Mightiest Melee Magician

Talented magicians were rare.

And if the power of authority was added on top of this talent, that talent would become more precious than anything else.

This was why most magicians tried to hold onto the hands of authority.

Some would go to a noble’s territory.

Others would become court magicians.

And others would join the royal guards to protect the Emperor.

Even the Magic Tower, where magicians spent their entire lives focusing on researching magic, was also a source of authority.

That authority had reached out to me.

“After you return to the Radian Kingdom, I’ll give you a month to take care of your affairs. You’ll need to graduate school… I’ll make it so you can transfer to the Magic Soldier Training School, and I’ll also prepare a place for you to stay. Ah, and you’ll need to become a citizen too. There’s no reason for the crown prince’s ally to be a foreigner.”

“……”

It was from one of the most powerful sources of authority on the continent.

I could only ask him one question.

“Why?”

“……?”

“Why did you select me?”

Crown Prince Chaurmetan Raynac’s lips curled upwards.

“Ruin Ardell. When talking to me from now on, it’ll be good for you to remember this.”

“……”

“Rather than a question, I prefer a simple ‘yes’ as a reply.”

He had a talent for changing the mood with every sentence he spoke.

He hadn’t said anything special.

He didn’t try and threaten me either.

However, I felt a chill run down my spine in that instant.

Yeah.

‘He’s a natural predator.’

He had the aura of someone who had reigned over others his entire life.

And at the same time…

“But I’ll give you an answer. I said this before as well, but you have caught my fancy.”

He had enough composure to melt this chilly mood with a small smile.

“Reason number one is because godfather personally recommended you to me. I had told him a few years ago to tell me if he saw any promising magicians… but he hadn’t recommended a single person.”

I couldn’t understand it.

Why?

Hadn’t the Raynac Empire already nurtured and raised many outstanding magicians?

Even if they weren’t young magicians in my age group, among the adult magicians, the Raynac magicians were of a level above most other nations’ magicians.

But why had he selected a student, ignoring all these other fully-fledged magicians?

Even if the criteria was limited to a magician around my age group, I still couldn’t easily accept it.

“Doesn’t the Empire have Doom Prime?”

Born from a prestigious family with a long tradition in the Empire.

One of the Eleven Children.

And the one most loyal toward the Fire King.

When comparing these qualities, there was no reason to recommend a foreigner like me over Doom Prime.

Even though I won both times, there was only a sliver of difference between my strength and Doom’s.

However, the crown prince nonchalantly responded,

“Ah, that kid?”

In that moment, as the crown prince thought of Doom Prime and showed a small smile…

“In the end, he lost to you.”

“……”

“How dare I go for a loser?”

His expression was that of a kid who threw a tantrum because he got bored of his toy and then got excited to have a new one.

“Doom Prime. I had heard of him. He was one of the brilliant magicians that the Empire was anticipating… but my godfather never recommended him to me. Why? He probably had his reasons. I don’t really need to be curious as to why. Whatever my godfather says in regard to magic is the truth.”

“Is that all?”

“It was like that in the beginning. However, it changed a bit. Another reason came to light.”

Chaurmetan pulled out a small cigarette from his coat and bit it.

“Your fearlessness caught my attention. The courage to wear those rags while everyone else was trying their hardest to look good for other’s authority.”

“……”

Rags?

He said the same thing as Jason.

“The fearlessness to confront my godfather head-on and state your opinions openly. And lastly……”

“……”

“That recklessness, where even though I certainly warned you, you continue to question me.”

Huu—

The smoke exhaled by the crown prince soon filled the room.

Like this swaying smoke, my heart too became clouded.

“Sometimes in politics, you need someone like you nearby to say some funny things next to me.”

“What do I need to do? Is that just advice?”

“More questions.”

“……”

The crown prince put out the cigarette he was smoking by rubbing it on the table.

“Protect me.”

“From what?”

“From my damned brothers who couldn’t accept their younger brother becoming the crown prince.”

“……”

“You don’t have to be so nervous. There won’t be anything too dangerous. I have some fearsome knights around me that could kill you in a single swing. Just… There will be more opportunities like now where I’ll need to take care of my boredom.”

If it was like this, I was just a pet.

The things I did looked cute, and I was a smart cookie who could understand human speech.

Something you would want to take with you.

Something you would want to own.

A pet like that.

“……”

Maybe my expressions showed my thoughts.

No, it shouldn’t have been obvious.

However, Chaurmetan’s insight was abnormal.

He completely read what I was thinking.

“Seems you don’t like it.”

“……Yes. You’re right.”

“That’s why I said it first, that I would refuse your refusal.”

“But if I still say I refuse, what will you do?”

* * *

* * *

“……”

The crown prince stared at me silently.

After staring like he was going to pierce through me with his eyes, he asked something.

“Have you received an offer from someone other than me?”

“No one had approached me today. Wasn’t it something your majesty decreed to be done?”

“Or… is it patriotism to a weak country on the brink of its demise?”

“That’s not particularly the case either.”

