Chapter 2: Derek (2)
***
Ebelstein was a city of a thousand faces.
It was one of the things the romanticists in the taverns would spout when they were thoroughly drunk.
However, one could not simply dismiss it as the nonsensical ramblings of a drunkard. In reality, a city of this scale, accommodating a population of well over one hundred thousand, was hard to find even if one searched the entire continent.
If one spent all their time stewing and fretting only in the ash-gray slums, it was inevitable that this city would feel like one giant prison.
But if one took a step out and strolled through the city, they would come to think that indeed, the words of the drunks in the taverns were not entirely baseless.
Derek left the slums, passed through the commercial district, and walked along the coastal area where the docks were packed tightly together.
As he stood there quietly observing the coast, he could feel a vitality completely different from the back alleys where the poor quietly sank, pervading the city.
The sound of laborers shouting. The sound of boats creaking and swaying with the crashing waves.
Slipping out from among the laborers who were carrying crates filled with things like fish and shellfish from the early dawn, he continued to climb and climb the stairs leading to the city's core.
And if one walked in the direction of the magnificent castle walls, turning into the alleys several times, the tavern street where mercenaries gathered would finally reveal itself.
In that alley, damp even in the early morning, coarse mercenaries who were ready to kill a person for a few silver coins were coming and going along the street.
It was a grim scene, lined with menacing blades. It was a place where good-hearted citizens would not even think of coming near.
Even in this great metropolis where civilization had properly taken root, the wild still had its place.
<><><>
Derek's second master was a widow named Katia Flameheart.
She was the former lady of the viscount House of Flameheart, which had now fallen into ruin after being caught for insubordination against the Empire. Now, she was a middle-aged woman with wrinkles forming here and there on her forehead and streaks of white hair beginning to show.
Women who became fallen nobles were often unable to overcome the gap in their standard of living and would usually meet an unfortunate end. The final fate of a woman whose appearance was beautiful but whose status had become lowly was generally much the same.
Nevertheless, resourceful women became teachers who taught commoners how to write, or learned to do business, or, if they were lucky, entered a reputable noble house as a governess.
After all, since they were individuals who had lived the life of a noble lady, there was no better talent for teaching young ladies.
However, Katia was a far more peculiar case than even those "well-off" noblewomen. She did not pick up a pen, nor did she bow her head to other noble houses.
A 3-Star mage, she had voluntarily chosen to roam the mercenary world, beating down magical beasts and making a living from commission fees.
Instead of the hem of a dress, she wore a shabby cloak, and instead of a quill pen, she wore a dagger at her waist, living her life roaming the mercenary scene of the tavern street. As if to belie her small frame, she adapted well to the brutal mercenary world.
For a woman of noble birth, she lived quite a raw life.
"You know how to use magic."
It was by chance that she met Derek, who was sitting in a corner of the tavern, chewing on a piece of low-quality oat bread. It was when about four years had passed since Derek had entered the mercenary world and started to rough it.
Shaggy, dust-covered white hair, and through it, blood-red eyes that were chilling to the bone looked up at Katia. The faint trace of mana lingering in those eyes was on a different level from that of the nobles.
Gazing at that sharp look unique to those from the streets, Katia slowly closed and opened her eyes a few times.
"...Excuse me? Me?"
"Yes."
Derek was staring quietly at Katia, who had suddenly spoken to him.
There were a few reasons why he had tumbled into the mercenary world.
The first was because he had to make a living. No matter how much of a bottom-feeder one was, this mercenary world was a place where one could receive some kind of request if they put their life on the line.
From catching rats in an old warehouse to killing weak magical beasts on the outskirts of the city. These were tasks that Derek, who had an understanding of 1-Star magic, could handle to some extent.
The second was because he had to meet people.
The old man who had passed on the basics of magic was now dead and gone. Although magic could be self-taught to a certain degree, it could not be as efficient as meeting a good master.
No matter how brutal the mercenary world was, individuals who knew how to use magic did appear from time to time. People with complicated stories who had to rely on accepting requests to make a living were everywhere.
He had a desire to perhaps learn some magic from someone who appeared like a fortunate encounter. However, the mages who were knocking about in the mercenary scene were rarely that altruistic.
The plan he had initially thought of, that he might meet a decent person if he rolled around for about a year, had somehow entered its fourth year.
The little boy of about ten had now begun to look a bit like a young man. But even so, in the eyes of the mercenaries who had gone through all sorts of hardships, he was just a greenhorn kid.
Sometimes he would get beaten up a bit by hooligan-like mercenaries, and at other times, he would beat them up a few times with his lacking magic skills, and as he drifted through the mercenary world, a tenacious side of him began to form.
"...How old are you now?"
As if she could foresee Derek's all-too-obvious past, Katia calmly let out a breath.
She, too, was a veteran who had rolled around in this world as much as one could. It was an environment where one couldn't help but become stingy about helping others. She had seen too many pitiful, miserable people, and for the most part, she lived by pretending not to see them and passing by. There was no one in this world without a story.
