Continental Calendar, year 3536.
Golbart Marukitasu was seventy-eight years old.
However, because he carried the blood of the Northern People—once called the "demon race"—he aged slowly, looking no older than fifteen or sixteen.
One day, he made a simple declaration.
"I’m leaving this settlement."
With nothing more than that, he abandoned the Date settlement where he had been born and raised.
Years flew by.
It remained a mystery how he had managed to cross those barren lands, but ten years later, he was in the Shouro Empire. Since he had arrived in Ismar Town, it was presumed he had traveled by way of Mitsuho, but he never spoke of it.
He simply claimed he had "drifted in from Mitsuho." Whether that was the truth was a secret known only to him.
Golbart took up day labor in Ismar Town. After all, one needed money to eat.
"You’re quite good at this, kid."
His job involved gathering mugwort in the Sahara. This plant was used to make "mugwort mochi," a recipe introduced by the Second Generation Magi Craft Meister, Jin Nidou, during his past travels through the region.
This mugwort mochi had become a specialty of Ismar Town, prized even by the nobility in the capital of Loizart. However, amateurs often struggled to identify the plant correctly or ended up picking specimens that were too tough to eat. In contrast, Golbart could gather massive quantities of mugwort perfectly suited for mochi.
Nevertheless, it was merely temporary work, and his task ended after two days.
"Now, what's next...?"
In those two days, he had earned 2,000 Toll—roughly equivalent to 20,000 Japanese yen. While that was an exceptional rate for day labor, it was still far from enough to live on.
In the end, Golbart Marukitasu left Ismar Town behind and set his sights on the capital, Loizart. He didn't head straight for the capital, but instead earned his way through the towns along the route.
With his level of knowledge, he never struggled to find work for spending money. Repairing broken magi-devices proved especially profitable—in the backwaters, at least. Since frontier towns rarely had their own technicians, anyone capable of fixing magi-devices was a precious resource.
Earning his daily bread one step at a time, Golbart Marukitasu drew closer to Loizart. And with every town he passed, he was confronted by a single name.
The Magi Craft Meister, Jin Nidou.
In Mitsuho and Fusou Island, the man was known as Nidou Jin. He was the one person whom Marukitasu had come to view as a secret rival.
(I wanted to meet him and talk with him, just once...)
In truth, Jin had already passed away by then.
(If only I hadn't dallied in Mitsuho and had come straight here...)
But it was too late; there was no use in regretting what could not be changed.
In Mitsuho, Nidou Jin was revered almost like a god. While Marukitasu found that hero-worship grating, even he had to admit that the man’s achievements were staggering. As he traveled, visiting the sites of those achievements and analyzing their designs, the years slipped away.
Marukitasu roamed through many nations in his quest for knowledge, eventually returning to the Shouro Empire decades later. By then, the name of the Magi Craft Meister and his myriad inventions permeated every corner of the country.
Carriages equipped with suspension systems and dampers, Golem horses, Golem Engine automobiles, hot air balloons, airships, pumps, magic stoves, refrigerators, Magi Ranges, manaphones, Jet Thrusters, and countless automata and golems. The list was endless.
The more Golbart learned about Jin, the more he was forced to acknowledge the man's genius.
＊ ＊ ＊
Avalon.
It was a mobile base said to have been built by the Progenitors who had once crossed over to this planet. Supposedly, Jin Nidou had seized it and put it to use for the benefit of the world’s inhabitants.
That fact alone proved that Jin Nidou had been an extraordinary being.
I, Golbart Marukitasu, am now aboard that very Avalon. I braved an entrance exam with a competitive ratio of dozens to one and have proudly enrolled in the academy.
"Hey, Marukitasu!"
"What is it, Lubeus?"
Lubeus was my roommate in the dormitory.
"Are you done with your lectures for the day?"
"Yeah. I don't have anything for the fifth period."
"I see. Same here. In that case, do you want to go to the open lecture?"
"Oh, that's right, that was today. Who’s the lecturer?"
The open lectures were special sessions unrelated to the academy's required credits. Different people served as guest lecturers for each event.
"Prepare to be amazed. Today’s lecturer is Marikka-sama of the All-Creation!"
My heart skipped a beat.
The All-Creation. How many years had it been since I last heard that clan name? They were the same race as my father... Lardus of the Jest. Ah, I suppose they call themselves the Northern People now.
This would be my first time meeting one of my own kind—even if I was only half-blood. I found myself looking forward to it.
The classroom was the largest in the building, yet it was already full twenty minutes before the lecture began. Lubeus and I managed to squeeze into corner seats and waited impatiently for the bell.
When the time finally came, a woman appeared with a very gentle face—or to put it bluntly, she looked somewhat fragile.
"Hello, everyone."
Those were her first words. For some reason, her voice reminded me of my late mother. My mother's voice had been an alto, while Marikka-sama's was a mezzo-soprano; the qualities were entirely different, yet the feeling was the same.
"Today, I would like to talk about the raison d'être of magi-craft."
I listened intently to her voice, which was incredibly pleasant to the ear.
In a way, it was a shock. I couldn't understand about half of what Marikka-sama was saying... no, to be honest, I didn't understand more than half of it. It made sense; this open lecture was apparently intended for the academy's advanced-level students.
That meant the senior students possessed knowledge far beyond my own. I had been the "frog in a well" from that proverb I heard in Mitsuho.
Even more shocking was the sudden, intense desire to meet Marikka-sama again. Even I didn't know what this emotion was. It seems that in any era, the one thing a person can see least clearly is themselves.
From that day on, I studied with everything I had. My efforts were rewarded, and I soon began to distinguish myself at the academy. But the more I learned, the more I truly understood the sheer scale of Nidou Jin’s greatness.
At some point, my goal became to surpass him.
I am still nowhere near the level he reached, but I have one undeniable advantage. I am alive right now, while Nidou Jin no longer exists in this world.
To put it another way, I am in pursuit of a Jin Nidou whose time has stood still. Someday, I will catch up to him and move beyond.
After all, my lifespan is far longer than that of any ordinary human.