Chapter 2:
Studying
SYLVIA WAS ASSIGNED TO BE CAIN’S PERSONAL MAID and tutor. She could read, so she was able to teach Cain many things.
“Master Cain, I’ll now read you this picture book.”
Although he was mentally a high schooler, he couldn’t read this world’s language. He had no choice but to endure the humiliation of having a young girl read a picture book to him. He did his best to learn the unfamiliar symbols.
Cain listened to Sylvia pronounce the characters her fingers traveled across. He had her teach him how to draw them so he could practice by himself later.
This world had still yet to develop the means of mass-producing paper, so most people wrote on parchment, cloth, or wooden boards. The fact these picture books were written on paper made them luxury products.
His mind and knowledge were indeed that of a high schooler, while his brain was that of a three-year-old. Everything he studied immediately stuck. Within a month, he had no problem reading or writing.
“Master Cain, you can already read and write, and you’re only three years old! You must be a genius! Miss Reina isn’t even as good as you are!”
Cain made sure to butter up Sylvia, since he planned to ask her to look for a book he wanted.
“It’s thanks to you, Sylvia. You’re a good teacher.”
Sylvia covered her cheeks in embarrassment. Sensing an opportunity, Cain steeled himself and made his move.
“By the way, Sylvia. Do we have any books about history or magic?”
“We have both.”
“Really? Can I read them? Can you get me a few?”
“Very well. I’ll bring them to you after lunch, but those books are a little difficult, I don’t think you’ll understand them.”
No normal three-year-old would want to read books about history or magic. Although Sylvia had her reservations, she acquiesced in the end.
It had taken a month, but Kazuya finally had an opportunity to read about magic. He was thrilled.
Since he had been perfectly healthy after waking up, his mother, Sarah, granted him permission to go wherever he pleased, as long as he stayed on the mansion grounds.
“I want to use magic already! Hopefully I’m able to…”
After lunch, as he continued to read the picture books in his room, Sylvia brought books on history and magic to him.
“Master Cain, this book covers the history of the kingdom, while this book offers a simple introduction to magic.”
“Thank you, Sylvia.”
“History and magic are difficult subjects. You’re not yet able to cast Status, either.”
“It’s okay, Sylvia. I’m studying for once I can use magic.”
Cain took the books from Sylvia and looked at the titles: History of Esfort Kingdom and Introduction to Magic – Beginners Edition.
Esfort Kingdom was the name of the country Cain was currently living in. It was founded roughly three hundred years ago, and the current king was the fifteenth King of Esfort. The first king was an adventurer that accomplished a great deed and became a Hero. He started a village that grew to become a city and eventually turned into a country, all during his reign. However, this king came from unknown origins.
His name was Yuuya Terra Hirasawa Esfort. Cain gasped upon reading the obviously Japanese name. “He definitely came from Japan.”
The current king was Rex Terra Esfort. The “Terra” in the middle of his name was a symbol of Royalty. It seems the “Hirasawa” name was dropped generations ago.
The Kingdom operated under a peerage system, with ranks divided into Royalty, Archduke, Duke, Marquess, Margrave, Count, Viscount, Baron, and Knight. Ranks from Count to Duke were considered high-ranking nobles, while ranks from Knight to Viscount were considered low-ranking nobles.
Most nobles acquired their titles through hereditary succession. However, only the family head would inherit the title. Direct family would be considered quasi-nobles, while the family of those quasi-nobles would be treated as commoners.
As for those with honorary noble titles and knights, their titles would not be passed down to their descendants, and their family members were treated as commoners. These rules were put in place to limit the number of aristocratic families within the kingdom. The family head of an aristocratic family received direct stipends from the kingdom, and if there were too many such families, the country itself would go bankrupt.
The Silford family were margraves, which made them high-ranking aristocrats. The mansion they resided in was large enough to be considered a small castle, which Cain had also more or less realized by that point.
Cain closed and put aside the history book and reached towards the book on magic.
“Magic…I still can’t believe it’s real.” He flipped open the book to the first page, on which only a single sentence was written: Upon receiving baptism at age five, if your Status reveals aptitude, only then should you read this.
That means I won’t be able to use magic until I’m at least five, Cain thought as he flipped to the next page.
Sense the mana within you.
The people of this world had a mana pouch located near the navel around where the dantian1 would be. The location of this pouch apparently differed based on species.
“Doesn’t hurt to try. I’ll give it a shot.”
