FYTE 30

Chapter 30

From a young age, Aris had lived under the threat of death, despised by the world, with more enemies than allies. To survive, he took part in the rebellion led by his father and uncle, standing at the frontlines and slaughtering members of his own imperial bloodline—only to be betrayed in the end.

It wasn’t as though every misfortune in the world had been cast upon Aris, but all that was good seemed to slip from his grasp, leaving behind only the faint trace of hollow hope before vanishing.

What had kept him going until now was the knowledge that there were still some good things left in the world. Perhaps he even held onto the faintest expectation that, one day, they might once again belong to him.

Part of it also lay in Aris’s own nature, which was not particularly greedy. He didn’t want to surrender to the circumstances, but neither did he have the will to step forward and change them.

Mirea, compared to the past events, considered herself lucky, but she wondered if Aris could accept his own circumstances as she had hers. She was doubtful. Yet she could hardly blame him.

The blue eyes that once reminded her of sunlight scattering across the water’s surface now seemed deeper than the abyss. She couldn’t tell if he truly desired the emperor’s head or not.

“Then use me. In exchange, give me the emperor’s head. As long as you don’t hinder me, I’ll let myself be used as much as you like.”

Aris’s words cast a cold silence over the council hall. Then, in a small but resolute voice, Sephiros spoke.

“You’re mistaken, Aris Kleinsherd.”

Aris turned his eyes toward Sephiros, who gazed back at him with a firm expression and a gentle smile on his lips.

“What you just described—that’s what we call an alliance.”

Aris’s brow lifted slightly. Sephiros continued, speaking as though confirming it to everyone present.

“We are allies. Just as I asked for your cooperation, you are equally entitled to demand your rightful share from me. And I am obliged to uphold that. That is how I see it—do you disagree?”

Before Aris could reply, Raked interjected with a weary tone.

“Call it using, call it alliance—once you’re on the same ship, it’s only natural to do your best to cooperate until the voyage ends. Personally, as long as the result is good, I don’t care what you call it, Chairman.”

Aris had thought Sephiros was expressing something obvious in a trite way, but what followed from Raked’s mouth was anything but obvious.

“Which is why, Aris—you’re going to learn magic from Kundulen before we depart.”

At that, everyone turned their eyes toward Raked and Sephiros, the same doubt etched on their faces. To the man who had forged a sword powerful enough to seal Klein, and with that very power toppled an emperor—what?

The person himself seemed equally dumbfounded, for Aris suddenly straightened up from where he had been leaning back in his chair.

“Why the sudden shift in topic? I don’t get it.”

“You said you’d cooperate, didn’t you? Kundulen will be a fine teacher. I’ll leave it to you starting today.”

“I agreed to this as well,” Sephiros added.

“But Chairman,” Kundulen raised a polite concern, “I don’t think there’s anything I could teach him. He’s already a complete mage—and a Derkaid besides.”

Sephiros burst into laughter.

“Once you see the way he uses magic, you’ll change your mind.”

“The way he uses magic? But he seems perfectly skilled at it?”

Sio muttered in bewilderment, but Aris, sensing what Sephiros meant, kept his mouth shut. The rest, left in the dark, could only blink in confusion.

“That’s enough for today. If more matters arise, we’ll convene again. Until departure, you have some time, so I advise everyone to take care of their health. As for you, Aris—Kundulen once served as an academy professor, so don’t worry too much. With little time left, start today and learn as much as you can.”

After saying his piece, Sephiros briskly gathered his papers and stood, leaving first. Watching him, Aris pressed his fingers to his temples. Few people liked studying, and he was certainly not one of those rare exceptions.

Once Sephiros had gone, Kundulen cleared his throat softly in front of Aris. The young man deliberately ignored the large shadow looming over him as he asked,

“Do I really have to learn magic?”

“I am obliged to carry out the orders given. I shall teach you.”

Aris rubbed the back of his neck and let out a long sigh.

“Since the Chairman wants us to begin right away, shall we head to my personal study, if that’s all right with you?”

