After staying at Yerna’s house for a few days, Luke found himself in a predicament.
‘The mana isn’t accumulating enough.’
To create a circle, a significant amount of mana was required to envelop the whole body, but oddly enough, his body demanded an incredibly high amount of mana.
Despite diligently gathering mana from the air for several days, it was far from sufficient.
At this rate, he wouldn’t be able to create a single circle even after a month.
‘Originally, I could have effortlessly created up to five circles, yet now I can barely manage one?’
This was due to an excessively high power adaptation. His body was way too good, and it was holding him back.
However, thinking about what it would feel like to inscribe a circle onto such a body and operate it didn’t seem too daunting.
That didn’t mean it was easy, though.
As he sat with his eyes closed, groaning in discomfort, Yerna asked,
“Luke, are you feeling unwell?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
“Hmm… is that so?”
Yerna sighed as she tied her hair back.
‘He’s been struggling like that since yesterday; can I really leave him alone…?’
After all, her vacation was coming to an end today. She still hadn’t found a facility to leave Luke at.
He was truly a beautiful and adorable child, but the horns and ears were a hindrance.
No orphanage would welcome a child who underwent such “treatments.”
Because generally, children who received such treatments were all in a state of madness, so orphanages were reluctant to accept them.
She felt the world’s prejudices were frightening.
‘To send him to a mental hospital… that’s just too cruel. Luke is really a quiet and gentle child…’
Perhaps due to his memory loss, he was exceptionally mature, composed, and quiet.
He was hardly childlike at a glance.
But even so, a child was still a child.
“Luke, if I go to work, you absolutely must not wander around alone, okay?”
“Don’t worry about me.”
“That’s right, our Luke is kind. Then, stay put. For meals…”
“A tuna can would be enough.”
“Alright, a tuna can. If you get hungry, you can eat that.”
She knew nothing about meat as an elf.
But Luke was a human child, after all. For his growth, she couldn’t force him to adopt a vegetarian diet like an elf.
So, after some hesitation, she settled on tuna cans.
They were meat that required no cooking and could be eaten raw.
As an elf, she had never cooked food using fire; at most, she had boiled water to make tea or made her special elf-style vegetable soup.
Fortunately, Luke really liked tuna cans.
“Absolutely, under no circumstances should you go outside! Understand?”
“I got it. I won’t disappoint you.”
“Luuuu…”
Yerna ruffled Luke’s hair, letting out a sound that expressed her reluctance to part.
Although Luke found her touch bothersome, he allowed it.
He had neither the strength nor the will to push her away right now.
“If you feel any pain, you have to call, okay? I installed a phone in case of you. And if you want something to eat, order it with the money on the table.”
“I got it, I got it. Just go and work well.”
Before long, Yerna, who had picked him up and was rubbing her cheek against his small, soft one, let out a “hot” sound and gently set Luke down.
“I really have to go now; you have to stay safe at home!”
“Yeah, yeah. Oh, don’t forget to bring the magic book back.”
“I won’t forget!”
With her work hours running short, Yerna hurriedly closed the elevator door and disappeared.
Luke sighed at her departing figure and closed the door.
“Today, I’ll just have to practice accumulating mana all day.”
Although it would be utterly insufficient, it was something that needed to be done.
‘When Yerna brings that magic book, I need to be at a level where I can use magic with it. To do that, establishing a circle is absolutely essential…’
In the advanced society that developed after 5000 years, how much had the magical system evolved?
He felt excited to the point of not being able to sleep.
– Grumble…
That didn’t mean he could forget he was hungry, though.
“Ugh, what a hassle this young body is; I can’t believe I get hungry this often…”
Rubbing his belly that was growling, Luke picked up the tuna can that had been placed on the table.
It was a special tuna can that was designed in a way that even children couldn’t hurt themselves with it, requiring no can opener; you just had to remove the lid.
It was a choice made by Yerna, taking into account little Luke.
After opening the can, the first thing Luke did was lick the lid and savor it.
The salty taste was quite satisfying.
‘Did I always like this flavor this much?’
He couldn’t remember clearly.
