NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4
004.
***
It had been about two years since Kalen met Blamia, his benefactor and teacher.
The two of them sensed it.
It was about time for them to part ways.
– BOOM!!
“…”
“Huh…”
Throughout the two years, many changes had occurred—big and small.
Among them was the small sparring area haphazardly set up in the backyard.
And right in the center of that backyard,
a massive mark of magical residue had created a deep crater.
“2nd Tier.”
Blamia calmly stated as she gazed at the crater.
Kalen, panting heavily, listened intently to her words.
“Quick work, Kalen.”
“It’s all thanks to you, Master.”
“What you just used was a 2nd Tier combat attribute magic, ‘Explosion.'”
“Yes.”
The clear impression of force pressed into the ground.
However, as usual, there was no sensation of mana flow. That was another peculiarity Kalen possessed.
While the various 1st Tier spells at least gave a sense of what magic feels like,
from the 2nd Tier onwards, where spells began to split into distinct attributes, even that sensation barely existed.
Perhaps because he didn’t use mana, it was hard not to chuckle at the thought of a thirteen-year-old mastering 2nd Tier magic.
But because of this, they were parting ways.
The boy’s eyes, caught within Blamia’s gaze, seemed to understand the sentiment of the elder well enough.
“That troublemaker could do well to follow you half as much.”
“My Lady is doing well.”
“Given that you’re the same age, how long do you plan to call her ‘My Lady’? Still, thanks to you, she’s at least gained an interest—I’m glad for that much.”
Was it perhaps for this reason that Blamia brought up Sinarth to avoid the topic?
Kalen had moved the conversation to the main point.
“Thank you for everything, Master.”
“Did you know it was coming?”
“You cannot be responsible for me forever. I’m thankful for taking in a homeless beggar and giving me a means to survive.”
“…Had your talent been worthless, I wouldn’t have been able to do even that. It’s a good outcome, something to be proud of, even.”
There would be no tears of regret over parting, no grand farewell ceremony.
Each simply understood the other’s situation without much ado.
Because Kalen was quick on the uptake, it was Blamia who felt more bittersweet about the separation.
Indeed, the little one, despite his young age, remained unnaturally mature.
*
Grunth-
Blamia’s groans were nothing new.
Usually, they emerged when Sinarth used magic to wreak havoc on her.
But this time was slightly different.
– I hate it! I said I hate it! Why do you keep saying you like it?
– You’ve never said you liked it before, Grandfather! I brought them here to make friends, remember?
– I don’t want anyone but Kalen… Why are you sending him away after bringing him here?
While Kalen might be reserved, it seemed that quality suited Sinarth well, as she couldn’t fight against someone trying to protect him so earnestly.
“Why are you sending him away…?”
Blamia questioned herself.
It was a solitary monologue for a listener who wasn’t there, but nothing was better for clearing her thoughts.
Kalen was brought purely because of Sinarth.
There was certainly a touch of impulsive regret since both parties initially disliked each other,
But there was also an anxiety that there wouldn’t be a single person in the world who could win Sinarth’s affection.
However, by sheer chance, Kalen, picked up randomly, ended up being liked by the granddaughter.
This turned into Blamia’s dilemma.
Blamia initially saw Kalen as no more than a pitiable child whose talents were wasted due to his status.
But as time passed, she began reflecting more on her past mistakes through him.
Finding excuses—like not being inherently a good person—at first was part of why she tried to send Kalen away.
But in truth, there was nothing wrong with keeping him until the end.
She purposefully brought him in, stayed by him for a while to confirm if he was unsuitable, and now that he had even managed to make Sinarth a friend, there was no reason to forcibly send him away either.
Only the dreadful fear that an old nightmare, which she had tried to forget, was resurfacing held her back.
“So hard… this is so difficult…”
How much better it would have been if Sinarth’s parents or her children had been alive to handle the situation—certainly, they would have been far better suited for it.
Blamia swallowed this regret quietly, clearing away her thoughts.
It was time to handle what she had put off.
She had rested enough for Sinarth and Kalen.
Since her attempts to persuade Sinarth had failed, she would have to rely on Kalen.
Though she had to immediately deal with pending matters, she hoped Kalen could convince Sinarth by the time she returned.
With that hope in mind, Blamia set off to find Kalen.
No matter what, even as a Great Mage, Blamia couldn’t win against Sinarth.
After all, her granddaughter was the most precious thing in the world to her.
*
“Wow! If you’re already at the 2nd Tier, doesn’t that mean you’ll end up like our grandfather someday?”
“Hmm.”
“No, no. In my opinion, Kalen is definitely going to become a Great Mage. After all, he’s the friend of none other than Sinarth Drannus.”
“…Then why did you call me?”
“Huh? Oh, right.”
The small sparring area in the backyard.
Continue straight, and there would be a gentle hilly ridge.
It was quite a beautiful place, especially at sunset, when the landscape would take on a slightly darker shade.
Kalen and Sinarth were sharing stories here, as usual.
The relatively flat stones embedded in the ground were unofficially their exclusive seats.
After exchanging a few inane jokes,
Kalen and Sinarth sensed that it was time to dive into deeper thoughts.
It was Sinarth who had called Kalen up to the ridge, and Kalen, who had a vague idea of her intentions, both believed it was appropriate to bring up the main topic.
“Kalen, do you dislike me?”
When you spend two years together, you come to learn a few things whether you want to or not.
