The person approaching Luke was a young man wearing a white robe and glasses.
His black hair was neatly combed, and although he was quite tall, Luke, who was rather short, had to crane his neck to look up at him.
Moreover, despite his height, he had a slender build, which gave off an image of frailty, yet his voice was gentle and he seemed like a very likable person.
“Nice to meet you. Are you Luke? You’re younger than I expected. How old are you?”
The question regarding his age posed a dilemma for Luke. Since he hardly remembered his exact age, and wasn’t even sure how old this body was.
Thus, Luke decided to avoid giving a direct answer.
“One does not ask a child his age, Mage.”
At Luke’s evasive reply, the young man looked momentarily startled, his eyes widening in surprise before bursting into laughter.
“Oho! Haha! My apologies, that was intrusive of me! Sorry, sorry. That must’ve been a sensitive question.”
Well, it wasn’t really a sensitive question, nor was Luke upset about it, but since answering would’ve been inconvenient, he decided to nod and accept the apology.
“I shall forgive you.”
And so, Luke naturally accepted the apology with the usual gestures and tone he was accustomed to, but to the young mage, it merely looked like a short child trying to mimic an adult, which prompted a smile.
‘This kid might be young, but he’s sharp. Speaks without hesitation. Good upbringing, perhaps?’
“By the way, what should I call you?”
“Ah, my apologies for not introducing myself earlier. I’m Gerard Collson, the head mage of this Sephiro-02 Mana Power Plant.”
The man introduced himself as Gerard Collson and bowed slightly, mimicking Luke’s noble gesture.
Though Luke thought it was a rather messy display of etiquette, perhaps this was how things were done 5000 years in the future. So, he decided not to comment.
“Pleased to meet you, Gerard Collson. I am Luke Illusi.”
Even though Gerard seemed to already know his name from the guard’s earlier mention, exchanging names was still a meaningful gesture, so Luke reintroduced himself.
“Alright, Luke Illusi. I understand you’ve come to our power plant to observe and learn magic. Which part would you most like to see?”
“I would like to visit the place where mana flows at the highest density.”
“Hmm, the high-pressure mana zone is dangerous for someone your size…”
“I am not as small as you think. So, there should be no problem…”
“Well, it doesn’t matter how you look at it, it’s not safe. High-pressure mana zones are off-limits to non-staff due to the dangers involved, but I can still show you around the other facilities.”
Luke was disappointed but decided to accept the decision. Even if it wasn’t the place with the highest mana concentration, it was still far better than being inside a house for accumulating mana. He thought that if he wandered around the facility collecting mana, he might be able to inscribe a first circle by the end of the day.
“Hmm… In that case, I will follow your suggestion. Will you guide me?”
“Yes. Let’s start by showing you the mana purification facility.”
As Gerard began to walk ahead, Luke hurried to keep up. But soon, he felt utterly out of breath.
Eventually, unable to keep up, Luke leaned against the wall to catch his breath and said to Gerard,
“Huff… Huff… Please… Slow down…”
“Oh, my bad. I guess I’m so used to walking fast due to my busy days that it’s hard for me to slow down…”
Gerard scratched the back of his head apologetically and sat down in front of Luke.
“Say, this hallway is pretty wide. How massive is this facility?”
“It’s enormous. Just walking through it can easily take a few hours. Hmm… If I were to compare, it’s about the size of an amusement park.”
That was Gerard trying to give an easy analogy for a child, but since Luke didn’t know what an amusement park was, he tilted his head in confusion and asked,
“Amusement park? What’s that?”
“Wow, you’ve never been to an amusement park? Your parents never took you?”
Gerard felt slightly perplexed hearing Luke’s admission that he’d never been to an amusement park. Was there really a kid in this day and age who’d never been to one?
Gerard soon realized he’d made a mistake when Luke replied calmly,
“Ah, so an amusement park is a place where parents usually take their children? In that case, I suppose I can’t go there since I don’t have parents.”
“…You… didn’t? Hmm…”
“What are you looking at like that…? Stop playing with my hair.”
“I’m sorry. That was my mistake.”
‘Was that why you came here alone?’
So, this is a parentless little girl who just came here on her own to become a mage? That was quite extraordinary. What a strong passion to possess at such a young age.
The heart of Gerard, who was looking at this potential future mage, was overwhelmed with emotions – was it pity, concern, or even admiration?
‘How else could I define it?’
“Anyway, I find your comparison of the size difficult to grasp. I have somewhere I must return to before nightfall. Will it be possible to see everything before then?”
Gerard pondered for a moment. If they wanted to see everything today, even with the shortest route planned, it would take a minimum of ten minutes per facility. Considering the major facilities such as the mana purification plant, mana processing, mana arrangement, enchantment, and magic design, things would get quite rushed.
And anyway, Gerard himself had just stepped away from his lab and couldn’t afford to stay away for too long.
“Perhaps, we should skip a few places. The main facilities only…”
“That’s unacceptable! I must absolutely see everything today!”
Before Luke realized it, he had blurted out his demand and quickly shut his mouth.
Though he was eager to achieve the Circle quickly, Luke wasn’t someone who would only live for a day. Even if all the locations weren’t visited, just walking around aimlessly could certainly help advance the circle that was supposedly expected to take a month.
In fact, it was unnecessary to push for something he didn’t absolutely need. That would be inappropriate behavior.
It would be wrong to inconvenience someone who’s kindly offering to help just for his own benefit.
For the sake of maintaining a positive relationship going forward, it was a better choice not to insist on being unreasonable.
“No, it’s not necessary to see everything today. Just allowing me to visit this place already offers sufficient help. I apologize for raising my voice.”
