Chapter 002 – Beginning of the lessons

The ceremony ended safely and Keith who had become the court mage was called before Mashua straight away. On the throne is a beautiful elf with a crown imitating ivy on his head. He looks in his mid 20’s but is actually over 300 I had heard.

“Keith as you are now a citizen of our country I expect splendid work from you”

I bow down to the dignified face while a grave voice like the rumbling of the sea under a moonlight night solemnly resounds.

Mashua continued speaking to Keith.

“I know you have just arrived but I have a favour to ask”

“If this body is up to it I will do anything”

“Umu, Naia come here”

At Mashua’s call, an elf appears from the back. A face that wasn’t childish but you could still tell it was a girl and not a woman. Her body was wrapped in a snow white dress and had a face that resembled Mia who was sitting next to Mashua. Long platinum hair with slim hands and feet and slightly swelling breasts that were standing out.

“Father”

Naia came alongside her father and smiled when she saw Keith.

“This is my daughter Naia although she was at your appointment ceremony”

However, Keith hadn’t been aware of it.

“Yes. I could never forget such a beautiful figure”

Naia shyly turned her face down at Keith’s words.

“In fact, my request is this child”

“The princess”

“Umu” (TN – I’m sure you are all aware but Umu is just a sound of agreement or could be used for yeah or right)

Mashua continued after confirming it was about Naia

“As you know we elves excel at sorcery and magic. We take pride in being better and more experienced than other races particularly with spirit magic”

“Yes”

“But….for some reason, my daughter Naia……..has no talent in magic”

Mashua says while watching his daughter.

It’s unfathomable for Keith how shameful it is to an elf to say they have no talent in magic. However, he was able to see it after watching Naia hanging her head down and squirming.

“So I would like you to teach magic to Naia”

Keith fully grasped it then.

Did you have such an intention when I was employed?

For an elf magic is as natural as a bird flying in the sky or a fish swimming in water. That’s why they are no good at teaching it. So if you want to learn magic you have to ask a human to teach it. Because I accidentally happened to be in the right place at the right time.

Of course, this was just Keith’s guess who had a self-mocking like feeling.

“So? Do you mind?”

“Ah. Of course. I’ll serve to the utmost”

“Really!?”

To the voice of Keith, it was Naia’s voice that came back first.

When Keith looked up Naia came running from her father’s side. She crouched down and grasped Keith’s hand.

“Great! I didn’t know what to do if you declined. It was good to ask my father”

“Ha, Haa” (TN – he’s just taken aback by her enthusiasm)

“Will I be able to use magic? what do you think mage-sama”

However, Keith’s heart sulked at Naia’s innocent question.

(Ahh. Am I this child’s toy?) Is the thought that came to mind.

“Naia! This is disgraceful”

“…….I’m sorry”

“Hahahaha. It can’t be helped”

Such cheerful scenery made Keith’s heart even more rough.

                         * * *

Magic guidance for Naia started the next day.

I am taken by a knight from my room provided by the royal court and taken to Naia’s room.

Naia who was having her hair brushed by a maid stopped when Keith entered and rushed up to him joyfully.

“Mage-sama! I  was waiting!”

With a smile like a sunflower on her face, she grasped his hand.

“Insolent fellow!!”

I draw my body back from a voice that wasn’t Naia’s

“Lowly mage touching Naia-sama with your filthy hand”

No, it was this girl that grabbed me………

I look at the source of the voice and an elf with brown skin was standing there.

(Desert Elf?)

It’s an elf clan living in the desert zone to the east. It’s characterised by brown skin and silver hair with their own religion and until recently they were persecuted as dark elves but this doesn’t happen much now.

However, they are very unusual in this region.

“Aisha…..”

Naia is saying “Uhh” to that desert elf…………..Aisha.

“Such a way of speaking is rude! apologise to mage-sama!”

Aisha was troubled by those words.

“Ho..However!”

“Apologise!”

Aisha looks at Keith with eyes that are not apologetic at all

“Sorry”

Are you apologising?

I can’t help thinking so. However, in this country, it can’t be helped. I can’t be bothered by every single thing.

“No. I don’t mind”

“Don’t you mind? you haven’t done anything wrong”

“Not at all”

“That’s good!”

Aisha continues to glare at Keith with a face like chewing on a bitter bug.

“That’s right, introductions still haven’t been made. Mage-sama this is Aisha my escort knight. Aisha this is the magician, Keith”

I’m introduced “Thank you” I bow my head but Aisha only returns a “Hmph!” I don’t know her true age but being looked down on by someone with the appearance of a young girl makes me slightly angry.

“Again Aisha!”

Because our talk didn’t proceed I wanted to finish this quickly.

“It’s fine, let’s get started”

“Y, Yes!”

It’s tense [Funsu!] Naia gets psyched up and blows breath out her nose.

For now, I open a simple grimoire and the maid excuses herself and leaves, however, Aisha remains.

“Is Aisha-sama going to stay here all the time?”

“Of course! Because I don’t know what rude things you will do to Naia-sama”

To be honest it’s troublesome.

Because I’m teaching I may be slightly rude if I have to scold her. It’s called teaching and learning. It will be unbearable if she complains every single time.

“What, got a complaint?”

“No…not so much a complaint”

Although he thought about it in various ways Keith felt himself getting wore down worrying about the knight so he decided to stop thinking about it. After all, it was only  Aisha.

“Aren’t you going? You’re in the way”

“Wha, What did you say!!!!”

“I can’t teach well with you around”

“You bastard!!”

Aisha grabs the rapier at her waist.

