Chapter: 281
Encia could not tell when she first heard that voice.
Perhaps it was a voice she had heard since birth.
“What a truly cute child. When you grow up, you’ll be in trouble because men will start chasing after you.”
A voice speaking about something she didn’t understand. A voice that could be heard even in the absence of anything else. Encia remained curious about who the owner of that voice could be.
“Watching calmly like this isn’t so bad. If I kept paying attention, I would have probably gotten tired. Yeah. Not bad at all.”
It was watching. The voice was watching Encia.
Who could it be? The owner of the voice that watches over her?
“Encia has been blessed with magical power. This dazzling silver hair is proof of that.”
Encia’s mother said this with a warm smile.
The blessing of magic. Encia did not understand what that meant.
She merely had a vague notion that the owner of the voice was somehow related to this magic.
“This place is quite barren. Judging by the location… is it near Procyon? The temperature here is pretty high, yet here you are, managing to live in such a place.”
The voice mentioned words Encia did not know. Procyon? What is that?
Feeling curious, Encia asked her mother.
“Mom.”
“Yes? What is it?”
“What is Procyon?”
Encia’s mother paused slightly at those words.
Procyon. The city of wizards. A massive city located at the entrance to the Desert of Heat.
A city where wizards draft laws that transcend this world.
For others, it was both an object of longing and a source of faint fear.
“Where did you hear that?”
“Um… I overheard someone saying it.”
Encia hadn’t lied.
Seeing Encia like this, her mother merely wondered if she had heard the tale from another villager.
“Procyon… is a place where extraordinary people reside. They create flames from their palms and bring light to the darkness. Those who hold magical powers are called wizards, and they use spells to write the world as if it were theirs.”
“Wizards…?”
“Yes. Wizards. People who wield magic.”
Encia pondered this for a moment. Magic. Magic…
Could it be that they, too, wield magic, just as she had been blessed with it?
If that’s the case, could she also be like those wizards?
And this voice too. This voice that only she could hear. Could it belong to someone connected to that magic?
Then.
“Mom.”
“Yes? What is it?”
“I want to become a wizard.”
Encia had developed a dream.
A dream of being a wizard.
“Procyon…? This child doesn’t seem like she has ever heard of it… Where did that come from? How curious.”
The voice that only Encia could hear sounded slightly dazed, unaware that it was speaking about Procyon.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Encia grew rapidly day by day.
In the past, the village was so poor that it frequently suffered from crop failures, but for some reason, since Encia was born, farming had been doing just well enough for people to make a living.
The hot air blowing in from the south was not as unbearable as before, and wandering merchants and pilgrims from the Church of Life began visiting more frequently than ever.
This nameless small village, despite its harsh environment, was becoming a reasonably good place to live.
Since all of these changes happened after Encia was born, she was treasured by the village and cared for deeply.
It was no surprise.
“Give me the child!”
“Get lost! That’s just a ten-year-old girl!!!”
“Please! I’ll pay whatever you want!”
“When this child grows up, you’ll be in your 40s!!! Get out!!!!”
“Seriously!! Ugh!!!”
Interest in Encia was growing wildly, to the level where a man who clearly lacked shame was knocked out by a rock from somewhere, and dragged off by others to be left on the side of the road.
It was so intense that even matchmakers from other towns sent their representatives.
“Such a shameless beast.”
Spitting, Encia’s father closed the door. The frequency of those beast-like individuals kept increasing day by day.
“Dad? What’s wrong?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
It was all because Encia had extraordinary prospects for the future. Even though she hadn’t come of age yet, she possessed a beauty that seemed to shine.
As Encia’s father thought about how he must drive away all the beasts that covet such a precious daughter, he felt that was his duty as a father.
“Too bright a light tends to attract insects. Yeah.”
Insects? Encia tilted her head at the sound of the voice.
“Encia, you don’t need to worry at all. Your mom and I will handle everything.”
