Chapter 98

“Yurian, Support!”

I extend a stream of divine power to block the tentacle that was about to strike down on Irian’s swift figure. My knees buckle halfway under the crushing force, but in the brief moment I created, Irian’s red hair was right in front of the creature floating in the air.

“Holy Weapon.”

The husky, alluring voice reaches my sensitive ears. The determination within seemed to reflect Irian’s rage. When she gets angry, even I can’t stop her.

“Divine Fury.”

The white light on Irian’s sword flares intensely and expands. The enormous divine power gathered at the tip of the sword bursts forth, piercing the approaching tentacle. Following Irian’s movement as she pivots her waist with a large step, she slices through the massive tentacle.

The heavy thud of the tentacle hitting the ground, splattering green fluid everywhere. The shockwave alone sends Irian tumbling across the floor.

“The front is open! Sandra, target its left side! Cha Hyewon! Front!”

As a dozen fireballs simultaneously rush in, the sluggish tentacles quickly block their path. A huge roar and a scorching heatwave blast through.

The tentacles that moved to block Sandra’s fireballs droop, leaving only the two tentacles supporting Albert Hamatan’s body in the air to defend against Cha Hyewon charging from the front.

One of the thick tentacles, which had been rooted to the ground, urgently drops towards Cha Hyewon’s head. Cha Hyewon rolls on the ground to evade it, and the impact of the tentacle landing next to her sends fragments flying, causing a burning pain as they graze her face.

“Go!”

Irian’s sword flashes again as she crouches. The thickest tentacle is bound by my divine power, and the cluster of tentacles that had been switching between offense and defense is drooping from the damage from Sandra’s magic. One of the two tentacles supporting Albert Hamatan’s body is now lying on the ground after attacking Cha Hyewon.

“Checkmate, you tentacle bastard.”

* * *

Karsilla was shocked by the sight of Andrew Jackson twisting his mouth into a grotesque sneer, accompanied by a bizarre laugh.

“W-Why? Karsilla is cute… it doesn’t work…?”
“……I can tell how she was raised without even looking.”
“…Please.”

Jackson’s mouth twisted as he looked down at Karsilla’s small head, which was politely offering a knuckle on her hand.

“Heh. Do you know how many people are lining up for even a small item imbued with magic by the great mage Andrew Jackson? …Well, you’re just a kid, so you probably don’t. Ahem, then just this once, I’ll use my power. Let’s see… Hmm? Kid, where did you get this thing?”

At Jackson’s question as he examined the knuckle, Karsilla explained that she had found it in a hidden temple. Jackson nodded at the mention of it being an item left in an old temple.

“I see. That’s why it has this old-style ancient magic imbued in it. …Hmm. This is… a bit complicated.”
“Is it hard?”
“Hard? What do you take this great mage for! This is nothing for this great mage!”
“Oh.”

Jackson’s lips curled up slightly at the sight of Karsilla’s eyes sparkling as she looked at him. She seemed to like it quite a bit, considering how indifferent she usually was. He didn’t know why she liked this dark knuckle that felt big even in his own hand, but it seemed to be a precious item for the kid.

“Alright, fine! Since I’m doing it, I’ll make the size fit your tiny fist.”
“Ooh.”
“Hmm, hmm. Of course, as you grow, your hands will get bigger, and then the knuckle will get smaller. This great mage Andrew Jackson will naturally solve this problem too. I’ll imbue it with magic so that it always fits perfectly, no matter the size of your hand. How about that?”
“Ooh!”
“Hmph! Now do you understand the greatness of magic? Fists are nothing compared to magic. How about it, will you study hard now?”
“Oh….”
“Tsk, a kid who doesn’t know the delights of magic.”

Although Jackson clicked his tongue, he still imbued the knuckle with all sorts of magic as he had promised. A few days later, Karsilla received the knuckle, which had been transformed to fit her hand perfectly, and she was so moved that she lifted it up with both hands.

“Oh! Ooh!”
“Mwahaha! How is it! Isn’t it radiant? This is an item imbued with the magic of the great mage Andrew Jackson, the radiant Glock 19!”
“Glock 19…?”
“Yes! An item imbued with magic by this great mage needs a name worthy of it. This is the 19th item imbued with my minor magic, so I named it Glock 19. Well, it’s minor, but it’s at a level that would surprise the world, as befits the magic of the great mage Andrew Jackson. Mwahaha!”
“……Oh.”
“What is it? Don’t you like it? Then give it back.”
“Ooh! Glock 19!”
“Mwahahaha!”

Karsilla was overjoyed to receive a necklace with a magical string to tie the knuckle around her neck.

“Tsk tsk. Even a young one like you goes crazy for gifts. Well, read some books. This great mage is busy. I’ll check on you when I get back, so study hard!

Karsilla watched the stooped back of the old mage as he walked away. She still didn’t find it fun, but she had to do her best for the old man’s sake.

