Chapter 29

Upon returning to Ankarian, the first thing Archer did was deactivate the existing portal to Frinian and replace it with a portal leading specifically to Markonia, in the Kingdom of Mar.

Then he contacted the government of Trinity and informed them that a new kingdom wished to establish diplomatic relations.

Archer emphasized that Mar urgently needed military assistance and explained why.

The Painter also asked whether the diplomats needed universal translators.

They said they did.

So he painted five more Scrolls of Universal Translation, and when a delegation of Trinity diplomats arrived at the skyscraper’s spaceport later that day, Archer gave them the scrolls.

The diplomats took images of the map of Frinian, sent the information back to their department, and stepped through the portal into Mar.

Meanwhile, Anka showed Mailik around their apartments, taught the adept how to use a neural interface, gave him a tour of the virtual worlds, and took him for a walk through a park in the real world.

Once the young mage had grown somewhat accustomed to Ankarian’s high-tech civilization, the three of them began studying magic.

Mailik started by explaining the concept of mana—a reserve of magical energy that, according to him, existed within every human being.

Through exercises that involved focusing on sensations within the body, a person could eventually learn to sense the mana inside themselves.

With even more training, they could learn to sense the mana within other living beings.

Developing this ability took years, however, and Mailik explained that sensing mana was not strictly necessary for casting spells.

Still, according to the adept, all the most powerful mages possessed the ability.

After explaining the natural cycle of mana, Mailik moved on to teaching Archer and Anka the simplest spell of all:

a light spell.

The process was remarkably simple.

Each student had to speak a particular sequence of sounds aloud, perform a specific gesture with one hand, and mentally command their own spirit to create light above their head.

Three actions combined into a single simultaneous effort.

Mailik explained that speaking the sounds of the spell needed to become automatic, as did the hand gesture.

They should practice those two elements until they could perform them perfectly without thinking.

Then, while actually casting the spell, they could devote all their attention to the third element:

directing their spirit to create light above their head.

Archer and Anka couldn't do it.

“That’s normal,” Mailik explained.

“The first steps in magic are the hardest.

“Once you master your first spell, every spell after that will come much more easily.

“Learning your first spell gives you an intuitive understanding of the entire process of spellcasting.”

The adept continued instructing his two students, correcting their pronunciation, adjusting their hand gestures, and making them repeat both again and again until they approached perfection.

He demonstrated the spell himself countless times.

By the end of their first day of training, Archer and Anka still had not managed to cast the light spell.

“How long did it take you to master your first spell?” Anka asked Mailik.

“Forty-two days,” the adept replied.

“Wow,” Anka said. “That’s so long...”

“Actually, it isn’t,” Mailik replied.

“Some people take years to cast their first spell.

“And some people are completely incapable of spellcasting.

“They can devote their entire lives to studying magic and still never manage to cast even the simplest spell.”

“Is there any way to find out in advance how long it will take us to master our first spell?” she asked.

“There is,” Mailik said. “But only the most powerful mages can do it.

“There are only a handful of such mages on all of Planet.

“I don’t possess the necessary skill or the necessary spell to determine your affinity for magic.”

“We just don’t have much time,” Anka said.

“The Dreurg invasion of Arkonia could happen within a year.”

“There’s nothing I can do about that,” Mailik said.

“All I can do is teach you magic the same way I was taught.

“After that, only time will tell whether it takes you days or years to master your first spell.”

The following day, Sol teleported back from Arkonia to his apartment.

His mission had been successful.

The four of them gathered together with Mailik, and Sol told them what he had learned.

“The forest elves call themselves the Lilians.

“The Lilians were extremely wary when they first made contact with me.

“For a long time, they didn’t believe I came from another world.

“They thought I was a creation of Arkonian magic.

“I had to pass several tests to prove that I wasn’t a magical construct.

“After that, they took me to their tribal chief.

“I demonstrated our technology to him and told him about our world—about our population of two trillion.

“Only after my presentation did the chief become willing to speak openly with me.

“He confirmed that the Lilians really are incapable of surviving outside forests.

“They need regular contact with the full diversity of life found within a forest ecosystem.

“Without it, they simply die.

“The chief confirmed that the Arkonians are cutting down the forests and exterminating the forest elves.

“He also confirmed that this policy of extermination began four years ago.

“But he knows nothing about the assassins who supposedly attacked Pogrimar Castle.

“I asked the chief whether his people needed help and whether they would be willing to establish diplomatic relations with Trinity.

“He said the Lilians would not accept help from humans.

“He also said formal diplomatic relations were impossible because the Lilians have no central government and no single leader.

“They are made up of many separate tribes.

“But he said that if we can stop the extermination of their people, it would be a great act of good.

“He also said we need to act quickly.

“There isn’t much forest left in their region of Arkonia.

“At the current rate of the Arkonian advance, he believes they have about a month left.”

“We have to do something to help them,” Anka said.