“Okay.”
With that, Encia hugged her dad tightly and went back to her room.
And.
“Are Mom and Dad struggling because of me?”
“It’s tough raising children… Hmm. It’s true that parenting can be challenging.”
“Parenting?”
“Raising a child isn’t easy. That’s why parents are great.”
“Is that so?”
“Well… um… wait. Why does this feel like we’re having a conversation? What’s going on?”
“Conversation?”
“Yeah… Wait. Can you hear my voice?”
Encia nodded slightly.
“Huh. How interesting. You can hear my voice.”
“I’ve heard it since I was little.”
“Even though you’re still a child.”
The voice seemed to erupt in a small laugh, even if it was inaudible.
“The reason you can hear my voice… Hmm. I’m not exactly sure, but maybe it’s because of your high magical affinity? Or perhaps you possess a large amount of magical power? Or it could be that you have the potential to become a priestess? Either way, it’s fascinating.”
“What a strange thing.”
“Indeed. Normally, you wouldn’t be able to hear my voice. Well, this isn’t such a bad thing. It’s fun to have a bit of conversation rather than just watching from a distance.”
“Fun? Is it really fun?”
“Yes. From my perspective, watching you is quite enjoyable. Oh, but please keep this a secret from me. It would be a hassle if others found out.”
What kind of hassle could it be? She wasn’t sure.
“Then what should I call you?”
“Me? Um… Tia. Just call me Tia.”
“Your name is oddly similar to mine. Encia. Tia. Sia. Tia.”
“That’s true. They are oddly similar.”
Encia chuckled softly. The gentle voice felt like another family member to her.
Is this how it feels to have an older sister?
“I look forward to working with you, Tia.”
“Yes. It’s been quite a while since I’ve been watching over you. I’ll be depending on you in the future, Encia.”
“Call me Sia. It sounds friendlier.”
“Alright, if that’s what you’d prefer, I’ll do that. Sia.”
“Yeah. Tia.”
Encia smiled softly, and the voice, now called Tia, seemed to echo a soft laugh as well.
Thus, Encia accepted a family that was unknown to others.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
“I want to become a wizard.”
“Wizards?”
“Yeah. If I become a wizard, I can live without making my parents worry.”
The village where Encia lived was not far from Procyon.
So it was only natural that she would hear rumors about Procyon and the wizards living there.
“A wizard. A wizard… Well, you certainly have talent. You shouldn’t face any difficulties.”
“Really? But how can I become a wizard?”
“It’s simple. Just use magic.”
“Magic?”
Encia tilted her head.
She had heard about magic many times and was somewhat acquainted with it.
They are the people who can suddenly create fire where there is no kindling and illuminate the darkness.
Those who make the incomprehensible happen.
Wizards were those superhumans who could achieve such feats with ease.
“They’re not quite superhumans yet, though. They simply use their will to create phenomena.”
“Will? Magic? Phenomena?”
“If you truly desire something, the world will grant it. Magic follows such will.”
“Oh, is that so? I don’t really get it.”
“Well, you’re still young. But what matters now is that you want to be a wizard, right?”
“Yeah. I want to be a wizard.”
Tia thought for a moment and then spoke.
“Well, there’s certainly nothing wrong with that. In Procyon, they’re starting to explore the theory of magic. It’s probably the right time for basic magical theories to emerge.”
“Basic magical theory?”
“Basic theories about how to effectively use magic. Currently, most wizards are using their magic almost instinctively.”
Encia tilted her head. Wasn’t magic meant to be that way originally?
“Because there’s no proper system in place, they rely on their instincts. That’s why they can’t properly utilize anything beyond a few spells they’ve mastered.”
“Is that so?”
“Indeed. So… I think it’s about time for wizards to become a bit more diverse. Let’s try a little experiment.”
“Experiment?”
Encia merely tilted her head, puzzled by Tia’s words.
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