Rozanna was trembling all over. Her face, which had been flushed with color just moments ago, had turned deathly pale in no time at all.
"Are you alright?"
The Master asked cautiously, and Rozanna shook her head vigorously before firing back at him.
"What is that kid's true nature?"
Rozanna's right index finger was pointed straight at me. My true nature? It was a loaded question. Whatever she'd seen in me, there was no doubt she'd realized I was different from the others. Had she figured out I wasn't from this world?
As I was worrying about that...
"That child's soul harbors a terrifying presence that no human could ever withstand!"
Rozanna shouted. Whew, at least it seemed she hadn't caught on that I was from another world. But something in my soul? That felt incredibly ominous.
'Hey, anyone in there?' I called out inwardly, wondering if whatever nameless entity might respond. Of course, there was no answer.
"Heros is Heros."
What could this terrifying presence Rozanna mentioned be? As I pondered that, the Master answered her question. Rozanna glared at him with sharp eyes.
"Don't joke around!"
"I'm not joking. Even if there's some entity in his soul, that doesn't change the fact that Heros is Heros."
The Master trusted me, not his old friend. Honestly, it was touching. But Rozanna seemed furious at his response. Suddenly, she raised both hands and started ruffling her hair wildly. With her hair now a mess, she spoke up.
"Heros's soul was black. I don't know what that means—it was a color I'd never seen before. And its depth... immeasurable. I tried going deeper to find the bottom and encountered that unknown entity."
The Master listened quietly to Rozanna's explanation. He nodded and gave a brief comment.
"I see."
"That's it? His apprentice's soul is abnormal!"
"Rozanna, you once said that the color of a soul reveals what field of magic a person has talent in."
"Yes. Over twenty years ago."
"And that someone talented in two fields would have a soul color mixed from two hues."
"Yeah."
"So, wouldn't a black soul be a very good thing? Mix all colors together, and you get black. Heros has talent in various fields of magic. Just from what he's learned so far—Water Magic, Plant Magic, Fire Magic, Lightning Magic, Necromancy—that's five. Oh, add Miscellaneous Magic, and it's six. If my guess is right, Heros should be able to master Grimoires of every type."
"No person could possibly do that!"
"Who knows? It hasn't happened before, but that doesn't mean it never will. We might be witnessing the first one."
"Fine, let's say that's true. But devouring Grimoires willy-nilly just because he has talent in all magics will turn him into a Spirit in no time. And if that happens, you'll have unleashed a monster no one can stop!"
Rozanna wasn't really warning against me becoming a Spirit—she just seemed eager to refute the Master. Maybe she was offended that he trusted his recent apprentice more than his longtime friend? That was my guess for now.
"Rozanna, don't oppose just for the sake of opposing. You said it yourself moments ago—Heros's soul is too deep to measure. A vessel that size won't show side effects until he's mastered at least a few hundred Grimoires."
"Tch!"
Rozanna bit her lower lip with her upper teeth at the Master's rebuttal. Then, with clear worry on her face, she asked,
"What about the unknown entity in Heros's soul? That's not something a human can handle. Just hearing its voice made me feel like my sense of self was vanishing! It has to be some transcendent being."
"We can ignore that entity. A mere mage can't do anything about a transcendent being anyway. If it's a problem no human can solve, no point borrowing trouble."
"Ha...!" Rozanna scoffed.
But soon, a subtle expression crossed her face. She seemed to realize the Master had a point.
"Rozanna, don't worry about things that haven't happened yet. If a problem arises, we can deal with it then."
The Master's comforting words. As always, his calm tone seemed to have a soothing power over the heart. Perhaps because of that, Rozanna spoke more composedly than before.
"You're right. I got too worked up. When I encountered the unknown, its overwhelming presence crushed me. I lost my composure."
Rozanna steadied her breathing. She turned to the Master and me.
"Let's rest for a bit."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
About an hour later, Rozanna treated us to dinner. Surprisingly, the spread she prepared was even more impressive than what we'd had at the Neville Baron's fortress. There weren't many dishes, but the flavors wafting from the food on the table far surpassed it.
