Chapter 6

We spent a day at the inn and headed to the Mage Guild located in the city center.

The guild building was bustling with people in robes, wearing wide-brimmed hats and wielding staffs, all showcasing their scholarly attire.

When I entered with Mirabel, who was dressed in a maid outfit, all eyes turned toward us. Shy by nature, Mirabel shrank back under the gazes of the crowd.

I walked ahead, and she followed quietly behind me. As we approached the counter, a female scholar greeted us with a customer service smile.

“Welcome! What brings you to the Mage Guild?”

“I came to check if I have any magical aptitude.”

“Is that a cute maid I see behind you?”

“Haha, just joking. It’s me.”

That’s a lie.

We really did come to test Mirabel’s magical aptitude.

It’s the ‘Mirabel the Great Witch Creation Project.’

Confirming her magical aptitude is the first step.

Of course, I already know that Mirabel has magical talent, without even testing. She possesses the rare qualifications of a Great Witch, one who is born once in a thousand years.

But I have no way to explain where I got this information. If I suddenly say, “You should become a witch,” what would she think?

She would naturally be suspicious. Especially since she already feels uneasy about her name.

So while pretending to check for magical talent, I’ll have Mirabel tested as well. This will discover her talents and lead her down the path of magic.

“The test is possible, but it comes with a fee. You need to pay 50 silver. Is that alright?”

“Of course.”

The staff member looked at me with suspicion again. Typically, a mage needs to develop their talent from a young age to flourish. At my mid-twenties, I’m already quite late.

But who knows?

I’ve been reincarnated in another world; there might be hidden benefits.

I handed over 1 gold. When the staff member tried to give me change, I told them to give it after the test. After all, Mirabel will need to be tested too, so it would be bothersome otherwise.

The staff took out a crystal ball the size of a human face. It’s a magical tool that often serves as a scouter in fictional works. You know, the one where the protagonist touches it and says, “Wow, such magical power?” and it always shatters.

“Please cup the orb with both hands and infuse it with your magic.”

I followed the staff’s instructions. It felt like I was exerting force, and I could feel my magic moving.

The orb, having absorbed my magic, shimmered for a moment.

Oh, is there a reaction?

Could this be?

“Did you just see it sparkle? There’s definitely talent there!”

“No, quite the opposite. It sparkled because there was no reaction after a wait. It’s just a sign that the item isn’t broken.”

“Excuse me?”

What kind of function is that?

“You have absolutely no talent at all. It’s not easy being this talentless. You might actually have a talent for being talentless.”

The staff member, without changing their expression, bluntly criticized me. Yeah, I’m not a mage. I’ll just stick to what I was doing.

“Since we came this far, how about Mirabel tries too?”

“Pardon?”

“I’d like to have this girl tested as well.”

“Understood. The test fee will be included in that 1 gold from earlier.”

As the staff and I chatted, Mirabel, unable to assert herself, was pushed along like a buoy. Before she knew it, her hands were already placed on the crystal ball.

“Now, try infusing your magic.”

Under the much gentler guidance of the staff compared to my own experience, Mirabel manipulated her magic, and soon, the crystal ball began to fill with colorful light.

“Uh, huh?”

Ignoring the staff’s perplexed murmur, Mirabel continued to channel her magic. The light didn’t merely fill the orb; it began to burst forth in dazzling radiance.

Boom!

“Ahh!”

Eventually, it exploded, scattering shards of crystal in all directions.

As expected, Mirabel is a great witch candidate.

I can’t feign ignorance here, so I’ll have to play dumb.

“What just happened? The orb broke, is it defective? Wasn’t she supposed to have talent?!”

“That’s absolutely not the case. It seems her magical talent is so exceptional that it couldn’t handle it. This… this isn’t something that has happened before…? One moment please, I’ll go inform the guild master.”

The staff rushed off somewhere in a hurry.

Mirabel, looking alarmed and unable to hide her anxiety, fidgeted nervously with her hands.

