The Unwanted Undead Adventurer: Volume 3, page 19
Perhaps one would question how I ended up in such a situation. The explanation was simple: Unbert and Norman had returned after giving the good sister instructions on how the medicine should be taken. Sister Lillian, however, had wanted to speak to Alize in private. Lorraine and I had been asked to wait outside.
The conversation was undoubtedly about our plan to turn Alize into an adventurer-magus-scholar of some sort. It was quite a commitment, so I didn’t expect an immediate answer; a few days, or maybe even a little longer, perhaps.
Strangely enough, we were told the conversation wouldn’t take very long at all. Curious, I asked for a reason, and was given one as such. Although we looked a little strange to Sister Lillian, she didn’t think of us as ill-intentioned individuals, and she felt we could be trusted. She simply wished to ask Alize about Alize’s determination and dreams for the future.
But...
A little strange?
I felt like I should have said something about our perceived strangeness, but ultimately decided against it. Lorraine, sensing my discontent, quickly dragged me out of the room, announcing we would be waiting in the orphanage’s chapel.
Perhaps I should have been more resolute. Strange? Us? Why? In what sense...?
But I suppose that was all said and done now. The two really did need to talk.
“Well, Rentt. Is that really all right? Does that not mean a lot to you?” Lorraine said, staring up at the little airship zipping about above our heads.
Lorraine was right—the airship meant a lot to me, but I felt I shouldn’t prohibit everyone else from touching it. The joy of controlling such a wonderful magical tool should be shared among as many people as possible... At least, that was what I thought.
For that to happen, participants were required, but I was more concerned about the possibility of theft. Luckily, there was no need for such concern in this particular situation, and I found myself enjoying the atmosphere in the room more than I should have.
“It’s fine. They all seem to be enjoying themselves,” I said, casting my gaze toward the children who were passing the remote among themselves.
“I suppose.” Lorraine nodded, shifting her gaze as well. “But, Rentt...what do you think of it? Would she approve?”
A change in subject, no doubt, with the subject in question being none other than the matter of Alize becoming an adventurer.
“It should be fine, I think. Let’s consider the fact that the career options of an orphan are somewhat limited. If they were hardworking and smart enough, they’d end up as monks or sisters in a shrine somewhere. Most of the children here, however, would have to find a job on their own accord. Alize is still young, but she would come of age in two, maybe three years, then she’d be in the same boat, too. We are merely accelerating the process.”
Lorraine had a somewhat pained look on her face, which was to be expected, given the cruel reality that awaited most of the orphans before us.
“Yes, yes. I suppose you are right.” Lorraine quickly shook her head. Her voice sounded a little softer than usual.
At that moment, a familiar sound echoed out from behind us; the chapel’s doors were opening.
“It would seem like they are here, Rentt.”
Standing in the doorway were Sister Lillian and Alize. I found it strange for the sister to be up and about so quickly, but as she approached, I could make out a smile on her face.
“It has only been a short while since my first dose of medication, but already my body feels lighter. Some of my divinity has returned, as well. With this, I would surely be able to return to my duties.”
It was a good thing indeed. Sister Lillian already seemed much better. Alize, however, whispered to her in a small, yet urgent voice.
“Lady Lillian! You’re not well yet! You should be resting your body. I will handle the day-to-day affairs of the orphanage for a while longer...”
Looking at the pair, I couldn’t quite make out who was the orphanage’s administrator. Lillian turned to Alize, that same gentle smile still on her face.
“Haha... Well, then, Alize. I suppose I will do just that for a little longer. Even so, my child...were you not going with these kind people here to learn the ways of adventuring, magecraft, and scholarly pursuit? From now on, you should no longer be trying to do everything yourself. Learn to rely more on others, Alize.”
At those words, Lorraine and I felt a sense of relief. It seemed the good sister had given us her blessing in the end.
Alize promptly turned to face us.
“Well...that’s how it is, Mister Rentt, Miss Lorraine. I will be in your care from now on. I... I’ll work hard!” Alize said, bowing her head deeply.
“Yes, we will be working together from now, you and I. Let us blaze a glorious path toward the betterment of magecraft and knowledge,” Lorraine said, somewhat theatrically.
I continued close after her.
“I’m glad to work with you, too... You do want to become an adventurer, right? Right...?”
For some reason, I felt like I had to have a proper confirmation from Alize to set my mind at ease.
“Well, then, my students. A most basic question, one of the foundations of magecraft... Do you know what is required to weave spells?” Lorraine asked, holding up a wooden pointer of sorts and occasionally rapping it against a large, flat board mounted behind her.
We were, of course, now in Lorraine’s living room. And by students, Lorraine referred to none other than myself, Rentt Faina, and Alize, who was seated next to me.
Alize had formally decided to pursue the path of a mage—or adventurer—just the day before, and this was the very first lesson we had to take, on the very first day of our new curriculum.
Perhaps one would wonder why I, Rentt Faina, would be seated next to Alize. The reason was because Lorraine was currently educating us on the basics of magecraft. Alize had a deep reserve of mana, and as such should rightfully be trained in the ways of magecraft. But Alize wasn’t the only one with said talents, for I was the same.
