The encounter was striking. At the time, Rizelarte was still traveling alone when she came across a small town and found a boy surrounded by four figures in the forest.demon wolfBandit
Naturally, at that moment, I thought the child was being attacked by a monster. Although he was wearing the light armor of an adventurer, he was standing motionless, his hand still on the sword at his waist. He couldn't move. It was a common story that young, fledgling adventurers would freeze in fear when faced with a monster.
demon wolfBandit--Like slimes, they are low-level monsters, basically just weaklings, characterized by a body slightly larger than a wild dog and purplish fur. They have nothing special about them except for their agile legs and sharp fangs, but their beastly movements, which are fundamentally different from humans, should never be underestimated, and sometimes even seasoned adventurers can be injured by them.GoblinGoblin
—Well, I guess I'll have to help you.
Rizel is a great and arrogant archmage. He's not the kind of good-natured person who would go around helping just anyone, but at the very least, ignoring a child being attacked would be a betrayal of his title as an "archmage."
It wouldn't be so bad to swiftly defeat those demonic wolves and receive the boy's admiring gaze. I was thinking, "Should I show him? Should I show him the power of a great sorcerer?" feeling quite proud of myself.
"--?"
--A sharp sting.
Rizel stopped moving, feeling a stinging sensation on his skin. He noticed an unsettling, inexplicable presence emanating from the boy who had his hand on his sword.
It wasn't exactly a murderous intent, but it was the kind that made you instinctively hesitate to get any closer.
(No way—)
That boy's body wasn't just frozen in place—
The moment Rizel's thoughts drifted away, the demon wolves all pounced on the boy at once.
Rizel clicked her tongue at herself for stopping what she was doing. She immediately channeled her magic and constructed a spell. Right now, she had to protect the boy, but doing it the normal way wouldn't be fast enough, so she decided to use the bare minimum of magic formulas to target him precisely.
A silver light flashed.
Three of the four monstrous wolves were cut in two with a single stroke and quickly rolled across the ground.
"...!?"
It took me a moment to realize that the boy had done it.
For the sole wolf to escape the attack, nothing could have been more terrifying. It should have been an easy hunt, tearing one child to pieces, but in an instant, all its companions were dead without it understanding what had happened.
Instinct was enough to compel him to flee. The boy did not pursue the wolf as it ran away in a panic, and the quiet rustling of leaves returned to the forest.
"...Huh, oh, oh?"
Rizel was stunned. Her jaw dropped. The construction of the magic she was about to activate was interrupted, and it scattered into faint particles of magical energy.
The boy looked like a genuine child, probably only around ten years old. He was so young that it wouldn't be surprising if an adult scolded him for wielding a sword. The boy's inappropriate immaturity and the artistic swordsmanship he had just displayed in slaying the monstrous wolf didn't quite add up in my mind.
The boy is checking the condition of the blade. The tip of the sword is stained a dark red with a very small amount of what appears to be the blood of a demonic wolf.
The amount of blood on the sword is far too little considering it cut three demonic wolves in two with a single stroke.
It was such an extraordinary technique that not even the blood of the monsters he slashed remained on the sword.
Even the most skilled adventurers Rizel had ever encountered possessed such abilities—
(But, that was—)
Perhaps it was an occupational hazard for a wizard, but Rizel's thoughts sank deeper and deeper. When Rizel was lost in thought, she often became oblivious to her surroundings. As a result, Rizel didn't notice until the very end that her large witch's hat and wand were sticking out from the tree and were completely visible.
"Who is it?"
"Winter?!"
Before she knew it, the boy was right beside her. Startled, Rizel jumped up and tripped over her robe, stumbling and falling flat on her stomach.
"Heguu"
"..."
"...Mmm..."
It was perfectly seen. Though tears welled up inside Rizel, he stood up as if nothing had happened, his mind steely. He didn't forget to clear his throat solemnly to maintain the dignity of a great sorcerer.
The boy, having observed Rizel's attire, tilted his head and muttered.
"...A child?"
"Huh!?"
Rizel lost it. She strode forward towards the boy with long strides.
"That's not true! It's completely different! I'm not a child! I may look like this, but I'm much older than you! Don't judge a book by its cover, you rude fool!"
"Uh, yeah...?"
The boy recoiled in shock at the sheer intensity of the man's demeanor, his eyes rolling back in his head.
"Oh, I see... I'm sorry."
"Hmm... Well, it's good that you can apologize sincerely. I raised my voice too much. I'm sorry."
A smile spread across Rizel's face, relieved. He was impressed by how understanding the boy was.
"I thought I'd come to your aid since you were surrounded by demonic wolves... but it seems my worries were unfounded. Not bad."
"nothing..."
