“Luke, what the hell happened?!”
“Ugh, Yerna? How did you get here…?”
Luke was startled by Yerna, who burst into the hospital room, and he lowered his gaze, feeling embarrassed as he recalled that he had ignored her request to stay home.
Yerna shouted.
“I was so worried that I left my shift to a colleague and came home, but you weren’t here, and there were only strange letters left behind. Do you know how worried I was?”
“Well….”
Yerna pulled out the letter that Luke had left behind.
It read:
– I’m going out for a bit to find something at the World Tree. I probably won’t be back until before night falls. I’m sorry for imposing and thank you.
Written in ancient script from 5,000 years ago.
So, the readable parts of the letter to Yerna were as follows:
– ■■■ ■■■■ to find ■■■. ■■ before night ■■■ back ■■■. I’m sorry for imposing ■■ thank you.
“I thought you ran away! What’s this letter? A runaway letter?”
“It meant I would be back before night since I was going to the World Tree for a little while….”
“Then why are there apologies and thanks at the end?”
“Well, I was sorry and thankful….”
“…….”
After hearing the explanation for the unreadable words, Yerna rubbed her temples and contemplated.
‘Does he not know how to read well?’
While his handwriting was quite elegant, being good at writing doesn’t matter if no one can understand it. Yerna sighed, thinking that the situation arose because Luke hadn’t been taught by someone and had learned on his own from books.
“Ah, I see. Sigh, but Luke. I clearly told you not to go out. Don’t you remember?”
“Ugh, I really didn’t expect it to turn out like this… I just thought I would go for a moment, and I’m not a child like you think….”
“Luke.”
Yerna cut off Luke’s string of excuses and spoke.
“…….”
Seeing Yerna’s expression, Luke could only avoid her gaze, dripping with sweat.
‘Why do I have to be scolded…’
Sure, she told him not to go out, but he wasn’t a real child.
Is appearance that important?
Perhaps, a magic to accelerate growth…
Noticing that Luke was thinking of something else, Yerna firmly said.
“Luke, you were wrong, right?”
Noticing the unusual atmosphere, Luke sighed and could only respond to her words.
“I was wrong….”
“You won’t do it again, will you?”
“I won’t do it again….”
“Promise your sister.”
“I understand. I promise.”
“Don’t just say it nicely every time; this time, really. It’s a true promise?”
Seeing Luke nodding, Yerna sat down beside him and began to brush his hair.
Suddenly, Luke was puzzled.
When he factored it all out, he was just a rather unusual-looking orphan.
Was there any value for Yerna to care for him this much? No, there was none.
Of course, he would become a great mage in the future, but currently, he was only a 1st Circle Mage. When she showed him kindness, there was not even a Circle.
Was that because she was a Forest Keeper?
But it felt something different from a sense of duty.
As doubts arose, Luke couldn’t help but ask.
“…Why do you worry about me so much?”
“Because I’m worried, that’s why. Do I need a reason? The world is so dangerous.”
“…….”
Luke recalled the last time someone worried about him.
There was nothing more useless than worrying about a great mage in the world.
The pure sensation of someone genuinely caring for him felt strange.
The world is dangerous, indeed.
While he had been lucky to meet good people so far, he remembered that the worst situations a child could encounter, if wandering alone, were numerous.
Being kidnapped by slavers or being robbed.
However, Luke had lived for so long without worrying about such things, and under the pressure of needing to relearn the lost Circle, he hadn’t thought about it.
Thinking like that, it made sense for Yerna to worry.
At least, he looked like a child now.
A slight smile appeared on Luke’s face as he looked at Yerna.
“You’re really kind. Caring for a child who isn’t even yours.”
“…….”
As Yerna stroked Luke’s forehead, she thought to herself.
‘Ah, this child is still not accustomed to kindness directed at him.’
It wasn’t an absurd misunderstanding.
In reality, Luke was not used to ‘pure’ kindness directed at him.
If there is something given, something must be received in return, and there was always a reason for kindness.
Having lived such a life for over a hundred years, Luke couldn’t easily imagine kindness without reason.
So, he had this obsessive thought of wanting to repay any kindness he received, loudly announcing to everyone, “I will repay this debt later.”
Not knowing this, Yerna only felt that Luke was increasingly pitiable.
“……Luke, um….”
“Hmm?”
Just as her words almost slipped out about how he could stay at her home in the future if he wanted to, the hospital door swung open abruptly.
Gerard and a doctor walked in.
The doctor said.
“Are you the guardian? What is your relationship with Luke?”
In response to the doctor’s question, Yerna answered.
“Yes. My name is Yerna Risphind. I am the Forest Keeper of Luke Forest. Luke is temporarily in my care until I can find a facility.”
“I see. Then you qualify as a guardian for now. I am Hans Gerdam, Luke Ilrush’s attending physician.”
“Hello, I’m Gerard Collson. I escorted Luke for a brief tour to our facility.”
After exchanging some handshakes, Yerna spoke in a small, whispering voice.
“Um, Mr. Gerdam and Mr. Collson. Just a moment, outside….”
———–
“Um, could you tell me… how much the hospital bills will be…?”
Discussing money in front of a child was somewhat embarrassing for an adult, so she had taken Gerard and Hans outside the room.
Yerna couldn’t afford to bear a huge hospital bill.
Reading the anxiety on her face, Gerard quickly said, “Oh, you don’t need to worry about the hospital costs. It’s an accident caused by our mistakes; it will be handled by our insurance.”
“Phew… That’s truly a relief….”
Though it would have been best if such an accident hadn’t happened at all.
However, Yerna tilted her head at the doctor’s next words.