“Yes,” Sol replied. “Every day counts.

“The tribe I visited has a month before they're driven out of their forest.

“Some of the other tribes have even less time.”

“A month...” Archer repeated.

“What are they actually like as a people? What kind of personalities do they have?”

“The tribe I spoke with lives in relative isolation,” Sol said.

“They have little interest in human politics or trade.

“They mostly care about their own tribe and their forest.

“But I spent only one day with them, so I don’t know how representative they are of the Lilians as a whole.”

“Here’s an interesting fact about the forest elves,” Mailik said.

“They’re completely incapable of magic.

“They have no affinity for it whatsoever.

“More than that, they possess complete innate resistance to magic.”

“What do you mean?” Archer asked.

“Let’s say a mage casts a spell to summon lightning and strikes a forest elf with it,” the adept explained.

“The elf wouldn’t feel a thing.

“Except perhaps fear.”

“They’re immune to magic?” Archer asked.

“Yes. You could put it that way,” Mailik said.

“So their entire race is essentially the perfect opponent for the mages of Arkonia?” Archer asked.

“Yes,” Mailik said.

“Yes, I think you’re right.

“There’s very little Arkonian mages can do against forest elves.”

“That casts serious doubt on the story that Kronveld saved Akbert from a Lilian attack,” Anka said.

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Mailik replied.

“Kronveld is in an entirely different class from other mages.

“I think his magic could penetrate even the forest elves’ immunity.

“Besides, from everything I’ve heard, Kronveld is incredibly intelligent.

“If anyone could find a way around their resistance to magic, it would be him.”

“What about this?” Anka asked.

She retracted the glove covering her right hand and showed Mailik the ring on her middle finger—one of the rings Kronveld had given them.

Mailik stepped closer and examined it.

“Oh, that’s a very good artifact,” the adept said.

“It should provide resistance to magic as well.

“Where did you get it?”

“Kronveld,” Anka replied.

“Yes, with an artifact like this, you could confidently go into battle against almost any mage,” the young mage said.

“Would this ring protect me from an attack by Kronveld?” Anka asked.

“Um...” The mage thought for a moment.

“I don’t think so.

“Kronveld is too powerful.

“Although if your goal were to defeat Kronveld, having a ring like this certainly wouldn’t hurt.”

“We believe Kronveld attacked us,” Anka said.

“He accompanied us into the dimension of magic.

“Then, completely without warning, a brilliant beam of fire killed Archer, Sol, and Marv Galsius—and nearly killed me.

“Could Kronveld have done that?”

“Hmm... A brilliant beam of fire,” Mailik said, thinking aloud.

“And you’re saying this beam managed to kill Archer, Sol, and Marv Galsius?

“Were you without armor?”

“We were wearing armor,” Anka said.

“The same kind of space armor I’m wearing now.”

“In that case, it’s difficult to say,” Mailik replied.

“If you were wearing both the armor and a ring of magic resistance, then a Melting Ray spell shouldn’t have caused critical injuries.

“You should have survived.

“So either Kronveld is even more powerful than we think, or you were attacked by an extremely powerful creature native to the dimension of magic.”

“And what are the chances of encountering a creature like that during our very first expedition into the dimension of magic?” Anka asked.

“If Kronveld was with you, the chances aren’t actually that small,” the adept replied.

“Powerful creatures in the dimension of magic are drawn to powerful magic.

“So being near Kronveld in that dimension would be dangerous for anyone.

“Although it would still depend on how long you were there.”

“The first time, I was there alone with Kronveld for several minutes, and everything was fine,” Archer said.

“Then the four of us followed Kronveld into the dimension of magic, and we were attacked almost immediately after we arrived.”

“Yes...” Mailik hesitated.

“I don’t know.

“A few minutes wouldn’t normally be enough time to attract powerful creatures.

“If you’d spent an entire hour there, then yes.”

“Then Kronveld is our prime suspect,” Anka said.

“I don’t know,” the adept replied.

“Like I said, Kronveld would have to be even more powerful than we think to kill three of you with an attack like that.”

“Mailik, could you enter Arkonia’s magical dimension near Pogrimar Castle and try to find the bodies of Galsius and Sol?” Anka asked.

“We still haven’t been able to confirm that they actually died.”

“Physical matter can’t remain in the magical dimension for long,” Mailik said.

“If Galsius and Sol really did die, and their bodies were left there, they would have disintegrated within a couple of days.”

“All right.

“So what are we going to do about the Lilians?” Archer asked.

“I reported the potential extinction of their people to the authorities in Trinity,” Sol said.

“The matter is under consideration.

“How are your magic lessons going?”

“Not easily,” Archer said.

“Our magic adept says it could take us years to master magic.

“Or we might never manage it at all.”

“Mailik,” Sol asked, “how do you select apprentices for magical training in your kingdom?

“And how does Arkonia do it?”

