Chapter 44 - The Magic Otaku Becomes the Subject of Rumors
The royal capital of the Hanoku Kingdom, also named Hanoku, was a massive city built around the royal castle, which itself towered atop a gentle hill. Viewed from above, one could see that the city formed three concentric circles. The innermost circle was, of course, the castle wall surrounding the royal residence. The outermost circle was the city wall, enclosing the urban area that had expanded with the city's growth.
Between them lay the middle circle, a wall separating the noble district from the common residential areas. Inside this middle wall stood the estates of the nobility, each occupying a vast plot of land. Normally, this district was the very picture of tranquility, where the people and carriages moving along the wide avenues had a calm demeanor, far removed from the hustle and bustle of the city. For some time now, however, a strange sense of agitation had permeated the entire area.
While not true for every aristocrat, more than half of the noble families with a base in the capital had been moving with unusual energy for the past two weeks. Their household staff scattered in every direction to gather information, while the heads of the houses met, sometimes in secret and sometimes openly, to probe each other's intentions.
To navigate the fiercely competitive waters of aristocratic society, one needed the ability to read the direction of the wind and the turn of the tide. Whether one rode such currents or steered clear of them could often determine the rise or fall of one's own house. These nobles were desperately trying to figure out which way to turn and who to bet on, their very survival at stake.
This story takes place as those frantic days were beginning to subside, and the noble district was gradually reclaiming its inherent quietude.
On this particular night, four magic users had gathered in the study of the head of the house at the main Arcalai estate in the capital. Ester, Levi, Sarah, and Maria—the undisputed core members of the Arcalai family. After ensuring everyone was seated on the sofas, Ester, who occupied the seat of honor, was the first to speak.
"Thank you all for coming, busy as you are. Let's get right to it and hear Levi's report."
"Of course, Mother."
Levi cleared his throat lightly before looking around at the others and beginning his explanation.
"The Marquis Katzir House has formally announced the 'death by illness' of Oz Adoni Katzir. The funeral will be held in one month's time in the Katzir territory. With this, the turmoil among the Noble Faction aristocrats has completely subsided, and the social world has returned to much the same state as before."
"So Katzir decided to avoid an all-out confrontation with us."
"That is most likely the case. Representatives from the Marquis Shamir and Marquis Getzel houses rushed to their domains immediately after Oz's death, but they are reportedly on their way back to the capital now. There were movements within both houses to gather military forces back home, but we have received reports that those have also been disbanded. The Marquis Yezekel House was the only one that made no move, but..."
"Isn't that old man in charge of their capital residence? You know, the previous head's younger brother. His resolve is just on a different level from the younger generation."
"You mean Elder Zamir, who served as general during the war thirty years ago. I heard you and he were at each other's throats, Mother."
"That's not true. I just said the current marquises' soldiers were useless, and he had no choice but to defend them. Personally, we hold no ill will toward each other."
Ester's words were met with awkward expressions from everyone in the room. It was painfully obvious that they were all thinking, Is that really true?
"In any case, it seems we can avoid a touch-and-go situation, then?"
Levi answered Sarah's question, crossing his arms.
"The unease among the Four Marquis Houses spread to the other nobles in their faction, causing quite a stir for a time... But just as Saki suggested, we subtly let it be known that we had no intention of going after the marquis houses themselves or the nobles under them. That helped to quell much of the chaos. It was quite a challenge to spread the rumors without it seeming unnatural, though."
"It seems Marquis Katzir himself does not wish for this to escalate any further. Can we consider this incident concluded?"
"For now, at least," Ester cut in coldly as Sarah touched a hand to her cheek.
"But, Aunt Ester! They were the ones who came after Saki first, weren't they? We just retaliated. For them to still be planning something... isn't that just holding a grudge for no reason?" Maria said, her voice filled with exasperation.
Ester gave a wry smile at her opinion, then took out her favorite long pipe from her pocket and began packing it with tobacco.
"Grudges and resentment aren't about logic. People may forget what they've done, but they never forget what's been done to them. And the feelings of a parent who has lost a child are not so easily dismissed."
Exhaling a puff of purple smoke, Ester spoke in a low, muffled voice. Her gaze was fixed on her hands, her thoughts seemingly wandering to a time and place far from the here and now. Seeing her like this, Sarah and Maria, both mothers themselves, seemed to feel a pang of understanding. The two of them fell into deep thought, their faces serious.
"Well, even if the Katzir family is plotting something, they won't make a move until after Oz's funeral. We will, of course, pay even closer attention to the movements of the Four Marquis Houses than before, but I believe we can lower our guard to some extent. Now, may I move on to the next report?"
Levi spoke in a deliberately cheerful tone, as if to dispel the somewhat somber mood that had settled over the room. After scanning everyone's faces and seeing no objections, he continued.
"Regarding Elder Mordecai, who was involved in this incident, he has formally severed his ties with the Marquis Katzir House. Furthermore, he has made an inquiry about having his entire group, including his disciples, join our faction."
