Chapter 14 - Episode 13: The Magic Otaku is Saddled with Excessive Expectations
"How strange. It's not like her to fall ill."
The next morning, Mother Maria spoke as she stroked the head of Ruria, who was still lying in bed. Ruria, her eyes narrowed like a cat's, remained quiet. The magical light emanating from her body was incomparably dimmer and weaker than usual. And this was an improvement from last night.
"She doesn't have a fever and her throat isn't swollen, but she seems to have no strength in her body. I think she'll be fine if she rests for the day, but…"
As the only one who knew what happened last night and why Ruria was in this state, all I could do was nod vaguely at Mother Maria's words. To be honest, even after a whole night, it all felt like something out of a dream.
"Should I stay with Ruria today?" I suggested.
Mother Maria paused for a moment, considering it. But she quickly changed her mind, shaking her head slightly.
"I appreciate you worrying about Ruria, but it's best you go to the academy, Saki. Hanna and I will look after her, so you should hurry and finish your breakfast and get ready to leave."
"Okay… I understand."
I knelt by the pillow, bringing my eyes level with Ruria's. Placing a hand on her cheek, I whispered, "I'm heading out," but she grabbed my hand and shook her head slightly, silently protesting. Feeling troubled, I had no choice but to continue stroking her cheek.
After a short while, Ruria finally released my hand and closed her eyes. I glanced over at Mother Maria, who silently urged me with her eyes, "You should go now." I slipped away from the bed and left the children's room.
After finishing breakfast and getting dressed, Laz-san arrived from a meeting with my father. Laz-san holds the position of attendant in the manor, but his role is more like a combination of my father's secretary and bodyguard. In my previous life's Europe, his position would have been called a "footman." He currently spends most of his days as my bodyguard, but in the mornings and evenings, he seems to report to my father to confirm schedules and relay information.
"Good morning, Master Saki. How is Lady Ruria feeling?"
"I think she'll be fine if she rests for the day. Mother Maria and Hanna are with her now."
"I see. I am relieved to hear it is not serious. The seasons are changing, so please take care of yourself as well, Master Saki."
"I will. Well then, shall we go?"
With Laz-san accompanying me, I left the manor and we walked the now-familiar path to the academy. Summer was beginning to fade, and a hint of autumn could be felt in the wind that blew through the streets. It wasn't just because of my name in my past life, but autumn was my favorite season of the year. Unfortunately, since I had never left the capital's Noble District since the day I was born, I had few opportunities to truly feel the changing of the seasons. The most I got was the air growing cooler and the garden trees changing color.
Autumn would come, then winter, and once the new year passed, Ruria and I would both turn seven. That's right, still just seven. And yet, what in the world have we gotten ourselves into?
I cast my eyes down to the stone-paved road and, with a deep sigh, began to recall the events of the previous night.
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Ruria stood before the altar, her entire body emitting a brilliant silver radiance. It appeared that way because my eyes perceived the tremendous magic flowing from her as the color silver. I had always seen a silvery tinge to her magic, but I could say with certainty that I had never felt such a vast amount of power from her before.
As if influenced by the force overflowing from within, her black hair and the robe she wore lifted slightly, floating in the air. Ruria was never very expressive, but with her eyes closed now, she gave off an even more rigid impression. And the words that spun from her lips were in her voice, yet they were clearly not her own.
"Though the ritual tools and magic circle are lacking, this is indeed a place of ritual magic. And while the incantation has its own unique color, it is a fine one, following the ancient style. Well done, child. May I have your name?"
Sister Magisa—who, by her own account, was the being known in this world as the Goddess Isis—inquired in a flat, emotionless tone. I was beyond the verge of confusion; I wanted to scream and run in circles, but I desperately tried to regain my composure. What did she call herself? If I was not mistaken, the proper response here would be…
"S-Saki. My name is Saki Adoni Arcalai, Greatly Honored Sister Magisa."
"The honorific is unnecessary. You are not yet a member of our order. Of course, I hope that you will join us one day."
This is bad. She understands. "Greatly Honored" was the honorific used within a magical order when a lower-ranking member addressed a higher-ranking one. My knowledge of magical orders from my previous life was actually applicable in this world.
