WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ The Magic-Eating Wizard ◈

Chapter 5: Tailored Education for Young Mages

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Haren returned to the beach only after spending several minutes walking and running across the water, reveling in the water-walking spell he had just acquired.

Cardin watched Haren panting for breath and asked, amused,

“Is it really that good? It’s only an ordinary water-walking spell.”

“It makes me feel like I’ve really become a wizard.”

Haren had breathed fire yesterday and practiced manifesting a mana field, but walking on water felt different.

More than anything, this was the iconic ability displayed by the savior of the largest religion on Earth in Haren’s previous life.

Of course, this excited, childlike attitude was not entirely genuine.

Part of it was intended to make Cardin lower his guard by showing Haren in a disheveled state.

“How much mana do you have left?”

“Not much. About one-fifth.”

“Hmm. That is heavy consumption even for a newly awakened wizard. It seems you do not have much affinity for the water attribute.”

Magic had eight attributes: fire, water, wind, earth, lightning, light, darkness, and life.

Haren already knew that much, since the Eight Gods Church, the Empire’s state religion, worshipped the embodiments of the eight attributes.

According to Rim’s explanation yesterday, wizards were born with affinities for roughly one to three attributes, though they could develop others later.

Of course, that required extremely harsh training.

“Since you digested the Fire Lizard Potion and survived, you seem to have an affinity for fire. We will have to discover the rest gradually.”

Apparently, a basic part of growing as a wizard was digesting and using essences containing all eight attributes to determine one’s aptitudes.

As Haren was about to nod at the explanation, he suddenly groaned and collapsed to the ground.

“What is this...?”

When Haren focused inward, something seemed to writhe deep within his soul.

The blue spider that had been absorbed into the darkness earlier, and the Fire Lizard that had settled there before it...

As the two creatures fought for dominance, the soul’s light shook as though it might burst at any moment.

The aftereffects spread to Haren’s body, making different parts burn hot, then turn cold again and again.

Cardin looked down at Haren’s pained groans and grinned.

“Oh, I forgot to mention it! If you digest several essences in a short time, the contamination may run wild. One must not be greedy, you know.”

Learning what was happening inside, Haren’s urge to kill the old man flared anew.

Cardin had obviously fed him the potion while knowing this would happen.

Really, Haren had never wanted to kill someone this badly before.

Fortunately, a solution soon presented itself.

When Haren isolated the Fire Lizard in his inner soul and the spider in his outer soul, the remnants of the two magical creatures stopped fighting.

Still, Haren did not want Cardin to discover how he had resolved it. He remained curled up, pretending to suffer for several more minutes before finally standing with ragged breaths, as though he had barely endured it.

Cardin looked intrigued.

“Oh? You suppressed it already? You certainly seem more resistant to contamination than an ordinary person. Interesting. Very interesting.”

Had Haren gotten up far too soon despite deliberately waiting?

His heart sank, but he did not show it. Instead, he gritted his teeth.

“It would’ve been nice if you’d told me before making me drink it...!”

“You remember things longer when you experience them yourself. From now on, do not accept another essence until the previous one has fully digested.”

“I’ll remember that. Very clearly.”

Haren growled with anger, but Cardin merely chuckled as though it were amusing.

It seemed that, just as Cardin had admitted, he found pleasure in tormenting others.

“Now then, if you’ve calmed down, let us watch over there. It looks rather entertaining.”

On one side of the beach, Ruska, Nasrel, and Rim were trading bare-knuckled blows while their bodies were wrapped in mana fields.

Strengthened by mana, they possessed strength and speed beyond those of ordinary adult men despite only being in their early teens.

One peculiar thing was that Nasrel alone was overwhelming both Ruska and Rim.

“Urgh...!”

“Damn it!”

Ruska was about half a head taller than Nasrel, but staggered as though about to fall whenever her small fist landed.

Rim was so flustered that he could not even get within Nasrel’s range. Calling it two against one felt meaningless.

Haren asked Cardin,

“Are they not using magic at all?”

“They are deliberately limiting themselves. You cannot always fight by gracefully exchanging spells. Even if hand-to-hand combat is not your specialty, you must train enough to defend yourself at the very least.”

Soon afterward, Nasrel took a punch to the face, seized Ruska’s arm, spun him around using centrifugal force, and flung him away.

Ruska flew several meters through the air and crashed into Rim behind him.

“Argh!”

“Ghk!”

Haren stared as the two boys rolled across the sand in a tangled heap.

Seeing one delicate girl play with two boys her own age as though they were children felt utterly unreal.

When the two boys were too exhausted even to rise properly, Cardin clapped twice.

“Very good, all three of you! Not one thing I pointed out has been fixed! Miss Nasrel, as I have told you before, that strategy of fighting while taking hits will not work against a proper opponent. Surely you do not intend to take cannon fire and magic with your body as well?”

Nasrel did not even react to the criticism. She sharply turned her head away and pretended not to hear.

Unbothered, Cardin turned toward Rim and Ruska.

“And as I told you before, Master Rim, you are far too timid. You keep pulling your waist back, so there is no force in your punches. You could not knock over a child with punches like those. Master Ruska, on the other hand, you were too reckless. It would be nice if the two of you were mixed half and half.”

