"Pleased to meet you!"
This seemed to be the largest room in the wooden building. The Neville Baron welcomed us there. He looked every bit the noble.
'A proper noble bearing.'
A plump middle-aged man. In a world where food was scarce, being that fat meant he had wealth and power to spare.
"Thank you for your warm hospitality."
Master responded to the welcome with a simple bow. I quickly followed his lead.
"Please, have a seat."
The Neville Baron guided us to the table. The seat at the head of the table was his, and to his left were places set for Master and me. So to his right? A middle-aged woman I assumed was the Neville Baroness stood there with three boys who looked like the Baron's sons, all waiting by their chairs. They were staring at us with curious eyes, as if they'd never seen a mage before.
"Ho! So that's a golem? The village has been buzzing about it, but seeing it up close is even more impressive!"
The lord of the land welcoming us, the Neville Baron. He spotted the golem waiting by the door and widened his eyes in admiration. And he wasn't the only one. The Baroness, the Baron's sons, and even the soldiers and servants working there—all gawking at the golem in wonder. I hadn't done anything worthy of praise myself, but I still felt my chest swell a bit.
"Just a minor trick."
Master said it like it was nothing. But his confident demeanor made it clear he thought otherwise. He was probably indirectly boasting, 'I'm the kind of mage who travels with a fearsome golem like this as if it's no big deal!'
"Alright, let's sit!"
The Neville Baron, who'd been admiring the golem. He tore his gaze away and addressed everyone standing by the table. Then he took his seat at the head. As if on cue, his family and Master followed suit. Naturally, I hurried to my spot as well.
"This is the first time for me, my wife, and my sons to meet a mage. That's why we're all so excited—hope you don't take it the wrong way."
"It's an honor to bring some joy to the Baron, the Baroness, and the young lords."
Master replied with a faint smile. The hall's atmosphere warmed right up.
"Hahaha! Glad to hear it. I'll make sure to repay the favor with a grand feast."
With that, the Neville Baron raised his hand, and two servants entered carrying food, setting it on the table. But their movements were awkward. They were trembling as they placed the wooden plates of food. Clearly nervous.
'They probably just set it out casually for everyday meals.'
This seemed to be the servants' first time serving course by course like this. Hence the careful handling. Bringing out the dishes in order. Had to be the Neville Baron's orders.
'A noble going this far to impress commoners? Mages are the best!'
It was astonishing. Anyway, as we all beamed with delight, the long table gradually filled with dishes.
'Wow, nobles really are nobles.'
Salted meat, smoked meat, meat stew—the table was loaded with meat-heavy dishes. My heart raced at the sight. I'd lived here fifteen years, but I'd only tasted meat a handful of times. Seeing food that rare piled up like this brought a fresh wave of emotion.
'Gotta eat neatly. I'm a mage, after all.'
I wanted to grab a hunk and tear into it like a beast, but that was out of the question. So I watched how the others ate and carefully took my bites.
'Salty.'
The food was overall quite salty. They preserved ingredients with salt, so the flavor was strong. The meat had a gamey smell, and the texture wasn't great—disappointing. Still, meat was meat. I planned to eat as much as I could while I had the chance.
"Mage, might I have your name?"
That's when the Neville Baron, who was slicing meat with a large knife to share with family and guests, started the conversation.
"Digori."
"Digori. Digori! That name rings a bell."
The Neville Baron paused at Master's name, then let out an exclamation.
"Ah! Are you perhaps the Digori of the Live Burial?"
Live Burial? A terrifying nickname. Wonder how he got that. Right as the question crossed my mind. Master nodded.
"The rumor-mongers have called me that."
"Well! What an esteemed guest we have today! Even in this backwater, your reputation precedes you."
"That was over twenty years ago."
The Neville Baron knew Master. Or rather, my master was famous enough for a rural lord to recognize him? I knew he was skilled, but this level of renown? Shocking.
'Maybe I'll learn some stories about Master.'
