After spending the night at the inn, we sought out the Mage Guild in the center of the city.
The guild building was full of people dressed in robes, wide-brimmed hats, and wands that actively proclaimed, "I'm a scholar.
When Mirabelle enters the room, dressed in a maid's outfit, all eyes are on her. Mirabelle, who is a timid person, cowers from the stares.
As I lead the way, she follows closely behind.As we approach the window, a female scholar flashes me her service-oriented smile.
"Welcome, my dear. What brings you to the Mage Guild?"
"I'm here to see if I have the aptitude for wizardry."
"You're the cute maid in the back, right?"
"Haha, no joke. That's me."
That's a lie.
You're actually here to take the Mirabelle Wizard Aptitude Test.
A project to make Mirabelle the Great Witch (not the Great Witch).
The first step is to find out if she has a magical aptitude.
Of course, even without the test, I know Mirabelle has magical qualities, and not just any magical qualities, but those of a one-in-a-thousand year old archdemon.
But I can't explain where I got the information. I don't know what she'd think if I told her out of the blue, "You should become a witch.
Of course she'll be suspicious. She already feels suspicious about her name.
So I'm going to pretend I'm here to test her for magical aptitude, and I'm going to have Mirabelle come with me. That way, I can discover her talent and set her on the path of magic.
"The test is available, but there is a fee. I'll need to pay 50 silver, is that okay?"
"Of course.
The clerk double-checks with a skeptical gaze. Being a mage is a talent that must be honed from a young age to blossom. At my age, in my mid-20s, I'm a little late.
But who knows.
Maybe there are some hidden perks to being possessed by the Otherworld.
I handed over a gold coin. When I tried to give her change, she asked me to wait until after the test. It's just a hassle since I have to inspect the Mirabelle anyway.
An employee pulls out a crystal ball the size of a human face. It's a magic tool that often acts as a scout in creations. The one that always breaks when the protagonist touches it, like, "Oh, this much magic?" or "Seven attributes at the same time?
"Put your hands up like you're wrapping a bead around it. Energize it."
I did what they told me to do. I squeezed like I was pooping, and I could feel the magic moving.
The beads glowed briefly as they ate my energy.
Oh, there's a reaction?
Is that a reaction?
"Did you see that sparkle just now, this is unconditionally gifted."
"No, it's just the opposite, I waited and waited and there was no reaction, so it just sparkled. It's like a sign that the thing isn't broken."
"What?"
No, not that shit.
"You're so untalented. It's not easy to be untalented. You're talented at being untalented."
The employee scoffs sourly, without changing his expression, and sticks a magic missile in my chest. Yeah, I'm not a wizard, I'm just doing my job.
"Since you're here, Ms. Mirabelle, why don't you give it a try?"
"What?"
"I'd like you to examine her as well."
"Okay, I'll include the cost of the examination in the 1 gold price."
With me and the staff drumming and hollering, Mirabelle, who is not very assertive, floated like a buoy. Her hands rested nervously on her crystal ball.
"Now, put your magic into it."
Guided by a much kinder staff member, Mirabelle activated her powers with a whimper. After a few moments of silence, the crystal ball began to glow with a brilliant array of colors.
"Uh, what?"
Unperturbed by the employee's question, Mirabelle continued to energize. The light didn't stop at filling the orb, but instead emitted a dazzling radiance in all directions.
Pow!
"Crackle!"
It exploded, sending shards of marble flying everywhere.
Once again.
Mirabelles are a favorite of the Great Witch.
I can't pretend to know, so I'll have to play it cool here.
"What's going on? The orb burst, is it a defective product? Isn't that what I'm good at?"
"That would never happen, not even if you died and woke up. This... On the contrary, it seems that your magical talent was too great and you couldn't hold on... This, this has never happened before...? Wait a minute, I'll talk to the Guild President."
Panting, the employee disappeared somewhere.
Mirabelle's state of mind was one of surprise, and she couldn't hide her anxiety. She fidgeted nervously, unable to keep her hands still.