“I-I’m sorry, Master.”

“Tch.”

Rim lowered his head and apologized, while Ruska merely clicked his tongue.

Still, the fact that Ruska did not curse suggested he accepted Cardin’s instruction, at least somewhat.

“Anyway, you all worked hard. Rest for now!”

* * *

The four children climbed onto a large rock, either lying down or sitting as they rested.

Haren approached Rim, who was covered head to toe in mud and groaning.

“Are you okay? It looked like you got hit really hard.”

“I’m used to it now, so I’m fine... Besides, Nasrel holds back to some extent. If she hit me seriously, every bone in my body would be shattered by now.”

Even after hearing that, Haren could hardly imagine that girl displaying such monstrous strength.

Her doll-like arms looked as though they would break if he simply grabbed them hard.

If he had not seen it firsthand moments ago, it would have been impossible to believe.

“Why is Nasrel so strong?”

“She’s a Vanguard, and she also has Great Strength. Meanwhile, I’m an Adept and Ruska’s a Marksman... Ah, come to think of it, I was about to explain this yesterday before we got interrupted.”

Rim scratched his head with a sheepish look, sending sand cascading down.

“A wizard’s mana field is divided into three types. They are called Vanguards, Adepts, and Marksmen.”

“Vanguards specialize in close combat, then?”

“That’s right. A Vanguard’s mana field is close to solid, so it is the toughest and most powerful. An Adept’s is close to liquid, so it can freely change its shape and properties. A Marksman’s is close to gas, so it can easily extend far away. Magic tends to follow those traits to some extent too.”

“How can you tell what type you are?”

“You’re probably an Adept. A Vanguard or Marksman who has only just begun using a mana field cannot easily control its position like you did yesterday. They can overcome it somewhat through practice, though.”

Hearing Rim’s explanation, Haren guessed that Cardin was also an Adept.

Cardin had been able to extend his mana field like tentacles to subdue people.

There was also the possibility that Cardin was simply such an overwhelmingly powerful wizard that he had mastered even fields outside his specialty.

Since the person in question was standing right behind them, Haren did not ask directly.

Cardin likely already guessed that Haren bore hostility toward him, but there was no need to reveal that he was probing for Cardin’s weaknesses.

“And Great Strength is a little different. It’s... a kind of special talent.”

“A special talent.”

“People usually call them Blessings or Bloodline Abilities. Those with Great Strength are much stronger than ordinary wizards, and their mana fields are denser. I heard they can overwhelm even a wizard one rank above them in hand-to-hand combat.”

“That’s incredible.”

“However, a Great Strength mana field is more rigid than even an ordinary Vanguard’s, so fine control is nearly impossible beyond protecting the body. It is also difficult to use magic that travels far from the body.”

In other words, Nasrel was an extreme close-combat specialist.

No wonder she could overwhelm the other two even when they joined forces.

“Ruska and I each have something similar too. I’m a Prophet, so I was born with the ability of foresight...”

“Foresight!?”

Before Rim could finish, Haren grabbed his shoulders in shock.

Rim shrank back at the burning passion in Haren’s eyes.

“W-What is it?”

“No, it’s foresight! Doesn’t that mean you could make a fortune with stocks?”

Haren had never used one, but knew that stock exchanges existed in this world.

There was no need to understand complicated things like futures. Could one not simply buy cheap, wait for the price to rise, then sell? It was practically printing money!

But Rim’s next explanation shattered that dream in an instant.

“That’s not possible.”

“Why not?”

“A Prophet’s foresight has many limitations.”

When two or more Prophets foresaw the same event, their visions could conflict. Powerful wizards could also distort or block foresight merely through their existence.

There were even spells specialized in blocking foresight, so normally, it could do no more than find lost objects or sense dangers soon to come.

“I see...”

“I have heard that powerful Prophets can see decades into the future, but someone like that is born at most once a century. I’m not nearly that capable.”

Then again, other people were not idiots. If those with foresight could take money from everyone else’s pockets as they pleased, the stock system would have been abolished long ago.

Or perhaps nations would conscript Prophets and wage massive wars of foresight.

Haren was disappointed only briefly before a thought occurred to him, and he looked toward Cardin behind them.

“Master, there is something I would like to ask.”

“What is it?”

“When we met Kishasha, you called him a Primordial Type. Is that another kind of special talent?”

“I did not expect you to remember that.”

Cardin looked somewhat surprised.

“It is a constitution born with the abilities of Vanguards, Adepts, and Marksmen in equal measure. They are not as outstanding as those specialized in one type, but it is a rather useful talent. There are several wizard families that pass it down as a Bloodline Ability. I do not know whether Kishasha is an illegitimate child of such a family or whether he was born with it regardless of bloodline.”

In other words, aside from Haren, who had become a disciple by chance, every one of Cardin’s disciples possessed a special talent.

As Haren listened, a hypothesis formed.

‘Could Cardin have selected his disciples through foresight?’

The claim that fate had guided him when searching for Kishasha, knowing whom to seek despite not knowing who that person was, and picking only children born with special abilities.

