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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Lord Fourth
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“….”
Two weeks had passed since I’d arrived in this world.
I was finally starting to grasp who I was in this world and how I was supposed to live.
“Ugh, Master Arnold…!”
“….”
There was just one… nagging problem. Life as a nobleman wasn’t bad.
In fact, it was shockingly good.
Ample finances and the power I could never have enjoyed in my previous life.
“Haa…”
But… honestly, I couldn’t even walk down the hallway comfortably.
“M-Master Arnold…! Good morning?!”
Why?
“Oh, yes. Good morning.”
“Yes!!”
Every time I left my room, I had to endure the uncomfortable stares of those around me.
“….”
“Master Arnold?!”
How did they see me…?
“….”
“Y-Young Master?! Did you need something…!”
Like a demon from hell? Everyone who met my gaze seemed terrified and tried to avoid my eyes.
“….”
But what could I do…? This was Arnold Stenman for you.
In the game, Arnold was known for his volatile temper, to the point that people were said to be punished for even glancing at him the wrong way.
Of course, the truth was a series of misunderstandings that had solidified into prejudice, but ten out of ten people would lower their heads, intimidated by his notoriety.
How could I relax and do anything under such scrutiny?
“G-Good morning, Young Master!!”
Of course, not everyone avoided me.
Eily Kaysher.
Compared to the other servants, her gaze was definitely different.
“Yes, Eily. Thank you for your hard work.”
“Yes!! I’ll do my best today…!”
Aside from her shy and timid nature, she was perhaps the only one who seemed to have favorably disposition towards me.
“Hmm? Do you need anything from me~?”
“No, nothing.”
While others clearly felt awkward just being in the same space as me, she had a gentle and natural air, as if she were with a comfortable acquaintance.
“Heave-ho…, Whoa?!”
“Careful!”
“Oof… Huh?”
Her only flaw was that she was still clumsy and prone to accidents.
But that was something that would improve with time, so I didn’t think it was worth worrying about.
“Young Master…?”
“Are you alright?”
“Um, well…”
This time, she’d tripped while stretching to clean a bookshelf in my room, and I caught her just as she was about to fall in an awkward position.
“Um… Young Master?”
“Hm?”
As I caught her, Eily’s face turned as red as a ripe apple, and she looked flustered.
“What’s wrong?”
“W-We’re… a little close…”
Close? Was she intimidated by Arnold’s sharp gaze?
“Mmm…”
We were indeed close enough to feel each other’s breath.
“Oh, sorry.”
But it was unavoidable, I’d had to catch her.
“Oh… No! I’m the one who should apologize, being held like a princess by the Young Master… I’m sorry! And thank you!”
After I set her down, Eily fidgeted with her fingers and clutched her skirt, eventually bowing her head in embarrassment.
“It’s alright, I’m glad you’re not hurt.”
“Th-Thank you…!”
I kept reassuring her, but Eily couldn’t seem to calm down.
“….”
An awkward silence fell between us.
“Hmm.”
I wanted to lighten the suddenly chilly atmosphere, so I racked my brain for something to say.
“…Huh?”
Then, as I looked around, I happened to spot a half-read magic book, and a good idea came to mind.
“Eily.”
“…Yes?!”
“Would you like to go outside the mansion with me?”
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“Young Master? Why have you brought me to this field?”
I went out with Eily to a meadow some distance from the mansion. The reason was to practice magic.
“Magic… practice, I suppose.”
As I mentioned before, Arnold’s body had a talent for magic. Previously, my practice in the mansion’s library was limited in scope.
But now, I wanted to handle magic properly.
“What? But at your age, Young Master, isn’t it too early to awaken your magical talent?”
As Eily said, it was practically impossible to use magic before the age of fifteen in this world… but Arnold Stenman was an anomaly.
“But I can. I’ve already used it a few times.”
“Wow, really?!”
Eily’s mouth formed a small ‘o’ in amazement at my words.
“Amazing, Young Master!”
“Is it? Thanks. Now watch closely.”
Encouraged by her praise, I focused my senses on my fingertips.
“Mmm…”
I felt the circulation within my body, imagining drawing my blood to a single point, drawing out my inner power.
“The first magic I’ll try is… water magic.”
As I imagined the magic in my mind, a strange energy began to gather at my fingertips.
An unknown thrill coursed through my body, and my instincts sent signals to my brain.
“Water Cannon…!”
As I chanted the spell’s name in response to the signal—
Fwoosh!
A high-pressure stream of water erupted from my outstretched hand.
“Ugh?!”
The force of the water far exceeded my expectations.
Crack!
The Water Cannon accurately pierced a tree dozens of meters away, creating a hole the size of a basketball.
