Chapter 253. (a 2)
Blue, purple, or a pale pink close to transparency. Just a glance away, the horrific sight of the gelatinous skin of fellow beings, still not fully drained of blood, scattered in various colors.
The invasion war, as it was called, caused tremendous damage. Simply put, the Alphauri side was plundered. They considered themselves the first and foremost in this world, always referring to themselves as the ancient number one (8). They looked down on others, calling them second-rate (8), yet they were utterly overwhelmed by the satellite dwellers.
The combat power of the fallen Beta beings was terrifying. Having spent countless years researching how to travel towards the main planet for the survival of their species, they had become highly skilled in magic that adjusted speed and distance.
– Damn it. These quick little bastard insects!
– Ah, ah. We were wrong.
– They say Duke Ju[red] has passed away. Now we have to consider that there is no hope for the upper class.
The fortress they had painstakingly built collapsed, and in the blink of an eye, many soldiers from the Alphauri forces were dead. However, having worked with magic for a long time, they weren't completely wiped out in a one-sided massacre. Still, the overall situation was far from good.
Wait, but didn't an inconsistent word appear once in the middle?
(That's the same title as the noble duke you're referring to on Earth. We used to follow a pretty absolute class system back in the day as well.)
(...)
(But in reality, the term we used here wasn't exactly the same as what you use. We had our own titles for nobility, but they're hard to pronounce and more or less obsolete, so I didn't feel the need to translate them with too much effort. Just consider the words I use going forward to be roughly equivalent in nuance.)
Alphauri once had the concept of nobility. Social hierarchy. Privileges. Noblesse oblige. These were the elements that shaped the blood and flesh of the noble, virtuous souls. However, not long after, they found themselves having to relinquish a part of their power base with their own hands.
– We are lacking in troops.
In fact, during this great war, magic was not yet widespread.
– We have monopolized magic all this time in order to maintain overwhelming dominance.
– We passed down the incarnations through generations, using them to protect our wealth and status.
– Unless you had noble blood, the use of high-quality techniques was forbidden...
– It would be a problem if a rebellion broke out.
– When the beggars of nature were content to create mere ripples in the water, we had developed miracles capable of halting even the currents, and yet, this is how it ended.
– The end of self-righteousness has finally come.
– The minority can no longer protect the majority.
In order to prevent their home planet from being taken, and to avoid being conquered by invaders from another world, the ruling class of the time decided, after much discussion and agreement, to make the advanced knowledge of magic available to the general population.
– We are too short on troops.
In the end, due to this critical issue, they had no choice but to train more magicians. So, they hastily established schools and began a rigorous conscription.
Fortunately, the main issue was the lack of high-level magicians who could handle a variety of magic. Even during this time, there were quite a few specialized knights, skilled warriors who could fight well and perform basic tasks. So, the frontlines were somewhat maintained. However, to hold that stagnant position, about 135,000 professional knights were needed. Moreover, before the wizards from various countries fully deployed their barriers, the number of free citizens who had died had already reached tens of millions.
.
.
.
How much time had passed since the Alphauri population began to plummet? After countless battles repeated over and over again...
~... ~...
Before they knew it, the economy had collapsed. Refugees increased like mushrooms after rain.
They were pushed out from the relatively calm and livable mid-level seas—until the front lines descended near the abyssal depths. It was an era of downfall. Buried in the dim waters of the deep sea, the Alphauri would sometimes think. So this is how we perish.
But, as is often the case just before the break of dawn, mysteriously, it was during this darkest of times that the seeds of hope began to sprout.
Sigh. This area's been wiped clean. The bandits swept through it all. Not a single edible seaweed left...
Finally, the wizard appeared in the history book.
Huh?
As the person himself once said, it certainly had an extraordinary side from the moment of its birth.
– What is this?
A ruin in a deep corner of the ocean.
Thump, thump, thump.
