[3 Years Later]
"Jared, there are things you need to understand," my teacher Alphonse said at the beginning of one of our lessons.
Based on his tone, I knew he was serious, so I paid close attention. It was rare to see him so determined.
"Perhaps he wants to teach me a more advanced spell!" I beamed.
Who doesn't love the sound of that?
"Jared. You have so much potential. Really! I've never seen anyone progress through so much knowledge and practice of magic in all my years."
"Oh, don't flatter me. Let's get through the formalities and get to the special magic you want to teach me."
I smiled inwardly, looking greedily at my teacher.
"You're clever, too. So far, in the three years since I've been your teacher, you've exceeded my expectations. Every time, you end up using unconventional means to combine and use low-level spells in creative ways."
You really are extraordinary!
Hey, of course I'm a great sage and I have countless magical theories in my head. With the chance to practice magic, of course, I'll end up creating many sets. So, old man... hand them over, my own magician! You've earned it!
So, Jared... what do you think of..." Alphonse's voice trailed off.
He seemed hesitant about whether or not to tell me what was on his mind.
Come on, old man. You can trust me.
.....what do you think of becoming a scholar, instead of a gambler?
Once he put the question, it took me a while to understand his words. The bombshell was definitely unexpected.
"A scholar...?" I asked, shaking slightly.
Alphonse looked puzzled when he saw my disappointed face. As someone who had supervised my training for so long and knew my passion for practicing magic, asking me to become a scholar was now a difficult task for him.
"Jared, this is.
"Why...? Why do you think I should be a scientist?" I cut his words short with a whisper.
After I'd shown him so much I could do, trained terribly, and even absorbed knowledge faster than anyone my age. This old man still thought this path suited me better than my goal?
"Jared, the thing is... because I'm your teacher, the one I know... you have no talent for magic." Alphonse sighed.
"Eh... ehhhhh?!"
My heart ached the moment he said that. For some reason, those words struck a core inside me that I'd long thought was numb.
Why, oh, why did this sound so familiar the first time I'd been told I was incompetent?
"You managed to form a mana core at the age of seven when others succeeded at five. However, even though you finally possessed a mana core, progressing beyond that stage is difficult. Within a few years of training with magic, your core was supposed to begin experiencing some changes..." Alphonse explained
I knew what he was talking about.
The mana core has different colors depending on the grade, and as a magic user, it's your duty to develop your core to the highest possible grade. There are limits to how far one can go based on talent.
So, that's all it's about....
"Jared, you're already ten years old. Despite your late awakening, the yellow color should have started to form in your mana core. However..." Alphonse said, looking concerned.
"Ah, I see now."
It seems I was so engrossed in magic that I failed to notice my teacher's concerns. In fact, my condition was something anyone could be worried about.
Normally, at five years old, I would have had a white mana core, and then by my current age, I should have partially developed a yellow one. For geniuses, it wasn't impossible to fully progress to the yellow core stage.
Yet, I didn't even show the slightest sign of improvement
"I know you always wanted to be a magician, and use.
Magic actively, but... that journey will be cut short because of the injustice of the situation. You should have realized it yourself... your mana core, your mana abilities, they are below normal standards." Alphonse clenched his fist as he spoke.
I could tell it was hard for him to tell me these things. The expression on his face and the way his voice trembled showed he was truly sorry to do so.
"For him, he's shattering the dreams and hopes of a child...
I understand all his points perfectly. But...
"I know you may be skeptical, but the profession of a seeker is highly respected. It used to be discriminated against
but after Louis Griffith came the Great Sage with his countless theories that revolutionized magic, and it became more respected and influential."
"This man... doesn't know he's using myself as an example."
"Jared, I somehow see the Great Sage in you. You two seem to think alike. Do you know what you once said to me? I can't forget it, because it was exactly the line I read from someone. The Theses of the Great Sage."
This guy's catching up with nonsense.
"He said, 'Magic is more than just a set of rigid rules. It can be modified and changed to suit any purpose. That's the meaning of evolution.'
> Galib <
I've failed. Why did I have to say the exact words I wrote down? I was speaking naturally at the time.
"To be honest, I've always admired this great man, Jared. And to me, to see him in you is something you can consider an accomplishment. That's why I know you're capable of doing this... You'll be hugely successful as a person." A scientist!
"It's me, idiot! I know I can be successful as a researcher. I've already done it in my past life."
However, Alphonse was being very logical. If I were to follow the researcher path, there would be no need to practice magic but more emphasis on study, research, and discovery.
Using only my Spellcraft, I would be able to change the world again. My success was pretty much already guaranteed. But.....
"So, what do you say, Jared? Don't you want to"
"No!" she snapped.
"Just think about it for a bit."
"Nooooo!" I repeated.
What this man was asking of me... although it was the logical thing to do, I would never have chosen that path.
Why? Because I had already been one in my past life. I had reached the top, the top of any world, and had earned the title of Great Sage. Yet, at the end of my life, I felt empty.
It was regret that had made me wish for magic, and miraculously, I had ended up with a second chance to do it.
There was no way I could have chosen to live my past!
"Thank you, Master, for your advice. However, I know what I want. So, rather than trying to find an alternative..."
Alphonse looked puzzled, trying to decipher what I, the usually logical one, was thinking.
A wide smile spread across my face as I stared at him.
my own determination.
"...Why don't we make a bet?"