First Chapter: New World
“Can’t you reconsider?”
“No, I’ve worked more than enough. I’ve reclaimed the continents of Zentley and Covent. I’m going to take it easy from now on,” Alus firmly declared to his superior.
His superior was dressed in a white military uniform. On his chest hung large numbers of medals in an ordered fashion. The aged superior seated on the other side of the desk pinched the area between his eyes with a troubled expression. “You are an invaluable asset for our country, no, for all of humanity. So I can’t let you go just because you say so. Sorry, but I can’t accept your retirement from service.”
“With all due respect, Governor-General, the regulations state that those who have served in the military for 10 years and earned achievements above a certain level are free to retire should they choose to. I’ve served since I was six, so that’s 10 years this year. And surely you’re not going to say that reclaiming two continents is not enough of an achievement?”
The Governor-General struggled to keep his bitter emotions from showing on his face. He knew how important those regulations were, but he couldn’t help but feel a grudge against whoever came up with them.
While that was certainly what the regulations said, a Magicmaster held a very high status and a revered position. The Magicmasters were tasked with protecting the country, and reclaiming lost territory. Humanity’s greatest wish.
Yet this black-haired young man didn’t understand this. Or rather, he had no interest in it. Perhaps it was something only those born and raised in this small world could understand.
Especially since he’d served since he was six years old... Normally that was simply unthinkable. The general rule was that you had to be 14 to join the Magicmasters.
But this young man’s talents as a Magicmaster had been acknowledged at age six, and despite his young age, his mana exceeded that of high-ranking Magicmasters. Of course, there was no way the military would ever leave such a valuable asset alone, and they even skipped Alus’ general education in favor of assigning him to Magicmaster training.
Maybe it was the Governor-General who didn’t understand—age-wise he was closer to retirement, so he never imagined this black-haired teenager would request retirement first. He felt like he was finally getting the bill for imposing so many unreasonable demands upon the young man.
All Magicmasters in the army earned a considerable wage. And though the citizens’ taxes paid for this wage, nobody complained about it. That was because all of humanity understood the importance.
Seven major nations made up the bulwark of the continent of Azecil, and among them the nation of Alpha had achieved outstanding military gains.
The majority of those gains were made possible by the existence of one person. That person was Alus Reigin, a Single Digit Magicmaster.
His black hair fell into his eyes, and his muscled hands, far from those of a child, told the tale of how intense his short life had been.
A hundred years ago, the Fiends that suddenly appeared reduced the human population to one-tenth of what it had been. The countries that made up the world diminished down to seven. Right now, humanity’s living space was forced into 1/700th of its former glory.
The concept of magic being put to military use was a recent development. The magic at that time wasn’t able to stand up to the Monsters, the giant Fiends. Magic had only been used as an assistance to support people in their daily lives. The advancement of magic was all due to the Fiends’ invasion.
Fiends ate humans, destroying cities and countries alike. The population reduction was finally stopped due to magical technology being introduced into the military.
The seven nations formed themselves into a circle that served as a defensive line for their survival. And the giant White Tower rising in the center of it all was humanity’s greatest achievement.
At the top of the tower was a barrier that covered the seven nations, which managed to stop the Fiends’ invasion. That was the fruit of research efforts in the field of magic. For more than 50 years after that, humanity had been desperately training Magicmasters to reclaim their territory.
“Then how about an extended leave? Of course, we can guarantee you a comfortable living, and we’ll see to it that your desires are fulfilled to the best of our abilities. We’ll support your research. I’ll have the necessary equipment and facilities prepared.”
“And in return, I’ll have to respond if I’m called up?”
The Governor-General nodded, a strict expression showing on his wrinkled face. Losing Alus now would result in their national strength being cut in half. They’d be put in a position where they’d struggle to defend their borders, and trying to reclaim any lost territory would be out of the question.
With the death toll among Magicmasters on a constant rise each year, not only was the nation of Alpha making military gains, but its casualties were on the decline as well. That, too, was thanks to this 16-year-old man.
In the ten years that Alus had been a Magicmaster, Alpha had had the lowest Magicmaster death toll among the seven nations. The nations shared a common goal, working to protect the giant White Tower for the sake of humanity’s survival. But the underlying state of affairs was different. Asking for help from another nation was considered shameful, and losing national power was a matter of dignity.
While the seven nations shared a common front, they also fiercely competed for prestige.
“I understand,” Alus said curtly. He’d already known he wouldn’t be able to retire without trouble. This was a good compromise. For better or for worse, Alpha was overly reliant on him.
He knew the Governor-General had taken steps to deal with that, but excellent Magicmasters weren’t so easy to educate and train. In the end, there hadn’t been enough time.
The Governor-General sank back in his chair and let out an exhausted sigh. He’d known this day would come eventually.
The young man was an exception amongst exceptions. In the military where selfish and calculating behavior was common, this young man, whose talents surpassed the common in every regard, had simply produced the results that had been asked of him.
The Governor-General felt it couldn’t be helped that the sentiment of sacrificing himself for the greater cause was lacking in this young man, considering that he’d grown up in a world like that; but at the same time, he was impatient with himself that he’d been too slow to counteract it.
“I will follow up as soon as the preparations are ready. Until then, stand by at home.”
Alus straightened his posture. “Understood.” He bowed and excused himself.