"You're an amazing person," I told her, "so don't be intimidated and keep your head up.
"You're so talented, this might be worth more than a thousand gold."
"...,"
The employee disappeared, but quickly returned.
"The union president would like to see you in person, please follow me this way."
We followed the employee into the union president's office on the second floor. A middle-aged academic with dongle-rimmed glasses and a kindly demeanor was waiting. Mirabelle and I sat down side by side on the couch.
"Welcome," he said, "I've heard from our staff that that cute little girl smashed your magic meter?"
"That's how it happened. From what I hear, my Mirabelle has magical talent. Is that true?"
"We'll have to do more tests to find out, but we do know that she has a talent, which is why I have a suggestion for you: I'd like to teach her magic."
"Hmm?"
I feigned consideration, though it was all according to plan. As a merchant, it's no good taking things lying down; you have to think things through and make a deal in any situation.
"Even so, teaching magic to a slave is a bit...."
"What, a slave? I thought she was just a maid...."
"Because shackles are in poor taste."
The Guildmaster's face darkens, as if he hadn't thought of Mirabelle as a slave. This is his chance to create a world-shattering wizard in his guild.
Later, when Mirabelle becomes an archmage, he can claim the position of master, saying, "I raised her.
But Mirabelle is a slave. She can't learn magic without my permission.
Still, it seems like an opportunity too good to pass up, and the guild president tries to convince her to return to her normal color.
"Confucius, there are many people who keep mages as slaves. They can be escorts, or they can send explorations into dungeons to earn money."
"I understand that very well. Just knowing how to use magic is worth a lot of money."
"So if this child can learn to wield magic, it will be a great boon for you, Confucius, because you will have a mage slave without having to pay a high price."
"Hmmm.... I see what you mean. What about you, Miss Mirabelle? Does she want to learn magic?"
I asked Mirabelle's doctor.
Her answer, of course.
"Shh... shh, no."
NO.
***.
Mirabelle's heart fluttered until it hurt. Like someone who had just committed a crime and was getting away with it.
A cold sweat broke out.
She couldn't control her expression.
Learn magic.
Mirabelle knows better than anyone that she is a witch, and for her, that is the beginning of all tragedy.
So she doesn't want to learn magic. I don't want to nurture the seeds of the tragedy that took my mother's life.
So I said no.
He said no, because he was a slave, and if Karami told him to learn, he had to learn, but he had asked for his will.
"Hmph, you don't want to do it," said Confucius, "but I'm quite fond of my slaves, so I don't want to force them to do something they don't want to do."
"Confucius, can't you be persuaded somehow?"
"Persuasion...."
Unable to guess her thoughts, Karami's slender eyes fall on Mirabelle. Mirabelle flinched and looked away.
"Miss Mirabelle, I don't know much about your past, but I do know that you were abandoned by your father. He sold a beautiful daughter like you, what a horrible man."
"...."
"Miss Mirabelle, don't you want to take revenge on him for abandoning you?"
"...What?"
An out-of-the-blue suggestion.
Mirabelle's head snaps up.
Her eyes lock with Karami's.
"To learn magic, to find him, to find out why he abandoned me that day, why he made my life a living hell because of you, and to get back at him for doing the same."
Mirabelle's ears perk up. She's not sure what Karami is saying, but each word in his sentence sticks to her eardrums like a sledgehammer.
Revenge?
Revenge on her father?
Revenge on the man who sold her daughter into slavery because he was her father and she was a witch?
Revenge on the man who made her mother's sacrifice worthless?
"Can I...?"
"Of course, as your master, I will allow it.If Miss Mirabelle is willing to master magic, I will find that man."
At that moment, Mirabelle's dead eyes came alive.
The eyes of someone with a clear purpose in life are always brighter than anything else in the world, and so were Mirabelle's.
Mirabelle made a declaration of her own.
"I want to learn magic."
And I want to be a witch.
She would be a witch like her mother, and she would take revenge on her father for abandoning her. Deep inside, Mirabelle's magical powers stirred.