Karsilla knew.
That the old mage had stayed up for several nights to imbue the knuckle with magic.
That he pretended to be fine, but was actually exhausted and on the verge of collapsing. He was a boastful old man, but she had to study hard as much as he had worked for her.

“…Hmm? It’s noisy downstairs. Is something going on?”

Suddenly, the old mage stopped. Andrew Jackson, patting his stooped back, stuck his head out of the small window, and the city, which looked like a toy from the high mage tower, came into view.

It was clearly the same scenery as usual, but it was also different.

“The city… is on fire? What on earth…?”

The sight of the city engulfed in crimson flames. From the high mage tower, the city was burning, collapsing, and people, who looked like tiny ants, were scattering in chaos.

“What is this…?”

A simple fire? Did someone commit arson? Whether it was a fire or arson, what were the city folks doing to let the whole city be engulfed in flames?

A huge black fireball exploding in the middle of the city caught Jackson’s eye. The ominously black fireball caused a massive explosion as soon as it touched the ground, turning the area into a wasteland.

The lingering scent of intense magic was so strong that it made his head spin. Jackson looked at the hollowed-out city floor and muttered without realizing it.

“Ah, demonic magic…? How? How did that cursed black magic come into the world?”

Jackson’s wrinkled eyelids trembled at the ominous black mana emanating from all over the city. He didn’t know what was going on, but he couldn’t just stand by now that black magic had appeared.

Although he felt like he could collapse at any moment from the hard work he had put in over the past few days, Andrew Jackson was a stubborn old man who couldn’t abandon his duty as a seeker of the blue mana.

“Kid, I have to go down to the city. It’s dangerous for you, so don’t leave the mage tower. The mage tower is protected by the magic of the great mage Crouch, so you’ll be safe here.”
“What about you?”
“I… have to fulfill my duty. A seeker of blue mana can’t avoid black mana. Don’t worry about this great mage Andrew Jackson. I’ll come back after teaching those bad guys a lesson, so you memorize the books. Okay?”
“…Okay. Be careful.”
“Heh, are you worried about this great mage Andrew Jackson? Don’t worry. I’ll use my great magic to punish those bad guys.”

Andrew Jackson straightened his body and gripped his old, polished oak staff. He didn’t look back at the kid’s gaze behind him, and his steps towards the stairs felt unusually heavy today.

Karsilla watched the old man’s receding figure. The skinny old man, who was only tall, was getting smaller and smaller as he walked with his staff.

Karsilla knew.
That the old mage was not the great mage he always claimed to be. He was not a great mage. He was not even great or amazing.

He was just a common mage who hadn’t achieved much even at his old age… The only talent he had was imbuing items with magic.

Even though he was a high-ranking official of the empire, this was a mage tower located in a foreign kingdom. How effective would it be if the governor suddenly came and entrusted a kid to be educated? Of course, the mage tower had just assigned an old man, who was an excess personnel, to take care of the troublesome kid.

Karsilla knew well.
How other mages treated the old man. How the old man was treated in the mage tower.

But… she also knew that he was a kind old man. He always called himself a great mage, but she knew how much the insignificant mage had struggled over the past few days to imbue the knuckle with magic.

Last night, when Karsilla had woken up, she had seen the old man relying on the faint light of a lantern, flipping through all sorts of books. He was sweating profusely, turning pages, and imbuing magic.

When she secretly looked at the books the next day, they were about ancient magic.
The old mage had spent several nights struggling to interpret ancient magic that he didn’t even know well.

“……Grandpa.”

She had a bad feeling.
Should she follow him because she was worried? If she followed him? Would she be of any help?

Karsilla lowered her gaze to the knuckle she was fiddling with. The knuckle, tied with a magic string and hanging like a necklace, no longer looked overly large and awkward. The knuckle, which had been made smaller and more beautiful to fit her hand perfectly, was warm.

It was a metal knuckle that should have been cold, but why did it feel warm?
She knew. It was hanging around her neck, touching her skin, and the warmth of her hand had been transferred to it from her fiddling. But… this warmth bothered her.

Again. Again.
She didn’t want to feel this powerless feeling again. Even if the pretty purple-haired lady hadn’t said it, she knew instinctively. That she had to become stronger to be ‘herself.’

She had to become stronger to be with the people she liked… She felt it instinctively. That’s why she had tried. Even though she knew it wouldn’t work… she had kept trying, and trying.

“No. Grandpa said he’d give me a test.”

She turned her gaze to the book, trying to calm her uneasy heart. The old pages were fluttering in the wind.

Karsilla struggled with the book, which didn’t seem to catch her eye today.
One hour, two hours…

‘He said he’d give me a test.’

That day, the old man didn’t return until late at night.
And that was the last time Karsilla saw the insignificant mage, Andrew Jackson.