“You‘ll have to become a great mage.”
“What?”
Artoria, who had woken up early in the morning, let out a foolish sound at the staff‘s sudden declaration.
“A great mage, do you mean a mage like Her Majesty Morgan?”
“Yes.”
Artoria seriously wondered if Mr. Staff had finally gone mad.
After all, it was Mr. Staff himself who had asserted that she could never become a mage like Morgan.
To say such a thing first thing in the morning was just out of the blue.
She didn't seriously think she could become a great mage.
But Mr. Staff was serious.
“You can do it. With this Morgan-special textbook… I mean, with the book I wrote.”
“I‘m even more confused. Mr. Staff, are you crazy?”
“It‘s one of those things. It‘s the world of adults, so don‘t worry about it.”
She felt vaguely ignored, but Artoria didn‘t talk back.
Instead, the keyword ’great mage‘ had lodged itself in her heart.
Could it be that Mr. Staff had only now noticed the great mage talent she had been hiding?
Such a delusion came to mind.
“Let‘s start learning right away this morning. First, take me and go outside.”
“Huh? I can‘t. Ector won‘t allow it. Just yesterday, he was so annoyed because 50 armor orders came in.”
He had been staring at the boiling molten iron for longer than the sun.
It would be the same today.
“It‘s fine. I can cancel the orders with my magic. Don‘t worry about it, let‘s go to the forest clearing.”
“Umm…”
For a moment, an image of Ector getting all worked up, asking where she had gone, flashed in her mind, but Artoria pushed the Ector in her mind far away.
’Mr. Staff said he‘d take care of it. Then it should be fine!‘
Honestly, she was so tired of the chores of putting coal into the furnace and occasionally wiping Ector‘s sweat.
On the other hand, learning new magic is incredibly fun.
“Let‘s go right away. There‘s no time. No time!”
“Okay!”
“I‘d like to request 5 swords instead of the armor.”
“You want to suddenly change 50 armors to 5 swords? Did the Mors suddenly disappear into the ground?”
“…There‘s a reason. Is it difficult because you‘ve already started working?”
“No, I haven‘t even started the work yet. It won‘t be difficult.”
Ector was a bit dumbfounded.
The queen‘s strongest knight. Among them, the most loyal and the warrior who had fought the most wars against the Mors, Gawain.
Gawain, who travels the country fighting, suddenly comes to a backwater village like this again and the first thing she says is to change an order?
Didn‘t she come to entrust a little fae child last time?
Ector couldn't understand.
Could it be that she has too much free time? Or did Her Majesty Morgan strip her of her Fairy Knight title?
Or, it was more plausible that she had come to punish him for secretly cursing the queen in his forge.
“Then I‘ll be on my way. I‘ll expect the order as scheduled.”
“…Yes. Understood.”
Even worse, Gawain left immediately after changing the order.
It was truly a baffling situation.
“What was that?”
“Alright. Problem solved. I said I wouldn‘t get any help, but… it was unavoidable.”
“Huh?”
“It‘s nothing. More importantly, how‘s the magic.”
“It‘s great! This Gandr thing, it seems super useful! I just tried it on a bug and…!”
Artoria‘s mage plan is proceeding very smoothly.
With Artoria‘s passion, Morgan‘s book, and a little bit of my explanation, there were no obstacles.
The book Morgan made played the biggest role in particular.
This book was tailor-made for Artoria.
Artoria, who was more specialized in practice than theory, found the formulas Baobhan Sith used when learning magic to be of little use.
Instead, she understood more sensory explanations quickly.
’Swing the staff with the feeling of exploding your inner power.‘ This explanation was too clumsy to have been written by Morgan, but Artoria understood it with uncanny ease.
What was particularly scary was that Morgan‘s book stated at which point Artoria would feel her limits. And that prediction was perfectly correct.
When that happens, move on to the next magic. She will come to understand it on her own after a certain amount of time.
When I followed this absurd explanation, a few days later, Artoria actually demonstrated the completed magic with a confident face.
I was able to get a glimpse of my wife‘s terrifying ability.
“Haaah!”
“…Excellent!”
Three months since I started teaching Artoria.