The entity, which is estimated to have been born a few weeks ago, stretched out its uneven legs like the tips of cancerous cells on the dry ground, sucking up the nutrients from the earth.
It was later revealed that this newborn Alphauri had managed to survive alone for about 8 weeks and 3 days in that barren wasteland.
Ack!
Whoosh!
The newborn Alphauri, instinctively killing and consuming anything that came within its reach. However, logically speaking, it's hard to understand how a newborn could survive for so long merely through basic feeding instincts.
No protector, no proper food around. The past Alphauri were still under the threat of starvation. Yet, how in the world did this individual manage to survive for such a long time on this land?
What...
Thump, thump, thump.
Did it survive by using mana as a nutrient or something?
It even possessed such immense internal magical power that it could make the skin of a fully grown Alphauri tingle. Its origins are truly questionable.
The first to discover it was an unnamed beggar from the ancient past. However, this starving adult didn't devour the child it had found.
Eating such a small body wouldn't be very satisfying anyway.
Instead, it chose another method.
We're desperately short on troops!
Again, this binary planet was currently in the midst of a great war involving all races.
***
Friends-- Today, we're going to learn the names of animals that live in the world!Wow!Now, who's making this sound?Groundfish! Groundfish!
Years passed again. Now, there were rumors that the Beta beings had firmly taken control of the upper seas and established their own nation. They say the walls they built were so high and thick, they seemed to reach the sky.
Excuse me. Is the director here?
But in that time of despair, a certain wave began to rise, thanks to someone.
One day, an unfamiliar form of Alphaurian appeared at a humble orphanage on the outskirts of the deep sea. With an enormous physique and bubbles rolling like carbonation in champagne,
this Alphaurin clearly carried a presence unlike the beggars of the outer zones. Even the beast it rode on was telling —wasn't it a blue-bearded mammal, famously expensive to feed and known for its high upkeep?
Oh, yes, yes! I'm the one in charge here—what brings you to our humble place?
The director immediately recognized the guest's extraordinariness and bowed respectfully. The other party then handed over a symbol with something drawn on it and spoke.
It's a noble summons. I've heard that recently, this place has been taking care of a Magic Disorder patient (*a person whose internal magical energy is not properly regulated).
The great war period being described now was a hazy past, somewhat like the medieval era on Earth. In other words, it was a century on the ocean planet referred to as the "Middle Era." At this time, Alphaurians could still only increase their population through natural reproduction via mates.
Thus, life was still considered precious. That's why, in the aftermath of the Great War, the concept of orphanages came to be—institutions created to help maintain the population. In fact, the state would even pay for abandoned children brought in off the streets. Thanks to this policy, the future archmage wasn't devoured by a starving vagabond but was safely delivered to the institution. And from that point on, he was raised there.
I heard that the guy is still young enough to be living in an orphanage, but he already used magic that was enough to catch and kill a whale.Well. That's right.A magic user with a condition like magic disorder disease and the ability to kill a giant whale? At this point, there's no need to wait until the official age set by the country.Hmm?I must include that one in the next batch of recruits for the training facility. Prepare them.Uh... Wait a minute. That's...What's the problem? You're dragging him on for so long.
But he wondered why the director was stuttering so much earlier.
Y, yes. I understand. Then I'll bring him in for now...
The mysterious figure with a fluorescent orange body soon fell silent upon seeing the orphan. Of course, they had consumed plenty of nutrients, so their physical extremities were larger than most. However, even so, this orphan was an Alphauri with only the body circumference of a single tentacle at best?
This is impossible.It's too small!
The orange-colored authority figure soon went into shock. The newly emerged wizard was incredibly young... In simple terms, they were still in their childhood phase. That's why the orphanage director had shown such a troubled expression.
Huh, a little brat who can't even peel off crustaceans yet is talking about hunting...
The young, barely old enough to babble words like "mom" and "dad," an immature form of their kind, suddenly shows an astonishing ash after being picked up by the orphanage director's tentacles.