Whether she was the Goddess Isis herself or not, it seemed certain that Sister Magisa was a member of this world's magical order. Not only that, but a Magister Templi—a master of the temple—an incredibly high-ranking mage who existed as a spiritual entity without a physical body.
"The time we have to converse like this is not long. There is a reason I was able to descend despite this not being a formal ritual of [Invocation]. One is that you called upon me directly. Another is the immense magical power of this vessel, this girl. There are other reasons, but I am only able to remain in this world of Assiah by borrowing this girl's magic. If I manifest for too long, I might consume all of her power. Therefore, Saki, listen well."
Sister Magisa, still inhabiting Ruria, spoke to me in that same emotionless voice. Ruria's eyes were closed, but an illusion of gigantic eyes floating behind my childhood friend flashed through my mind, as if they were staring intently at me.
"To save 'humanity,' which continues to decline, you must restore the glory of magic. You will be the pioneer who revives the ancient kingdom."
"...Pardon?"
"Thank you. I will be counting on you, then."
"No, no, no! That's not what I meant! W-Wait a minute!"
I could feel the silver light dimming, and I realized Sister Magisa was about to depart. I hastily called out to stop her. The flourishing of magic was one thing, but reviving an ancient kingdom? What was this woman talking about? Was she just trying to be funny? Was that it?
"Um, I am merely a student aspiring to be a magic user. Even if you tell me to revive a kingdom…"
As I trailed off, Sister Magisa continued.
"Rest assured. I am not telling you to build a nation. I am asking you to pave the way for human society to regain the civilization and prosperity equivalent to that of the former kingdom through magic."
You've got to be kidding… That's a far grander scale than conquering a country. But then I realized there was a point in Sister Magisa's earlier words that I could not ignore.
"Does that mean magic was practiced in the Ancient Magic Kingdom? Then why has no magic been passed down to the present day?"
She had said "again" and "restore." That meant magic had been practiced in this world in the past. I had suspected as much, but now I could consider it confirmed.
"In the distant past, magic supported the lives of the people. But with the collapse of the ancient kingdom, those arts were lost. Now, only fragments remain in the form of the kingdom's 'legacy'."
"The kingdom's 'legacy'…"
As a thousand thoughts swirled chaotically in my mind, I subconsciously repeated Sister Magisa's words. Inhabiting my childhood friend, she nodded with Ruria's face and gaze. The silver light emanating from her body had, at some point, lost much of its brilliance and looked as if it could vanish at any moment.
"Seek the 'legacy,' Saki. It will guide you to the deeper mysteries of magic. My time is up. I pray for the day you master magic and we can meet again."
With those final words, the silver light vanished completely. At the same time, Ruria crumpled as if all support had been taken from her. I rushed over and caught her just before she hit the floor. She seemed to have lost consciousness completely.
For now, I carried Ruria to her bed and laid her down. I lit the lamp we had used for the ritual and observed her carefully under its light. Her breathing seemed normal, and her complexion looked the same as always. However, the dazzling magical glow that usually radiated from within her was now extremely faint, covering only the surface of her body.
Just as Sister Magisa had said, maintaining the manifestation of a being hailed as a goddess must have required a tremendous amount of magic. Ruria was now in a state of sudden mana deprivation, much like I had been after casting the [Light] spell for the first time.
Relieved that the worst had not happened, a wave of mental exhaustion washed over me. The ritual had seemingly failed, only for a magic goddess (self-proclaimed) to descend. She left me with an impossible mission and some suggestive words before disappearing, leaving my unconscious friend behind. The series of events had apparently taken quite a toll on my nerves.
There was so much I wanted to think about, but I was suddenly too tired to care. Resisting the temptation to just throw myself onto the bed, I made sure to clean up after the ritual first. Moving mechanically, without a single thought, I hid the simple altar and the magic weapons in their designated places. Then, I decided to slip in next to Ruria and get some sleep.
I extinguished the lamp and closed my eyes. Normally, the light from Ruria's magic as she slept beside me was almost blindingly bright, but I had gotten used to it. The light she emitted now was even fainter than my own, and I had very little magic to begin with. That fact made me vaguely anxious, so I lay beside Ruria, holding her close. As I felt her breath, her heartbeat, and her warmth in my arms, all the unnecessary thoughts drained from my mind, and my consciousness faded into darkness.
