From the very next day, Mary's training began
.
As Roze had promised, he would teach her magic—and a few other useful skills along the way. That afternoon, they met near Seer Lake, a quiet place far from the village. Since Mary didn't want anyone to see her training, it was the perfect location.
"So, Mary," Roze began, "do you know how many ranks of magic there are in each class?"
"Um…" she hesitated. "What are ranks and classes?"
He sighed softly. "Alright, listen carefully."
"There are seven classes of magic:
Ignis (Fire), Ventus (Wind), Aqua (Water), Terra (Earth), Lux (Light), Vita (Heal), and lastly—Umbra (Shadow). Understood?"
"Yes, teacher!" she replied eagerly.
"Teacher?!" Roze blushed. "That's embarrassing… A-anyways," he continued
"Each class has its own subclasses. This part is very important, so pay attention." He smiled at her.
"Every class starts with Base Magic. For example, to use Ingnis Fumus—Smoke—you must first be atleast Internus rank at Ignis, the base fire magic. Similarly, each class has four subclasses."
"Understood?" he asked.
"Well…" she tilted her head. "Can you tell me the subclasses too, teacher and what is Internus by the way?"
"Hm." He chuckled. "Looks like you're curious to learn. Good."
"I've written all the classes and subclasses in this book. Catch!"
He tossed the notebook to her. Mary caught it, opened it, and began to read.
Magic Classes & Subclasses:
Ignis (Fire)-
• Ignis Fumus — Smoke
• Ignis Cinis — Ash
• Ignis Pruna — Ember
• Ignis Plasma — Plasma
Aqua (Water)
• Aqua Glacies — Ice
• Aqua Vapor — Steam
• Aqua Nebula — Mist
• Aqua Sanguis — Blood (rare)
Terra (Earth)
• Terra Arena — Sand
• Terra Metallum — Metal
• Terra Crystallum — Crystal
• Terra Herba — Grass/Wood
Umbra (Shadow)
• Umbra Tenebra — Darkness
• Umbra Timor — Fear
• Umbra Phantasma — Illusion
• Umbra Vacuus — Void (Forbidden)
Lux (Light)
• Lux Radians — Radiance
• Lux Reflectus — Reflection
• Lux Calor — Heat
• Lux Veritas — Truth
Vita (Life/Heal)
• Vita Regenera — Regeneration
• Vita Puritas — Purification
• Vita Vitalis — Vitality
• Vita Crescens — Growth
Ventus (Wind)
• Ventus Motus — Motion
• Ventus Pressura — Pressure
• Ventus Sonus — Sound
• Ventus Tempestus — Storm
"Whoa… teacher, this is amazing," Mary said, stunned by how neatly everything was written.
"Right?" Roze grinned proudly. "Each class also has ten ranks of mages. I've written those too. Flip the page."
She did as he said.
Ranks of Magic
• Novicius — Awakening
• Rudis — Uncultivated
• Internus — Intern
• Aprentis — Apprentice
• Adeptus — Adept
• Magistrum — Master
• Virtuos — Virtuoso
• Archon — Archmage
• Legatus — Legend
• Deificus — Divine
She stared at the page for a long moment.
"Do I really have to memorize all of this…?"
"Huh?" Roze frowned. "Of course you do! You can't grow strong without knowledge."
"And I recommend you write your own notes too—your experiences, strengths, weaknesses, adaptability. All of it matters if you want to improve."
"…Okay, teacher," she said gloomily.
"Anyway," he clapped his hands, "let's start with the basics."
"Okay!"
"Since we're near the lake, we'll start with Aqua magic. That way, you won't need to pull water from the atmosphere."
"Huh?"
"Oh, right—the logic." He cleared his throat.
"When using Aqua magic, water vapor in the surroundings is attracted to your palm and condensed into a single form. The more mana you have, the larger your range and strength become."
"There are countless combinations when mixing magic classes, so it's safe to say there are—"
"Infinite possibilities!" Mary finished excitedly.
