Lucas Eberun, the father of Rest and Cedric, is a court magician.
One of the foremost magic users in the country, his talent had been passed down to his only son, Cedric.
But what was inherited wasn't talent alone.
His vile nature, the distortion of his character—Cedric had inherited every last trace of it.
"AHAHAHAHA! Run, run, damn you!"
"Guh...!"
At the estate of House Eberun, Cedric fired off spell after spell.
Fist-sized fireballs chased after Rest as he darted about, scorching his clothes and skin.
"Come on, what's wrong, what's wrong! Tired already? If you stop moving, you're gonna get hit! AHAHAHAHAHA!"
Cedric hurled fireballs at Rest running through the yard, his grating laughter ringing out all the while.
The son of a court magician, aiming to one day follow in his father's footsteps—yet Cedric regularly used Rest as a target for his magic.
Children learn by watching their parents.
Seeing his father despise Rest, seeing his mother abuse Rest... he himself came to find pleasure in tormenting his half-brother the same way.
With no one stepping in to stop them — not even his own parents — the borderline murderous "training" only escalated further.
"Please forgive me... please, I'm begging you...!"
(These two really never get tired of it, huh... A son born of parents like that. There's no way he grows up to be anything decent.)
Rest spat out words of contempt inside his head even as he pleaded pathetically for mercy and scrambled away.
"Is every noble family this rotten? Father, who defiled my mother — and my stepmother, who bullies me out of jealousy... there really isn't a single decent person among the lot of them."
"Hahahaha! Time to finish you — take this, the spell I just learned... [Thunder Sphere]!"
"Waaaaaaaah!"
The ball of lightning struck Rest in the back.
Searing currents tore through his body like a thousand slashing blades, and Rest collapsed, motionless.
"That's it? Already over? As expected, a commoner brat with no mana is completely useless!"
Cedric puffed out his chest with satisfaction and kicked the fallen Rest with his toe.
"You'd better clean up the yard, got it? Skip it and you'll regret it!"
"............"
"Hahaha, he really is garbage! I can't believe this thing is my brother!"
Cedric hurled one last contemptuous remark before stomping off through the yard.
"............"
Rest played dead for a while... but once he was certain every trace of presence had vanished, he slowly sat up.
"Good grief... it's finally over."
He stood up and immediately cast a spell.
He healed his wounds with the Healing spell, then used Cleansing to erase every last trace of sand and mud clinging to his body, leaving it spotless.
It might have looked like he was being pummeled by magic unilaterally, but in reality, the damage wasn't nearly as severe as it appeared.
He'd been deliberately overplaying his escapes and his cries of pain.
In truth, he was coating the surface of his body with mana to minimize the damage.
(Next up, a lightning spell, huh... He's quite versatile, isn't he. That guy.)
Whenever Cedric learned a new spell, he always used Rest's body as his test subject.
Being the son of a court magician, his personality aside, his magical skill was the real deal. He could cast a remarkably diverse range of spells.
(I don't know any other mages my age besides him... but he must be excellent. Certainly.)
If only his personality were better, Rest could have respected him as an older brother.
They say Heaven does not give two gifts, and it seemed God had granted Cedric only magical talent, withholding the virtue needed to use it properly.
"Thunder Sphere."
He refined his mana and released it to the outside of his body.
A crackling sphere of purple lightning materialized above his palm.
It was the same spell Cedric had used earlier, but this one was a size larger.
"...As always, it's a huge help that you showcase every spell you learn. It's great for studying."
That was why Rest didn't run away and instead cooperated with Cedric's training sessions.
This must be another perk of reincarnation, but Rest possessed an unfathomable, bottomless well of mana, and even the ability to reproduce any spell he saw just once.
As a commoner child facing discrimination, Rest was denied opportunities to learn magic through books or private tutors.
However, thanks to Cedric using him as a magical test subject, he was able to acquire so many spells this way.
(……If he knew that the younger brother he looks down on was contributing to his own growth, what kind of face would that foolish brother make, I wonder?)
Cedric might be a genius when it came to magic.
But if it was just talent they were talking about, Rest was convinced he was far superior.
If he showed this talent to his father, maybe his treatment would change, but… honestly, he had no desire to be acknowledged by that man.
"Not yet… it's still too early. I just have to endure until I come of age…"
Rest clenched his fists, repeating the words to himself like a mantra.
Rest was only twelve years old.
In this country, one came of age at fifteen, so there were still three years left.
No matter how well he could use magic, a minor could not secure any respectable position.
If anything, it was far more likely that some filthy adult would exploit his magical abilities while paying him almost nothing at all.
So for now, he would keep his fangs hidden.
Killing his persecuting stepmother and Cedric would be easy enough, but he endured being trampled on as he honed his skills in magic.
(Someday, I will absolutely surpass them. I will climb far, far higher than Father, higher than Cedric, higher than either of them could ever reach…!)
Money, status, power.
He would prove himself their superior in every single one of them.
He would reach a position where he could look down on every person in House Eberun and crush them underfoot!
(If that's what it takes, I'll endure being a test subject for magic experiments or being treated like a dog.)
Now was the time to lie low.
Enduring in silence. Sleeping in a stable chilled by the drafts that seeped through the cracks, eating leftover scraps like a dog — this was his time of patience.
Rest clenched his fist with all his resolve and began cleaning the garden.
—————————— Volume 1 of the book series goes on sale April 1st!
The e-book edition, as well as copies from Melon Books, Gamers, and Animate, will each come with a bonus side story!
With the publication of the book, we have changed the main title of this work to "The Infinite Magician." Thank you for your continued support!