Episode 51: The Sorrows of a Legend
The ‘Garden’ spell.
From what I’ve heard, it’s supposed to be one of the ultimate spells for a Magician.
Teleportation itself is already quite a high hurdle, but moving to another dimension is even more difficult. On top of that, you have to seize control of the teleportation destination, that other dimensional space, and make it your own.
That requires an enormous amount of Magical Power, and a lifespan long enough to spend the time.
And then, if you start messing with the interior design of that space you’ve created, there’s no stopping you.
That’s the kind of magic the ‘Garden’ is…
…Yeah.
So, well, you see.
I’ve been invited to the garden of the Legendary Archmage, the one who served the founding king of this country.
And it was about the size of a small island…
Amazing, right?
Except the level of “small” is, you know, different.
To be specific, it only had about as much area as a single Japanese house…
My ‘Garden’ is the size of four Tokyo Domes, you know.
The interior is different too.
In my ‘Garden,’ I have a huge farmland, a pseudo-sea, a mansion and warehouse, and even a pseudo-sun and a recreated ecosystem.
This Legendary Archmage’s ‘Garden’ only has a small lake about the size of three bathtubs, three or four trees with glowing fruit that serve as a light source, and a simple table and chairs.
Oh, geez…
I really, truly realized that my Magic Cheat was a ‘Cheat’…
Enough to surpass the Legendary Archmage, who served the founding king of this country, and go far beyond him in a mere twenty-odd years of life…
If I were still a naive kid in middle school, I might have been able to rejoice innocently, but now I just feel… well, nothing but apologetic.
As you get older, the moment you realize that everything you’ve built up has been in vain is the most damaging. You’re not young anymore, so you can’t start over…
Fortunately, I’ve always been recognized by others for my efforts, so I haven’t felt that much regret… but still.
There have been times when I’ve thought, “What if I had done this back then?” or “What if I had built this up from here?” It’s like raising stats in an RPG. It’s painful to know what stats are lacking right before the end of the game, and how to raise those lacking stats…
Anyway, what am I saying, using a Magic Cheat I got as a gift? I’m pretty sorry…
Getting power without any effort isn’t good after all…
“…You’re not surprised. I suppose you can use it too?”
“Ah, yes… I can.”
“I see… It took me two hundred years to be able to use ‘Garden’ stably, you know… hahaha…”
“Ah… S-So… I guess?”
Crap, crap, the Legendary Archmage is losing it.
Anything I say will sound like a jab, so I can’t say anything.
“Ah, well, you see, I don’t know the theories of Magicians in this world! No, really, I think it’s amazing that you’re properly working as a Magician in this world!”
“Hehehe, if you’re as strong as you are, you could become a State Guest Sorcerer tomorrow… If anything, I’d have to give up my position as ‘Head State Guest Sorcerer’!”
Ugh! Annoying!
He’s getting all flustered!
“A-Anyway… what exactly is the matter you wanted to discuss?!”
I’ll forcefully change the subject.
“It’s… to know the strength of the unknown Magician serving Count Missgancia.”
Hmm.
“I was aware of you, Andrews-kun… When you came to the Royal Capital a long time ago, I was away on business… but I could feel your immense Magical Power.”
“…And?”
“Even back then, I felt that you had ten times my Magical Power. I didn’t know how skilled you were with magic yet, but in order to prepare for the worst, I set up magical traps and devices in the Royal Capital. This time, you triggered a detection magic trap, so I came to see.”
Ah…
Come to think of it, I didn’t know that it was polite for Magicians to control their Magical Power and not let it leak out back then.
So, I was apparently leaking out a huge amount of Magical Power, like the protagonist in the early days of a certain Shinigami manga.
Margot, the Elf Magician I met in Missgancia, Midford, pointed it out, and that’s when I started controlling my Magical Power.
…Thinking about it, I understand why I couldn’t meet any Magicians when I traveled around.
I see, I see, I was walking around town with power leaking out, so they thought, “Whoa, this guy’s dangerous!” and “We have to fortify our place and prepare to fight back before he does anything!”…
“Ah… has the fact that I’m a Magician been reported yet?”
“I’ve reported it to the king, and this reconnaissance mission was also a task ordered by the king. But I haven’t told anyone other than the king and the other State Guest Sorcerers, and it shouldn’t have leaked out.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course. What would be the point of spreading the word that ‘There’s a mysterious Magician who could destroy this country wandering around’?”
…Well, yeah.
It’s not strange that it was kept secret to avoid causing panic.
Besides, if that had been known to everyone around, I would have already received a very gracious order from the nobles of other factions, saying something like, “Serve me, and consider yourself honored.”
It’s definitely still hidden. Only this person and the king know about it.
Hmm… what should I do?
“…Kill them?”
I hesitated.
Should I just kill them all? I even thought about that.
The king must have a successor, and if he doesn’t, someone will be appointed from the Duke’s family, right? That’s how it works.
It’s a medieval monarchy, with more replacements than a council system, but not as many as an absolute monarchy.
Killing everyone who knows would be the easiest way…
“Um… I’d be in trouble if you did that…?”
“Oh, ah… sorry, did I say that out loud?”
“No, I understand. Too much power brings turmoil. It was wise to keep it secret. I really commend you for that. If that power were to reside in someone thoughtless, the world would have been shaken…”
“Maybe so.”
“And… your magic. It felt like the formulas you use are different from those used by ‘Humans’… In that case, your teacher must be a fairy, a demon, or something like that, right?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
Well, the old man who called himself the god of magic… in other words, a demon.
“Therefore, you were unfamiliar with the human world and didn’t know how to control your Magical Power… But now you’ve learned it and are properly hiding your Magical Power. That means you intend to adapt to the human world! That’s really wonderful.”
“Um… so?”
“I’ve decided that you’re ‘someone I can talk to’.”
I see.
Okay, negotiations start now.