Cain sat down on the floor and crossed his legs in a zazen posture. He closed his eyes and began to meditate. He breathed in, then out, as he focused on sensing what was going on within his body. Then, he suddenly felt heat coming from where his dantian was.
“Is that it?”
He focused on the flow of mana, and realized that although it was rather slow, he could sense it circulating throughout his body.
“It’s kind of like blood moving through blood vessels.”
Cain focused and tried to make the mana spin. He found he could control its movement as he wished. As he continued to circulate the mana within his body, he flipped to the next page.
Gather mana into the tip of your finger, then chant the spell.
“Hmm… Like this?”
Cain focused and channeled mana into his fingertip. He then formed the image of a candle in his mind and chanted, “Fire.”
He had imagined a two-inch-long candle, but instead a pillar of flame almost two feet long burst out from his finger.
“Whoa! I didn’t expect that.”
Cain dispersed the mana around his fingertip and the fire vanished.
“Now I know I can use magic, but it’s a bit dangerous to experiment with fire magic indoors. I’ll stick to just reading for today.”
From reading, Cain learned that there were four basic magic elements: fire, water, wind, and earth. There was also non-elemental magic: dark magic, light magic, and space magic. Spells were manifested by applying mana to a mental visualization, so there were also unique spells derived from the four basic elements.
“As someone equipped with knowledge of Japanese light novels, this is just the best.” Cain could no longer hold back a smile. He could use magic!
Casting that spell had depleted his mana and left him feeling a little sluggish. He turned to look at the book once more.
“Where’s the section on mana control and increasing your mana capacity?”
Cain flipped through the book in search of the information he wanted.
Daily mana circulation training will improve your control over mana.
Using up all the mana in your body, then resting, will increase your mana capacity. The maximum limit differs from person to person.
“I should focus on these two things for now. Since I’m still three, I should have a lot of room to grow. I need to increase my mana capacity and then experiment a bit.” Cain smirked, extremely satisfied that he had found a goal.
“Master Cain, it’s time for dinner.”
That was Sylvia’s voice. Glancing at the window, he realized that the last rays of the setting sun were shining through. It was already evening. He had been so focused on reading he hadn’t noticed.
“I’m coming.” Cain put the book inside his desk drawer and left his room. He entered the dining room where Sarah and Reine were already waiting for him. He sat in his seat and chatted with them for a bit. His father, Garm, was the last one to arrive and take his seat.
“Let us offer our thanks to the Seven Gods of Marineford.”
Garm picked up a bowl of soup and raised it to his mouth. The rest of the family followed suit and began eating.
“Cain, I hear from Sylvia that you’ve been learning how to read and write from those picture books. Do you like reading?” Garm asked.
“Yes, father. I’m not old enough to leave the grounds, so learning about the world through books is fun.”
“Cain’s only three years old, but he can already read and write perfectly!” Sarah said, beaming with pride. Although the language of this world was different, Cain still had the concentration of a high schooler: what he learned stuck.
“I can’t wait till I get baptized. I want to try using magic.” Cain kept the fact he already had used magic a secret.
“I see. Do you want to become a palace mage in the future, Cain?” Garm asked, sipping from a glass of wine. Having such a promising son made him happy as well.
“I’ll become an even more amazing palace mage than Cain will! I’ll get there first and wait for you to catch up, Cain!” Reine said.
His older sister, Reine, had an aptitude for magic. She apparently couldn’t wait to enroll in school and begin studying.
In this world, children spent the ages of twelve to fifteen in school. Each region had their own individual school, but that school was meant for commoners. Unless there were special circumstances, the children of aristocrats were typically sent to the Esfort Royal Academy. Commoners were allowed to attend as well if they passed an entrance examination. Due to the elite level of education provided there, graduates of the Royal Academy were highly sought after even after they returned home.
After enjoying a harmonious dinner, Cain returned to his room and immediately pulled the book on magic out of his desk drawer to immerse himself once more.
Two years passed, during which Cain continued to study and train his magic in secret. He would claim he was going out for a walk, then hide behind the mansion and experiment. He knew testing advanced magic that warped the environment would lead to him being discovered, so he exercised self-restraint. That said, part of his practice routine involved unleashing wind magic into the sky, which was quite reckless.
“Yep. I can become a mage.”
He continued his reckless practice routine, and before he knew it, years had passed. He was now five years old. The time of his baptism approached.