'Is this what a real genius looks like?'
Digori, who had once been called a genius himself, felt ashamed of ever having earned that label. He was overwhelmed by Heros's talent.
'He's already sensing mana...'
In truth, Digori had told Heros to find the grimoire's location just to humble him a bit. He'd wanted to keep his young apprentice from getting arrogant about his own gifts and to establish some authority as his master. But that plan had backfired spectacularly.
'This is beyond anything I expected.'
Using magic and sensing mana were two entirely different things. That's why even those just starting out with magic took time to feel it. It was only natural—they had to recognize a power they'd lived their whole lives without noticing until they began studying spells.
Even Digori, who'd been hailed as a genius and prided himself on his talent, had needed a full month to sense mana. And Heros? He'd done it in just one day.
'He might have felt it the instant he learned his first spell. What astonishing talent.'
Digori's thoughts reached that point, and then a question occurred to him.
'He's exceptional at hearing the voices of grimoires and overwhelmingly gifted at sensing mana. But could his vessel really be small?'
The answer to that was a resounding no. There was evidence to back it up, too.
'Heros read three grimoires in a row and didn't suffer any backlash. That proves his vessel was large to begin with.'
He could learn all sorts of magic, and his vessel was vast. He was exactly the kind of talent Digori had always wanted.
'In that case, he could take my place.'
Digori had told Heros he could handle it, but in reality, he was already at his limit. His vessel was nearly full. And that meant the Gravekeeper Grimoire was his last—he couldn't devour any more. So he planned to give every grimoire he found from now on to his new apprentice. To fulfill his long-held wish.
'Still... I should confirm it for sure.'
The Forest Witch. Digori intended to visit his old friend and ask her to gauge the size of Heros's vessel. He didn't want to lose a promising student for nothing.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Master didn't answer. He seemed lost in thought again. So I resumed digging. And soon enough, I successfully pulled out a grimoire with an apricot-colored cover.
'Alright, let's see what your name is.'
This one was called the Beauty Grimoire. Beauty? What kind of magic could be inside? I had no idea. I was staring blankly down at the book when Master spoke up.
"That's a peculiar name for a grimoire."
"What kind of magic do you think it holds?"
"Hard to say. You'll have to learn it to find out."
"Can I read the grimoire?"
"Do as you like. The mana it's giving off is faint, so it's probably not anything impressive."
Not impressive? Didn't matter to me. Reading a grimoire would increase my mana anyway. Just as I was about to open the Beauty Grimoire, Master continued slowly.
"But if you do read it, the mystery dwelling in this tree will vanish too. The flowers will all fall, leaving nothing but bare branches like the other trees around here."
It made sense, in a way. The mystery came from the grimoire, so when it was gone, the effect would disappear with it.
"You said the villagers revere this tree as their guardian spirit. It might not actually serve that role, but it does give them comfort all the same. Are you going to take that away from them?"
The mountain ash bloomed with flowers all year round. The villagers saw it as their protector and drew solace from it. So... Did I have the right to take that from them?
The answer was... "Yes."
That's right. The villagers had made me uncomfortable first, so I had every right to take their comfort away. The only thing nagging at me was how Master would view my choice.
"Very well. I'll respect your decision. Just remember—you'll be responsible for whatever consequences come from it. The same goes for using magic."
Thank goodness. Master didn't scold me. He just mentioned responsibility.
"Yes, Master..."
Magic. Just because it was easy to learn didn't mean I should use it lightly. That's how I took it, and I opened the grimoire.
[Grimoire's Voice: "Thanks for getting me out! I thought I was gonna suffocate in there."]
The grimoire's request had been to free it from the earth. I'd already done that.
The moment I resolved to read it, the cover opened on its own, and the pages began turning automatically. When the back cover finally closed, I had successfully learned a new spell. And the grimoire, having fulfilled its purpose, crumbled into dust and vanished.
[New Spell Learned: Smooth Skin]
'Smooth Skin?' That's what the Beauty Grimoire had contained—a spell called Smooth Skin. It made your skin smooth. Hmm... How do you even classify this? Cosmetic magic? Skin magic? No clue.
"Master. I learned a spell called Smooth Skin."
"What's the effect?"
"It makes your skin smooth. Is this cosmetic magic? Or skin magic?"
"There's no such thing."
"Then what is it?"
"Spells that don't fit neatly into categories are grouped under 'miscellaneous magic.' In that sense, yours would qualify."
