I Became a Great Wizard After Being Abandoned by My Childhood Friend

1 – Submerged Goodbye.

Everyone has a first love.

And most of the time, first loves don’t come true.

Of course, I thought I would be an exception.

As a child, I was just another kid in a rural village.

Well, just to put it simply, I was a kid who played with other kids my age.

After finishing my usual magic studies, I headed for the agreed meeting place to play with my friends.

But then, at that very moment.

-Whisper whisper.

My friends were not playing as usual but were gathered around discussing something.

Wondering what on earth was going on, I rushed over.

Without delay, I threw out a question.

“What’s going on? Why are you guys gathered like this?”

“Huh? Kael, you’re here?”

“What happened? What’s going on?”

“Ah, there’s a newcomer in the village this time. Come take a look.”

Upon hearing that, I narrowed my eyes with anticipation.

Then, a girl my age appeared in my line of sight.

If all the girls I had seen so far were decent, the girl before me was exuding an aura like a princess who had grown up in nobility.

Golden hair that shone brilliantly.

Golden pupils to match it.

All the boys, including myself, were transfixed by her.

Because she was that beautiful.

And at that moment, I don’t know why I did it.

I approached her, who had captivated me, and started a conversation.

“Are you busy?”

“Huh, what?”

“No, it’s just that you seem like you’ve finished moving in and you seem a bit unsure…”

As I scratched my head and trailed off, she responded by shaking her head.

“No, I’m not busy!”

“Really? Then let’s play together.”

Back then, I was young enough to approach her without hesitation.

She, too, was young enough to accept it without a hitch.

“What’s your name?”

“Uh, Liza!”

“Really? My name is Carl!”

And thus, Liza naturally joined our pack.

After she joined, we met and played together every day.

Sometimes we would all act out the heroes from fairy tale books.

Other times, just the two of us would hide in a cramped space playing hide-and-seek.

However, occasionally Liza would look towards the direction of the royal road, for some reason.

“Liza sometimes zones out.”

“Oh? Was it noticeable?”

“Well, she does it often.”

“Actually, she originally lived on the royal road.”

“What?!”

At that time, I was quite surprised by this.

From my perspective, having only lived in the village, the royal road was literally a place of mystery.

“I somehow…”

“Somehow?”

“Uh, I mean, I felt that Liza was different from other girls.”

“Really?”

At my remark, she flushed and showed a shy expression.

I nodded furiously, affirming that I found it endearing.

“Yes! She feels somewhat more special? Anyway, that’s how I felt!”

For some reason, my face felt hot.

Feeling embarrassed, I quickly changed the subject.

“Do you want to go to the royal road?”

“No, it’s not like that. It just reminds me sometimes.”

It seems that she still holds some attachment to the royal road.

Looking at the same thing every day.

“When I grow up, I’ll take you with me!”

“Huh, what?”

“We’re a family of wizards, you know. If you study magic hard, you can work in the royal court, right? Then I’ll take you with me then!”

“Really?”

“Yes! I promise!”

Since this day, our relationship began to get closer.

At the same time, I trained my magic even more to take her to the royal court.

I’ve become quite competent in magic for a kid.

I was not satisfied with this and constantly made an effort.

Thus, five years passed.

Naturally, during this time, my relationship with Riza grew even closer.

Although we’ve never dated, we could still tell that we had feelings for each other.

Then one day.

“Kael, could you perhaps come alone to the village back gate during our usual meeting time?”

Riza asked in a shy voice.

At the time, my heart pounded tremendously when I heard her words.

Finally, the day has come.

Actually, it was obvious that we liked each other, we were just not saying it.

When it’s just the two of us, she takes my hand.

Sometimes, we avoid eye contact because we are shy.

So, of course, I couldn’t help but think that way.

And I wasn’t supposed to expect.

“Hmm? She’s not here yet?”

I arrived at the rendezvous spot before the usual time, which might have been why Riza wasn’t there yet.

I waited for her.

But even an hour later, and when the sun had set, she didn’t show up.

-Thud!

On top of that, as if it wasn’t over yet, raindrops began to fall from the sky.

And yet, I waited for her to come.

However, despite endless waiting, she didn’t show.

In exasperation, I walked towards her house.