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This is insane. What does she expect me to do…
I had arrived at the academy and was sitting through the morning's general education lecture in the main hall. But the events of last night were so shocking that the lecturer's words weren't really sinking in.
At the lectern, where all the students' eyes were focused, stood a man in his fifties with thinning hair. This teacher's name was Amos Dayan. He came from the Arcalai family's home village and was one of the people my grandmother had summoned when she became a noble.
He had apparently studied at another noble's private academy, but he entered service as a civil official when our family was granted the title of Viscount. Now, he serves as both the Arcalai family librarian and a lecturer at this private academy. From what I hear, Amos-san is the older brother of the manor's head chef.
Incidentally, the head chef's full name is apparently Naomi Dayan. That portly chef is named Naomi… Well, it's a good name. Yes, it is.
"The nation said to have been established earliest after the fall of the Ancient Kingdom is the Constan Marquisate. It is located to the northeast of our Hanoku Kingdom, and the two countries are separated by the vast Central Plains and the mountains at the eastern edge of the continent. It claims a five-hundred-year history, but the exact details are unknown. However, it is certain that it is the country with the oldest history in the surrounding region, and our own nation has been greatly influenced by the culture and systems of the Constan Marquisate."
The lecture hall was quiet. Amid the faint scratching of quills on parchment, Mr. Amos's voice echoed. Today's lecture seemed to be about the neighboring countries of the Hanoku Kingdom. What timely content.
"The king of the marquisate is the Marquis Constan House. You may wonder why a marquis is a king, but that country claims to have been 'granted this marquisate by the Ancient Kingdom.' That is to say, they claim the Constan family was enfeoffed as a marquis in the current marquisate's territory during the era of the Ancient Kingdom, and that they became independent as a marquisate after the Ancient Kingdom fell. The truth of this is uncertain. Therefore, the highest rank of nobility in the Constan Marquisate is Count."
That's right. The Ancient Kingdom fell five hundred years ago. But its remnants are said to be scattered across the continent, and even now, buildings from the Ancient Kingdom era are sometimes discovered in unexplored regions. There's even a profession for people who search for such ruins, called 'adventurers.' If they were to discover a treasure from the Ancient Kingdom in some ruins, it would be more than just a quick fortune.
Personally, I wanted no part in such a shady business, but it was possible that such treasures were the 'legacy' Sister Magisa had spoken of.
"While it is true that the marquisate and the Marquis Constan House are the oldest nation and family in the surrounding region, they are not the only ones who carry the old ways into the present. For example, the Hanoku royal family, the rulers of this country, ascended to the throne relatively recently, only thirty years ago, but they have been known as a prominent family ruling this land for over two hundred years. And the Arcalai Viscounty, which hosts this academy, is also a family that has long been known as masters of attack magic."
Mr. Amos's lecture continued. I see, so it's not limited to ruins from the Ancient Kingdom era. A country like the Constan Marquisate, which boasts of its history, might have some traces of the Ancient Kingdom left. Furthermore, without even going to another country, it was possible that the Hanoku royal family or even my own family had something that qualified as a 'legacy.' Like a family heirloom, a secret text, or an old legend.
In the end, all I can think about is what Sister Magisa said last night. But well, if I want to learn about the magic of this world, it seems I have no choice but to investigate this 'legacy'… It annoys me that I feel like I'm being played, but I guess I'll just have to devote myself to collecting this 'legacy.'
From a god's perspective, this might be a story on the scale of all humanity, but for me personally, it was just a matter of "me working hard to reach the deeper mysteries of magic." In other words, it was merely an extension of what I've been doing all along. The revival of magic or the improvement of human civilization were just byproducts of me becoming a master of magic. A bonus, just a bonus.
Thinking of it that way, my mood instantly lightened. Mr. Amos was still lecturing on the podium, but my mind had already switched to planning my next steps. When I get home, I'll check on Ruria, and then I'll ask if our family has anything that's been passed down for generations. Father might be too busy to ask, so in that case, maybe I'll ask Gill-san, the butler.
