2 – The Prodigy

Etilla Bedford was a prodigy.

A second-year student at the Tristi Academy.

Possessing an exceptional comprehension of runes and elemental magic, she wielded a power that eluded not only her peers, but even senior mages well-versed in the arcane arts.

Though barely of age to partake in the coming-of-age ceremony, she’d already published three academic papers, each lauded by the faculty themselves.

Even the favored apprentices of the assistant professors required at least a year to complete a single paper.

She had completed three in a mere six months.

While this feat alone was close to a miraculous accomplishment, what was truly astounding was that each paper explored a different field of study.

Mages generally dedicated their entire lives to a specific area of expertise.

Much like academics divided their research, so too did mages.

Fire magic to fire magic, rune magic to rune magic, metal magic to metal magic.

While all involved the manipulation of mana to create miracles…

The formulas, structures, and properties of each magical field differed wildly.

It was a choice dictated by sheer efficiency. A necessity for optimizing potential.

And so, Etila was the Academy’s sole recipient of a full scholarship.

The Red Magic Tower, along with numerous others, clamored for her attention.

It was said she would ‘Achieve Transcendence’ – the ultimate goal of all mages – within five years.

This was an exceedingly rare assessment.

Even the Masters who currently headed the Towers had only reached their zenith in their forties.

“……”

*Scratch, scratch,* her pen moved busily across the parchment.

“Etila-nim. I brought your tea….”

A woman in a maid’s uniform entered her dormitory room.

Her name was Rengreng, a skilled guard and maid, provided by the Bedford family for Etila’s care.

Etila did not respond.

“I’ll leave the sweets and tea here…”

She dared not interrupt Etila’s intense studies.

Rengreng bowed slightly and quietly withdrew.

“……”

Etila Bedford was an aristocrat.

She possessed a discerning palate, unwilling to consume anything but the finest tea leaves and artisan-crafted sweets.

A beautiful girl with ruby-red hair, skin as white as jade, and a gentle, rustling smile.

She paused from her writing and turned to the tea and pastries.

Even in her movements, there was an undeniable grace.

As the only child of the Bedford family, a lineage of high nobility, she had grown up showered with love and attention.

The elders of the Bedford family understood the importance of a proper upbringing.

There was no sharp edge to her personality.

“……”

Etila Bedford was a student everyone admired.

Young women regarded her with envy, while male students approached her with less honorable intentions.

“……”

Etila Bedford was capable.

Etila Bedford was powerful.

Etilla Bedford was the best.

Etilla Bedford, the world’s finest.

Etilla Bedford, so very beloved.

Etilla Bedford possessed a certain allure.

Etilla Bedford was, without question, pretty.

Etilla Bedford was clever beyond measure.

Etilla Bedford, blessed with wisdom.

Etilla Bedford was the most perfect being in this world, bar none.

All esteemed Etilla Bedford.

The assessments of her greatness were merely acknowledging the obvious.

And would remain so, eternally, without change.

She settled back into her chair.

And her pen began to fly across the page.

An hour or so slipped by.

“Ugh…”

Presently, Etilla Bedford was weeping.

“Annoying…!!”

Her sharp little voice echoed in the room.

“What is it already…!!”

It was the first time Etilla had seemed so shaken.

Her gaze was fixed on a paper on the desk, the very same examination that Esther Tristy had received from the head of the family.

*Millennium – Reimagining of Hellfire*

She sat there, tapping her feet impatiently on the floor.

“I was working so hard, and in just one more month, I’m certain I could have solved it too…”!!

Besides the exam, another paper lay spread out on her desk.

*The Monthly Ostana – February Edition*

A headline screamed from the page in enormous letters.

*The Millennium Problem That Plagued Magicians, Finally Solved!! The Solver is None Other Than a 15-Year-Old Boy from the Tristy Family!?*

Etilla bit her lip.

How much effort had she poured into cracking this Millennium Problem?

She was pouring more effort and time into it than even her classes and thesis.

Putting aside her beloved trashy novels, she felt her eyesight weakening from constantly staring at the exam papers.

She crumpled the exam paper covered in correct answers.

“Ugh…”

Everywhere she went, it was the only topic of conversation.

-Did you see? They say the Millennium Problem’s been solved this time.

-I saw, but I really can’t understand a word of it, can you?

-I just came from Flame Element class, and the professor was praising him to the skies. They say a new star has risen in the Flame School?

-Huh, wasn’t it some Archmage or someone like that who solved it?

-The solver is apparently only fifteen years old, the youngest son of the Tristy family.

-Eek, younger than me!? He’s the same age as Etilla!! Unbelievable!!

-Etilla even said she couldn’t solve the Millennium Problem herself. If it’s a Millennium Problem, isn’t that way more impressive than a thesis?

A still-growing fist trembled.

“Annoying…!!”

Etilla’s scream echoed.

It was a feeling she was experiencing for the first time.

Heaven above, earth below, I alone am worthy.

For a girl who had always heard only praise, that no genius existed in the world equal to her, the sudden appearance of a formidable rival was…

A disaster akin to an earthquake or a tsunami.

