Third-Person Perspective
Another year passed.
Arai was now ready to visit the library - even though he hadn't become in his third year yet.
During the past five months, he had constantly asked the servants to read to him.
As a result, his vocabulary had grown significantly, and he had even managed to write on his own without formal instruction. Of course, his writing relied on the grammatical structure of his previous world, producing a language that only he could understand.
Arai knew where the library was thanks to his frequent visits in the past.
Today, he intended to visit the library to deepen his understanding of this world.
After walking and turning down several hallways, he began to feel tired.
"Damn, this palace is enormous."
Previously, the servants had always escorted him to the library, so he hadn't realized how far it was from his private room. But now, walking there alone, he grasped just how distant the library was.
"Should I say, 'As expected of a duke's palace,' now?"
Arai had known about his family's status in this world for a while.
They were a duchy, the highest rank among nobles.
"I have to admit, I'm pretty lucky. In an unknown world like this, if I'd been born in some random corner, I might've died like a dog without ever knowing what happened."
After learning about his family's rank, Arai became cautious and avoided drawing attention to himself, all part of his plan to escape the palace unnoticed someday. From a book read to him by the servants, he'd learned about his ancestors, who had been great and brave mages, sacrificing their lives to protect the kingdom since its founding.
The honor of sacrificing oneself for the kingdom's protection? Keep that honor to yourself.
Such a level of indoctrination and patriotism did not affect him whatsoever.
Arai felt no sense of belonging to this world, let alone to the kingdom where he was born. He was a researcher, a scientist, not a hot-blooded general ready to charge into battles.
If things continued as they were, wouldn't he be forced to stay in this kingdom "to protect it" forever? Wouldn't that cage his freedom?
Arai decided he would escape secretly in the future. It wasn't as if he was shirking responsibility. Ironically, his father had made a similar decision in his youth, running away from home، but young Arai didn't know this yet.
"…If I had a younger sibling, wouldn't that solve this problem?" Such thoughts crossed his mind, but he pushed them aside. These were matters for his parents, not him.
"Anyway, let's get going!"
He resumed his walk. After a few more turns, he finally reached the library.
Inside, there were rows upon rows of shelves filled with books. Near the entrance stood a small table with a chair, occupied by an elderly man.
"Sark Korm greets the young master."
As soon as Arai entered, the old librarian bowed.
Sark was a man with many wrinkles on his face, white hair, and a two-layered outfit that gave him an air of formality.
Arai nodded in response.
"Can I assist you with anything, young master?" Sark asked politely.
Arai paused to think.
He wanted books about his current location, but if a two-and-a-half-year-old child asked for that, it would seem suspicious.
Most children his age were simple-minded, focused only on breaking things and playing. The height of their intelligence was playing quietly without causing a mess.
"Would you like me to read to you, young master? There are some books here that I think you'd enjoy," Sark offered, stroking his beard thoughtfully.
Arai frequently visited the library, so his presence now wasn't unusual. He always brought servants along to read to him during these visits.
"I'll browse the library first and decide later," Arai replied quietly.
"Very well, young master. Call me when you make your choice."
Sark nodded and returned to his seat, resuming his reading.
...
Arai wandered around the library for a while before settling on three books:
[The Artemis Isles] [The Zadaka Language] [The Kingdom of Loclover]
These three books were exactly what he needed at the moment.
The first book detailed the isles where he currently resided. The second book covered the language spoken here.
The third and final book discussed the kingdom where his family's duchy was located, the same kingdom his ancestors had "protected" and "sacrificed themselves" for.
Arai wasn't a fool. He decided it was crucial to understand his surroundings and his place in this world before anything else. Everything else could come later.
"I think there's a table nearby…"
Arai walked through the rows of shelves, searching for a place to sit and read.
However, on his way, something caught his eye, a book on one of the shelves that surprised him. It was a deep purple book with ornate, mysterious patterns on its cover.
The title read: Introduction to Magic.
Startled, Arai accidentally dropped the books he had been carrying.
"Introduction to Magic?"
His curiosity was immediately piqued.
Magic!
For someone from Earth, the concept of magic was fantastical and utterly out of reach.
Arai had known this was a magical world for the past six months, ever since Kanrom's examination. Unfortunately, he hadn't had the opportunity to ask for more information about magic.
In truth, he hadn't gotten his hopes up too much and therefore hadn't sought out books on the subject.
"Magic…"
Without even glancing at the three books he had originally picked, Arai snatched the purple book and sneaked away with it.
"Better play it safe, though…"
He returned to grab the book The Artemis Isles as a cover and hid the magic book inside his clothes.
Then, he headed toward the palace's back garden.
However, he quickly got lost. Not having memorized the layout of the palace, he had to ask a servant for directions.
Arai sat under a large tree, engrossed in the book.
The book's introduction provided a foundational understanding of magic and its potential applications.
Magic could achieve a myriad of things: summoning spirits, shooting lightning from one's fingers, healing lost limbs, and more.
Arai read the introduction in detail, taking his time to absorb the information.
Magic wasn't as complex as he thought.
Previously, he had assumed it would involve drawing strange symbols on paper, chanting lengthy spells, and then launching tiny fireballs like in RPG games.
In reality, magic was straightforward, though it required focus, talent, and intent. It wasn't even monopolized by a specific group like nobles, it was quite common.
Magicians were classified into three main categories:
1. Sorcerer 2. Enhancer 3. Warlock
The first one didn't need much explanation, did it? Sorcerers were those who manipulated mana to produce magical phenomena. While called "sorcerers," the term encompassed various specializations, including summoners, healers, and seers.
- Warlock
Warlocks were the opposite of sorcerers. They utilized mana in malevolent ways, employing methods like sacrifice, consumption, and killing to augment their power or spread fear and chaos.