She is a half-baked fae, but
As a mage, she could now walk with her shoulders held high.
“That‘s enough for today.”
“Okay!”
It seems it would be okay for her to face Baobhan Sith soon.
It also meant that she was no longer weak enough to need my help.
I think I should start preparing for our farewell.
After finishing today‘s lesson, I casually brought up the topic of parting on the way home.
“I‘m almost out of things to teach you. I think it‘s about time for you to graduate.”
“…Huh?”
“I‘m a fae who watches over you until you can stand on your own. And you‘re no longer weak enough to need my help.”
For some reason, Artoria‘s steps came to a halt.
“Now only the final test remains. If you win in a battle against a fae who has learned magic like you, you‘ll become a proper fae.”
“Wh-what do you mean?”
“A fae will come to find you soon. That‘s all for now.”
Even without me, Artoria will be able to live well.
It‘s not what I thought, but what Morgan told me.
She said, ’You‘ve taught her enough.‘
Since Morgan said it, there‘s no reason to doubt it.
“Mr. Staff? Wh-where did you go? Come back! Mr. Staff!”
Artoria froze, holding the staff that no longer spoke a word.
“No! Don‘t go. Please come back!”
No matter how much she shouted, no answer came back.
Just a moment ago, they were talking cheerfully, but not anymore.
As if the time had come for it to return to being a real staff, only the cold touch of wood could be felt.
Her excited heart grew cold. Beyond cold, it felt like she had dived into a winter sea.
He disappeared again.
Just like the man, Mr. Staff also disappeared.
“Why? Is it because I‘m… I‘m not good enough? Because I‘m the child of prophecy?”
Tears welled up in her eyes.
She hadn‘t done anything wrong, so why?
Artoria nevertheless collapsed onto the grassy field.
Her knee was scraped and bleeding from a stone fragment that happened to be right below her, but she felt no pain.
She felt empty.
This emptiness was terribly frightening.
Artoria stopped thinking.
She pushed her negative thoughts to the back of her mind and spun a hopeful delusion.
“No. He‘ll come back. Yes. If I lose the battle against the fae the man mentioned, it means I‘m not a proper fae. So he‘ll come back as a staff.”
A headache arose. Artoria got up again and returned home.
Her steps towards Ector‘s house were heavy, but a hopeful feeling gradually grew.
Come to think of it, even if Mr. Staff is gone, Ector is still here.
Ector is taciturn, but there is warmth in his actions. Ector would not abandon her.
Artoria was certain.
She decided not to leave Ector‘s house until she found Mr. Staff.
“…What is this?”
But Ector‘s house was on fire.
“To not run away even after seeing this fire, have you gone mad?!”
“E…Ector. Why, why did this happen?”
One of Ector‘s eyes was already gone. Dark red blood was flowing from the empty socket.
“There‘s no time to explain. Run away quickly. I‘m… already too late.”
“What do you mean! We have to run away together!”
At that moment, a beam fell towards where Artoria was.
Artoria saw the falling beam but couldn't do anything.
Her hands were trembling so much she couldn‘t use her magic properly, and she couldn't run away.
“You fool!”
If Ector hadn't pushed her, Artoria would have fainted.
Artoria was about to share the same fate as the burning house.
She might have died, but Artoria was not interested in her own life.
Artoria‘s gaze was fixed on the lower half of Ector‘s body, who had moved to protect her.
“E…Ector.”
“Damn it. I didn‘t plan on showing you.”
Ector had no legs.
“Alright. Since it‘s come to this, I‘ll tell you.”
Ector, gasping for breath, told her what had happened while Artoria was in the clearing learning magic.
“The villagers came. They said they were short on food for the winter. But I refused, saying I didn't even have enough to eat myself.”
“S-so?”
“It is as you see. They cut off my legs, and when they couldn‘t find any food after ransacking my house, they got annoyed. I lost my eye then too. And out of anger, they set the house on fire.”
Fae don‘t need to eat. Because they can live without eating.
But that only means they can live. Fae are mysterious creatures, but they are not immortal.
Fae cannot withstand the cold of winter.
Therefore, they must either burn firewood or survive on the calories obtained from food.
Or they die.
But the majority of fae do not think about storing food or cutting down trees to store firewood.