For example, Sinarth’s favorite spot in the world was this sunset ridge.
Also, when she wanted to talk seriously and reveal her true feelings, she would call him by his name rather than a nickname.
“Why do you think that?”
“You keep respecting me with honorifics despite me telling you not to… You don’t even call me by my nickname… and you barely initiate any conversations…”
It didn’t look good when the ever-lively girl spoke in such a deflated tone.
Kalen carefully chose his words.
“How could I dislike someone who approached me so kindly when I had nothing?”
“Then why are you trying to leave?”
It was then that Kalen realized why Sinarth appeared so gloomy.
Apparently, she had figured out that he eventually had to leave, and Kalen recalled Blamia’s words.
– Try persuading Sinarth a little. She doesn’t listen to me at all, but perhaps you’ll be different.
Blamia wasn’t much of a wordsmith.
Fitting for someone who disliked showing their face even as a Great Mage.
Sinarth seemed to have misunderstood Blamia’s words.
“Hmm…”
Kalen, however, was also no orator.
After scratching his head for quite some time, he began to speak.
“I don’t really know.”
“Huh?”
“I don’t know why I have to leave. In fact, I don’t even know why you brought me in the first place.”
Unpolished words may lack coherence and often fail to convey intended meanings.
But they are honest.
Raw, unprocessed words, but precisely because of that, they are sincere.
“Well, perhaps it’s nothing. Maybe Master just took me in with no reason. And it’s time for me to go.”
The sincerity carried weight, focusing the listener’s attention.
It added strength to what otherwise might have seemed a weak argument.
“Rather, I’m already grateful for bringing me out of nowhere and nurturing me this far. And…”
A deep sense of awkwardness bubbled up from his heart.
To unravel Sinarth’s misunderstanding, Kalen, despite his poor eloquence, stopped using formal honorifics for the first time.
“I don’t dislike you, Sinarth. If someone as…pretty as you is being nice, I’d probably like you if I liked anyone.”
The regret that crept in was unavoidable.
Kalen remembered the words of a man he met at the gambling den.
Among the people he encountered there, there was a man who was perpetually drunk who had said something:
– There’s nothing better than flattery when persuading someone, kid. Hahaha! You know? A bit of flattery can easily snag you a coin or two!
Though the situation was different, since the goal was to appease Sinarth, he had assumed praise would be effective.
As Kalen regretted uttering those words, a faint chuckle reached his ears.
“Pha… Pfuha!”
Glimpsing uneasily at Sinarth, Kalen saw her clutching her stomach and wiping away tears.
“What’s so funny about what I said!?”
“Guh…”
“Haa… Haa… Too funny!”
How long did she laugh?
By the time she calmed her breathing, an awkward silence filled the space between Sinarth and Kalen.
“Still…”
Sinarth leaned on her knees, resting her chin in her hand, and smiled toward Kalen beside her.
“You weren’t completely terrible. Kal.”
“…”
“I’ll try to understand. But don’t expect too much. I don’t want to let go of a friend who fits me so well.”
Watching that faintly sunlit smile, Kalen understood.
At least a little why Sinarth loved this place’s sunset so much.
*
After that heartfelt conversation on the ridge, Kalen couldn’t return to using honorifics.
It was not because he feared Sinarth glaring at him if he did; rather, having started speaking informally, he decided it might be better to continue.
“How about doing it after Master returns?”
“Nope~ That’s dumb. How can you not know my feelings?”
If you don’t speak, how can someone know your inner thoughts?
Kalen felt wronged, but Sinarth was the granddaughter of a benefactor.
“This is… in fact… an apology.”
“Apology?”
“Because I kinda made grandfather mad before he left… and I feel bad about that.”
It was only moments ago that Sinarth had asked for help.
Realizing this, Kalen finally understood Sinarth’s feelings.
In short, she wanted to display magical achievement as both an apology and a gesture of reconciliation before Blamia’s departure.
Truly a Sinarth-like idea, and simultaneously, the best apology for Blamia.
No matter how one looked at it, she was a grandfather who loved his granddaughter and magic the most.
Though she had recently regained interest in working hard, achieving results was still an entirely different matter.
There was nothing more certain than showcasing magical achievement.
“Still, isn’t 2nd Tier too dangerous? I did it in front of Master, too.”
“The burden of failure for contract magic is the lowest. If it goes wrong, it’s just a failed spirit contract.”
Based on Blamia’s confirmation, Sinarth’s magic attribute was indeed ‘contract.’
Only a handful of 1st Tier spells were within her grasp, but succeeding at 2nd Tier would be nothing short of great fortune.
Yet the 2nd Tier wasn’t a barrier to be approached lightly.
However, contract magic was literally about forming contracts with spirits from the spirit realm.
As the levels increased, higher spirits could be contracted, and the failure risk didn’t carry the catastrophic dangers some other attributes posed.
This is the point Sinarth was making.
“…Alright.”
Kalen, who knew the relationship between Blamia and Sinarth well, couldn’t ignore her intentions.
As Sinarth said, contract magic held little risk.
And he couldn’t disregard the granddaughter’s wish to apologize to her grandfather.
A single attempt wouldn’t hurt, and helping her might even be the right action.
Kalens’ only reason for hesitation was a slight feeling of unease, so he quickly decided to help Sinarth.
“Really? Then I’ll prepare first!”
Kalen momentarily set aside his unease and followed the ecstatic Sinarth.