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Chapter 5

Riley (1)

There were countless things I was curious about.

So many things I couldn’t understand that it was driving me crazy.

However, no matter how I looked at it, the girl before me was in no state to answer my questions, so I held back everything I wanted to say.

“Haah….”

[…….]

The girl gasped for breath, trying to regain her composure.

I silently watched her.

Honestly, it was somewhat expected for her to be in such a state.

Avoiding the guards’ sights.

Moving without being detected by magical surveillance devices.

Doing all of this would be exhausting, even for a skilled thief.

For now, I decided to let the girl rest a bit and started assessing my own situation.

[Let’s see…..]

Currently, a subtle bond had formed between the girl and me.

The magical circle, a symbol of our contract, was clearly drawn on my cover and her hand.

On top of that, I could distinctly feel the powers of “bond” and “authority” that are felt only when one makes a contract with their owner.

[No unusual issues here.]

It was certain.

This meant that the contract between me and the girl was valid.

This was the first time in my life as a magician that I had ever experienced a second contract in one instance.

Moreover, this contract was made just one second before the start of a new phase, so even upon reflection, I could say this was truly a miraculous event.

[…….]

Yeah.

A miraculous event.

So, I should definitely be happy about this.

After all, I would finally be able to put an end to the 300 years of waiting I had been longing for.

However……

The emotion rising within me wasn’t joy or happiness.

It was unease.

Normally, I would have been overjoyed at the thought of finally escaping this place, but oddly, a strange sense of déjà vu kept gnawing at me.

“Haah, huh….”

Just then, it seemed the girl had somewhat regained her sanity, prompting me to immediately ask her questions.

[Hey, kid.]

“What?”

[What’s your name?]

The contract had already been made.

There was no need to maintain a solemn and serious tone.

I decided to speak casually, unlike when I met that China or Yoon-thing boy.

The girl didn’t seem to mind either and quickly answered my question.

“My name is Riley.”

[Got it. Riley. What’s your surname?]

Riley paused for a moment before answering.

“I don’t have one.”

[What?]

“I don’t have a family name.”

[…….]

No family name, huh?

Her answer only added to my curiosity.

However, now wasn’t the time to dig deeper into that.

I had more important questions to ask her.

[Okay, that’s fine… but…]

I finally asked the question that had been on my mind.

[How did you know all this?]

How on earth did this girl named Riley come to know of my existence?

This was my biggest question.

Riley certainly knew I existed.

That’s why she had come to the library with a definite purpose to find me.

The fierce look in her eyes and her confident actions when she first entered the library were proof of that.

Then, I was faced with another question.

Why did she risk everything to sneak into this library in the middle of the night?

As a student of the Academy, she could have just finished her next day’s schedule and then come to look for me.

I speculated.

[You knew I’d be gone after today, didn’t you?]

“…….”

Riley must have known that I would disappear from the library after midnight today.

Otherwise, there would have been no reason for her to take such risks to find me at this late hour.

[And lastly.]

“…….”

[You heard my voice at the last moment, right?]

The third question.

How on earth did Riley hear my voice in that urgent moment?

In truth, all my previous questions stemmed from speculation.

But this one was a certainty.

Riley had heard my voice.

And she did so even before we had made a contract.

Otherwise, her actions wouldn’t make sense.

Especially at the last moment.

It was utterly illogical that she turned her head directly toward me when she had been facing the opposite direction.

[…….]

As I mentioned before, my voice was unlike ordinary sounds.

It was a different concept altogether from simply creating sound waves that vibrated a person’s eardrum.

It was a telepathy-like sound that only those who made a contract with me or were in contact with me could hear, utilizing the unique frequency of my magical waves.

Of course, creatures sensitive to magic could be exceptions.

Like dragons or spirits.

They could hear me without having to make a contract.

From the beginning, they were sensitive to mana and magical power.

While it wasn’t common for them to sense my voice, it wasn’t completely out of the question.

But……

For an ordinary girl like Riley to detect such complex magical waves?

Especially a girl who was merely a trainee at the Academy?

That was utterly absurd.

A little explanation seemed necessary.

“I don’t know.”

[Huh?]

