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Fragment 1 – An Important Something

There are times where I’m

suddenly reminded that I can’t seem to remember something.

Like when I stare at the distant

mountains, or when I look up at the night skies.

When I remember that I once

had something irreplaceable, tears feel like they’ll well out.

But even I don’t know myself what’s

tormenting me so.

The bookmarked pages are stuck

together, unable to be opened.

After I responded to her knock,

Ms. Wies entered the room. Her long

blonde hair swayed like a calm stream.

She’s a tall, slender, graceful, and very beautiful woman. Ever since I arrived at the capital, she has

been my teacher.

I’m supposed to learn fire

magic today, but… it’s my first time using dangerous magic, so I’m a little

nervous.

I sat at the desk by the

window and had a basic magic book open. Beyond

the window was a cloudy sky, and a dark forest was visible far below it. This was the uppermost area of the capital –

the palace where the king and his family lives.

Lately, however, it’s mostly been just me and Ms. Wies here.

That’s because the men have

been running around preparing for and fighting the Northern Forces.

Ms. Wies sat down next to me

and immediately directed a question towards me.

“So let’s hear it. What is fire?”

My lessons always began with a

question.

“Erm… it’s something warm and

bright.”

“Then as long as we create

something warm and bright, it’ll become fire?”

Since she asked me that, it

means I was incorrect.

“…No, there needs to be

something flammable. When something

flammable is heated up in the air, it will catch fire.”

Ms. Wies raised her eyebrows,

seemingly impressed.

“That’s correct. To create a fire, you need to provide it with

something to burn. So, what could be

good to ignite with?”

“How about… firewood?”

“Are you able to create

firewood?”

“No…”

I can only create simple

things at the moment. Though I say that,

it’s just water, air, and the likes…

What can I say, they’re really basic things.

“Let’s think about what you’re

able to create.”

“I haven’t tried it yet, but I

might be able to make oil.”

“Because you’ve learned how to

create water?”

If she asks to confirm the

reasoning behind my answer, it means my answer was wrong. I prepared myself for my idea to be dismissed

as naïve, and nodded honestly.

“Yes… that’s right. I figured oil would be similar to water…”

“That kind of thinking is too superficial. Oil has a very intricate structure. To create something complex, you need the

appropriate knowledge, the experience with handling it, and a rich

imagination. But your approach is

correct. Let’s start by creating

something combustible today.”

After Ms. Wies traced a circle

on the desk with her slender finger, a plain glass vessel appeared in its

place. As she gradually raised her hand,

a clear liquid gushed out from inside the bottom of the vessel.

“Here, go ahead and give it a smell.”

I followed her instructions

and positioned my nose close to the glass container. Immediately, a sweet and stinging stimulation

filled my nostrils, making me gag.

“What… is this?”

Ms. Wies smiled mischievously

and raised her index finger.

“Take a guess. You should have drank something which

contained this in the past.”

“Something that contains

this…?”

I was completely stumped. Is it even possible to drink something this

dangerous?

“It’s liquor,” Ms. Wies

revealed while I was wracking my brain.

“Erm… that’s right.”

“What’s the matter?”

“It’s nothing. I just don’t remember ever drinking liquor

before…”

Ms. Wies’ head shifted slightly

in reaction to my reply. She appeared a

little perturbed. However, mages are

well-versed in preventing others from sensing their thoughts, so I could only

guess what she was thinking.

But this is what I suppose:

Could it be that I had drunk liquor

before?

Could it be that, although I

drank it in the past, I just forgot that I did?

There’s a reason as to why I suspect

this.

The king of Mestria, Evis-sama,

has sealed my memories, so I’m unable to recall anything from when I left the

Quiltlin family as their maid to when I arrived at the capital. It seems like there was a proper reason for

sealing them, but I’m still curious about those memories that I can’t remember. Perhaps it’s something that I’m better off

not remembering, but…

As if having sensed my

thoughts, Ms. Wies cleared her throat.

“Anyway, alcohol is what makes

liquor, liquor. This liquid evaporates

well and burns easily.”

Ms. Wies pointed a captivating

finger at the vessel, and an orange flame began to flicker inside.

“If you’re able to accomplish

this by today, you will have done very well.

But if you still have energy to spare, try modifying your creation as

well. This will also affect how it

burns.”

“How it burns?”

“Correct. As stated in the magic book, alcohol can be

divided into water content and oil content.

By reducing the oil content, it will result in a more water-like

substance which will create a dark blue flame when burned; on the other hand,

increasing the oil content will create flames that burn more intensely.”

>TL Note: I don’t think saying alcohol is oil + water is quite correct. It’s more of a simplified explanation for the

purpose of the story.

Just listening to her made me

want to try it.

It’s fire after all!

Ms. Wies smiled at me.

“Then let’s head to the

laboratory after you’ve finished reading the book, Jess.”

Suppressing my excitement, I

began scanning through the book.

It was while I was still in

the laboratory researching how to create oil that I heard a loud thud come from

the corridor outside. It sounded like

someone had just shut a door nearby.

Looking at the clock on the

wall, it was already two time-hour. The

day had passed and it was after dark. It’s

already late-night. Who could it be?

When I exited into the dark

corridor, I spotted a figure leaning against the stone wall nearby. He appeared injured or rather unwell. As I ran up to him, I was shocked.

“Evis-sama!”

His white hair and beard were smeared

in dirt, and his pale face was extremely apparent. The king of Mestria, in his muddied black

robe, appeared barely able to support himself by his trembling limbs.

His grey eyes, filled with the

light of a sage, looked at the dazed me.

“What happened, Jess? Why is your face covered in soot?”

It was a hoarse voice that

made him feel much older than usual.

“S-sorry, I was in the middle

of an experiment…”

After blurting out those

words, I realized that the concerns were being directed in the opposite

direction.

“I should be the one asking that

instead. What happened to you,

Evis-sama?”

Evis-sama adjusted his

posture. His right hand was unnaturally

dyed black, and a strange mesh pattern covered his skin.

“Looks like I made a

blunder. I’ve been cursed.”

“Cursed? By who…?”

The only people in Mestria who

can cast curses, in other words, mages, are those from the royal family.

“I don’t know. But the situation is quite serious, because a

mage with clear murderous intentions towards us has started to act

somewhere. It’s a mage we have no

knowledge of – a surreptitious sorcerer.”