"Correct." He smiled. "Now concentrate your mana into your palm and imagine water gathering there. Remember—magic is imagination and control. Without both, even the simplest spell is impossible."
"OKAY!" she shouted, focusing hard.
Mana flowed through her body as usual—but it didn't move.
She kept concentrating.
Nothing.
Eventually, she stopped, exhausted.
"Roze! It's not working!"
"Did you focus the mana into your palm?"
"Yes!"
"And did you imagine the water vapor being drawn in?"
"…No. It was too hard to do both."
"That's why," he sighed. "Try again—both at once."
"OKAY!!"
This time, her mana gathered at her heart before slowly shifting into her palm. At the same time, she imagined moisture in the air being pulled toward her hand.
Mana and imagination collided.
A small water ball formed—about the size of a tennis ball.
"Ouch!" Pain shot through her body, and her palm felt unbearably heavy.
"My whole body hurts! What's happening?!"
"Oh—sorry. I forgot to mention that."
"When mana is concentrated in one spot, the rest of the body weakens. The concentrated area feels heavy."
"Then why don't you feel pain?" she asked.
"Because I leave some mana flowing normally. The more mana you concentrate, the stronger the spell—but also the greater the strain."
"Then why was my water ball so small?" she asked.
He paused.
"…Because you don't have much mana yet."
"Oh…"
"Remember—mana quantity determines range and strength. Understood?"
"Yes, sir…" she sighed, completely drained.
"Practice at home," Roze said. "Water is easy to access. You can try Ventus magic too, but I don't recommend it—it's dangerous."
"I'll remember that."
As they finished, the sun dipped below the horizon. Orange light shimmered across Seer Lake, making the surface glow beautifully.
Mary looked at the water.
"My training has only just begun," she thought.
"I have to grow stronger—to solve my problems myself, without relying on anyone else."
A small, determined smile spread across her face.
As the sky darkened and night slowly settled in, the two of them began their walk home—unaware of how much that resolve would soon be tested.
A month had passed since their training had begun, and Mary was still full of energy, driven by her desire to grow stronger.
Since the Wranger Cave Incident, the bite mark left by the Glow Bat on Roze's neck had completely vanished. Yet, despite the lack of any visible wound, something still felt wrong inside him. He never spoke of it—because he knew no one would believe him.
Dr. Hertz had assured him that the bacteria from the bite would die under exposure to sunlight. But Roze never felt cured. That very night, he was struck with a dangerously high fever, forcing Dr. Hertz to visit again. After a brief examination, the doctor dismissed it as an ordinary fever and treated him with a minor healing spell.
The next day, Roze began seeing things—shadows that weren't there, movements at the edge of his vision. Still, he said nothing.
The hallucinations continued for days… then weeks.
And finally, a month before Mary's training officially began, they stopped.
Roze convinced himself that he was fine.
That he was cured.
But—
"Roze! Roze! Are you okay?!"
Mary's panicked voice rang out as he collapsed to the ground.
"I… am… okay. I think," he replied weakly.
"You suddenly collapsed! I was so scared!" she cried. "It just hit me—you're training me every day, using magic constantly, and you still have to take care of your brother at home! This is because of me, isn't it?! I think I've trained enough! Let's go home and rest—I can learn on my own—"
Tears streamed down her face.
"No—it's not because of you," Roze said quickly. "It's actually-"
But he stopped himself.
"If I tell her it's because of the bat," he thought, "she'll blame herself. I went into that cave because of her. I can't do that to her—not now, not after she's gained so much confidence."
"Actually… it's nothing," he said instead. "I use a lot of magic at home too, and I don't even demonstrate everything during your training. My mana must've just dropped a little. So it's not because of you, okay?"
She looked at him quietly.
"You're bad at lying," Mary said softly.
"Crap… she saw right through me," he thought.
"It's okay," she continued. "If you don't want to tell me, I won't force you."