However, there was one major difference between Derek and the many people with stories in the mercenary world. It was his age.
Derek was young, far too young.
The image of her son, now dead and unable to be seen, running and playing in the mansion's courtyard, ignorant of the ways of the world, flickered before her eyes.
Their ages were similar, yet this boy was already trying to earn his own keep with his inadequate magic among these brutal mercenaries. It was a sight that was more poignant than praiseworthy.
She had thought it was a story of a time now past, but she was a mother, and she couldn't help it.
Even if she had lost her child, a mother was a mother until the day she died.
<><><>
"Magic is no different from other disciplines. Theory and practice are completely different things. You must always bear in mind the fact that you must hold both the depth of theory and the experience of real combat in high regard."
Whenever Katia ran into Derek at the tavern from time to time, she would look over his magic for him.
At first, Derek also tried to keep a bit of a distance, but in any case, he was in a position where he needed a master. He quickly began to absorb Katia's teachings, starting to acquire the proper magic theories he could not learn from the old man.
"You can only improve when you clearly know your own level."
Countless schools of magic existed, but among them, the most mainstream was the noble class's Scholastic school.
They divided the level of magic by star-ranks. Classified according to that standard, Katia was a mage who had reached 3-Star.
Even mages from renowned noble houses had to struggle a great deal to reach the 3-Star realm.
Occasionally, prodigies who entered 3-Star magic around the time of their coming-of-age ceremony would appear, but even that was something that might happen once every few years, if at all. Most could only reach 3-Star when wrinkles began to form on their faces.
If it was like that for nobles, it was an all but impossible feat for commoners to reach 3-Star. There was a reason why 3-Star mages and above were referred to as 'high-level mages'.
In short, it meant that it was difficult to find a master as good as Katia.
"In real combat, to what level have you used magic?"
"I haven't been able to use any magic that was all that amazing. Things like lighting a small fire in a dark place, or detecting the cardinal directions of east, west, south, and north..."
"Considering the 1-Star standard, it might not be a very strong level, but considering your age, it's an excellent level."
A corner of a tavern where drunks were shouting was not a good environment for a magic lesson.
However, both Katia and Derek were humans who were as accustomed as one could be to this kind of chaotic environment.
"However, with just an ordinary level, you can't even enter the threshold of 2-Star. You don't even need to completely master 2-Star magic; if you just learn some of the basics, you won't have much trouble making a living for the rest of your life... Try to aim for at least that much."
"I'll give it a try."
Katia, too, did not have any particularly grand intentions.
A lost maternal love and a grain of pity. She intended to just offer that much of a good deed and then leave.
It was impossible for a commoner child who was not born of a proper bloodline to completely master 2-Star magic.
Just showing him a taste of the entrance to 2-Star magic would become a great weapon for the boy in making a living in the future. It was just that much of a kindness.
And so, for a good while, Katia took Derek around with her, showing him various kinds of magic or helping him master them.
<><><>
The combination of a magical prodigy from the slums and a middle-aged fallen noble was not something often seen even in the mercenary world, so there were those who would occasionally show curiosity.
However, the relationship between Katia and Derek was not as special as one might think. When all was said and done, Katia too was a person who had rolled around in the mercenary world for a long time. She knew well the fact that excessive affection would cause unnecessary problems.
Derek was also in a position where he sympathized with Katia's values to some extent, so he did not think of unnecessarily troubling her mind.
"You may have mastered magic through practical experience, but you must also be familiar with the basic theories. Do you know that magic is fundamentally divided into five schools?"
"Combat, Transmutation, Illusion, Summoning, and Detection. Those five, right?"
"Yes. It seems the old man you spoke of established the basics for you. There are various star-rank magics for each school. If you become able to cast even a single 2-Star magic among them, you can proudly become a 2-Star mage."
The lesson continued even in the middle of the tavern where people were coming and going.
If one could cast even a single 2-Star magic, they could proudly call themselves a 2-Star mage. Naturally, even among 2-Star mages, there was bound to be a hierarchy depending on whether one could barely handle just one, or if one could handle a variety of 2-Star magics.
However, symbolism was important. The status of a person who could cast even a single 2-Star magic, even if it was by a hair's breadth, was completely different.
By noble standards, 2-Star mages were surprisingly common, but by commoner standards, it was a realm that could never be reached without considerable effort and talent.
"As a mage, you're bound to have a desire to rise. That's why the majority of people try to quickly learn high-grade magic in a field that suits their aptitude, rather than evenly learning various magics."
"In short, you mean that mages are divided by their specialty fields."
"You're a quick learner, Derek. It's more important than anything to quickly figure out what your aptitude is."
"...I want to learn them all."
Katia put down the mug filled with cold water and looked at Derek with tired eyes.
"Excessive greed will only delay your achievements further. Take my words to heart."
"...I understand."
Katia was a 3-Star mage of the Illusion school.