“The process is basically the same,” the adept began explaining.

“There’s a special class of mage called a Reader.

“Readers can perceive magical energy in the real world as well as in the magical dimension.

“In Arkonia, Readers travel through villages, towns, cities, and all kinds of settlements, reading the inhabitants and searching among ordinary people for those with a strong affinity for magic.

“Those who show exceptional talent are selected for the magic academy in Pogrimar.

“In Arkonia, this is compulsory.

“If you have the gift for magic, your fate is determined by law.

“You will serve as a royal mage.

“Here in Mar, there’s no such compulsory selection.

“Instead, gifted children are simply bought from their families at an early age and raised in special magical communes.

“I don’t remember my parents, for example.

“I was raised from childhood by senior mages in Markonia.

“My family is the group of about ten people who taught me magic and taught me how to live in this world.”

“Wait,” Anka said.

“You said there’s no coercion in Mar.

“But aren’t you compelled to serve King Gelberd?”

“No. I meant there’s no coercion when it comes to becoming a mage,” Mailik explained.

“If a family doesn’t want to sell a child who has a gift for magic, no one will take the child from them by force.

“But I’m not denying that we’re all commoners and are required to serve the nobility.”

“I was going to suggest,” Sol said, “that Archer, Anka, and I undergo the same aptitude screening as everyone else.

“Let the experts—the Readers—determine which of us has an affinity for magic and which of us doesn’t.

“I simply don’t think it makes sense for any of us to spend our time trying to master magic if we might have no talent for it whatsoever.”

“Yes, that’s possible,” Mailik said.

“But doing it in Frinian right now would be difficult.

“Let me explain.

“Throughout the kingdoms of Frinian, all Readers belong to an independent guild.

“The guild answers to none of the kingdoms.

“Its members simply travel from kingdom to kingdom, searching for gifted children and reporting their discoveries to the local kings.

“Whichever kingdom’s territory a gifted child is found in has the right to purchase that child.

“The problem is that we don’t know where any of these Readers are right now, so finding one would be difficult.

“You can sometimes recognize a Reader by appearance.

“Many of them travel carrying magical staffs and wear the emblem of their guild embroidered on their sleeves.

“But even with your flying machines, you’d have to search a great deal of territory before finding one.

“And there’s another problem.

“You’re wanted throughout Frinian.

“So searching for a Reader right now would be extremely inconvenient.”

“That’s unfortunate,” Archer said.

“But I have a solution,” Mailik said.

“And... let me start from the beginning.

“Today is my second day in your world.

“In Ankarian.

“And it was only after I slept and recovered my strength that I realized my mana reserves hadn’t been restored by resting.

“That suggests your world probably isn’t filled with mana.

“It’s possible, of course, that this building itself has anti-magical properties, but my guess would be that your entire world simply lacks abundant magical energy.

“So if you want to properly study magic, you’ll need to go to Planet.

“There’s plenty of mana everywhere there.

“Your mana will regenerate while you rest, and you can also buy potions that restore it.”

The adept sighed.

“All right,” Archer said, about to add something, but Mailik continued.

“There’s something else.

“I’ve been thinking about where we could go to study magic in seclusion, and now this conversation about Readers...

“It gave me an excellent idea.

“At the southernmost point of Frinian, on an island, there’s a monastery called Mos.

“The monastery is older than any of the kingdoms.

“And according to legends and old folk tales, magic itself first came to Planet from there.

“The mage-monks who live there devote their entire lives to mastering magic.

“And they accept anyone into their ranks, regardless of sex, race, creed, or anything else.

“Some legends even say they accept outcasts, political refugees, and people hiding from the law.

“And Mos has its own Readers.

“So now I’m thinking there may be no better place for you.

“They have some of the best teachers of magic, plenty of mana in the air, Readers, and political protection.

“Everything you need is there.”

“It’s worth trying,” Archer said.

“I agree,” Sol said.

“Yes. I’m in,” Anka said.

“And if you don’t mind, take me with you,” Mailik said.

“I’ve always wanted to visit Mos, and I have a feeling I’ll never get another opportunity.”

“I don’t mind,” Archer said.

“But you should know that we regularly find ourselves in dangerous situations.

“Just a couple of days ago, Sol, Galsius, and I were killed, and Anka nearly died as well.

“If you stay with us, you need to understand the risk.”

“Yes. I understand the risk,” the adept said.

“It’s worth it.”

“Then you’ll need space armor,” Archer said.

“We promised you a set.”

“Yes, I certainly won’t turn down armor like that,” the mage replied.

Sol retrieved a set of space armor fitted to Mailik’s size.

Then they teleported to Markonia and retrieved Sol’s flying motorcycle.

After consulting the map, Archer created a stone arch in his apartment containing a portal to the island of Mos.

“I’ve been expecting you,” said a disembodied voice as the four of them emerged onto the island beneath a pouring rain.