‘It’s the first time I’ve seen the young lady lose her composure…’

Rangrang, who was standing guard outside the dormitory door, sighed.

Thinking that she would need to bring more sugar and caffeine, she briefly left her post.

*

Dalpi called to me.

“Young Master.”

“What is it.”

I was kneeling, hands clasped, offering a prayer to the heavens.

Frankly, even though I’d used Nob AI with confidence, I wasn’t sure if it was accurate.

AI might be high-performance, but it still can’t even draw human fingers properly, can it?

It couldn’t be helped, not in the face of it all.

“Ah, you’re unaware, I suppose…”

In the Republic of Korea where I live, there exists a rather famous proverb.

“If you pray hard enough, the entire universe will mobilize to help you!!”

Dalpi sighed, a weary sound.

“If you were so apprehensive, you should have reviewed it more carefully. Master submitted his application a full ten days earlier than your siblings. I still cannot forget the Lord’s expression when he saw it.”

Ugh, Porto’s expression back then was certainly… fierce.

Less like a father looking at his child, more like regarding a piece of trash, as if thinking, ‘A young man giving up without even trying!?’

“Lord Porto is a man who always sees things through to the end.”

“I know.”

“I shall follow you wherever you go, Master, but I wonder if you truly possess the fortitude to endure the battlefield.”

She seemed to have already decided that I would become a soldier.

And it wasn’t just Dalpi.

Everyone in the mansion, the servants included, sought to bid me farewell.

– Master, good luck.

– He was truly a kind soul…

– He was just a master who did nothing but eat. In a way, it’s an inevitable outcome.

– They say the demons favor the young… I wonder if Master will be the first to be devoured?

Still, the servants bore no ill will.

It was fortunate that only my siblings directed malice my way.

My siblings, so focused on the upcoming trial, even neglected their usual penchant for taunting me, instead opting to simply ignore my existence.

“Honestly. Others would pay good money to entrust their futures to renowned mages…”

“And where would I get money? I don’t even have enough to buy books.”

Dalpi kneaded my shoulders.

Hard enough to cause pain.

“Ow, owww…!!”

“There are times when I feel an overwhelming urge to murder you, Master.”

“This is treason…!!”

“You are not a king, Master. And you may soon cease to be a master at all.”

Dalpi released her grip.

His grip was something of a gorilla’s strength.

Still, I knew Dalpi was worried about me.

“Eh, relax.”

“…….”

“Do you think I’d be doing this without something up my sleeve?”

Dalpi blinked.

“Sometimes.”

“Huh?”

“Sometimes… just sometimes, I feel like the young master I’ve always known is different from how you are now.”

It was a curious voice.

“Have you taken some kind of medicine, perhaps?”

“I’ve taken a very expensive, very rare medicine.”

That medicine was called a past life.

“Hmm.”

“It’s a good thing, isn’t it? Let’s have a drink.”

“The young master is certainly more charming now than he was when he was gloomy and timid.”

I rose from my seat.

“It’s almost time.”

“Yes.”

“Have a safe trip. I’ll be waiting.”

Today was the day of the heir selection results.

It would be a lie if I said I wasn’t afraid.

Even if it’s a perfect AI, it still hasn’t been fully validated.

I didn’t know if this was a certain path or an uncertain one.

Even so, the AI was all I could trust.

I didn’t have brilliant magical knowledge, I didn’t have the charisma to captivate people, and I didn’t receive as much allowance as my other siblings.

The choices I could make were limited.

I wanted to avoid the battlefield by any means necessary.

Frankly, I even had a plan with Dalpi to desert halfway if Porto tried to enlist me.

As I walked towards the family head’s chambers, I ran into my third brother, who loathed me immensely.

“Trainee Esther. Congratulations. Seems our family will finally produce a soldier.”

“……”

“I thought our youngest, the one who only eats and does nothing, would never leave the manor, but who knew it would be today!”

In my memory, Felix was close to being a demon.

The most thorny out of all of us, he would maliciously torment me, using it to vent his inferiority and stress, just absolute trash.

-Brothers, do you know who the most useless b*stard in our family is? It’s Esther, of course.

-You’re the most lacking and deficient, so you’ll have to put away the other brothers’ wooden swords. Isn’t that right?

-How are you planning to attend the parties later? Your etiquette and speech are a mess. Don’t you dare mention the Tristi family name if you go out there.

In today’s terms, he was just a school bully.

Guys like him need to become celebrities so you can reveal all their wrongdoings, but sadly, that kind of profession doesn’t exist in this world.

I used to just silently take it, but now it’s different.

“Brother.”

I stopped in front of the Patriarch’s chambers.

“Huh?”

Felix halted as well.

*Thwack-*!!

With all my strength, I smacked the back of Felix’s head.

“Agh!?”

Leaving the dumbfounded Felix behind, I quickly entered the Patriarch’s chambers.

Then, I greeted my seated father.

Felix, his face flushed red, followed me inside, but couldn’t say a word in front of Father.

Ah, yes, stress really does need to be relieved right away.