Volume 1 - CH 2

Volume 1: The Light

That evening, Gory’s magic lesson started right away.

I was a little worried that my father, the King, would object, but he seemed to agree with my decision to learn magic.

Not only my father, but also my mother and all my brothers and sisters were kind to me.

That makes me very happy and joyful, but I can’t be spoiled all the time. I must do something about this curse and return the favor.

“I’m looking forward to working with you, Mr. Gory.”

“I’m also looking forward to working with you too, Your Highness. But before we begin, I need you to promise me two things.”

“Promise?”

“Yes. First is you only use magic the way I tell you to do. Anything else is strictly forbidden. There are many dangers in magic. Your Highness is currently weak, and the slightest mistake could kill you.”

“I understand. I will keep that in mind.”

Gory nods in satisfaction.

Since I’m a beginner, I naturally have to listen to the experienced.

“The other thing is that you must call me “Master.” His Highness is a prince, and there is a big difference between our statuses. However, since we have a master-disciple relationship, you must listen to me as I teach you. Are we clear on this? Otherwise, this could cause misunderstandings and bring trouble.”

“I understand, Mr. Gory– Master. I will be careful. Then, please also just called me Callus. It feels like there’s a wall between us if you continue to call me Your Highness.”

In the first place, I am a prince, but also not one.

I was born cursed, was not supposed to be born.

Only a few servants and ministers know that I’m actually alive. On the surface, it’s supposed to be my mother had a miscarriage.

My Master is a great man and it seems that they had made an exception and told him about my real status. It’s unlike the other people who came to heal me, they didn’t know that I am a prince.

In other words, although I am the son of a King, I do not have “the right to inherit the throne.”

Publicly, I am a prince who does not exist.

I’m just a nuisance that doesn’t deserve to be called with such honorifics.

“Alright, Callus, hold this leaf.”

Master then handed me a red leaf.

It looked like an ordinary leaf, about the size of the palm of my hand. What is this?

“It is a special leaf called Marx Leaf. If you hold the base of the leaf tightly, it measures the amount of magic power of the person who holds it, and changes according to that amount.”

“In short, it is a mysterious leaf that can measure magic power. If we don’t know how much magic power we have, we can’t even start training magic. Now, you try it.”

“Yes.”

I then grabbed the base of the leaf and gripped it tightly.

The red leaf suddenly turned black, as if it had become cinders, as it flutters into powder and disappears.

What kind of result is this…?

I looked at Master in askance, and saw that he too was looking at the leaf with eyes wide open.

“Ridiculous…”

He muttered in a small voice.

‘What the hell is going on?’

“Master?”

“I’m sorry. I was just thinking.”

“I… ughh, what’s the result?”

“Oh, yeah, the result. The result is… okay.”

What does okay mean?

I want you to tell me if it’s good or bad, but if Master didn’t tell me, does that mean I shouldn’t ask that?

Well, now that I’ve made a promise, let’s not ask anything unnecessary.

“By the way, Callus, you haven’t used magic before, have you?

“No, I did not. I’ve always been sick and never had the energy to use magic.”

“But then… how is it that? No, is it possible!?”

Master convinced himself.

Now, I’m getting really curious.

•×•×•×•

<<Sage Gory’s Point Of View>>

Unlike other plants, the Marx plant carries seeds in its leaves.

When a great amount of magic power approaches it, it senses danger and tears its leaves to scatter the seeds inside.

This natural behavior is what’s used to test of the amount of magic power.

If a person with no magic power holds the leaf, the leaf would not change, but if a person with some magic power holds it, the leaf would split in half from the center.

The more magic power one has, the more the leaf of Marx Leaf would split.

If it splits in one place, it means you have magic power.

If it splits in two, you are talented.

If it splits in three places, you’ll definitely be able to make a name of yourself.

But this boy, Callus, the leaf changed differently for compared to the others.

It turned black as if it had been burned, and then fell apart and scattered like powder.

I have only seen this phenomenon once before.

It was when I confronted a legendary creature, a dragon. The dragon’s terrifying magic power caused all the Marx Leaves in my bag to turn black and crumble into pieces.

A Marx Leaf would become like this when they detect excessive magic power.

In other words, this boy has a magic power comparable to that of a… dragon!

“Ridiculous…”

Impossible.

It is impossible for a boy who has never used magic to have such high magic power.

It is true that many of the royalty have a high amount of magic power, but this is too out of the ordinary…!

“Master?”

I looked at Callus that had a worried look on his face.

I have to get a a grip on myself.

“I’m sorry. I was just thinking.”

“I… ughh, what’s the result?”

“Oh, yeah, the result. The result is… okay.”

I could only give him a vauge answer.

As I expected, Callus looked at me strangely. He looked at me curiously, but did not pursue the matter any further. I guess he kept his promise even though he was suspicious. A smart child.

But why does he have so much magic power?

Depending on the reason, it may be necessary to change my training method.

And so, I decided to talk to Callus.

“By the way, Callus, you haven’t used magic before, have you?

“No, I did not. I’ve always been sick and never had the energy to use magic.”

“But then… how is it that? No, is it possible!?”

‘I’ve always been sick.’

It was when I heard this that an electric current ran through my brain.

When a person comes back from the brink of death, there would be a sudden increase in magic power.

The reason was not known, and there were many people who say it was just a superstition. However, there were some stories that a magician who almost died became a greater existence afterwards.

There’s even old magicians who uses magic potions to bring themselves from the brink of death.

I wonder how long this boy… has been standing on the edge of death.

It is perhaps inevitable that this child, who has been living side by side with death for the first ten years of his life, is imbued with extraordinary magic powers.

They say that “blessings and curses are two sides of the same coin,” and ironically, the curse that tormented him bestowed upon him a blessing in the form of magic power.

“Eherm~”

I involuntarily cleared my throat.

I feel bad, but I can’t stop my heart from pounding.

I wonder what kind of powerful magician he will become when he grows up…!

“……Callus, your body has much higher magic power than ordinary people.”

“Huh? Is that so?”

“Um, it’s probably because of your curse. People can increase their magic power when they stand on the edge of death.”

“I see… It’s sounds complicated, but I’m glad.”

Although I was worried of what his reaction would be, I still decided to tell the truth.

I’m sure he would have noticed even if I hid it from him.

“Now, with that out of the way, let’s start the lesson.”

My role is to properly guide him, teach him how to control this great power and lead him to the right path.

This will be this old man’s last mission.

___________________________

[Glossary]

◯Marx Leaf

A Marx Leaf comes from a rare plant that exists in some areas.

It is a rare plant that carries seeds in its leaves, and when it bears its offsprings, the leaves are torn off from the base and blown by the wind.

When it senses strong magic power, it tears off the leaf and disperses the seeds inside as much as possible in order to leave offspring and ensure the survival of the species.

Now that techniques for cultivating the Marx plant have been established, the leaves can be easily obtained.