The reason is absurd.
Because it‘s troublesome.
But as winter approached, they became afraid. They don‘t want to die.
So they came to take.
“That‘s… strange. It doesn‘t make sense…”
Crack. The roof burned through and split in half.
At the same time, Artoria could hear a strange sound.
The sound coming from outside was not the chirping of insects, but the voices of fae.
“This is…”
“It‘s them. They‘re fighting amongst themselves. Saying they‘re reducing the number of mouths to feed.”
They came for food, burned down the house, and then started fighting amongst themselves…?
Artoria couldn't understand. A rage greater than sorrow welled up inside her.
“Are they idiots? They can just help each other get through the winter. If they gather food and prepare firewood…!”
“Don‘t try to understand. What you need to do is run.”
Ector placed his hand on Artoria‘s shoulder.
“Listen carefully, kid. The fae are all selfish. There are far more who want to harm you than those who don‘t.”
“Why, why are you doing this, Ector. Why are you talking like you‘re going to die…?”
“Get a grip. I‘m dying now. Even if you can get me out of this house, I‘ll die soon.”
“If you use healing magic…”
Artoria doesn‘t know how to use healing magic.
Because Mr. Staff didn't teach her.
“Use that magic for yourself. You learned it while playing around instead of doing your chores for me, right? It should be worth it.”
Ector took a breath and then warned in a hoarse voice.
“You have to live on your own now. As soon as you get out of the house, keep running in the direction of the clearing you often go to. Then you‘ll reach the capital. Go to the capital and use your magic to do something to survive.”
“Then what about Ector?”
“I‘ll die.”
Crack. A part of the roof fell to the ground. The fire was already out of control.
The flames were spreading from Ector‘s house to the nearby grassy field.
The screams of the fae from outside grew even louder.
“No… no. Let‘s go together. I, I know how to use magic…”
“That‘s enough!”
No matter how much Ector shouted, Artoria couldn't come to her senses.
It‘s artificial. It‘s strange.
How could everything around her disappear in a single day?
“Hah! You annoying fae brat!”
Finally, Ector swung his fist.
His body was already a wreck, so there was no strength behind it, and it didn't hurt at all.
“Get lost already! I never liked you from the beginning. You annoying and useless fae!”
Artoria could tell. Ector was lying.
Her fae eyes could see through lies, so it was a meaningless act.
“I should have never let you in my house from the beginning! You incompetent and weak thing! Go fall off a cliff and die!”
That‘s why the tears flowed.
Ector was saying harsh things, but inside, he was praying for Artoria‘s survival.
“I‘m sorry. I‘m so sorry.”
Artoria slowly stood up.
“Because I‘m… not good enough, because I‘m a coward who can‘t do anything…”
And she turned her body and left the burning house.
A terrible sense of powerlessness enveloped her entire body.
“I‘m sorry for being useless.”
How nice would it have been if she could use mystery.
How nice would it have been if she were a fae who could handle mystery.
Then something would have been different.
“Hic… Hwaaaaaa…!”
She was broken.
Something important that made up the fae named Artoria had broken.
Artoria, who had lost everything overnight, ran like that until dawn.
And she arrived not at the capital, but at a forest filled with a certain mist.
Artoria knew this forest.
“…The forest where one loses their memories.”
The moment one enters that mist, they lose their memories and lose themselves.
Even the fae, full of curiosity and malice, did not approach this forest.
Artoria, who was staring at that frightening forest,
Slowly, very slowly, began to walk into that forest.
When I returned to the palace after a long time, Baobhan Sith was the first to greet me.
“Father!”
“Baobhan Sith? How long have you been waiting?”
“Not long! Mother said you‘d be here soon, so I just came running!”
“I see.”
I stroked Baobhan Sith‘s head.
It seems Morgan had told her in advance.
Then she must have already heard about the magic duel.
“Have you practiced your magic a lot?”
“…Huh? Of course I‘ve practiced a lot. Why are you suddenly asking that?”
Something was strange.
“Didn‘t Morgan tell you? Didn‘t you hear about the magic duel?”
“Magic duel? Mother didn‘t say anything…”
I immediately ran to the room where Morgan‘s throne was.