She wiped her tears, steadied herself, and returned to her training—pretending everything was fine.
Roze watched her in silence.
And deep inside, whatever had been left behind by that Glow Bat… stirred once more.
Another two months passed after their discussion about Roze's health.
The hallucinations had returned.
This time, however, they were weaker—fainter than before. Roze could now tell which images were real and which were not. Still, he pretended everything was perfectly fine, hiding his condition behind a calm expression.
Despite it all, the training never stopped.
Mary continued to improve at a steady pace, and before long, she was able to perform Internus-Class Aqua magic reliably. Even so, her curiosity remained as strong as ever.
"Roze… um," she began hesitantly. "Can you teach me magic above the Internus Class?"
"No, Mary. Unfortunately, I can't."
"Why?"
"Because I haven't learned anything above it myself."
She paused, then sighed. "Oh. I was expecting a more serious reason. Anyway, I'm bored with Aqua. Let's try Ventus this time, shouldn't we it's also present every-"
"No—absolutely not!"
Roze's sudden shout startled her.
"I regret not telling you earlier," he continued, lowering his voice. "I didn't know much about it myself back then, but Ventus is extremely dangerous magic. It's an efficient killer. It can remove oxygen, compress air, and do far worse. If mishandled, it can be lethal."
Mary's eyes widened.
"Thank God I didn't try it earlier…"
"I'm sorry," Roze said. "It's my fault for not warning you from the start."
"It's okay," she replied with a small smile. "Nothing bad happened, after all."
"Yeah," he said quietly and they continued with their training.
Six months had passed since Roze began training Mary.
Her progress was remarkable. Not only had her control improved, but her mana reserves had grown significantly as well. She had already advanced to Rudis-Class Terra magic, and more recently, she had awakened as a Novicius in Vita magic.
Roze couldn't help but feel proud.
Her ability to understand magic, adapt to it, and apply what she learned so quickly was impressive—far beyond what he had expected when they first began. Watching her grow stronger with each passing day filled him with quiet satisfaction.
For the first time in a long while, Roze allowed himself to believe that at least one thing was going right.
"Roze…" she called out softly.
"Yes?" he replied, turning toward her.
"You know… um…" she hesitated, her fingers tightening at her side.
"Hm?"
"I just wanted to talk about how you…"
She swallowed.
"What?" he asked.
"…how you lost consciousness and collapsed that day."
Roze fell silent the moment she brought up the topic.
"What about it?" he asked after a pause.
"You should tell me," she said gently. "It might make you feel a little better if you confide in me."
"It's nothing," he replied quickly. "You don't have to worry about me."
Mary said nothing for a moment.
Then—
"Please, Roze…" Her voice trembled. "I just want to help you, if I can. Up until now, you've saved me so many times. I always feel guilty when I think about it but-"
Tears slipped from her eyes as she lowered her gaze, her words barely above a whisper.
"…but it's because of me, isn't it?"
Roze's breath caught.
"I noticed that something was wrong with you ever since the day you saved me," she continued. Her voice trembled. "It's—" she paused, gathering her courage.
"It's because of the bat that bit you… isn't it?"
Roze didn't know what to say.
No words came to him. He was afraid to speak at all.
He lowered his gaze to the ground, guilt weighing heavily on his chest—for hiding the truth not only from her, but from his family as well.
"…You're not denying it," Mary said quietly.
She stared at him for a moment, her expression trembling between hurt and understanding.
"That means my hunch was right."
She took a small breath.
"I understand that you didn't want to upset me," she continued softly, "but you should have trusted me at least a little… and talked to me about it."
"I'm sorry," he finally said in a quiet voice. "I'll explain everything to you."
Half an hour later, he had finished telling her everything he could.
Mary sat in silence, deep in thought, her mind fixed on the subject of the extinct Glow Bats. Roze deliberately left some things unsaid. He didn't mention his past world, nor Albert, nor Wrathor—it would have been far too much for her to comprehend. Instead, he only told her about the bats and the diagnosis Dr. Hertz had given him.