“Kh…”
Overwhelmed by a sense of unease, I clenched my fist, and the magic stopped as if a valve had been closed.
“Haa…”
For a while, I was speechless, not from exhaustion, but from the awe of the result exceeding my expectations.
“Y-Young Master!!”
Just then, Eily exclaimed in a voice mixed with shock and admiration.
“What magic was that?! Such scale and power!! I’m impressed!” ♡⸜(˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)⸝♡
She pumped her fists, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
“I-Is that so?”
I felt a little shy at Eily’s enthusiastic reaction.
“Yes~! And without chanting, too? Chantless magic! You’ll surely become a first-class mage, Young Master!”
Then, a word caught my attention.
“Chantless? Isn’t magic supposed to be used with just a word?”
She’d called my magic chantless… Did that mean normal magic required chanting?
“Huh? Didn’t you know? I heard that most magic requires chanting specific phrases.”
Eily answered my question as if she were a tutor, raising her index finger to explain.
“Magic is essentially borrowing the power of the elemental gods, and chanting is like praying to them. So, to use magic, you originally have to chant a kind of prayer, but! A select few with talent can cast magic simply by circulating mana… and you, Young Master, are one of them!”
So, did ordinary mages really have to chant every single spell? Did that mean all the embarrassing phrases in the magic books… were actually preparatory steps for casting spells?
“…”
My jaw dropped at the realization, as if common sense itself had been shattered.
I had never once chanted a spell to use magic, from the library to now. I’d taken chantless magic for granted, but as it turns out it was actually a remarkable talent…
It was a little shocking to realize that I was the unusual one.
“Really?”
“Yes!!”
“Then this time… Fireball!”
Whoosh!
“Lightning Bolt!”
Zap!
“With a little less mana this time… Water Cannon!”
Splash!
In any case, the practice continued.
I tried out various spells from the magic books, learned to control their power, and practiced different techniques and spells as they came to mind.
“Um, Young Master…! If it’s not too much trouble, may I excuse myself for a moment?”
Then, Eily asked me a favor.
“What is it?”
“W-Well, my mother has someone she wants to congratulate…, Since we’re already out, I was hoping to pick some pretty flowers from the forest over there. O-Of course, if you refuse, Young Master, I’ll give up without a second thought!”
She shyly clasped her hands in front of her chest, her index fingertips touching each other as she hesitated, before finally expressing her simple desire to pick some flowers for her mother.
“You can go.”
There was no reason to refuse, and I’d only brought her along because of the rule requiring a servant to accompany me, so I granted Eily’s request.
“Take your time.”
“Really?! Thank you, Young Master!! I’ll be back soon!”
Eily hopped with joy and ran towards the forest with light steps.
‘She’s going far’, I thought, “I’ll keep focusing on my magic”.
I watched Eily’s small retreating figure for a moment before deciding to resume my magic practice.
“I’ll try this one next.”
I’d found a spell that caught my eye while reading the magic book.
It was a rather unique type of magic called Barrier Magic.
The basic concept, as described in the book, was to divide the physical space to defend against threats or trap enemies.
“Hmm, is that so? Then, starting with the basics…”
As the saying goes, the best offense is a good defense, so it seemed like a good idea to practice it.
The most basic application was to create a barrier around a target to block external attacks.
“…Barrier.”
I targeted the tree from earlier and chanted the spell.
—-!
A transparent wall-like barrier formed around the tree.
“Hmm.”
It was invisible at first glance, but if I focused on it, I could see a slightly opaque film.
“Fireball.”
I launched a fire spell at the barrier, and a curious sight unfolded.
Thump
Whoosh, Clink!
The Fireball was blocked by the barrier and dissipated before reaching the tree.
“Oh?”
Barrier magic… It seemed more useful than I thought.
“Then next, trapping an enemy… and after that, let’s try it like this…”
I became engrossed in Barrier Magic, losing track of time as I experimented with various applications.
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“Mmm… I’ll stop here for today. I’m tired from using too much magic.”
How long had I been practicing magic? Time flew by, and it was already getting late.
The sky was gradually turning orange, preparing for nightfall.
“Shall we head back, Eily?”
It seemed like a good time to return, so I called out Eily’s name.
“…Huh?”
But… only silence answered my call. I came to my senses and looked around, but Eily was nowhere to be seen.
“Eily…?!”
Realizing something was wrong, I called her name again, louder this time.
But again, only silence returned. Several hours had passed since Eily entered the forest… something was amiss.
“…!”
A chilling sensation washed over me as I realized this.
“Eily!”
Eily, who had smiled and promised to return soon… had vanished.
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Hi Lord Fourth here!
I’m new to translating so if you find some mistakes or inconsistencies let me know about it on the dedicated channel on discord.
Ah tragic backstory no 1