I Quit Being a Court Magician Apprentice to Become a Magical Item Craftsman
I head to my family home with Belial and Sebirino.
I never thought I would be able to return this soon, so I feel embarrassed for having sent a letter saying I might never be able to meet again.
When we got quite close to the village, we spotted a Cyclops, a one-eyed giant, attacking a young man!
Although it’s one of the smaller giants, it is still a significant threat to the village, and such monsters appear only occasionally around here. As I was about to cast a spell, Belial accelerated and flew toward it. He drew his flame sword and swiftly slashed, then finished it off by throwing a ball of fire.
The giant fell to the ground with a tremendous sound and vibration, causing the fleeing man to turn around. Belial’s red hair and cloak fluttered as he landed.
“…Whoa, that’s amazing…! You took down that giant with one strike? Thank you so much, I don’t even know how to thank you…!”
“Don’t mention it. It was too easy, a boring hunt.”
We also landed nearby and spoke to the man.
“Are you okay?”
“…Huh, have we met somewhere before? You kind of look like Ellie…”
“Ellie is my younger sister.”
“Ah, you must be the sister of Ellie!?”
“Do you know Ellie?”
He looked at me and muttered, maybe, as he seemed to recall something.
“Wait! You’re… Iriya , the sister everyone thought was dead!?”
“Eh? From the village?”
“No, I’m from a nearby village… I’m Rivol, Ellie’s fiancé!”
Ellie has a fiancé!? When did that happen?
Back when I was in Egdoarm, I spent my time in the royal capital as an apprentice court mage, so I hadn’t been able to hear much about Ellie. Now that I think about it, it’s a bit lonely.
Speaking of Ellie, she’s twenty-one already. It wouldn’t be strange for her to be married. And here I am, with nothing going on… Surrounded by the king of hell, a womanizing bodyguard, and my self-proclaimed apprentice. It’s a bit strange…
Sebirino and I decided to walk with him to the village.
Belial would be going separately from here. He seemed to enjoy the idea of hunting wyverns in the valley. There’s a place not far from the village called the Wyvern Valley, where they breed.
I guess he got bored and wanted to exercise. It’s good for the village too since too many wyverns could pose a threat.
“To think you’d save me…! Thank you so much!”
“I’m just glad you’re safe. I had no idea about Ellie’s engagement. I apologize for that.”
“No, no! It’s good to meet you! You’re even more polite than Ellie said. I’m a bit nervous… I don’t really know much about city life!”
He’s a humble and pleasant young man. I think he’ll make Ellie happy.
He seemed quite nervous and showed a shy smile. I felt nervous too! I have to make sure I don’t come off badly.
“You don’t need to worry. If you’re Ellie’s fiancé, you’re like family.”
“Haha… Thank you. So, who is this man with you…?”
“I am the first disciple of my master, Sebirino.”
He really likes saying he’s the first, doesn’t he? There’s no need to emphasize it since he’s the only disciple. I did ask him to stop saying my full name, though.
It’s nice to walk through the familiar forest of my hometown and chat. This is near where I met Belial, still a little way from the village.
“You have a disciple!? That means your sister must be an incredible mage.”
“My master is the most skilled mage there is! It’s an honor for me to accompany him to his homeland. It will be the pride of my life!”
“Sebirino, listen. This is just a simple mountain village, okay? There’s nothing special here…”
Sebirino was looking at me with wide, expectant eyes.
What should I do? There really is nothing special here.
Rivol, Ellie’s fiancé, seemed to be trying hard to think of something to impress us. He hummed and scratched his cheek with his finger.
As we got closer to the village, I started to feel anxious about whether it would be okay for me, the one who was supposed to be dead, to return.
I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. Finally, the village gate came into view. There were people near the gate, and someone waved at me.
“Iriya ? Is that you? Hey!”
“Sis!!!”
Everyone was welcoming us. Ellie came running with tears in her eyes and hugged me.