There were only a few 3-Star magics she knew how to handle, but when it came to 2-Star magic, she knew how to use it in various ways.
She couldn't raise Derek's level right away, but she could at least present the direction in which Derek should proceed.
"You may have been able to get a feel for it yourself with repeated practical experience up to 1-Star magic, but from 2-Star onwards, you need practice in continuously feeling and controlling the mana within your body."
"I had a rough idea. The utilization of mana is also a feeling of brandishing the energy within the body this way and that, right?"
"Yes. The fact that you have quite a bit of practical experience will work in your favor. Can you try to sense the flow of mana that I am letting out and manifest it similarly?"
Katia placed her hand on the wooden table and began to bend and grasp the mana this way and that.
Following Katia's lead just like that, Derek felt his own mana.
The amount of mana he was born with was considerable. He was certainly a talent too precious to rot away in the slums.
He had grasped the basics of 1-Star magic with just the teachings of the boastful old man, and he had also come to understand the manipulation of mana through just rule-of-thumb practical experience.
'If he had been born of noble blood... would this child's life have been completely different?'
She had seen far too many mages who were not even at the level of a mediocrity, parading around as mages relying solely on their bloodline.
Katia felt a complex mix of emotions as she looked at Derek's aptitude for magic, but it was nothing new at this point.
The era always took on an unreasonable form. Katia, who had lived long enough, knew this well enough. Becoming unnecessarily sentimental would only hinder her own survival.
It was while she was passing on various mana manipulations like that.
Fwoosh!
Derek made a refreshed expression as if he had realized something, and soon after, he released the mana that had been drawn to his body all at once.
In that instant, Katia's brow furrowed sharply.
Whoooosh! Fwoooosh!
KRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!
A tremendous explosion filled the tavern.
"Wha, what the...!"
"What's going on...!"
The mercenaries who had been unwinding here and there in the shabby tavern suddenly picked up their weapons and looked around.
A crashing sound as if a building had collapsed engulfed the inside of the tavern, and it was ringing and reverberating with a force that seemed to tear at the eardrums.
The mercenaries all assumed a combat stance at once, but no matter how much they looked around, there was nothing out of the ordinary.
Even looking out the window, the world was peaceful, and inside the tavern, there was no change before and after the explosion.
"What was that...? I definitely heard a huge noise...!"
"Hey! Barkeep! Lo, look around! There must be something!"
Katia looked down at Derek in the middle of that chaos.
Derek, too, was quietly looking up at Katia.
"Master. Just now, I..."
Grab!
Before Derek could say anything, Katia grabbed Derek's arm and quickly walked out of the tavern.
<><><>
Katia led Derek's arm as she was and turned into a secluded alleyway of the tavern street.
Her steps were so fast that Derek, with his short stride, had to follow her, half-running.
Gripping his arm so tightly that it would surely leave a mark, Katia walked and walked and walked far away from the tavern where the explosion had rung out.
She turned through the alleys several times and went deep into a back alley that was dark and filled with the smell of food waste.
Because of the strange atmosphere he felt as they walked for a long time like that, Derek could not bring himself to say anything. It was because this was the first time Katia had shown such a resolute appearance.
Only after arriving at a place quite a distance away did Katia quietly stop, turn toward Derek, and lower her posture.
"Derek."
Complexity was showing in Katia's expression. It was difficult to guess the reason why Katia was making such a serious face.
However, Derek could only look at Katia with a worried expression in turn.
Katia slowly closed and opened her eyes, organizing her thoughts.
In her youth, she was a noble lady, then she was the lady of the House of Flameheart, and now she was a wandering mercenary who had abandoned her status.
Even though she was a low-ranking noble, she had once been a part of high society. Because of that, Katia knew the nobles' way of thinking and their nature quite well. That was the reason her expression was stiff.
"..."
For commoners, magic was far more often a means of survival than a noble etiquette.
Among commoners, 1-Star mages appeared from time to time. And like a bean sprouting in a drought, a 2-Star mage would also appear. About one in tens of thousands would even emerge who reached 3-Star.
Most of them were middle-aged people who had lived their entire lives close to magic.
The length and density of life lived by a fourteen-year-old boy who was still wet behind the ears was completely different from theirs.
"Listen carefully, Derek. The magic you just used is an Illusion school magic called 'Auditory Hallucination'. It's a magic often used to spread a sound without substance over a certain area, to disturb and confuse enemies."
"I did imagine a similar image, more or less."
"Yes. And that is—a 2-Star magic of the Illusion school."
A commoner with excellent magical talent would earn the awe of even the nobles for their will and effort. However, there was an upper limit set to that level.
This was, after all, the age of the nobles.
Magic was a power akin to a privilege of the nobility, and a source of their pride in their bloodline.
They too had a reverse scale that must not be touched.
"..."
Innate power was regarded as a blessing, but this was an era where excessive extraordinariness that knew no bounds would sometimes act as a poison.
That was the reason Katia's expression had become serious after seeing Derek's magic.