"So…" she said slowly, breaking the silence. "You were bitten by Glow Bats—creatures believed to be extinct."
She looked thoughtful.
"I can't really say much since I don't know much about them," she continued, then smiled gently. "But… thank you, Roze. For always rescuing me. And for trusting me enough to tell me your secret."
Her smile softened.
"I'm really happy you decided to confide in me."
She paused, then added, "Anyway… is there something you want to ask me about what I saw inside the cave clearing?"
"Yes," Roze replied immediately. "There definitely is."
"Alright then," she said. "Ask."
"First—do you know the meaning of those symbols carved into the cave walls?"
"Absolutely not," she replied without hesitation. "I have no idea."
"I see." He nodded. "Second—didn't you encounter the bats before reaching the fork in the road?"
"No," she said, shaking her head. "I didn't encounter any bats at all before I reached the clearing. In fact… I didn't even know there was a fork in the road. To me, it looked like a straight path the entire way."
Roze froze.
"What…?" he muttered. "That's strange. I'm sure I definitely came across a fork in the road."
The air between them grew heavy.
Something about the cave didn't add up—and whatever it was, it clearly hadn't finished with Roze yet.
"I'll go and check it out tomorrow," he whispered to himself.
"What?" Mary asked.
"I'll go and investigate the cave tomorrow," Roze said aloud. "Maybe I'll find a clue about whatever is happening to me."
"I'll go with you," she said immediately.
"What? No." He shook his head. "It might be dangerous. Remember how we barely escaped last time? I won't be able to protect you."
She hesitated for a moment, then spoke.
"Back then… when you were trying so hard to save me, I could only watch from the side." Her voice wavered. "I still feel sad about that. But this time—"
She lifted her head, determination burning in her eyes.
"This time will be different. Now I can help you. I'm coming with you, no matter what you say."
Roze studied her quietly.
"This girl…" he thought.
After a moment, he sighed.
"Alright," he said. "You win. Meet me at 2 p.m. near the cave entrance. And come prepared—because it will be dangerous."
"Understood," she replied with a relieved smile. "And… thank you, Roze."
As they parted ways, neither of them noticed the faint chill in the air—
as if the cave itself had already heard their decision.
The next day, they met as promised in front of the cave entrance.
Before stepping inside, they took a moment to make a simple plan—just in case something went wrong.
"Alright," Roze said, taking a breath. "Here's the plan."
Mary nodded attentively.
"First, our main priority is to reach the door at the end of the cave. Second, we avoid combat with the bats as much as possible."
He paused.
"And third…" His expression hardened. "If I tell you to run away, you listen to me and you run. Understood?"
"But, Roze—" she started, clearly unwilling to accept that condition.
"There will be nothing I can do if we get overwhelmed," he said firmly. "If that happens, you have to run as fast as you can and inform the adults. I'll try my best to make sure it never comes to that—but just in case, you need to be prepared. Okay?"
She hesitated, then nodded.
"Yes… okay."
"Good," he said. "Let's go."
Together, they stepped forward and entered the cold and dark cave.
He walked along the same path as before, but this time, not a single bat appeared.
The silence felt wrong.
Roze noticed it immediately. Last time, he had encountered the bats a little later after he entered the cave. Now, there was nothing—only the sound of their footsteps and their breathing.
Strange… he thought.
Still, he was grateful. Handling even one swarm right now would have been impossible.
Before long, they reached the clearing inside the cave. The strange, open space felt just as unnatural as he remembered. They sat down on the cold ground for a moment to discuss their next move.
"Okay," Roze said quietly. "Last time, we got teleported the moment we reached the door and touched the doorknob. I don't know what will happen if we touch it again, but there's a high chance we'll get thrown out of the cave just like before."
"So what should we do after we reach the door?" Mary asked.
"I'm not sure," he admitted. "Maybe we try opening it with magic instead."
He frowned slightly.
