Episode 24: Truth and Responsibility (2)
“Give me your hand.”
“Nnngh…!”
Eirena snatched Sid’s arm.
His not-yet-recovered arm rose above the contract.
Soon, a red magic circle bloomed over the contract.
*Fwooom…*
A crimson light reminiscent of black magic.
The headmaster’s office darkened, and the red light squirmed.
“I, Eirena Simpson, seal Sid’s Mana Burn with my life as collateral. Until one of our lives ends, this vow shall not break, and this contract is annulled the moment Sid graduates.”
As the vow concluded, dozens of runes rose.
Around the red magic circle, the characters seemed to dance.
Eirena swept up her drooping bangs and continued.
“Until you become an adult, your Mana Burn is sealed. Until one of us dies, the contract won’t end. Of course, I plan on living a long time, so let’s set the contract period to the moment you graduate. Now. Repeat after me.”
“You’re sealing my Mana Burn?”
“I’m saying this because I’m worried. Today you got lucky and only lost an arm, but if you fail again next time, it won’t end with just one arm.”
At her words, Zii, who had been grotesquely twisted, came to mind.
Blue veins spreading from the heart.
The thought of collapsing in such a state sent shivers down his spine.
‘Huh?’
But there was something strange in her words.
Failing again next time?
The mana used for the Mana Burn had been withdrawn normally, hadn’t it?
Could it be that it had been withdrawn but the spell failed?
Sid tilted his head at the sound ringing in his ears.
“What do you mean by failing again next time? Could it be that I failed at the Mana Burn……”
“Shut up, punk! I’ve got a mountain of work because of you, so hurry up and finish the contract! If you’re going to stay at my academy, that barbaric magic is sealed! Got it?”
“Y-yes! Understood!”
Eirena finally exploded, and Sid cowered on his own.
If he provoked the headmaster any further, the seal keeping death at bay seemed like it would break at any moment.
“I, Eirena Simpson……”
“You have to say it with your own name, idiot!”
“Y-yes! I, Sid, seal my Mana Burn with my life as collateral. Until one of our lives ends, this vow shall not break, and this contract is annulled the moment I graduate.”
*Fwoooom!*
As Sid’s vow ended, the magic circle spewed intense light.
Afterimages engulfed the inside of the headmaster’s office.
The magic circles piercing both arms subsided, and the contract quickly ignited like a match struck against phosphorus.
*Fwoooom…*
The piercing afterimages were absorbed into his skin.
Sid gulped, having witnessed contract magic for the first time in his life.
Eirena blew at the charred contract, scattering it.
As if the conversation wasn’t over, her eyes flashed.
“The urgent fire is out……”
And what appeared was a familiar piece of paper.
It was Sid’s recommendation letter that Chepeshu had written.
“What’s this?”
“What do you mean, what is it? It’s your recommendation letter. Were you surprised when I tore it all up back then? Your expression was quite something to see.”
His eyes reddened at the familiar object.
The boy’s heart ached at the recommendation letter that had been coldly torn apart on the first day of admission.
Watching such a Sid, Eirena continued.
“According to the recommendation letter, it’s only been two weeks since you started using magic. Thinking about that, it’s impressive that you burned a Level Card during the entrance exam and made it this far.”
Her voice, sharp throughout, softened as if soothing a child.
The boy’s cheeks reddened, and Eirena looked at him with pity.
No matter how much of a scholarship student he was, he was merely a fifteen-year-old boy.
Having left the orphanage that was like home and suffering through various incidents, the boy’s longing must have deepened.
Watching such a boy, the headmaster calmly consoled him.
“Honestly, you’ve been full of strange things since the day you enrolled. Still, if a mage can grow, I don’t discriminate between means and methods. Whether it’s magic tools, scrolls, or secret elixirs. All of them can become strengths. But just one thing. Black magic is not allowed.”
Her pupils sharpened at the mention of black magic.
An edge lined her tone as if she already knew everything, and the chilling atmosphere broke the sentiment.
Soon, the words from the headmaster’s red lips clawed at the boy’s heart.
“What you’re hiding. Bring it out.”
*Thump!*
His small heart dropped, and cold sweat broke out.
He had thought he’d hidden it well all this time.
Sweat trickled down.
‘Haah.’
But he couldn’t bring out the passbook.
Without the passbook, Sid’s mana capacity was merely ‘790 coins.’
Could Sid really endure academy life when he couldn’t even properly cast a Fireball?
Thus, a reflexive lie slipped from his lips after various worries flashed through.
“I… what do you mean by that……”
*Thump, thump……*
The boy’s heart pounded.
However, the passbook—the protagonist of the story—had been silent since earlier.
“Your left chest. You hid it there, didn’t you? Purposely making it confusing with your magic circle’s mana. I’m saying this because I’m worried, so hand it over obediently. I’m asking you.”
“I… that is……”
[It’s alright. Take it out.]
*Gasp.*
The boy’s heart thudded at the passbook’s words breaking the silence.
Even though it might never come back if it came out now, her tone was calm.
[It’s alright. We cannot deceive them any further than this.]
As the passbook said, Sid couldn’t hide anymore.
What was the point of lying when everything was already discovered?
Eventually, as he unbuttoned his shirt and took it out, Eirena’s sharp eyes turned to the passbook.
Finally, the passbook was handed over with trembling fingertips.
“What is this?”
“It’s a magic tool called a passbook that has helped me since two months ago.”
“A passbook?”
Eirena narrowed her eyes.
A thin bundle of rectangular paper.
