"I suppose I should introduce myself first. My na is Jinor Nighhardt."
"So I finally have the honor of eting the renowned Lord Jinor. It’s a pleasure."
Jinor did not respond to my pleasantries. Instead, he went straight to the point.
"I’ve heard that you were forrly with the Brans Army before coming here."
"That’s correct."
"I’ve also heard rumors of the 'White-Haired Sorcerer' who perford a miracle at the northern fortress.
I wish to confirm—does that title refer to you?"
…Oh.
I see.
For a mont, I had been preparing for him to say sothing like, "You haven’t forgotten my face, have you? Do you still think Intelligence 99 is a joke?"
That possibility had on edge.
After all, the ones responsible for sending to this world were Serpina—the one who had executed —and Jinor, the one who had scoffed at my underestimation of him.
Of course, since this was a different tiline, such events hadn’t actually happened here.
But wasn’t this the kind of thing that often played out as a cliché?
Since he wasn’t bringing up that conversation, I had no reason to hesitate in answering.
I nodded slowly.
"Yes. That’s how people know ."
"In that case, I have another question I must ask."
"What is it?"
"Are you truly a sorcerer?"
Jinor fixed his gaze on , his sharp eyes boring into mine.
"Was that 'miracle' truly so form of magic?"
Hmm?
Why was he asking this?
Was my being a sorcerer important information to Jinor?
He had even convinced Yuri to keep behind to ask this, so it had to be significant from his perspective.
But why?
At this point in history, the concept of "sorcerers" had yet to fully erge on the continent.
My so-called miracle hadn’t been a direct display of magic, either.
All I had done was stage so elaborate rituals—nothing that explicitly proved sorcery.
Yet, for so reason, Jinor seed absolutely certain that sorcerers existed.
So how should I answer?
I had no way of perfectly reading his mind, but I could make deductions based on the information I did have.
Jinor was sohow connected to Reika. They shared the sa surna, Nighhardt.
Given that I knew Reika didn’t originally have a family na, the most logical conclusion was that Jinor had adopted her.
That was the only way she could have received his na.
If that were the case, then it explained why Jinor was so convinced that sorcerers existed.
Reika was destined to beco the greatest mage in history.
If Jinor had taken her in, there could only be one reason—
He had realized she possessed magical talent.
Jinor was an extrely intelligent man.
Sure, he had t an unfortunate end in another tiline when his 99% accurate predictions failed that 1% chance, but characters with Intelligence 99 were exceedingly rare in the ga.
Most of them didn’t even appear until the later stages.
At this point in the tiline, Jinor was the only one of his caliber.
I had struggled through the ga despite being respawned near Serpina’s forces—because his presence alone made it worth playing through.
Unlike , who had been reincarnated into this world, Jinor was a living, breathing person.
It wasn’t strange to assu that his Intelligence stat translated directly to his real-life reasoning ability.
I had no idea how he had detected Reika’s talent, but it wasn’t unreasonable to assu that he had.
Now, back to the main point—
Why was he asking if I was a sorcerer?
Let’s consider it from his perspective.
If I answered "I am not a sorcerer," that would be the end of the discussion.
He’d simply nod and say sothing like, "I see. So miracles can be perford without magic."
But if I answered "I am a sorcerer," then—
Wouldn’t he ask for advice regarding Reika?
She hadn’t yet awakened her powers, so if I were a mage, he’d have countless questions for .
That’s the right path.
However—
I couldn’t just lie outright.
Lies were easy to see through.
I wasn’t a sorcerer.
I couldn’t wield magic at will, nor did I have any such abilities.
But forging a connection with Reika would be crucial for the future.
I couldn’t let this opportunity slip by.
Then my answer should be—
"Well… if you call it sorcery… then I suppose you could say that."
I deliberately let my words trail off.
"But… I’m not sure if I would call myself a true sorcerer."
"What do you an by that?"
Jinor’s tone was sharp, but I responded in an even, serious manner.
"It may be difficult to understand, but… I can read the energy of the heavens."
I carefully phrased my words in a way that would make sense only to soone who already had so prior knowledge.
"There is sothing drifting through the air… When I ditate with my eyes closed, I can feel it more intensely.
By reading that energy, I can draw forth sothing beyond explanation.
Of course, the more I use it, the more I feel my own strength being drained, for so reason."
"……."
Jinor listened intently.
I was describing mana—without explicitly naming it.
In this era, the concept of mana hadn’t been formally discovered.
But since Jinor had taken in Reika, he had to have at least an inkling of what it was.
I was nudging him into making his own assumptions.
Whether he believed or not didn’t matter.
What mattered was that I wasn’t the one pushing the idea.
"It is a way to seek blessings from the heavens.
I don’t know if it can truly be called magic.
After all, true sorcerers don’t actually exist, do they?"
"Then what about the rituals you perford?"
"For so reason, whenever I conduct them, I feel a stronger connection to the heavens and a clearer mind."
Complete nonsense.
But considering that my supposed miracle had resulted in a literal teor strike, Jinor would interpret my words as an on of great significance.
If I didn’t leverage this misunderstanding, my path forward would be uncertain.
"Hmm…"
Jinor closed his eyes, deep in thought.
Then, after a long pause, he finally spoke.
"It seems… you are a sorcerer."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. …Although it is not yet certain."
"Then allow to ask a question in return."
"Hm?"
"Why are you asking this?"
Jinor turned his gaze toward Yuri.
She nodded slowly.
A silent exchange passed between them before Jinor finally answered.
"There is sothing I would like to request of you."
"A request?"
"Since you have spoken honestly with , I will be honest with you as well.
Sorcerers do, in fact, exist."
"……!!"
The mont I heard those words, an image of Airen in her undergarnts flashed through my mind.
