Luke was sitting on the floor, frowning as he read a magic book.
“…….”
The book Luke had chosen was a very difficult and obscure ‘magic book’ for children.
Yerna approached him and said, “Why don’t you take it to the desk and read it? Why are you reading on the floor?”
“There’s no space. I don’t want to disturb anyone reading. The floor is enough for me.”
As a book lover, Luke didn’t particularly like being interrupted when someone was reading. However, he endured it because Yerna was someone he was very grateful for.
Thus, Luke’s desire not to disturb others while they were reading was strong. After all, even the man over there was reading while dozing off a bit.
“But what book could you possibly be reading…?”
When Yerna glanced at the cover, it read ‘The History of Magic and Linguistics.’
‘He chose that?’
Yerna was taken aback. Luke was a child who dreamed of becoming a mage. So he must have wanted such a book. It was certainly a must-read for mages.
However, it was a thick and difficult book, one that even adults would struggle with. She thought it was too early for Luke to be reading such a thing.
Seeing a few guests pass by, looking at Luke with expressions of wonder, she was convinced that many thought the same way as she did.
No matter how you looked at it, it was not a level that a child could understand.
“Can you really understand that? Did you choose it because you can?”
Luke closed the book and replied to Yerna, “I expected that, but reading the words is more difficult than I thought.”
“Well, of course, you’re just a child.”
“…….”
Yerna thought it was just a child’s complaint, but that wasn’t the case for Luke. He had once been the headmaster of an academy, had read numerous papers, and was in a position to understand them better than anyone at the time, so the complexity of the sentences was not really an issue.
However, the problem was simply a ‘difference in era.’
The gap of 5,000 years didn’t just mean a technological advancement. Although the overall grammar and characters hadn’t changed drastically, many characters had been simplified and altered by the passing of time, leading to words that were unfamiliar to Luke, especially the unique ‘magical language’ of class magic. This was indeed very different.
The main ingredient of circle magic is ‘will.’ It values the user’s will, and magic is a phenomenon that follows that will. Therefore, while imagination and will are directed towards concretization, class magic differed fundamentally in concept.
Class magic is a principle of perfectly interpreted phenomena, materializing magic based on neatly tuned ‘invocations.’ If there is a firm will to cause a phenomenon, even if the invocation is skipped, a circle responds to that will to some extent. In contrast, class magic shows completely different effects if the invocation is slightly wrong or the order is reversed.
To put it simply, it’s like the difference between phonetic writing and ideographic writing. With the magical system changing fundamentally, the language of that magic, which has been deeply rooted through the ages, has also been gradually altered, leading to sentences that are quite impossible to understand.
Of course, Luke wasn’t without archaeological or linguistic knowledge, but interpreting and translating every sentence while reading was quite exhausting.
“I wish there were books written in simpler terms….”
“Ah, Luke. How about this one?”
————
“What do you think? Do you like it?”
“I really like it. The annotations are neat, and it’s written in easy-to-understand language. Thank you so much.”
“Really? I’m glad, but….”
Seeing Luke’s ears flutter with joy, Yerna smiled, thinking about the book he was holding so dear.
‘A study sheet… I’ve never seen a child who likes something like this in my life…’
In the end, the book Luke chose was a study sheet titled ‘Catching Up on Magic from Class 1 to Class 4 Step by Step.’ It was a book he had compared for several hours in the study sheet corner.
Even the bookstore employee who had guided him seemed a bit surprised to say, “Oh, this is for upper grades. It might be a bit too much for a child to read… there aren’t many pictures, and the applied problems are too rigid and difficult, so it doesn’t sell well.”
“This level is just right for me. It’s quite interesting.”
“Oh…? So, you must really like studying. Do your best.”
As she returned to her spot, she kept glancing at Luke.
In reality, there were quite a few more study sheets pressing down on Yerna’s arms.
Of course, most of them weren’t suitable for Luke’s age group.
Among them, only one, ‘Language Study for Our Children, Finishing It in One Book!’ seemed appropriate.
‘By the way, can he really read all this…?’
Of course, there are those who study well and enjoy it, but there likely wouldn’t be many children who liked study sheets this much.
But she also felt uneasy.
It would be troublesome if he bought all of this and didn’t read them.
A bulk purchase event for educational books, could it have been a scam?
Yerna herself knew well that many times when educational materials were bought in bulk, they would eventually become second-hand goods at a very low price.
It had happened quite a bit to her as well.
That’s why she couldn’t help but feel anxious.
“…Are you really going to read all of this?”
“Of course. If I weren’t going to read it, I wouldn’t have bought it. I’m also sorry to you, Yerna.”
“Okay, okay…”
Yerna had thought he would be interested in something like a fairy tale book, but seeing Luke’s joyful demeanor, she thought it didn’t matter what it was.
She decided to be fooled just one more time.
———
Yerna sat down as she prepared tea for her colleague, Siena Porfinde, who worked as an examiner at the office.
“Is tomorrow your day off already?”
“Yeah, was there something you needed to do?”
