Tenma had been picked up four years ago, and one year had passed since he began studying magic, when one day,
"Tenma, your book-only studies end today. You've worked very hard. Starting tomorrow, we'll begin practicing beginner magic from the basics."
Upon hearing Celia's permission, Tenma
"Really?! I can use magic now? Yay!"
let out a cry of joy.
"However! From now on, you must follow your mother's instructions even more carefully — don't use magic recklessly, and no matter how difficult things get, never give up on your practice. Understood?"
"Yes!"
"Tomorrow, your father will come along too, and we'll head to the nearby river to practice there. So get to sleep early tonight and rest up."
"Okaaay."
Despite answering, Tenma was too excited and happy about being able to use magic to fall asleep.
The next day, Tenma and the others arrived at the river, about a ten-minute walk from the village, first thing in the morning.
"All right, Tenma. I'll start by teaching you water magic. Watch closely — 'Water!'"
Celia placed her hand into a gentle part of the river's flow and spoke the incantation. A column of water about one meter tall rose up from the river.
"See? This is the foundation of water magic. You start in a calm section and gradually work your way up to being able to maintain the water column even where the current runs faster. Go ahead and try."
Just as Tenma was about to put his hand into the river, he suddenly felt a gaze on him and turned around. At the same moment, Ricardo turned as well, and his eyes went wide —
"Oh ho, it seems we've been spotted. I didn't mean to impose, but my apologies all the same."
About ten meters ahead of Ricardo — roughly fifteen meters from Tenma — a man stood there, shrouded from head to toe in a black robe, having materialized without anyone noticing.
As the man moved to approach, Celia stepped protectively in front of Tenma, and Ricardo took a step back while drawing the large knife from his belt, planting himself between Tenma and the stranger.
"Who are you?!"
To Ricardo's wariness, the man stopped without showing any concern and called out to him.
"Stop being so on edge, Ricardo. Have you forgotten me, Celia?"
As he spoke, he revealed his face from beneath the robe.
"Merlin!"
"Uncle!"
The man smiled, deepening the wrinkles on his face, at Ricardo calling him Merlin and Celia calling him Uncle.
"That's right, it's Merlin. Now that you understand, would you mind putting that knife away, Ricardo?"
"Ah, right, sorry."
Ricardo returned the knife to the sheath at his waist. Only after seeing that did the man called Merlin slowly approach.
"It's been a while, hasn't it, you two? How many years has it been?"
"Eleven years now, Merlin."
"That's right, Uncle! You haven't contacted us in years — I was worried!"
At their words, Merlin laughed and said:
"Sorry, sorry. I kept meaning to write a letter, but I completely forgot about it."
As he scratched his head.
"Same old Uncle."
"Well, I did hear from travelers now and then, so I figured you hadn't died."
As they spoke, Merlin shifted his gaze to Tenma standing behind them.
"By the way, is this child yours? When was he born, Celia?"
He asked while locking eyes with Tenma.
Ricardo pulled Merlin a short distance away from Tenma and the others and spoke in a low voice.
"You're half right, but half wrong, Merlin."
"What did you say?"
"This child was abandoned in the Great Old Forest as an infant. I happened to find him while hunting, took him in, and adopted him."
"So that's how it was."
"Well, he's our treasure now, though."
Seeing Ricardo smile, Merlin returned a gentle smile of his own.
Once the two finished their conversation and rejoined the group, they properly introduced themselves.
"So you're Tenma. Nice to meet you. I'm Merlin, Celia's uncle. Some people in the world also call me the 'Sage,' you know."
Hearing the old man's hearty laughter, Tenma blurted out without thinking,
"The Sage? That weirdo?"
The moment the words left his mouth, he knew he'd messed up, but Merlin simply brushed it off.
"That's what they call me, yes."
He said it with an utterly nonchalant expression.
"Sorry about that. My name is Tenma, and I'm four years old."
"Oh my, is that so? No need to worry about it. I've done plenty to earn the title of weirdo."
Merlin just kept laughing.
"By the way, Celia, what were you doing?"
"I was trying to teach Tenma the basics of magic."
"Is that so, is that so? Tenma, why don't you show me?"
"Got it."
With that, Tenma dipped his hand into the river and chanted "Water," and a column of water roughly one meter tall appeared before him.
"Tenma, that's amazing! Succeeding on your first try is incredible!"
"Yeah, normally the water wouldn't react at all, or it wouldn't hold its shape!"
The two praised him, but Merlin wore a stern expression.
"Tenma, there's something you need to do before this practice. If you keep going like this, you could destroy your body."
Before Tenma or the others could say anything, Merlin continued.
"Your Magic Power is far too high for someone your age. That's why it would be better to practice controlling your Magic Power thoroughly first."