You are an amazing person. So, I decided to encourage her, saying, “Your talent is too great. This could be worth over a thousand gold.”

“…,”

The staff member who had disappeared quickly returned.

“The guild master wishes to see you in person. Please follow me.”

We followed the staff to the guild master’s office on the second floor. A kind-looking, middle-aged scholar wearing round glasses awaited us. Mirabel and I sat side by side on the sofa.

“Welcome! I have heard from our staff. They say that this cute girl smashed the magical measuring orb?”

“It just happened that way. I hear our Mirabel has magical talent? Is that true?”

“We will need to conduct further tests for details, but it’s certain she has talent. Therefore, I’d like to propose something: I want to teach that child magic.”

“Hmmm?”

Everything was going according to plan, but I pretended to think it over. As a merchant, it’s poor form to just accept without hesitation. Regardless of the situation, I should stall and negotiate.

“Still, teaching magic to a slave seems a bit…”

“A slave? I thought she was just an ordinary maid…”

“The shackles are not visually appealing.”

The guild master hadn’t considered that Mirabel was a slave, and his expression darkened. This is a golden opportunity to birth a mage that could shake the world from his own guild.

Later, when Mirabel becomes a great mage, I could proudly claim, “That girl was raised by me,” in a master position.

But Mirabel is a slave. She cannot learn magic without my permission.

Nonetheless, it seems too good an opportunity to pass up, and the guild master reverted his expression and began persuading me.

“Lord, there are far more people than you think who keep mages as slaves. They could serve as escorts or be sent into dungeons to make money.”

“I am well aware. Just being able to use magic increases their market value.”

“Therefore, if this child learns to handle magic, it would be of tremendous benefit to you as well. You would gain a mage slave without paying a hefty price.”

“Hmmm…. Indeed, that seems valid. Mirabel, what about you? Do you want to learn magic?”

I asked Mirabel about her wishes.

Her answer was, of course.

“I… don’t want to.”

It was a no.

***

Mirabel’s heart pounded violently, as if she had just committed a crime and encountered a guard.

Cold sweat poured down her back.

She couldn’t manage her expression.

To learn magic.

Mirabel knew better than anyone that she was a witch. For her, that was the starting point of all her tragedies.

So she didn’t want to learn magic. She didn’t want to nurture the seeds of tragedy that claimed her mother’s life with her own hands.

That’s why she answered no.

After all, as a slave, if Carami said to learn it, she would have to comply without question, but since she was asked for her opinion, she answered that she didn’t want to.

“Hmmm, so you don’t want to. I wouldn’t want to force a slave I hold dear into something they dislike.”

“Lord, is there no way to persuade her?”

“Persuade…?”

Carami’s thin eyes, inscrutable in thought, fell on Mirabel. Mirabel flinched and averted her gaze.

“Mirabel, I don’t know what you went through in the past, but I do know you were abandoned by your father. He sold such a cute daughter off, what a vile man.”

“…”

“Mirabel, don’t you want revenge on him who abandoned you?”

“…What?”

An unexpected proposal.

Mirabel lifted her head.

She met Carami’s gaze.

“Learn magic so you can proudly confront him. On that day, ask him why he abandoned you. Tell him that because of him, you lived a hellish life. And then, take your revenge on him in the same way.”

Mirabel’s ears perked up. Although she didn’t quite understand what Carami was saying, one word from his sentence pierced her eardrums like a dagger.

Revenge?

Revenge on Dad?

On the man who sold his daughter into slavery just because she was a witch?

On the man who made her mother’s sacrifice meaningless and worthless?

“Is that… really okay…?”

“Of course. As your master, I permit it. If you learn magic, I will look for that man.”

In that moment, life ignited in Mirabel’s previously lifeless eyes.

The eyes of someone with a clear goal in life shine brighter than anything else, and Mirabel’s eyes were no different.

With determination, Mirabel declared her will.

“I want to learn magic.”

And she would become a witch.

She would become a witch like her mother and take revenge on the father who had abandoned her. Deep within, Mirabel’s magical power began to stir.

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