Chapter 2
[Illusion (S)]
“S, S-rank! E-Es, Oh, Ohhh… Ohhhhhh…”
“What is it, what’s the attribute…?”
The altar mages, who were curious after seeing an S-rank talent appear right after an A-rank, quickly lost interest as soon as they saw the actual attribute.
“W-wow. Congratulations, Mr. Rai. I’ve never seen an S-rank talent while on duty.”
“…Thank you.”
I had hoped when the light of an S-rank talent appeared.
But as expected, it turned out to be from the Illusion lineage.
Should I be grateful that I possess the fundamental attribute of the Illusion lineage: Illusion itself?
I stepped down from the altar, receiving awkward congratulations from my friends.
“W-wow! Hahaha! That’s truly amazing, Rai!”
“So, so jealous. I’m really jealous! Hahahahaha!”
“Congratulations! Hey, hey everyone! Why aren’t you congratulating Rai on his S-rank? And it’s even a fundamental attribute!”
“I bet the Illusion Magic Tower will come to recruit Rai. Hahahahaha!”
Hahahahahahaha!
These insincere laughs were neither congratulatory nor comforting.
Even I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry in this situation.
Everyone already knew the reality of being a mage with an Illusion attribute, even as kids.
If I had received a low-tier attribute, I would have thought, ‘Oh, I’m just an ordinary person.’
But having the highest talent of the Illusion lineage left me unsure whether to laugh or cry.
Why do I feel so deprived when I have the highest-tier attribute and the highest rank?
I would’ve preferred a C-rank talent, even if it was the Electric Attribute.
“Pfft.”
Lea, who saw me in a daze, covered her mouth and giggled.
She was definitely laughing at me. Even with an S-rank talent, I ended up with the Illusion Attribute.
…Forget it. I didn’t have the energy to get mad. What’s the point of arguing with a child?
Besides, Lea has a strong sense of pride, so I didn’t want to get involved with her.
“Rai? How did it go?”
When I returned home, my mom cautiously asked.
I threw my coat onto a chair and replied.
“Illusion S-rank.”
“Oh, oh my? Really? Honey! Honey, come out here!”
“What?! My son has an Illusion S-rank!!”
My parents forced themselves to raise their voices in an attempt to celebrate.
But I just sat slumped in the chair, staring at the floor with lifeless eyes.
“Hahaha! My son, my son is S-rank! And it’s even a fundamental attribute! Hahaha! Ha… Haha…”
My father, who had been laughing heartily, gradually became dejected.
“…I’m sorry, son.”
“I’m sorry, Rai. But even if it’s the Illusion Attribute, an S-rank talent is still the best in this field…”
“It’s okay. Neither Mom nor Dad chose to be born with the Illusion Attribute.”
“Rai…!”
“Son!!”
My parents wiped away their tears and pulled me into a tight embrace.
In truth, I wasn’t okay at all.
If both of you have the Illusion Attribute, shouldn’t you have married someone with a different attribute for the sake of your child?
How could you marry each other and force me to be born with Illusion Attribute, making it inescapable?! I’m seriously losing my mind here.
“Still, Rai, you could become a mage. If you work hard, you might even become a Tower Master someday.”
“A Tower Master?”
“Yes. Usually, people with a fundamental attribute like yours become Tower Masters. The Fire Tower Master has the Fire Attribute, and so on.”
“That’s right! All the Tower Masters who have the fundamental attribute and the highest rank became Tower Masters. S-rank fundamental attributes are rare, even in history, so you should be proud, son!”
In this context, a fundamental attribute refers to a single attribute that encompasses all attributes within a lineage, like Fire, Water, Illusion, or Wind.
People with fundamental attributes are often recruited by the magic towers.
And among them, those with high rank and talent become Tower Masters.
It’s only natural since a Tower Master should be capable of wielding all the magic of their lineage.
With an S-rank fundamental attribute like mine, which is extremely rare, all have become Tower Masters.