Ordinarily, the lights should have been on at home.

However, the house was completely dark.

I knocked on the door.

“Liza. Are you there?”

Rain muffled my shouts, but she didn’t respond.

Then, all of a sudden.

-Creak.

The house door opened by itself.

Without knowing, I surveyed inside the house.

Instantly, I recognized the absence of any presence.

Baffled, I went inside.

“What is this…”

Suddenly, the room devoid of furniture that should have been there struck me.

‘It seems no accident took place when I look at these signs.’

In other words, there was only one reason she wasn’t here.

None other than Liza had left the village.

Without any single word.

‘Was I the only one who was sincere?’

The king, who decided to take her away when we were young.

I tirelessly learned magic to realize this.

But, it turns out I might have been the only one who was serious about this. Naively.

Furthermore,

‘I guess I was the only one mistaken.’

I thought she liked me too.

However, seeing how she left without a word, I can’t help but think I misunderstood that too.

In the end, I returned home drenched in the rain.

I wanted to deny reality with all my heart.

However, I realized that no matter what I thought, nothing would ultimately change.

Consequently, I just silently trained in magic as usual.

Thinking that by doing so, I could forget about Liza.

Then one day.

It was about when my feelings of loss and resentment were slowly beginning to fade.

“So, you’re the sorcerer who kills all the monsters in the forest, are you?”

A woman who looked somewhat like Liza came.

And not alone, but with two other women.

Each one was stunningly beautiful.

But, having already been abandoned by Liza, perhaps that’s why?

I wasn’t immediately taken with them.

“Do you need anything from me?”

“Could you join our party?”

She suddenly asked me to join her.

At first, I was thinking of refusing.

But what good would just training magic in the village do?

I eventually accepted her offer.

And although I didn’t know at the time, they turned out to be none other than the so-called Hero Party.

***

About five years had passed since I joined the Hero Party.

In those five years, I had somewhat adapted to the Hero Party.

Not only that, but I considered them my friends.

However, what I got from them in return was nothing but rejection.

“Kael. I’m sorry, but can you leave the party?

“I’m sorry.”

“I can’t beat around the bush like the others, so I’ll say it directly. It would be great if you left because you’re not helping the party.”

Judging by the fact that the other two didn’t particularly contradict that, they seemed to share the same opinion.

In the end, it wasn’t enough to have been abandoned by my childhood friend, I was even abandoned by my party members.

I was kicked out of the party and went to the front lines.

I killed the demons and monsters in the frontlines until I drove myself into a corner.

Even if they did that, Riza wouldn’t be able to return.

We fought nonstop battles.

Of course, there were times we were faced with death.

But even then, I alone tenaciously survived.

Somewhere along the line, rumors about me spread, and someone visited yet again.

This time, a woman who introduced herself as Magetopju came.

I kicked her out.

But even so, she kept on seeking me.

“Yes, this level is about right for taking my place.”

Every time she takes a hit, the woman who seems a bit off seems delighted.

I had no choice but to accept her proposal in the end.

And so, I became the official successor of the Magetopju.

This happened several years ago.

***

At the moment I was recalling the past.

“Kael is going in.”

Hair down to the waist.

A figure and appearance that can’t make you believe she has a grown-up daughter.

Meria, now known as the current Magetopju, flings open the door.

The next moment, she sees the books piled up in the room and frowns.

“Go outside and roam around a bit, successor to the Magetopju!”

“Shouldn’t the successor to the Magetopju study magic instead?”

“What does the most outstanding magician on the continent mean by that?”

She shows a ridiculous smile at my question.

Ignoring her words, I moved on to the main point.

“What’s the reason for your sudden visit?”

“Why? Can’t I come to see my successor?”

She says and puts her hand on my shoulder.

Her audacious actions had become so familiar that I just let it be.

I gently brushed off her hand.

“So, what brings you here?”

“Ah, boring. Well, nothing else, I need you to conduct a job interview.”

“A job interview?”

What does that even mean?

That being said, it’s strange to ask someone who is due to become a tavern owner to have a job interview.

Watching her as though I was bewildered, Meria responded with a sly smile.

“It’s an interview for an academy professor.”

“Me?”

“I recommended you to the president, he said to conduct an interview.”