“Huaaaaaa—aa.”
I let out a massive yawn as I climbed out of bed.
I am Lloyd di Salarm, the Seventh Prince of this kingdom.
In my previous life, I was a destitute mage who loved magic more than anything. Now that I’ve been reincarnated, I take full advantage of my station to conduct magic research to my heart’s content.
“Mornin’. You sure slept well, Master Lloyd.”
A mouth split open in the center of my palm.
This was the Majin, Grimoire—or Grimo, as I called him. Through a series of events, he had become my familiar and now resided in my hand.
“Tsk. I’m always lookin’ for a chance to take over his body, but I can’t find a single openin’ in this kid’s freaky magic density, whether he’s asleep or whatever. That solid Magic Barrier he’s always got wrapped around him is practically a suit of armor. But mark my words, I’ll make that body mine one of these days. Gehihihi.”
He was muttering something to himself while laughing, but his voice was too low for me to make it out.
Being a Majin, he was knowledgeable and useful, but his occasional vulgar laughter was a bit of a downside.
I got out of bed and was clumsily changing when I heard a knock at the door.
“Yes, come in.”
At my invitation, the door opened quietly and a girl dressed as a maid stepped inside.
She had purple hair, purple eyes, and brown skin. Her downcast eyes remained fixed on me.
This was Ren, a girl born as an Ability User known as a Cursed One. She had once belonged to the Assassin’s Guild.
However, after I happened to save them and was essentially installed as the guild’s boss, Ren had become particularly attached to me. Now, while the other assassins were working elsewhere, she stayed by my side as a maid.
“Lo... Mas... Master... I have... arrived.”
“You can speak normally when it’s just the two of us.”
“Really...?”
When I nodded, Ren peered around the room to make sure we were alone before fully entering. She let out a long, relieved breath.
“Phew! Thanks, Lloyd. Speaking like that is so stiff, it makes my shoulders ache.”
Ren gave a deep stretch. It seemed she was still a long way from getting used to maid-like decorum.
“Anyway, teach me the assassin’s arts.”
I had asked Ren to come alone early this morning for one reason: to learn her techniques. The way Ability Users like her manipulated mana was unique, and there was much to be gained from studying it.
“Yeah, sure. Let’s see... I taught you Magic Isolation yesterday, right? How’s it going? Have you gotten the hang of it?”
“Yeah, more or less.”
I closed my eyes and focused my mind.
Magic Isolation was a technique to block the mana leaking from the Magic Pores all over one’s body, effectively erasing one’s presence. That was actually why I was so sleep-deprived; I’d been practicing late into the night.
I shut every Magic Pore across my body, cutting off the flow entirely to show her.
“N-No way, Lloyd! You can already do it!?”
“It’s still not perfect. Mana keeps leaking from different spots no matter what I do. I’m still not on your level, Ren.”
“Are you kidding? It’s only been one night since I taught you! It took me a month just to reach that stage! ...Sigh. I guess since you're a mage, your mana control is just on another level. Now I’m feeling discouraged. At this rate, you’ll surpass me in no time.”
Ren let out a heavy sigh. Still, there was plenty more to learn. I didn’t have time to idle.
“So, what are you teaching me today?”
“Right. Okay, then. Today I’ll show you an advanced application of Magic Isolation.”
Ren pulled herself together, cleared her throat, and held her hand out toward me. In an instant, the mana surrounding her body vanished completely.
“You can tell I’m isolating my mana right now, right?”
“Yeah, it’s flawless.”
Unlike mine, her Magic Isolation was absolute, without a single leak. Her movements were smooth and practiced—the mark of a professional. I wasn't there yet.
“Now, I’ll release it from just one part...!”
Ren opened the Magic Pores in only her palm.
Impressive. I could feel the mana concentration in that single spot becoming extraordinarily high.
“Hehe, did you notice? Exactly. If you release mana from one point while keeping the rest of your body closed off, you can generate far more power than usual. Since we can’t use magic, it’s not that useful for us, but maybe you could do something with it, Lloyd?”
Ren puffed out her chest with a proud look.
I see. It was the same principle as narrowing the nozzle on a hose to increase the water pressure. Normally, when I used magic, I just gathered a large amount of mana in my palm and fired it. But if I restricted the release point to increase the output, I could manage my mana much more efficiently.
“How’s that? Good info, right?”
“Yeah! I can think of a dozen uses for this! Thanks!”
I took Ren’s hand and nodded eagerly. Using this, the destructive power of simple attack magic would skyrocket, and it would be invaluable for Large-scale Magic that required massive amounts of mana.
She had taught me something truly excellent. A technique to concentrate internal mana into a single point... I'll call it Magic Focus.
As I continued to hold her hand, Ren’s face turned a deep shade of red.
“U-Um...”
“Ah, sorry. I just got a bit excited.”
“No, I didn't mind! It's just... I was thinking... I’d be really happy if you, you know, patted my head or something... ehehe.”
“I don't see why not.”
“Then, um...”
I placed my hand on Ren's head as she offered it and gave it a few gentle pats. Her face broke into a blissful, doting grin. Was it really that enjoyable? I didn’t quite understand.
“Lloyd, you really are something else, learning assassin arts so fast. At this rate, I’ll run out of things to teach you soon... I have to train harder so that doesn't happen! All right, I’m going to do my best! As long as I stay useful to you, I can stay by your side forever! And maybe then, you’ll start to see me as more than just a teacher... ehehe.”
Ren started swaying her hips while muttering to herself.
“Gehehe, you’re a real smooth one, Master Lloyd.”
Grimo laughed in that sleazy voice of his. What was wrong with these two?
“Master Lloyd, are you awake?”
“Eek!”
Ren jumped at the voice from outside, hurriedly distancing herself from me.
“Pardon me. ...Oh, Ren was here as well? To think you would arrive before me—what a commendable display of devotion.”
The one who entered was Sylpha, my silver-haired maid. She was my bodyguard and caretaker, and her skill with a blade was second to none.
“Sylpha... ma'am...”
Ren looked nervous. Sylpha was her senior, and based on Ren’s reaction, she was quite the intimidating figure. Well, Sylpha was a Spartan, after all. I had been put through the wringer during our swordsmanship lessons more than once.
“Breakfast is ready, so please come at once. You too, Ren.”
“Y-Yes! ...See you later, Lloyd... I mean, Master.”
Ren scurried over to Sylpha's side.
And so, another day began.