Chapter 3 - Singularity
◆ The Gifts Bestowed by God
At the church, the assessment of my internal mana and Skills was carried out.
When a person turned ten, the gifts bestowed by God would settle within their being. Therefore, I was to receive an assessment at the church on my tenth birthday. This was also a national duty stated in the kingdom's laws, and anyone born in this country had to undergo this assessment.
I was taught this at the schoolhouse in the town. The elderly teacher proudly claimed to have once taught in the royal capital. Perhaps there were some circumstances behind that. The old man was learned and taught with great enthusiasm to the sons and daughters of influential townspeople, as well as to those connected to knightly houses.
Apparently, his specialty was kingdom laws. Perhaps that’s why, with the thick kingdom law code in hand, he often taught us about the various laws. One of those lessons was the assessment of internal mana and Skills at this very church.
It’s a testament to the kingdom's insatiable desire for talent, the teacher had said, laughing.
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In the church, the solemn ceremony for the "assessment" began.
The priest was surprised to see me come alone, but the procedures proceeded smoothly, and I was made to line up with other children who had turned ten. Even though I came from a knightly house, being the third son, I was probably treated the same as commoners. There were no expectations for me, and I shared that same thought. I believed that if I possessed either an arithmetic or physical Skill, it would be considered a good outcome. I also considered the possibility of having no abilities at all.
If I were like my talented older brothers... I thought, I’d be happy.
In the large cathedral, for a border region, after a long prayer, the children who had gathered were each called to undergo the ceremony. Behind a large crystal orb, a stern priest conducted the ceremony. We children formed a line, placed our hands on the crystal, and went through the process of confirming what had been bestowed upon us. I was at the end of the line. As the ceremony neared its end, I peered into the large crystal orb with the priest.
――― I was shocked. Truly shocked.
What I had been given by the god of this world was internal mana comparable to that of a count family, along with the Skills of a Craftsman and a Warrior. The stern priest, peering into the orb, tilted his head. It was a highly unusual combination. I was told that the results would be officially reported to my family later, due to the large amount of internal mana. Since I, a ten-year old boy, had come alone without my parents, this was entirely expected.
Returning home, I conveyed the news to my family during the evening meal when everyone had gathered. My father made a doubtful face. It was something that defied common sense, and after exchanging glances with my mother, my father remained silent for a while. My brothers, for some reason, expressed their congratulations with excitement.
The reason for the excitement was that people with a large amount of mana needed to learn magic that matched their internal mana. Since my parents and brothers only possessed internal mana on the level of knightly nobility, my father was bewildered by this fact. Although no one in our family had possessed such mana in generations, our family had repeatedly held noble titles and carried the "blue blood" of such noble families, so he concluded that it must be the dormant blessing of our bloodline. Eventually, my father spoke solemnly.
"Although it is unusual for a knightly family, you must train to control this power for the good of the kingdom and its people."
"Yes, I will do my best."
Being the third son, and with two outstanding older brothers, my family had the means to afford sending me to the royal capital to study magic. The place known as the Magic Academy was established for the children of middle-ranking noble families—meaning the sons and daughters of count families—and even royalty, those with an abundance of internal mana, to learn how to control their mana and manifest magic. As an exception, lower-ranking nobles whose internal mana met the required standard could also attend, but such cases were rare.
Even within the academy, noble ranks held strict importance, so proper etiquette was a must.
Well, I enjoyed learning. As long as time permitted, I would learn everything I could. My brothers were happy for me to go to the royal capital. They called me the younger brother we are proud of and said, You possess something we don’t have. They were genuinely pleased without any jealousy. This was something I would forever cherish in my heart. More than anything...
I was happy. My excellent and capable brothers had acknowledged me.
I earnestly wanted to become something that would bring pride to my brothers and our family. This was a form of self-affirmation and purpose that I never had in my previous life. Therefore, I dedicated myself to learning. I didn’t know what I could do, but I swore in my heart that I must repay the love of my family.