"What? That old geezer? What's gotten into him?"
"His disciple had his wife and child taken hostage and was nearly framed as the assassin. I suppose it's only natural his patience with Katzir would run out."
"I get that part. The problem is what comes after. Why now, of all times, would he say he wants to join our school? That old man is the very definition of independent and untamable, with a massive ego who's always seen us as his rival."
"According to Professor Azadh, the elder himself stated that he feels deeply indebted to our house for our help in this affair and wishes to repay that kindness, but..."
Ester let out an exaggerated sigh.
"There's no way that malicious old man is thinking something so noble. I haven't forgotten the time he called me a 'rude little girl' when I ascended to the Fourth Tier. How dare he show his face before me and bow his head?"
At that moment, the three others—Levi, Sarah, and Maria—were united in a single thought. Indeed, it seemed people truly did forget what they had done but never what had been done to them. The old magic user had likely said such a thing to Ester long ago. But there was no way Ester hadn't done something to provoke him first...
"He must genuinely feel a debt of gratitude for us having saved his disciple, Melek. But his true intention is likely to learn our secrets by joining the faction."
Amidst the awkward atmosphere, Levi steered the conversation back on track.
"Our secrets. You mean the knowledge Saki taught us?"
"Correct. The Triple Circle Method, the Mana Forging Method, and Spell Gesture Omission... I believe the magic users of other factions have yet to grasp any concrete information about these. However, seeing Mother reach the Seventh Tier, and witnessing the remarkable growth of Saki and Ruria, there is no doubt they suspect our family has 'something.'"
"For a time, magic users from all over the kingdom were trying to visit the academy to meet with Saki and Ruria. We've also been inundated with requests from nobles we associate with, asking to introduce us to magic users they favor. Some of the latter are probably just trying to cozy up to us, of course."
"If Elder Mordecai and his group were to join our side, things could get ugly. Wouldn't all the powerful, unaffiliated magic users scramble to join our faction?"
It was already said that Ester and those connected to her line of disciples made up more than half of all magic users in the kingdom. If word got out that one of the rare Fourth Tier magic users had switched allegiances to the Arcalai faction, bringing his disciples with him, then even the magic users who had maintained a facade of neutrality would likely come rushing over in an avalanche.
"Seek shelter under a large tree" was a proverb from Saki's past life, and a similar saying existed in this country. But the Arcalai faction was a "great tree" whose crown reached the Seventh Tier and whose branches covered half the kingdom. If any more people tried to gather under it, wouldn't the sheer weight cause the trunk to topple? Maria's words expressed this vague anxiety.
"I don't mind about Mordecai. That geezer's time is coming soon anyway, and none of his disciples are skilled enough to lead. He's probably thinking it's safer to leave them with us. In exchange, Levi, you make sure he properly bows his head to you in public. I'm not meeting him."
The three listened to Ester's words with conflicted expressions. It seemed she was genuinely holding a grudge.
"As for the others, if they want to join us, you can let them. Let's see... how about we divide them into three households? My direct lineage, those with deep ties to our family, and the newcomers who've just joined. We'll make that old man start from the very bottom and work his way up."
Ester took a long, satisfying drag from her pipe and grinned as if she'd just had a brilliant idea. The three listening to her sighed inwardly, thinking, She's still going on about that.
But there was logic to Ester's proposal. In essence, she was suggesting they create a hierarchy to control their ever-expanding faction. Had Saki heard this, he might have described it as "inner circle, hereditary vassals, and outsiders." Or perhaps "First Order, Second Order, and Third Order."
"That may be a good idea. For the time being, we can limit the Triple Circle Method and Mana Forging Method to the direct line—those who fall into the first category. Once those of us in that group, ourselves included, have become proficient enough to instruct others, it would be safest to then teach the second category and beyond. However..."
Levi paused, then continued with some difficulty.
"Actually, Saki has reported after the fact that he taught the Triple Circle Method to his classmate at the academy, Lady Elisha of the Marquis Shamir House. And this is after I told him, again and again, to consult us before doing anything..."
"Shamir's daughter, eh? I hear she's not just close with Saki and Ruria, but also with the Lamed boy and Begin's eldest son, right?"
"Yes, I'm told the five of them are always together at the academy. Of course, the whole reason this came about was that Saki attempted Spell Gesture Omission in front of people and was seen. Saki's intention was likely to drive a wedge into the Four Marquis Houses by winning Lady Elisha over. I understand that, but I wish he had said something to us first."
The frown on Levi's face wouldn't go away.
"He's already been seen using Spell Gesture Omission, so I don't see what the big deal is now."
"The gesture omission itself is fine. Even if they see it, they can't copy it. But when you add the Triple Circle Method into the mix, the chances of them succeeding at gesture omission increase. You want to avoid gesture omission becoming widespread at this stage, don't you?" Levi replied to Ester's carefree comment with a sigh.
But the words that came next from Ester's lips were enough to stun the other three.