Kundulen glanced around at the three others who were glaring with sparkling eyes.

“Do you… perhaps have other business?”

Before they could answer, Raked smacked each of them on the head with a folder as he walked by.

“Hey, you three blockheads. Don’t go stirring up more trouble—just go home quietly.”

Mirea, Sio, and Laila rubbed the spots he’d hit and glared daggers at his back. As soon as he was gone, Laila shot her hand up.

“I’d like to attend the lessons as well—to have a reference when modifying magitech. I need to accurately gauge Aris’s magical ability for adjustments.”

It was a rather convincing excuse. Kundulen nodded and turned to Sio, who replied lightly,

“I just want to see what’s so strange about the way he uses magic.”

Mirea, on the other hand, was more forthright.

“Aris is on dinner duty tonight. If he’s not around, I won’t have anyone to cook for me. I’ll starve.”

Anyone could see it was a flimsy pretext, but Kundulen let it slide. He then asked Paulo and Liviel,

“Do either of you wish to join for any reason?”

“My wife’s waiting for me at home, so I’m leaving on time,” Paulo said, vanishing like the wind.

“I…”

Liviel searched for a polite excuse to bow out, but Laila suddenly grabbed him.

“I’ll need to coordinate your holy power with Aris’s mana. If you’re not there, it won’t work.”

“Hmm…”

Liviel glanced at Aris, who gave a resigned nod. With a faint smile, he said,

“If you don’t mind my being there, I’ll help.”

Thus, Laila’s personal plan succeeded.

Kundulen’s personal study was located in an annex attached to his estate. Unlike Mirea’s quaint and cozy home, Kundulen’s reflected his old-fashioned character. Carpets embroidered with Ovian tribal patterns lay across the floors, and most of the decorations were handcrafted embroidery.

The annex used as his study was overflowing with books. Piles of them towered everywhere, with only a single straight path from the door to the desk kept clear.

Normally cluttered with tomes and magical tools, the desk had been hastily cleared to make space. Despite the sudden visitors, Kundulen’s wife, Sharné, graciously brought out flower tea. The couple had three children—two sons and a daughter—but all were currently away studying at the academy.

Seated and sipping tea, Kundulen began,

“I was ordered to teach you, but without knowing your level, I don’t know where to begin. Would you mind if I conducted a few simple tests?”

“Go ahead,” Aris replied in a listless tone.

“First, since I was told to observe your magic, let’s start with something simple. For example…”

Stroking his beard and glancing around, Kundulen noticed an empty glass bottle and brought it over.

“Can you cut this bottle cleanly in half, vertically, without shattering it?”

Setting it upright on the desk, he watched as Aris, still sipping his tea, casually swiped his finger downward. Blue sparks danced across the bottle’s surface. With a clear ching, the glass split neatly in two, exactly as requested—without shattering. But the onlookers’ faces stiffened.

“Do you normally use magic this way?”

“Well… yes…” Aris trailed off, dodging the question. Kundulen pushed the halved bottle toward him and said again,

“Now, put it back together.”

The two halves floated lightly into the air, drawn to each other like iron to a magnet, and clicked perfectly back into place. Aris steadied the bottle, sparks of blue mana crackling faintly across its surface as his own power repelled the ambient ether, then set it back on the desk. Finishing his tea, he silently awaited Kundulen’s evaluation. The first to speak was Sio.

“Wait… that’s even possible?”

“You just saw it,” Aris replied.

“I mean, I knew it was theoretically possible,” Laila said, rubbing her wide eyes, “but seeing it in practice—it’s absurd.”

“So you always use magic like this?” Mirea asked.

Aris nodded silently. The others stared at him, faces brimming with unspoken thoughts. Their reaction had good reason.

For magic, after all, was the act of drawing upon one’s mental energy and converting it into material energy. But it could never be done by mere “thought” alone. A medium was required to efficiently transform that mental energy—a magic stone. And even with a magic stone, not just anyone could wield magic.