Even among the current Towers, there are a few where A-rank fundamental attribute holders serve as Tower Masters, which shows how scarce S-rank fundamental attributes are.
“So don’t be too down! Remember, it’s better to be the head of a snake than the tail of a dragon, right?”
Isn’t it usually the opposite? And is that supposed to be comforting?
Anyway, I felt a little bit better after hearing that.
If I became a Tower Master, I’d be able to live a somewhat luxurious life.
I mean, I’d be the Master of a Tower, after all.
That’s what I thought at the time.
“Alright then, I’m off!”
A few days later…
A group of mages in splendid robes visited our village.
Of course, they weren’t here to see me.
Their robes were adorned with a lightning-shaped embroidery that looked quite impressive.
They were mages from the Electric Magic Tower.
They took Lea, the A-rank Electric Attribute holder, to the tower.
Lea would likely have a prosperous future as an electric mage.
But I’ll get to go to a magic tower too! Just wait a bit longer, Lea!
Since I’m S-rank, I’ll grow even faster and become a Tower Master!
Even if my attribute is just the useless Illusion Attribute!
Days passed as I dreamed of a future that could either be bright or hopeless.
No, weeks passed, and still, no one came to take me to a tower.
Could it be that the Illusion Magic Tower doesn’t even exist?
Was the attribute Illusion itself just an illusion? What is reality, and what is fiction?
Luckily, just as I started to worry, the mages from the Illusion Magic Tower finally came after a month.
It’s true that even meeting an enemy after a long time can be a welcome sight.
After such a long wait, I ran out of the house barefoot with excitement when they arrived.
Of course, my excitement quickly vanished as soon as I saw them.
“Are you Mr. Riot? Nice to meet you, I’m Rain Jere from the Illusion Magic Tower.”
There were two mages who came to pick me up.
Unlike the splendid mages from the Electric Tower, these two looked almost like beggars.
The only impressive thing was that their robes shimmered in multiple colours like an aurora.
Of course, even those robes were quite worn out.
“You must have waited a long time, right? I’m sorry. It took us a while to get here since we had to walk. But don’t worry! We’ll take a carriage on the way back. We tried to save as much money as possible so we could give you the best treatment, Mr. Riot!”
Rain’s smile was bright despite his beggarly appearance. Is even this smile an illusion?
Anyway, it hadn’t even been a minute since we met, but my illusions about the Illusion Mages were immediately shattered.
Not that I had any illusions to begin with.
Suddenly, I didn’t want to go to the tower anymore.
“Y-yes… It’s fine. And it’s not Riot. It’s Rai, Oat. My first name is Rai, and my last name is Oat.”
“Yes, that’s right. Rai. Oat. Right?”
“…Just call me Rai.”
I lowered my head, feeling my enthusiasm drain away.
Yet, he continued to smile cheerfully, showing he had an incredibly resilient mindset.
“Well, before we head to the Illusion Magic Tower… I’m sorry, but can I use your restroom?”
“Oh, sure. Go ahead.”
The two mages entered our house and not only used the restroom but also took a shower and had a meal.
Even if I wanted to say something, I couldn’t, seeing how pitiful they looked.
“Alright then, I’m really off now, Mom. Dad.”
“Y-yes. Take care, Rai. If anything happens, get in touch.”
“Sure. Don’t worry.”
Seeing the condition of the mages, my parents also seemed reluctant to send me away.
But now that it’s come to this, I have to go. It can’t be worse than life in the countryside, right?
So I set off on a journey with the two Illusion Mages.
It’s supposed to take several days to reach the Magic City from here.
I sat on the wagon, watching the village slowly fade away into the distance.
Lea got to ride in a fancy, luxurious carriage.
Can’t they use illusion magic to make this wagon look like a luxury carriage?
But I swallowed my words immediately.
If I said that, I would just feel more miserable.
“…By the way, who is the person next to you?”
I asked about the other mage.
Unlike the tall and beautiful Rain, she was small and had a cute appearance, with a shy demeanour.
