Chapter 1: Chapter 1. My Family Went Bust

I wanted to spend my life doing nothing but reading books all day.

I’d loved reading ever since I was little.

Born the only son of the Count of Valencia, a provincial nobleman, I had the ideal surroundings for it.

Our domain was well governed, and the manor was so peaceful it was practically silent.

In other words, I could immerse myself in books without a care in the world.

My parents were proud of their son, who had begun reading on his own as soon as he’d learned his letters, and bought me whatever books I wanted.

They didn’t even need to hire a tutor like other noble families. I absorbed all sorts of knowledge simply by reading on my own.

But when I was past ten and still holed up in my room reading without having made a single friend, my parents began to worry.

“Eriol, don’t you think it’s about time you went to school?”

“I don’t believe it’s necessary. Reading at home is quite sufficient for my studies.”

“Ahem. Still, you need to go to school to make friends. They’ll all become useful connections someday.”

“Are you still in touch with the friends you made at my age, Father? Do you draw on those connections to govern the domain?”

“…”

“When the time comes that I need connections, I’ll make an effort to establish them myself. For now, I’d like to focus on broadening my knowledge through reading.”

“S-spending all your time indoors reading is bad for your health! Children need to run around outside with their friends to grow strong!”

“In that case, I’ll exercise.”

“Exercise?”

“I’ll walk outside for an hour every day. And I’ll do strength training every other day.”

“…”

“Based on what I’ve read, that should be sufficient.”

My parents tried hard to persuade me, but they failed every time.

They could have disregarded my wishes and forced the issue, but that was difficult for two people who loved their only son so much.

Grateful for their affection, I enjoyed my leisurely life of reading.

Of course, I knew their kindness was what made this life possible, so I did my best to be a model son.

I always got up and went to bed at set times. I never stayed up all night reading.

I exercised every day as promised and consulted books to keep my diet as healthy as possible.

I did spend a lot of money on books, but I kept it within the allowance my parents gave me. I suspect I actually spent less than other noble children my age.

I thought this life would continue.

I would have to inherit the title when my father retired, so I’d be a little busier… But if I used the knowledge I’d gained from books to govern the domain efficiently, I would still have time to read.

By then, I would also have more money at my disposal, which would let me read the antiquarian books that were currently far beyond my means.

I would carry on like this, taking life easy and enjoying my books until the day I died.

That was how I intended to live.

But on my eighteenth birthday,

something happened that turned my entire life plan upside down.

What was it, you ask?

My family went bust.

---

“Oh, no… Oh, no…!”

My mother’s wails rang out.

The interior she had put so much effort into decorating was being turned upside down.

A group of burly workmen had descended on the manor and were carrying off anything that looked even remotely valuable.

“Darling! I told you! I told you to stay away from stocks!”

“It wasn’t stocks, it was futures trading! How many times do I have to tell you?!”

“You still lost a fortune! How are you going to fix this?!”

“Damn it, I’m losing my mind over this too!!”

Watching my parents shout at each other, I felt utterly desolate.

Even the books I’d spent years collecting were passing into the creditors’ hands.

My books… All the books I’ve collected over eighteen years…!

Several workmen were in my library right now, tying the books into bundles with twine.

Once they finished, every last one would be hauled out of the house and sold for a pittance.

It was more than I could bear.

But that wasn’t all.

“Darling! What’s going to happen to us now?”

“We’re about to lose the rights to the domain too. We’ll have no choice but to live on the streets…”

“Oh, this is driving me mad…!”

Now that my family was completely ruined, my future was uncertain too.

A future in which I succeeded my father as lord and enjoyed a leisurely life of reading… The life I’d planned had completely collapsed.

Now I was merely the penniless son of a ruined nobleman. I needed to find another path.

But what could I do?

All I have is the knowledge I’ve accumulated from reading.

What path should I take now?

Which would be the right one?

As I stood there sighing, bewildered by my uncertain future,

I heard a solemn voice.

“Things seem to be going rather badly.”

I turned my head.

And… noticed someone standing in the hallway whom I wasn’t used to seeing in our manor.

“Uncle.”

Yes.

He was my uncle.

“You remember my face?”

“I doubt… many people could forget your face, Uncle.”

To use a cliché, he was as handsome as a sculpted statue.

His features were so perfectly balanced that he hardly seemed human. Even the sharp gaze that gave him such a cold air was perfection itself.

His physique was flawlessly proportioned, and he wore the finest clothes, which fairly radiated elegance.

He was a man of such perfect charm that he looked out of place amid our manor’s modest furnishings.

Yes, there’s no forgetting this man.

It had been a long time since I’d seen him in person, but I’d seen his face plenty of times in magazines and the like.

He was one of the most famous figures in the continent’s magical community.

One of the continent’s Ten Great Mages… Professor Kaisel Valencia.

A genius who had become the youngest professor in the history of Ars Magna Academy, the world’s foremost institution for magical education.

This man, counted among the continent’s Ten Great Mages, was my uncle.

“K-Kaisel!”

At the sight of his younger brother, my father hurried over.

“W-what brings you here? Have you come to help me?!”

“Of course not, Brother.”

“Wh-what?”

“I’m here to see Eriol.”

“E-Eriol?”

My father looked bewildered.

So did I.

“Uncle, you came to see me?”

“That’s right.”

“But why…?”

As I stared at him in confusion, Kaisel reached inside his clothes.

Then he drew out a scrap of paper.

“Do you remember this postcard?”

“That’s…”

I remembered it.

It was the reader postcard from the January issue of Ars Magazine, the monthly magic magazine published by Ars Magna Academy.

“It seems you send in an answer to the magazine’s magic quiz every month.”

“Yes. I was hoping to win the book vouchers…”

“How many times have you won?”

“Not once.”

“I imagine not. The odds are very poor. More than a thousand people submit the correct answer every month.”

I hadn’t known that.

If I’d known the odds were that bad, I wouldn’t have bothered sending the postcards at all.

“But only one person answered the January question correctly.”

“Pardon?”

“That was you, Eriol.”

“I don’t understand…”

I could have sworn he’d just said thousands of people got the answer right every month… Yet I was the only one who’d answered the January question correctly?

“The person responsible made a mistake. Apparently, the magazine quiz got switched with a research problem for the professors.”

“For the professors…?”

“Yes. It seems the envelopes got mixed up when the magazine manuscript was delivered.”

“…”

“You solved a research problem meant for professors, Eriol.”

With that, Kaisel smiled for the first time.

It was an utterly cold… intimidating smile.

“A problem I had intended to solve ahead of the other professors.”

“Um… I’m sorry.”

I wasn’t sure whether this was something I ought to apologize for, but I apologized anyway.

“There’s no need to apologize.”

“Yes…”

Suddenly, Kaisel’s gaze shifted toward the library.

“They’ve stripped your library bare.”

“Yes, they have.”

“Does that upset you?”

“Of course.”

“If you become a mage, you can have a library that dwarfs this one.”

“…!”

The unexpected remark made me catch my breath.

If I became a mage, I could have an even bigger library?

“Let me be clear, Eriol.”

“Uncle…”

“You have a talent for magic. You must become a mage.”

Looking me straight in the eye, Kaisel spoke in a voice that allowed no argument.

“Come to Ars Magna Academy.”