Honey-glazed pork roasted with herbs. Smoked fish. Stew packed with various greens and mushrooms, and more. Not a single dish was lacking.
'Isn't this a bit much?' I wondered if she was overdoing it for old friends she hadn't seen in ages, but Melissa's expression suggested otherwise. She wasn't surprised at all. That her disciple reacted this way meant such feasts were routine for Rozanna.
'She doesn't eat like this every day, does she?'
I continued eating with those thoughts. Meanwhile, the Master and Rozanna chatted freely, picking up where they'd left off. I had no desire or right to join in, so I kept my mouth shut and my ears open. Both were master mages, so there was plenty of useful info for me. Plus, Rozanna was remarkably well-informed about world affairs.
"Talks between the Gambling King and Drinking King are falling apart. No progress since the summit began."
It had been two years since the Emperor's sudden death. The throne was still vacant. He'd died without naming a successor, so his two princes were warring over it. Those two were the Gambling King and Drinking King.
"Negotiations require both sides sober, right? But the Gambling King gambles all night and doesn't rise until the sun is high, while the Drinking King skips mornings to drown in booze by lunch. They've never both been sober and awake at the same time."
Gambling King and Drinking King. What a depressingly pathetic showdown.
"Maybe neither ever intended peace. The summit just buys time to regroup before resuming war."
The Master shared his view as Rozanna spoke. I agreed. His take felt more plausible than their vices stalling talks. She nodded, thinking the same.
"I agree. But the problem is the massive uprising in the east."
"The east... Gambling King's doing, then."
"Yeah. He plundered his own people during the war, then squeezed them again before recovery. Like you said, gearing up for more fighting. They finally snapped."
The Gambling King had relentlessly tormented his subjects for war supplies, and they'd rebelled when they couldn't take it anymore. Nothing unusual there. But the Master didn't see it that way.
"Any chance black mages are involved?"
"Very likely. It's a large-scale revolt. For rebels to grow that big, they need a leader. No simple farmer could pull that off."
Rozanna turned to the Master and asked him, "Wait, shouldn't you know better than me? You're with Eremus."
"Not in a trusted position there."
"Typical you."
The conversation continued on various topics. Then, suddenly, the door burst open violently. Intruders poured in. Totally out of nowhere.
"What?!"
Rozanna shot to her feet, shouting. Her face was full of shock. Dozens of rough-looking strangers invading her home? Natural reaction. Most carried farm tools, clear signs of ill intent.
"It's not just the witch?"
"Just kill 'em all, no need to think. That outfit she's wearing? Mine now."
"Fine by me. What should I grab, then..."
The villagers chattered among themselves. The house quickly grew chaotic.
"What are you all standing around for?"
A man stepped forward from the group, bellowing. He wielded a mace and wore padded armor. More mercenary than peasant. His confident demeanor and command of the crowd marked him as the ringleader.
"Kill them!"
He pointed his mace at us and yelled. Then... "Waaaaah!" The intruders charged.
"Everyone, fall back."
The Master stepped forward upon seeing it. With him handling it, this crisis would end easily. Or so I thought.
"Whoa, smells delicious!"
"Meat! Meat!"
"Feast time after so long."
The back door flew open, more intruders rushing in. The table was near it, so they were closer than the front-door bunch. Fortunately, only about ten of them. Far fewer than from the front.
'Guess I have to handle this side...'
Coldly assessing, aside from the Master, I was the only one who could fight properly. Rozanna had wounded her soul failing to gauge my capacity, unable to control her magic. Melissa? Didn't seem combat-ready.
So, only me.
'Let's do this.'
Maybe because battle loomed, my vision sharpened, heart pounding. My legs trembled nonstop; I felt like I'd collapse any second. But I couldn't back down. This was my debut as a mage in combat.
Read More Chapter on Our Website:
- NovelsHub.org
New chapters released daily —don't miss out!