She kept her head down and hadn’t said a word since we met.
“Oh, this is our Tower Master! Isn’t she cute?”
“T-Tower Master…?”
“Yes! Please introduce yourself, Tower Master!”
“H-hello. Hi, I’m… Hina…”
The Tower Master greeted me in a tiny voice.
“Haha. Our Tower Master is a bit shy. But don’t worry; she’ll warm up to you eventually. This is our Tower Master Hina Sirius.”
This person… is a Tower Master?
Seeing that she wasn’t able to speak for herself, Rain introduced her instead.
I wondered if she could be around my age, but that wasn’t the case.
She’s actually of a relatively normal age. So why is she like this?
As we travelled for a few more days, I managed to get a bit closer to the Tower Master.
She still stammered and blushed when speaking, though.
According to Rain, this was incredibly quick progress, considering how long it usually takes her to open up.
It felt like I was trying to befriend a cat or something.
“We’ve arrived!”
After several weeks of travel, we finally reached the grand Magic City, Trinity.
The city’s grandeur made all the hardships of the journey worthwhile.
“Wow…”
The towers soared high into the sky, dotting the landscape everywhere I looked.
There were so many towers that I couldn’t even count them, and the city’s vastness prevented it from feeling crowded despite the number of structures.
The magical civilization here was so advanced compared to my rural hometown that it felt more sophisticated and mystical than even the cities from my previous life.
All the regrets I had about coming disappeared in an instant.
“It’s amazing, isn’t it? Everyone reacts this way at first. Haha.”
“It’s really… incredible. Wow…”
Trinity is a city established by mages and functions as an independent city-state.
Long ago, scattered mages gathered here to form the city of Trinity.
Each lineage erected a tower, and they continued to build them higher to commemorate their achievements.
Today, the city is filled with high-ranking mages who can wield tremendous power on their own.
Trinity is so powerful that even the Empire cannot afford to engage in a full-scale war against it.
This led to a long-standing agreement between the surrounding nations and Trinity.
To ensure their safety from the mages’ overwhelming power, the surrounding countries agreed to provide research funding and recognize Trinity as an independent city-state.
In return, the mages of Trinity agreed to focus solely on magical research.
The mages were never interested in war anyway; they only wanted to delve into their magic, so it was a mutually beneficial agreement.
However, even though Trinity promised not to attack other nations, they have no qualms about retaliating if anyone dares to target their mages.
This applies to Illusion Mages as well.
Even if the magic is considered insignificant, Illusion Mages are still part of the city’s mage community.
“Trinity is not just a city; many non-mages live here as well. The city is equipped with everything needed for daily life, so you won’t feel inconvenienced at all.”
“I see…”
We continued our journey to the Illusion Magic Tower.
With each massive tower we passed, my expectations for the Illusion Tower grew naturally.
If it’s like these, the top floor must reach the sky, right? I couldn’t wait to climb the tower myself.
“There it is. Our Illusion Tower.”
“Wha—?!”
And finally, the Illusion Tower came into view.
Although it was situated on the outskirts, the tower’s beauty and grandeur did not fall short of the others.
Unlike the other towers, its walls shimmered with a radiant aurora-like glow.
It looked as if a mysterious veil was wrapping around the entire tower.
The tower extended far beyond the sky.
While other towers looked like you could see their tops from a distance, the Illusion Tower reached up beyond the heavens, as if it pierced through to space.
It was so tall that I couldn’t see the top at all.
“It’s really beautiful…! It’s incomparable to the other towers!”
“Haha. Right?”
“Home…!”
As we got closer, the exhausted Hina started bouncing up and down in excitement.
It seemed that this outing had taken a toll on her, given that she’s a homebody.
“Well then, shall we go inside? Welcome to the Illusion Magic Tower, Rai!”
Whoosh—
The moment the entrance opened, a cascade of radiant, multi-coloured lights flooded out.
Filled with anticipation for my life as a mage, I finally took my first step into this new world.
—
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