Please, Just Read It

Please just read this!

Episode 2

Cheina Yunsebella (2)

Thud.

That was a touch.

A human warmth that I had never felt for a staggering 300 years.

[Ah…]

It wasn’t a dream.

Nor an illusion born from long solitude.

The sensations were just too vivid.

Truly….

Truly, that boy was taking me out from the dusty bookshelf.

Swish.

[……!]

Yes!

Success!

Finally, I could escape from this miserable corner of the bookshelf!

This meant I could start raising a Magician again, just as I had longed for!

The moment I realized this, my whole being began to swell with joy.

Elation, delight, a racing heartbeat, excitement… Ugh! I felt so happy I might lose my mind!

This exhilaration! This anticipation! I couldn’t even remember how many years it had been since I experienced such positive feelings.

[Hah, hah…]

But I did my best to calm that excitement.

I had to remain composed.

No matter how good the situation, I needed to keep my wits about me.

New encounters are always thrilling.

But excitement is absolutely off the table.

Stay grounded.

Just a little more. Just a tiny bit more composure.

First impressions are the most important thing in human relationships. Being overly excited here wouldn’t benefit me at all.

Now reminding myself of this fact, I slowly exhaled.

[Hoo…]

Green meadows. And the tranquil sea.

I began to picture various natural elements and gradually regained a bit of inner peace.

My mind began to settle.

At that point, having prepared to some degree, I subtly conveyed my presence to the boy holding me.

[Boy.]

Using a lowered voice with a heavy tone.

Before the contract with a new owner is fulfilled, capturing this mysterious atmosphere is vital.

As if I were a sacred artifact, I had to use every solemn tone in my arsenal.

This made it easier to suppress the owner’s spirit and take the initiative in the conversation.

Twitch—

Coincidentally, the boy, who had heard my voice through the magical pulse, jumped in surprise and trembled.

Seizing that opportunity, I continued speaking.

[Boy. Over here.]

“Me? Who are you? Where are you calling me from?”

[Look at the stack of books in your arms. The ancient tome on top of it.]

“……?”

[That’s me.]

“Y-yes…?”

With an incredulous look, the boy stared at the stack of books in his arms.

“So, the book I’m holding… is, is this really talking to me?”

[Yes.]

“What? Is this a dream?”

Saying that, the boy started pinching his cheek with one hand.

It seemed he believed he was just hearing things.

At this point, I had to assert myself.

I didn’t wait for the boy to regain his sense of reality and jumped straight to the main point.

[Boy, my name is Grim’war. I am the legendary magical tome summoned in response to your innate magical talent.]

“A magical tome…?”

[Quickly, turn my pages. Doing so will awaken your natural magical talent through me, and you will become a great Archmage who will be remembered in history.]

Of course, that was pure nonsense.

What “innate magical talent”? I didn’t feel an ounce of magical potential from that boy.

In other words, those were mere sweet words I released to catch the boy.

However…

My commitment to making that boy a great Archmage was no lie.

I had already mentioned countless times that I had the confidence to make whoever opened me into an Archmage.

And that included that boy without exception.

“So, if I turn this page, I can become a legendary Archmage?”

[Yes.]

“……”

Upon hearing my words, the boy wore an expression of contemplation.

It seemed he was suspicious of my existence.

And truthfully, such a reaction was to be expected.

Aside from speaking, the ancient tome appeared just like any other ordinary book.

If such a book claimed it would make someone a great Archmage, who would believe those words?

Ah, of course, there were plenty of foolish individuals who would open the cover upon simply hearing I was a magical tome…

But it seemed this boy, having been educated at the Royal Academy, exhibited a more developed thought process compared to those dunderheads.

But that was fine.

I had long prepared special mechanisms for such doubtful individuals.

[Boy, are you worried?]

“Excuse me?”

[Are you worried that you might not become a great Magician with me by your side?]

“Maybe a little…”

[Then focus on the sights you will soon witness.]

At that very moment, I cast a spell.

Behold, “Illusory Mirror.”

A high-level illusion magic, one of the few techniques I could use directly.

It was a magic that vaguely showed the current owner what they would gain if they continued with me.

Zwooosh—!

“……”

Right now, the boy would be observing the illusion I projected.

Not only that, he would also be seeing his radiant self as a great Archmage.

And it wouldn’t take long for him to realize that was the future he could gain by being with me.

“Hah…!”

How much time had passed?