Well, if it tasted good now, that’s what mattered.
Thinking it was no big deal that his taste habits changed with his body, he dipped a spoon into the can’s contents.
“Ugh… this is really delicious.”
The salty and flaky taste was exquisite, extremely addictive.
In no time, the spoon was scraping the bottom of the can.
After quickly finishing one can, Luke felt a bit unsatisfied.
Well, if one wasn’t enough, he could just open another.
So he opened the second can and shoved the contents into his mouth, chewing it. The thought of a third one crossed his mind…
But that would be for later when he got hungrier. For now, it was all about mana accumulation.
Once again, he sat cross-legged in the living room and focused his entire body.
He could feel the mana slowly filling up, but it was far from enough to create a circle.
While the amount of mana was definitely greater than before, it was as if the output was lacking.
When absorbing above a certain limit, the charging speed was incredibly slow.
“Should I really practice outside…?”
There was a reason why mages secluded themselves deep in the woods.
Mana itself was the essence of life and its source.
A forest rich in life was the perfect place to accumulate mana.
If he had followed Yerna to work in the woods, he could have easily filled his mana, but that couldn’t happen.
That would be a huge inconvenience.
Clearly, he wouldn’t be able to do his own tasks while also keeping an eye on him.
Moreover, inscribing a circle was a highly dangerous operation that shouldn’t be interrupted by anyone.
Regardless of how Yerna had saved him, he definitely didn’t want to perform such delicate and risky work in front of someone else.
‘It reminds me of the first time I inscribed a circle a long time ago…’
Back then, it hurt so much he screamed as if the world was ending.
The circle is the greatest barrier that distinguishes a mage from a commoner.
It engraves a rule that didn’t exist into one’s body.
Naturally, immense pain accompanies that first inscription.
He didn’t want to worry Yerna any longer.
After all, he was just a guest, soon to be cast away from her side.
He could never grow just by receiving her kindness.
Moreover, it was imperative he had a circle now to repay her later.
Because in his current state, he possessed no power.
Luke got up and looked out the window.
Right away, he saw the enormous World Tree.
The large tree rising majestically at the center was supplying mana to the entire city.
“If I could go there, I’m sure I could inscribe a circle…”
Luke immediately prepared to go out.
He had been warned several times not to go out, but if that could curb a mage’s ambition, then the concept of a grand mage wouldn’t exist.
“It’s just a quick visit; it should be fine…”
Still, just in case, he thought he should leave a note.
———-
The weather was pleasant.
Even though it got chilly at night, it wasn’t particularly cold during the day.
Luke mumbled as he put on the children’s dress Yerna had bought for him.
“The horns are so uncomfortable…”
She was a very considerate elf. Noticing that Luke couldn’t wear a T-shirt alone because of his horns sticking out, she bought him a dress with buttons, making it easy to wear by himself.
However, since a buttoned dress was something typically for young girls, he felt a bit embarrassed.
But since he mainly wore robes anyway, he decided to think of it as similar.
In truth, it wasn’t magically treated; it was made of extremely soft wool and of high quality, which made him happy.
Moreover, it was the outfit that Yerna liked and called ‘pretty.’
Complaining about it would be rather immature of him.
Alongside that, he wore warm pants lined with fur and a coat called a ‘jacket’ and wrapped a scarf he had purchased together.
Dressed like that, he felt no chill outside.
In fact, he almost felt warmth radiating from Yerna’s kindness.
With a heartfelt thank you once again for everything Yerna had given him, Luke grabbed the allowance placed on the table and walked toward the entrance.
Standing on tiptoe, he turned the doorknob and made his way straight to the elevator.
‘Having watched it operate a couple of times, it should be fine.’
Luke confidently pressed the button marked ‘1’ and closed the door.
Having become completely adept at using it unlike before, Luke felt a sense of achievement and smiled slightly.
“Easy. I’ll adapt to this era in no time.”
He had a desire to understand this world and moreover, a will to interpret the phenomena occurring in his own body.
Thus, such adaptation was essential, and he thought that changing into the appearance of a child was rather fortunate.
After all, he knew far less about this world than even a child smaller than this body.