"And remember—the bats were chasing us when we reached the door last time. There's a good chance they're still there."
Mary nodded. "Okay. So what do we do if we encounter them?"
"We'll use a distraction," Roze said. "The moment we see the bats, I'll cast Fumus and create a thick layer of smoke. While they're confused, we'll break the door if necessary and get inside."
"Understood," she said firmly. "But what will I do?"
"You attack the bats if any of them get close to us during the confusion."
"Okay!" she replied without hesitation.
With the plan settled, they stood up.
Side by side, they headed toward the middle passage once again—
this time moving slowly, carefully, every step taken as if the cave itself might react to their presence.
Roze's glowing orb of fire floated silently in the air, serving as their only source of light and warmth as it guided them through the long, suffocating tunnels of the cavern. Shadows twisted along the walls with every flicker of the flame, making the cave feel alive—watching them.
Soon, they reached the curved section of the passage they had been searching for.
Roze slowed his steps immediately and raised a hand, signaling Mary to be careful. Both of them moved with far more caution than before, their footsteps light and controlled. As they followed the curve, Roze's heart sank.
There was no door at the end of the passage.
They pressed themselves closer to the stone walls, barely breathing. That was when they heard it—the faint but unmistakable sound of wings fluttering from the other side of the passage.
Glow bats…
Roze nodded silently at Mary and extinguished his fire orb. Darkness swallowed them for a split second before the cave lit up again—this time, by the eerie bioluminescent glow of countless glow bats hovering ahead.
At the very end of the passageway, partially hidden behind the swarm, stood the door.
The bats were directly in their path.
Roze swallowed hard. If they made even the slightest mistake, hundreds—no, tens of thousands—of bats would descend upon them. There would be no escape. No survival.
Yet, they had no choice.
Now was the moment his plan had to work.
"Mary," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the faint fluttering. "Position yourself behind me. As soon as I release the smoke, we run straight for the door. No stopping. Okay?"
"O-Okay," she whispered back.
Roze took a deep breath, steadying himself.
"Shall we, then…?" he murmured to himself.
"Fumus Velum!"
He thrust his hands forward, and an enormous cloud of thick, dark smoke burst forth, rapidly spreading across the passage. The heat from the spell burned his palms, pain searing into his skin—but he ignored it.
As soon as the smoke settled, they ran.
The door was close—only a few meters away—but even that distance felt endless. They pushed through the smoke, hearts pounding, senses screaming at them to run faster.
Then—
Roze collapsed.
His body hit the cold, rocky cave floor with a dull thud.
He wasn't unconscious. His mind was clear. Too clear.
But his limbs refused to move.
Not even an inch.
"Roze—?!" Mary's face twisted in terror, but she didn't hesitate. She grabbed him by the shoulder, struggling to lift him, and began dragging him toward the door with everything she had.
Just then, a violent gust erupted from the bats' wings, partially tearing apart the smokescreen.
Roze felt his chest tighten.
No…
"Mary!" he shouted weakly. "Run! You won't make it if you carry me! The bats can clear the smoke any second now—run, Mary! Leave me!"
Tears streamed down her face, but she didn't stop.
"Mary, please!" he begged. "Remember… the third rule?"
She froze mid-step.
"…Yes," she said quietly—yet she still refused to let go.
"Please," he continued, his voice breaking. "If you keep carrying me, neither of us will learn the truth. But if you go… at least one of us will. For our sake, Mary—at least one of us has to know."
Tears rolled down his face as well.
"I hate you, Roze!" she cried.
Slowly—painfully—she lowered him to the ground.
Then she turned and ran.
"Yeah… whatever," he muttered, forcing a weak smile as he lay there, staring at the cave ceiling.
He felt utterly miserable—pathetic for letting it come to this.
By now, the smoke had completely dispersed.
The bats swarmed toward Mary as she reached the door, completely ignoring Roze's motionless body below. Gathering what little strength he had left, Roze formed a fireball and hurled it toward the swarm.
