The wizard is reincarnated last Time

Chapter 11

The first time we met, and now this time as well.

I had only shown Clementine the sides of myself I didn’t want her to see.

Even with my eyes closed, I could still picture Clementine, clinging to Petron and crying. The image was etched in my mind.

I hadn’t been able to say anything to Clementine… I should have told her I was okay, that she didn’t need to worry.

When I opened my eyes again, the afterimage lingered, and the familiar sight of my room gradually came into focus.

My breathing had steadied. The constricting pain in my chest had subsided.

The harsh, rasping sound that had scraped at my lungs and throat was gone.

My body felt languid and heavy, as if waterlogged, but I managed to pull back the covers and sit up.

The room was quiet and dark. The door was closed, and it was nighttime outside the window.

I realized that not much time had passed.

I could hear the muffled murmur of voices downstairs.

Had Clementine gone home? What about the others?

I considered going outside, but I didn’t have the energy.

…Wait a minute.

I turned my head and noticed an unfamiliar object on the table.

I rubbed my eyes, trying to focus.

Even after looking twice, it was a strange-looking object.

At first, I thought it was a clear, round glass cup.

But the long handle was wrapped in wood, and the top was a completely sealed glass sphere.

Inside, a shimmering, golden liquid filled about half the sphere.

I immediately recognized that the liquid was infused with mana. The golden, shimmering mana pulsed, emitting a soft light.

A magical tool I had never seen before.

Curiosity piqued, I reached out.

Strangely, the golden liquid inside the glass sphere began to ripple and churn.

The mana emanating from my body was reacting with the liquid inside the glass sphere.

“Liv?”

Startled by the sudden voice from the doorway, I quickly withdrew my hand.

I tucked my hands under the covers and watched as Luwen quietly opened the door and entered.

“How are you feeling?  Is your cough any better?”

“Yes… I’m okay. Where are Father and Mother?”

“They’re seeing the guests out.  They’ll be here soon.”

Ah.  Then Clementine must have gone home too.

I would have to tell her I was okay the next time we met. I was worried she would be fretting over me.

Luwen, approaching me, seemed different than usual.

He wasn’t wearing his usual playful smile, and the mana that usually radiated from him, announcing his presence, was barely perceptible.

He looked exhausted.

“Mister Luwen?”

I tilted my head, and Luwen forced a tired smile. He sat on the edge of the windowsill, facing me.

“Liv, do you know what this is?”

Luwen asked, holding up the magical tool from the table.  The golden liquid inside the glass sphere shimmered in the moonlight.

“No… what is it?”

“It’s called the Chalice of Merses.  A magical tool devised long ago by a mage named Merses.”

Luwen paused, as if deep in thought.

I stared at the magical tool with curious eyes.

The Chalice of Merses.  Even after all my years as an imperial mage, I had never seen this magical tool before.

As expected, the southern kingdoms had many fascinating magical tools.

“Here.”

Luwen held out the glass sphere of the chalice towards me. The golden liquid shifted heavily inside, following the angle of the sphere.

“Place your hand on the glass.”

I hesitated, then slowly reached out.

It didn’t seem dangerous.  On the contrary, I felt a mysterious, warm aura emanating from it.

As my hand drew closer, the golden liquid inside the glass sphere began to churn, just like before.

The surface, which had seemed as solid as stone, rippled, and the moment my fingertips touched the glass… the golden liquid erupted, swirling violently.

“Ah!”

Startled, I pulled my hand back.

Luwen was equally surprised.

“This is…”

He took the Chalice of Merses from me and examined its contents.

The golden liquid had returned to its original, still state, as if nothing had happened.

Luwen’s eyes were wide with surprise.

“Liv, are you awake?”

My father entered the room just then. He looked surprised to see Luwen.

“Luwen?  Is that…?”

He frowned, noticing the Chalice of Merses in Luwen’s hand.

Luwen sighed softly but didn’t try to hide the chalice.

“I’m sorry, Jaden.”

“Didn’t I say we would discuss this after Liv’s wounds had healed?”

My father’s voice echoed sternly through the room.

It was the first time I had heard him speak like that, and I instinctively cowered.

Luwen rubbed his face wearily.

“It will be too late by then.”

“What do you mean?”

My father asked in a hard voice.

“Jaden, neither Grain nor I can be by Liv’s side every time he has a seizure. Holy magic can’t prevent them either…”

Luwen looked at me with a pained expression.

My heart pounded.

He was talking about something important.

“…The only way is for Liv to learn to control his own mana before it’s too late.”

My father’s lips tightened into a thin line.

