Kays Translations

Chapter 8: Out of the Ordinary

“WAP!!!!!!!"

I involuntarily closed my eyes as I saw the flames soaring unbelievably high.

But no matter how long it took, the flames did not come to me.

When I fearfully opened my eyes, a transparent wall appeared.

The flames had stopped there.

The one who is building that wall is my father, who is right in front of me.

He used magic to protect us in the short time between when he put my hair in and when it exploded. ......!

“Mm? Itsuki, did you just say papa?"

“No....”

I didn't.

"Is that so? I must have misheard you. But.....”

My father looked up at the still burning flames.

“Just how much magic power do you have in you....?”

The pillar of flame rose so high into the sky that my neck ached, and unlike the Satsuki and Shimotsuki ladies, the fire showed no sign of calming down even after some time had passed.

This was completely unexpected.

No, that's right. It's true that I've worked hard since I was one year old, so I thought I had more magic power than others, you know? In fact, I worked hard every day to a level where I would be depressed if I didn't have more.

But this is something I never expected.

I never thought this would happen.

As I stared at the flames, the next moment, they disappeared as if they had been doused with water.

“You are so mean, Kisaragi. You knew this and came here last, didn't you?”

“N-No way....”

My father answers in honorifics to the blonde woman of the "Kamiarizuki" family.

When I was horrified, she said with a sly grin at the corner of her mouth. 

"You are seventh rank, no questions asked. We will have a good harvest this year. No, it's not just a good harvest. I never thought I would meet a genius that comes along once in a few hundred years.”

Hearing those words, Satsuki's and Shimotsuki's family members each gasped.

"Wha...!? Seventh rank is a legend!”

"...... No, you can tell by looking at it. It's out of the ordinary.”

The men said this in hushed voices, as if they were looking at an illusion of a flame that had already gone out.

“You've been hiding something extraordinary, Soichiro.”

“I thought you were just an idiot parent...."

Laughing, he lightly tapped my father on the shoulder.

It seems like the 7^th rank is my amount of magic power.

I don't know what the standard is at all.

I mean, Satsuki's Rin-chan is the fourth rank, right?

So much difference in the amount of flame, but only three ranks below?

I had no idea what was going on around there, so I pulled on my mother's arm, who still didn't seem to be in the right frame of mind.

“Mama, What's the seventh rank?”

“Oh, Kisaragi's. You still haven’t taught your child?”

I asked my mother, but what came back was from the blonde woman from the Kamiarizuki family.

I shook my head and she laughed.

“It can’t be helped. I'll tell you. The total amount of magic power is directly related to the power of the exorcist. Therefore, the amount of magic power is measured on six levels, from the first level to the sixth level.”

"......6?"

I'm a 7, right?

“That's right. Do you know that the amount of magic power doesn’t change from birth to death?　Therefore, exorcists have to deal with these six ranks until they die. The amount of measurement depends on the person, but... think of it as being about 30 times greater each time one rank is raised."

"..... hmm?”

Does that mean that the second rank has 30 times the amount of magic power of the first rank?

Then the third rank is 900 times the first rank. ......?

“Usually it's the first or second rank. Rarely, a genius of the third or fourth rank is born.”

If the third and fourth ranks are geniuses.... does that mean that Rin and Aya, who were measured before me, are geniuses too? I see. That's why they said "a good harvest this year" when all the measurements were done.

I mean, how much magic power does my father have?

I looked at my father and he puffed out his chest.

“Your dad is the fifth rank!”

“That's right. Soichiro is the fifth rank. Even this is a rare talent, one of a kind in a dozen years.”

The blonde laughed and continued.

"But ...... very rarely, once every few hundred years. There are those who are born with unbelievable magic power. They are monsters outside of the standard that cannot be measured even with the skill of the Divine Presence Moon. The "Seventh Rank" was prepared for such people. But this is the first time I have seen the real thing. Mmm. I am blessed to see it.”

“I, so many ......."

I said and squeezed my father’s hand.

More than any other emotion, the first thing that went through my mind was an inexpressible sense of accomplishment.

Two years...two years!

I had been training without a break for two years, and it had paid off.

How could I not be happy?

I may have overdone it a bit, but the blonde priestess said that the amount of magic power is directly related to one's power as an exorcist, so this was about right.

After all, until now I had lived a life free from fighting, let alone monsters.

Even with the help of training and magic, if I’m going to live as an exorcist with a very high mortality rate, I need to become strong enough to not overdo it. Otherwise, I will die soon.

At least, that's what I think.

So, first of all, I have to break through the first step.

“It’ll be a shame to lose this gem. Protect it, Soichiro.”

"Yes! Even if it's at the cost of my life!”

"Yes. Good answer.”

I still can't get used to my father speaking in honorifics, I thought to myself, as the blonde woman sat down, locked eyes with me.

"What's your name, boy?"

“Itsuki!”

“Itsuki! Take this tag.”

She pulled a bill from the breast of her white priestess-like garment and handed it to me.

“What's this?”

“It's called a "Monster Breaking Card". If it is a weak monster,  it can be killed with a single blow. It's a card with strong magic in it. Keep it close to you.”

“I understand!”

I nodded, and my mother, who was standing behind me, poked me on the shoulder.

“Itsuki. What do you say when someone gives you something?”

I don't know.

“Thank you!”

“That's a good answer.”

Oops.

It’s a good age to forget to say thank you.

“Listen, Itsuki. That tag will protect you at least once, no matter what. If you don't want to die, be careful.”

...... What's that disturbing word I hear?

“Oh, that is-!”

“What?”

“Why do I have to have the tag or I'll die?”

“If it's a normal barrier, it can hide magic power up to the sixth level. But the seventh level of magic cannot be concealed with ordinary barriers. So, from now on, whether you are at home or outside, you will be targeted by many monsters.”

“Eh?”

“That's right. Monsters are attracted to people's magic power. Since you have that much magic power, it is only natural that you will be targeted by monsters.”

Wait, wait!

What? I increased my magic power so that I wouldn't die, and now I'm being targeted by monsters because of it? That wasn't the whole point!

“That tag is your lifeline to save you. So don't throw it away, no matter what.”

"Uh-huh. ......"

I turned pale and ran to my father.

“Papa!”

“Don't be so anxious, I'll protect you no matter what!”

He smiled and hugged me.

No, I appreciate that, but it's not enough.

If I’m always in the position of being protected, I’ll not be able to fight when something happens.

After all, I was an adult in my previous life, but I was stabbed to death by a street monster.

First and foremost, I need to be able to defend myself!

So I said to my father at his chest.

"Papa! Teach me magic!”

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