Of course, this was a relatively recent development. Before, all I could do was cast some low-level attack spells, or maybe cause a trickle of water to come forth from my palms. No one would have claimed I had magical talent of any sort in the past, but my circumstances were now slightly different... After all, my mana capacity and aptitude for magic had greatly increased since my most recent Existential Evolution—somewhat unbelievably, even.
Chapter 4: Magecraft
I was now able to utilize magecraft, probably on the level of a proper mage. While I was technically able to do this, I still found it all very difficult, primarily due to the fact that my theoretical knowledge on magecraft was severely lacking. Some studying on my part was required, then the rest should come naturally. I had asked Lorraine to tutor me on the subject as well, and, before I knew it, I was taking lessons with Alize.
For her part, Lorraine quickly accepted me as her student, though she did say I had to pay twice the fees.
Twice! And she said that without hesitation!
Lorraine just meant I had to pay my fair share, not that I had to pay twice the going rate. Given that she was tutoring Alize and myself, this wasn’t too unreasonable. I had wondered if I deserved a bit of a discount, given that I’d been taking care of all the domestic chores in this household for as long as I could remember.
Not something a freeloader like myself should be saying, I suppose...
For starters, there were only two realistic options when it came to learning magecraft: one either had to become a disciple of a famous mage or to attend a magecraft academy. Both choices involved tens of gold coins—not a small sum, by any means. Lorraine’s fees were charitably low in comparison—maybe a little too low.
Either way, I could confidently say Lorraine had already given us a discount of sorts... And so it came to be that Alize and I were seated in front of Lorraine, listening to her very first lecture. Incidentally, the curriculum had a name: “The First Magecraft Lecture ~Magecraft Explained! Even a Goblin Would Get It~.” Lorraine had come up with the title herself.
Already, Lorraine had a question for us. I motioned to answer it, only to be interrupted by a cheerful voice.
“Yes! I know!”
It was Alize, eagerly raising her hand.
Lorraine, eager to play the part, pointed her wooden wand at her equally eager student.
“Well, then, Alize. Go ahead.”
Alize bolted upward from her chair, delivering her answer confidently.
“Yes! For one to utilize any form of magecraft, mana is required!”
“Well done. You may sit down, Alize.”
I have been outdone...
It wasn’t like I didn’t know the answer. I was just...slow in raising my hand.
Yes. That was all there was to it.
“It is as Alize has said. Mana is required for any and all kinds of magecraft. It is also worth noting that having great reserves of mana does not mean an individual would automatically become a great mage. However, all great mages strive toward a bigger, more capable mana capacity. The reason for this is simple...”
“Yes! Me! I know!”
I cut Lorraine off mid-sentence, desperately waving my hand in the air. Alize, who was seated calmly next to me, gave me a quick sideways glance, muttering something about how I was being immature. I, however, didn’t pay her much heed.
Rentt Faina hated losing. One loss was fine, but I would definitely come out on top next time.
Lorraine’s gaze shifted from my raised hand, then to Alize’s exasperated expression. She sighed, pointing her wooden wand at me reluctantly.
“Yes, go ahead, Rentt...”
An equally exasperated tone of voice, too.
“With a small mana capacity,” I swiftly answered the question, “the types of spells an individual can utilize are limited. For example, they would be limited to cantrips and other weak spells, sometimes referred to as Livelihood Magecraft. They would also be unable to utilize any types of attack spells—such circumstances were common. In fact, I was the same, a long time ago.”
“Yes, well done. Aren’t you glad, Rentt?” Lorraine said, evidently unimpressed.
The last bits of my answer seemed to have drawn Alize’s attention, however.
“Eh? Really? You couldn’t do much of anything at all in the past, Rentt?” she questioned, not bothering to hide her surprise.
What, does Alize think of me as some sort of omnipotent, superhuman being?
She defaulted to her more casual manner of speech after I had told her it was quite fine to be herself. Even Lorraine was on board with the idea—at least, outside of lesson hours. When Alize was studying the ways of magecraft, she was to address Lorraine as “professor” and observe all sorts of social pleasantries...a strange set of rules even I was bound by.
According to Lorraine, such practices were common in the school system she had been a part of in her youth.
I wonder how schools usually were in the Kingdom of Yaaran?
I had never stepped into a place of learning before, so I didn’t know the answer. Lessons given by the adventurer’s guild were also relatively casual, and everyone was treated equally regardless of age or experience. By comparison, Lorraine’s insistence on these methods of address were oddly refreshing.
“I’m by no means omnipotent, Alize. In fact, there are many things I can’t do, even now.”
Alize didn’t seem too convinced. Lorraine interjected, nodding as she spoke.
“You see, my dear Alize...Rentt is the sort of person who does what he can do. If he cannot do something, he is utterly incapable of it. He is, of course, reasonably capable and skilled in many areas now... But even so, he has his shortcomings. Do you understand, Alize? Of course, adventurers usually hide their deficiencies when going about their business... Such is the nature of things.”
Alize slowly nodded, seemingly still in some disbelief. Turning to Lorraine, Alize continued on.
“So Rentt couldn’t use any magecraft except for...Livelihood Magecraft, in his past...?”