However, instead of being pleased by Rizel's heartfelt praise, the boy frowned. He sheathed his sword, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"...Please forget about that."
"? Why?"
"I thought I'd cut them all down... but I missed one. I still have a lot to learn."
Rizel was astonished. Not only by his statement, "I thought I had cut them all down," but also by the fact that, after displaying such an incredible technique, he showed not pride, but rather shame.
At this point, Rizel was beginning to feel an extraordinary interest in the boy in front of her.
"You... you're an adventurer, aren't you?"
Agree,
"Are you with any companions? Are you alone?"
Agree,
"When I'm working solo, I'm not yet given any significant assignments..."
The boy looked a little displeased. But from Rizel's perspective, it was already quite strange that a human child, barely ten years old, was allowed to go solo without the accompaniment of a senior adventurer. If he hadn't seen that swordsmanship, he might have been furious at the guild's negligence.
She's quite an interesting child. Rizel said with a smile on her face,
"...Hey, boy. Could you show me that < > from earlier again?"body strengtheningStrength
< > -- Literally, it is the most basic of basic magic, enhancing the caster's various physical abilities, and is a vital lifeline for adventurers and knights who are fighting against powerful monsters.body strengtheningStrength
The boy raises a question mark in his mind. It's an unspoken question: What's the point of looking at something like that?
"Well, as you can see, I'm a wizard. I just felt there was something a little off about your < >."body strengtheningStrength
"nothing..."
"If you make improvements, your swordsmanship might become even more refined, you know?"
The boy's answer was quick. The moment he heard "It will hone your swordsmanship," he made an immediate decision, bowing his head with eagerness.
"I would really like to ask you to do it...!"
"Yes, indeed, it is the duty of a leader to teach and guide young people."
Rizel felt good. It had been a long time since she'd been able to talk to someone so compliant. Stupid people wouldn't believe anything Rizel said, and would just laugh and treat her like a little girl. She was tired of blasting those kinds of people in the face with her magic.
The boy immediately began circulating his magical power and activated < >. His speed in constructing the spell was above average, and his skill level wasn't bad either. It was clear that he had been diligently practicing for his age.body strengtheningStrength
just,
"Well, that's... quite inconsistent, isn't it?"
"It's all mismatched..."
magic circuitbypassIt's a complete mess, full of waste and inefficient. To give an analogy, when transporting goods in a city, it would be easy to go straight down a well-maintained main street, but instead, people deliberately struggle through dark, narrow, and winding back alleys.
The enhancement itself is activated, but it will consume a lot of magical energy and will not last long.
"How dare you use such a spell... Who was the idiot who taught you magic?"
"...ah,"
The boy hesitated to answer, and then,
"...Well, I guess I'm kind of self-taught."
"...What did you say?"
"I just realized I could do it. I don't really understand the 'technique' or anything like that."
"Aha," Rizel understood. There are occasionally people who, without being taught by anyone, naturally become able to use magic. However, since they don't understand the mechanics of the spells, even if they can cast magic, it ends up looking like a messy child's scribble.magic circuitbypass
"That [ ] won't last long, will it?"body strengtheningStrength
The boy nodded.
"If I keep going for about four hours, I feel like I'm going to collapse..."
"Huh? So, it lasts for four hours... That's quite a lot of magical power."
"At first, it didn't even last five minutes."
"Hmm? ...W-wait, you don't mean..."
"It kept growing taller and taller after falling down many times."
Rizel chopped the boy.
"It hurts..."
"You idiot! Who trains like that these days?!"
Certainly, magical power is similar to physical strength, and its maximum amount can be increased through training. However, just as no one would be foolish enough to run until they pass out every day to train their physical strength, the practice of continuously using magic until one collapses has long since become obsolete.
If taken to extremes, this method can actually lead to death.
And yet, this boy seemed so proud of it.
"You... you! If you'd been doing that, you'd be dead by now! How long have you been doing this?! Half a month?! A month?!"
"...Seven years?"
"Seven years?! Seven?! Seven years of ?! Until you collapsed so many times?! Wait, no, hold on... Oh, come on!! Idiot! Stupid! What are you doing?! Seven years?! Why did you push yourself that hard?! I've never seen such a stupid person before!!"magic circuitbypass
Rizel is a great and arrogant archmage. Because he is great and arrogant, he gets goosebumps and becomes uncontrollably irritated when he sees inefficient or illogical use of magic that does not conform to his values.
When Rizel is at her wit's end, she often clenches both her fists and wildly shakes them.
"That's forbidden! You can't do that anymore! You'll really die one day if you do that!"
"...Ah, ah..."
However, the boy, whether he was listening or not, stared at Rizel with a very expressive look. Rizel glared back directly.
"What?! What's with that look?! Do you have something to say?!"