It was shaped like neither a scroll nor a magic tome, so she tilted her head.
Eirena took the passbook and examined it nonchalantly, and Sid interjected worriedly.
“It’s an Ego Weapon that has taught and guided me all this time! It has a will of its own, so please don’t treat it roughly.”
“An Ego Weapon? This?”
At the words ‘Ego Weapon,’ the headmaster’s gaze changed.
By their very nature, Ego Weapons with wills possessed great power in one way or another.
There were cases where a transcendental will was inserted, and it could be an invention made by an anonymous genius.
There were countless people who had succeeded after winning the heart of an Ego Weapon, so it was understandable that a boy without any ability like Sid had suddenly grown.
“Hmm……”
The headmaster turned the pages.
Her eyes turned to the contents and numbers written in an unknowable manner.
“What is this.”
She, who had been examining it for a while, looked as if she couldn’t believe something.
The headmaster took out strange glasses and examined the passbook, and through the lenses, chaotically intertwined magic circles could be seen, indicating these glasses were definitely a special magic tool.
As she furrowed her brow and concentrated, at that moment.
Her mouth opened, mingled with doubt and surprise.
“What is this. It’s just a scrap of paper?”
“A scrap of paper?”
His hand shot toward the passbook in startled surprise.
Eirena, lips protruding, handed over the passbook without much resistance.
[Were you surprised?]
“Huhk!”
“What.”
“It’s nothing……”
Sid’s body flinched at the annoyed question.
‘What? Can she really hear something?’
She realized something was off, but Eirena didn’t pry.
Because even when wearing the ‘glasses that reveal hidden magic,’ nothing was visible to her eyes.
The headmaster flicked her finger and continued.
“So what, if that passbook thing is an Ego Weapon, do you converse through thoughts? Why isn’t it saying anything to me? Does it think I’m a joke? Hey, ask it if it thinks I’m a joke.”
“This person is just a bit shy……”
[Those who have not contracted with me cannot converse. The only one capable of speaking with me is you, my customer.]
*Whew……*
Sid felt relieved at the calm voice.
Eirena stared at the stupid scrap of paper.
Judging by his changing expression, it didn’t seem like a lie that they were conversing, but honestly, she couldn’t tell from his expression alone.
The headmaster, brow furrowed, scratched her head.
“Could it be you’re imagining things on your own? You know. Kids who feel very lonely make imaginary friends and stuff. Are you lonely?”
“No!”
“Forget it, punk. Hand that over.”
“You’re not going to tear it, are you?”
“Yeah, I won’t tear it. Hand it over.”
Sid’s eyes trembled as the headmaster waved her hand, urging him.
He just hoped she wouldn’t tear it like the recommendation letter she had taken before……
But the headmaster who received the passbook put it inside a drawer.
The boy, whose life had been snatched away in an instant, turned tearful.
“Ah, you can’t! Without that, I—!”
“Confiscated until graduation.”
He was intimidated by her sharply glaring eyes.
Sid, who had held out his arm, trembled and sat down.
“No matter how it helped you, magic tools of unclear origin are dangerous. Especially rare and overwhelming ones like Ego Weapons. It won’t be too late to use them after you’ve studied enough and grown stronger. They say frustration is what makes a man, no?”
*Uwaaah! Without it, I can’t use magic!*
Sid let out a silent scream.
A fool who couldn’t use a single Fireball without the passbook.
However, he couldn’t open his mouth, afraid he would be expelled from the academy, let alone lose his scholarship, if he revealed this fact.
He could only resentfully glance at the drawer where the passbook had disappeared.
“Haah, if we’re done, get out. Go to the infirmary and recover. I’ll open the Mana Spring that the third-years use, so rest there. You’ve worked hard. Be careful from now on.”
“Headmaster… um… please return my passbook……”
“Yeah, get out.”
*Fwoosh!*
At Eirena’s gesture, Sid flew up and was flung out.
And the door closed coldly right in front of his nose.
Sid was speechless at what had happened in an instant.
To think he had lost his number one treasure, the passbook!
*Hwaah! Hwaah!!!*
Sid felt the urge to pound on the door and wail.
Of course, he wanted no part of meeting Eirena again by doing so.
Just as he worried about what to do next, a familiar voice flowed into the boy’s ears.
[I’m right here. Don’t worry.]
“Sis?”
Sid’s surprised eyes turned to his chest.
His left chest, where the passbook always hid.
The passbook quietly hiding inside caught the boy’s eye.
Realizing this, Sid quickly left the place.
For he couldn’t risk being caught by Eirena and having it taken again.
“Sis!”
Having distanced himself from the headmaster’s office, Sid smiled widely and took out the passbook.
At the reunion with the friend he thought he had lost, the boy’s eyes welled with joy and emotion.
“How did you do it? Could it be you have a teleportation spell you can use on your own? No, anyway, I’m glad you’re back, Sis!”
[The details are a trade secret. However, as stated on the first page, this product cannot be transferred or sold. Please treat me with a bit more care.]
“Of course! You’re more precious than anyone in the world! Well, right after Father Chepeshu! Anyway, you must never leave me, okay?!”
Sid’s cringeworthy lines flowed in the middle of the empty hallway.
The passbook’s tone was still mechanical, but within it, a playful and affectionate emotion could be felt.
Sid hugged the rectangular passbook and smiled like a child.
A reunion with the Sis he thought had been taken from him.
The boy’s heart swelled with joy as if it would burst.
[Of course. I will always be by your side, my customer.]
- To be continued in Episode 25 -