."
Slowly, carefully.
I began the persuasion.