“However, the important thing is that there is currently a Circle engraved on Ilrush’s heart.”
“A Circle? Is that the same one I know?”
“Yes. It was a form of magic that was popular before we used Class Magic. During the Circle Magic era.”
“That can’t be.”
They were well aware of the dangers of Circle Magic.
The main reason Circle Magic became obsolete was that too many users ended up incapacitated or lost their lives while engraving Circles.
Even if someone was lucky to engrave a Circle, it was a problem.
Circle Magic depended entirely on the user’s awareness and talent, as there was no systematic control over the magic.
Not to mention? If the Circle wasn’t stabilized when used, it would consume the user’s mana.
Who would want to use unstable magic that risked their life each time?
Thus, every Circle Magic textbook was banned, and no one engraved Circles into their hearts anymore.
“But, you’re saying that child has a Circle engraved on his heart?”
Yerna asked with a voice full of worry.
A Circle, it was far too dangerous for a child, wasn’t it?
It was like living with a bomb attached to their heart.
Therefore, if by any chance someone had a Circle inscribed, they would typically undergo Circle removal procedures.
No one would want to risk dying from a moment’s miscalculation in mana control.
“Yes, there’s a very clear circle. It’s engraved perfectly to the extent that it cannot be removed. Moreover, his mana responsiveness is off the charts. Hence, the amount of mana contained in the Circle is… not something a child’s body can accommodate.”
“Can you tell when that Circle was first engraved?”
“Hmmm… It’s hard to tell when a Circle was inscribed due to its nature. Did he ever show any side effects?”
“Side effects, such as…?”
“Sudden chest pains, a dazed expression, fever, loss of consciousness or memory….”
Something clicked in Yerna’s mind at Hans’s examples, and she quickly blurted out.
“Memory…? Ah, Luke lost his memory.”
He couldn’t remember at all when he had been kidnapped.
Hearing Yerna’s response, Hans nodded.
“I see. It’s possible that it started from then.”
Gerard also supported that conjecture.
“I think so too. According to the testimony of my junior mage, it seems like Luke dealt with a mana exposure incident… It doesn’t seem like he would have controlled that amount of mana on the spot. He likely had some experience handling mana in the past….”
“I see.”
Yerna gazed at the closed door of the hospital room with a puzzled expression.
‘Luke, why were you handling mana without a cane?’
“Anyway, the hospital can’t do anything further. You can leave immediately.”
———-
When Yerna opened the door to Luke’s hospital room after the conversation, the sight that greeted her was Luke, diligently reading a book that she had brought him, leaning against the bed.
Thinking he looked cute, Yerna smiled gently and approached him.
“Luke, how are you feeling?”
“I’m fine.”
He seemed to be quite pleased as he kept his attention on the book.
“Really? Well then, shall we go home? They said we can check out today.”
“Yeah, we should go back. It wouldn’t be comfortable for you to be here either.”
Luke closed the book with a snap and turned the cover to show Yerna.
“By the way, Yerna, this isn’t a magic book, is it?”
“Huh?”
Luke looked at Yerna with a slightly dissatisfied expression.
“This is a fairy tale about a wizard, not a magic book.”
Yerna frowned, realizing the reason the letters were slightly different, making it hard to read. After reading a few pages, he realized.
‘This is a tale about the legendary Undying King Renie of Arinseia. There’s not a single framework of magic written in here.’
No wonder the illustrations were so dazzling.
For the amount of expectation he had, the disappointment was equally high.
“Isn’t it…? Do you not like the book?”
“……No. It’s just….”
However, Luke couldn’t just openly blame Yerna.
After letting out a sigh, Luke thought.
‘But it’s somewhat interesting…. A character I know appears in a fairy tale.’
The Undying King, Renie of Arinseia.
A hero blessed by the gods.
One of the main forces during the conquest war, Luke had quite a bit of friendship with her in the past.
Seeing that Luke was momentarily immersed in those memories, Yerna sat on the edge of the bed and asked.
“Luke, in there, a wizard with the same name as you appears. Isn’t it fun? Don’t you like wizards?”
“…….”
Luke shut the book, raised his hand, and thought.
‘Luke Ilrush set out to subjugate the Demon King with the Undying King Renie of Arinseia and Kail Propston. They pursued the Demon King for 21 days and beheaded him in only 2. On this occasion, Kail Propston died, and the returning undying hero Renie of Arinseia became a king while Luke Ilrush obtained the noble title and the title of “Great Mage,” eventually living as a dean until his last days. It’s a story I know too well. I am that Luke Ilrush.’
Yet, who would believe if he told that story?
He would be lucky to not be treated as a lunatic.
“Yerna, there’s one thing I want to ask.”
“What is it?”
“Where is Renie, no, Renie of Arinseia now?”
“Huh? That’s just a story from a fairy tale, isn’t it? She probably died ages ago.”
“……Renie is not immortal?”
That can’t be. She had received the blessing directly from the gods, thus, she was immortal.
She had slain the Demon King and became a demigod; if she were to be immortal, she would have grown even stronger, not weaker…
“Then, what about the Kingdom of Arinseia?”
“It fell around 2,000 years ago. Why do you ask?”
“…….”
‘Ah, Renie. Were you also an inescapable human? Your will to make Arinseia eternally brilliant has crumbled in the face of time after all.’
Seeing Luke with a sorrowful expression, Yerna suddenly had a realization.
‘Did I just crush the innocent heart of a child?’
It was like a child who finds out that the presents left on the Spirit’s Day were actually from mom and dad.
Yerna fought the urge to smack her forehead and forced a bright voice.
“Luke, on the way home, shall we stop by a bookstore? You can buy any book you want!”
“…Is that really okay?”
