Chapter 83

Chotonaigayo

After leaving the training grounds of the Royal Knights, Cain arrived at the headquarters of the Royal Palace Mages, located in a separate building.

He knocked on the door and waited for a while, but since no one answered and the door did not open, Cain opened it himself and peeked inside.

People in gray and vermilion robes were eating at tables, sitting on sofas by the walls reading books, or hanging from the ceiling beams doing pull-ups. ...Pull-ups?

Looking around the room, Cain couldn’t find the person he was looking for, so he approached the nearest man, who was eating.

"Excuse me for interrupting your meal. Do you know where Mr. Tylnoa is?"

"Tylnoa-sama? He’s probably in his office."

Office. When Cain asked where it was, the man eating suggested that the man sitting on the sofa, looking dazed, could show him. Cain said he could go himself if he was told the location, but...

"Are you Lord Cain? I’ve heard so much about you, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Come, I’ll take you. Tylnoa-sama’s office is scary to enter, you know."

"...Thank you?"

What kind of office is so scary to enter?

Tylnoa had been teaching him magic as a tutor, so this was the first time Cain was seeing him as part of the Royal Palace Mages. Of course, it was also his first time visiting the headquarters of the Mages, which was their base.

"The Mages welcome any excellent magic users at any time. If you like, you could consider joining the Mages after graduating from school."

The mage leading him said this, trying to recruit Cain. Tylnoa had also been inviting him to join the Mages during his tutoring, saying things like "Come to the Mages."

He had even approached Dianna, who was growing steadily, and Irvareno, who could only perform a little healing magic.

Was the Royal Palace Mages so short of personnel?

"Remember the light on the night of the God Crossing? That’s made by the Mages around November. We fill transparent sky magic stones with light magic."

"...We helped with that."

"Oh, really? Lord Cain too? Thank you. The light gradually fades even if we put magic in advance, so it’s quite a hassle to do it just before the event."

"It was a small contribution, but I hope it was helpful."

"On the day of the God Crossing, the Mages also light the bonfires in the city. We make flower petals fall during the school’s entrance and graduation ceremonies, and amplify the king’s speeches and provide light."

The job content seemed quite peaceful.

"You might think it’s peaceful, Lord Cain, but we also go to the border with the knights for small skirmishes, and go on monster hunts. We put up barriers around the castle and do magic research... lots of magic research."

"Mainly, you do magic research, then."

While listening to the Mages’ stories, Cain almost passed by the door with a plate that read "Tylnoa."

"Isn’t Mr. Tylnoa’s room here?"

Stopping and pointing, the mage leading him smiled.

"Of course. Those with weak magic or insufficient training can’t even see the door."

"It’s hidden?"

"Tylnoa-sama doesn’t like being bothered by non-magic users."

It seems that to those with low magic, it looks like a wall. Moreover, even those with magic but without proper training see it as a metal cage with fierce beasts or a dilapidated, bloody wooden gate. Quite malicious.

"Hey, Lord Cain, you came! I’ve been waiting for you."

"Tylnoa-sensei, good morning... uh..."

Upon entering the room, Tylnoa pounced on Cain, who was about to bow, and started petting his head. Then, he grabbed Cain’s waist, lifted him up, spun him around, and dropped him onto the sofa.

"You’re going to the neighboring country, right? There’s no magic there, so it’ll be boring. Don’t slack off on your practice just because you’re going to a country without magic, Lord Cain."

"I will keep that in mind."

Sitting on the opposite sofa, Tylnoa opened a box on the corner of the table, took out two cups, and placed them on the table. Snapping his fingers, a lump of water appeared above the cups and started steaming before falling into them.

The table was wet from the splash.

Taking out a jar from the box, Tylnoa used a spoon to mix its contents into the cups and pushed one towards Cain.

"It’s honey from the flowers of Seseradi. I always have this because making tea is too much trouble. It’s delicious."

"Thank you. ...Ouch."

In the sweet and sour red liquid, small flowers floated. While cooling it and drinking slowly, Tylnoa started piling candies and biscuits on the table from various pockets.

"Can you do the teleportation magic now?"

"...I can teleport within my field of vision."

"Wow, that’s great."

Clapping half-heartedly, Tylnoa leaned in and looked up at Cain’s face.

"Isn’t teleportation magic scary?"

"It is."

"You could die if you mess up."

After mastering earth and wind magic, you can challenge teleportation magic as a composite magic. Tylnoa had told Cain this before. After practicing earth magic and reaching the final spell, Cain read books on magical theory to learn teleportation magic but couldn’t understand it. Reading various books by different authors, he finally understood the principles of teleportation magic and realized it wasn’t the dream magic that could instantly move you anywhere.

Teleportation magic involves creating another body at the destination and moving your soul there, then making the original body disappear. If you fail to move your soul to the new body or if the new body is created in a rock or water, you die. It’s a magic that can kill you if you fail.

"It would have been nice to be able to return instantly from the neighboring country..."

"Still, it’s a magic that can protect you from sudden misfortune and shield the important things in front of you."

Cain smiled wryly.

Tylnoa, satisfied with his disciple who had learned teleportation magic and understood its dangers, folded his arms and leaned back.

"You don’t need to worry about Lady Dianna. I’ll tell her parents that I’m teaching her to make delicious tea and make flowers last longer, as a cover. It’s a good idea to have a disguise. Interesting is important. It takes a lot of effort to tackle boring things."

"Tylnoa-sensei..."

"Of course, she’s Lord Cain’s sister. She has great potential. It’s a waste that she can only dabble in dark magic. Irvareno isn’t strong, but his ability to use healing magic is excellent. He complements Lord Cain."

"I couldn’t use dark, holy, or healing magic."

"You can use everything else, which is impressive. Lady Dianna can use dark magic, and Irvareno can use healing magic. You might become friends with someone who can use holy magic in the future. You can do a lot more with friends. You can’t do everything alone, so rely on those who can do what you can’t."

Tylnoa stood up, took the indigo robe hanging on the back of the sofa, and stood next to Cain.

After petting his head, he pushed Cain to the edge of the sofa.

Sitting in the gap, Tylnoa folded the robe and handed it to Cain.

"I’ll give you a mage’s robe. It’s a bit big because you’re still growing. I’ll give you a new one when this one gets too small, so come back for it."

It was a robe with a jagged hem like flower petals, similar to what Tylnoa always wore. Receiving a robe that fit his body, Cain was also given an excuse to visit again.

"Tylnoa-sensei, I had fun learning magic from you. I felt like you slacked off a bit towards the end, though..."

"That’s because you were an excellent disciple."

Cain put on the robe as requested. The hem was wide, creating a lot of draping. When asked to spin, he did so, and the light material of the robe spread out, probably looking like a blue flower from above.

Tylnoa stood up and stood next to Cain, who was wearing the robe.

Tylnoa, though short as an adult, was still taller than 12-year-old Cain. Looking down at his face and grinning, he patted Cain’s waist.

"If you wear the robe, it’s less noticeable even if you carry a sword. If you carry a sword for self-defense, wear the robe over it. In the neighboring country, you can pass as a mage. It’s good to keep your trump card. I heard from Fabian that the sword is amazing."

"Fabian...?"

In Cain’s mind, a plush toy with fluffy fur and big eyes slipped by.

It seemed to be referring to Deputy Leader Fabian. Tylnoa said he was a friend from the magic academy, but Cain had never heard anything about Tylnoa from Fabian.

"Lord Cain, you’re my disciple. I’m waiting for you to come back. I’m waiting for you to grow and come back for a bigger robe."

Cain bowed to his teacher, expressing his gratitude.

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