My spirits lifted, I hummed my way through the afternoon's practical magic session and headed home with Laz-san.
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"We do."
"You do?!"
My father, Levi Adoni Arcalai, spoke so casually that I shot back with an almost spinal reflex. I instantly came to my senses and bowed my head. "My apologies, I lost my composure." Perhaps because of my memories as a commoner in my past life, my awareness of being the son of a noble is rather weak.
After returning to the manor and finishing dinner, I managed to catch my parents, who had come home early, and told them I wanted to talk. They brought me to my father's private study. There, I asked, "Do we have anything that has been passed down in our family for a long time, like heirlooms or legends?" which led to the response I just received.
There were four people in the room: my parents, me, and Ruria. Ruria had apparently recovered completely after sleeping all day and had eaten even more than usual at dinner. That was wonderful, but I was exasperated by the fact that she refused to leave my side since I had returned. At dinner, she had pulled her chair up so close that our shoulders were almost touching, and when I tried to go to the washroom after the meal, she even tried to follow me inside.
Even now, as we sat side-by-side on the sofa, Ruria had her arms wrapped around mine in a tight embrace. Every so often, she would bury her face in my bicep and nuzzle against it. Are you a cat?
Well, I understand she was lonely since we were apart for the whole day. Since the day we were born, we had never been separated for so long (though it was only half a day). Her reaction felt a bit exaggerated, but she was probably feeling insecure due to her illness from mana depletion. Judging by the brightness of her aura now, her magic seemed to have almost fully recovered.
Speaking of which, I had asked Ruria if she remembered what happened last night, but she said she "didn't really know." Apparently, her memory grew faint at the end of the ritual, and when she came to, it was morning and she had no strength in her body. That meant I was the only one who knew about the existence of Sister Magisa, a.k.a. the Goddess Isis. I might have to tell Ruria someday, but what should I do…
Getting back to the matter at hand, I initially had no intention of bringing Ruria into my father's study. I thought the topic might turn into something she shouldn't hear. But Ruria refused to be separated from me, and my parents didn't seem to mind, so in the end, we were both listening to the story. Although, I couldn't help but feel that the way my parents were looking at us was a bit… warm and amused.
"There was something like that? I've never heard of it," my mother said.
"I suppose I never told you. Our family has a scroll passed down through generations, with a rule that 'only the head of the house may see its contents.' I don't even know how long we've had it. I've only seen it a few times myself and usually forget it even exists."
As I listened to my parents talk, I thought, Wait, did I hit the jackpot on the first try? A rule like "only the head may see" was practically a declaration that it held a great secret. I leaned forward eagerly, biting at the bait.
"Is that scroll something I would be allowed to see?!"
My father put a hand to his chin and replied thoughtfully.
"As the future head of the Arcalai family, you have the right to see it, I suppose. However, the scroll isn't here in this manor. It's in the old estate in our family's home village, in our viscounty's territory. Your grandmother should be managing it…"
Oh, a family treasure in an old estate? Isn't that perfect? I'm not on some treasure appraisal show, but I'd love to go and have a look. Don't worry, I can handle it even if it's something that might cost me a few sanity points.
"Father, I would very much like to visit the Arcalai family's home village. And if Grandmother permits, I would like to see that scroll."
At my words, my parents exchanged a look and fell into thought for a moment. After a silent nod to each other, my father turned to me and answered.
"If that is what you wish, I will ask my mother. It will take time to prepare, so we can't go immediately, and I don't know if you'll get permission to see the scroll. I'll let you know when I have more details. Until then, continue your studies at the academy diligently. Understood?"
I replied with a beaming smile, and then, in high spirits, I left my father's study with Ruria. I wonder what's written on that scroll. And now that I think about it, this will be my first time leaving the royal capital. It all depends on my grandmother's mood, but my hopes were high for a new experience.
Suppressing my childlike excitement (I'm only six, after all), I fell asleep in the children's room with Ruria clinging to me.
My sincerest apologies for the long delay. There were various circumstances, which I will address in an activity report. In any case, I will resume posting, and I look forward to your continued support.