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The age to enter the Magic Academy in the capital was twelve, after the first coming-of-age ceremony. And, upon entering, there was one stipulation. This rule was said to have been created because high-ranking nobles also attended the academy. The rule was that, before entering, one had to decide on a life partner.
In order to control mana and manifest magic, strong mental stability was required. This applied to both men and women alike. Thus, it was necessary to form a contract with someone worthy of sharing one’s life before entering the academy. The reasoning behind this was understandable. Those on the threshold of adolescence were considered to be emotionally immature.
The contract, aimed at compensating for this immaturity, involved choosing an equal partner in terms of status, someone who would share both public and private life in the future. In other words, a fiancée.
This system, designed for emotional stability, contributed significantly to the kingdom’s stability. It seemed like a useful tactic when considering political maneuvering, power maintenance, or the survival of noble families. In my case, an engagement was also arranged according to my family’s rank.
Given that my internal mana was of the "count level," the selection of a suitable match proved to be extremely difficult. I came from a knightly family, without a title of my own, and with no clear prospects for the future. After learning as much as I could, what I would become remained uncertain. Thus, our feudal lord, a Count, was troubled and sought the advice of even higher-ranked relatives, including a Marquis. Yet, despite the consultations, no suitable person was found, and I heard that everyone involved was greatly troubled by the matter.
After much deliberation, an engagement was arranged with a troubled woman.
The woman’s family held the title of viscount, and she was their fourth daughter. Her status made it impossible for her to attend the Magic Academy. However, she also possessed internal mana equivalent to that of a Count. Yet, her background was problematic. The term "troubled woman" referred to the situation involving her father, a viscount, and the tangled family environment filled with love, resentment, and issues surrounding the viscount's personal affairs.
The woman who was to become my fiancée was the illegitimate child of a viscount. In other words, she was the daughter of his mistress. Moreover, the mistress was the daughter of a baronial family whose lord was the viscount's family. She was a woman who had deviated from the main line of the viscount's household. Although she was technically of noble birth, it seemed that she did not receive the same level of treatment as the fourth daughter in a vicontiel family should.
The baron's daughter, who was the viscount's mistress, was particularly infamous for her scandals. She was well-known in the lower noble circles around this frontier region as a hostess. Her promiscuous love affairs and lack of proper conduct made her notorious. The baron’s family had apparently considered disowning her because of her actions. It was a well-known story among the lower nobility of the region that the baron had offered his daughter who had feelings for the "handsome viscount" as a mistress.
In fact, even my brothers, though fearful, had shared these rumors with me.
The woman who became my fiancée was born between the viscount and the baron's daughter, his mistress. Whether it was divine providence or a devil's prank, she possessed internal mana of count-level caliber. National law was absolute. Due to her high internal mana, she was required to attend the Magic Academy. If she did not learn to control her internal mana and manifest her inherent magic, her very existence could become a disaster. In order to enroll in the academy, she too had to find a partner with whom she could pledge her future. Suddenly, words from my past life resurfaced in my mind.
― A match made in heaven.
The head of the faction and our head lord, His Grace the Marquis, came up with the idea to handle the two troublesome individuals as "engaged." Although it was just for show, we were to be betrothed before our enrollment. Upon learning of the background, my brothers couldn't hide their confusion, and our parents were troubled as well. However, for the lowest-ranking knightly family, the "will of the head lord" was absolute. Reluctantly, they accepted it.
Before heading to the capital, an arranged meeting with the viscount’s fourth daughter was arranged.
At the meeting, she openly showed her disappointment. It was clear that she was disheartened by seeing someone as ordinary as me, and she didn’t even try to hide it. My family members glared at her with angry expressions, but she was from a viscount's family. Moreover, as it was a decision supported by our influential patrons, refusing was not an option. I accepted the situation with a wry smile, and we, placed in this peculiar circumstance, were set to enroll in the Magic Academy.
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