Luwen continued, his expression a mixture of joy and sadness.

“Once he can control his mana, his fragmented soul will be stabilized. He’ll be able to manage his seizures himself. And besides…”

Luwen’s hand brushed against my forehead.  His gaze, meeting mine, briefly flickered.

“If he learns magic, Liv will become an exceptional mage. He possesses powerful mana. I’ve never seen the Chalice of Merses react so strongly.”

Ah.  So, the Chalice of Merses was a magical tool for assessing magical aptitude.

The golden liquid inside must be a special substance that reacted to the amount and control of mana.

In that case, its explosive reaction wasn’t so surprising after all.

“…Give me a moment to talk to him.”

My father finally spoke after a long silence. Luwen nodded.

“Take your time.”

Luwen tucked the Chalice of Merses into his robes, walked past my father, and left the room.

My father stood by the door until it closed behind Luwen, then slowly approached me and sat on the windowsill.

The moonlight filtering through the window illuminated his weary expression.

“Father… did Mister Luwen do something wrong?”

I asked anxiously.

I was worried that their relationship had soured, and I seemed to be caught in the middle.

Fortunately, my father smiled and shook his head.

“No. He’s just worried about you. I understand.”

“But why?”

“I wanted to wait.  Until you had recovered a bit more.”

My father sighed and looked out the window.  His gaze seemed distant, focused on something beyond the window, somewhere far in the past.

After a long moment, he seemed to return from his reverie and spoke again.

“Our Eldrian family is a knightly family of Sernia.  My path was determined before I was even born.  To become a knight of the Sernia Kingdom and inherit the family legacy…”

My father frowned and clenched his fist.

“I couldn’t even consider anything else.  It was only after I followed that predetermined path and became a Royal Knight that I realized there were other paths.”

And that path was to become a knight of Prius.

My father had said that after he joined the Prius Knights, he rarely visited the Eldrian family home in the Sernia capital.

“So, Liv, I wanted to show you that you can do anything.  I wanted you to see and learn and experience many things, and then decide what you wanted to do.”

My father looked at me with a sad expression.

“But Luwen says you must learn magic now. That it’s the only way… for you to survive.”

“Magic…”

I took a small breath. Breathing was still difficult.

But my mind was clearer than ever.

Clear enough to look directly at my father and convey my thoughts clearly.

“I want to learn magic, Father.”

To prolong my fragile life and uncover the mystery of my reincarnation.

And perhaps also out of curiosity about the magic of this new world.

“Alright. If that’s what you want.”

My words seemed to have helped my father make up his mind.

The sadness and worry vanished from his face, and he looked at me with a calmer gaze.

“Will Mister Luwen teach me?”

“That’s likely. Luwen has taught many students at the tower, so he’ll be a good teacher. Although he can be… unconventional at times.”

My father added a complaint about Luwen at the end, then smiled faintly.

“I’ll let him know.  It’s late, so you should sleep now.”

My father pulled the covers up.

Although it was late, I didn’t think I would be able to fall asleep easily.

“Father.”

“Yes?”

I hesitated for a moment, afraid of the answer I might receive.

My father sat beside me, waiting patiently.

“Are you… disappointed that I want to become a mage?”

As soon as I asked the question, I realized it was a mistake. If I asked him like that, he would, of course, say he wasn’t.

I looked up at my father anxiously.

He looked surprised, as if he hadn’t expected this question.

“No, Liv.  Of course not.”

My father’s voice was gentle and reassuring.

“Being a mage is a noble profession.  And an important one.  But what I’m worried about is…”

He looked at me for a moment, then sighed.

“There aren’t many mages in Prius right now.  And that’s true globally as well. People with magical talent have become very rare.”

That made sense, considering Luwen was the first mage I had met in my seven years of life.

“So, the workload for a single mage has increased tremendously.  Even Luwen, he handles everything by himself, from managing the tower and the mages to going on dispatch missions. It’s only going to get worse. That’s what I’m worried about.”

I understood.

My father was worried that I would end up like him, dedicating himself to Prius to the extent that he couldn’t even see his family properly.

“So, Liv, if you ever want to do something else, just tell me. Alright?”

“Yes, I understand.”

I nodded.

Although I hadn’t considered any other profession, neither in my past lives nor in this one…

For now, I had to learn magic to survive.

“Good.  Then you should sleep now.  You’ll have a lot to do starting tomorrow.”

My father got out of bed and closed the curtains. The moonlight disappeared, and the room darkened.

I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep in the darkness, feeling the gentle caress of my father’s hand.

A small flicker of anticipation for the new routine that would begin tomorrow warmed my heart.