“I am prepared,” Jared said.
“I figured you would be. That’s why I summoned you here,” Almeida sighed. Jared’s mind was already made up. The final training the boy desired carried immense risk, yet he still needed it.
—The risk, in fact, was the loss of all magic Jared could currently wield.
He would be unable to use any of the spells he had employed until now.
“The final training, huh? You’re not wrong. If you manage to acquire that magic, you’ll never be able to use any other spells again,” Almeida stated.
“I am aware,” Jared replied.
“You also understand that the offer to become a Court Mage might be rescinded?”
“I understand.”
“Even knowing all of this, you still desire that magic?”
“Yes—Please, give me a chance to obtain the strongest Earth Magic.”
Jared bowed deeply to Almeida once more. All he received in return was another sigh, the number of which he had long since lost count.
“Haaah. I always suspected this day would come, ever since Jared was rummaging through my library, searching for powerful magic.”
The voice of his Master, tinged with resignation and exasperation, reached his ears.
“Let me be clear: it’s not an easy magic to acquire, even if you do obtain it. The loss of your current magic, however, is guaranteed. Are you sure?”
“Yes!”
The boy’s head snapped up as if startled, and the girl nodded.
“Very well. If your resolve is truly firm, I shall bestow upon you the strongest Earth Magic.”
***
—The strongest Earth Magic.
Jared discovered it while he was still training under Almeida. It was during the time he had been separated from his older brother figure, Wuzer Fischer, and while he was relentlessly seeking power, driven by a desire for revenge against the family that had sold him.
He knew it wouldn’t be easily attained. As proof, when Almeida had caught him reading the relevant texts and scolded him, she said,
“Learning this kind of magic in this era would be the ruin of your life.”
At the time, he hadn’t understood her words. But now, he did. Jared was about to lose all his magic. Petrify Magic, Body Enhancement Magic, Earth Magic—everything.
In exchange, he would gain a secret technique, a forbidden magic, crafted during the progenitor’s era for endless combat. Naturally, it had not been passed down to the modern age. The people of that time had judged it unnecessary to transmit, and had left no records. The tome Almeida possessed had narrowly escaped destruction by chance; it was destined to vanish without ever being seen by anyone.
“Are you ready?”
“Always.”
Magic circles, layered and spread out around Jared, began to glow on the plain.
“First, I will end the contract with the spirits within you. This will allow you to wield your power completely. Though you may not understand, at this point, anyone other than myself and Wahash would struggle to defeat you,” Almeida explained.
“But I still won’t reach the Progenitor,” Jared stated.
“…That’s right. You won’t.”
Even if the contract with the spirits hadn’t been severed, his power had always been at its peak. His magic power was fully released, with only the consumption being regulated. His magic’s power and efficiency might increase, but it wouldn’t be a drastic enhancement. At present, however, Jared’s strength ranked among the highest in the country. Yet, the Progenitor remained a level above him.
“Truthfully, I wish you wouldn’t learn this magic,” Almeida confessed.
“Master. But—”
“No. I’m not opposing you. I just lament that such a talent, all you’ve cultivated so far, would be discarded. More than that, from this point on, you’ll only be contemplating how to use this single magic. You’ll become a magician who only hones combat skills, with no depth or interest. I don’t think that suits you.”
Almeida worried about her disciple’s future. She did not desire her beloved disciple, who could be considered too kind-hearted, to become capable of only fighting. From a magician’s perspective, using only uninteresting magic held no appeal.
Therefore, even though Almeida knew of the strongest Earth Magic, she had never acquired it. She judged it to be magic that held no necessity. The fact that her beloved pupil sought it out was unbearable. The Progenitor, who had to fight so fiercely. The founder of the country she once served. If only she could change, she would fight in his place. But as a half-elf, Almeida knew she could never defeat the Progenitor, no matter how hard she tried. That was simply how things were.
“…I’m sorry. It seems I hesitate to kill Jared’s talent. But I will see this through to the end.”
The boy, who had become a remarkable magician in just a few years, what was he thinking? The reason he was willing to fight, even at the cost of everything—it was surely Olivier Alway. Almeida felt a pang of envy for Jared, who was capable of loving someone so deeply.
“Then, let’s begin. Let’s say goodbye to your current magic and your talents.”