“That was the reality of it, yes. Rentt has not been able to utilize any complicated spells, at least up until recently. For most people, their mana reserves remain stagnant after puberty, neither increasing nor decreasing over time. Exceptions, however, do exist. An individual could have their mana capacity suddenly increase because of special circumstances, or the like.”
It was a good way of hiding the truth, I suppose; Lorraine had already come up with a justification for why I was attending her lessons. According to Lorraine, it was best to mention such a reason in Alize’s presence as soon as possible.
“What sort of circumstances would those be?”
As expected, Alize was drawn to the supposedly special circumstances responsible for my sudden spike in mana capacity. Lorraine seemed more than prepared for her question.
“An exhaustive list is impossible, yes. I can, however, think of some common examples, such as...the consumption of a special elixir, perhaps, or maybe the slaying of a particularly strong monster. Some individuals may also receive divine blessings of some kind, while on the other hand, possibly form a pact with a demon, exchanging some part of themselves for power... So on and so forth.”
While the mana capacity of most individuals remained relatively stagnant, it was entirely possible to increase it with special means. However, all those methods were risky, and they often came at great costs. Plus, there was the question of luck; something could, against all odds, go very wrong.
For instance, a mana elixir would be difficult to come by, and, even if it had, it’d be sold for astronomical prices at an auction. One would have to slay a beast of legendary proportions to gain such powers—a questionable feat, if nothing else. As for the blessing of faeries and the divine...a matter of luck. But then again, lucky individuals didn’t just drop out of the sky. Lastly, contracts with demonic entities were dangerous in every sense of the word, and it often didn’t matter how many lives an individual could hypothetically have. Even I would have already increased my mana capacity in life if it were so simple.
I continued slaying monsters and absorbing their powers, but the increase was miniscule at best. I had slain Goblins and other creatures for a decade, but I didn’t feel any different, mana-wise.
Even so, slaying monsters was probably the most straightforward route, but I did end up getting eaten and killed at one point, so there was that.
“I didn’t do anything special, in my case. Maybe it was just a matter of luck that it suddenly increased,” I said to Alize.
As Lorraine said, exceptions were possible in very rare cases. It was impossible to say such occurrences absolutely couldn’t happen, and that lined up with Lorraine’s explanations perfectly. Alize’s knowledge on magecraft was still somewhat limited, after all.
“Oh...is that right? So that’s why you’re taking lessons with me now, Rentt...” she said, seemingly convinced.
I suppose the day would come where Alize would eventually realize I was strange or different in some way, but that was another explanation for another time...
◆◇◆◇◆
“And there we have it. For a mage to utilize magecraft, they must first be able to sense the presence of mana in their bodies, then tap into that reserve on their own accord. Even if one has reserves of mana within, an inability to sense and command it would prevent one from becoming a mage. A more common scenario than you would think, yes. So, Alize, do you feel the mana inside you as we speak?” Lorraine asked, looking up at her student.
“No...” Alize shook her head slowly. “I can’t feel a thing. Um...Professor Lorraine. Am I not cut out to be a mage...?”
Alize’s features were filled with unease, as if a door that had been opened to her before was now violently shut in her face. The most direct interpretation of Lorraine’s words would be saddening to Alize, for if she couldn’t feel the mana within her, then she wouldn’t become a mage. It was easy to empathize with Alize’s fears.
But Lorraine shook her head slowly as she smiled reassuringly at her new student.
“There is no need to rush. That is not quite how it works, Alize. While I cannot make any promises now, it is too early on in the process for you to be worrying. In fact, the examples I gave just now, say, of individuals who could not feel the mana within, more than half of them would be self-taught...or had at least attempted learning magecraft on their own accord. Of course, becoming aware of one’s own mana reserves is a difficult feat. There is that one legend, yes, of the ‘Magician of Beginnings’... While he discovered and utilized the mana within himself without any assistance, few individuals would seek to imitate his actions. I suppose there could be a few people here and there who do succeed...if they have the innate feel for it, yes. We could put it that way.”
Alize raised her hand. “Professor Lorraine, what about you? How did you learn it?”
“Ah, yes. That? I was able to sense and weave the mana within myself into spells, yes. Are you not impressed?” Lorraine said, without the slightest hint of embarrassment.
Even though I turned and stared straight at her while she was making her claims, there didn’t seem to be a single shred of humility in Lorraine’s being.
“What about Rentt...?”
I suppose that would be the logical continuation to Alize’s question...
“Of course not, Alize. I am but a mundane individual.”
True, to a certain extent. While I had reserves of mana within me, I didn’t have the means to utilize them. Alize would surely ask about how I was able to use mana for other purposes next, and, as expected, she did.
“What would one do if they were unable to draw out their own mana?”
“There are a few ways, yes. The easiest method would be to obtain the cooperation of an individual who was already skilled in the use of their own mana, who would then channel their mana through the body of the recipient. This gives them a feel of what mana is like, so to speak. Assuming the individual in question is not particularly thick, they would be able to sense their own mana in due time. The period varies from individual to individual, of course, with some even saying those with large reserves tend to become aware of it relatively quickly.”