Acknowledging his own ignorance was said to be the first step towards seeking knowledge.
Mages are those who live alongside ignorance for a lifetime.
Even Luke, once a great mage, had never let go of that mindset.
“Now then…”
He was full and had enough energy.
Although the distance to the World Tree was a bit far, it shouldn’t be a problem.
After walking for a while, Luke felt something wasn’t right—the distance wasn’t closing.
The reason was something he had never thought of before.
‘Ah, it’s the child’s stride that’s the issue. At this pace, it’ll take me half a day just to reach the World Tree.’
Having lived for over a hundred years, he hadn’t realized that his own stride had shrunk.
Since his legs hadn’t disappeared, he thought he could still move if he wanted to.
Once he had matured enough, he hardly felt bound by ‘time’ anymore, so he underestimated it.
‘Should I look for a carriage instead? But how…?’
As he considered whether he should turn back, Luke noticed a gathering of people in one spot.
Each person engaged in different activities, trying to stave off their boredom, but the fact that they were all gathered in one location was the same.
It looked as if they were waiting for something.
‘What are they gathered for?’
Curious, Luke momentarily joined the crowd and gently tapped the back of a young man who was staring blankly across the road.
“Hey, young man.”
Startled by the sudden sensation, the young man turned his head, pulling something from his ear and looking down at Luke.
“…Ah, who… Oh, a kid.”
“What’s that you took out from your ear?”
In a split second, Luke read the information with magic sight, deducing it was a small item enchanted with a voice spell.
The young man, looking oddly at Luke’s little finger pointing at the object, suddenly realized, ‘Oh, is this what he’s talking about?’ and began explaining.
“This is an earphone. You use it to listen to music. Um, have you never seen one before?”
“This is my first time seeing it. It’s a bit embarrassing, but I’m not very familiar with modern things.”
“Your way of speaking is funny, little kid.”
The young man smiled at Luke’s elderly manner of speaking and handed over one of the wireless earphones.
“Want to give it a try? Well, it’s not exactly designed for Hyun, but…”
“Is that alright? Thank you!”
Luke accepted it and brought it up to his pointed ears.
Thanks to his altered ears, his hearing was, indeed, more sensitive, but he found the positioning quite uncomfortable. As he tried to insert the earphone deeper into his ear…
“Ah.”
The small fingers of a child, still unaccustomed, fumbled, causing him to drop the earphone.
“!”
Ultimately, the tiny wireless earphone slipped deep into his ear, causing the music playing from it to thrum against his eardrum, jolting his sensitive areas.
“Hot…!”
Seeing Luke suddenly sit down and groan, the young man panicked.
“W-What’s wrong?”
“My, my ear…! Haah… stop it, stop it…!”
“It’s in your ear? The earphone is stuck?”
“Quick, take it out…! Hah!”
Though he tried to reach in and pull it out, he couldn’t see inside his own ear well enough to extract it.
The altered position of his ears felt very unfamiliar as well, and his arms were too short for the task.
The overwhelming sound was far too immense for Luke’s sensitive hearing.
The continuous shock was akin to pounding his head with a hammer, causing his legs to weaken, and tears began to flow involuntarily.
In the end, Luke couldn’t help but grab the hem of the young man’s pants and plead.
He was certain he couldn’t solve this problem on his own.
“It feels like my head is going to explode; please, make it stop…!”
But the young man was just as panicked.
“Um, um, I’ll get it out, so please just…”
The bewildered young man began to feel anxious under the surrounding gaze.
Wasn’t everyone looking at him as if he were a child abuser?
The young man raised his voice to dissipate their misunderstandings.
“Ah, I got it! It’s an earphone!! I’ll take it out, just wait a moment!”
At that moment, the booming drum part from the music in Luke’s ear blasted forth, sending a jolt through his spine, forcing him to bend backward while suppressing a scream.
“Ughh!! This, ugh, ach!!”
As the surrounding gaze sharpened and a few people seemed to be pretending to make phone calls, the young man cried out in a desperate attempt to refute their assumptions.
“It’s not anything weird! It’s just an earphone, an earphone!!”