I felt bad for thinking about it, but after arriving in this world, that had been the single most shocking mont for . Naturally, my expression shifted into one of pure astonishnt.
"But perhaps because she is still young, she has yet to fully awaken. I believe, however, that you have already opened your eyes to so extent to that power. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for you to open the heavens and create a miracle."
"Then…?"
"I would like you to watch over that sorcerer. In other words, I am asking you to beco her teacher."
Good. I had thrown out the bait, and he had taken it completely.
However, rather than eagerly accepting right away, I figured it would be more convincing to show so hesitation.
"A teacher, you say? But… using this ability feels as though it drains my lifespan, so I rarely use it. And no matter how I think about it, I do not consider myself a sorcerer. I doubt I would be of much help…"
"No, that power you feel—the concept of that power does exist. I am certain you would be of great help to that child."
"……."
After a mont of silence, I nodded.
"I will et with her. However, I cannot guarantee I will be able to teach her properly."
"That will suffice."
As Jinor finished speaking, Yuri’s voice rang out.
"Swen. Keep this matter a secret from others. You must not tell Airen either. Also, I haven’t assigned you any particular duties, so on your free days, I’d like you to help Jinor with his request."
Had she left my schedule open just to use as a teacher?
From my perspective, this wasn’t a bad deal at all.
"Understood."
I nodded, and with that, I was finally able to leave the audience chamber of Valharat Castle.
***
After Swen had left—
Jinor and Yuri remained behind, speaking quietly to each other.
"It seems certain that he can perceive mana."
"Really? Then does that an Swen is actually a sorcerer?"
"…There are still so parts that seem strange. He appears to be sowhat different from the traditional descriptions of sorcerers in ancient records. However, those records are still records—there’s no one alive who has actually witnessed a sorcerer.
So how much of them can we really trust? From what I can tell, he is perceiving mana, but he himself has yet to fully realize it."
"Hmm, that’s kind of complicated. I’m not exactly the smartest person, you know. If I hadn’t seen that girl using magic with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it."
"Do not worry, my lord. The power of magic is imnse.
For the Aishus Army, a minor nation, to conquer this continent, the presence of a sorcerer will be indispensable.
Before my life ends, I will ensure that Reika grows into a sorcerer who will be of use to us."
At Jinor’s words, Yuri grinned playfully.
"Alright, but don’t push yourself too hard.
Even without the power of a sorcerer, my comrades and I have built up Aishus Army, and we will unify the continent.
Oh, that reminds ."
She covered her mouth with her hand and laughed, as if she had thought of sothing amusing.
"If Swen really turns out to be a useful sorcerer, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take him as your son-in-law, would it? What do you think?"
"My son-in-law?"
"Yeah. Oh, would Airen hate that?
Well, n can have multiple wives."
As Yuri seed to find great amusent in her own words, Jinor fell into deep thought.
There was no stronger bond than formally integrating soone into the family.
But if he really is a sorcerer… rather than trusting him completely, perhaps it would be wiser to keep him in check.
The Swen who had joined them now was a traitor—he had betrayed his forr lord, Lyn Brans.
Of course, Lyn was hardly a leader worth serving. Compared to Yuri, she was lacking in many ways. Still—
…For now, the best course of action is to extract as much value from him as possible while ensuring Reika’s growth.
As expected of Jinor, the sharp-minded scholar, he was already devising ways to make full use of Swen.
And if Swen proved difficult to control, then, as Yuri had suggested, arranging a marriage between him and Reika could be another way to ensure he remained under their influence.
The mind of the empire’s sage was turning quickly.
***
"Iren."
"Swen."
As soon as I stepped outside the castle gates, Airen was waiting for —as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
With her standing by my side, I finally felt like I had returned to where I belonged.
"What did you talk about?"
"It’s a bit difficult to explain. Our new lord asked to keep it a secret.
However, if you are truly curious, I can explain it to you."
This was Airen.
There was no reason for to hide things from her.
But as soon as I finished speaking, she shook her head without hesitation.
"No need. If our lord wants it to remain a secret, then I shouldn’t know either.
If I did, I might slip up and reveal that I do know.
I’m not a perfect person, after all."
"Will that be alright?"
"Of course. Swen, I don’t want to cause trouble for you."
She smiled at as she spoke.
Beautiful.
Like a fool, I found myself staring at her smile, unable to think of anything else.
"…Anyway, what kind of mission did you receive, Airen?"
Hearing my question, she grinned.
There was a sense of pride radiating from her expression.
"I’ll be training the soldiers.
It seems that all the other officers who were in charge of training have shifted to war preparations."
"Oh, that makes sense…"
They must have left to deal with the subjugation of the Charam and Aleffel armies.
Well, aside from them, there really wasn’t anyone more suited for training soldiers than Airen.
If this were Lyn Brans, she might have overlooked Airen’s abilities, but Yuri had no reason to.
"It’s good that you got assigned a role."
"Yes."
Airen nodded with a satisfied smile.
For soone who had been deliberately excluded from everything, just receiving a mission must have been enough to make her happy.
Seeing her smile, I had no regrets about betraying the Brans Army.
Compared to them, Airen was far more important to .
And here, that fact remained unchanged.
Alright.
Until the Lunarian Army raises its banner again, I will focus on protecting her smile.
With that resolution in mind, I walked alongside her, heading ho.
***
A few days later—
Standing in front of the grand mansion’s gate for the second ti.
I had tid my arrival well.
As I approached, a servant—who seed to belong to the household—was already standing by the entrance.
"Are you Swen, sir?"
"That’s correct."
The servant bowed politely and then slowly opened the gate.
"Lord Jinor has been expecting you. Please, follow ."
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