“No, I just forgot. I’ve been a bit scatterbrained lately.”
Yerna chuckled lightly, scratching her cheek.
Siena Porfinde was a dark elf she had been close friends with since childhood, and they continued to strengthen their relationship, meeting up often even as adults.
Moreover, elves are a race born from mana and live with mana. Even though the magical city is filled with magical power, it is artificially arranged mana, so it differs from natural mana.
Originally, elves lived in the forest. With the excuse that they need to periodically receive the abundant mana of the forest, Siena would sometimes come to borrow Yerna’s help when she was on duty.
In truth, even natural mana wasn’t all that different.
It was more of a superstitious effect of “perhaps it could help with skin beauty and sleep,” but it was a valid excuse to check on her friend.
“What’s making you so scatterbrained? Are you in a relationship?”
“Are you crazy? What kind of relationship would I be in?”
“Well, you just go from home to the forest and back. It’s impossible for you to be dating someone. I was just joking.”
“That just makes me feel more miserable. You know?”
Feigning annoyance, Yerna lifted her teacup and took a sip.
The aroma of properly brewed tea was quite pleasant.
Indeed, a cup of tea in the essence of natural mana is something special.
“Then, what has been keeping you so distracted?”
“Do you remember that little kid I found the other day?”
“Yeah, I remember. What about him?”
As Siena untied the rubber band holding her hair back, she asked, wanting to lean comfortably against the sofa as the conversation seemed to be going long.
Her snowy white hair fell gently as she did.
After waiting a moment for her to finish, Yerna organized her thoughts and finally spoke.
“Well, I’m still holding onto him because I haven’t found a facility to take him in. But….”
She looked up at the night sky and poured out everything that had happened since then.
———-
“There was a circle in his heart?”
“Yeah. Didn’t you know that during the last inspection? Doesn’t the inspection device show that?”
“Well, that’s just for basic identification… it can only detect things like race, gender, height, and weight. But it’s a good thing they found it early; what happened?”
Upon her question, Yerna’s expression darkened a bit as she replied.
“They said the circle was too perfectly integrated to be removed. His magical sensitivity is really strong….”
“Oh my. What a situation.”
The fact that the circle could not be removed meant that he would have to live his whole life with a bomb in his heart.
Due to the nature of circle magic that manifests through will, controlling or assessing the phenomena caused by it is not easy, and if someone who is not accustomed to handling magic senses it, the circle can rampage, tightening the heart and causing great pain—or worse, they could die from it, treated as a fearsome ‘impediment’ or ‘disease’ in modern times.
However, luckily, having a circle engraved on one’s heart is quite rare, and if removed promptly, it’s usually okay, so it is generally regarded as a minor illness experienced during adolescence.
“How did he end up with that?”
“I don’t know. He can’t remember if it was because of the influence when the circle was engraved.”
A considerable catalyst is required for a circle to be naturally engraved.
It could be a significant emotional upheaval during adolescence, a desperate desire, or perhaps a powerful memory.
Whatever the trigger was that left its mark on Luke’s heart is something only he would know.
“Isn’t it possible that he…?”
Siena spoke with a quite serious expression now.
“What is it?”
Yerna tensed a bit as she awaited her next words, seeing her expression.
“Well, this is just my speculation, but that slave trader you caught the other day… it seems he was really selling ‘rare animals’ illegally to the rich for money. It appears they used to buy and sell slaves as well… and it seems like he was lingering around trying to capture and sell rare creatures.”
“Really?”
Yerna’s expression furrowed when she received confirmation of what she had expected.
But Siena didn’t stop there.
“Perhaps Luke was subjected to some serious abuse by a noble. To escape desperately, he may have awakened his magic even without a cane. Just like the hero of a fairy tale. Just like the great mage ‘Luke Irushi’ from the fairy tale.”
“Maybe Luke thinks of himself as the great mage Luke Irushi.”
“And maybe that’s why he wants to become a ‘mage’….”
“What?”
Siena’s theory made sense.
It resonated with the vague thoughts Yerna had about Luke’s past, and it wasn’t common to have a character in fairy tales sharing both a name and identity.
Seeing that Luke could recall his parents’ names, his last name could indeed be Irushi, but there’s no way his name was Luke.
After all, Luke is a male name.
Perhaps, she thought, he dreamed of escaping the nightmare of a slave life by viewing tales of heroes like her surname, Irushi.
The marks he had when she first saw him…
Furthermore, the inspection result indicated he was human, but with ears and horns hanging from his features…
Taking a shower with dirty water or having no idea about foods like cocoa or canned tuna.
His wide-eyed acceptance of everything new, and even though he was a child, he seemed to lack the basic common sense as a girl…
He might have truly been ‘raised’ like an animal in a way he couldn’t remember.
“Then, could that be why his speech pattern is unique…?”
“Because he thinks of himself as Luke Irushi, it makes sense for him to speak in a manner befitting that. He’s just a child.”
“…….”
Perhaps, Luke really should consult a mental health professional.