"N-no...it's just that the way you talk suddenly changed..."
"...Mmmm"
Having regained his senses, Rizel cleared his throat. Lowering his voice to a great and haughty tone,
"...Anyway, you don't have anyone to teach you magic, do you? It must be fate that we met here. I'm planning to relax in town for a while, so I'll teach you during that time."
"Huh? No, but..."
"Or rather, let me teach you. Please. I will absolutely not allow you to use magic like that."
"...By the way, about the way you spoke just now."
"Shut up! Forget about it! Forget all that and just do what I say!! I'm older than you, you know?!"
"Uh, yeah..."
Looking back now, I think it was a really strange encounter.
And so, without further ado, Rizel decided to teach the boy—Wolka—magic.
At first, I only intended to correct that childish, scribbled magic. But a week later, the sword flash he unleashed from the correct < > was powerful enough to instantly obliterate five demonic wolves.body strengtheningStrength
Rizel still remembers very clearly the expression on Walka's face at that moment.
He rarely smiled, but on this occasion, he broke into a smile befitting his age and said:
"— ! Please, teach me more magic!"teacher・Craftsman・
"...!"
--Master! This child just called me "Master"!
Master, master, master, master—that sweet sound echoed over and over in Rizel's head.
Rizel is a great and arrogant wizard. This is a common thing in the wizarding world, but it's taken for granted that all first-class wizards have apprentices, and in other words, it's ridiculous to call someone first-class if they don't have a single apprentice, and it's only acceptable to be second-class, ha ha ha, there's an unspoken common understanding like that.
However, Rizel has no apprentices. He has never had any.
Rizel has the body of a child. Judging by her appearance alone, she's practically a kid. Regardless of her actual age or abilities, it seems there's no way anyone would want to become an apprentice to a little girl who looks like she's only about ten years old.
In short, Rizel was all alone.
I was the one being laughed at, with people saying, "Only second-rate people can get away with not having apprentices, hahaha."
For a great and arrogant archmage, this is a matter of life and death—Rizel's greatest complex, something he must never touch.
What would happen if someone called Rizel "Master" with an intense gaze and begged to become their apprentice?
"Heh, heh, heh heh heh heh heh heh... Hmm, I see, I see. So you want to continue learning magic from me, huh? Well, I am a super amazing wizard, after all, so it's only natural that you'd want to become my apprentice, right? Oh man, I'm in a bit of a predicament, you know, I'm pretty busy with a lot of things."
"Oh... no, if you're busy, I don't mean to force you."
"Don't give up so easily! You need to be more persistent!! You want to learn magic from me, don't you!?"
"Huh...? Yes, but if you don't want to, that's fine."
"Don't say 'whatever,' you idiot!! Come on, say it again! What do you want me to do?!"
"...I want to learn magic. Please take me as your apprentice, Master?"
"...Uh, yes. That's fine, that's fine. Well, I guess I have no choice, then I'll take you on as my apprentice. Hehehe."
This is what happened.
Lonely Rizel was incredibly easy to manipulate.
/
—I remembered so many things.
I remember the first time I met Wolka. The first time I had ever had a disciple. Ever since then, Rizel has been unable to leave him alone and has become a meddlesome master. It was also convenient that Wolka was a bit of an outcast in the guild, perhaps because of his unusually high level of skill for a child.
Because it allows Rizel to have it all to himself.
She was my very first apprentice. Once I realized that, I couldn't help but find her incredibly cute.
While learning the fundamentals of magic, Wolka never missed a single day of sword training. Her dedication was so intense that one might wonder if she was born to wield a sword. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she always practiced her sword whenever she had the time, excluding meals and sleep.
Walka would undoubtedly one day become a renowned swordsman. When asked if he aspired to be a knight, his reply was vague. It seemed he was so engrossed in mastering the swordsmanship in front of him that he hadn't given much thought to his future dreams.
So, once his swordsmanship and magic had become fully accustomed to him, Rizel decided to take a chance and ask him if he would like to form a party with her.
Being rejected would have been the better outcome. I was even considering suicide if he had reacted with something like, "Uh, I don't want to... Did I give you the wrong idea...?", but luckily he accepted willingly.
As an aside, I was so relieved that my legs gave out, and I even shed a few tears of joy.
I spent three days and three nights thinking about the party's name and decided on < >. I was prepared to hang myself if he was disgusted and said, "Uh, so that name means... no, that's a bit much...", but luckily he said, "I think it's good."Silver-gray journeySilvery Gray
Well, I guess they probably didn't understand what Rizel was thinking when she gave him that name, and just judged it based on how it sounded.
But that's okay.
