.｡.:✧ Chapter 7 ✧:.｡.

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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They shared the same thoughts, but aimed for different goals.
The Imperial Court Mage, Lorenzo Tonali, had sincerely hoped that Rudrick would choose to come to the imperial palace instead of the Magic Tower to study magic under him. Whether decades ago when Lorenzo left the Magic Tower or now, the Magic Tower remained a closed and conservative organization.

If those who pursue the truth were mages, then those who should have the most open minds were instead mired in the past, failing to progress and repeating stagnation and regression.
In Lorenzo’s cold assessment, that was the level of the Magic Tower.

However, if Rudrick inherited the achievements of researching, verifying, and advancing theories with like-minded individuals over the past decades under Lorenzo’s guidance, he truly believed Rudrick had the makings of a great mage.

On the other hand, Princess Elena Esgelant wanted Rudrick to leave the Weiss County and head for the imperial capital as soon as possible.
Although there was still time before the curse that had claimed Rudrick’s life in his previous life manifested, it was only natural to want to keep him close.

And…
‘The princess’s insight was correct.’
Lorenzo thought as he awaited Rudrick’s decision.
Just as skilled swordsmen could gauge each other’s abilities before crossing blades, an exceptional mage of Lorenzo’s caliber as the Imperial Court Mage could roughly estimate the capabilities of a fellow mage.

‘How could he have reached this level through self-study alone without a guiding teacher?’
Lorenzo inwardly marveled as he roughly grasped Rudrick’s magical talent and abilities.
Certainly, it paled in comparison to his own, but that was only because the benchmark was the Imperial Court Mage of a nation.
His words to the princess that Rudrick had the makings of a future great mage were no exaggeration. The young Rudrick Weiss was an unpolished gem with an almost unbelievably prodigious talent.

It was a bit strange how the amount of mana residing in his heart was nearly as immense as a dragon’s, but the high absolute limit of mana his body could accumulate could be explained as just an unusual constitution.

The more Lorenzo resolved not to let Rudrick slip away, the more fervor burned in his eyes.

“It should be fine to learn magic from the Imperial Court Mage.”

“A wise choice. You will certainly not regret this decision, Rudrick.”

After what felt like an eternity, Rudrick finally gave a positive answer, and the delighted Lorenzo smiled broadly like a child, forgetting decorum.
As the pursuit of truth itself was his life’s sole tenet and driving force for decades of walking the path of magic, he could not help but be overjoyed at finding a successor.

Talent was all that mattered, not their lowly or noble birth, nor even if they were female instead of male.

“Shall I inform Lady Weiss myself?”

“Hmm… I suppose it would be better if I speak to my mother directly, as I am her son.”

“I see.”
Lorenzo nodded with a kind smile of satisfaction.

“Then this old man shall take his leave. I have overstayed in a young man’s quarters. I apologize again for my rudeness.”

“No, it was not so rude. I will handle explaining it to my mother, so do not worry.”

“Haha, very well. I shall convey the same to Her Highness the Princess. Well then…”

After closing the door to Rudrick’s room, Lorenzo hurriedly made his way to the guest quarters, eager to share this joyous news with the princess as soon as possible.
While he was content as long as he could take Rudrick as his disciple, his master’s intentions seemed slightly different.

With Lorenzo gone and left alone again, Rudrick wore a perplexed expression.

“Is it really such a good thing?”

Adapting to this world and learning magic was completely separate from adopting a mage’s mindset. At least, Rudrick could not understand Lorenzo’s way of thinking.

The doubt that a mere gain of one disciple warranted such elation briefly surfaced.

“…Could it be that in this world, a mage’s disciple is akin to a graduate student? Perhaps I made a mistake.”

Rudrick muttered with an exasperated expression.
In his previous life, the status of a graduate student was akin to a legitimate form of slavery in the 21st century’s flourishing democracy.

If he equated a graduate student to a mage’s disciple and a professor to a mage’s master, the reasoning could hold up.

“…If that’s really the case, I’ll have to ask to be dismissed later.”

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The warm sun shone down, and the salty sea breeze blew gently across the ocean.
Under the somewhat intense southern sunlight, her tanned skin was a healthy brown hue, and her radiant golden hair reflected the sun’s rays, topped with the peaked hat symbolizing a captain’s authority.

“Admiral, are you really going back to the home port?”