Alus had always shown a lack of understanding when it came to the subtleties of the heart. That’s why he would need to learn the ‘education’ he never got, in the place that would be prepared next for him.
Even if Alus’ determination didn’t change, the Governor-General felt that would be fine, too. To begin with, the military was the protector of humanity, and an organization that craved order. Which was why, when Alus asked for confirmation with his ‘I’ll have to respond if I’m called up?’—he’d had no choice but to bitterly nod his head.
The Governor-General couldn’t risk losing his greatest military asset. So if Alus were to find something to protect out of his own will at the next place prepared for him, he might not have to give the young man that order for the first time.
Having thought that far ahead, Governor-General Berwick Sarebian decided to reset his thinking, which further deepened the wrinkles on his forehead. Pulling out a roster from the documents on his desk, he pressed a card-like terminal to his ear. He’d managed to stave off Alus’ retirement for now, but he had no choice but to accept his withdrawal from the frontlines against the Fiends.
It was clear that Governor-General Sarebian would be very busy preparing for emergencies and more organizational work, such as official personnel change announcements.
* * *
It was time for the Second Magical Institute’s entrance ceremony.
The great hall situated on the Institute’s vast grounds in Alpha’s city of Beliza was full of young students seeking to become Magicmasters. But there was a single empty seat.
Maybe someone was sick, the students thought, then paid it no further mind.
Having passed the entrance exams, they were practically promised futures as Magicmasters. They were the elite who had passed that famously difficult test.
For the sake of protecting the continent of Azecil, they had knocked on the gates of the only Magicmaster institute in Alpha. Likewise, the other nations each had only one institute as well. By the time they were allowed into the entrance ceremony, they were no longer civilians.
Becoming a student of the Institute was synonymous with becoming a protector of humanity.
At the same time—they were tools to expand the nation’s domain and prestige.
On the surface, the Institute claimed to be educating and training Magicmasters, but in reality, all graduates were put into military service.
Of course, there were no fools entering the Institute who were unaware of this. If anything, they all voluntarily walked down that path.
Being a Magicmaster gave one a high status, you would never starve, and it was a very prestigious profession. They staked their lives to protect the nation.
That kind of duty had a wonderful ring to it, which was why people were enraptured and looked up to it.
On top of that, combat magic was banned for common citizens. Only basic magic required for living was allowed, which of course wasn’t even classified as first-rank magic.
There was no way youths wouldn’t be attracted to the more advanced magic with infinite possibilities. And for them to use that power, they’d either need to become soldiers, or join the Institute that the military ran.
That’s why they accepted the challenge of the Institute’s exam. They sought the license to use magic that was issued by the Institute.
Alus arrived early on the day of the entrance ceremony.
He figured the luggage he’d sent ahead would be arriving around now. There was a lot for him to do, like cleaning up and preparing.
Being a place for training Magicmasters, the grounds covered a considerable area. The Institute had three years’ worth of green Magicmasters, making for a total of about 1,000 students, all of whom lived in the dorms on-site. In addition, there were training grounds and research facilities for the study of magic.
In sum, the Institute took up a fifth of Beliza’s total area, and Beliza was the largest city in Alpha. It was so big that one day wouldn’t be anywhere near enough to visit all of the buildings.
As such, the students were given an insignia that permitted them to use the Circle Ports, or transport gates that were established throughout the grounds.
Alus was a new student, but he had no intentions of attending the ceremony. To him, this was just a place he’d ended up at on the Governor-General’s orders. The time he spent here would be a temporary grace period that he would use completely for himself.
His head was full of arrangements and plans so he could spend the three years until graduation devoting himself to research.
“Are you a freshman too?”
Calling out to Alus was a naïve-seeming female student wearing a uniform without a single wrinkle on it. She had pale chestnut-colored hair to her shoulders, and a coquettish smile on her lips.
On the left side of her chest was a brand-new insignia. Alus gave the insignia, which was leaning because of the girl’s particularly eye-catching breasts, a brief glance. “That’s right. You too?”
“Yes. I just couldn’t wait, so I came early.” The atmosphere the girl gave off had a playful feel to it, and her expression relaxed into a gentle smile, maybe because she’d found a fellow freshman.
A refreshing breeze fitting for spring blew, making her hair sway.
Alus restrained his urge to move along, and opened his mouth with the sole intent of putting an end to this whole ‘new students’ chat.
That was when—
“Alice, what are you doing? It seems the inauguration isn’t starting yet, but we can wait inside.” A cheerful voice called out, and the girl called Alice turned around.
A redhead, whose hair fluttered back and forth, approached them from afar.
“I’m sorry, I’ll be right there.” It seemed this redhead was Alice’s friend.
Perfect, thought Alus. “Well, I have business to attend to.”
The words made the girl tilt her head and look at him with confusion. It must have seemed strange for a new student to have business to attend to on the entrance ceremony day. “Aren’t you going to the ceremony?”
“Like I said, I have business.”
“I see... Then I’ll see you at the ceremony,” Alice gave him a small wave, smiling.
“... if we meet each other,” Alus mumbled to himself, looking away. Of course, he had no intention of attending the ceremony. After nodding to the girl and her redhead friend, he turned his back on them.
“My luck this morning has been rotten.” He let those words leak out as he cast a backward glance at the girls walking away, then headed for the laboratory that had been prepared for him.
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