But Riley’s following answer didn’t resolve my questions; it only amplified them.

“I just……. heard your voice without thinking.”

[…….]

No.

“Without thinking”? That was utterly unhelpful….

[Huh?]

No.

Maybe.

It was a truly ridiculous hypothesis, but…

What if that girl was born with mana sensitivity comparable to a dragon or spirit?

Could that be the reason she could detect my voice?

[Ha.]

Then that would mean this was really insane.

While it was still merely a suspicion, if my hypothesis were true, it would mean that Riley had truly extraordinary magical talent.

Yeah.

The more I thought about it, the less unreasonable it became.

That was how humans were.

Mana, intelligence, dexterity, strength…….

While their overall prowess was decent, they often fell short compared to other species in specific areas.

Yet, incredibly rarely, some individuals were born with potential that surpassed this standard.

These were the prodigies who appeared once every few thousand years.

And they were often referred to as “Heroes.”

[…….]

And what if.

While it was still just my little wishful thinking, what if Riley was one of those rare humans?

[Wait a moment.]

“…… Yes?”

[Then what about everything else? How did you know all that?]

“Same thing. I just heard about the incident at the library and was wandering around, eavesdropping on bits of your mutterings….”

[Ah.]

She learned about my identity, what I could do, and even information about the “Phases” just by eavesdropping on my mutterings.

What an ironic situation that was.

It was like the strange habit of self-talking borne from 300 years of loneliness ultimately saved me.

[That’s fascinating.]

I had lived as a magician for countless years.

Yet I had never once had an owner choose me.

Previous owners had simply been lucky enough to come upon me.

In other words, they had risen to the rank of grand magician purely due to my own abilities.

[…….]

However, this time was different.

This girl, Riley, hadn’t merely stumbled upon me by luck.

She discovered me through her own talent.

She chose me of her own volition.

The causal relationship had been completely reversed from all the prior cases.

Thus, it felt like this round of the magician-raising game would flow a little differently than before.

And perhaps……

Among all the ones I had raised, the most incredible grand magician might yet be born.

*

After a brief self-introduction.

Riley was heading toward the dormitory building, carefully keeping me tucked in the inside pocket of her robe.

Swoosh, whoosh─.

With a flutter─!

Her skill in leaping gracefully over building rooftops while narrowly avoiding the guards’ gaze was nothing short of artistry.

How on earth did this little girl acquire tricks even high-ranking guild thieves would envy?

I was increasingly curious about her origins.

I’d definitely ask her whenever I got the chance.

[By the way, the more I think about it, the more it seems you’re destined for greatness. A legendary grand magician. Beyond that.]

“Legendary grand magician?”

[Yeah.]

“If you’re just saying that to encourage me….”

[No, I’m serious! Not empty words!]

In that fleeting moment, Riley heard my voice.

That meant her mana sensitivity was quite remarkable.

It was common knowledge that a magician with high mana affinity also had exceptional growth potential.

“So, how much do you think I’ll grow? Can you give me examples of legendary magicians from the past?”

[Hmm.]

I paused for a moment before presenting an example.

[There’s a magician who transcended the limitations of magic and created an entirely new world by herself.]

“……There was such a magician?”

[Of course.]

Riley pondered for a bit before firing off another question.

“What’s their name?”

[Why do you want to know their name?]

“Since they’re such a great magician, I’d expect to have heard their name or achievements at least once… I’ve never heard of such a story before.”

What a persistent little kid.

She kept demanding specifics.

[I can’t remember the name… Tyvan? No, Hendrake? Something like that, but I can’t recall right now.]

Riley looked at me with an incredulous expression.

“……You don’t remember the name of the grand magician you raised?”

[I’ve raised a lot of kids, so of course, I wouldn’t remember.]

I continued.

[Oh, and it’s not surprising I’d forget this one.]

“Why? Was it too long ago?”

[Not so much that, but the fact is… I’ve never raised anyone like that.]

“Excuse me?”

[In truth, there’s no such magician. That one I just mentioned was purely a fictional character I made up.]

“……?”

[Hehe.]

Riley stopped in her tracks and looked down at me with an incredulous gaze.

What? Why the glare?

Can’t I even joke around?