I ran out of breath in the middle and was only able to reach the front of the room after getting help from Baobhan Sith.
Wiping the sweat that had beaded on my forehead, I slowly opened the door.
Morgan was sitting on the throne with her usual expressionless face.
“What is it, my husband?”
“What do you mean, what is it. You didn't tell her? Baobhan Sith didn't know anything.”
Morgan averted her gaze.
“Baobhan Sith? Leave us for a moment.”
“Okay, Mother.”
“No, stay here.”
I stopped Baobhan Sith, who was about to leave the room as Morgan had said.
“…Baobhan Sith. I‘ll say it again. Leave.”
“No. Don‘t go.”
I feel sorry for Baobhan Sith, who is hesitating and looking back and forth between me and Morgan, but I can‘t let her go.
“Sigh… my husband. Why are you doing this. Your expression right now is too fierce. I fear it will have a bad influence on our daughter.”
“Bad influence? Maybe so. If parents only lie, it will definitely have a bad influence on the child.”
I was certain.
Morgan had lied to me.
“Why did you deceive me?”
“…What are you talking about, my husband.”
“The magic duel between Artoria and Baobhan Sith.”
Morgan didn‘t answer right away and hesitated for a long time.
And then she said.
“I do not know of such a story.”
“……What?”
“I do know of the child of prophecy. She is a traitor that the people of Tintagel have hidden.”
It felt like there was an invisible wall between me and Morgan.
The air in the room was strange. The atmosphere felt incredibly unfamiliar.
“You said it was okay to teach her magic! You said she was a good fae. You said she could become friends with Baobhan Sith…!”
“I do not know which fae you are talking about, but I would like to talk about something else, my husband.”
Morgan smiled.
That smile was incomparably gentle and beautiful.
“Thanks to your efforts, I was able to get rid of the troublesome child of prophecy.”
And incomparably cruel.
“I was leaving her alone because it would have been troublesome if I had acted myself. Then, it seemed my husband wanted to go out, so I made a simple plan.”
My head was blank.
“Cael, who happened to go to the village of Tintagel where the child of prophecy was. Thanks to his characteristic gentle nature, he couldn't leave the bullied child of prophecy alone…”
“Stop it.”
“He raised the child of prophecy with the help of his wife… but a tragic event occurred, and the child of prophecy‘s heart was ultimately broken.”
Morgan got up from the throne and slowly approached me.
Baobhan Sith had already left the room and was gone.
“Did you enjoy your outing?”
Morgan kissed me. A sweet scent stung my nose.
“It‘s alright, Cael. It‘s a memory that will all be forgotten.”
My eyes gradually blurred.
All the strength drained from my body.
Morgan held me as I was collapsing.
“You have me, Cael.”
The night was restless.
I think I had a nightmare, but I couldn't remember it.
As I was holding my throbbing head, someone handed me a cup of water.
There is only one person who has hands so white they are pale.
“…Morgan?”
“You‘re awake?”
Good morning. That‘s how Morgan greeted me.
“Don‘t tell me you were waiting for me to wake up?”
“I wanted to.”
To think she was waiting for me, who wakes up once every few months. I felt a little sorry.
“You don‘t have to.”
“No. I really wanted to.”
Morgan‘s eyes curved beautifully. It was a beautiful smile no matter when I saw it.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Well. I don‘t remember anything, so I don‘t know.”
“That‘s a problem.”
It really is.
I wanted to say something, but a cough came out first.
“Cough! Cough!”
Morgan silently held out a towel. Before I could even say thank you, I buried my face in the towel and continued to cough.
“Phew… my condition has gotten worse.”
“Yes. It has. I want to help, but there‘s no way.”
“Don‘t be too disheartened. I‘m fine.”
“…Yes.”
My body is getting worse day by day, but I‘m fine.
“I love you, Cael.”
“What‘s this all of a sudden.”
“Do you love me, Cael?”
“…Of course I do.”
Because I have a wife who loves me like this.
“Yes. That‘s what I wanted to hear.”
========================
The website for reading paid chapters is available on my Patreon. The number of chapters on Patreon: 127
Link: patreon.com/UltraMagnus_T