"Ah, got it."
With Master's explanation in mind, I focused on understanding the new spell. Oddly, it activated automatically.
"I didn't even cast it, but the spell activated on its own. And it's staying active without me doing anything. It's a bit different from the ones I learned yesterday."
When I asked about that, the answer came right away.
"Some spells work like that. They activate passively and maintain their effects constantly, without you needing to trigger them."
If magic spells were like game skills, then Smooth Skin was a passive one. Thinking of it in game terms made it click. Of course, it had pros and cons.
The pro: Reading the grimoire boosted my mana.
The con: Half of that new mana was being used to sustain Smooth Skin.
I gained 10 mana, but 5 was spent right away. Still, the pros outweighed the cons. My total mana had increased, after all.
[Status - Total Mana: 40 | Available Mana: 35]
Nice.
'I wonder if my skin really got smoother?'
A spark of curiosity amid my satisfaction. To check, I rubbed my left forearm with my right hand. Surprisingly, skin that had been rough and dry felt noticeably softer. The scars scattered across it had faded too. Definite results.
Plop.
As I was feeling my arm, something dropped onto the top of my head. I picked it up. A flower. A mountain ash blossom.
"Ah..."
I turned to look at the tree. Its white petals were scattering in the cold wind, severed like by a blade. I couldn't tear my eyes away. To remember what I'd done.
'No regrets.'
Strangely, it looked more beautiful now, petals fluttering away in the breeze, than when it had been covered in blooms. Relief, maybe? Hard to say. I just stood there, staring blankly at the mountain ash. Until every last flower had fallen.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Come out."
About ten minutes after we left the mountain ash behind, Master said that in the middle of the forest. Figures emerged from the underbrush. But I quickly realized they weren't human—just human-like. Their movements were a little off. Jerky motions or unsteady gaits. Several uncanny details stood out.
"Undead?"
"Yes, zombies. The forest is dangerous, so the more escorts, the better."
Zombie soldiers in helmets and padded armor. Better equipped than most mercenaries. With four of them, we'd be pretty safe on the journey.
But I was uneasy. Anyone who saw this would react badly for sure.
"What if someone figures out the soldiers are zombies?"
Master often shared stories like this. Including how necromancers were treated. Their reputation was worse than I'd imagined. Even among mages, they were shunned. The church saw them as evil that needed purging. They had enemies everywhere. And walking around openly with undead? It made me nervous.
"We'll just have to deal with it. Better to be suspected of necromancy while protected by zombies than get ambushed without them."
I thought for a moment. What to watch out for in the forest? Wolves and other beasts, even scarier monsters, bandits targeting travelers... Plenty of threats. Yeah, zombie escorts were definitely better.
"You're right. With a golem-controlling mage and zombies that look like mercenaries, anyone thinking of attacking us would think twice."
Come to think of it, wandering around so carefree in midwinter was possible because Master was a mage. Magic handled the cold to some extent, and we didn't have to worry about ambushes.
That realization sparked a question. Where were we headed, anyway? I hadn't even asked.
"Master. Where are we going?"
Master answered readily, as always.
"To meet a friend of mine."
"A friend?"
Even a necromancer had friends. Surprising. As I glanced at him with that thought, he quickly added,
"I do have friends, you know."
It felt like he'd read my mind. I was startled but couldn't show it. That'd be like admitting it. So I jumped in quickly. Time to change the subject.
"Your friend must be an amazing mage too, then?"
It sounded like praising the friend, but really, it lifted Master up. High-level flattery. And from a kid's mouth, it'd seem sincere—hard to doubt. I wasn't quite a kid at fifteen, but not an adult either.
Anyway, it seemed to land well. I saw the corner of Master's mouth twitch up.
"Well, she's skilled. Not quite at my level, though."
With that, Master met my eyes.
"Heros. I'm going to have her check your vessel. She can gauge how large someone else's is."
For some reason, I felt certain mine was big. A vague confidence. For now.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Three days since leaving the village. The journey had gone smoothly.
"Heros."
"Yes, Master."
"We're out of travel money."
"Ah."
Correction. The journey had gone smoothly. Until just now. A sudden problem cropped up. But Master knew how to turn crises into opportunities.
"Don't worry. Money's easy to make. This is a good chance—I'll teach you how mages get support from nobles."
How mages get noble sponsorship? The lesson title alone was intriguing. I was already eager to learn.
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