Thinking about how often he had recently disregarded his dignity by raising his voice made Luke slightly embarrassed as he absentmindedly rubbed his chin.
The place where he was supposed to have a long beard now only felt the softness of unblemished skin, giving a bittersweet feeling.
But Gerard observed his expression and interpreted it as resignation.
‘Even without parents, to have such passion… I want to do something for someone like this…’
Gerard had never met a child like her. Therefore, to him, she seemed all the more commendable.
Children nowadays are far different from this one. Despite lacking parents, she was clearly well-raised—and thus, exceedingly rare and admirable.
He thought of his own nephews.
Unruly little bundles of energy who couldn’t stay still for even a moment—totally opposite to who he was, a mage who valued calm and order. On the other hand, there was Luke who felt somehow familiar and very likable.
He would undoubtedly become a fine mage. He could even possibly become an 8th-class mage one day.
Gerard decided to sacrifice himself for the sake of this future great mage.
“Alright, then I’ll carry you. That way, we can get through everything much faster.”
“Is that… alright? Aren’t I too heavy?”
Luke might be a child now, but Gerard was built so frail that it seemed impossible for him to lift even a 10-kg sack of grain. Luke was truly worried.
“Don’t worry, I’m a mage, remember? I’ll use a strength-enhancing spell.”
“Really? So, I can see magic then?”
The unexpected fortune excited Luke. Magic? The chance to see ‘class magic’ right in front of his eyes?
Excited by Luke’s heightened voice, Gerard grinned and said,
“It’s a 3rd-class support magic, which doesn’t require special permission for mages or doctors.”
“That’s truly amazing!”
While pleased Luke was so delighted, Gerard withdrew a thin cane from his pocket, closed his eyes, and began to chant.
“Labeth, Ahnum, Zhiraget, Hallien.”
Luke stared intently at Gerard’s mouth and cane. What appeared in his magic sight was shocking.
Each word uttered by Gerard was imbued with mana. The mana was shaped and arranged into magic.
‘My circle may require more willpower, but his words are stronger. Even with a smaller accumulation of mana, his ability to create magic only with words is indeed a new method. With minimal physical constraints and talent barriers, truly, anyone with a tool and the ability to speak can use magic.’
This was made possible by that ‘cane.’ Of course, canes were also used during the era when circles were popular 5000 years ago. However, it was mainly auxiliary. Ultimately, the subject of magic was still human willpower, thus magic was possible even without the cane.
However, this method was different.
Mana management was entirely entrusted to the cane. In this way, even without circles in the body, the cane itself acts as a circle.
The sight of this cane was nothing short of miraculous.
It was akin to removing the heart from the body.
Impossible, one might think. Yet, phenomena before his eyes make such thoughts meaningless. Once observed, only comprehension and interpretation remain.
‘So, magic was restricted in a way that was difficult to grasp… Could the existence of this cane enable the concept of ‘class’ in magic?’
The cane itself is a circle.
Thus, there’s no need to inscribe circles within the body. One simply uses the magic.
The popularization of magic!
How many sages desired it, and how many endeavored for its realization?
Here was the answer.
A world where everyone can use magic. No discrimination based on circles, no disparity born from talent, a world where all can equally harness magic.
What Luke was witnessing was not merely a strength-enhancing spell. It was an era.
“That’s incredible! Truly amazing magic!”
“This is embarrassing. It’s not a big deal.”
“It’s not. That was truly excellent magic!”
Though unaware of the high-level thoughts going through Luke’s mind, Gerard perceived nothing more than the response of a young child, eagerly excited by his first glance of magic.
It’s only a 3rd-class support magic, and yet it caused such a commotion. He wondered how much more enthusiastic Luke would be if he saw a 6th-class magic only allowed inside the research facility, performed by his cane.
‘A momentary distraction.’
6th-class magic was extremely dangerous. Gerard himself was only permitted up to the 5th-class, and even that required a 3-day review period for a single use due to its inherent dangers.
No matter how you think about it, it isn’t something you show a child just for their reaction.
‘He’s reacting so enthusiastically. I almost thought something ridiculous just now.’
With that thought, Gerard quickly adjusted his collar slightly embarrassed and said,
“Now, it’s okay to ride on my back.”
“Thank you very much, Gerard.”
As Luke climbed onto Gerard’s back, they began to move quickly but were quickly halted by Gerard’s loud cry of pain.
“Ouch! Luke, please keep your head still? Your horns keep jabbing me!”
“Ahh, I’m truly sorry! I forgot I had horns…”
It happened when Luke was busy accumulating mana while observing the place with his magic sight, accidentally jabbing Gerard’s back with the horn.
After putting Luke down, Gerard rubbed his back to check if it was bleeding, but fortunately, there was no sign of blood.
“I truly feel ashamed…”
“Ah, don’t worry. It wasn’t intentional…”
Despite the initial cry of pain, seeing Luke’s apologetic expression, with his ears drooping, rubbing the back Gerard had jabbed, all anger melted away like snow.
After all, how can anyone stay mad when faced with someone so visibly remorseful, gently massaging your back?
But that didn’t mean he wanted to keep getting jabbed.
Even if it were impossible to tell an inquisitive child not to move his head.
‘Even so, it’s quite uncomfortable to carry him, what should I do?’
“Ah, let’s try this.”
Gerard suggested.
“…I’ll let you ride on me like a horse.”
“…Is that alright?”
Though Luke was now in a child-like state, he was an adult. It had been so long since he last remembered riding like a horse. How long had it been since those carefree days?
But rejecting it, saying,
“Still, it should be fine,”
seemed inappropriate because it was crucial for Luke to observe the facility with his magic sight everywhere.
