Story of Little Sage
This is the story of a young man who pursued his ideals before the name of Argus Lockhart became known throughout the continent, and before the era of the suppression of the subhuman race began, until he was called a “Sage”.
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It was a small village in a peaceful country where elves hid in the forest, and beastmen ran the earth.
It wasn’t particularly wealthy, but it wasn’t poor either. Strange rumors have been circulating around this very ordinary and commonplace village.
The peddlers who visited the village said that there was a strange child who was young but very smart. He learned it from no one, but he could easily complete simple calculations.
Adventurers traveling through in search of a place to stay said there was a promising boy who eagerly inquired about methods of fighting demons and exercising magical powers, and could absorb anything that was taught to him.
Other rumors abounded, but all in all, the boy was not only smart, kind, and all-knowing, but also possessed special powers and dreams that the village adults had not even told them about.
“Well, I’ve almost mastered the knowledge I need to travel …… All that’s left is the power to defeat the demons. After a little while, I can set off for adventure.”
The rumoured boy Argus freely manipulated the water balloon in his hands, morphing and increasing its number, and repeatedly trained in magic on his own in the woods outside the village.
In fact, this kind of magic stunt had not been told to anyone yet, but he understood through his intelligence that his power was beyond a child’s ability, and hid it to practice in order to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Having said that, it does not seem to be completely hidden.
“Ah! I found Argus! Really, are you already practicing your magic in such a place again? Let’s go play together occasionally~”
“…What’s up, Nasseri, don’t surprise me. I thought the adults in the village had found me.”
The girl who easily found the boy who was training in hiding and complained to him immediately was a dog beastman race.
From her point of view, finding the location of her favorite human Argus was a very simple matter, and since she works with him on a regular basis, she is able to detect and trace not only the behavioral patterns but also the scent of living things using her nose, which is a unique advantage of the beastman race.
If it wasn’t someone who had been together for a long time, they wouldn’t have remembered the scent, but this girl was the only one who cared about the boy so much since she was a child that no matter how much he tried to hide it, he would be found quickly.
“What’s the big deal? There’s nothing to lose. Why you can’t use magic if you be found?”
Although she asked the question with a really confused expression, the person who heard it just shrugged his shoulders and said, “Yeah, yeah, yeah. This is one of the conversations we have every day. It’s not that I can’t. It’s just that my power is heterogeneous no matter how I think about it. I don’t know why, but just thinking about it allows me to cast a certain level of magic, and I can reproduce any magic I’ve seen just once…. That kind of thing, if someone finds out, maybe I will be used, or even killed as heretic. That’s why I kept it a secret.”
The expression of Argus who was calmly explaining was serious, and his words were laced with a hint of caution about adults.
However, Nasseri was indifferent even after hearing that, refuting the line that he had repeated many times as a childhood friend as her conclusion.
“Hmm~, that’s strange. But if you want me to keep it a secret, I’ll keep it for you. As a price, I hope you’ll also take me with you when you leave this village. I also want to witness Argus’ dream with you.”
“Yeah, I know. I’ll definitely take you once I gather a little more strength and become as strong as those demons around here. So let me practice well today as well.”
Probably satisfied with that answer, Nasseri nodded with a full smile and decided to silently watch Argus perform his magical training.
It was a series of daily exchanges that didn’t get tiresome, and an agreement between just the two of them.
For the next few hours, it was just a tireless continuation of magical training. They didn’t speak a single word for a long time, until the magic power, which is enormous for a child, was exhausted.
The water ball he manipulated suddenly lost control and fell to the ground.
This was the signal for the two of them that the training was over.
“It’s over?”
“Yes.”
“The number of water balloons has increased fivefold from a year ago, and the time is getting longer.”
“Yes.”
“Is still not strong enough to make your dreams come true?”
Argus smiled and answered that question.
“…… Well, it’s still far from the final goal, I guess. But I feel like I’m close to leaving the village.”
“Is that so… But Argus who fought this far to pursue his ideal, the mystery of the world, right? That’s so amazing. “
The mystery of the world.
This is the dream and goal that this young man has been pursuing for as long as he can remember.
To that end, he has trained over and over again to be able to overcome any difficulties that arise during his journey.
“It’s a mystery of the world after all. It’s exciting, isn’t it? That’s why I want to leave the village and go on an adventure, to encounter things I’ve never known or encountered before. And one day, I want to meet the God who created this world, and there is something I want to tell Him.”
“Huh? Tell him what?”
The boy smiled a little and whispered.
“Tell Him thanks for creating this world of excitement for us.”