Finally awakening from the illusion, the boy took a deep breath and glanced around in a panic.

A flustered expression.

It seemed he had been wholly absorbed in the vision I had shown him.

I addressed the boy, still lost in the aftereffects of the “Illusory Mirror.”

[What do you think, boy? Can you still not believe my words?]

“This—this is what…”

By this point, no one would hold back from turning my pages.

The future seen through the illusion was sweet. How could he not be mesmerized?

From the very start, the Magician profession was treated as a tremendous resource even on a national level.

And the Magicians I spoke of were not the trivial magicians that could be found in marketplaces.

Apprentice 1~2 Circles.

Novice 3~4 Circles.

Advanced 5~6 Circles.

And, officially appointed by the Emperor, surpassing the noble “Expert 7 Circles”…

[If you turn my pages, you will reach even greater heights.]

The envy of all Magicians.

The goal of all Magicians.

The realm all Magicians dream of.

──Archmage.

[I promise you.]

I’ve said it all.

It’s entirely possible for immense wealth and power to enter that boy’s hands.

The “Illusory Mirror” I used encapsulated this reality for the boy.

Thus, there would be no one who would reject my sweet proposal…

“But I don’t want to become a Magician.”

[……Huh?]

Damn it, where did that come from?

Why?

Why on Earth would that boy refuse such a sweet offer?

I couldn’t wrap my head around it.

I’ve said it countless times, but high-tier Magicians receive tremendous prestige.

And yet…

What if he became an Archmage who was even respected by those prestigious figures?

[Think again, boy. You can have everything you desire. Wealth? Power? Martial might? Just say the word, and it will be all yours.]

This was no exaggeration. It stemmed from deep experience.

I’d raised hundreds of Magicians to date.

Based on that know-how, no matter how untalented that boy was, I could still make him an Archmage.

The boy knew this fact too.

No, rather, he likely knew it better than anyone else.

After all, he had seen the “Illusory Mirror.”

Yet still…

Yet still, he genuinely didn’t want to become a Magician?

Having been a magical tome for thousands of years, it was my first time to face such a blatant rejection.

[Think again, boy. This is an opportunity that will not come again in your life. I can make you the greatest Archmage!]

“Hmm. Still no.”

No.

Wait, you crazy fool.

What in the world could be the reason?

The boy continued, as if answering my inner thoughts, fiddling with my cover.

“Because I’m going to be a Knight.”

[……]

He looked at me with pure, innocent eyes as he said that.

I was left speechless by such an absurd declaration.

I never imagined that our first conversation in 300 years would be this ridiculous.

Wait, so he’s saying he wants to be a pathetic sword-wielder and is rejecting my offer?

[A Knight? You want to become a Knight?]

“Um, yes.”

[The fact that a Magician is ten times stronger than a Knight isn’t common knowledge?]

“Uh? What are you saying? It’s about the sword, not magic?”

[……?]

Wait a minute, what?

Better than magic?

This kid’s mind is way past bogged down.

At such a young age, harboring twisted ideas like this. It must be that some idiot Knight brainwashed him.

[Better than magic? Who taught you such nonsense?]

“My father did.”

[What the hell? Your father is completely wrong.]

“Y-yes? What did you just say…?”

I threw aside my mysterious persona and shouted, leaving the boy stammering in shock.

With that, the piety and calmness I needed to maintain trust dissolved, but I couldn’t help it.

A surge of anger boiled up within me.

Oh my God.

Better than magic?

What kind of person was that boy’s father to instill such wicked notions in a child?

It was the utmost evil.

This was definitely not a thing a human should do.

Ah, yes!

Child abuse!

This was akin to crushing a young child’s spirit!

The idea that swords are superior to magic—things that radicals might say—was being brainwashed into that innocent child!

This could clearly be labeled as child abuse!

Those who commit child abuse are all devils in human form!

Right now, that boy, unbeknownst to him, was falling prey to the devils’ schemes!

Thus, I had to save that boy from the hell of swords and lead him onto the path of magic…!

[Hey. What’s your name?]

“M-me? I’m Cheina Yunsebella….”

[Right. Cheina whatever. No matter how I think about it, you’re meant for magic, not swords.]

“Y-yes…?”

Pausing for a moment, the boy questioned back.

“H-how do you know that?”

[I’ve thought more and observed longer than you have.]

“But we just met!”

[……]

Oh, seriously.

This is just unbelievable.