“Quartermaster, have you ever known me to say one thing and mean another? No, right?”

“Well, I suppose not, but still.”

“Then stop your jabbering and get to dropping the anchor. We’re heading back to land!”

“…Sheesh.”

Several ships slowly turned their bows.
And no sooner had Lassiel finished speaking than sailors from all around cheered, “Ooh!” in response, drowning out the quartermaster Crowe’s sigh in the lively atmosphere.

“Admiral, you know if we turn back from here, it won’t just be a few merchant ships that get hijacked by pirates.”

“That’s not for me to worry about. More important matters have come up on land, you see?”

“…Important matters, you say?”

“Yeah, it’s really, really important business. Important enough that I wouldn’t care if five hundred greedy merchant ships sank, not just five.”

“And just what is this important business?”

“Who knows?”

Lassiel, who had been casually twisting her wavy locks with her fingers, looked pensive.
After a moment’s contemplation on how to put it, the playful expression she had worn until then vanished, replaced by a solemn look as she asked,

“Quartermaster, do you believe in destiny?”

“Of course I do. In a storm, some ships capsize while others plow right through – if that’s not destiny, then what is?”

“Right. We sailors who live on this fickle sea tend to believe in superstitions and destiny more than most.”

“While landlubbers tread on solid ground, our circumstances are a bit different.”

“Well, anyway, that’s why I believe in destiny and superstition too. The reason being…destiny itself.”

“Turning back the ships here is destiny, you mean?”

Lassiel nodded solemnly in response to Crowe’s incredulous question.
What else could she call the phenomenon of her regression if not destiny?
The whims of a god? Or the final chance to change the predetermined fate and save Rudrick?

‘Well, that’s not what’s important.’
Having grappled with the thought, Lassiel stretched powerfully. The crucial thing was that she had regressed and returned to the past.
And she had gained the opportunity to scold that audacious rogue who kept catching her unguarded attention in a way most unbecoming of a man, who eventually stole her heart.

That was all that truly mattered.
They had barely set sail for a day before turning back, and with the tailwind propelling them forward, land could already be seen in the distance.

Gazing at the distant home port with a mischievous smile, Lassiel spoke.

“Quartermaster, once we’re back on land, find me the fastest magic gate that can take us straight to the capital.”

“…Is that destiny too?”

“Of course, of course. Right now, I’m feeling an incredibly strong sense of destiny. And this destiny is telling me to hurry up, quit this admiral business, head back to land, and make for the capital?”

“Who would dare stop the Admiral? If someone tried to use force, that would be mutiny on board.”

“Like anyone could stop me in the first place?”

“I’d sooner expect a ghost to come whisk you away.”

The banter between the admiral leading the fleet and her quartermaster was rather lacking in decorum.
Yet Lassiel was in such a good mood that she could cheerfully brush off even Crowe’s grumblings. She was so eager to set foot on land that every moment’s delay made her restless.

It was an abrupt change from her usual self, who would habitually claim she would die at sea if she had to.
And the reason for this transformation in Lassiel, shared by the other four who had also undergone regression, was obvious.

‘Let’s see… If it’s right after the regression, Rudrick should be around twenty years old now.’

Fixing her gaze on the distant land, ticking off her fingers as she calculated, Lassiel let out an amused laugh.

‘Just a little brat. But I suppose it’s better this way since I can get a head start on the others and claim Rudrick first.’

With an alluring smile playing on her lips, Lassiel brushed her bangs up. Although their relationship had ended tragically before her regression, wasn’t she here now to prevent that?

Still heaving sighs, Crowe turned to Lassiel who was grinning at her.

“Hey, Quartermaster. Once we’re back on land, look into finding a skilled mage or priest who’s good at curses and the like.”

“And just whom would you need such a person for? Did you happen to pick up some strange artifact on a deserted island without me knowing?”

“If I had, don’t you think I would have kept my mouth shut and pretended not to know? We’re close enough to share even a single hardtack biscuit.”

“Ugh, what an unappetizing analogy. Anyway, since you’re asking, I’ll look into it, but let me know this fateful scheme of yours later on, will you?”

“You’ll find out in due time.”

With a casual smile in response to Crowe, Lassiel’s gaze remained fixed on the land in the distance.
And at some point, her clenched fist tightened its grip ever so slightly.

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