I still knew little about him. So I listened intently, ears perked. Soon enough, I learned that twenty years ago, Master had made a huge contribution in a battle against northern barbarians. Raiding warriors had attacked a fortress. In that chaos, Master had churned up the earth, burying over a hundred barbarians alive. That's where the "Live Burial" moniker came from.
'Brutal.'
Master called himself a necromancer, but his earth magic prowess seemed just as formidable.
"Whoa..."
As expected, I wasn't the only one amazed. The Baroness and Baron's sons were glued to the conversation, faces full of shock. Watching them eased my tension a bit. They're just people like me.
Thanks to Master's old fame, the Neville Baron treated us warmly throughout. With ale flowing too, the laughter around the table grew louder as time passed. Then, his face flushed, the Baron said to Master,
"Digori! If it's not too much trouble, could you show us a few simple spells?"
The moment I heard that, I glanced at Master's face. Worried he'd be offended. Why? Master had taught me that asking a mage to perform magic was rude. For several reasons.
First, magic required mana as a cost. So naturally, mages hated wasting it on mere entertainment. What if you needed it for something real later? Second reason. Magic could produce unpredictable results, even for the caster. It's hard to control perfectly. Bad luck, and things could go south! Of course they'd hesitate.
'But the real reason's different.'
Why it's rude to ask a mage for a show. They hate being treated like clowns. Clowns were lowly in this world, so mages understandably bristled. No mage wanted themselves or their craft demeaned like that. It's similar. Asking a mage for magic is like telling a clown to perform tricks.
'But refusing here would sour the mood.'
Master was immensely proud of his abilities. High chance he'd turn it down. And if he did, this pleasant atmosphere could turn icy in an instant.
'The Neville Baron's a good guy. He just doesn't know it's rude to ask.'
Pure curiosity, no doubt. First time seeing a mage—how could he not be curious? I'd probably feel the same in his shoes. So I wanted to smooth things over gently. And repay the hospitality while I was at it. In that case...
'Guess I'll step up.'
Decision made, I acted.
"Baron! If you don't mind, allow me to provide some entertainment for you, the Baroness, and the young lords."
I'd stepped forward, but I was worried. He might see it as rude. Luckily, it was just my imagination.
"Excellent! I'll be looking forward to it!"
· · · No need for expectations, really. Thinking that, I stood from my seat. I briefly met Master's eyes. His face remained expressionless. But I sensed concern in his gaze. Or maybe I imagined it.
'Hmm, what to do?'
As I walked to the front of the table, I racked my brain. Checked my mana and available spells. Then sketched a simple story. A plain magic show would be dull; adding a short tale would make it fun.
'Alright, got it.'
I sorted my thoughts quickly. Stood before the Neville Baron. All eyes turned to me.
"With my humble magic, I'll demonstrate a simple principle of nature."
First, I raised my left hand. Showed him the back, then slowly raised my index, middle, and ring fingers in order. Activating Ignition as I did. Tiny flames, about the length of a finger joint, flickered to life above the tips in sequence.
[Ignition cost: 5 Mana each. Mana usage: 15. Remaining Mana: 20/35]
"Wow!"
Flames blooming in midair. The Baron and his family gasped in awe. But I had no time to bask. Had to calculate carefully.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
His disciple Heros, stepping forward confidently. Digori watched the self-proclaimed clown's performance with a displeased frown—until his eyes widened.
Whoosh.
Three flames at Heros's fingertips. Index, middle, ring—in that order, unmistakably three casts of Ignition. Consecutive spellcasting? Advanced technique.
'No gap between spells. Overload should've hit, but why's he fine?'
Mana wasn't a human force, hard even for mages to handle smoothly. Chaining spells often shocked body and mind—that was overload. Burn too much mana too fast, lose control, and suffer backlash. Yet Heros was unscathed.
Perfect mana control. A novice mage, not even a week in, mastering it? Unbelievable. And then, something even more unbelievable happened.
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