!!
Crack.
The young figure, without any incantation, froze the water in front of its torso into a small, round orb. Then, it began playing with the cold sphere it had created, as though it were a mere toy. How could anyone not be astonished by such an unexpected display of magic?
This guy...
Swish.
The old-era privileged class, whose bodies were adorned with various embedded magic, leaned forward. Then, they presented their visual organs to their opponent and spoke.
Could it be that it's not a magic disorder after all?
If the child in front of them is not a special patient, the story going forward would change drastically.
Among the Alphaurin, there were occasional cases where individuals were born with a condition that caused certain organs to fail, resulting in a constant release of energy from their bodies. This condition, typically exhibited sensory abnormalities due to the constant flow of energy, making them slow and only capable of casting large, heavy spells.
The main symptom of this disease was that the energy flowed out of the body like water spilling from a broken jar, leading to significant wastefulness. Those suffering from Magic Disorder disease typically exhibited sensory abnormalities due to the constant flow of energy, making them slow and only capable of casting large, heavy spells.
And yet, the green Alphaurin before their eyes was clearly...
He performed a freezing spell so cleanly, it's hard to believe he mastered it on his own, let alone with such little waste.
Moreover, the speed at which he completed the spell was flawless! The orange observer wiggled his body and stretched out vertically. It was a sign of surprise. Now that he realized that the orphan he had mistaken for a patient was simply a talented person born with incredible magical powers, what's the point of hesitating?
We must definitely take this child to the training center! Director, you will surely receive a great reward. With this level of talent, it's only a matter of time before he is raised as a great magician who will reclaim the upper floors.
Sparkling.
The massive Alphaurin even brightened the tone of their body to express joy. But just as the mood seemed at its best, someone poured cold water over it all.
What is a training center?
The round creature, nestled in the orphanage director's arms, transmitted these words through vibrations.
Oh, what a prodigy. It looks young, but it's already speaking so well...Whaaa!
Swish.
The orphanage director suddenly panicked and threw the child with his tentacle. Fortunately, since this was a sea planet, the child, who was a fellow Alphaurin, wasn't harmed and instead floated gently in the water. This is where he had to be careful.
Oh my goodness! What is this?! This little thing! I thought it was deaf?!
The orphan from the ruins had never said a single word during all the care it had received. Even when the country's infant teachers spoke to it dozens of times, it kept its mouth shut, only fiddling with ice fragments. Because of this, the orphanage director had subconsciously judged that there must be a problem with its auditory cells or vocal organs.
I have hearing. I can speak. But I haven't done it until now. Why? Because everyone just tells me useless things.This crazy...Whale. Coral. Ash tree. Core. Stone. Bottom. I've already memorized all of this. Why do you keep pointing and making me pronounce it? Annoying sound box. Fool.
Is this really the vocabulary of a toddler!
The orphanage director and the orange-colored adult were shocked for different reasons. But that was only for a moment, as the orange adult soon regained his senses and grabbed the floating child.
That guy, the way you speak reminds me of my childhood...
And he suggested this.
In that case, we can communicate with each other. To get straight to the point, a training center is a place where one learns magic.Learn?There are great instructors, rivals who can compete with you, and more forks than you can count with your tentacles.Forks, that's a word I don't know.It's fine. What I truly want to convey is that the place is where the most beautiful of all disciplines in this world is practiced...
Swish.
The orange Alphaurin lifted the child with its tentacles, which had suction power similar to that of an octopus's sucker it.
You will go there starting tomorrow. There's no choice. You understand, right?
It was a somewhat coercive path to admission, but fortunately, the child seemed to have no objections. The orphan from the deep sea deeply agreed with the notion that magic was the most beautiful of all sciences.
If I go there, can I become a magic scholar too?Of course. But why have you been mixing honorifics and informal speech since a while ago?I still don't know the honorifics well. I'm two years old. What more do you want?
