Kays Translations

Chapter 5: My First Magic

　From that day on, I slipped into the library in secret and kept reading the books on magic potions without being caught. What I discovered was that the language I couldn’t read was a cipher. The magic pharmacist who wrote it had presumably been trying to keep the method of production a secret.

　The upshot was that nobody could read it at all any more. Which rather defeats the point. In other words, the magic potion books in that library were as good as rubbish. No wonder they were just left sitting out in the open.

　Learning the truth left me disappointed, but there were happy developments too.

　The ban on studying magic was finally lifted. I’d been waiting for this moment!

　Is it really all right to teach magic to a three-year-old? Some might raise that objection, but for nobles with power, being able to use magic is a given. As a result, the race to have children learn magic as early as possible grew heated, until the age was pushed all the way down to three.

　Because of that there were a lot of accidents, so once a child could use magic, a personal attendant was assigned to them. For monitoring purposes, naturally.

“Lord Julius, do you know who I am?”

“Uncle Kernel!”

“Hmmm, in a sense you’re correct, but I’m your magic teacher. From now on, please call me Teacher.”

“Understood. Uncle Kernel!”

“Hmph!”

　A three-year-old teasing an adult. The one on the receiving end can’t have enjoyed it. But I’d been waiting for this day so badly that I couldn’t help teasing him. At last I could use magic. Of course I was excited at the thought of seeing magic with my own eyes.

“Now then, Lord Julius, shall we start with nice safe water magic?”

“I’m counting on you, Teacher Kernel!”

“Hmph! Leave it to me. First, please touch the water in this bucket.”

　A bucket filled to the brim with water had been set out in front of me. Apparently the intention was to have children actually touch the water and learn the feel of it before teaching them any magic.

　I can use it without doing any of that, though. But if I did, I’d end up branded a child prodigy.

　And if that were to spark a succession dispute, I’d never hear the end of it. Here, let’s act like a normal child and take it nice and slow. There’s no need to rush for a good while yet.

　I failed over and over, and ended the day pretending I couldn’t do it. In truth, I’d quietly tried it out when I put my hand into the bucket, taking care not to be spotted. It activated without the slightest trouble.

　Uncle Kernel was none the wiser.

“Lord Julius, there’s no need to be downhearted. Only a great sorcerer manages it on the very first day.”

“Teacher, how long does it usually take before someone can use it?”

“Let me see — two weeks for those with talent, and for the slower ones, some take several years.”

“How long did it take Brother Alex and Brother Cain to be able to use it?”

“Lord Alex took one month, and Lord Cain one month and one week.”

　Brother Cain — don’t tell me you read the room. In that case I’ll make mine a month and two weeks. No, wait, would that tip Brother Alex off? Then I’ll just settle on something like three months.

“Thank you very much for today. I look forward to next time.”

“Hmph! Lord Julius, you’re very well-mannered. I shall give you a gold star!”

“A-Ah, thank you very much.”

　Well, not that getting one actually gets me anything.

　Three months later, I was finally able to use magic openly. I was still practising in my room, of course, taking care not to be caught. Though I had the feeling the servant assigned to me was starting to get suspicious.

“Very well done. With this, Lord Julius joins the ranks of mages. From here we move on to learning basic magic. For one who possesses magical power, this much is only to be expected.”

“Yes. I look forward to it.”

　After that I took my time working through the basic magic of the four great elements — water, fire, earth and wind. Apparently he never noticed I was cutting corners, and judged my talent for magic to be perfectly ordinary.

　Well, well. It looked like I’d be able to keep clear of any succession dispute. I have no intention of inheriting the margraviate. I have a mission: to bring about a revolution in magic potions.

　Having successfully learned magic, I acquired two friends my own age. Or to put it another way, two minions.

“I’m Gyre!”

“I’m Christopher!”

　Two boys, a little on the plump side for three-year-olds — no, well-built — became my minions. Gyre was the third son of the Knight Commander, and Christopher the third son of the head butler. Thus was formed the Heine margraviate’s trio of third sons.

　Hmm, so this is what a normal three-year-old is like. Perhaps I ought to act more childlike myself. I get the feeling I’m a little too accomplished. I’d better be careful.

　Incidentally, neither of them could use magic. There simply aren’t that many people born with magical power.

　From then on the three of us were together at every opportunity. We got up to mischief together. And we got scolded together.

　We’d sneak into the kitchen to pinch bites of food, skip our lessons and slip away, and I’d play at being my little sister’s horse.

　While all this was going on, I turned seven. On the magic potion front, progress had been painfully slow. Even so, little by little, things were changing.

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