“This isn’t a common opportunity. What’s your reason?”

“……”

Well…

If anyone else had heard this, they would’ve accepted it in a heartbeat.

This was that precious of an opportunity.

To become a close ally of the crown prince, who would soon become the emperor and would become the prominent center of authority on the entire continent.

In some sense, I might think back to this moment and regret it later down the line.

However…

“I have a lot of things I want to do.”

This was my biggest reason.

Not to be a magician of the crown prince……

But to be just a magician.

This heart that wanted to keep the integrity of my individuality, maybe he found it funny.

The crown prince let out a small laugh.

“…I thought you would be the rational type, but you’re unexpectedly an idealist?”

“Maybe. I wouldn’t know since I never tried to define myself with a single word.”

“You’ll regret this. This was an opportunity that wouldn’t come once in a lifetime for some people.”

“Yes. Maybe so.”

Chaurmetan Raynac.

He pulled out another cigarette and spoke.

“Let’s say this conversation never happened.”

“……”

After he said that, I bowed my head to him and slowly turned.

As I did, the crown prince talked to my back.

“Ruin Ardell. The people are calling you the brightest gemstone of this Grand Festival.”

“……”

“My hobby is collecting gemstones. There was no gem that I wanted that I wasn’t able to get. Do you know why?”

I turned around.

The crown prince exhaled another big smoke cloud.

“Because the ones I couldn’t get… were destroyed by my hands.”

“……”

Was it a threat……?

However, I didn’t give any reply and turned my back.

His laughs sometimes seemed savage.

But sometimes, they seemed lonely.

* * *

“What? Who did you meet?”

“Hm? It’s nothing.”

“……Huh? You’re suspicious.”

I returned to the banquet hall.

My peers immediately tried to interrogate me to find out who I met with, but I didn’t answer them.

After all, as the crown prince said, it was something that ‘never happened’.

Thanks to this,

“You… No way… Did you get a secret girlfriend!”

“……”

A huge misunderstanding arose.

“I’m right, aren’t I?! Yeah! It’s about time you become a real man. Hehe…… Who is she? You, no way… There’s no way it’s Irene!”

“Hm? What about me?”

“Uat! You scared me!”

Irene Prius.

She had approached us out of nowhere and Jason’s face went red as he backpaddled.

“You’re here?”

“Yes. So why were you talking about me?”

“Ah, no. It’s nothing like that.”

“Hm…… you’re suspicious.”

Irene narrowed her eyes as she looked at me.

She knew that the crown prince had suggested that I meet him during the combined dinner.

She could probably also guess the reason.

She was probably just curious about the answer I gave him.

Rather than giving her an answer, I lightly smiled.

‘I probably did the right thing.’

Yeah.

It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, like the crown prince said.

However, as there was much to gain, there was also much to lose.

“Right? Isn’t he suspicious? This Ruin bastard, he’s super suspicious today. He’s not telling anyone anything.”

The Academy, and my teammates here with me.

Not just them, but the biggest thing that I might have had to give up was…

‘Ruin Ardell.’

My life.

And even my father and our territory.

‘Yeah. I did the right thing.’

Rather than living as someone else’s magician for the rest of my life……

I would choose my territory.

Smiling lightheartedly, I rose from my seat.

Then, I said to Jason and Irene,

“Aren’t you guys thirsty? Let’s go get some drinks.”

“Drinks? Oh! Maybe… beer?”

“No.”

I shook my head and pointed toward the drink corner of the banquet hall.

“Cocovanilla.”

* * *

“Looking at your expression, seems it didn’t go well.”

“……Ah, godfather.”

Fire King Teron.

He could guess the situation from seeing the darkened expression on the crown prince’s face.

“So, what did he say?”

“He said he has a lot of things he wants to do.”

“Hehe. That’s just like him.”

“Dreams rather than gold. Adventure rather than security. Rebellion instead of authority. I didn’t know such magicians still existed these days. I tried to lightly threaten him a little, but that didn’t work either.”

“They do exist occasionally. Rather than becoming someone’s magician, they want to become their own magician.”

“I was curious as to how great he was since godfather recommended him to me, but I understand now. He’s great in a lot of different ways.”

“So what are you thinking of doing now? I know I said this before, but he’ll definitely become a powerful individual.”

At the Fire King’s question, Chaurmetan could only laugh at the ridiculousness.

“Didn’t you predict that Ruin Ardell would reject me, and yet still recommended him to me?”

Hearing this, Teron narrowed his eyes with a playful expression.

“……Was I too obvious?”

“Godfather wouldn’t have recommended him without predicting at least that much.”

“Yes. You’re correct. I had already predicted that Ruin would decline your invitation.”

“Then you predicted my reply too?”

“Yes. I knew that you wouldn’t give up easily either.”

“Then, it’s settled.”

The crown prince.

Chaurmetan Raynac.

His hobby… was collecting gemstones.

“In the end, he’ll become one of my people. I’ve decided that right now.”

He needed to keep the gems he wanted next to him.

If he couldn’t get them, he would break them.

——