"You know, the Triple Circle Method, the Mana Forging Method, and even Spell Gesture Omission will all be made public eventually. It's a certainty once Saki's generation takes over. Even now, he's apparently lobbying the professors to have the Triple Circle Method taught at the academy."
"Whaaaat?!"
Levi, Sarah, and Maria cried out in shocked, perfect unison. What Ester had just said was so far removed from the common sense of magic users.
A brief silence filled Levi's study. After several long seconds, Sarah shook her head and spoke.
"Mother-in-law... Saki... why would he do such a thing?"
"I don't know either. But from a certain point on, Saki has always been working to spread the knowledge he possesses far and wide. We've tried to stop him until now, but he'll be the one managing our faction someday. This tide can't be stopped."
"Aunt Ester, what good could possibly come of that? It feels like it would only be a detriment to our faction."
"I'd like to tell you to ask Saki himself. But I think... I have a feeling the boy is thinking about what comes after every magic user in the country can use mana forging and gesture omission. As for why he's doing it, I have no idea."
"It's true that even if people start practicing the Triple Circle Method and Mana Forging Method now, I don't think everyone will be able to easily ascend to the Fifth or Sixth Tier. As long as Mother is with us, the gap between our faction and other magic users may narrow, but our advantage will likely not be threatened..."
Just then, Ester tapped the ash from her pipe and, while packing it with fresh tobacco, muttered something incredible.
"Let me tell you something. The magical secrets we're struggling with now are just the basics of basics in Saki's repository of knowledge. That boy is hiding terrifying secrets that make all of this seem like nothing. I've seen it."
This time, there were no shouts. As the three sat in stunned silence, Ester quietly lit her pipe with a tinderbox, took a drag, and exhaled. Even after the smoke had vanished toward the study ceiling, no one dared to speak.
The knowledge Saki had revealed over the past year had overturned the fundamentals of magical common sense. Increasing one's mana through training, exercises to strengthen one's powers of imagination, a technique to dramatically speed up spell incantations. Any one of these was a secret art worthy of being passed down through a family for generations. And now Ester was saying that Saki knew secrets that made those pale in comparison—and that she had witnessed one firsthand.
"...Mother, what in the world..."
"It was when the children came to my home village. I've kept quiet about it until now, but at that time, Saki completely deciphered the contents of our family's secret scroll. And using the knowledge from that scroll, he performed an incredible secret art."
"Wait, hold on, Aunt Ester! I was in the village then too, but I didn't notice anything like that at all!"
"You were completely slacking off on your homecoming and barely looked after the children, didn't you? Well, Saki did try it out in secret, alone, in the middle of the night after the feast to welcome him and Ruria. It was pure chance that I noticed. Saki himself probably doesn't know he was seen."
"Come to think of it, the reason we went back to the village was because Saki said he wanted to see that scroll. I'd completely forgotten about it, what with dealing with the bandits targeting the children and his sudden enrollment in the academy. So... he deciphered that..." Levi said, closing his eyes and crossing his arms. In his mind, he was reliving the memories of his younger self struggling to decode that very scroll.
"I'm sorry for keeping it from you, but you can understand why I couldn't say anything, can't you? I can't go into details yet. But the reason I'm bringing this up now is to say that Saki has a trump card so powerful that spreading things like mana forging and gesture omission is a non-issue. He probably has many more besides the knowledge from the scroll. So you can rest easy, Levi. The kind of catching up you're worried about isn't going to happen."
Even with her reassurance, the three of them felt anything but relieved. Knowledge that their mother, their master, the woman considered the strongest magic user in the world, would describe as "terrifying." Even if such a thing existed, was it not beyond their ability to handle? They were captivated by that thought.
"I'm curious about what was in the scroll and what Mother saw, but let's set that aside for now. As for what's next... excuse me for a moment."
Levi cut himself off mid-sentence, closing his eyes and pressing his fingers to his temple. It was a habit of his, a gesture he made when receiving a [Sending] from another magic user. With numerous subordinates engaged in intelligence activities, [Sendings] came in frequently, regardless of the time or situation. Levi, who prized information above all else, made it a priority to focus on any message he received.
This time, however, Levi's reaction was different. He had been concentrating on the [Sending], but soon the hand at his temple moved to cover his face, and finally, he bowed his head in silence. Seeing his unusual state, Ester called out to him.
"Levi, what is it? Did you get some bad news?"
Even when Ester spoke to him, Levi remained silent with his head down for a while. At last, without changing his posture, he forced out a strained voice.
"I just... received word from Professor Azadh at the academy... Saki has..."
"Saki?!"
Three distinct voices cried out at once, creating a pained harmony. What had happened this time—no, what had he done?
"He's apparently blown up one of the academy's spell experiment labs. Most likely, with magic."
A heavy, truly heavy quartet of sighs echoed through the Arcalai family study.
This is chapter forty-two. We take a turn from the academy to a story at the Arcalai manor in the royal capital. Next time, we will return to the academy.