"But Uncle, isn't it generally the case that you're supposed to let the body get used to releasing a certain amount of Magic Power before moving on to controlling it?"
"That's true — normally, you'd let them grow accustomed to the sensation of releasing Magic Power from the body before teaching them how to control it. But that only applies to children with ordinary talent."
"Tenma is not ordinary," Ricardo said.
Merlin nodded at his words and went on.
"This child's magical talent and Magic Power have already reached a level that touches the first tier. But his body is still that of a child. If he carelessly releases his Magic Power and can't keep it under control, it could run rampant. At best, he'd end up a cripple. At worst, he'd be obliterated along with everything around him."
Merlin's words turned Tenma and the others pale.
"Then what should we do?"
At Celia's voice, which sounded on the verge of tears, Merlin said.
"To prevent that, I will teach him a technique to circulate Magic Power within the body without releasing it, and to control it that way."
Celia calmed down slightly at Merlin's words, but then realized she wouldn't be able to teach this herself. Seeing her expression, Merlin spoke up.
"Don't worry. I'll teach Tenma myself. And if Tenma starts to lose control, I should be able to calm him down."
As he said this, Merlin ruffled Tenma's hair. His expression looked just like a grandfather doting on his grandchild.
"Merlin, please take care of Tenma!"
"Uncle, please look after Tenma!"
"Indeed, I understand. If he is your child, then to me he is like a grandchild. I shall do everything in my power. Does that suit you too, Tenma?"
Merlin asked this, but for Tenma, there was currently no path other than learning from Merlin, and furthermore, having the Sage himself provide direct instruction with minimal danger was nothing but good news, so—
"Yes! I'm counting on you!"
He answered with a bright, energetic voice.
The Sage has made his appearance. The plan was for him to show up quickly and reluctantly take on the role of master, but instead he turned into the kindly old grandfather type. Whatever happened to the eccentric character setting!
Tenma hasn't been saying much lately. It feels like he's just being swept along by those around him. But I guess that can't be helped since he's still small, right?
———STATUS REVEAL———
Name... Celia
Age... 36
Race... Human
Title... First-Class Mage
HP... 10,000
MP... 20,000
Strength... C-
Defense... D+
Speed... C+
Magic Power... A+
Mental Power... A+
Growth Power... C
Luck... B+
Skill... Fire Magic 8, Water Magic 8, Cooking 7, Earth Magic 6, Wind Magic 6, Disassembly 6, Holy Magic 5, Swordsmanship 5, Throwing 5, Staff Techniques 5, Night Vision 5, Endurance 5, Hand-to-Hand Combat 4, Abnormal Status Resistance 4, Axe Techniques 3, Magic Boost 3
Gift... God of Magic's Blessing
Name... Merlin
Age... 62
Race... Human
Title... Sage, Great Mage, Dragon Slayer, Eccentric
HP... 12000
MP... 40000
Strength... C+
Defense... C+
Speed... B-
Magic Power... S
Mental Power... S+
Growth Power... D+
Luck... A
Skill... Fire Magic 10, Water Magic 8, Earth Magic 8, Wind Magic 8, Holy Magic 8, Hand-to-Hand Combat 8, Staff Techniques 7, Endurance 7, Swordsmanship 6, Disassembly 6, Abnormal Status Resistance 6, Bestowal Magic 6, Throwing 5, All Magic Attributes 5, Concealment 5, Magic Boost 5, Instant Death Resistance 5, Cooking 4, Night Vision 3, Physical Boost 3
Gift... God of War's Blessing, God of Magic's Blessing
Name... Tenma Ootori
Age...4
Race...Human
Title...Sage's Disciple (Child of the Gods)
HP...800
MP...6500
Strength...F
Defense...F-
Speed...E
Magic Power...B+
Spirit...B-
Growth Power...S+
Luck...B
Skill... Throwing 4, Night Vision 4, Cooking 3, Endurance 3, Disassembly 3, Traps 3, Archery 3, Swordsmanship 2, Hand-to-Hand Combat 2, Spear Techniques 2, Staff Techniques 2, Axe Techniques 2, Fire Magic 2, Water Magic 2, All Magic Attributes 1 (6) (Appraisal 10, Detection Ability 10, Concealment 10, Technical Skill Enhancement 10, Familiar Enhancement 10, Growth Power Boost 8, Life Force Boost 8, Recovery Boost 8, Abnormal Status Resistance 8, Sense Boost 7, Physical Boost 7, Destruction Boost 5, Magic Boost 5, Creation Magic 5, Bestowal Magic 5, Destruction Resistance 5, Instant Death Resistance 5, Martial Arts Mastery 5)
Gift... Blessing of the Gods
Tenma's growth is proceeding smoothly.