The bats screeched, their attention instantly diverted.
Meanwhile, Mary stood before the door, her hands shaking.
How do I open it?
What if it teleports me again? What if it doesn't?
If she waited too long, the bats would reach her. But touching the doorknob could be just as risky.
Her thoughts spiraled.
Then she heard it—the bats drawing closer.
Heart pounding, she took a deep breath.
And opened the door.
In an instant, she was pulled inside but the door closed all of a sudden as soon as she got inside.
She was safe—for now.
But as the door closed behind her, tears streamed down her face as she heard Roze's screams echo from outside.
"Kid. You okay?"
"Wake up, idiot!"
Roze slowly opened his eyes, his head pounding violently. He groaned as pain surged through his skull.
He was lying on the ground.
Groggily, he pushed himself up and looked around.
He was no longer in the cave.
Instead, he stood inside a massive, castle-like structure. Towering pillars stretched toward a distant ceiling, and directly in front of him stood a grand throne.
He searched for the voice—but saw no one.
"That's weird…" he muttered. "Is this one of my hallucinations…?"
"This is no hallucination, kid," the voice replied.
Roze stiffened immediately.
"Who are you?" he demanded. "Show yourself!"
"Tch. Kids these days," the voice scoffed. "No respect for adults at all."
"What—?"
Before he could finish, a dark figure suddenly dropped from the ceiling, crashing onto the floor with a thunderous bang.
Roze froze, shock rooting him in place.
The figure slowly straightened and looked directly at him—then smiled.
Without another word, the mysterious being walked past Roze toward the throne.
That was when Roze noticed it.
There weren't one—but nine thrones.
The figure sat down on the throne just to the right of the central one.
And crossed his legs.
"Who are you?" Roze asked again, his voice firm despite the storm of thoughts raging inside him.
"Me?" the mysterious figure replied, placing a hand on his chest theatrically. "Before asking such questions, shouldn't you introduce yourself first? That's basic manners, isn't it… kid?"
Roze clenched his fists.
"You're right," he said, then shook his head. "But I'm confused right now. Just a moment ago, I was in the cave—with Mary—"
His words stopped abruptly.
Reality hit him all at once.
Mary wasn't here.
She was still inside the cave. Inside that mysterious room beyond the door. Alone.
"Mary!" Roze shouted, panic flooding his voice. "Mary! Where am I?! Where is she?! Is she safe?!"
"Calm yourself, young man," the figure said casually. "She is safe—for now. You don't need to worry about her."
"For now…?" Roze repeated, his teeth grinding. "What do you mean by that?!"
"That," the figure replied smoothly, "is something you don't need to know just yet. But weren't you curious about my name?"
Roze didn't answer.
He simply stared at the man with hostility burning in his eyes.
"…Very well," the figure said after a pause.
"I am Count Rozero the First."
"…Count… Rozero?" Roze repeated slowly.
"Yes," the Count said with a faint grin. "Surprised, little Roze? he asked, "I am from the same book your father once read"
Roze's eyes narrowed.
"How… do you know that?"
"That," Rozero replied, "you will learn soon enough. But tell me—people don't always call you Roze, do they?"
The air suddenly felt heavy.
"They once called you something else…"
He leaned back against the throne.
"Takeshi Sato."
Time stopped.
Roze's expression went completely blank.
That name—
the name from his previous world—
a name he had buried, abandoned, and never expected to hear again.
His lips trembled.
"Who…"
"…are… you…?" he stuttered, his voice barely holding together.
Count Rozero chuckled.
"For now," he said, rising slightly from his throne, "I'll take care of you."
His laughter echoed through the vast hall—
—and in an instant, the entire castle illuminated with an ominous light.
Roze stood frozen, his past and present colliding in a place that should not exist.
Far away, behind a sealed door in a forgotten cave, a girl cried out his name.
This was the end of ignorance…
and the beginning of truths that could no longer remain hidden.