Ten days had already passed since Marius became a Royal Court Magician.
Nothing in his immediate surroundings had changed, and he idly mused that he was likely being used as a diplomatic pawn.
The only change was the dismissal of Fleg, the head of intelligence, and Granfeldt, the Grand General.
While they had ultimately escaped unharmed, they couldn’t be entirely absolved of blame for failing to detect the Wyvern attack, which had endangered the King and Princess and cost soldiers their lives.
Bernard was appointed as Fleg’s successor, and Ashton took over as Grand General.
Marius was unaware that both men harbored little loyalty to the Royal Family, driven instead by a strong lust for power. Their aim was to solidify their own positions by forging marital alliances between their families and the Prince or Princess.
To these narrow-minded men, their immediate enemy was the enigmatic magician Marius Tuban, who was becoming increasingly friendly with the Princess. Having understood from those who witnessed the practice battle that direct confrontation was futile, they began devising various schemes to either oust him or win him over.
Marius, who was neither omniscient nor omnipotent, could only think that in fiction from his previous world, individuals who rapidly gained status often attracted envy and resentment. He could imagine romantic rivalries involving Lovisa, but he hadn’t foreseen the involvement of status and power. His limit as someone raised in a peaceful nation was shown when he’d given up thinking after realizing he’d unintentionally instilled fear by displaying overwhelming power.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning.”
Marius, albeit awkwardly, greeted the attending servants passing him in the royal palace corridors in Taliant. While two female teachers marveled at his rapid progress, and others received his greetings favorably, he felt uneasy. Could it be that he, who was never good at languages in his previous world, could so easily master an alien tongue? Perhaps the language here was simpler, or his teachers were exceptionally skilled. Even so, the feeling of unease persisted. He dismissed any condescending thoughts about the “low level” of this world. Setting aside civilization and technology, he felt the intellectual capacity of its people was high. If that were the case, perhaps the reason lay with Marius himself. The only change in his circumstances was becoming the “Sage” Marius Tuban. Thinking this far, he suddenly had an idea.
(Could it be… Sage’s Boost…?)
If the difference from his previous world wasn’t the cause, there was only one other possibility. Sage’s Boost. This granted benefits such as increased maximum and recovery magic power, reduced magic consumption, and enhanced spell potency. It also included improved intelligence and magic resistance, near-immunity to status effects, and resistance to confusion. If the intelligence aspect was at play, it could explain things. He hadn’t felt any smarter, but in games, a mage’s intelligence typically referred to their knowledge of magic. And he recalled that the script in grimoires often included ancient languages, so it was plausible that his language skills had improved without an increase in general intelligence. He had forgotten about it because he thought it only affected combat and hadn’t felt its impact on his daily life until now.
(Wait, isn’t something strange about this?)
He felt a faint niggle of doubt. Looking back, he felt he had been forgetting things more often since arriving in this world. It wasn’t anything serious that could be attributed to a single cause, but he recalled several instances where he’d thought, “Why didn’t I think of that?” A chill ran down his spine, causing him to stop abruptly. The servants who occasionally passed by exchanged curious glances, but he couldn’t afford to pay them any mind. He felt frustrated by his own slowness to recall things. Why couldn’t he come up with various ideas one after another? And why, despite this, was he not panicking but remaining calm? The previous thought resurfaced.
(Could this also be…?)
Sages were calm and collected, and difficult to confuse. If, as he had just realized, the Boost was effective even in non-combat situations, and if “confusion” wasn’t limited to combat status effects, didn’t that mean he was somehow prevented from “thinking about” various things simultaneously, or from “being allowed to think”? The idea sent a chill through him as if he’d been thrown into a freezer.
(No, but surely not…)
It was difficult to believe, or rather, he didn’t want to believe it. In games, Sage’s Boost and special abilities were meant to enhance one’s own abilities or negate negative effects from enemies. He hadn’t even questioned how he was able to defeat enemies without getting flustered in his first battle. But this was reality, not a game, and Ryuji Yamada had died, and a new life as Marius Tuban had begun. Perhaps it wasn’t strange that the Sage’s abilities wouldn’t always be a positive influence. He’d experienced numerous situations where he had to remind himself that this was not the same as in the game. Could it be that he had finally realized the biggest obstacle?
(It’s ironic that my own abilities are my greatest enemy… I should take notes diligently.)
He had no eraser or correction fluid, but he had paper and ink, and they were provided, so there should be no inconvenience in jotting down his discoveries. He realized he needed to consider countermeasures to prevent his perspective from narrowing unconsciously.
Today was also dedicated to studying the Taliant Language. Lovisa was late, so he began with Helka. The first lesson was the history of the Kingdom of Filat.
* Star Calendar 891: The Taliant Continent’s human nations were annihilated by Demon King Zagan.
* Star Calendar 922: Hero Bernhard Filatonia and Mage Klaus Adler succeeded in sealing Demon King Zagan.
* Star Calendar 924: Hero Bernhard founded the Kingdom of Filat.
* Star Calendar 1043: Bernhard III ascended to the throne.
As Helka read aloud the history, Marius struggled to suppress his shock.
(Auraniss hasn’t revived? Demon King Zagan? And, is this the future?)
The history was shocking—Demon King Zagan, a mere name in the game, had destroyed this continent in place of Auraniss. Yet, a part of Marius remained calm. Thinking this might be another Sage’s Boost, Marius came to understand why items like tool bags had declined compared to the game’s era. The human nations of this world had been destroyed by a Demon King. That explained the decline in tools, the oddities in the ecosystem, and the fragmented history. A Demon King’s power could indeed leave such devastating scars. Ironically, this aligned with what Marius already knew. The difference was the name of the Demon King who had destroyed them and the fact that they were defeated by the hands of humans on this continent. Wondering what had become of Demon King Auraniss, Marius asked Helka about another point of interest.