Wolka is Rizel's disciple. Rizel's only disciple. Every time he utters the name of < >, it's enough for Rizel to truly grasp that fact.Silver-gray journeySilvery Gray
Because Walka is Rizel's apprentice.
They were a carefree party, without any particular beliefs or dreams, simply doing what they wanted. Taking on requests to help people, defeating monsters to earn money, and occasionally taking short trips away from the city—just these simple things were more fun than anything they had ever done before.
It was probably about two years later. While I was traveling around the towns surrounding the capital city, I met Yuritia, who would become Wolka's apprentice—or rather, his junior.
Then they met Atoli, who was traveling alone, and before they knew it, the party had grown to four people.
At first, I was jealous because I couldn't have Wolka all to myself anymore... but Yuritia and Atori were both such good kids that before I knew it, they all felt like precious family.
I thought we would continue to spend many more enjoyable days together as a group of four.
But this is the reality.
The dangers of dungeons are known to even the most inexperienced adventurer. They are perilous zones that continue to spawn monsters endlessly unless their master is defeated, and they are formidable strongholds that humanity must conquer completely. The treasures sleeping within them have given many adventurers dreams, and that is why countless warriors have perished without ever seeing the light of day again.
However, it should have been fine if the dungeon had already been explored. Once the boss monster is defeated, the dungeon loses its ability to spawn monsters and eventually weathers away, becoming a 'ruin'. However, such places are easily infiltrated by monsters and other entities, so dungeons, especially those close to towns and villages, need to be continuously investigated even after they have been explored as part of maintaining public order. For these reasons, the guild regularly places orders for such missions, and various adventurers take advantage of them, whether it's to find undiscovered treasures, earn money for travel, or train for dungeon exploration.outlawRaffian
That's just how it is.
Who could have predicted such an injustice as the dungeon hadn't actually been explored, and that a monster so powerful that even an S-rank party would face certain death was waiting there?
"...Wolka..."
In the church's sickroom, where the elderly nun had led her, Wolka was sleeping very, very soundly.
By any standard, he was not alright. His wounds had already been healed by divine magic, but his right eye was gouged out, his left leg was severed below the knee, and lingering scars remained on the skin visible through the gaps in his hospital gown. Rizel had never before seen a human being so severely injured.
His breathing was quiet. It was so quiet that it suddenly became frightening—was Wolka in front of me really alive? Had he stopped breathing? Each time, I took his hand, leaned closer, and checked his heartbeat again and again.
I couldn't do anything else.
An hour had passed since the old nun left, and Rizel was nothing more than a being terrified and devastated by the reality before her.
First, be happy that your life has been saved, the old nun says in my head.
That's impossible. That's just pure selfishness. Even if he survives, anyone who would be happy to see him in such a drastically altered state must be insane.
Losing an eye and a leg makes you practically dead as an adventurer. Worse, you don't even know if you'll be able to live a normal life from now on.
Wolka, who possessed a genius-level talent for swordsmanship, had a future that was sure to be brilliant and promising, but it was shattered into a million pieces.
And that's all because of Rizel.
Because it was Rizel, the party's leader, who decided to accept that request.
"...sorry......"
If only Rizel hadn't taken on that request. If only, as a leader, I had noticed the anomaly in the dungeon beforehand. No, if only I had the power to live up to the title of "Great and Arrogant Archmage,"
The reality before our eyes would have been different.
It's all Rizel's fault.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."
Rizel is Wolka's magic teacher.
For Rizel, Wolka was the only precious disciple in the world.
He was truly such a cute disciple that I wouldn't mind putting him in my eye.
I'm the one who ruined the life of my beloved student.
If I hadn't thought of something stupid,
If I were more responsible,
Because I couldn't do anything,
Because I was weak,
It's my fault, it's my fault, it's my fault, it's my fault, it's my fault,
"I'm sorry, I
—If that old nun had been by her side, perhaps she could have scolded and advised Rizel.
However, reality did not unfold that way. Having finished her all-night work, she had already left the room, and Yuritia and Atori had not yet returned. As a result, Rizel concluded that she was the one who had ruined Wolka's life, and that it was a "sin" that she could never erase no matter what she did.swordnageu
With eyes devoid of light, Rizel simply kept repeating the same words.
If only people's hearts were visible.
At that moment, Rizel's heart must have taken the form of a distorted shadow, becoming a jumbled mess.
Tips "Rizelarte":
A former loner wizard. Unaware of it, she craves human warmth, which is why her affection for her apprentice has been intense since they first met. She's the type who couldn't live if separated from Wolka.
Tips "Silverly Gray Journey":
Silverly Gray.
Silver-colored ash. Silver is Rizel, ash is Wolka.
In other words, it seems to be a name that expresses an intensely heavy emotion, like "Wolka belongs to Rizel," or maybe not.