Every clue pointed toward it.

The question was whether Cardin was a Prophet, or had received a Prophet’s help.

If Cardin possessed powerful foresight, escaping his grasp would be more difficult. And if Cardin could receive help from a powerful Prophet, it meant this villain had considerable ability and connections.

Considering that he had specifically accepted Rim, a Prophet, as a disciple, the latter seemed more likely.

“I’m envious. I wish I had a talent like that too.”

Haren deliberately sounded disappointed.

It was both a way to conceal his secret and make himself seem more insignificant.

“Do not think that way.”

“Pardon?”

“Blessings are not as absolute as you think. They are merely useful functions.”

Unexpectedly, Cardin spoke with a stern expression, in a tone that sounded almost like a lecture.

“Ancient wizard families go on about possessing Bloodline Abilities and inheriting the blood of gods and spirits, but in truth, it is no different from racehorses or hunting dogs bred through incest boasting about their pedigree. There is nothing to envy.”

The words carried contempt for so-called wizard families and Bloodline Abilities.

Unlike Cardin’s usual sly, unreadable demeanor, this time Haren could sense sincerity.

“What a load of crap.”

Ruska spoke sharply from beside them.

“You’re only jealous because you’re lowborn and weren’t born with something like that. No matter how much you slander it, the value of a noble bloodline will not disappear.”

The atmosphere, which had been fairly friendly only moments before, froze at once.

After a brief silence, Cardin ignored Ruska’s words and continued encouraging Haren.

Unlike before, though, his cheerfulness sounded forced.

“Well, other qualities are much more important than Blessings if you wish to succeed as a wizard. Outstanding intelligence, a strong will, resistance to essence contamination, and combat instincts, for example. Do you know how many of the five well-known 8th-rank mages possess Blessings?”

“How many?”

“Only one. That is how unimportant they are at such heights.”

Haren nodded as though persuaded by Cardin’s explanation, but privately had doubts.

Above all, if such talents truly were not important, why had Cardin selected only disciples born with them?

* * *

After resting and recovering their stamina and mana, Cardin’s four disciples resumed training.

Ruska bombarded the cliff with various offensive spells to improve his magic.

Rim climbed up and down the cliff beside him with bare hands to build stamina and courage.

And Haren learned how to apply the flame spray spell he had first acquired.

Cardin instructed Haren to cast flame spray through his hands rather than his mouth.

It did not sound very difficult, but trying it revealed an entirely different level of difficulty.

Breathing fire only required surrendering to the instinct taught by the essence imprinted on his soul.

Using it through his hands, however, required the separate process of precisely controlling mana and gathering “heat” in his hands.

At first, Haren struggled to succeed even once or twice in ten attempts. Even after getting the hang of it, the success rate remained under half.

Furthermore, failure did not simply mean the spell failed to come out. It could scorch his palms.

If the Fire Lizard Potion had not strengthened his resistance to heat, he would have been burned.

“Urgh...”

Worse, excessively consuming mana through training made the two suppressed essences act up again.

That was because Haren had deliberately packed them into his outer soul, provoking a collision.

“Meditate again. If you let the contamination run wild and melt it down like this, you should be able to digest it faster.”

After receiving Cardin’s order, Haren separated the essences into different souls again and entered meditation.

He was not certain, but this seemed to digest them much faster than accepting them into a single soul.

After training all morning, the four children gathered again around lunchtime.

“I’m hungry.”

Nasrel muttered, her entire body mottled with red and purple bruises.

This was the result of sparring with Cardin for a long time to correct her habit of not dodging.

Nasrel was nearly invincible against Ruska and Rim, but before the old wizard, she was no different from an ordinary girl.

The sight of her lying curled up on the ground, taking kicks, was enough to inspire pity.

Yet even after taking a beating harsh enough to make an ordinary child scream and beg for mercy, Nasrel showed no resentment or fear.

She only appeared irritated by her unfulfilled hunger.

“We cannot starve you at an age when you should be eating and growing well. Let us return.”

With a casual gesture from Cardin, seawater dozens of meters away surged up and flew toward them.

Haren instinctively moved to dodge, then stopped upon seeing that the other three remained still.

“Hold your breath.”

As Ruska muttered to Haren, the seawater covered all four of them.

The rushing water washed away the mud, sand, and sweat clinging to their bodies and seeping into their clothes, then flowed away.

“Oh...”

After the cleansing, their bodies were completely dry, without even a trace of salt left behind.

Even their clothes looked as though they had been properly washed and dried.

Unlike the other three, who were already used to it, Haren was impressed. Cardin seemed pleased by that reaction and grinned.

“A simple application of water magic. Convenient, is it not?”

“It’s amazing.”

Haren did not have much affinity for water, but resolved to learn that spell someday if given the chance.

With magic like that, there would be no need to go around looking like a beggar anywhere.

They walked back the way they had come, caught a carriage, and returned to the inn. The five of them ate the lunch provided by the inn.

Cardin left to handle some business, while the four children, exhausted from training, immediately fell asleep in their own bedrooms.

Perhaps because Haren had pushed his body so hard, this nap was fortunately deep and free of nightmares, unlike before.

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