Volume 1 - CH 4

I glanced at my parents.

They don’t say it out loud, but I’m sure they’re angry that I ruined their ball.

Remembering how I was always beaten by saying ‘Don’t bother me’, I was so scared that I opened my mouth.

“I… I’m sorry, father, mother… I’m fine, so please go back to the ball and have fun…”

“Really?”

I didn’t miss my mother’s slightly happy tone.

“Yes… I’m sorry for the trouble I caused you today. I’m really, really sorry for today…”

“… be careful when you go home.”

My sister is scary, but so are my parents.

When they were gone, I was so relieved that I almost cried again.

“Come on, young lady, let me lend you a hand.”

Desperately holding back my tears, I was escorted by a guard and moved to another room.

I was told that I would be examined by a doctor, but a man wearing a magician’s cloak came to me.

A great magician is somehow recognizable by his presence. Because the surrounding air looks magical and sparkling.

The man had such a strong aura of a magician that even his hair was dyed purple.

But as soon as he saw my face, his expression turned grim.

Ugh, he is staring at me so hard.

I wonder if he is a scary person. I don’t like it.

He sat down on my bedside and took my arm.

He took the liberty of pulling down his long gloves, exposing his wrists.

Then he asked me as if chastising a culprit.

“…what’s this, magic power discoloration?”

With a frightening look on my face, I timidly asked back.

“Magic power…discoloration?”

“Don’t you know? The base of the palm of the hand has a discoloration of the magic power crest. This is the kind of thing you get if you don’t spend a lot of time with the tools of the trade, like a sword dagger or a pen dagger.”

Indeed, my wrist is a little discolored. I thought it was sunburn.

“You’re going to die sooner or later if you keep on being reckless like this.”

“What!?”

I shuddered and tried to open and close my hand.

There was no pain and my hand moved freely.

“But I’ve had this ever since I was a little girl…”

“What!?”

The magician combed his fingers through his own hair, as if he was in dismay.

“How…are you still alive?”

“Th…this is that bad? this magic power discoloration?”

The magician nodded gravely with a sullen frown.

“I advise you. Stop making magic tools right now and recuperate for a month.”

His words were quite intimidating, and my heart began to pound.

I was too scared to argue. But if I took so much time off, the shop would be in serious trouble and my parents would severely chastise me.

I felt uncomfortable saying such a thing to a magician whom I had just met for the first time, so I kept my mouth shut.

“I heard you’re the daughter of the Riviere Magic Shop.”

“I am…yes, I’m Rize.”

“Rize.”

He muttered my name as if he remembered me, and glared at me with a stern look on his face.

I feel like I’m a wanted criminal.

“Rize. Your shop does a good job. If you keep working hard and keep working for a long time, you will surely become a good craftsman in the future. Don’t waste your talent on trivial things. Cherish your life.”

“Yes.”

Under the pressure of his expressionless face, I responded reflexively. I have always had a weakness for people who give me orders. I’m not sure if it’s because my parents and older sister used to beat me up a lot or because I’m afraid of what they might do to me if I disobey them.

I wonder what this person is…and I’m afraid of him. I hope he will go away soon. I wonder if the doctor will come soon.

The magician showed me something like a pendant as I was cowering.

It has a large, flat magic stone on the end.

“This is my treasure. Eight years ago, when I was just learning magic, I had it made at your shop.”

From the way it felt when he touched it, it seemed to be a pure magic stone produced from 100 percent pure magic power.

Magicians use magic with images.

The secret of success is how clear a vision one can conjure up.

That’s why the ease of using magic increases dramatically when you touch a high-purity magic stone.

That’s why, as the core of concentration, wands and accessories containing magic stones are used.

But I think I’ve seen this somewhere…?

“I heard that the only craftsman in our country who can make something of this high quality is in your shop. It’s really wonderful.”

“Oh…this is the one that I made…isn’t it?”

I found a small sign hidden in the decoration of the magic stone round setting, and handed it over to the magician to take a look.

“Here’s my signature…I made my magic crest and signature to resemble my father’s, so the only trace of me is in this initial.”

I was so happy that I explained it quickly. After all, it’s rare to get compliments on magic tools face-to-face. Moreover, there is no craftsman who does not feel happy to be told that it is a treasure.

The magic stone seems to have been used a lot, and the surface has become cloudy.

“Please bring it to the shop next time. I’ll polish it up and return it to you looking like new.”

I also added a bit of business talk, since the customer is all-powerful.

The magician had a surprised look on his face.

“Do you have any proof that you made it?”

“If you want an identical product, I can make it right away.”

“Something of this quality, right away? Are you kidding me?”

Pure magic stone does not require any special tools or equipment, as it is simply hardened by drawing magic power from its surroundings.

I can make it with one of my spells.

[Crystallization]

The next moment, a magic stone the size of a grain of wheat was in my palm.

The color was dyed purple due to the influence of the magician in front of me, but this was also a genuine pure magic stone.

The man’s eyes were wide open to the limit.

“We make about 10,000 pieces a year, so it’s not that great…”

“Huh!? 10,000!?”

“It seems that it is not only here, but also in other countries.”

“Is that so…”

As a gift for those who are about to learn magic, magic stones are very popular. The choices are endless, from the purest to the most fashionable mixed with other materials, colors, shapes, and accessory embellishments.

Once again, the magician stared at me impudently from top to bottom.

“… you don’t look like a skilled magic tool master.”

“Not a great skill, no. But I learned it directly from my grandmother, so I can use some unusual techniques. You may not know this, but my grandmother was a very famous magician.”

‘No, I know ……. She was legendary.”

By mentioning my grandmother’s name, he seemed to finally understand that I was the creator.

“I can’t tell you how much this stone has helped me.”

Before I knew it, the magician was no longer scary-looking.

When he smiled, it was as if it transformed his face, and I realized that he actually a good-natured person.