In short, while sorcerers were the "good magicians," warlocks were the "evil magicians."
- Enhancer
Enhancers were a completely different breed of magicians. They used mana to boost their physical strength and vitality.
Spearmen, swordsmen, defenders, and assassins fell into this category—essentially, warriors who relied on their bodies and weapons more than spells. What set enhancers apart was their "magical mark."
Each type was distinct in combat style and technique, and each had its advantages.
Magic in this world was ranked across 9 tiers, numbered from 1 to 9. Within each rank, there were three sub-levels: [Early, Mid, Peak]. A magician's rank primarily determined their power, though other factors such as mana reserves, combat experience, and elemental affinities also played significant roles.
When children reached the age of five, a ceremony called the "Awakening Rite" was held. During this rite, one of three things was awakened in a person:
A Grimoire, A Magical Mark, and A Mana Core
These three determined an individual's magical future:
Those with a grimoire or mana core were destined to become sorcerers unless they chose the warlock or enhancer path. Sorcerers were known for their vast mana reserves and their ability to unleash wide-ranging attacks. They rarely specialized in close combat.
Those with a magical mark, however, became enhancers. Magical marks specialized in brute-force physical enhancements, granting the strength and vitality of beasts or plants. At their peak, they could manifest a phantom form of the creature their mark was tied to.
After finishing the book, Arai let out a long sigh.
"Simple yet complex." He rubbed his head, feeling a slight headache from all the information.
He muttered, "At least I now have a general idea of what kind of world this is."
...
After finishing the book, Arai tucked it under his shirt and returned to his room.
His young mind was exhausted from processing all the information, and he felt the need to sleep.
That night, while he was sound asleep, Mizuki burst into his room and carried him off somewhere else. Her grip was strong enough that Arai couldn't resist, so he allowed himself to be taken.
– She did this often.
"Mommy, I can't sleep! I had a nightmare!"
'Really? Then why did you drag me here? What does this have to do with me?!' Arai fumed internally, wishing he could smack his older sister in frustration.
She had interrupted his wonderful dream! He had been dreaming of returning to Earth as a great magician, with a waterfall of coffee in his home.
"You're hopeless, aren't you?" Kuyomi woke up and sighed gently.
This wasn't the first time Mizuki had done this. She often came to Kuyomi at night with the excuse that she couldn't sleep, but her real goal was to hear stories.
"Tehe~"
Arai ended up sleeping on a small mat on the floor. Both Kuyomi and Mizuki tried to persuade him to join them in bed, but he stubbornly refused. After several failed attempts, they gave up and let him be.
"Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there was a small village…" Kuyomi began her story in a voice that felt like a dream.
In a small village, a girl named Artemis lived peacefully with her parents.
However, her idyllic life was shattered by a savage vampire who, in a moment of hunger, killed everyone in the village, including her parents. Thankfully, Artemis was saved just in time by a wandering magician named Merlin.
Desperate for revenge, Artemis begged Merlin to teach her magic.
Feeling sympathy for her, Merlin agreed and began teaching her.
Artemis showed exceptional talent, and it didn't take long for her to surpass Merlin and become a renowned sorceress. Over time, Artemis realized she was falling in love with her savior, but she kept those feelings locked away, determined not to let them distract her from her revenge.
After a long search, Artemis found the vampire who had destroyed her village and exacted her vengeance.
"So, Mommy, what happened to them afterward?" Mizuki asked eagerly, while Arai listened quietly.
After achieving her revenge, Artemis could no longer suppress her growing feelings. Every time she looked at Merlin, she felt flowers blooming in her heart.
After much internal struggle, Artemis confessed her feelings to Merlin.
But he rejected her!
Heartbroken and angry, she demanded to know why. Merlin replied that he was much older than her.
Artemis felt her anger rise - such a reason was trivial to her!
However, she soon discovered that Merlin wasn't just "older" than her.
He was far, far older than she had imagined.
Merlin was cursed with immortality.
He had lived so long that life itself had lost its meaning. To him, Artemis was just another young girl in need whom he had encountered during his endless existence. Her feelings didn't matter to him because, before he knew it, she would grow old and die, leaving only her bones behind.
In the end, Artemis remained alone.
She couldn't fathom the loneliness Merlin had endured in his long life.
"Mommy… that story is so sad." Mizuki began to cry tears of sympathy.
"That's true." Kuyomi nodded with a hint of sadness but then asked seriously, "What's the moral of the story?"
"Hmm…" Mizuki pondered for a moment but couldn't come up with anything meaningful.
'That love is trivial and just a fleeting rush of hormones,' Arai thought with amusement but wisely kept those words to himself.
"Hmm… isn't it just a bedtime story? Why do we even need to extract a moral?" he mused before adding, "Maybe the lesson is to only love the right person."
That seemed to sum it up.
Artemis hadn't succeeded in love because she loved the wrong person.
Had she loved the right one, perhaps she could have found the happiness she sought.
Merlin was the wrong person.
"Mommy, have you found the right person? Is Daddy the right person for you?" Mizuki asked Kuyomi excitedly, ignoring the deeper moral of the story.
"Absolutely!" Kuyomi replied with a radiant smile.
"Mommy, Mommy! Do you think I'll find the right person too?" Mizuki asked again, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"No!" Both Arai and Kuyomi said at the same time.
"Eh?!" Mizuki looked disheartened, her beautiful eyes quickly filling with tears.
"Because Mizuki is my little princess. You don't need to find the right person; the right person needs to find you!" Kuyomi said in a soft, comforting voice.
"Of course, if you ever think you've found the right person, make sure to try your hardest to win them over and claim them as yours!"
'Is this something you should be teaching a little girl?'
Arai closed his eyes and pretended to sleep, and he did fall asleep.