“Hero Bernhard Filatonia…”
“Yes, he is the Princess’s ancestor. He is one of the legendary heroes from whom His Majesty the current King took his name.”
“I see,” Marius nodded slightly. If the Royal Family were descendants of a legendary hero, he could somewhat understand why the people he saw in the palace carried themselves with such pride. It was a common trope in novels from his previous world. It felt wrong to be proud of something one hadn’t accomplished, but then again, Marius himself hadn’t achieved his current strength through effort. As long as no direct threat came his way, or as long as he didn’t receive an official request from the Royal Family, he probably shouldn’t interfere.
“Marius-sama.”
When Helka called him, he turned to find her face close to his, their lips nearly touching. Just as he stopped, Lovisa and Emma entered, opening the door at a convenient moment. Two choices immediately came to mind: making an excuse about an accident, or using magic to erase their memories. However, noticing that their stern gazes were directed at Helka, he decided to observe the situation.
“Helka, what mischief are you up to this time?”
The fact that Lovisa spoke in Firmiyan was a clear indication that she knew Marius was not at fault. Relieved by this realization, he wondered how she had noticed so quickly.
“Marius-sama, women.”
He could only catch fragments of the explanation, which was in Taliant, but it seemed Helka had wanted to test whether Marius was interested in women. This might be the same reason she had suddenly blurted out “boobs” before. In other words, was this a prank to gauge his reaction?
“Please.”
Emma served him some cacaotea, offering it to him in awkward Firmiyan. This talented and beautiful maid had apparently been diligently studying Firmiyan since Marius was chosen as a Royal Court Magician and could now understand simple phrases clearly. To fill the silence, he took a sip of the cacaotea; it was as delicious as ever. He wondered why a woman as exceptional as Emma was serving as a maid, but then he reconsidered, thinking that perhaps her excellence was precisely why she was chosen. That day, Helka ended up being scolded by Lovisa, and Marius spent the time reviewing what he had learned with awkward exchanges with Emma.
“Helka, what were you thinking!?”
Even after Marius’s Taliant language lesson concluded, Lovisa’s anger had not subsided. A knight’s wife kissing another man, especially a Royal Court Magician, could lead to serious trouble.
“Thinking? I was thinking of the nation’s benefit. To break down Marius-sama’s mental barriers.”
“There are things that are acceptable and things that are not! Besides, there are too many unknowns regarding you, Marius-sama.”
Emma joined the interrogation, sensing no remorse from Helka.
“With your reaction when you said ‘boobs’ and this time, it seems you are interested in women.”
“That’s not it.”
Emma’s eyes narrowed.
“Doesn’t Marius-sama think too much about these things, everyone?”
“Helka… what do you mean?”
Lovisa, glaring, unable to allow the topic to deviate, couldn’t help but ask.
“I am suggesting that you are overlooking the possibility that Marius-sama simply drifted here without any particular plan.”
“What?”
“Huh?”
Emma and Lovisa blinked repeatedly, unable to immediately grasp the meaning of Helka’s words. After several seconds of silence, Emma spoke.
“But the idea that someone with such power could have ‘just happened’ to drift to this country… surely not.”
Lovisa and Emma’s honest opinion was: “What is she even saying?” There were intense debates about Marius. While the King’s decision was hailed as wise, it was merely on the surface; many harbored doubts and dissatisfaction. The current situation was that everyone was preventing these feelings from surfacing because if Marius found out, they wouldn’t be able to take responsibility.
“He didn’t know about clocks, did he? The fact that he didn’t know things that even children and demons know is proof in itself that there’s nothing hidden.”
Emma was silenced by Helka’s retort. On reflection, she had to admit it was true. If he were a spy, there was no conceivable reason for him to pretend not to know about clocks or the concept of time.
“Perhaps he really didn’t know, or maybe he forgot? Perhaps due to excessive magic training.”
Looking at Lucas and Nilson, one could see that this was indeed plausible. If Marius had overheard, he would have applauded, as it was an incredibly accurate supporting argument.
“…Are you saying we’ve been overthinking things?”
Lovisa murmured half-bewildered.
“It may be too early to state it definitively. However, there should be no grounds to deny it.”
The possibility, so simple that it seemed absurd, and therefore one that no one had seriously considered, possessed a persuasive power that no one could truly refute. At least, that’s how Lovisa and Emma felt.
“If Marius-sama has no ill intentions and is a being who brings benefit to this country, then even the Princess would have no complaints, right?”
Without needing to specify what “it” was, those present understood.
“Yes. If Marius-sama poses no harm to this country, then he is indeed a wonderful person.”
Lovisa nodded. In terms of ability, she had no complaints, and his personality didn’t seem bad. If he were willing to contribute to the nation’s welfare, he would be a more than adequate candidate for her to marry. Her only concern was his standing in relation to her homeland. As a Princess, she could not be bound to someone who would bring harm to her country. Helka, who had been her maid, knew this well.
(The Princess is satisfied. Marius-sama, with no ties compared to those stuffy nobles, would be better…)
Regarding bringing them closer, there was no point in trying with Lovisa. She would suppress her personal feelings for the sake of her duty as a Princess. Therefore, she intended to manipulate Marius and have him serve as a shield against other men. Having a Royal Court Magician as a partner would be a good deterrent against the nobles.
(I’m sorry, Marius-sama, but my loyalty is entirely to the Princess…)
Her overt and extreme provocations towards Marius were all for the sake of Lovisa, to whom she had pledged her loyalty. While Marius himself might be an expert deceiver, she reasoned that there was no end to such speculation and that as long as she remained vigilant, it would be fine. Meanwhile, Helka covertly stuck out her tongue, having successfully evaded their scrutiny.