I had informed them using communication magic that I was coming back, so they had been waiting for me. I felt a little embarrassed.
“Iriya ! Because you taught me how to read, I’ve been going to the nearby villages to teach. That’s how I’ve been getting by.”
“The medicine you gave me has been very useful. The notes you left on how to make it have been such a big help!”
The villagers happily spoke up. Now that I think about it, in mountain villages, literacy rates tend to be low. Just teaching people how to read made them so happy, and I could turn it into work.
In Chenkasura, most people can read since it’s a city.
When I looked at Sebirino, who was standing behind me, the villagers gave him a curious look.
After all, he, the self-proclaimed disciple, looked more impressive than me. I kept my position as a court mage secret, though. Even so, I’m sure the nobles could figure out who he was.
Finally, I arrived at my home after a long time. It’s smaller than the house I live in at Chenkasura, but it smells nostalgic and feels very comforting. It seems Ellie’s fiancé, Rivol, plans to live here with us. I’m relieved that my mom won’t be alone.
When my mom tried to make tea, Sebirino, of course, stopped her.
“This is my job,” he said.
He’s tall for a mage, and his presence is quite imposing, so when he said that clearly, it was hard for anyone to argue with him.
Mom, Ellie, Rivol, and I gathered around the table and talked about our new life in Chenkasura. It made everyone happy to hear I was doing well and feeling more cheerful than when I was an apprentice court mage.
I can’t send money home anymore, but with Rivol around, things should be okay.
“By the way, it seems like everyone already knew when my master was coming back. How did you know?”
“I sent a letter from Chenkasura. That’s why I knew ahead of time.”
“…A letter?”
Now that I think about it, Sebirino hasn’t seen the communication magic yet. It’s a good opportunity to show it off!
I took him to my room, which still looked almost exactly as it had when I left. Only the communication magic device was carefully locked in a drawer.
“This is a communication magic device I developed using the Magic Mirror technique.”
“…Master, did you develop this on your own?”
“Yeah, sorry I didn’t tell you about it. I didn’t want it to be known since if I taught it, you’d realize I was planning to leave…”
I had developed it to keep in touch with my family after leaving the country, and it was difficult to bring it up.
Sebirino stared at the communication magic device.
“Master, this looks eerily similar to the communication magic that His Highness secretly ordered to be researched in the lab… Communication magic is supposed to be a secret technique. No one should know about it!”
“What!? It’s just sending a letter!”
“That’s the issue. Unlike messengers, communication could be interrupted. Currently, it hasn’t been disrupted, but different countries are researching it, and I’m sure Chenkasura hasn’t perfected it yet. The fact that only the sacred bird messenger was used to send messages from the defense city proves that.”
That’s right!
When we were dealing with the Firedrakes, the magic was disrupted, and even when we were attacked by magic, if we had been able to communicate faster, we could’ve arrived sooner. I can’t believe I didn’t realize this earlier!
“That’s why the communication was cut off…”
“Exactly. It’s a vital technique.”
Thinking about it, information is crucial. I’m glad I asked, or I might have carelessly told someone else about it. Poor Ekval, always having to take responsibility for everything.
“I’ll make sure no one else knows.”
“Be careful. But, why did you make a hole in it…? If it needs to be combined to work, are you hiding the fact it’s communication magic?”
“No, no. It’s just a waste to use it only for communication, so I was thinking of adding a different symbol to use it as a charm. But, I think I should focus on communication magic now.”
I got a bit carried away… I didn’t realize I was supposed to hide it, and I didn’t see why it was so important to keep it secret.
“Master’s idea is truly brilliant!”
“But this experiment failed…”
“No, the fact that you even thought of it is miraculous! I’m so grateful to accompany you!”
He seems so moved…
Well, at least he’s happy. That’s good, right?
We decided to stay at my house tonight and go to Sebirino’s family home tomorrow to introduce myself as his master.
Looks like I’m going to be introduced with great fanfare. I better prepare myself!
