CH 4

"Fufu♪ Well then, I'll teach you some magic."

"Thank you very much!"

My first day of training began.

The first to train me was Testarossa-san. Her specialty is magic, so it will be a good start.

But my magic skills are in a bottomless abyss, how will I be able to apply the lessons she teaches me?

I have not yet told her about my magical abilities. It's a hard thing to admit out loud... But there's no choice, I have to do it.

"Um, excuse me, but I'm not good with magic..."

"It's okay, you don't need to say it, I already knew that. You think you're useless for not being able to do it, don't you?"

I completely freaked out when she said she'd figured me out.

How awe inspiring. Just as one would expect from a Demon Lord, she can tell everything about you just from a single look.

"But then how am I going to be able to train? In order to practice magic, shouldn't I first be able to use it?"

"That's right. Which is why I'm going to start with basic training until you have enough magical power to use magic."

"Basic... Training?"

I wonder what kind of training it is.

I've never heard of such a thing, but I bet it's a great way to increase magic power.

"The strength of your magic power is the same as muscle strength: if you don't use it to the limit and break through your magic container's threshold, your upper limit won't increase, so I'll ask you to use your magic till you're on the verge of death, and when you recover, you'll do the same procedure again and again."

".....What?"

What kind of terrifying training is that?

Magic power is necessary for living beings to survive. If you consume too much, you'll suffer from magic power deficiency, and run the risk of death.

"Isn't that a very dangerous thing?"

"Yes, it is. But since you're in a place where you never age, this is the only way to increase your magic power. Don't worry, I'll be watching over you at all times, so you have nothing to worry about♪"

"Well..."

I almost forgot that she's the Demon Lord. I guess she's not someone who can understand the common sense of humans and the fear of dying.

"But wouldn't it take a long time to do it so consistently?"

"Not at all. Judging by your level, I think you can become a full-fledged magician in about... 500 years."

"500 years!?"

I was so stunned that my brain stopped working for a moment. I know I'm a failure, but...will it really take me that long!?"

"That's a long time! By the time I've finished my training, the outside world I know will have completely changed!"

My parents are already dead, but I'm sad that I won't be able to say goodbye to the village chief, who had taken care of me until now.

I wish I could have at least said some parting words to him.

"Don't worry. The flow of time in this Infinite Prison is very slow. A year in this place is a day in the human world."

"Seriously!?"

"Yes, I have checked with my magic, so I'm very sure of it."

After saying those words, Onee-san thumps her fist against her chest as if to tell me to trust her magic.

Well, if the Demon Lord says so, it's gotta be true.

But still, if one year here equals one day in the normal world... Then that would mean about 500 days will have passed and no one will know anything about what happened to me. I think I can live with that.

"....I understand! I'll do my best!"

"Fufu, good boy."

With that, Testarossa-san gently strokes my head. The eyes with which she looked at me while caressing me remind me of my dead mother's, full of gentleness and warmth.

"Alright... Let's start with your training. And if you really do end up dying, sorry♪"

"...Yes."

Although anxious, I began my magic training.