But after being chased by people from the 10 temple knights order waving around halberds and claymores screaming “I’m going to kill you, you wicked heretic!!” this young girl didn’t frighten Keith.

“You can kill me but then please teach the princess magic”

“This!”

“Stop it!!”

Aisha’s movement stopped by the words of Naia.

“Na…..Naia-sama”

“It’s as mage-sama says. Aisha get out”

“Bu, But!”

“Leave!”

It’s totally like a dog.

Aisha looks at Naia like a puppy that has been abandoned many times and leaves the room “I am sorry” with a voice that seems to disappear.

Take a breath

“Well, shall we begin?”

Keith says and begins to imitate a tutor.

* * *

What I learned was Naia didn’t even have a rudimentary knowledge of magic.

Is it because it’s normally intuitive?

I don’t know if all elves are the same but this is difficult.

Keith though not perfect is a genshou doushi (TN – Not sure what this is. MT gives me new year head priest  or possibly grand priest 元正導師. Some googling gives me possibly teacher or part-time teacher which makes more sense)

In academic terms its equivalent to a university student.

It’s like teaching maths to a pre-schooler. To be honest I have no idea where to begin.

Naia guessed from Keith’s troubled face.

“After all……..is it impossible for me….”

Disappointment and dejection is as big as expected and she got depressed

“No, Umm…”

I thought desperately.

What I thought of was an experiment done by some magic association that had monkeys learn magic through repetition.

If a monkey can do it there’s no reason why an elf can’t do it.

We need to start with the basics and build a foundation.

“It’s alright. Let’s go slowly”

That’s right. Let’s go slowly.

My partner is an elf. They have long lives. The longer it takes the longer Keith can work at the court. It’s killing two birds with one stone.

I think this and smile

“…….Mage-sama is a gentle person, I’m……happy”

On the contrary, at this short distance, Keith felt a shock from that smile. No way. I’m deceiving you.

“For the moment lets just try and make things appear with magical power. I will assist you, anyone can do this as long as there is magical power”

“Ye, Yes!”

Keith places a piece of paper cut out in the shape of a butterfly on her hand and places his hand under hers.

I will slowly draw out her magical power and let it emerge.

In this way, I tried to let the body remember the act of drawing magical power out slowly.

“…………..”

It doesn’t float

It doesn’t even twitch

“………….”

Such an idiot

As an ordinary person, there’s no reason an elf can’t make this float.

It’s an elf species. They are a lump of walking magical power.

Strange…..I thought anybody could do this, but Naia collected lots of tears in her eyes

“Af, abwfter all……… I……….I’m sobwy……..”(TN – Yeah she’s crying but I didn’t know how to write it)

“Please don’t cry!”

Keith doesn’t know how to comfort a crying girl. I stared at Naia to start to investigate the cause first of all.

However you look at it she’s an elf.

A perfect elf. It isn’t a human cosplaying.

I wonder.

“Excuse me, may I touch your head?”

“Yes [sniffle] that’s fine”

I got permission and placed my hand on her head.

I close my eyes and start seeing into her body. It’s like a magic CT scan. However, it isn’t the internal organs you see but the internal magic pathways. And

“Aah…..”

I finally understand the cause.

* * *

“It’s an abnormal formation in the magic pathways”

Keith nodded

“What…. in the world?”

“There is a path that circulates magical power inside the body for every living thing. It’s possible to use magic because magic power flows through there……..the paths in the princesses body are not formed”

“No……..no way”

“There is no effect to living normally nor to your life but you cannot use magic”

“Then……I can’t use magic for my entire life?”

Naia who has gone white from shock has gone even whiter. However Keith

“No, it will be okay” I answered indifferently

“Eh?”

“Because it can just be corrected if it’s made abnormally”

“Can you do something like that?”

“Yes. As a matter of fact, that is my speciality”

In fact, Keith majored in magical power amplification in the body. It’s an application of spirit treatment.

In offensive magic, he was the lowest in history but when using small magic he is unsurpassed. He nickname was “Small Man Keith” (TN – I’d demand a better nickname)

“I….I, I’m a lucky person …..to have come across mage-sama”

I don’t think an elf born with an abnormal magical pathway formation is lucky but Keith doesn’t say that.

“At once with the treatment!”

“No there are preparations to be made and it takes time so it will have to be tomorrow”

“Ye, Yes”

“Then, good day”

Keith gathered up his things and was about to leave the room

“Mage-sama”

“Yes?”

“Umm….May I call you Keith?”

“Eh?…..Yeah I don’t mind”

At Keith’s words, Naia broke into a large smile

“Then Keith, See you tomorrow!”

When I left the room while watching her Aisha came out of the shadow of a pillar.

“Howaaa!!”

I was surprised and stopped, Aisha is looking at me with eyes shooting death.

“Don’t get cocky lowly human”

“Haa…….”

“If you take advantage of Naia-sama’s gentleness or are rude I’ll rip your skin off and make a rug” she says heading towards Naia’s room.

I got goosebumps all over my body and quickly returned to my room.

In my room, Ruu was curled up on my bed like a glossy-haired ball.

“……Oh master welcome nyack” (TN – instead of Okaerinasai he says Okaerinyasai. Though I can’t imagine anyone that doesnt know this but if you don’t nya is the Japanese onomatopoeia for the noise cats make)

“That’s a good coat of hair for a low-grade cat”

“Until recently I was brushed by a maid. It was heaven nya”

“While the master has been threatened with his hide being ripped off, his familiar has been receiving personal grooming ……….hahaha, I’ll make a stringed instrument sometime”

Keith made a firm decision and lay on his bed.